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EVER EVOLVING ORGAN : CONTACT AND SWITCH THE OTHER |
Speak, Shape, Create, Time..
strip it down... The Organ Art pages, cut out the music (and the alternative
activist stuff and...) and on these pages you'll find nothing adventures
in galleries and painting and drawing on tube trains and everything archived
without all the clutter of music so you can find it without the millions
of record reviews in the way...
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| ART
ARCHIVES >>> ART NEWS AND SUCH WITHOUT THE MUSIC CLUTTER |
THE
THOUSANDS @ VILLLAGE UNDERGROUND, East London - 18th Nov
If the point of tonight’s rather ambitious Thousands show, at the impressive
Village Underground complex (a converted Victorian factory in East London),
was to “attempt to show the art world and the public that there are great
works of art within the sphere of “street” and that these artists deserve
a place in art history." well then yes, it more than succeeded. If the
art world really does still need to be shown, then there it all is, up
there on those big brick walls. Not sure how many of the creators are bothered
about a place in “art history”, we all like an audience for our work though
don’t we? Set out with plenty of space to breath, with lighting that
shows things off in a very positive, airy, slightly more formal way than
your usual street art show, the Thousands is a triumph. Every piece in
the extensive show is worthy of attention, no filler here - all seriously
good pieces of street art doing all the talking that's needed. RJ, the
curator, he of Vandalog, has pulled together a collection of top names
and rarely seen pieces from private collections – names that include Barry
McGee, Faile, Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey, Swoon and many (many) more.
More importantly than the pulling together of the ‘star’ names of the scene,
RJ and his team have pulled together a serious statement and one of the
finest collections of exciting refreshing fine art assembled in one place
for quite some time.
There’s fresh street art all over the outside of the building as well (the
place is always covered of course, ever evolving outside walls, something
different every time we pass), a new Burning Candy piece is up on the outside
wall right now. The Burning Candy crew will be familiar to anyone who’s
glanced at a painted wall around London while on their way to a gig of
something in the last ten years. You might think you don’t know them, you
do though – their number includes Sweet Toof, Tek33, Cyclops, Mighty Mo
and more, those giant apes and such, yes, you’ve seen them... There’s
an ice cream stall at the door (this is Mid November in London isn’t it?),
the street fun and the ice cream stays outside and gives way to something
far more formal and serious inside - we need serious tonight, hadn't realised
that until we got here, but we do, we need high-art gallery formality,
a show on 'their' terms...
x |
The inside formality works. This feels like a major retrospective, a body
of seriously considered work, rather than your usual street art ‘pop-up’
affair. Surely this is the kind of thing somewhere like the Tate Modern
really should be doing? This is what’s really going on, this event should
have been on the cover of last week’s Time Out, the BBC with their Culture
Show should be here... They’re probably all at home watching the
Where
Is Modern Art now documentary the BBC are running tonight. They're
looking for the next bright young things or something. at least that’s
kept all the Hoxton poseurs and look-at-me scenester art students away
from this opening, there a delightfully unpretentious gathering of genuine
people exchanging thought in here tonight - faces put to names, information
exchanged, flyers, website addresses – good people, artists and enthusiasts
– good people, good art (and good beer too, the event has been backed by
the Brewdog beer* people, we like them Brewdog lot, our kind of beer...)
The Thousands, the coming together of the outcasts, the dreamers, building
their art out of the discarded disused materials of the city. The Thousands
is a short story by Oakland based Peruvian writer Daniel Alarcon - apparently
that’s where the title comes from (we can google with the best of ‘em).
Look, to put on the definite street art retrospective is an impossible
task, the beast is an ever evolving one. There’s plenty of things not here,
but that’s not the point, this isn't a historical statement, this is a
strong collection, a positive slice of now, this is what's going on this
week... And what is street art anyway? When does a Shepherd Fairey portrait
of Muhammad Ali cease to be street art and just become art? Surely he’s
as important to the now in terms of iconic pop portraiture as Warhol was
to the Sixties? When does a piece of Swoon’s detailed work cease to be
street art and just become a beautiful piece of gallery art? There are
some historical pieces in here, classic early Bansky copper (thankfully
the place isn’t bursting with his work, just a cluster of small pieces,
done just right – and no that isn’t a dig at Banksy, we got lots of time
for the man and his work), there’s a Futura 2000 over there, now that's
a serious piece of strret art history (the guy who painted on stage behind
The Clash back in their early days). Most of the work is from this century
though, most if it current, new, right now – there’s a great painting on
a window blind by a relatively new name – apparently the pretty much unknown
Roa has been paining on window blinds and then just leaving them in windows
of old buildings - “his work maybe unknown and most people haven't heard
of him but this piece deserves a place here as much as any piece does”
said RJ – and indeed it does...
x |
You’ve got works by Jose Parla, Skewville, Mick Walker, WK Interactive
– actually to start picking out pieces or names kind of defeats the object.
This is one whole body, and we really didn’t see anything in here that
wasn’t worthy of the wall space (or indeed your time). The Thousands is
an inspiring collection of contemporary paintings, there’s a lot of depth
here, street art isn’t just about a five minute throw up, it isn’t just
hit and run, this is where the serious contemporary art is, street art
yes, but this body of work is a lot more than just that. The show is an
inspiring triumph, this is Where Modern Art is isn't it? or are
they still looking down their noses at it? .
The show runs, at the Village
Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2 until Sunday 22nd November, that’s
right, you’ve only got another four days to catch it, it really is worth
your time and effort. The exhibition also served as a launch for a rather
good looking book that’s also called The Thousands (twenty five quid was
a little beyond us last night but it did look good, twenty five quid is
quite a few cans of Montana...)
RJ’s Vandalog is http://blog.vandalog.com
More about the book via
www.dragolab.com
15th NOV '09: LOSLOHBROS
@ GRAFFIK... The last date of the Loslohbros English art tour
(if we've got the facts right) hits the Graffik gallery in Ladbrook Grove
on Thursday 19th November and runs until 22nd November... There’s an opening
night party with live DJ, live painting from the artists involved and who
knows what and where and who... More art, busy week... More details and
such from Graffiklondon.co.uk
or Loslohbros.com
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14th
NOV '09: THE THOUSANDS is an art exhibition and book launch
that kicks off at the Village Underground, London EC2, on November 18th.
Dealing with the ever evolving ever exciting world of street art, graffiti
and such. The whole thing is put together by RJ from VANDALOG.
The show features a new mural by Burning Candy as well as pieces from Swoon,
Banksy, Faile and many more...
Here’s what DRAGO say about
the book....
Michael “RJ” Rushmore is
an eighteen year old young man living and working in London. He is the
founder of Vandalog, a blog highly respected and widely known throughout
the contemporary art world. While taking a gap year before heading to university,
he has taken on the task of curating his first exhibition called “The Thousands.”
