Dan Baldwin’s new show ‘The Fear Of Letting go’ at Lawrence Alkin gallery

September 30, 2015 Pierrick Senelaer

In conjunction of Dan Baldwin’s new show, ‘The Fear of Letting go‘, we are offering a copy of the book that the artist is simultaneously releasing.

Entitled ‘The Fear of Letting go’, you will find all the artworks from the show and more. Last but not least, Dan will sign the book!

To win this book, you just need to subscribe to our newsletter by filling out the form below.

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About the show

‘The Fear of Letting Go’ charts a new direction in Dan Baldwin’s creative practice. His approach to making this new work is more structured and, for the first time ever, Baldwin is planning and constructing his paintings, methodically creating links and dialogues between the different media on show.

Following his sell out New York show ‘The End of Innocence’, this latest collection on display will feature new paintings, bronzes, ceramic vases and original works on paper and wood. ‘The Fear of Letting Go’ will be Baldwin’s most autobiographical and intimate body of work to date.

The work on display successfully retains Baldwin’s signature dense and multifaceted aesthetic, as well as continuing and progressing his engagement with bronze sculpture. His obsession with incorporating found objects and sentimental ephemera is still abundantly apparent as he invites the viewer to delve deep into his past, reassessing feelings of nostalgia.

“This new work is a lot to do with memory, childhood and innocence –
most of the new paintings are contained within a room, or an environment. I’ve always said it’s about life and death, but in this body of work it’s more personal…” Dan Baldwin

Read the interview of Dan Badlwin by Lawrence Alkin gallery –

WHAT- ‘The Fear Of Letting Go’ by Dan Baldwin
WHERE – Lawrence Alkin Gallery, 42 New Compton Street, London, WC2H 8DA
WHEN – 1st October- 14th November, Monday to Saturday 11am –7pm, or by appointment

www.lawrencealkingallery.com

We will pick up the 50th entrant to this competition as the winner!

CONTEMPORARY ART

Internal Objects and the Objectified Self

June 26, 2013 Jane Boyer

“Lacan revises and enriches the myth of Narcissus, so passionately in love with his image that he plunges into the water and is drowned.”[1]

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

The mirror holds peril. Revealing truths unwanted or enticing the loss of the self to an objectified world. The creation of our self-identity begins with how we respond to our image in the mirror in infancy. We either recognize the ‘other’ and begin the process of socialization or we retreat to find the maternal object and become locked in the death wish.[2] Psychoanalytical theory is of course more complex and involved than that simple description. But the significance in the simplified description is the relationship of self to object. We begin to understand we are an object which occupies space, distinct from others or we seek the comfort and reassurance of objects to satisfy our longing, beginning to see everything as an object available to satisfy us.

In Kleinian theory, the ‘internal object’ is “a mental and emotional image of an external object that has been taken inside the self. The character of the internal object is coloured by aspects of the self that have been projected into it. A complex interaction continues throughout life between the world of internalised figures and objects and in the real world…the state of the internal object is considered to be of prime importance to the development and mental health of the individual.”[3]

We are bound to objects as a means to understand the world, ourselves and the complex relationships we have throughout life. Any kind of exploration of self and identity must perforce include a discussion of objects. This ‘Me’ of Mine has delved into several aspects of this ‘object relationship’, through the work of Kate Murdoch and memory association with personal identity development, Annabel Dover and the complex personal codes and emotions imposed on objects, Cathy Lomax and objects which represent self-image and emotional states and now with the work of Hayley Harrison and her use of objects as an expression of an inner self:

“I think we have to be in the ‘right’ place both internally and externally and that’s when a conversation occurs. For me self-recognition through the external is experienced in its ‘purest’ form when we are here, now, rather than through our pasts or futures. We can be taken off guard by something, something perhaps poetic that throws us into the present. Whatever that something is, we just have to come into relationship with it. When we experience one of these rare conversations between the internal and external I believe we come back to ourselves, much like Jacques Lacan’s famous discourse with the sardine can. Ultimately within these moments we are looking into a mirror.”

Read more of my interview with Hayley, Speak Me Many Times .

Read past interviews with Kate Murdoch, Annabel Dover and Cathy Lomax.

[1] Roundinesco, Elisabeth, “The Mirror Stage: an obliterated archive” from The Cambridge Companion to Lacan, edited by Jean-Michel Rabaté, 2003, Cambridge University Press, accessed online at: http://artsite.arts.ucsb.edu/~arts1a/outlines/The_Cambridge_Companion_to_Lacan.pdf , 25 June 2013

[2] Ibid.

[3] Melanie Klein Trust, http://www.melanie-klein-trust.org.uk/internal-objects ,accessed 25 June 2013

FEATURE, STREET ART

Mexican city giant mural by artists’ collective known as the German Crew

August 14, 2015 Pierrick Senelaer

We are always happy to see people dedicated to bringing art into communities that typically remain miles away from it for various reasons, such as poverty.

So when we heard about this project, called “Pachuca Paints Itself”, in central Mexico by an artists’ collective known as the German Crew, we had to feature it on Art-Pie.

Click on the pictures to enlarge

Hundreds of houses painted

The collective spent 14 months turning the steep hillside area of Las Palmitas into something a colossal and very much alive mural. It was an incredible effort to change people’s perception of a neighbourhood previously seen as rather gloomy and rough – art at its best, art to its best use.

“We have painted 209 houses. Every color represents the soul of the neighborhood. It has been a community effort as each household has participated in some way,” said project director Enrique Gomez, who goes by MYBE.

MYBE is a reformed and tattooed gang member who is now focusing all his attention on graffiti art and muralism.

The project in numbers –

– 209 house painted
– 5,000 gallons (20,000 litres) of paint used
– More than 16,000 square feet (1,500 square meters) of murals covered

Even better, we hear that thanks to the huge success of this project, another impoverished area called Cubitos, is next to be painted happy.

STREET ART

Stencil republic, be a street artist

September 26, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer

If the thought of having to go out there at night, hood on and a few cans in the pockets seems to you just not doable, the new Stencil Republic book, by London-based creative studio Ollystudio’s Oliver Walker and published by Laurence King, may be your alternative.

Pick one of the 20 stencils printed onto perforated card which have been created by international street artists such as Artiste Ouvrier, BS.AS.STNCL, Chris Stain, Dan Innes, Orticanoodles, Ozi, Run Don’t Walk and Stencil King, who has penned the book’s introduction.

Hours of fun and feeling of being a street artist, uh within the safe walls of your living room or bedroom, whatver this is a great toy.

One of the street art pieces you will be able to drop is Orticanoodles skull pictured below so what are you waiting for?

Here is what street artist AIKO has to day about the whole thing, ‘This is something you cannot learn at school. It doesn’t matter whether it is commissioned or unauthorised, painting in the dirty alley, on postal stickers, canvases, store signs, outdoor murals, you have to feel it, jump in, don’t stop and…have fun.’

Stencil Republic by Ollystudio is published by Laurence King Press on 1 October, priced £19.95

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG, STREET ART

Alex Meade’s 3D made into 2D street art

October 2, 2014 Pierrick Senelaer

Meet Alexa Meade. He creates amazing series of living graffiti art but the twist is that he masters the ability of using actual people made to look like they belong in their 2D graffiti background.

No need to say that the level of careful painting and attention to detail is huge here but it works pretty awesomely to turns three dimensional figures into two dimensional figures. All participants are painted in black and white and cleverly get tangled in the explosive and coloured backgrounds and the illusion of they are part of the static art is achieved.

You will see a few examples of Alexa Meade below.

GRAFFITI, IN THE NEWS, STREET ART

Banksy v. Robbo: the fight’s still on

January 19, 2010 Pierrick Senelaer

Team Robbo and his crew still seem bitter and have painted over another one of Banksy’s pieces in Camden. This guerilla started when Banksy painted over one of Robbo’s historical throwups – see earlier post here. Team Robbo went back to Regent Street Canal and modified the piece which now seems to imply that Banksy is fishing for ‘street cred’.

One thing to notice in all this is the two different approaches – Banksy paints over while Team Robbo ‘alter’ to suit their means. This is probably the only interesting and entertaining aspect of that whole story because to be honest, there is no need for such non-respect.

See below the Banksy piece – Before and After â€¦

ART-PIE

Uncategorized

It’s your funeral by Guerilla Zoo

March 21, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

Everyone needs live performance in their lives, everyone needs to get out there and enjoy moments with each other. It gets better if what you see is something unique or at least different with what you are used to see.

It’s Your Funeral, a new monthly event by Guerrilla Zoo founder James Elphick and The Late Night Shop Collective’s Charlie Buckitt may just be the answer and sounds like a good and quirky night out.

You will have understand by now that you are up for a twisted and macabre event which takes the form of a theatrical New Orleans jazz style funeral experience of mournful humour and morbid performance! It’s Your Funeral is a dark tragicomedy journey, breathing fresh life into grim tall tales of the dead.

The event is launching on Thursday 11th April 2013 and then will run every 2nd thursday of the month in the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club

More information can be found on the It’s Your Funeral website

What – It’s Your Funeral
When – 11/04/13 then every second thursday of the month
Where – Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club | 42-44 POLLARD ROW LONDON E2 6NB

PREVIEW

The Lock Up II (Behind Bars) at Red Bull studios

November 14, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

I had the chance to make the first Lock Up and really enjoyed the diversity and quality of the works I saw that day from Goldie, Nick Walker and others. Another similar group show is upon us – Lock UpII (Behind Bars) held at the Red Bull studios, which will give us an insight of the latest pieces from renowned urban artists such as Dan Baldwin, Pam Glew, Goldie or Chris Bracey.

Chris Bracey, a pioneer in making neons, created some of the first ever neons including some for Stanley Kubrick films. View the interview he gave to Art-Pie in 2010

Dan Baldwin shall again give his fans bold colour and abstract forms while Pam Glew’s iconic portraits on bleached national flags recently fetched $20.000 at an aucti0n will surely be worth the visit to the galler. For those keen on street art installations, K-Guy will be of choice, FinDAC’s stencils should also draw your attention.

David Whittaker’s new paintings are most definitely the most exciting aspect of this show. Ambiguity, calm, storm, hopes and fears, loads of feelings get on the canvases and certainly make David Whittaker’s pieces the most interesting and deeper works of art in this show.

When
Private view: 17th November. Show runs: 18th -27th November 2011.
Where
Red Bull Studios, 155-171 Tooley Street, London SE1 2JP. Nearest Tube London Bridge

Uncategorized

Our Aim is to Survive, photographs by Brian J Morrison

January 17, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer

This work is the result of an exploration into the area of masculinity and social stereotypes. As a documentary photographic essay the work opens the doors to a lesser-seen area of society in an attempt to challenge pre-existing British stereotypes surrounding male identity and firearms.

Our aim is to aim is to survive focuses on Blackpool Pistol and Rifle Club: it’s physicality as a space, the people who use it and the inter-relationship between the two. These images are bound together through their formal presentation yet each image contains a strong individual presence in many cases confirming expectations but in others, interestingly confounding and challenging both the preconceived ideas attached to firearms and Shooting Clubs.

The Blackpool Pistol and Rifle club as been running since 1948 and is a typical example of what you would find in many shooting clubs throughout the United Kingdom. After a 1997 firearms amendment outlawed all but muzzle loading and single shot pistols, the membership to these clubs dwindled. As with many things within contemporary society the unfashionable quickly becomes lost and the
traditions of old soon turn to nostalgia. The walls of this club speak of a time gone; the faux wooden panels and the photographs proudly displayed offer an insight into “the good old days”. However they spoke as much about an acceptance of their fate as it offered a reminder into the past. The unfashionable has already become nostalgic whilst still in existence. To emphasize the idea of ever shifting social opinions I have offered a critique on the normative opinions associated masculinity and firearms by mixing the past and present contained within each frame.

Throughout the work the viewer is encouraged to draw off there own pre-existing opinions before eventually having these opinions subverted. By using masculinity as a focal point, symbolic links are drawn between the continually changing view of masculinity and the decline in popularity of those things that
do not fit within today’s society.”

““an acceptance that photography at the least can capture the present and the visible, he (Coekin) adds an understanding that what we know of the present what we know, and don’t know, of the past and the future”
David Campany on Chris Coekin’s piece Knock Three Times.

Words from Brian J Morrison

See more on Brian J Morrison website

CONTEMPORARY ART

Fran Williams – contemporary artist who marks

May 22, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

We have had the chance to ask a few questions to Fran Williams

ART-PIE:Tell us about yourself in a few words?
FRAN WILLIAMS: I explore the process and of paint and its emotional impact through mark making. Using the human form as a vehicle to create emotion with paint.

A-P: What is your process/approach when making art?
FW: My process is one of discovery through continual manipulation of paint and surface…throughout the smudging and hacking away of paint I get an idea of the ‘personality’ of a potential painting before choosing a pose which I feel will bring a readable emotion to it.Its all about the overall energy a of a painting…detail and meaning are secondary whilst Im creating it… the titles and meaning I attach afterwards come from things I have been thinking about outside of the studio.

A-P: Where/what do you look for inspiration?
FW: Everything everywhere is inspiring in one way or another…the changabilty of the sky is something Im inspired by all day…its a continual reminder of the impermanence of any experience which is something I find very useful should I ever have doubts on whether I could /should do something…it reminds me to just do it, and enjoy the journey.

In terms of artistic fuel Im always looking at the art of the Symbolist Painters such as Odilon Redon and Jean Delville…aswell as contemporary and mixed media artists such as Celia Paul and Dave Mckean.

A-P: Any upcoming shows?
FW:
Solo show ‘Helpless Angels’ opens at Bo-Lee Gallery May 14 – June 11
Affordable Art Fair – View Gallery May 13 – 15
Signal Gallery Group show in June
Blackhall studios London- Bo-Lee gallery group show June 13 -18

Make sure to check Fran William’s website

We thank you Fran Williams for taking time to take part in this interview. Find below a few pics of her best work. All three pieces are using oil/acrylics on canvas.

About the show

Hundreds of houses painted

The project in numbers –

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS