Hush’s work has been described as a sensory assault of shape, color, and character. Inspired by the portrayal of the female form in art, the artist builds up and tears down layers of paint and images as he works, “letting the canvas and marks take their own path.” The result is an enigmatic synthesis of anime, pop-infused imagery and graffiti that exposes the conflict between power and decay, innocence and sexuality, and the fusion of Eastern and Western culture. Hush continues to evolve his style with this latest batch of pieces, which merges his early anime and pop-art influenced graffiti technique with an exploration of Romanesque iconographic imagery. The new works are bigger, deeper and richer than anything he has produced to date. About the Artist: Hush is stimulated, influenced and driven by his cross cultural experiences. Having originally trained as a graphic designer and illustrator at Newcastle School of Art and Design, his work has taken him across Asia and Europe, whilst simultaneously developing his prominence as a contemporary artist. Hush now resides in the UK painting in his studio daily. EMAIL: mail@studio-hush.com
Hands up, the new sheriffs of Culver City saw you lustily ruffling those pages with your flirting fingers!
Opening Saturday night, “Booked” at Carmichael Gallery
An unusual confluence of art and artists and the books that love them, this show satisfies your yearning for adventure and mystery, and more conventional pursuits like oggling and drooling. The art of reading tactile 3-D books has not completely been supplanted by glowing rectangles that are poked and prodded – much like the art of photography and painting, we were all silly to think they ever could have been replaced.
Dave Kinsey (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
There’s nothing like pouring over a big fat book, page after page, staring and stalling, drifting and imagining expansive vistas on an overstuffed couch on a Sunday afternoon, or even Saturday night after many cocktails at a kitchen table, bleary and carnivorous for images.
But I gush.
Martha Cooper (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
If Street Art has stars (an idea anathema to many), this event will bring many under one roof:
Aiko, Dan Baldwin, Banksy, Beejoir, Blek le Rat, Boxi, Bumblebee, C215, Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, D*Face, Brad Downey, Eine, Ericailcane, Escif, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Stelios Faitakis, Gaia, Hush, Mark Jenkins, Dave Kinsey, Know Hope, Labrona, Anthony Lister, Lucy McLauchlan, Aakash Nihalani, Walter Nomura (a.k.a. Tinho), Other, Steve Powers (a.k.a. ESPO), Lucas Price (a.k.a. Cyclops), Retna, Saber, Sam3, Sixeart, Slinkachu, SpY, Judith Supine, Titi Freak, Nick Walker, Dan Witz and WK Interact
Anthony Lister (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
With a large selection of books and magazines from: Drago, Gingko Press, Murphy Design, Prestel, Rojo, SCB Distributors, Studiocromie, Very Nearly Almost, Zupi and more.
If you had plans you can go ahead and change them, call your friends go and enjoy fine art and the hospitality of Elisa and Seth Carmichel. They’ll quickly have you “Booked”
Carmichael Gallery is proud to present “Booked”, a group exhibition featuring over 35 of the leading figures in contemporary art.
The gallery’s rooms will showcase a wide selection of original works from artists including:
Aiko, Banksy, Beejoir, Blek le Rat, Boxi, Bumblebee, 215, Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper
C, D*Face, Brad Downey, Eine, Ericailcane, Escif, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Stelios Faitakis, Gaia, Hush, Mark Jenkins, Dave Kinsey, Know Hope, Labrona,
Anthony Lister, Lucy McLauchlan, Aakash Nihalani, Walter Nomura (a.k.a. Tinho), Other
Steve Powers (a.k.a. ESPO), Lucas Price (a.k.a. Cyclops), Retna, Saber,
Sam3, Sixeart, Slinkachu, SpY, Judith Supine, Titi Freak, Nick Walker,
Dan Witz, and WK Interact.
Books and magazines will be available from a range of publishers,
including Drago, Gestalten,
Gingko Press, Murphy Design, Prestel, Rojo, SCB Distributors,
Studiocromie, Very Nearly Almost,
Zupi and more.
There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday,
June 5th from 6 to 8pm. The
gallery will be open for viewing from 12pm that day to coincide with
Culver City Art Walk. The
exhibition will run through July 3rd.
Carmichael Gallery
5795 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
June 5 – July 3, 2010
Additional and/or high resolution preview images available, please do
not hesitate to contact me!
Props to Blek Le Rat, who started doing street art in Paris 3 decades ago -and is pointed to as an inspiration by everyone from Banksy and Fairey to a posse of new stencil artists.
I remember him telling me how hard it was for him to get anyone’s attention when he first came to New York in 1987 with his portfolio. He even sprayed a stencil on the sidewalk in front of Gagosian Gallery – to no discernible result. Gallerists absent-mindedly thumbed through his portfolio pieces and told him there wasn’t much interest in his work. So, hang in there kids, there is room for everybody, if you are persistent.
Blek is opening tonight with HUSH and ABOVE, two more high quality artists with roots in the street art scene, with the addition of starting in graffiti.
Thanks to Mike Cuffe at Warholian for sharing some of his pictures with us.
Hush uses graff and fine art elements – it’s all fair game – along with Japanese graphic novels.
The artist “Above” is self-referential here, taking his heaven pointing arrows that one typically sees hanging over your head and creating very highly polished reworkings of national flags.
This ‘Looking West’ Print to mark the “Hush” show at Shooting Gallery in SF is LOOKING INCREDIBLE.
As usual, you’ll see that Hush has again produced “a sensory assault of shape, color, and character.” I copied that off his blog.
Hush’s has been combining the aerosol/lettering of graff writing with fine art and Asian comic book aesthetics for a few years now. Seeing this, you know how he has really matured. This image is arresting.