To accompany the show RJ has written “The Thousands: Painting Outside,
Breaking In.” The exhibition will feature original work by some of the
top names in street art including Faile, Banksy, KAWS, Shepard Fairey,
Swoon, Herakut, and Barry McGee. Many of the works have come from
private collections, but several pieces have been provided directly by
the artists participating in the show. The faith that has been placed in
RJ at his young age by artists and collectors is a tremendous testament
to his natural inclination toward having an eye for art. Despite his modest
and level-headed opinions about his qualifications, the International art
publishing house known as Drago has also placed their faith in RJ’s endevour.
“The Thousands” is an attempt to show the art world and the public that
there are great works of art within the sphere of “street” and that these
artists deserve a place in art history.
What else? dragolab.com
is the only place where you can buy this book until November 2009. Check
out the work of Armsrock, Banksy, Calma, Cept, Chris Stain, Dan Witz, Dscreet,
Elbowtoe, Flip, Gaia, Gold Peg, Herakut, Judith Supine, Know Hope, Luc
Price, Nick Walker, Nina, Pure Evil, Rowdy, Sickboy, Skewville, Sweet Toof,
Swoon, Tek33, Titi freak, Veng, Vitché, and Zezão. Get it
here, get it first. Visit the shop to order your copy of "The Thousands:
Writing Outside, Breaking In."
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14th
NOV '09: 100sqft: The idea is simple, the idea is great. Gather
together one hundred pieces of art, each exactly one foot square. All to
be exhibited together in a ten by ten grid at a gallery in North London
(as well as on a website). The art was gathered together at the start of
November, you'll find it all up there on the 100sqft website now. It works,
well it does on line, we haven’t seen the show in the flesh yet. That website
is so satisfying, those little squares demand you keep going ans clicking
on another one and enlarging it. Go have a look and explore the squares
here.
Bet you can’t resist hitting on a square can you? The show opens on November
22nd and runs for a week over at Boleyn’s Boys Club, 68 Boleyn Road, London
N16. Opening night party/view is on the 22nd with a bar and music from
the Our Friends Electric team. Explore it all via www.100sqft.co.uk
x
3rd NOV '09: NEWS:
JOHN
LEE BIRD presents a selection of paintings from Before Encore alongside
new work You Made Me. All happens at 10 Gales Gardens under the arches
in Bethnal Green, East London. Opening view on Thursday 5th November, 6pm
- 9pm with special guest performances including Princess Knickers and more
to be announced. Exhibition runs from Friday 6th November to Tuesday 1st
December. There’s imagery, links and more over here
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30th
OCT '09: NEWS:
TRANS 1, rather graphic
street artist type who specialises in a black and white photo-realistic
style, has a solo show coming up at Graffik here in London. Graffik is
a gallery/shop in Portobello Road, Ladbrook Grove, West London, they’ll
host a show of work that opens on November 26th. Read an interview and
see more imagery on the Crack For Your Eyes website over
here.
Graffik is at 284 Portobello Road, they open on Fridays and Saturdays.
That's some Trans 1 work right there
NEWS:
HALLOWEEN
AT MUTATE BRITAIN – The good people underneath the Westway at Mutate
Britain have announced that they’ll be holding a special event this Saturday
31st October to celebrate Halloween. So far at the exhibition, each weekend
has been highlighted by a spectacular parade. This Saturday, in honour
of Halloween, there will be a special Halloween parade, in trademark Mutate
style as once again some of the exhibits will be paraded through the crowds.
Exhibits featuring include Lyall Rowell’s Lrry the Dog, Jo Peacock and
Packa Horse. The parade is expected to begin around 7:45pm. The Westway
will be decorated in full holiday season style and Mutate’s festival atmosphere
will be at a peak. The exhibition will be open as normal from 12pm to 10pm,
Saturday 31st October. Admission is £1 before 6pm and £3 after.
There is a fully stocked bar and food available courtesy of Andi Oliver
and Neneh Cherry. Mutate is under the Westway, Ladbrook Grove, West London,
this is the final weekend of the show that’s packed with Mutoid Waste Company
scrap-sculpture, street art, graffiti, stencil art, counter culture and...
Well grab it all while you still can...
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29th
OCT '09: NEWS:
Seems
SHEPARD
FAIREY has been leaving new pieces of Obey artwork up around London,
here’s one UK
STREET ART spotted the other day in Farringdon, seems he also popped
in to Cargo and left a different
piece there...
NEWS:
The
100SQFT
show is on, the hundred pieces/artists have now been gathered together
and the organisers have announced the exhibition is booked and the private
view and launch party will take place on 22nd November at 6pm. The Exhibition
will then run from Monday till Friday of the following week over at the
Boleyn's Boys Club, London N16, full details and. more soon...www.100sqft.co.uk
NEWS:
For
those who haven't made it yet, the highly recommended MuTATE BRITAIN
show, under the Westway in Ladbrook Grove, West London, continues for one
more weekend. Seems so many people are attending that they need to run
things for an extra week Catch it this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Looks like they've got some live music down there this weekend as well,
more on that later - catch the Organ review further down this page...
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27th
OCT '09: NEWS:
SHEPARD FAIREY AND THE COURTNEY
SPIDER LILY... Artist Shepard Fairley, the man behind the Obey
Giant art as well as that iconic Obama painting that became one of the
symbols of the US election, is auctioning a painting on ebay as a benefit
for Rock Hill: “My parents grew up in Rock Hill S.C. which is a beautiful
town in a mostly rural part of upstate S.C. I worked with my Uncle Wade
Fairey to create this art to benefit Historic Rock Hill preservation. The
story of the Courtney Spider Lily art is that it is a rare flower thriving
in the Courtney Island section of the Catawba river. The art is designed
to promote water quality on the Catawba River which has been greatly affected
by “run off from urban development”, bird – wildlife habitation and “availability
of movement along the Catawba”, which has resulted in a 100’ buffer on
either side of the river. There are many individuals and groups interested
in seeing the Catawba remain a lovely river.”
Shepard Fairey is the man behind Obey Giant, the graphics that have changed
the way people see art and the urban landscape. What started with an absurd
sticker he created in 1989 while a student at the Rhode Island School of
Design has since evolved into a worldwide street art campaign, as well
as an acclaimed body of fine art. In 2003, Shepard founded Studio Number
One, a creative design firm dedicated to applying his ethos at the intersection
of art and enterprise. Shepard’s art reached a new height of prominence
in 2008, when his “HOPE” portrait of Barack Obama became the iconic image
of the presidential campaign and helped inspire an unprecedented political
movement. For more information, visit www.OBEYGIANT.com
The piece is Spider Lily, a stencil and mixed media collage, see
it (or indeed bid) here,
last time we looked bidding was over three thousand dollars with three
days to go
NEWS:
CRAZY
FOOLS - The Bristol-based contemporary street art gallery Crazy Fools
have a weekend exhibition on here in London at the Library Bar, Upper Street,
Islington – a whole load of urban art, street art, whatever you want to
call it art. The Crazy Fools gallery sells work by such graffiti luminaries
as Paul Insect, Sick Boy, Blek Le Rat, Antony Micalef and more.... Show
opens at 2pm this Saturday, runs until 10pm, and then again on Sunday.
More details and lots of imagery over at - www.crazyfools.net
NEWS:
MuTATE
has
now been extended by one week, the show now runs, on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays until the first week of November, under the Westway in Ladbrook
Grove, West London – www.mutatebritain.com
G |
22nd
OCT '09: NEWS:
PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL
MUTATE BRITAIN MIX – More from MuTate and things draw towards the final
weekend (see further dwon for more, see that MuToid beast phone right there..).
“Come check out Mutate this Friday as the Portobello Film Festival will
be coming along for a special film screening. Kicking off at 5:30pm through
‘til 9:30pm under the Westway… The Portobello Film Festival presents a
special mix of winners and near winners from this years Festival, sci fi,
graffiti films, and animation plus historic footage of the Mutoid Waste
Company from Festival Director, Jonathan Barnett, who’s work can be seen
here
on YouTube
21st OCT '09: NEWS:
MORE
AT MuTATE... The Mutate street art and Mutoid Waste Company scrap-sculpture
show - giant beasts made out of old jet fighter planes, giant pieces of
graffiti, the Organ review if the open is here
on our art page – the massive show enters the last weekend under the Westway,
over there in Portobello Road, West London this coming weekend. We’re told
there’s a whole lot of new work gone up this week ready for the final weekend...
More from us here on Friday morning when we’ve been to see what’s new.
This really is something not to be missed, if you’re anywhere near then
do go take it in while you still can... Real underground counter culture
alive and well under the Westway
20th OCT '09: NEWS:
NANCY
SPERO, 1926–2009 - Groundbreaking feminist artist Nancy Spero died
in New York on Sunday, aged 83 so reports the New
York Times. Nancy Spero was a politically charged painter, known for
her engaging challenging work and it is a shame that we only write about
these things when someone like Nancy Spero dies, really am sorry about
that, something we should put right around here. Further exploration here
w |
13th
OCT '09: ART:
WHAT IS 100sqft?
A rather intriguing art project/exhibition that will consist of 100 pieces
of art each one foot square to be exhibited in a 10x10 grid at a gallery
in North London is what it is. The organisers tell us that all work will
be exactly 1ft square (or 30.48cm for you metricheads out there) and that
the exhibition will be at the Boleyn's Boys Club, London N16 with a launch
party on the opening night with DJ's 'our friends eclectic' and Bar. We’re
guessing event dates will be announced once the 100 contributing artists
and such have been gathered up, looks like they’re looking for people to
get involved right now should you feel like getting involved, more from
www.100sqft.co.uk
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9th
OCT '09:ART:
MuTATE
BRITAIN: ONE FOOT IN THE GROVE – Under The Westway, Ladbrook Grove,
West London, 8th Oct – Now this looked promising on the website, Mutoid
Waste Company, under the Westway, with loads of graffiti, some serious
names in UK street art and yes, this all looked very promising on line....
So we set off with a feeling excitement and anticipation, only a walk down
the road, this is our manor Tonight is the opening night private
party preview of an event that opens tomorrow and runs throughout October.
The MuTate team back for more following on from their infamous Behind The
Shutters Show, back in Ladbrook Grove and what some of them say is their
spiritual home, back with a team that includes some of the most respected
names in current UK street art, alongside, photographers, stencil artists,
paste up pieces, sculptors...
The
Mutoid Waste Company go way back with us Organs, we’ve been encountering
them and their creations pretty much since Organ first started back there
in the underground days of the 80’s. Strange vehicles parked outside places
like Club Dog, Acid Daze, racing through the dust Mad Max style at the
legendary Treeorgey
free festival, Skreech Rock, that strange squat hospital that got surrounded
by shield-banging riot police in the black of night that time (we all had
to crawl through tunnels to get out...). These days the Waste Company pop
up at what you might call more mainstream respectable events - official
parts of things like Glastonbury Trash City, California’s Burning Man,
major corporate festivals in Hyde Park, still as creative as ever though,
and good on ‘em, stick them in the real Tate or the middle of Trafalgar
Square, they deserve it all, they’re the good people doing well...
X |
What
were we going to get tonight though? What do the Mutoid Waste Company stand
for in 2009? Where’s street art going? Graffiti art these days is pretty
mainstream isn’t it? Bansky and all that, all been done hasn’t it? Are
we going to be drowning in celebs and champagne, the Hoxton art poseurs
heading west? Madonna and her cheque book? Brian Sewell stroking his chin
and waving his arms? No, none of that, nothing to worry about, from the
moment we get in through the big wooden building site type gates that let
us through the high wooden fence wall - graffiti-covered naturally - past
the friendly security (and the hopeful paparatzi), from the moment we walk
in this is jaw-dropping good... This is still the Mutoids on full
effect, all is well in West London...
The
old vibe is here, the place is buzziing with energy, alive with the feel
of all that 70’s Westway graffiti/punk rock history, the feel of those
old Club Dog/free festival/strange squat gig events that happened so much
in the 80’s and early 90’s before rave and dance culture changed the shape
of free festivals for ever. The heavy thumping dub coming out of the sound
system, even the crowds of people look like they’ve fallen out of some
kind of mutant page of a 2000AD comic, this is our kind of place, us Organs
feel at home. No art-pose here, this isn’t Hoxton, this isn’t the Frieze
Fair, there’s a genuine buzz of excitement in the night air alongside the
big arc lights and the strange sculptures looming out of the dark above
our heads.
XX |
There’s
friendly conversations struck up with strangers, old friends, giant rastas,
mohawked punks, graff writers, travellers, Notting Hill locals, geeks talking
technique, well dressed families, excited kids, they’re all here soaking
it all up in... Nearly said ‘in’ here, but we’re not quite inside
are we; we’re walled in by the wooden fence but we’re under the stars,
the moon and the giant Westway, corporate billboards are invade from the
side of buildings outside the fence, but this is a whole other world in
here. Those imposing thirty foot high Westway support pillars make this
such an atmospheric venue - the Westway pillars where some say British
street art started back somewhere around ’76, the giant flyover roadway
that dominates West London (check your Clash records, and your Hawkwind
album covers, there’s a lot of counter culture history under this roadway,
The Hall Of The Mountain Grill is just over there...).
XX |
Walled
in but out in the open air, Westway motorway as roof above us, tube trains
flashing by on one side (must look brilliant to the passengers whizzing
by), giant support piers acting as gallery walls... There’s some seriously
impressive pieces, big pieces, some expertly crafted graffiti art up on
those support pillars (there some seriously wasted looking artists, Snug23
tells us he’s been up for four days solid).
