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AK47 “Bullets Straight from the Heart” at MEN gallery

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AK47, an active artist involved in underground and alternative sub-culture circuits since the 1980s, is back in London for a solo show of commercial works at the Maurice Einhardt Neu gallery.

You may have come across AK47 bullets around the street of East London. If you have not, take a look at the video we have included below.

AK47 the artist ‘Bullets Straight From The Heart’ from Art kieda on Vimeo.

AK47 | Art-Pie“Bullets Straight from the Heart” will comprises a series of heart-shaped works with bullets sandwiched between two sheets of perspex, their tip piercing through the front sheet, spell out words and phrases such as LOVE, HATE, KISS ME. These dictums or mandates readily reveal themselves when the viewer stands immediately in front of an individual piece. Direct exchange ensues — the back perspex is mirrored and reflects back to us our own image, the bullets targeting head or chest depending on our individual height. Until this point, when viewed at an angle, the bullets appear like batteries of missiles ready to launch.

‘Love Hearts’ — the tablet-shaped fruit-flavoured sweets, that feature prominently in the artist’s childhood memories, come together in Bullets Straight from the Heart, with another potent childhood memory: playing with guns. The snappy love-related messages of 1970s pastel-coloured confectionary are rehashed and perforated in the juxtaposition of these two referents.

Interaction continues also at the point of sale, with the smaller works in the show flat-packed in pizza boxes ready for self-assembly.

What – AK47 “Bullets Straight from the Heart” solo show
When – The exhibition opens to the public daily on Thursday 7th November and runs until 19th November 2013 from 12 noon – 7 pm FREE ENTRY.
Where – THE MAURICE EINHARDT NEU GALLERY | 30a Redchurch Street | London E2 7DP

STREET ART

Astro Naut – 3D toys

We met with Astro Naut who can be described as a street art sculptor. We need more of his stuff out there as what he does is just awesome and more importantly we like very much the manufacturing aspect of it. Did I mention that he is from Spain, a very creative place.

Astro Naut was kind enough to answer a few questions:

ARTPIE: Tell us about yourself/your crew in a few words?
ASTRO NAUT: Astro Naut is just me, myself and I. I started drawing and pasting up my street art character in 2008 in Madrid, Spain

A-P: For how long have you been doing street art?
A N: I started doing street art in the beginning of 2008, I think. I discover the freedom and the exiting of illegally and I fall in love with it..

A-P: And what drove you towards sculptures rather than other mediums such as paint?
A N: I do all the techniques with my character. I paint, paste up, but what I prefer the most is the sculptures, the toyz. I think It´s another step in street art and I love it!

A-P: What are you trying to say if anything through your sculptures, if anything?
A N: mmmm, there´s no a specific message.

A-P: Tell us a bit more what your sculpture are made of/ your making process?
A N: The mattress if made of silicon. The toyz are made of plaster and painted with spray and markers.

A-P: Any other project in the pipeline
A N: Well, I´m developing the second generation of my sculptures. And I´ve just finished this mural in Madrid.. (see photo below)

Mural in Madrid

PREVIEW

Stik at Subway gallery

We have all seen the stick men across East London, well the man behind all this, STIK, is having a solo exhibition at the Subway gallery, venue as quirky as STIK men.

Stik’s show at the Subway Gallery will feature an exciting Live Graffiti event, an installation comprised of four large light-boxes and hosts the long awaited launch of the new high quality print edition “Single Mum” produced by Squarity. As always there will be smaller, affordable pieces on sale too at this show which is set to be a vibrant and fascinating event for all.

STIK

When –
Preview is on Wednesday 2 March 6—9pm
The show will then run until the 26 march 2011.

Where –
SUBWAY GALLERY | Kiosk 1 Joe Strummer Subway | Edgware Rd / Harrow Rd | London W2 1DX

CONTEMPORARY ART, STREET ART

‘Nuit Blanche’ in Toronto, street art encounters

We bring you, somewhat in a belated way, Nuit Blanche or when Toronto was transformed for one night only by hundreds of artists. Stroll all night long and get amazed by the works on display. A big thank you to Paul Snell for sending in the pictures below and no we aren’t jealous that he was out there and not us!