From our interview with Hush last year before his show at Carmichael;
US solo exhibition of work by UK artist HUSH Opens
Remember when your 3rd grade Art Class teacher excitedly told everybody that “today we are going to make Mother’s Day ashtrays”
out of molding clay and tempura paint …. and you managed to turn yours into a U.F.O. and also include pipe cleaners, feathers, and Amy Knickerbockers’ reading glasses into your design?
Mr. Hush understands you. He knows that there are just too many ways to let the creativity flow, and refuses to be pigeon-holed into one technique. Invite him to come play in your studio and he’s going to fly around the room employing whatever materials are available.
Starting Thursday at Carmichael Gallery Hush will be showing new chaotic cleverness that will include Acrylic Paint, Screen Print, Spray Paint, Ink, and Tea on Canvas and Wood as well as a site specific installation. That’s just the way he rolls. While simpleton’s are busy defending their chosen category of expression and expounding on it’s meaning and rightful place in the annals of the street, Hush says, “Let’s combine them all”.
Thankfully, he’s not just youthful energy on the loose. He has some serious chops behind his promises, and the resulting work very nearly vibrates off the wall.
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Hush took a few minutes away from the cans, stencils, paint brushes, and wheatpaste to talk to BSA about his inclusive approach:
Brooklyn Street Art: How long have you been an artist?
Hush: Well I’ve always been an artist in some form, or certainly always creative – it’s a lifestyle, I don’t think you choose art, its something you do, it is life. Well my life.
Hush Smacking up a Wall with his everything.
Brooklyn Street Art: Sometimes it appears that your work is riding the line between graffiti and street art; do you make a distinction between the two?
Hush: When I make my art I try and translate my interest in tagging, graf, decay, street art aesthetics into my work and juxtapose it with images of beauty, sensuality and the female form; allowing the later to be scene in a more positive way. The act of a tag or graf is no doubt beautiful in its own right but fusing the two together in an expressionist action creates something in its own right and puts questions out there.
Tagging, Graf, Street Art and art; each is always a choice, an action. It’s the context or location (in which appears) that changes its comment. I think it can work on so many levels.
Three’s Company! (Hush)
Brooklyn Street Art: Similarly, elements of Eastern and Western culture dance together in your work…
Hush: Working and traveling through Asia had a huge impact on my life, my views and how I think and view life. I’ve always been interested in the way both the East and the West adopt each others’ cultures. The mix is almost fantastic.
Kimonos, Comix, and Calligraphy all come into play (Hush)
Brooklyn Street Art: Do people ever make references to Faile when they talk about your stuff?
Hush: In the past Faile has been mentioned especially when people first saw my work. It was no surprise, but Faile are Faile, end of. Do I love they work? Yes. But I’m not going to stop something that comes naturally to me because another artist has played with similar imagery or aesthetics. I’m pretty sure we are probably turned on and inspired by the same things visually. As my work progresses I would hope people realize that my work exists in its’ own right.
Its probably because of Faile that my work has been noticed in the first place. That’s how art movements work anyway… look at any art movement through history. What Banksy and Faile have done for the street art movement is amazing. It helps generate a worldwide community through a general interest and love of art which isn’t stifled by the elitism of the general art world.
A Madhouse with Very Good Lighting (Hush)
Brooklyn Street Art: What part does decay play in your process?
Hush: Decay is an important influence (direct from the street, its natural, beautiful) as are any of the D’s; Deconstruction, Decollage and so on. When I start a canvas I suppose my work is quite expressionist and free, I tag, graf, throw paint at it, whatever and generally just f**k it up, its about energy. I do everything to the piece till it feels right. The piece finds itself eventually and then the work begins it’s natural thing.
Mr. Hush is completely engaged with the creative process, barely containing the energy. (Hush)
Brooklyn Street Art: Would you call it collage?
Hush: No, even though visually it can look like that and I do draw influence from the ideas of collage. I use complicated processes by overlaying different mediums – its really complex how the work’s put together. I utilize nearly every way of placing paint onto a medium as is possible through screen print, paint, spray paint, acrylic, oils, inks and then also taking that off – removing it again and building the image up from scratch so that you get a different appearance. Each process allows it to look different. It’s about mark-making ultimately.
Collage Influence? East/West Confluence? Who Cares? (Hush)
Brooklyn Street Art: You probably have poured through many magazines and comics. Which one’s do you keep and treasure?
Hush: I know that people generally think I’m a manga head but the girls are used as a contemporary use of a female form/women in art, mangas more an inspiration rather than a interest. I used to collect graphic novels and comics in the early 90s I suppose I was precious and still have them in mint condition, especially anything by Simon Bisley.
Brooklyn Street Art: Thank you very much for your time!
Hush: Thanks for taking the time to do this also guys.
‘Hymn to Beauty’
A solo exhibition of new artwork by HUSH
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present Hymn to Beauty, the first US solo exhibition of work by UK artist HUSH. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 from 7.00pm – 10.00pm, with the artist in attendance.
Deep Purple was cool, but this updated version is fun too:
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present Hymn to Beauty,
the first US solo exhibition of work by UK artist HUSH. An opening reception
will be held on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 from 7.00pm – 10.00pm, with the
artist in attendance. Work in the show will include Acrylic Paint, Screen
Print, Spray Paint, Ink, and Tea on Canvas and Wood as well as a site
specific installation. The exhibition will be open for viewing through
Thursday, March 26th 2009 from 1.00pm -7.00pm.
Hush’s work has been described as a sensory assault of shape, color, and
character. Inspired by the portrayal of the female form in art, the artist
builds up and tears down layers of paint and images as he works, “letting
the canvas and marks take their own path.” The result is an enigmatic
synthesis of anime, pop-infused imagery, graffiti, and graphic design that
exposes the conflict between power and decay, innocence and sexuality, and
the fusion of Eastern and Western culture.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