Straight
away you’re hit by the giant Mutoid Waste Company sculptures/vehicles –
cannibalised Royal Navy helicopters, military scrap, bits of old fighter
plane cockpits that are now bodies of strange looking metal dinosaurs.
There’s giant (and we do mean giant) robots, strange mutant motorbikes
- the Mutoid Waste Company creations are looking bigger and better than
ever, more technical now, still the spirit of those strange psychedelic
gun turret trucks parked outside the George Robey back there... The futuristic
kinetic robotic creatures made out of bits of scrap that really do grab
the most attention, giant fire breathing mechanical bull lurching at the
crowds and.... wow! There’s stunning creativity wherever you cast an eye,
this is wonderful. Giles Walker’s pole dancing robots are captivating,
how did he get them to move like that?! Carrie Reichardt (AKA The Baroness),
she of the Treatment Rooms,
is by the gate as we go in - she believes the revolution will be ceramicised,
there’s that tiled orange pick-up truck by her tile stall that you may
have seen in the Funkcutter film.
X |
All
around there’s impressive graffiti art battling for attention behind the
sculpture – Sickboy, Paul Insect, Inkie, Dotmasters, Zeus, Mode 2, Bleach
and many more... There’s a slightly more formal gallery area (formal for
on outdoor event underneath a motorway flyover), actually a take on the
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, where smaller pieces of impressive sculpture
stand on plinths in front of some classic pieces of stencil art, paste
up pieces of subversion and such. Neneh Cherry is providing the food over
there...
There’s
colour and energy coming out of the darkness wherever you look, the graffiti
is far from tired, plenty of fresh creativity here, a little more than
giant names and I’ve got all the books to copy from if you know what I
mean, serious evolution – the old Banksy on the wall outside looks a little
tired (and no disrespect meant there, we’ve still got lots of time
for Banksy, easy to shoot at the popular, take art the masses we say).
Tonight’s opening was a triumph, need to go back today and take it all
in again in the cold light of day. Serious street art, proper counter culture,
genuine creative, amazing skill... Brilliant... Thank you MuTate crew,
we had a great time
MuTATE
BRITAIN: ONE FOOT IN THE GROVE runs on Friday, Saturday and Sundays throughout
October. 2pm – 10pm, under the Westway Flyover, junction of Portobello
Road and Acklam Road, London W10. Nearest Tube, Ladbrook Grove, come out
of the station, cross the road and walk along underneath the Westway –
www.mutatebritain.com
XX |
UP
AND DOWN THE WESTWAY...
‘When I think of the punk
years, I always think of one particular spot, just at the point where the
elevated Westway diverges from Harrow Road and pursues the line of the
Hammersmith and City tube tracks to Westbourne Park Station. From the end
of 1976, one of the stanchions holding up the Westway was emblazoned with
large graffiti which said simply, ‘The Clash’. When first sprayed the graffiti
laid a psychic boundary marker for the group – This was their manor, this
was how they saw London.’ Jon Savage ‘Punk London’ Evening Standard 1991
‘All across the town,
all across the night, everybody’s driving with full head lights, black
or white turn it on face the new religion, everybody’s sitting round watching
television, London’s burning with boredom now, London’s burning dial 999,
Up and down the Westway, in and out the lights, what a great traffic system,
it’s so bright, I can’t think of a better way to spend the night than speeding
around underneath the yellow lights.’ The Clash ‘London’s Burning’
1976
X |
7th
OCT '09: ART: MuTATE: ONE FOOT IN THE GROVE
in an art event that opens on 9th October (and runs until the 25th) under
the Westway in Ladbrook Grove, West London. (3-6 Acklam Rd, London,
W10). A 15000 square foot open air exhibition of Street Art, giant Sculpture
and Installations, fully licensed for 1250 people, underneath the West
Way Road Bridge next to Portobello Road. Here’s what they say on their
website:
Following the success of their debut show ‘Behind the Shutters’ at the
infamous Cordy House, the Mutate Britain team are pleased to announce One
Foot in the Grove, an exhibition of painting and sculpture located in the
heart of West London
“For us this is a home coming,
Ladbroke Grove means a lot to Joe and I, now we’re back home to put on
a show that we hope will be remembered for its inspiring art, inclusive
atmosphere and all round good times.” Garfield Hackett
Since artists such as Futura 2000 (then touring with The Clash) and Mode
2 first painted the huge walls supporting the iconic West Way in the early
80s, they have been cited as a birthplace of British graffiti/street art
culture. Almost 30 years later Street Art is a global artistic movement,
rich with talent, diverse aesthetic styles and momentum sustained by passion.
Now over 50 of its old school pioneers, infamous names and future masters
are back to build a show that celebrates the depth and heritage of the
movement. Expect surprise announcements to add to the mix of works by Mode
2, Matt Small, Dr. D, Part2ism, Best Ever and too many more to mention....
Go read the rest of this here
x |
ART:HIRST,
SPREAD THE MONEY... A rather novel idea has pinged into The Art
Newspaper’s email tray from Matthew Edwards who plans to stand as an independent
member of parliament for Vauxhall in South London at the next general election.
"Damien Hirst's workshop 'Science' is in the constituency of Vauxhall,"
he says. "I have made a very poor piece of A4 artwork called For the Love
of Dog which I would like to offer him for £1m with the proviso that
every penny will go into a microcredit scheme in the local area to provide
small loans to people with good ideas to set up sustainable enterprises
that provide long-term employment for the people of Vauxhall." Over to
you Damien. For more information, go here
or here
ART:
Always wondered about that locked up tunnel, here's some words from The
Londonist:
Beneath the streets of Holborn, London, something is growing in the Kingsway
tram tunnel The usually padlocked doors at the tunnel's Southampton Row
entrance, which last saw tram traffic when a young Queen Elizabeth II had
been on the throne for just a few months, have been thrown open to welcome
visitors for Chord, a month-long art installation by Conrad Shawcross.
Led in by a flourescent bib-wearing guide, we descended the surprisingly
steep ramp and into the tunnel itself, passing fake posters and non-existent
Tube station roundels left from a recent film project. As we penetrated
the murky gloom en route to.... more here
5th OCT '09: Egg men on stilts?
Atomised aircraft engines turned to a pile of gallery floor dust? The process
of really looking rather than just another YBA one liner? Stuckists stuck
in the door, stuck stuck stuck... Did Another Turner prize get itself launched
today?
X |
1st
OCT '09: ART: SHOWCASE
@ CAFE 1001, Brick Lane, London, 30th Sept - Cafe 1001 is just opposite
Rough Trade Records, over on Brick Lane, deepest East London. Showcase
happens every second Wednesday. Been happening all through the summer now
and the Showcase reputation is growing. The event - not that easy to find,
enter the cafe through the crowds sitting at the tables on the pavement,
up the stairs, head for the back and there it is, an almost secret big
room at the rear - the event is something like a very relaxed gallery opening
night, the atmosphere is vibrant, inviting, friendly and rather energetic...
Things have been building over the last few months as word of the fortnightly
event spreads and more people get involved. We reviewed one of the first
nights back at the start of Summer and suggested a little bit of quality
control might be needed, things have moved on and evolved in a rather positive
manner since then. Early shows were peppered with interesting pieces amongst
the, well, the not quite so good. Last night it was pretty much getting
near to an everything being worthy of your time situation. |
Showcase is a one night only affair, things kick off at five thirty and
go on until just after eleven. A chance to view art, interact with the
creators, share thoughts, network and indeed buy very reasonably priced
pieces (or at least pick up details for future reference). The one night
only nature makes going to Showcase almost like heading out to a gig, it
is something a little different to the usual stuffiness of a more formal
gallery, things are relaxed, you can make a noise, you don’t have to politely
creep around... This is very much a gallery situation though, don’t get
the wrong idea, plenty of time and space to view without interruption or
intrusion. A gallery with a nice big bar, music (not too loud) and something
like twenty-five or so artists with a selection of work to check out. The
work is all up on big white boards in a nice big open room. The audience
is a mix of artists (both those showing and those checking things out),
friends, the usual Brick Lane fashion fiends, people just dropping in on
their way to or from East End gigs (or maybe a Brick Lane curry house).
You get the occasional passing celebrity, (I guess the organisers would
love us to mention the fact that Keira Knightley dropped in last night
and was seen enthusiastically talking to several of the artists. Don’t
ask me, I wouldn’t know a celeb if she bit me. What did she say asked several
people, none of your business, that’s between me and Keira), you got bands
dropping in, people who’ve been to Rough Trade to buy records, graffiti
kids (“You ‘da bomb man, respect to your art” yelled the skinny white kid
being thrown out by security for tagging the walls), drunk city workers
still in suites, ties rebelliously loose - you got a whole lot on different
types (makes for interesting people watching while they're busy viewing
your art actually), a constant revolving stream of colourful people all
evening.... |
So the Showcase reputation is building and across the board the quality
is way up now, last time it was interesting stimulating work here and there,
last night pretty much everything was worthy of further investigation...
Stand out pieces included the strange light fitting bulb holder paintings
of BLAIR ZAYE, CHRIS TIMOTHY’s
rather striking photographic montage pieces, Barcelona pop artist MIGUEL
IVORRA, SALLY SWINGEWOOD’svibrant
work, SIMON HAWES' slightly dark
and twisted ‘Hi Kids’ childhood cartoon icons, ZARA LOCKWOOD’s imaginative
portraiture...
Looking at art on websites is really no way to view art, most of websites
do these artists no favours, vague hints is all you get, you really need
to have it there coming alive in front of you, alive in the flesh. Tonight
was great, Showcase is a great place to view art, meet people and introduce
yourself to a few new names, a chance see the work there big and bold (or
small and delicate) with the colours the way they really are. Showcase
is great, get along to the next one... Showcase
webpage
x |
30th Sept '09: NEWS: Those
STUCKISTS
are planning a Turner Prize demo at 9am on Monday 5 Oct, at Tate Britain...
www.stuckism.com
28th
Sept '09: NEWS: The next SHOWCASE
at CAFE 1001, just opposite Rough Trade Records (Brick Lane, London),
happens this coming Wednesday evening. The Showcase reputation is growing,
Showcase is a rather buzzing art event that happens every second Wednesday.
well worth checking out. Showcase is like a very inviting gallery opening
night, the atmosphere is relaxed and rather energetic, a vibrant mix of
alternative new artists. The reputation of Showcase has been building nicely
over the last few months as the word spreads and more people get involved.
We reviewed one of the first nights back in the Summer, things have built
up and evolved since then and like we predicted in that early review, things
are building rather nicely. Showcase is a one night only affair,
kicks off at 5.30, goes on until 11.30pm, a chance to view new emerging
art, interact with the creators, share thoughts, network and indeed buy
very reasonably priced pieces (how many times have we kicked ourselves
over that early days Damien Hurst painting that was for sale in the Record
And Tape Exchange for just fifty quid back there!). Anyway, next Showcase
this Wednesday, well worth dropping in for half an hour on the way to a
gig or after a gig or... Showcase
webpage
23rd
Sept '09: NEWS:
FRANK
AUERBACH - Twenty new works by Frank Auerbach, one of the finest of
British painters, go on display this September and October at Marlborough
Fine Art, among them new portraits, landscapes and drawings. “Auerbach
is one of the great names in British painting so this is an exciting opportunity
to see his latest works up close and personal without having to pay a solitary
penny”. . This is seriously exciting and a chance not to be missed say
us. The exhibition runs until 24th October at. 6 Albemarle St, Mayfair,
London, W1 -www.marlboroughfineart.com/exhibitions
NEWS:THE
SELLABLE ART POP-UP MARKET IS TWO DAYS AWAY.... The Sellable
Art Pop-up Market is a specialist art event, hosted by the Old Truman Brewery
over in Brick Lane, East London. “The Sellable Art Pop-up is a unique opportunity
to browse and buy artworks direct from the creators”. The next Art Pop-up
event takes place from 25th - 27th September in the cavernous old Boiler
House, 152 Brick Lane. Entry is free, paintings will be on sale, 30 or
so painters, designers, creators and such so we’re promised, and that includes
us Organ team with a stall and some artwork and paintings
and... We're told there will be music, food, a relaxed space and well,
we'll soon change that with some noise and splat – www.trumanbrewery.com
Friday
and Saturday 11.30pm – 6.30pm
Sunday
10.00pm – 5pm
Admission
FREE
"The
ethos of the Old Truman Brewery’s markets is consistent with that of the
Brewery as a whole; to provide a platform for new design, art and fashion,
without prejudice or pretension, in order to restore the direct link between
creator and customer"
17th
Sept '09: NEWS: ALL
DAY AFTERNOON is an art exhibition "set in a domestic environment.
The objects and images interact with the familiar everyday environment
of the home..." The exhibition will feature new works from GAIL OLDING
and can be viewed at 8 Portsea Mews, from September 26th to October 3rd,
tea and scones will be served in the kitchen, while the upstairs living
quarters will feature a “variety of integrated unnerving and ambiguous
objects and images”. More when we've tasted the scones... – www.gailolding.com
15th
Sept '09: NEWS: PUNK
NIGHT AT THE PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL with an original 101er....
Looks like a rather fine event happening as part of the ongoing Portobello
Film Festival tomorrow night. The festival is in the middle of seventeen
day run of free screenings in and around the Notting Hill area of West
London right now. Tomorrow (Wednesday 16th September) at Inn on The Green,
Joe Strummer’s co founder of The 101ers, Alvaro, will be performing live.
