Thing of the Day 

SHUNGA POP at Pure Evil, CHICKENHAWK become HAWK EYES, bit of SCOTT BELCASTRO with STELLA IM HULTBERG and ALEXANDER HEATON at Residence...

March 10th 2011

SHUNGA POP at Pure Evil:  Opening this Thursday night, that’s tonight if you’re reading this Thing of the Day of the day that it is the thing that’s gone up...Here comes the Pure Evil blurb….

“Shunga Pop is Felipe Yung aka Flip's first solo exhibition in London. The artist shows the ironic aesthetics of pop art within a particular universe such as oriental pornography.
        There are indicators that the production of erotic drawings denominated Shunga (cent. XVI) was meant exclusively for the court. It took hundreds of years for this art to be popularized and the purpose of such images were not exclusively for pleasure and visual stimulus, but also for sexual education from foreplay practices to proper hygiene. In the Western World, they would have probably been censored due to its explicit and out of proportion sexual organs.
          Flip is part of Famiglia Baglione and lives in Sao Paulo, as cosmopolitan a city as New York and London, home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan. Due to his multiple cultural roots, the artist has great admiration and is largely influenced by the oriental culture and philosophy, a constant element in his artwork.
   The exhibition features paintings executed on handmade paper originally printed in Kyoto, Japan. In a malicious way the images lacking decorum suggest paradoxes, once there is dialogue between sexual elements, childish characters and vibrant patterns”.

"Shunga Pop" runs at Pure Evil from this Thursday March 10th to 27th
Pure Evil Gallery, 108 Leonard st, London EC2
www.pureevil.eu

Meanwhile... Chickenhawk, a band who received a lot of early days coverage, radio play, support and such around these parts, are no more…. Hang on though, only in name; in Hawklord style, this is just a change of moniker…

THE BAND FORMERLY KNOWN AS CHICKENHAWK ANNOUNCE CHANGE OF NAME AND FUTURE PLANS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME HAWK EYES INTO YOUR WORLD!
 “Following a hugely successful 2010 which saw Leeds quartet Chickenhawk release their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Modern Bodies’ on Brew Records and play any stage and festival that the UK had available (including a storming tour with Alexisonfire), from this moment onwards, the band formally known as Chickenhawk are changing their name to Hawk Eyes.
“When we named our band Chickenhawk after the book by Robert Mason, we never really, like most bands probably, thought things would go as far as they have done for us!,” explains singer Paul. “So, only now that we have possible US and European releases of Modern Bodies, a new album being recorded in March and us trying to get our own website up, it's appeared that we can't get the rights and/or any of the domain names we wanted to and for Chickenhawk!!  Frustrating, but, these are the breaks!  So with no further delay, we have simply chosen to drop the Chicken, move Hawk to the front and add Eyes!  Simple!  Everything stays the same.”
The band start recording a new album this month at Ghost Town in Leeds
“The new album is sound a lot different to ‘Modern Bodies’,” says guitarist Rob. “There’s heavier parts, lighter parts, more melody. Our intention is to make a progression not ‘Modern Bodies’ part two.” 
More from www.hawkeyesmusic.com

Should we mention it took us about thirty seconds to establish that there’s several bands called Hawk Eyes operating already?

 Nah, we’ll keep quiet and instead briefly mention Scott Belcastro… 

…and a dual solo show Scott has coming up in London with Stella Im Hultberg. The show, at the London Miles artspace includes brand new pieces from both artists and opens this Friday at 7pm (11th of March) and runs through till the 21st of March.

Scott Belcastro’s artwork is inspired by the woodlands of New York’s upstate region where he grew up. His artwork is a beautiful contrast between vast, dramatic skies and the meticulously detailed landscapes below, often expressing feelings of loneliness and hope.  
Using acrylic paints on wood panels, he creates awe-inspiring works of art with multiple layers of detail, encouraging the viewer, via the vicarious nature of his work, to reconnect once again with their natural surroundings.
Scott Belcastro currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Menawhile Stella Im Hultberg “is a painter living and working in Brooklyn, NYC.  Born in South Korea, raised in Seoul, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and later in California, she studied Industrial Design and worked as a  2005. When not painting or drawing,  She likes to eat, ride her bicycle, and do the new York Times crossword puzzles


 London Miles is under the Westway, over in Ladbroke Grove, West London. Lots more information about the show and and London Miles via the link right there…
www.londonmiles.com

And last but not least on the list of today’s parish notices and Things…

ALEXANDER HEATON: TREBUCHET
Private View 11th March 6 - 9
Exhibition open Wed-Sun, 11 March – 10 April, 2011
Time Out First Thursday Reception 7th April 7 - 9:30

”... Concerned with the idea of the wanderer, Heaton brings painting up to date from the traditions of the romantic Scandinavian and German painters of the 18th and 19th centuries. Coded in a language of spells and mantras, Heaton’s paintings are exhibited in a specifically crafted environment within the gallery, transforming it into a völkisch abode of magical realism...”

THE RESIDENCE, 229 VICTORIA PARK ROAD, LONDON, E9 7HD
Hours: Wed-Sat. 11-6, Sun. 12-5
 www.residence-gallery.com

Right there, enough of these Things for today, I’m off to paint…