Green Invaders, 2012 | Yves Caizergues – Lyon, France
Light Installation – more about this project
Green Invaders, 2012 Yves Caizergues - Lyon, France Light Installation

Vertical Constructions: Dancer #1 and #2, 2012 | Max Streicher – Toronto, Canada
Sculpture (left) – more about this project
The Way Things Are, 2012 | Chris Hanson – Brooklyn, USA | Hendrika Sonnenberg – Brooklyn, USA
Sculptures – painted street lamps (right) – more about this project
Vertical Constructions: Dancer #1 and #2, 2012 Max Streicher - Toronto, Canada SculptureThe Way Things Are, 2012 Chris Hanson - Brooklyn, USA Hendrika Sonnenberg - Brooklyn, USA Sculptures - painted street lamps

Pair, 2012 | Neil Campbell – Vancouver, Canada
Sculpture – more about this project
Pair, 2012 Neil Campbell - Vancouver, Canada Sculpture

Applications for next year are already open, find out more here – http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/

Here below is a video of the event – A sneak peek of some of the projects that were on display across Toronto for one night only, during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche on Saturday, September 29, 2012.

BLOG, CAUSE, INTRO

Wildlife photographers joined forces and talent to present Remembering Rhinos

Incredible images by some of the world’s best wildlife photographers will be brought together in this much-anticipated new book, with exclusive launch event and exhibition in London this month.

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Remembering Rhinos | Art-PiePowerful images of rhino taken by some of the world’s top wildlife photographers will be unveiled at a free London exhibition and an evening of talks by leading conservationists, as the much-anticipated Remembering Rhinos book is launched this month.

The beautiful photographic book is a follow-up to the hugely successful Remembering Elephants project, which last year raised over £135k for international wildlife charity Born Free’s elephant conservation work.

It has gained widespread support from a host of celebrities including Russell Crowe, Chris Martin, Joanna Lumley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Holden, Emilia Fox, Caity Lotz, and Katherine Jenkins, who posed with their copy of the book as part of a social media campaign on World Rhino Day.

Remembering Rhinos | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

Stunning images from the project will be on display at a VIP private view on Tuesday 31st October. The event, held at La Galleria, Pall Mall, will be attended by celebrity wildlife ambassadors as well as a number of the internationally acclaimed photographers, whose work is featured in the book.

The exhibition will remain open 10am – 5pm each day until Saturday 11th November – an unmissable opportunity to view the exquisite imagery, and purchase limited edition prints and copies of the book.

Remembering Rhinos | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge
Born Free patron James Lewis will preside an auction | Art-Pie
Born Free patron James Lewis will preside an auction

Tickets are still available for a very special evening about rhino conservation and photography at the prestigious Royal Geographic Society, on Wednesday 1st November.

The event will be introduced by Will Travers OBE, President of Born Free and will include talks by Saving the Survivors founder, vet and photographer Johan Marais and former Wildlife Photographer of the Year Steve Winter.

The founder of Remembering Wildlife initiative, Margot Raggett, will compere the evening, which will culminate in an auction of some of the images from the book, presided over by TV auctioneer and Born Free patron, James Lewis.

The books themselves will also be on sale on the night with some of the photographers available to sign them if requested.

Tickets are available at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/remembering-rhinos-book-launch-tickets-34138488137 and start from £25.

Find out more about Remembering Rhinos at: www.rememberingwildlife.com/remembering-rhinos

Learn more about the work of the Born Free Foundation at: www.bornfree.org.uk

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Private View at La Galleria, Pall Mall
Red carpet arrival Tuesday 31st October, from 7pm
> Free exhibition runs from Monday 30th October to Saturday 11th November

Rhino conservation talks at the Royal Geographical Society
> Wednesday 1st November from 7pm

REVIEWS

‘Buenos Aires calling’ at Pure Evil: fantastico!

Pure Evil London show | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

The year: 2001, the place: Buenos Aires, Argentina, the event: a terrible economic crash.