There's also a film portrait called Full Dedication Alvaro being
screened.. Other films being show on the evening include Notting Hill
1958 Riot Tour which previews 50 years of the London Caribbean Carnival.
More from www.portobellofilmfestival.com
13th
Sept '09: NEWS:
THE
SELLABLE ART POP-UP MARKET.... The Sellable Art Pop-up Market
is a specialist market event, hosted by the Old Truman Brewery over in
East London. Brick Lane is the place. “The Sellable Art Pop-up is a unique
opportunity to browse and buy artworks direct from the creators”. The next
Pop-up event takes place from 25th - 27th September in the cavernous old
Boiler House, 152 Brick Lane. Entry is free, paintings will be on sale,
30 or so painters, creators and such so we’re promised, and that includes
us Organ team with a stall and some artwork and paintings and things
– www.trumanbrewery.com
"The ethos of the Old Truman Brewery’s markets is consistent with that
of the Brewery as a whole; to provide a platform for new design, art and
fashion, without prejudice or pretension, in order to restore the direct
link between creator and customer"
|
9th
Sept '09: NEWS:
Blowing
our own trumpets time, a dirty job but someone's got to do it now and again,
there’s five new Sean paintings hanging in that
rather good Graffik Gallery in Portobello Road over in West London right
now... 284 Portobello Road, which in turn, turns out to be the old Planet
Alice shop that back in the day sold lots of early issues of Organ, funny
how things turn out.. what a turn up....
BANKSY'S
BLUR SINGLE ARTWORK DESTROYED - A mural by Banksy, which was used as
the cover of Blur's 2003 single 'Crazy Beat', has been partially painted
over by mistake. Workmen from Hackney Council began covering the artwork,
on the side of a building in Stoke Newington in London, with black paint
and had removed much of the work before the building's owner, Sofie Attrill,
could convince them to stop.
Attrill told the BBC: "The workmen were smiling as they did it - they thought
it was funny. I just burst into tears. But a crowd gathered and we managed
to get them to stop before destroying it completely. I don't care about
art or politics - I am just an ordinary girl who liked being cheered up
by seeing this on my street".
She continued: "People have always been telling us to sell it or cover
it in Perspex, but we only wanted it to be here for the public's enjoyment.
You can't take a photo if it's behind a thick plastic screen. We never
wanted to make money out of it like many do - but it was a part of our
lives. Now it's gone. People are always doing down Hackney but this was
something we could all be proud of".
Hackney Council's Alan Laing initially said in a statement: "The council's
position is not to make a judgement call on whether graffiti is art", although
he later added: "Due to a problem at the land registry, unfortunately our
letters stating our intention to clean this building didn't reach the owner.
As soon as we realised this, work stopped. We are now speaking with her
about how to resolve the issue". (CMU)
x |
NEWS:
The
next Cafe 1001 Showcase happens on Wednesday 16th September. Showcase
happens, every second week, down London's Brick Lane, at Cafe 1001, just
over from the Rough Trade shop. You can find an Organ review of a recent
Showcase here. The next Showcase will feature
another twenty or so emerging artists including
Robin
Clare who stood out in that Beautiful Losers show we covered a
couple of weeks ago.
Showcase
webpage
5th
Sept '09: NEWS:
DAMIEN
HURST LOSES PLOT OVER PENCILS..... A seventeen-year-old graffiti artist
who goes by the name of Cartrain has been arrested for stealing a box of
pencils from Damien Hirst's ‘Pharmacy’ (1992) exhibited at Tate Britain
as part of the recently closed Classified exhibition, according to the
Independent, Cartrain took the pencils in July in response to a feud with
Hirst, originally started when Cartrain used images of Hirst's diamond-encrusted
skull, ‘For the Love of God’ (2007) in collages that he put up for sale
on his website. Hirst reported him to the Design and Artists Copyright
Society and a string of legal letters were sent to Cartrain's art dealer,
Tom Cuthbert, at 100artworks.com, about the teenager's pieces, also called
For the Love of God. The online gallery surrendered them to Hirst with
a verbal apology.
He then created a "wanted" style poster that read: "For the safe return
of Damien Hirst's pencils I would like my artworks back that DACS and Hirst
took off me in November. It's not a large demand... Hirst has until the
end of this month to resolve this or on 31 July the pencils will be sharpened.
He has been warned." Cartrain told The Independent: "I went to the Tate
Britain and by chance had a golden opportunity to borrow a packet of pencils
from the Pharmacy exhibit. That same day I made up a fake police appeal
poster advertising that the pencils had been removed from the Tate and
that if anyone had any information they should contact the police on the
phone number advertised." "A few weeks later I went out and I returned
home to find out the art and antiques squad from New Scotland Yard had
called round with a warrant for my arrest." He was told by custody officers
that the pencils were valued at £500,000 and that he had damaged
"the concept of a public artwork titled Pharmacy ... valued at £10,000,000".
Cartrain is on bail and, if convicted, his actions will feature among the
highest value modern art thefts in Britain. The box of pencils – a very
rare "Faber Castell dated 1990 Mongol 482 Series" – will be put back by
Hirst, although the installation is no longer on public display. - www.artreview.com
x |
3rd
Sept '09: NEWS: THE
NOISE OF ART is something that kicks off tonight and runs until 20th
September. Curated by Infinity Bunce and Helen Edwards. Seems they’ve invited
a whole load of artists, musicians and such to make some kind of unique
customised work on a 12" slice of Vinyl. “All work is a kaleidoscopic mix
of different materials placed on a 12” vinyl record, each piece bouncing
from one to another. From urban artists, fine artists, to graphic designers
and musicians, all journeying through pulsating imagery of an electric
mix of surface materials, scrunched, scratched, painted, sprayed and printed
on a record vinyl. The 12” vinyl that we once loved has been brought back
to life and gives birth to itself in the name of art. You will never look
at a vinyl like the way you did before. It’s a jamboree not to be missed!”
The East End Arts Club can be found in Swanfield Yard (off Redchurch Street
top of Brick Lane), 2b Swanfield St, London E2. East End Arts Club is a
part of First Thursdays, more of that later, tonight being the first Thursday
of the month and such... Here come those essential links: www.eastendartsclub.co.uk
/ www.firstthursdays.co.uk
/ www.myspace.com/infinitybunce
/ www.infinitybunce.com
2nd
Sept '09: NEWS:
OBLONG
celebrates one year.... The Oblong Gallery celebrates one year of showing
new art and doing the things they do at small galleries with a new show
that runs from 4th Sept through to 20th Sept. See the Organ art page for
previous Oblong features, neat little gallery that’s almost a garage on
the side of a house in front of a stone sculpture workshop in Islington.
