Opening

Fun Friday 03.09.12 Armory Week BSA Picks

March 9, 2012 , , , , ,

Hells yes, it’s the invasion of the art fairs in New York – and all the associated events around them, including Bushwicks Beat Night and Williamsburg’s Arts Not Fair in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn and many galleries have special programming planned for the weekend around the city. The big fish is the Armory, which is apparently taming itself down a bit if last nights opening was any indication, and their door is a hefty $30 – boutique indeed.  But the hardy street art fan never pays anyway, from what we’ve seen.

Also this weekend are Fountain, PooL Art, Scope New York, Volta , Art Now, and Theorize which are more affordable or free and can be a lot more interesting frankly. Or, just hang out on the street with your bagged container and check out the street art on selected streets and abandoned lots in neighborhoods like the L.E.S, Bowery, Chelsea, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Red Hook, Long Island City, Dumbo. It’s cheap and you might get invited inside for a party if you bring a couple cans of beer. As you know, it doesn’t cost money to access the creative spirit.

1. Armory Arts Week
2. Fountain
3. Volta
4. Scope
5. Lisa Enxing at Le Salon d’ Art
6. Ambush Gallery, “Project 5, Volume 4”
7. “Beat Nite”
8. “Hyper/Hypo” at Secret Project Robot
9. OBLVN “100 Paintings at Klughaus Gallery
10. Jef Aerosol “Hot Spots” @ Galerie Austral
11. Street Artist Ives.One (Video)

For further information regarding Armory Arts Week click here

Fountain

(Images © Steven P. Harrington)

This year Fountain has provided a 200 foot long wall for a slew of Street Artists, including Chris Stain, Know Hope, GILF, Imminent Disaster, Joe Iurato, LMNOP, Elle, ShinShin, LNY, Cake, En Masse, Sophia Maldonado, Hellbent, Radical! and Wing. See some behind the scenes photos posted yesterday here.

Joe Iurato at Fountain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LNY will be at Fountain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fountain include a great line up of galleries that promote, support and represent Street Artists including:  Kestin/Ray Gallery, Mighty Tanaka Gallery, The Market Place Gallery and Marianne Nems Gallery.

XAM will be exhibiting at Fountain with Marianne Nems Gallery. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Brooklyn gallery Mighty Tanaka will be having a greatest hits collection of work by almost everyone in their stable of untamed horses. One of the best walls is the dual red white and blue side by side 3-D sculptural wall installations by Skewville and Miguel Ovalle – including swords on the bottom of the Ovalle piece for the kids.

Featured at Might Tanaka are Abe Lincoln Jr. Adam Leech, Adam Void, Alexandra Pacula, Alice Mizrachi, Andrew H. Shirley, Burn 353, Cake, CAM, Celso, ChrisRWK, Conrad Carlson, Criminy Johnson, Curtis Readel, Don Pablo Pedro, Drew Tyndell, ELLE, Ellen Stagg, EVOKER, Flying Fortress, Gigi Bio, Gigi Chen, Greg Henderson, Hellbent, Hiroshi Kumagai, infinity, JMR, Joe Iurato, John Breiner, Katie Deker, Lamour Supreme, Masahiro Ito, Matt Siren, Max Greis, Mike Schreiber, Nathan Pickett, Nathan Vincent, NEVER, Peat Wollaeger, Robbie Bush, See One, Sofia Maldonado, TooFly, UFO, Vahge, VengRWK, VIK with exclusive murals by Miguel Ovalle & Skewville.

For further information regarding Fountain Art Fair click here

Volta

Carmichael Gallery from Culver City, CA will be exhibiting new works by Aakash Nihalani.

Aakash Nihalani (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding Volta Art Fair click here

Scope

The Corey Helford Gallery from Culver City, CA will be exhibiting works by D*Face, Ron English and Risk at Scope.

D*Face in Los Angeles for LAFreeWalls Project (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English in Miami for Wynwood Walls (photo © Jaime Rojo)

White Walls Gallery from San Francisco will be exhibiting works by Blek le Rat at Scope.

