Todd James‘ latest solo show opens this week at Lazarides Rathbone Place in London. The show, World Domination, will of course have some new works on canvas and paper, but the really exciting bit is that it will include a recreation of The Vandal’s Bedroom, part of James’ contribution to Street at Art in the Streets at the LA MOCA in 2011 (Street was a collaboration between James, Stephen Powers, and Barry McGee).

World Domination runs March 6th through April 11th.

Photo courtesy of Lazarides Gallery

As I tweeted the other day, my mind is kinda stuck on how much I wish the Parra show at Jonathan Levine Gallery opened today and not on Saturday so that I could go see it. So while I’ve been distracted by that point, here’s some of what I almost missed this week:

• KATSU’s April Fools prank is a bit early, but still pretty funny.
• The Outsiders / Lazarides has some really nice prints by Ron English. They are variations on his Figment image, aka Andy Warhol wig and a skull.
• Barry McGee, Chris Johanson and Laurie Reid are showing together at City College and SF starting today.
• Here’s a new piece from the always-interesting 0331c, but if you don’t know 0331c’s work, here’s an introduction.
• Nice video of Eine updating one of his walls in London from saying PRO PRO PRO to PROTAGONIST. Interesting comment about street art being a thing that “looked like it would offer what graffiti promised but didn’t deliver.”
• Nychos x Jeff Soto = Yes!
• New work from Isaac Cordal.
• Woah. Nice work from How and Nosm in San Fransisco.
• Jonathan Jones is up to his old tricks of dissing Banksy to get more hits for his column, and I’m biting. He writes, “Banksy, as an artist, stops existing when there is no news about him.” Even if that is the case, is that the end of the world? Does that relegate Banksy to “art-lite”? No. Banksy is one of the most talked-about artists in the world. I would bet that the same criticism was leveled against Warhol, who I believe Jones likes. Banksy’s manipulation of the media, playing it like a damn violin sometimes, is some of his greatest artwork of all. He manipulates the media to spread a message. The best example of this was probably him going to Bethlehem to paint on the separation wall because he knew that the media would cover it. He was able to play the media to draw attention to an issue that he felt strongly about. Banksy’s paintings are sometimes great and sometimes not. But his ability to make people fascinated with him and his paintings is just as much of an art, and that shouldn’t discredit him.

Photo by Luna Park

Ankles

Back to school on Tuesday. Actually, I’m okay with that. And of course, it means more time blogging because it means more time procrastinating. Here’s some of what we missed this week while Caroline and I were on vacation:

• New print from Ron English of his Obama/Hulk custom toy.
• If you’re a fan of Remi/Rough, you should have a look at his new book.
• Vhils has a new mural.
• And Elbowtoe put up a huge new wheatpaste based on one of his collages.
• Martha Cooper and Ian Cox discuss photographing the Paris edition of The Underbelly Project.
• Dan Witz has a show coming up at Lazarides’ Rathbone Place location.
• Zeus (British, not French) also has a show coming up in London.
• And then there’s the show with Nice One and Lucx at Chicago’s Galerie F which opened on Friday night.
• Complex.com has some advice for success as a street artist from Kid Zoom, How&Nosm, Eric Haze, and others. Kid Zoom’s tip? “Don’t be a street artist.”

Photo by Ankles

On January 18th, Lazarides is re-opening Nina Pandolfo‘s show from last year “Feelings”. Same work in their newly “refurbished” gallery, The Outsiders, in Newcastle. That’s weird. This is nothing against Nina, but if Laz is holding an exhibition which is obviously to show off their renovated space, why not put in new work? This relaunch of the show months after it was taken down points out that the initial show must have failed to sell well, which does not seem to be in Nina’s best interest to point out. Anyway, if you didn’t see it last spring, here’s your second chance to check out Nina’s show.

