Category: Gallery/Museum Shows

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Small Acts of Resistance at Black Rat Projects

Swoon, from her current show in Paris

The next show at Black Rat Projects is a group show with some of my favorite artists. Small Acts of Resistance opens on November 4th and includes Know Hope, Armsrock, Matt Small, Dotmasters, Swoon and Peter Kennard. It’s awesome to see Armsrock back at Black Rat Press and Know Hope showing there for the first time. Admittedly, Dotmasters may seem a bit out of place at first, but he did recently paint that wall at Nuart that everyone loved. As for how Swoon will be involved in this show, she will be doing a large installation, presumably similar to her show on now in Paris.

Photo by Guillotine

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Taking From The Tip Jar – Jordan Seiler in Philly

Jordan Seiler is one of the artists that I’ve been most interested in recently. Through a great coincidence, his upcoming solo show at the Vincent Michael Gallery is the first gallery opening that I’ll be going to in Philadelphia. Taking From The Tip Jar opens on November 5th (also Guy Fawkes Night, which is sort of fitting I guess since Jordan is trying to change the world, but not by blowing things up) and you can be sure that I’ll be there.

For this show, Jordan has made art and framed it in phone booth advertising cases that have been removed from the street. This way, even in his gallery work Jordan is working to eliminate public advertising on some level.

Everything that I know about Jordan tells me that he is one street artist who is really at it for the “street art” and activism, not just to get his name in the press and get his art in galleries. And he’s not the type to take the transition indoors lightly. Although he’s produced work for group shows, this is Jordan’s first solo show in over 5 years. I can’t wait to see it in person.

Photos courtesy of Vincent Michael Gallery

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Brazilian artists and Panik ATG at Pure Evil Gallery

Sort of killing two birds with one stone here.

Zezão

Right now through October 30th, Pure Evil Gallery is showing Culture Shock, a show put together by the fine folks at Choque Cultural. Of particular note are the two large canvases by Zezão and that stunning Fefe Talavera and Doze Green collaboration on glass that has been in the gallery for quite a while (what can I say? I guess I’m a sucker for anything from Doze in black and white). That said, all those pieces are downstairs in the gallery and there are a few pieces upstairs by Presto, so it may be best to just run downstairs and enjoy that part of the show.

And November 11th at Pure Evil Gallery is the opening Panik’s latest solo show.

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Nick Walker – In Gods We Trust

Last week, I went to the opening of Nick Walker’s latest solo show. In Gods We Trust is on now at Art Sensus (formally Orel Art UK) in London. Nick Walker’s 2008 solo show was (I think) the very first art gallery opening event that I went to in London. This blog’s name comes (in part) from Nick’s Vandal character. Still, I think most of Nick’s fans can agree that it was time to find something new after The Vandal. This was meant to be that new direction.

Some of the work in In Gods We Trust are the same images that Nick has been putting outside recently, and outside, most of them are okay. In a white walled gallery, they don’t stand up as well. Banksy once said “I can’t help feeling it was a bit easier when all I had to compete against was a dustbin down an alley rather than, you know, a Gainsborough or something.” Well, he makes a good point which applies to many street artists, and I think it applies to this recent body of work from Nick Walker and could have been the toast of Frieze, had the paintings been shown there.

That said, there are two very notable exception that more than offset the rest of the show. There are two pieces that work purely as indoor works, and I think they are screenprinted, not stenciled. Nick’s two Warhol Towers are pretty much what the title says: the paintings that Warhol would’ve made had he been alive for 9/11. I mean that in the best possible way. The image of the twin towers, repeated over and over in black and grey, is maybe the most serious and best work that I’ve ever seen from Nick.

In Gods We Trust is on view now at Art Sensus in London. The gallery is open on Saturdays from 11-5pm.

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Bedtime Stories: Faile’s upcoming NY solo show

Somehow I’ve neglected until now to post about Faile’s upcoming solo show at Perry Rubenstein Gallery in New York. It opens on November 4th with an opening from 6-8pm. Bedtime Stories should be something special. I stopped by the Faile studio briefly a couple of months ago and the boys were slaving away on the 12 block paintings that will make up this show. If Jordan Seiler didn’t have an opening in Philadelphia on the 5th, I would be in NYC at this show for sure.

Photo courtesy of Perry Rubenstein Gallery

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Street Sketchbook: Journeys launch show

Last week in London was crazy-busy, but I’m glad I took a few minutes to get over to Pictures on Walls for the launch show of Tristan Manco’s new book Street Sketchbook: Journeys. To be honest, I haven’t read the book yet. I still have a few pages left in Street/Studio and then I’ve still got 2-3 other books in the queue before this one, but the show was good fun. There’s work from Roa, Ripo, Saner, Dran, Titifreak and a bunch of other talented artists, many of whose names I don’t remember. That’s the great thing about Tristan: he knows all these talented artists that most street art fans have never heard of, and this is a good showcase of those artists. But here are my favorite pieces from the show:

Titifreak
Sam3

Sam3 actually has a new print at Paper Monster, but I think this wood block is 10x cooler.

Dran and Saner
Roa

Unfortunately, this show has closed already, but you can find some more pictures on my flickr.

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A Know Hope solo show at Show & Tell Gallery

Know Hope‘s solo show There Is Nothing Dear (Nothing Is Too Much Dear) opened a little over a week ago at Toronto’s Show & Tell Gallery. From the photos I’ve seen, it looks to be some of Know Hope’s best work to date. That said, I’m a massive Know Hope fan, so maybe I’m just excited to see new work. These paintings seem to mark a new chapter for the characters in his continuing narrative.

Again, maybe it’s just that I’ve been following this narrative for quite a while now, but some of these new paintings are heartbreaking. Like when you read Harry Potter and got to the part where Dumbledore dies six books in (sorry for the spoiler, but if you haven’t read the 6th book by now, I don’t think you’re going to).

There Is Nothing Dear (Nothing Is Too Much Dear) runs through October 31st at Show & Tell Gallery.

Photos courtesy of Show & Tell Gallery

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New Americana – TrustoCorp show in LA

TrustoCorp are going to be in LA in a few days for a show at Gallery 1988. New Americana will be TrustoCorp’s second solo show, and unlike the first one, I’m looking forward to this. This looks to be only a 2-day show on Saturday and Sunday, so don’t blink or you might miss it.

In addition to new paintings (which don’t always work indoors), there will be some sculptures and, most exciting of all, more TrustoCorp-styled carnival games. TrustoCorp are known for their fake products and street signs, but after spending some time at their studio over the summer, I’ve come to really enjoy the carnival game side of things and it’s a nice way to bring the work indoors. Also, there is going to be some sort of collaboration with Klipsch speakers and DJ Fred Wreck of Tha Dogg Pound.

Here’s a teaser:

Images courtesy of TrustoCorp