Blek le Rat in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding Scope Art Fair click here

Also happening this Weekend:

Lisa Enxing at Le Salon d’ Art For more information about this show click here

Ambush Gallery in Sydney, Australia presents “Project 5, Volume 4”. For more information about this show click here

Don’t miss “Beat Nite” happening this Saturday in dirty Bushwick and presented by Norte Maar. For more information about this event click here

“Hyper/Hypo” group show at Secret Project Robot opens this Saturday. For more information about this show click here

OBLVN solo show “100 Paintings” opens this Saturday at the Klughaus Gallery. For more information about this show click here

Jef Aerosol new solo show “Hot Spots” opens this Saturday at Galerie Austral in Saint-Denis, France. For more information about this show click here

 

Amsterdam based Street Artist Ives.One

A nice stop motion piece made with Arden de Raaij:

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MOSH Gallery Presents: Asbjørn Skou (Armsrock) & Sif Iton a Westerberg “Stedfortrædere” (Copenhagen, Denmark)

March 5, 2012 , , , , ,

“Stedfortrædere”

Stedfortrædere

MOHS Exhibit.

16.03.12 – 21.04.12

Opening march 16th. 16 – 21

Sønder boulevard 98
1720 Copenhagen V

The exhibition investigates how social realities are mediated though things. How objects turn into vessels for ideas and meanings. Through installations, drawings and photographs, we investigate how our collections and use of objects, serve as the foundation of social and historical constructions of power, and how these can be negotiated.

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ThinkSpace Gallery Presents: “Picks of The Harvest 2012” A Group Show (Culver City, CA)

March 1, 2012 , , , , ,

Pick of the Harvest

White Cocoa “Self Portrait” (image courtesy of the gallery)

‘Picks of the Harvest 2012’
Reception with the artists: Saturday, March 3rd from 5 to 8PM

On view March 3rd through March 24th

Picks of the Harvest 2012 will showcase numerous artists we’ve had our eye on over the past year exhibited alongside new works from several of our regular Thinkspace family members. Showcasing work from over 60 artists from all walks of life from around the world, Picks of the Harvest 2012 aims to shine a light on some of the most exciting young contemporary artists in our movement.

Adam Caldwell www.adamhuntercaldwell.com/
Anthony Clarkson www.anthonyclarksonart.com
Ariel DeAndrea http://arieldeandrea.wordpress.com/
Brooke Grucella www.phoenixartspace.com/members/504 Caitlin Hackett http://caitlinhackett.carbonmade.com/ Christina Mrozik http://christinamrozik.com/
Craig “Skibs” Barker www.skibsart.com
DABS MYLA www.dabsmyla.com
DAL www.daleast.com
Dan Lydersen www.danlydersen.com/
Darla Jackson http://darlajacksonsculpture.com/home.html David Cooley www.davidcooleyart.com/
David MacDowell www.macdowellstudio.com/
David Walker http://artofdavidwalker.com/home.html
Drew Young http://dyoung.co/
Elliot Brown http://elliotbrownstudio.com/
Elliot Jackson http://elliotjacksonsculpture.squarespace.com/ Emma Tooth www.emmatooth.co.uk/
Erik Siador www.eriksiador.com/
Euth http://hauntedeuth.com/home.html
Frank Gonzales http://frankgonzales.net/home.html
Glenn Arthur http://glennarthurart.blogspot.com/
Hugh Leeman http://hughleeman.com/
Jason Thielke www.jasonthielke.com/

Jason Yarmosky http://jasonyarmosky.com/ Jeff Ramirez http://jefframirez.com/
Jeni Yang www.jeniyang.com/
Jeremy Enicio http://jenecio.com/

Jeremy Hush http://hushillustration.blogspot.com/
Jessamyn Patterson www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.149019655111286.26291.1485148584950 99&type=3