Photos courtesy of Lazarides

Hyuro

Happy reminder that we’re less than a month from Christmas…

• This new print from Swoon, featuring one of her older images, is absolutely beautiful and available online through her studio.
• Yes. Kaws had a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Just like lots of other significant brands.
• Vhils has a show opening next week at Lazarides’ Rathbone Place location.
• Here’s a new collaboration from Jaz and Elian.
• London graffiti writer Oker was recently sentenced to two years in prison. Pure Evil Gallery has prints and canvases available to help support Oker’s family.
• Remed has a show opening next month in Marrakesh, Morocco.
• Graffuturism have curated a show which is due to open next month in LA. The extensive line up includes Delta, Mare139, Doze Green, DVS1, Eric Haze, Jaz, Futura, Greg Lamarche, Kenor, Sowat, and others.

Photo by Hyuro

Anthony Lister has a show opening this week with Lazarides / The Outsiders spanning both of The Outsiders’ locations (London and Newcastle). While in the UK for the show, titled Unslung Heroes, he’s stayed busy by painting a bunch of walls. They can all be seen, along with a few older Lister pieces, on Ian Cox’s fickr. Unslung Heroes opens on Thursday in both London and Newcastle.

Photo by AdversMedia

TrustoCorp have a show on now at Lazarides’/The Outsiders Newcastle, UK location. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the International Bank of TrustoCorp show, which runs through November 10th. You can see the full show on TrustoCorp’s flickr.

Photos courtesy of TrustoCorp

It’s Frieze week and London is in full swing with pompous art enthusiasts and decrepit rich men buying art and prostitutes all around the city. While most people get excited about the Fair itself, here at Vandalog, we like the satellite events happening that let the galleries go all out and give us a break from snobbery that encompasses Frieze. So besides Moniker and Lazarides’ Bedlam, Imitate Modern is joining the ranks of outsider shows with Just Be You Tiful – a solo show by Rich Simmons.

While most of our readers know Rich as Opera Gallery’ poster boy for commercial street art, this guy has really come into his own in 2012. While he may get a bad rep from all of the publicity that Opera threw at him, Simmons is one of the most hardworking artists I have had the pleasure of knowing. Always willing to lend a helping hand and constantly scrutinizing his own work, Simmons is his own worst critic (not the naysayers on the Banksy forum).

For Just Be You Tiful Simmons has been locked in the studio producing an entirely new body of work to showcase during Frieze at Imitate Modern. Known for its sold out Stik show last year, Simmons has impressed the gallery with his own brand of stencil and collage works. The master of the exacto knife, these intricate multi-layered canvasses are sure to turn a few heads when they find out this is Simmons’ new style especially the Sailor Jerry homages and naked pin-ups. Ooh La La!

Just Be You Tiful opens October 12 at Imitate Modern in London.

All images courtesy of Rich Simmons

Stencil master, urban adventurer and photographer Logan Hicks is going to be showing at Lazarides‘ Greek Street space The Outsiders London later this month for a solo show. Structural Integrity includes new body of stencil work from Logan as well as a rare opportunity to see his photographs in a gallery setting. Logan has been working his ass off making this new work, so it should be quite something. The show runs from July 20th through August 25th.

In addition to being one of my favorite stencil artists and maybe the hardest working guy I know, Logan is one of my favorite people. I’m excited that Logan will be showing at The Outsiders, but I’m equally disappointed that I won’t be able to see the show in person. If you want to see stencil art pushed to this limits, do not miss this opportunity. Go see Structural Integrity.

Photo courtesy of The Outsiders

Specter

The week isn’t over yet, but this week’s news is going to be old if I don’t mention it soon. Here’s some of what I missed this week:

• The D*Face Smirnoff collaboration was anything but normal.
• Ian Stevenson’s show at Lzarides’ Newcastle space looks good.
• This is a one of Dal’s most complex walls yet.
• Vhils has a show opening this week in Paris as well as some new walls there.
• The new issue of Very Nearly Almost features Anthony Lister on the cover and will be launched on June 28th.
• Shok1 painted a great tribute to StayHigh149.
• Pixel Pancho, Never2501, GGT, Moneyless and Martina Merlini all collaborated on this wall in Milan.
• I really like this new print about to be released by Dolk.
• If you like UFO’s work in 2-demensions, you’ll love it in 3! Actually that isn’t the only sculpture he has made, but it is the newest.

Photo by SMKjr