Oblong Gallery, 69a Southgate Road. London N1 - www.oblonggallery.com
- Oblong is part of the First Thursdays collaboration – www.firstthursdays.co.uk
x |
26th
AUG '09: LONDON STREET ARTIST D*FACE TO LAUNCH SOLO EXHIBITION
IN NYC - Ludovico Aversion Therapy / All Your Dreams Are Owned By Us
@ Jonathan LeVine Gallery September 12th October 10, 2009
Press release here says “New York's Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased
to present Ludovico Aversion Therapy / All Your Dreams Are Owned By Us,
a solo exhibition of new original works and multiples by the London-based
street artist known as D*Face returning to the gallery for his debut solo
show in the United States; in conjunction with a site-specific, street-level
installation. The show title Ludovico Aversion Therapy references
a futuristic human behaviour reconditioning treatment from A Clockwork
Orange (the 1972 cult-classic film by Stanley Kubrick), in which the patient’s
eyelids are forced open to watch disturbing footage containing subliminal
messages.
Artist statement: “If you've ever wondered what goes on inside of my mind,
this body
of
work is it. A visual interpretation of lucid dreams - the replaying, disassembly
and reconfiguring of images held in one’s mind... it's as much 'Exquisite
Corpse’ as everyday Ludovico Aversion Therapy”
Re-interpreting the exquisite corpse concept, each piece in Ludovico Aversion
Therapy features a singular composite subject created using an amalgamation
of various branded corporate identity mascots combined with classic superhero
characters, interspersed with typography derived from comic book art and
advertising. Having spliced these elements into thin segments of recognisable
information, the artist scrambles the pieces then stacks them vertically,
re-assigning features to form mismatched conglomerate faces and deliver
a powerfully graphic impact. Paintings and etchings in this exhibition
feature the artist’s signature tongue-in-cheek aesthetic, known for creating
two and three-dimensional work using a variety of mediums and techniques.
Incorporating pop iconography with satirical commentary and anti-establishment
values, D*Face questions the increasing turnover and bombardment of imagery
by the media as well as how much (if any and what parts) we recall, digest
and retain. Extracting elements from the endless stream of visual stimuli
absorbed daily by our conscious and subconscious, the artist re-works and
subverts imagery appropriated from comics, currency, corporate advertising,
and cultural figures - drawing from decades of materialistic consumption
in our media-saturated society".
ABOUT THE ARTIST - "D*Face is a London-based sculptor and street artist.
His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and on the streets of cities
around the world. For over ten years, his wall stencils and three dimensional
urban interventions have tested public awareness and resistance when faced
with visual alternatives to corruptive, persuasive commercial advertising.
Reoccurring themes include: celebrity, fame, and mortality. The artist
uses the term aPOPcalyptic to describe his work, which often features images
of cultural icons as a commentary on conspicuous consumption in popular
culture. D*Face’s early artistic inspirations include pop artists such
as Lichtenstein, Haring and Warhol. Additional influences include: punk
music, graffiti, skateboarding and skate magazines featuring graphic artists
like Jim Philips and Pushead.” Find out more about D*Face at www.dface.co.uk,
the gallery is at www.jonathanlevinegallery.com
x |
22nd
AUG '09: PAUL NORMANSELL @ Wanted Gallery, Portobello, London –
Modern, fresh looking, fresh feeling pop art, you don’t really get the
art of Paul Normansell in any kind of serious way until you’re stood there
in front of it – well that goes for most art/artists really, stating the
bleedin’ obvious or what! Particularly important that you see the current
work of Paul Normansell in the flesh though, you’re really not going to
get the power or the colour from his CD covers or from photos... You’ll
maybe know him from his recent cover work for The Killers. The work on
show here is striking, rather original, and just different - stylish pop
art in the most real of senses. Big pieces, a fascinating combination of
gloss and enamel on aluminium that makes perfect sense when you stand in
front of it and drink in the brightness – you’re really not going to get
it from looking atwebsites, photos or CD covers (as good as that recent
Killers CD artwork is), you really need to stand in front of Paul Normansell’s
rather expansive work and just really enjoy it. There’s two floors of work
in a small shop-sized gallery, about half a dozen rather big bold colourful
pieces. The show ends on 23rd August, all work already sold so it
seems – you’ll find it all, if you’re quick, at 15b Blenheim Crescent,
Notting Hill, W11 – www.agallery.co.uk
- Go look today if you’re in the area, Mick Jones from the Clash is
playing a free gig at his Rock ‘n Roll library, just down the road at 5.00pm.
The Rock & Roll Public Library is open free of charge Wednesday to
Sunday from 11am until 7pm; until August 23rd. 2 Acklam Road, above
272 Portobello Road, London, W10...Ladbroke Grove tube.
x |
NEWS:
22nd
AUG '09: GRAFFIK is a rather good looking gallery/shop, just opened,
and freshly spied yesterday, on Portobello Road - number 284, top end...
Now this is more like it, this is buzzing street art taken to canvas, flying
spray paint, colour, texture, the art of that do it yourself culture we
were talking of yesterday in that DIY London Seen piece further down the
page, taken in to a packed exciting gallery – it isn’t new of course, that
doesn’t matter though, not when things are this good... Fresh stencil,
graffiti, street art, clothes, zines, books... The walls are alive with
inspiring art, bursting with energetic colour... there’s a quality here,
a standard, a refinement - pieces that excite and inspire. These are early
days, they only just opened, their website isn’t up yet, but the small
gallery is packed with energetic art, creativity, attitude, this is good...
More soon... www.graffiklondon.co.uk
x |
21st
AUG '09:NEWS:
DEERHOOF
TO STAR IN ART FILM - US geniuses/weirdos Deerhoof are to star in an
art film called 'BAND'. The film,directed by artist Adam Pendleton, is
based on Jean-Luc Godard's 1968 film about The Rolling Stones, 'Sympathy
For The Devil', intercutting clips of The Stones in the studio from Godard's
film with the footage of Deerhoof recording and rehearsing in their very
much more lo-fi set up. The filming will finish with a free show
by Deerhoof at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, which is one of the Toronto
International Film Festival's 'Future Projects' events, apparently. In
a statement, Pendleton said: "I was really looking for a group that balanced
experimentation with a slightly pop, slightly rock sensibility and had
a dynamic performance presence and style... Deerhoof had it all".
x |
20th
AUG '09: DIY LONDON SEEN - Covent Garden, 20th Aug -
Tonight we’re heading for yet another closed down shop, another shop taken
over, on a temporary basis, in the name of art... Tonight, right in the
middle of Covent Garden, in the tourist trap of a plaza, and probably not
the first place you’d go looking for DIY street art or the smell of underground
alternative culture, we’re in search of the opening of an exhibition called
DIY London Seen. Work inspired by the artists featured in Aaron Rose’s
new film Beautiful Losers apparently... The film is out on DVD this
week and currently enjoying a run at the ICA, so this is some kind of tie-in
semi-launch - there’s a ‘marketing’ budget, entry by invite, food to eat
and bottles of that pear cider to suck on, while the art is viewed...
The film itself (not being shown tonight) is inspiring, the film is important,
the film is exciting, it should kick off the idea of just doing it yourself
in the heads of many who never before really though they could... The film
is essentially documenting something that’s been going on all over the
world for years (and years) – something that really germinated back there
with the second wave of punk rock. The wave that really was about doing
it yourself and seven inch records in hand made covers, of making your
own zines, putting on your own gigs, taking control and the possibilities,
ideas that extended well beyond just the music... That real DIY street
culture, birthed at the end of the 70’s with the coming together of street
graffiti, skateboard culture and punk rock - that ever expanding thing
that was alive with energy, excitement, cross-pollination and feeding off
each others ideas - something that’s been evolving and regenerating for
years now – and all there, documented in the film, and none of that is
really to be found in this rather polite and starkly white downstairs shop-turned-into-gallery
tonight... |
There is some good art here, couple of really good pieces – this isn’t
really the DIY culture we’ve been familiar with for the last twenty plus
years though, this isn’t the hand-painted zines talked of in the film,
this isn’t skateboard pits or graffiti, or doing it yourself because the
gallery system is an alien concept you never even thought of approaching...
This isn’t primitive art jumping off squat venue walls, warehouse gigs,
this isn’t punk rock inspired do it yourself creativity. This isn’t expansive
canvas alive with spray-painted energy, this is isn’t giant chess sets
in the middle of Claremont Road or the acid junkyard sculpture of Skreech
Rock. No giant pink windmills made of street-scrap, no Cheap Essential
Scenery painted on sails here... None of the craft of those Bristol street
artists like Milk or Dora who were over at Oblong with their Great Birds
show the other week... No hint of Montana Gold, no spray paint allowed
by the looks of things... Nah.
There’s some good art in here, this isn’t really DIY culture though, this
isn’t about ignoring the rules or doing it yourself - but there is good
art in here...
What this is, is a semi-corporate launch for a film that’s kind of missed
the point of the film, an artistically polite show in a far too polite
gallery with polite food and free drink and yes, some rather decent small
pieces of pop art flavoured graphic design, some decent bits of illustration,
photography and some rather good pieces of individual artistic expression.
Some of it kind of feels like the work of half way through term design
students rather than the street artists, punk-driven creators, skate-culture
painters and such that you’ll find in the film... Some of it is genuinely
rather good. |
Yes, there is some good art in here, it is important to repeat that, and
the fact that the Watch This Space team have enthusiastically pulled it
together and found an empty shop and gathered it all in one place is to
be celebrated – twenty or so interesting (young, we assume) artists getting
a chance to get some work out there is what this is - and that is enough,
that should be celebrated.
There is some good work here,
well worth a visit, just don’t be expecting the energy or danger that Beautiful
Losers should inspire, don’t be expecting real DIY culture. The fact
that some of the artists have been found via a last minute competition,
(insisted on by the film company so the Watch This Space curators say)
and run on bloody My Space – the ultimate in none-DIY corporate marketing
crapola – kind of tells you some of where we’re at here... The fact that
the most interesting artist tonight, and the nearest thing to some kind
of idea of street culture, Keiron Lee (AKA XXXXXX) and his play on
Frank Shepard Fairey’s Andre The Giant Has A Posse, has come through
that My Space route suggests that no one really went out and connected
with any of the real UK street artists or went out to find the real DIY
art culture that is out there...
Street art? DIY attitudes? Alternatives? It really should be alive with
energy and excitement in here tonight – it is in the film - the joy of
the creativity, alternative communication, the attitudes, the sense of
just getting out there and doing it - joining in, togetherness, defiance,
rule-ignoring unity... Oh I really don’t like sounding like I’m down on
this show, there is some good art – Robin Clare’s mix of 50’s futurist
white goods and pop-art graphics, Harry Malt and his cartoonish Just Don’t
Try To Talk To Jim Morrison piece (good to see GG Allin and John Cooper
Clark there – a bit of punk rock after all then), the giant mirror bear
sculpture of Arran Gregory brings a smile, Best One... A collection
of painters, illustrators, photographers and such, all worthy of the time
and space, but this really isn’t the street culture or DIY or anything
like the energy to be found in the film, this isn’t what we hoped to find,
not what we expected... Go enjoy the show for what it is, twenty
relatively new British artists, photographers, illustrators and such showing
some healthy new work in a closed down shop in the middle of town......
DIY LONDON SCENE runs until
September 5th at 11, The Market Building, Covent Garden, WC2
www.losermovie.co.uk
www.watch-this-space.org
20th
AUG '09: NEWS:
THE
DECKED PROJECT is coming... Decked is "a collection of fine and dandy
illustrators, designers, tattoo artists and street artists", all showcasing
custom designed skate decks. Each deck is hand inked/printed/painted/carved
and will be on display from 25th – 29th August at StolenSpace Gallery,
The Old Truman Brewery 91, Brick Lane. E1. Head to www.thedeckedproject.blogspot.com
for more information and the all important visuals!
xx |
19th
AUG '09: NEWS:
SHOWCASE
TONIGHT: The latest in the on-going series of fortnightly one night
Showcase art shows happens tonight at Cafe 1001, Brick Lane, East London.
5.30pm until 11pm – opposite the Rough Trade shop. Go here
for our words on the last one or explore via the Showcase
webpage
x |
PREVIOUS
ART PAGE... More news, reviews, links - NICK VADASZ @ GRACELANDS CAFE,
COLLISION 2009, SHOWCASE @ 1001 Cafe, RUTH BAYER, BOOKSHELF, GREEN DAY
TAKE ART ON TOUR, 20 YEARS OF DEFINITIVE SKATEBOARDING, CRITICLE POLITICLE:
'20 PAINTINGS ON THE G20 RIOTS' - BY SAM McGANN, GREAT BIRDS OF THE BRITISH
ISLES @ OBLONG, THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS FESTIVAL, GEORGE PELECANOS,
KRIS
WLODARSKI, WET SOUNDS ~ UNDERWATER SOUND ART GALLERY, DEPTFORD ART MAP,
ETIQUETTE OF COMFORT by LISA SLOMINSKI & SALLY SPINKS, SLUMP
SCREENINGS, THE ART CAR BOOT FAIR 2009, BRITFLICKS
@ THE BRITANNIA, SKINFLINT, The International MEETING OF STYLES,
ARTADE, JOHN LEE BIRD, EX GRATIA, BARACK OBAMA
DILDO?, HardART?, AARON KRATEN, AUSTIN GALLERY AND BENNY’S BAR, ASSEMBLAGE
by WILLIAM BLANCHARD, EAST END FILM FESTIVAL, JG
BALLARD, JOHN SQUIRE, SHELLY WYN-DE-BANK, THE
RAIN EMPEROR, ANDREA JABLONSKI, I AM JOY, and more...
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