Last time we saw ABCDEF he was basically painting a lot of squares and, at the time, I was not sure what “cubism” was, but if I were talking to someone who I was pretty sure also didn’t know what cubism was, I would have called it that. These more recent works look like a gallery show waiting to happen. When is SMOA going to have a deliberately-abstract exhibition?
Photos by ABCDEF
Roa left Melbourne a couple of days ago. What an amazing month or so it has been. After arriving in Melbourne from Puerto Rico, one of the first things he did was visit Healesville Sanctuary. Healesville Sanctuary is a not-for-profit conservation organisation dedicated to fighting wildlife extinction through breeding and recovery programs for threatened species and by working with visitors and supporters to reduce threats facing endangered wildlife. The Sanctuary is a very important part of Roa’s whole visit to Melbourne, a major part of his show at Backwoods Gallery, Carrion, which I will go into more detail about in my next post.
The first day was all about Roa meeting the animals. He got the royal treatment from the Sanctuary and all the keepers, getting to go behind the scenes and really meet the animals, touch, feel and hold most of them.
The next few days were a combination of painting some of the animals he met, and preparing for the show. He painted three pieces while at the Sanctuary, the most exciting would have to have been the Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus) on the water tower (featured in the video). I was lucky enough to be there with Roa and experience the breathtaking views, hip hop, pizza and beer. A perfect afternoon 🙂 Continue reading “Roa at Healesville Sanctuary”
I always struggle to describe the work of Spanish artist Xuan Alyfe. Today, I’m thinking the best way to describe it is as a cross between Momo, Isaac Cordal, and Interesni Kazki, if I’m limiting myself to using street artists as reference points. Well, whatever it is, it’s interesting.
Photos courtesy of Xuan Alyfe
This is possibly my favorite mural by Gaia in the last year. The piece was done in Buenos Aires for Meeting of Styles Argentina on a Ghelco factory had a part in Argentina’s Fabrica Recuperada, which was a worker’s authority movement. Gaia explained how his mural pays homage to the building’s history, “The cycle of neoliberalism is broken when in 2002 Ghelco was occupied by its employees during the Argentine financial crisis. The last chain link hand floats voting on the other side of the composition. There are 41 Ice cream cones for each worker in the occupied factory. One hand voting represents the democratic decision making process of the cooperatively run ice cream plant.”
Photos by Gaia
It’s the weekend…
Photo by Jade
For a lot of ad disruptors, facing the physical obstacles is just a regular part of the game. Rosh has leveled the playing field between advertisers, ad disruptors and any old pedestrian in Madrid. The open invitation may provoke passersby to manipulate their environment, or provoke them to consider their decision not to. Either way, it is simple yet powerful work by Rosh.
Photo courtesy of Public Ad Campaign
The spot on Hanbury Street in London previously occupied by Ben Slow’s work (twice) is now home to a collaboration between Bom.K of Da Mental Vaporz and Liliwenn that looks a bit like a wall-sized game of exquisite corpse.
Photos by Shafiur Rahman
The ARD*POP-UP Festival took place in Oslo this November and was the first iteration of this festival, although the organizers hope to move it from city to city in the coming years. This year, the festival brought Pez, Kenor, Phlegm, and others to the streets of Oslo for some really fun murals, although it does look like they were concentrated in a pretty small area. Here are a few of my favorites:
Continue reading “Oslo’s ARD*POP-UP Festival”
As a longtime fan of both Stinkfish and of Marion Bolognesi, seeing these two distinguished artists come together is exciting. Prints of the collaboration will soon be available here.
Photo courtesy of Marion Bolognesi
