Yesterday I met up with Best Ever while they were painting at The Art Lounge. Their work on the walls of MuTATE was impressive, but this was the first time I’ve seen them working outside. I think it turned out well. I wonder how 10 foot will react when it sees this…
Check out some shots of Best Ever painting after the jump… Continue reading ““Best Ever” Paint at The Art Lounge”
Next month Boxi has a solo show at Carmichael Gallery. “Grey Area” is Boxi’s first solo show in the states. The exhibition is open from April 9th to the 30th.
From Boxi
“I am drawn to the incongruous narrative in figuration. My works aspire to polarize the stability of what is at first perceived to be harmless or sweet but in reality turns out to be pathetically desperate or tragic or vice versa. A dark disillusioned romanticism pervades though out… (along with) confrontational themes such as paranoia, disappointment, expectation, grief, mistrust and other upbeat reflections of our times.
“It is in this state of reflection, this ‘grey area’ of ambiguity and blurred truth that I have found myself in, a place where trends and crashes in the market aggressively threaten and pressurize social behavior. Making life sized figures that articulate this uncertainty is a way for me to come to terms with the phrase ‘of our time’.”
Check out the amazing detail on Boxi’s work:
Looks like lot 393 at tomorrow’s Phillips de Pury auction may have been withdrawn, as the Phillips’ website has removed the lot’s estimate within the past few hours. That lot number is the beautiful Swoon on Mylar that everybody has been talking about. The work had been listed with an extremely low estimate of only £2,000-£3,000 and no reserve. Can you say 11th hour? I guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow though.
UPDATE: The Swoon mentioned in this post may have been withdrawn from the auction.
Tomorrow afternoon is the Phillips de Pury Saturday Sale. Along with toys, watches, and contemporary art, this auction has a good deal of street art. I went to the opening of this show on Tuesday, and while it maybe be the best urban art auction I’ve seen ever seen in London and there are only a handful of pieces that should not be there, three items really stood out for me.
Lot 170
Herakut
You Sure?, 2009
Spraypaint, acrylic and charcoal on canvas. 100 x 100 cm. (39 3/8 x 39 3/8 in.)
Estimate: £3,000-4,000
My thoughts – There are three great Herakut paintings on display at Phillips (plus two “in progress” works). This is the only one that will be sold at the auction. It is being sold to raise money for War Child, a charity helping children in conflict areas. It’s a very powerful piece, and contains a good amount of work from but Hera and Akut.
Lot 392
Os Gêmeos
Two works: Untitled (Head Box), 2005
Mixed media on wooden construction. 123.2 x 124.5 x 124.5 cm. (48 1/2 x 49 x 49 in.)
Estimate: £4,000-6,000
My thoughts – Who doesn’t love Os Gêmeos? Like many of their sculptures, these have been decorated inside and out, and viewers can stick their own heads up a hole at the bottom of the pieces to see the insides. Almost like two works in one. These giant heads are in the no-reserve section with an unbelieveably low estimate. For comparison, this canvas from the Dreweatts Urban Art Auction in October 2008 sold for £24,000. Surely most people would rather have these heads than a canvas. Of course, displaying them could be a nightmare, and they will in all likelihood end up in storage until they are put in a museum (which is where they belong).
Swoon
Untitled, 2005
Hand-painted linoleum print on mylar. Installation dimensions variable.
£2,000-3,000
My thoughts – Another highly underestimated item in the auction’s no-reserve section. I can’t even imagine this going for £3,000. As usual, Swoon’s work is beautiful, but the 3D installation aspect of this piece makes it unique. It might be hard to see from this photograph, but many of the birds are on separate pieces of mylar and are meant to be floating varying depths away from the way. This could be the deal of the decade.
What do you think? See any other particularly special pieces up for sale tomorrow? Leave a comment or shoot me an email (rj (a-t) vandalog.com).
The Crateman Crew has an account of their most recent project over at the CitySPK blog. The Cratemen are known in Australia for their use of milk crates to build giant men and place them in public spaces.
This most recent project was a big different however. They build a giant rolling ball out of milk crates:
Here’s the story behind the above photo:
“The Adelaide Fringe Festival commissioned us to design a float for their opening night parade, based on some of the work we have been doing with milk crates, and in particular the idea of ‘crateman’.
We were reluctant however to simply relocate our street based work into a radically different arena. Instead we were interested in the idea of a parade as being a cross between performance art, sculpture, and audience participation.
The crate sphere was designed to be rolled down the street as the final act in the parade. Comprising of 688 milk crates and being over 4.5 meters high, it had an estimated weight of over 700 kilograms. It was hoped that upon seeing us struggle with the beast, members of the audience would join in, and help us roll the sphere to a glorious end!
Unfortunately the reality was somewhat different.