Jesse Hotchkiss www.jessehotchkiss.com/
Jessica Hess http://jessicahess.com/
Joey Leung Ka-Yin www.leungkayin.com/artwork.htm
John Malloy http://johnmalloy.com/
Jolene Lai www.enelojial.com/
Julie West www.juliewest.com/
Katherine Brannock www.katherinebrannock.com/
KNOW HOPE http://thisislimbo.com/
La Pandilla www.la-pandilla.com/
Laura Bifano http://laurabifano.com/
Linnea Strid www.linneastrid.se/
Liqen http://liqen.wordpress.com/
Luke Kopycinski http://koppa.carbonmade.com/projects/2184226 Mari Inukai www.mariinukai.com/
Mary Iverson www.maryiverson.com
Matt Doust http://tinyurl.com/7l6qhc3
Matthew Grabelsky www.grabelsky.com/
Megan Wolfe http://megwolfe.net/
Meggs http://houseofmeggs.com/
Michael Ramstead www.michaelramstead.com/
Michael Shapcott www.michael-shapcott.com/
Mike Egan www.eganpaintings.com/
Nathan DeYoung www.nathandeyoung.com/#home
Nicholas Bohac http://nicholasbohac.com/
N.S. David http://nsdavid.livejournal.com/
Pedro Matos http://pedromatos.org/

Rodrigo Luff http://artofrodrigo.blogspot.com/
Sarah Muirhead http://cargocollective.com/sarahmuirhead/ Scott Listfield www.astronautdinosaur.com/
Sean Mahan http://seanmahanart.com/
Serge Gay Jr. http://sergegayjr.com/
Shark Toof http://sharktoof.com/
Soey Milk http://milkbomb.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Buer http://stephaniebuer.com/
The Yok www.theyok.com/
Tony Philippou www.tonyphilippou.com/
White Cocoa http://dearcatherine.com/
Winnie Truong www.winnietruong.com/

Thinkspace Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd.|Culver City, CA 90232
#310.558.3375  |  Wed-Fri 1-6PM and Sat 1-8PM

http://www.thinkspacegallery.com

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Ambush Gallery Presents: Project 5 Volume 4 (Sydney, Australia)

March 1, 2012 , , , , , , ,

Project 5

STREET ART ROCKS SYDNEY’S HISTORIC PRECINCT

Project Five – Volume Four

Award winning urban arts initviative, Project Five, gets a fresh look for its forth volume as organisers, aMBUSH Gallery an- nounce new presenting partners, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Au- thority (SHFA). Leading Street Artists Vexta, HAHA, E.L.K.. and Reka bring their art to life in the cobblestone streets of The Rocks Square, The Rocks across three days in March (opening night March 9 – 6-9pm, then continues 10 and 11 March – 12- 3pm) in collaboration with aMBUSH Gallery – who will auction the groundbreaking works on Thursday 22 March (6-9pm). All proceeds go to charitable arts and media organization Informa- tion and Cultural Exchange (ICE).

This time around, Project Five (March 1-25) is set to be bigger than ever with the launch of a new full month format that in- cludes a Retrospective Art Exhibition and Artists Talks. All events will be hosted within Sydney’s beautiful historic hub, The Rocks.

The wonderfully diverse collection of artists lured to Sydney
by Project Five offer a seriously formidable, watchable and col- lectable live group show. Project Five Volume Four welcomes the queen of street art Vexta; finalist in the 2011 Metro Gallery Art Award, E.L.K.. (Luke Cornish); in high demand, abstract sur- realist painter, REKA (James Reka); and HAHA (Regan Tamanui)

whose 10 year history of exhibiting adds punch to the line up.

Watch the artists as they draw, spray, paint and create to the sounds of the Future Classic Deejay’s who’ll be pumping beats live on the turntables for the Live Art Event.

aMBUSH Gallery’s Bill Dimas says, “Project Five is a great weekend to come and check out what street art is all about, and if you already know, then a chance to catch some of the Aussie artists leading the charge. Across three huge days we’re going to have some of Australia’s finest street artists bringing the vibrant colours and life of art to the beautiful, scenic and historically rich space The Rocks have to offer. With cranking tunes it will definitely be a weekend not to miss.”

Michael Cohen, SHFA’s Creative Producer says “The Foreshore Authority is delighted to be jumping on board with Project Five for its fourth outing and to bring it to The Rocks.

“There is a real momentum gathering around street art glob- ally and it’s getting a hold in Sydney. There is also a cultural surge happening in The Rocks at the moment, with a lot of SHFA creative initiatives, such as The Rocks Pop-Up. So it’s a natural marriage and we’re excited to support ICE and team up with the other partners.”

Project Five kicks off with the Retrospective Art Exhibition (1-25 March) giving new audiences the chance to take a look at past Project Five artists and their works, all on display at a pop up gallery at 47 George Street, The Rocks.

Audiences will get the chance to get up close and personal with the artists and their brand new works at the Artists Talks, a new addition to Project Five’s program. Jess Scully, Creative Director of Creative Sydney, part of the Vivid Sydney Festival, will lead the way as the four street artists talk through their new works and their style on Monday 12 March at 11:00 am at 47 George Street.

Project Five finishes off with the Auction Event on Thursday 22 March (6-9 pm at the foyer of Cleland Bond) led by Anne Phil- lips, head of art at Bay East Auctions.

You’ll have to wait and see what Vexta, E.L.K., James Reka and HAHA bring to the table. 100% of the proceeds will go to ICE, a charity helping disadvantaged kids in western Sydney access creative media and arts programs.

Project Five has raised over $40,000 for ICE over the previous three volumes and last year was the National Winner at the AbaF Awards winning the Australia Council Young and Emerg- ing Artists Award.

Lisa Torrance, Executive Director of ICE says “ICE’s involve- ment in Project Five has enabled us to engender some fresh creative aspirations within the communities we work with
by exposing emerging artists to new ways of expressing them- selves through street art.

“Couple this with the fact that Project Five injects vital funds into our projects and the recognition we received through an AbaF Award last year simply fuels our passion to keep building on the possibilities this wonderful initiative presents.”

Significant growth in Australia’s own street art movement both at home and abroad are further evidence of the rise of urban art. This year, Vexta, E.L.K., James Reka and HAHA are at the fore- front of the movement, and present an appealing investment opportunity for those with an eye for talent.

The Project is made possible by aMBUSH Gallery who have been exhibiting cutting edge street art for many years, and have significantly contributed to supporting new and emerg- ing local artists across Australia, and now The Rocks, who are using their resources to support Project Five as part of their investment in community and charity, and to engage visitors with something unexpected and fresh.

Where:

Retrospective Art Exhibition,

47 George Street (March 1-25, 2012)

Live Art Events The Rocks Square

(opening night Friday March 9 6-9PM – Saturday March 10 & Sunday March 11 12-3PM)

Artist Talks 47 George Street

(Monday March 12 11AM- 12pm)

Auction – invitation only

(Thursday March 22– 6-9 PM)

Free public event www.project5.com.au

aMBUSH Gallery – www.ambushgallery.com

Based in Waterloo Sydney, aMBUSH seeks to educate and en- gage new audiences with creative exhibitions and art projects. Presenting original works created by Australia’s established and emerging street and contemporary artists, aMBUSH live up to their name by surprising or ‘ambushing’ their audiences with innovative, experimental and non-traditional shows and art proj- ects, both in and out of the gallery. These carefully developed collaborations provide artists with a powerful commercial plat- form to reach a broad audience that includes buyers, investors, creative associations, corporations, media and the wider com- munity.

In October 2011, aMBUSH Gallery were awarded the nation- al Australia Council Young and Emerging Artists Award at the 2011 Australia Business Arts Foundation Awards in Perth for excellence in developing partnerships between corporations, artists and the wider community. In January 2012, the FBi Ra- dio SMACS awards named Outpost Project as Best Art Event for 2011, awarding the joint partnership of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and aMBUSH Gallery.

Project Five – www.project5.com.au

Project Five is a community arts initiative aimed at supporting the arts through pop-up live art, music and auction events. Proj- ect Five commissions four Australian contemporary street artists to produce four large-scale artworks at a three day live art event, which artworks are then auctioned to raise money for charity.

To date, Project Five has raised over $40,000.00 for its nomi- nated charity Information and Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.) and has featured some of Australia’s best creative talent such as An- thony Lister, Kid Zoom and Ben Frost. In 2011, Project Five was the National Winner at the AbaF Awards winning the Australia Council Young and Emerging Artists Award. Now in its Fourth Volume and with a new format to include an Art Exhibition and Artist Talks, Project Five is presented by aMBUSH Gallery and Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority at Sydney’s iconic and his- toric venue The Rocks. Also produced and curated by aMBUSH, Project Five is supported by Bay East Auctions and Information and Cultural Exchange.

Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) – www.ice.org.au/about/intro

ICE is a charitable community, arts and technology organisa- tion working at the frontier of digital arts to foster community creativity and empowerment in Australia’s most culturally diverse region- Western Sydney. We amplify artists’ and com- munity voices to build resilience, autonomy and infrastructure, and to enhance quality of life. ICE’s main activity is to develop programs that engage communities and cultural leaders us- ing creative practices and digital media.These programs are targeted to communities with specific needs, and focus on creative solutions to the challenges and issues they face. We are particularly known for our work in engaging, drawing out and supporting platforms that support the cultural expression and stories of culturally diverse and disadvantaged communi- ties. ICE’s programs build capacity and connections, provide

learning and participation pathways, and enable communities and artists to create and share their expressions, stories and experiences in platforms that provide them with a conduit to the world.

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) – http://www.shfa.nsw.gov.au/

The Rocks is fast becoming one of Sydney’s most creative hubs. As part of Art Month NSW, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is proud to co-present the award-winning arts initia- tive, Project 5.Held over 25 days in March, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Ambush gallery invite the public, and the broader arts industry, to The Rocks to experience the Project Five retrospective Art Exhibition, artist talks, a live

art event and artwork charity auction. All funds raised will go to the Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE), a supporter of emerging creative artists in greater Western Sydney.

The Rocks has long been home to artists and designers. Today the heritage surrounds of indoor and outdoor spaces continues to provide an innovative backdrop to profile and celebrate Aus- tralia’s most recognisable and contemporary street artists; as well as to educate new audiences through stories of Australian artists and their positive contribution to our community.

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority owns and manages some of the State’s most significant assets, including Sydney’s heritage and cultural precincts at The Rocks and Darling Har- bour. With more than $1.2 billion in assets, and around 215 employees, the Foreshore Authority manages significant com- mercial and retail leases, provides security, cleaning, building maintenance and other facility management services, cares for the public domain and around 140 heritage items.

The Authority also operates tourism and marketing services and holds significant events in The Rocks and Darling Harbour each year. Between them, the precincts attract around 39 mil- lion visitors annually.

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Secret Project Robot and Brad Truax Present: “Hyper/Hypo” A Group Show (Brooklyn, NY)

February 28, 2012 , , , , ,

Hyper/Hypo

March 10th to 25th     

Brad Truax Presents:  HYPER/HYPO    

Opening Reception Saturday 3/10 8 to 11

WITH A PERFORMANCE BY: BUBBLES  

AND DJ’S ANIMAL COLLECTIVE 

 

In this month long installation and group show curator Brad Truax turns the lens onto the artist and asks them to explore themselves and the way in which they make art.  Are they-

HYPER overactive, active, energetic; busy, fidgety; excited, frantic,  frenetic,frenzied, adrenalized, feverish; or Hypo- low, under, beneath, down, below normal.

The exploration of the state of mind of the artist will give incite into their work offering a glimpse at the creative process and the aesthetic accomplishments and styles which develop out of these different emotional states… It will be interesting to see if the viewer’s expectations correlate to how the artists actually approach their work- which in turn puts the lens onto the viewer, asking them to gauge their assumptions about the way in which they look at art.

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The Superior Bugout Presents: “Leap Year 2012 Party Time” Art, Walls and Music (Brooklyn, NY)

February 28, 2012 , , , ,

Leap Year 2012

The Superior Bugout is very stoked to present a really tight line up of amazing musicians / artists for this night, wednesday 10pm at the el dorado in brooklyn (976 grand st). come out and celebrate the new party holiday LEAP YEAR 2012!!!
with:
JAPANTHER
NINJASONIK
FAKE HOOKER
JOGYO
BEEF
and DJ DIRTYFINGER

with art walls by SMELLS / CASH4 / FADE AA / R2 / GEN 2 / UFO 907

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Klughaus Gallery Presents: OBLVN “100 Paintings” (Manhattan, NY)

February 28, 2012 , , , , ,

OBLVN

AARON OBLVN “100 PAINTINGS”

MARCH 10—APRIL 1, 2012
OPENING: SATURDAY MARCH 10, 2012 FROM 6-10PM KLUGHAUS GALLERY
47 Monroe St. New York, NY 10002

Emerging Pacific Northwest artist OBLVN hand paints 100 exclusive illustrations in honor of New York City debut—New York, NY – Feb 27, 2012 – Klughaus Gallery is proud to announce the debut of “100 Paintings,” a solo exhibition of brand new, one-of-a-kind illustrated works by Portland, Oregon-based artist and cartoonist Aaron OBLVN. In honor of his first ever east coast show, OBLVN has been hard at work for months preparing one hundred illustrations exclusively for Klughaus; highlights of the character and cartoon-heavy exhibit include contemporary, tongue-in-cheek remixes of classic cartoon characters like ‘Felix The Cat’ as an art thief and ‘Dennis the Menace’ as a vandal, as well as many original works, from mischievous spray can characters to runaway inkwells.

Why one hundred works? “I’ve been drawing my whole life, but really focusing on this style for about three years now—but not on this scale,” says OBLVN. “I read once in a sign painting comic strip by [cartoonist] Justin Green that it takes about 100 hours of brushing before you finally get your lettering down,” says OBLVN of one of the motives behind sitting down to tackle the daunting task of creating one hundred pieces of art for a single show. “So I figured if I did 100 characters, I would definitely get some good practice in. I can tell from the first cartoons I started doing a few years ago that I’ve gotten better. It’s always great to see your own progress.”

In addition to breaking the gallery record for the highest number of works in a single show, the breadth and depth of OBLVN’s body of playful, accessible work makes “100 Paintings” a show with literally something for everyone. “I love cartoons,” he says of his trademark subject matter. “I’m picky, but I love a lot of styles. From Vaughn Bode, Basil Wolverton, Skip Williamson, Text Avery, Ralph Bakshi and John K to more contemporary artists like Barry McGee and Todd James.”

In this vein “100 Paintings” is both a one-of-a-kind body of work as well as a collective ode to the artists OBLVN emulates, and he is looking forward to piecing together his collection of puzzle pieces in New York City: “I’m really stoked on the work as a whole,” he says. “So much of my time is spent up close with the pieces, my face only a few inches from my brush and the ink that it’s sort of crazy to step back and see the work as a body. It’s pretty cool to see how much I cranked out. It’s so awesome that [the opening] is in NY, but seriously daunting. I’m excited.”

The opening for “100 Paintings” will take place Saturday, March 10th from 6-10 pm. Please RSVP to rsvp@klughaus.net.

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Whisper Gallery Presents: February Group Show (London, UK)

February 23, 2012 , , , , ,

Whisper Gallery

David Shillinglaw in Brooklyn in 2011. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Exhibiting works on paper by our current gallery artists, including screenprints from established pioneer of British pop art Peter Blake, who combines vibrant images of Brit pop culture and fine art. Following in his footsteps is William Blanchard, distinctly influenced by the pop art movement whose works are a casually critical commentary about the modern world, seamlessly integrating commercial culture into simple ideas, subjective declarations, personal outlooks and feelings.

In a similar way, Pakpoom Silaphan takes symbols of commercial culture and corporate branding, transforming them into personal visual memoirs of his childhood upbringing. Originally from Thailand, Silaphan creates portraits of influential people using vintage foreign but recognisable advertising signs as his canvas. Taking Warhol’s elevation of everyday brands to high art, and combining it with his adoration of famous and influential historical figures, Silaphan highlights the power of advertising as a global dominator. Similarly, Russell Young’s vibrant portraits of iconic figures draw attention to the power of celebrity and media. Russell’s work is striking; using instantly recognisable images coupled with his own style and techniques, his pieces immediately resonate with his audience.

Also, showing their work for the first time at Whisper, David Shillinglaw and Remi Rough are two artists combining street and fine art in innovative ways. London based artist David Shillinglaw’s work moves between street and studio, small hand‐made books to paintings on canvas, and large scale wall murals. His work is a reflection of the civilised and monstrous side of human nature, and the day‐to‐day conversational poetry we use to demonstrate feelings and physical conditions. Friend and collaborator Remi Rough transcends the traditional and somewhat idealised vision of a graffiti writer, and creates work that simultaneously belongs on the streets and in the home or gallery without seeming out of context. Merging bold colours and modern abstraction with a clean, minimal style his work is a progressive example of urban art.

Far from bold and confrontational subject matter, Bruce French’s anonymous and faceless subjects express mass emotion through the simplest lines in oil, charcoal, pencil and print. Images of figures suspended in movement reflect the human form in its most simple and natural state.

Lyle Owerko is a New York‐based filmmaker and photographer, who has been collecting vintage boomboxes for years, resulting in an arresting and unexpected photoseries featuring these cult objects, giving life and personality to each one individually.

Finally, Whisper’s newest addition is Dutch artist LG White, who exhibits across a broad spectrum of artistic mediums. Her original drawings instantly highlight her remarkable talent as a skilled draughtsman. Beautifully detailed pencil on card depictions of imagined landscapes hang perfectly alongside strong photo etchings that portray the contemporary skull as an intricate and delicate icon.

27/28 Eastcastle Street London W1W 8DH Whisperfineart.com | +44 (0)20 7268 9851

STATIC is the creative output of two individuals who have been working as one since 2006. Their work combines elements of street art and fine art, merging a clean graphic style with stencils, spray paint, screen printing and paint brushes, to create unique pieces which have been exhibited on the streets of London as well as a number of international gallery spaces.

Whisper fine art

27/28 Eastcastle Street
London
W1W 8DH

Tel: 0207 268 9858
Email: ruth@whisperfineart.co.uk
or jake@whisperfineart.co.uk

Gallery Hours
10-6pm Monday – Friday
or by appointment

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941 Geary Gallery Presents: NSM “Justified Scriptures” (San Francisco, CA)

February 22, 2012 , , , , ,

 

NSM

 

941 Geary is pleased to present the solo exhibition of Amsterdam-based artist, Niels Shoe Meulman (NSM), opening March 24, 2012 at 941 Geary. The new works of the show have been shaped by the wide variety of artistic paths NSM has traveled. The opening will be free and open to the public, and the show will run until April 21, 2012.

Before running his own design company, and later an advertising agency, NSM apprenticed with Anthon Beeke, a Dutch graphic designer considered at the top of his field. Through a classic master/pupil education NSM developed the required skillset needed to be a designer and typographer. This mastery of the mechanical aspects of design can be seen throughout the body of works comprising ‘Justified Scriptures.’ Each work, form the small to the large, demonstrates NSM’s superb sense of space and precision. NSM has said that that he draws inspired from television programs about nature and science, explaining in an interview, “Most laws of graphic design and graffiti are universal laws. Balance, continuity, those kinds of things. In a way nature is our only reference.” NSM’s new work brings a harmonious organization to chaos, with bold free-form strokes repeating themselves over and over until a pattern is formed.