The outcome and most probably the best one: the explosion of the street art scene. Artists as a reaction to what was happening started to paint the streets and for some of them in a rather large scale.

Buenos Aires Calling is the show Graffitimundo presented at Pure Evil with the aim of bringing a feel of this scene to London.

I got very excited when I heard about this show as I know how much Argentina and the whole Central and South America street art scenes have been buzzing in the recent years.

I walked into Pure Evil and saw those stencils on the wall and thought ‘hmmm another set of stencils, I have seen it all before’ but looking at them closer and especially those from the artist rundontwalk and I was actually liking what I was seeing.

Pure Evil London show | Art-Pie
By Rundontwalk | Click to enlarge

Rundontwalk uses an intricate graphic in his stencils (strangely reminding me of the back on those chairs I have got at home) which apart from being a certainly noticeable technique skill, gives another dimension to the works. The tiling sort of effect reminded me of Paul Normansell’s way of painting.

On of the pieces using this intricate technique is ‘Influenza’ representing a pig wearing a mask which the artist painted in reaction of the panic that followed the swine flu outbreak. Great effect with great colours.

Pure Evil London show | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

I did appreciate the other stencils from other artists but really liked these tiny pieces of art full of colours on oddily shaped pieces of wood representing even querky characters or abstracts. I found a ressemblance with BASHER’S world of characters.

 

Stencil technique has been embraced by a very large number of artists these days like in Argentina and if the technique is pretty much the same worldwide, I felt that this collective of artists and more generally South and Central american artist really want to put accross a message and do not just do stencils where esthetic is what only matters but their meanings too.

Nothing wrong with wanting to put out there a cool looking Goldie type stencils but it is nice to know that some artists really try to engage their audience by trying to deliver a message to them.

This show really managed to transpire how much the Argentinian street art scene is vibrant and not ready to die just now, oh no.

Colours, colours, there are loads of them, shapes, representations are everywhere like street artist right now in Buenos Aires and surroundings. Feels good.

Click any picture to start the slideshow

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The show at Pure Evil is now over

PREVIEW

RETNA at The Old Dairy

The Hallelujah World Tour is RETNA’s first solo exhibition in the UK. This show will present new works by Los Angeles based artist RETNA and will be hosted at the Old Dairy, London.

RETNA mixed inspirations from Asian calligraphy, Incan and Egyptian hieroglyphics, Hebrew and Arabic script to traditional UK gang style graffiti writings seen since the 1970’s in Los Angeles .

Where – The Old Dairy | 7 Wakefield St | London |WC1N 1PB

When – 9/6 till 27/6/2011 | Tuesday to Saturday | 11am to 6pm

PREVIEW

Dale Grimshaw at Signal gallery

Dale Grimshaw has got a fine art education which meant that he has been difficult for him to be accepted in the streets as a graffiti artist but long ago was that time, Dale Grimshaw seems to plain sailing his style, his own.

His new show, Semi-detached is the expression of monsters and victims, making reference here to his violent father and the tensions this created in the household. Dale Grimshaw are full of that tension, the whole composition and combination of human and animal gives the tone of what it must have be like at home.

Dale Grimshaw – ‘Semi-detached’
6th October – 29th October 2011
www.signalgallery.com | 32 Paul Street | London, EC2A 4LB

PREVIEW

Pam Glew at Blackall studios

‘Beautiful and Damned’, the shows title, is of course taken from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 novel, which explores the listless lives of moneyed society during the Jazz Age.

This captivating era, drenched in glamour yet tinged with tragedy is the decadent setting for this extraordinary series of work. The exquisitely beautiful movie starlets, society icons and characters on display capture the spirit of the age all who are caught in the unforgiving glare of the limelight and some sadly burn out before their time.

As Pam states, “the tragedy amongst the beauty is what has inspired this show, the sharp contrast between a blessed life and one that ends in scandal, hedonism or destitution”.

Words from Mauger Modern Art

When – 25th till 29th May 2011 (late opening on the 26th)

Where – Blackall Studios

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS