STREET ART

Stencil republic, be a street artist

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.

Stencil Republic | Art-Pie

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 | Art-Pie

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

Buy it from Amazon

CONTEMPORARY ART

Noise project – Challenge #2 The Little Things

Here is our second entry for the Noise Intercepted project, a global art project curated by Labspace Studio (a creative agency & art house in Toronto, Canada). Noise Intercepted is a series of ten experience-activated noise challenges that prompt participants to listen, observe and interact with their urban soundscape in new and unlikely ways.

Noise challenge #2: The little things

“This week spend some time paying attention to the little things… the sounds that you tend to ignore and the seemingly insignificant noises that you take for granted. You have 1 week to listen, identify and select one “insignificant” sound and transform it into something “significant.”

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Water is all around us but often forgotten, we may see it but not necessarily hear it or listen to it but yet it can take all sorts of sound shapes or noises.

Here are four of them, from the subtle to the fierce…

BLOG, FEATURE

Ink on girls

I hope I will not come across as sexist but ink on girls does work for me.

Ok these girls below as most probably as beautiful as their tattoos, I’ll give you that. Damn there is a car on that pic and a half naked girl, that’s it I’ll be called ‘sexist’ but on a pure aesthetic point of view, I think this is stunning.

What do you think?

(Click on the thumbnails below)
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Ink on girls | Art-Pie

Ink on girls | Art-Pie

CONTEMPORARY ART, PREVIEW

Hayley Lock at Transition gallery

Launched at Ickworth House in Suffolk in July 2011 (Now that would be) Telling is a collaborative project between the artist Hayley Lock, curator Catherine Hemelryk and writers Jessica Hart, Lucinda Hawksley, Ben Moor, Hallie Rubenhold and Liz Williams.

Lock and the writers have created a series of site-specific works in English stately homes. Part myth and part encrypted biography, these works reveal/conceal parallel histories of the residents of these remarkable homes.

For Transition Gallery Lock is showing a series of works originally made for a grand home proudly situated in rural Bedfordshire. These portraits of the real and imagined lovers of the Lady of the House use mirrors and light to form a multiple of 28 and include a new portrait of the Lady herself. Lock meshes a range of sumptuous materials including velvets, brocades gilt and fringing into the portraits referencing the imagined interiors of Caddington Hall the family house. Elsewhere the digitally enhanced landscapes play out their stories of love, romance and deceit in an uncanny space where truth and fiction, history and scandal collide.

Words from Transition gallery

14 Jan – 5 Feb 2012
Fri–Sun 12-6pm

REVIEWS

ROA at Pure Evil gallery: raw

I have been going around London many times to try to snap up some street art and came across ROA’s stuff on several occasions. I knew little about the guy from Ghent (Belgium) and was therefore very keen on finding out more about him and his obsession with picturing large scale urban wildlife through his spray paint cans.

I headed then to Pure Evil gallery for what I was pretty convinced would be something very different with most exhibitions I have seen so far this year. Continue reading ROA at Pure Evil gallery: raw →

BLOG, GRAFFITI, LISTS, STREET ART

10 awesome Christmas-related street art works

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

The festive season is upon which has and always will inspire artistic creativity.  

While British street artist Moose just created a pretty incredible Christmas scene with only a toothbrush and moss (!) on South Bank wall Moose – see more of Moose aka Paul Curtis Christmas scene, there are many holiday themed street and graffiti artist creations.

Scouring outdoors and the web, ten recent and some less so graffiti or street art Christmas-related awesomeness caught our little eyes, see below.

Happy Christmas!

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

Christmas street art | Art-Pie

CONTEMPORARY ART, REVIEWS

Wonderful World, solo show by Gérard Rancinan

Gerard RancinanWhere: Londonewcastle Project Space
When: 7-24 June 2012

Thursday evening I managed to drop by the Londonewcastle space to see first hand the Rancinan show presented by The Future Tense. I  had known about the exhibition for some time and was really keen to visit. I was not disappointed.

Opening from The Future Tense

“Gérard Rancinan is one of the world’s leading contemporary fine art photographers. For the past 7 years, Rancinan, along with writer Caroline Gaudriault, have been developing the ‘Trilogy of the Moderns’ – a revolution in three acts. Pitched somewhere between comedy and tragedy, this vivid photographic tableau and accompanying texts paint a picture of a confused humanity, blindly groping in the darkness, obsessed with fame and guided only by an absolute desire for generalised happiness.”

Gerard Rancinan

Walking through the show I envisioned myself watching the film Donnie Darko and playing out scenes from which include the infamous bunny head. In addition the irony was that I was humming “Mad World” the corresponding score to the film. Batmanesq and cartoon imagery which although perhaps has been included within other contemporary art, I do not feel this is in any way reproduced. It feels new, yet old, fresh yet re-worn and very much engaging.

Gerard Rancinan

The narrative which accompanies the show, actually does not waffle or meander through meaningless meanings, it provides a commentary, which I find sits well with me. This is the first time for many months where the ideals which are being conveyed actually mean something to me. References to a society documenting its own history via social mediums are made and the act of me writing these very words endorse this. In addition the term ‘non places’ and ‘non people’ have been used which when used in conjunction with the virtual Twitter & Facebook world actually have a relevant description of contemporary society.

Gerard Rancinan

The works themselves are comparable to hyper realistic painting, coupled with well staged and well shot content arranged in such a way that just works. The sheer size of the works give an air of importance to them whilst drawing you in to the content. Another perfect fit to the show is that the final piece of work for the series was actually shot in real time at the exhibition using real people attending the show. This for me bridged the gap between aesthetic and interactive art in a way which I hope everyone can appreciate.

Ed Bartlett of The Future Tense said to me that “to fully appreciate the show you must come back” and he is right.The show runs until 24 June 2012. For more information visit: http://londonewcastle.com/arts-programme/events/2012-06-07/wonderful-world

BLOG, PREVIEW

Edward Akrout ‘First Impression’ show at Hoxton hotel

Edward AkroutBest known for his roles in high profile TV series and films including; Mr. Selfridge, Midsomer Murders and The Borgias, actor Edward Akrout has kept his talent as an artist hidden from the public eye.

This was until recently, when he presented his debut solo exhibition at Café Royal in March to an enthusiastic crowd of gallerists, collectors and VIPs.

A big step in the art world

Akrout admits that even though he is capable of handling the daily rejection and criticism he faces as an actor, the idea of showing his art to the world terrified him. This autumn Akrout will exhibit a suite of new drawings and paintings titled ‘First Impression’ at The Hoxton, Shoreditch, offering visitors an insight into the world of Edward Akrout.

Emotions and studies in France

There is an unmistakable connection between Akrout’s two chosen disciplines, for as an actor his job is to inhabit different emotional states, and as an artist he has an uncanny ability to capture in only a few strokes of the brush or pen, the fleeting emotions and personality traits of characters he comes across on his travels in London, Paris and New York.

Born to a Franco-British mother and Tunisian father, 32-year-old Akrout grew up in France, studying philosophy at The Sorbonne and theatre at Le Cours Florent in Paris, and then spending time at the National Institute in Bucharest. He left Paris for London when offered a place at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Akrout’s philosophical and theatrical training is evident in his expressive, psychological studies of the eclectic characters he encounters.

'Blue Man' by Edward Akrout | Art-Pie

WHAT – ‘First Impression’ by Edward Akrout
WHERE – The Hoxton, 81 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU | United Kingdom
WHEN – 2 Oct 2015 — 1 Jan 2016

First seen on WSIMAG

CONTEMPORARY ART, PRODUCT DESIGN

Clerkenwell design week – Sarah Wiestner's installation

The Clerkenwell design week is back again from tomorrow, the 24th May, and will result in an exciting buzz where art meets design and vice versa. Not less than 60 showrooms and a pile of events (over 150 events) such pop up exhibitions, installations, talks, performances, music and workshops, the area is where to be for the next couple of days.

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Sarah Wiestner

One of the exhibitions that got me excited at this year’s Clerkenwell design week, is Sarah Wiestner’s axcrylics mirrors, MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) and LEDs lights installation or make over of the infamous House of Detention known to be haunted. The prison was demolished in 1890, but an entire underground section survived and lay undisturbed until the bombs of the Blitz saw it reopened as an air-raid shelter. After World War II it was again largely forgotten until, in 1993, it became a museum.

How Sarah plays with mirrors and make the space transparent is often deceived or shaken by the encounter of a dead end paths. Many openings were sealed off last century. The LEDs lights give back the light to this place once in a the complete dark. I have not been yet but can already sense a very interesting and exciting mix of elements and feelings.

Read more
> The website and blog of Sarah Wiestner (some awesome stuff) – http://maisdsarahwiestner.blogspot.com
> Cklerkenwell design week – http://www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com
> The House of Detention – http://www.london-ghost-tour.com/houseofdetention.htm

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS