The work of UK street-artist Cept always brings a smile to the face. Often appropriating familiar images of superheros and adopting a pop-art style, his piece of street work that samples the lyrics to Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart has just been released as a print entitled Again and Again (OG image right, print left). OMG as one of Litchenstein’s characters would undoubtedly have exclaimed.
Wednesday night saw Soho’s primo bike store Tokyo Fixed Gear play host to none other than Bonafide collaborator Emilski’s debut show – regulars here will recall the London artist’s fresh-to-def Bonafide X Nike Tied Together tee. The night – in conjunction with Topsafe, the crew who launched the first hardback homage to London graffiti AKA Crack ‘n’ Shine – showcased a number of hand-painted signs amid all the bird bones and beer, pitting some of London’s dirtier dens of fried chicken inequity against each other to amusing effect. The whole affair definitely got Bonafide thinking about a little Junior Spesh on the way back to the bits, but we settled for another wing and some exercise over at Deviation. The signs will hang for the next week, along with some three-colour screen printed tees (as well as the original print) so hot you’d think they just came out the fryer. Hit up Topsafe for more info. JW
Polish artist M-City’s work is currently being shown at the Carmichael Gallery. Wielding a spray can, scalpel and cardboard, M-City’s work is, like Logan Hicks’ output, about the method; the images are built up from complex, overlayed stencils that reveal images built within images. For his visuals think Sim City meets Lego meets a frustrated town planner with a spraycan. Recurring themes include ballooning tower-blocks and industrial cities painted on to walls and exude an energy fit for an urban space.
Running between July 10 – August 7, 2010, the show includes new canvases, a site-specific gallery installation and outdoor mural project.
Italian street-art general Blu has released another one of his jaw-dropping wall-painted animation videos. Entitled Big Bang Big Boom, it’s Blu’s take on evolution and it’s consequences. Take five and soak in some next level visual dopeness.
Tuesday night saw a small section of West London’s Portobello Road awash with the sound of splitting skinny jeans and squeaky air bubbles, as the hipsters and rudeboys of London’s ever-growing street-art scene descended upon Graffik for a three day exhibition, featuring five NYC writers, currently plying their trade by defacing (hey, that’s the point, remember?) MTA maps with their favourite throw-ups, dubs, characters, and tags.
Graffik, having opened its doors to the public in August 2009, has been pushing the latest art-crack to trendy West Londoners and tourists alike, by offering affordable art to the discerning urban nerd, for the best part of a year, and to celebrate the NYC Subway Battles event, threw an invitation-only party at Acklam Road’s former Subterranea, now known as Supperclub. …Read More.
Caught looks like a sumptiuous slice of contemporary illustration, graff and audio visual goodness and promises to be something special for the Leeds art scene.
Stemming from the BestJoinedUp nights, Caught brings together the likes of Will Barras, The Pern, Replete, Inkie, Sri McKinnon, Drew Millward and Phlegm and will uncover some of the treasures retrived during the BestJoinedUp sessions and also unveil some brand-new-it’s-still wet work.
Caught will run from the 21st May to the 7th June. Check the site for the skinny.
We’ve mentioned the work of artist Ericailcane (Eric the Dog) a few times. Having witnessed his handywork first hand, we can safely say that, in terms of ideas and execution, there are not many better artists roaming the streets. It’s great news that his new website has been launched. Take five minutes to get to know the characters of Funny Games (see above) and their friends, all of whom populate a darkly funny world. Beatrix Potter this aint.
Kicks and Canvas is a new exhibition by Soleheaven and Zero Cool Gallery, and features 21 artists customizing 21 pairs of kicks and 21 canvases. Running until 18th the artistic talent involved includes Goldie, Insa and Mr Jago and representing Leeds Jon Lawrence. Jon provided visuals for issue 03 of Bonafide and his sculptural work puts a new twist on iconic hip-hop products. In other words, it’s proper boxfresh art.
Finally got round to seeing Exit Through The Gift Shop and it lived up to its billing.
Floating around three central characters; video addict/artist Thierry Guetta, an LA-based Frenchman who moves from being behind a shop counter to being (permanently) behind a camera before becoming Mr Brainwash (MBW); Banksy and Shepard Fairey. The film begins describing how Guetta picks up a camera and ends up documenting the street-art scene and how that leads to him building a rapport with Bansky and finally the launch of his artistic career (sic.) as MBW.
Kind of like Hustle but stripped back with a Who’s Been Framed DIY quality, the magic of this film is that those who have made it are experts in the dark arts of deception and myth making. …Read More.
Eelus kindly helped with some visual candy for issue 01 of Bonafide and it’s great to see that his first solo show has just opened. Running from the 25th February to the 6th of March, The Colour Out of Space demonstrates how much he has grown in confidence and matured as an artist. For the musings of the man behind the spray can check out his blog where you get to see how everything comes together.