The trained eye can decipher words written in NSM’s signature fusion of calligraffiti amidst the patterns in a few of the works, including in the huge (dimensions) linen canvas titled Unknown, though most of NSM’s latest work is a painting style which is self-described as “Abstract Expressionism with a calligraphic origin.” The intricate curves of NSM’s linework are derived from a long interest in the beauty of the written word, referencing an impressive range of forms, from Arabic calligraphy of sacred texts to the vertical writing of East Asian scripts to the richly illuminated manuscripts of medieval times. These influences are then dismantled into abstracted compositions, where the main focus seems to be the integration of natural forms and structured design.

‘Justified Scriptures’ can be seen as following in the footsteps left by the multitude of incredible Modernist painters, whereas famed art historian Clement Greenberg once noted, “The excitement of their art seems to lie most of all in its pure preoccupation with the invention and arrangement of spaces, surfaces, shapes, colors, etc., to the exclusion of whatever is not necessarily implicated in these factors.”

From the Artist:

“If these works remind you of mass graves, bookshelves, military parades, meditative exercises, blocks of text or people in general (all different but the same), then I’m happy.

I’m starting to abandon the idea of telling stories but acknowledge the beauty of communication. I don’t believe anything anymore and what’s left is language itself. That’s what this work is about.”

Event Information:

Justified Scriptures, New Paintings by Niels Shoe Meulman

Opening Reception – March 24, 2012, 6-9 pm @ 941 Geary (www.941geary.com)
941 Geary St,
San Francisco, CA

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White Walls Gallery Presents: Sickboy “Wonder Club” (San Francisco, CA)

February 22, 2012 , , , , ,

Sickboy

Sickboy (photo © Joanna Dudderidge)

White Walls is pleased to present Wonder Club, a new body of work from famed UK- artist Sickboy. The opening reception will be Saturday, March 17th, from 7-11 pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through April 7th, 2012.

Hot off the heels of his critically acclaimed UK solo show last November, Heaven and Earth, comes Sickboy’s first US major solo show, Wonder Club. The title refers to a meeting place in the mind of the artist, where his cryptic street messages, surreal abstraction and comical illusions all come together. Sickboy’s new works reveal inspiration drawn from anatomical studies, the age of enlightenment, romanticism, comic books and fairy tales.

A solid body of work has been produced for Wonder Club, including eight large-scale (all measuring around four by three feet) surreally intricate, paintings, focusing on the inner workings of the human body. These large paintings, which bring the aesthetic of Sickboy’s street work into the gallery, are paired alongside installations which will act to transform the entire space into a dream world.

Sickboy’s always innovative installations will be outdone with this show, featuring a few surprises and the “Artists’ Refuge,” an enclosed space built within the gallery that visitors may enter.

Amidst the dream land that Sickboy constructs you can expect to find smaller works exploring a new direction in mixed media ephemera, adorned on locally found San Francisco surfaces to place the artist’s imagery into a local context as well as a video collaboration with well-known London photographer Viktor Vauthier, capturing the creative process in motion.

From the Artist:

“I see art as escapism, it’s an addictive solution to the daily deluge of life, the ‘Wonder Club’ is a place I can visit in my mind to try and bring daydreams to life, I have been documenting ideas as they happen and making sure I capture their essence by developing them into highly intricate finished paintings, it has meant a progressive shift from earlier freestyle work and more towards structured pieces that focus on content and message. This exhibition is for me a revisiting of the inner child and questioning what my dreams represent today.”

A leading artist to emerge from Bristol’s infamous graffiti scene, Sickboy’s humorous work has cemented his place in the upper echelons of the British street art movement. He is one of the first UK artists to use a logo in place of a tag, and his red and yellow street logo known as ‘The Temple’ can be seen on walls and wheelie bins worldwide. Sickboy has built up one of the largest bodies of street art works in UK history. His work hit the big screen recently in Banksy’s Oscar-nominated film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and he is tipped by the leading financial press as one of the movement’s most bankable artists. His temples, slogans and audacious stunts – including the caged heart installation dropped outside the Tate Modern in 2008 – have landed him global recognition.

Event Information:

Wonder Club, a Solo Exhibition by Sickboy Opening Reception – March 17, 2012, 7-11 pm On View Through April 7th, 2012,
@ White Walls (www.whitewallssf.com)
835 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA

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