People in their curiosity came closer and closer to the ball – but were reluctant to get involved and help, or move out of its way when it threatened to crush them. Our cries of distress were misinterpreted as part of the ‘theatre’ of the situation, as we struggled to maintain control. After completing about a quarter of the parade route, the organizers and the police decided to pull the plug, and ordered us to stop the ball.
It was rolled to the side of the street, and left to sit in a ‘no parking’ zone. Here it sat for a day or so, puzzling passers by, a strange visitor to the quaint streets of Adelaide.”
Via CitySPK blog
Just saw this announcement on Eastern District’s website. Details are starting to emerge about PosterBoy‘s first ever solo show. If you don’t know PosterBoy, check our archives or his flickr.
In short, the show is called “AdBooster” and opens April 3rd at Eastern District in New York City. Be there or be square (unless of course, like me, you’ll be in a different country for the opening night. That’s forgivable).
From Eastern District:
PosterBoy “AdBooster” presented by PublicAdCampaign
April 3rd – May 3rd. Opening Reception 7-10pm Friday April 3rd 2009
43 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, NY
PosterBoy
www.publicadcampaign.comStreet art and and vandalism have never been paired so eloquently as they are when PosterBoy gets out his razor. Through a simple act of civil disobedience, this work challenges our intense relationship with outdoor advertising in the city. It proposes new ways of interacting with your public environment and challenges notions of public and private space. Out of the work comes a dialogue which is sometimes political, sometimes humorous, and always a mind altering moment of communication between two people.
Over the past year PosterBoy has brought his intense critique of advertising and public space usage to the streets of New York City with prolific force. Eastern-District is proud to bring you his first solo exhibition, including a large scale installation by the artist as well as prints of his now famous subway installations.
Admittedly, I’m at least a few days late on this one, but nonetheless it’s worth posting about the most recent shows at the Carmichael Gallery. In their main space is Hush, Flip is in the rear gallery, and Veng has a few pieces in the “showcase space.” Here’s a couple of photos:
More photos from Hush’s show the jump… Continue reading “Carmichael Gallery Exhibits”
Those who were at Prescription Art’s Outside In show or MuTATE Britain last year probably saw Bortusk Leer’s animated film which features his classic street monsters running around live shots of London. It’s a pretty neat film and I’ve always thought it a shame that nobody else could watch it now that those shows are over. Well I’ve just found out that in January the video was finally put on YouTube. So here it is. Enjoy.
Clever. The question is, did the owner do this, or is the box itself meant to be art as well. Oh who cares just check out this picture:
The text reads:
All are welcome to express themselves in the box below.
and
Painting within the above box is hereby expressly permitted and shall not be considered “graffiti” in accordance with article #23 of the San Francisco Municipal Code
Via Public Ad Campaign via Boing Boing
Urban/street/graffiti art seems to be everywhere these days. One place I haven’t yet seen it much yet though is the Arab world. What better introduction to those genres than Futura, Phil Frost and Stash. Well later this month, KRUNK and Cuadro Fine Art Gallery are putting on a show with those three artist in Dubai.
KRUNK in collaboration with Cuadro Fine Art Gallery is proud to present a historic three-man exhibition in Dubai, featuring original works by urban art pioneers Futura, Stash and Phil Frost. On the pulse of the contemporary art world, KRUNK/Cuadro will provide foreign markets in the Middle East and beyond a rare opportunity to view and purchase extraordinary new collections by these world-renowned Contemporary Urban Artists. The show will launched by Cuadro during Art Dubai, the U.A.E’s contemporary art fair, which in only its third year has become a leader in the global art scene. A Collectors Lunch on Tuesday, March 17th and an evening Preview Reception on Thursday, March 19 will open the exhibition, and it will remain on view to the public until June 17, 2009.
The unprecedented exhibition represents the debut of KRUNK in Dubai, the cultural hotspot of the Middle East, and exposes never-before-seen works by Futura, Stash and Phil Frost to new audiences. Sharing a common interest in innovating unusual avenues in the contemporary art market, KRUNK partnered with Cuadro, one of the largest and the most prestigious galleries in the Middle East, to create a dynamic platform for representing artists in today’s global art community. The exhibition breaks the mold, reaching beyond cultural and national boundaries to present these notable Contemporary Urban Artists in an unparalleled forum and show their work alongside leading Middle Eastern and International artists. Utilizing Cuadro’s cutting-edge space and latest design concepts for displaying fine art, a site-specific installation will be rendered by Futura for this landmark event. Music and film backdrops will heighten the viewing experience and the exhibition will feature a soundtrack by acclaimed producer and electronic musician Damian Taylor using recorded samples of Futura at work. “KRUNK breaks with tradition, and this show is aimed at reaching new audiences. These legendary artists will have the opportunity to connect with an exciting emerging market as part of international art fair in Dubai. It is our pleasure to be presenting Futura, Stash and Phil Frost on this unique stage.”
– from KRUNK
