Tag: stolenspace

Posted on

Word To Mother solo show coming soon to StolenSpace

Word To Mother, an artist I enjoy as much for his tags and pieces as his completely different indoor work, has a solo show opening in a few weeks at StolenSpace Gallery in London. StolenSpace actually has a show opening this week about posters that have been in Don’t Panic packs, but WTM’s show is much more interesting to me, so I’m posting about that even though it’s not the next show at the gallery.

WTM’s Blind By Stardom opens on October 7th and runs through the 24th (so I’ll unfortunately miss the opening, but be back in town to at least see the show – more on my upcoming trip back to London soon). This will be his 4th solo show at StolenSpace, with the previous shows being very warmly received. I’d say it’s common for “street art fans” and “street art collectors” to have very different ideas of what is good, but Word To Mother seems to be one that everyone agrees about. Work at his shows sells quickly and the regular Thursday-night crowd are at the gallery for the art, not just the free beer.

I vaguely remember Word To Mother saying something to me last year at FAME Festival about how he was going to be changing things up for his next solo show. While I enjoy WTM’s work, I must admit that I kind of brushed this comment aside as the typical artist plugging himself and feigning growth, but clearly I was wrong. From what I’ve seen so far, these paintings are a step forward for Word To Mother both in style and content.

The themes behind Blind By Stardom are meant to be celebrity culture and how people consume media. This is definitely something that a lot of artists deal with, but WTM doesn’t seem to be as annoying about it as so many Banksy-wannabes (and even sometimes masters like Ron English) are. I’m looking at these paintings and getting the message, but I don’t feel like I’m beaten over the head with it.

This is one show not to miss, so make sure to stop by Stolenspace between October 7th and 24th.

Blind By Stardom opens October 7th from 6-9pm.

Photos courtesy of Stolenspace Gallery

Posted on

Stolenspace “Summer Group Show” Opening

Finally we have pictures from the Stolenspace “Summer Group Show” in London last Thursday.  Not only was the event jam packed, but the original works were incredible. Below are just some of the photos from the opening, but you can visit Stolenspace to see all the pieces in the exhibit. Personally, I am really loving “Taking the Mickey” print by WordtoMother, O_scar (Beauty is Only Skin Deep) by D*Face, and “Rose” by Paul Alexander Thorton. I  just wish I had the opportunity to see many of these works in person, unlike RJ, who did. Jealous.

Photos by amillionpieces
Chloe Early "Rocketeers"
Shepard Fairey

All photos by amillionpieces
For other photos visit s-butterfly


Posted on

StolenSpace Summer Show

Since graduating college a few months ago, I have been forced to find other ways to pregame on the weekends other than a recurring bad romance with Natural Light and terrible displays of beirut.  Now that I am an official adult, going to art openings to see some fantastic art and gulping down the free beer is a pretty appealing alternative.  I always look forward to the shows in the Summer time because so many people go to galleries on opening night (for the booze) that the shows seem to be featuring their highest caliber artists.  Or maybe I just think so because I am five feet tall and feeling woozy after a beer.

On July 1st, Stolenspace in London will be opening their Summer group show featuring some of the biggest names in the game.  When I hear “group show,” my mind jumps to art school end of the year culminations that exhibit an eclectic array of amateur art.  This show, however, is too cool for school.  Shepard Fairey, Wordtomother, D*Face, Kid Acne, Mr. Jago, Cyclops will have works hanging alongside artists (Miss Van, The London Police, and Chloe Early) who had solo shows at the gallery this past year.

Sadly, I still will not be in London until mid-August and will miss the entire show.  I swear some higher power does not want me to see Miss Van’s art in person. Sigh

Posted on

Original Cultures at StolenSpace

As I mentioned last week, Dem, Ericailcane and Will Barras have a show coming up next week at StolenSpace Gallery in London as part of the Original Cultures art and music festival. Since then, a bit more information as started to emerge…

‘Original Cultures – The Show’
Ericailcane, DEM & Will Barras

12.02.10 – 07.03.10

In collaboration with Original Cultures, a new international non-profit cultural and arts initiative, StolenSpace presents an exclusive exhibition of new works from famed European artists Ericailcane (Italy), DEM (Italy) and Will Barras (UK).

This exhibition will form part of the Original Cultures London 2010 event and run from February 12th until March 7th. This will be the trio’s second collaborative project following their work during Original Cultures’ first event in Bologna, Italy, in June 2009 which saw them create an exclusive animation and shadow-based installation. As visiting guests, Ericailcane and DEM will take the lead bringing to StolenSpace a collection of brand new paintings and other media. Will Barras meanwhile will be exhibiting a new animation and associated designs he is producing exclusively for the show. Together these three artists have received worldwide acclaim in recent years, exhibiting from Los Angeles to Sweden via Hong Kong and Eastern Europe.

Exclusive to the exhibition will be the release of a limited edition collaborative screen print by the three artists and printed by StolenSpace, as well as a series of 6 picture discs produced by Original Cultures and featuring art from Will Barras, Ericailcane and DEM and music from Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP) and Tayone (IT), the three musicians involved in the OriginalCultures project. These picture discs, six 10”s, will be framed and sold with a separate 7” featuring two exclusive tracks from each musician. These discs,combining visual arts and music in a rather unique package, are exclusive to the exhibition.

An opening party will be held on February 11th with Will Barras in attendance. Ericailcane, DEM and Will Barras will be present at the gallery on March 4th for a closing party which will feature live painting from the trio in and around the gallery.

Original Cultures London 2010 will take place from February 27th until March 5th, 2010. This is a week-long event that brings together 7 artists from the UK, Italy and Japan and the fields of music and visual arts for a series of activities (workshops, exhibition) in venues across East London. The artists are Ericailcane (IT), DEM (IT), Will Barras (UK) and Hiraki Sawa (JP) for the visual arts and Om Unit (UK), Tatsuki (JP) and Tayone (IT) for music. During this time new and original collaborative works will be created, culminating on Friday March 5th in a one-of-a-kind audio and visual showcase featuring all the art created during the week and performed live. This is Original Cultures’ second such event, following the project’s debut in June 2009 in Bologna, Italy. The London event has support from Hackney Council.

A non-profit project based in the UK, Italy and Japan, Original Cultures connects cultures through modern performing arts, focusing on the fields of music and visual arts. More information, video, audio and a full schedule is available at www.originalcultures.org.

I for one am really looking forward to this show and the live painting event in March.

Posted on

Green Day’s The Art of Rock

The latest video from my series RJ’s Urban Art London on Babelgum’s Metropolis channel. This one is of the opening for Green Day’s The Art of Rock at Stolenspace Gallery in London. While the space was really loud and I had to scream to be heard in my own mic and that doesn’t sound great, the video is definitely worth watching for the interview with Logan Hicks who curated the show.

Posted on

Green Day and The Art of Rock

logan
Logan Hicks

Thursday night was the opening of Green Day’s The Art of Rock at StolenSpace Gallery. It would have been easy for Green Day to put together a street art show full of random artists that street art fans would hate but Green Day fans would like because it has the Green Day name on it. Instead, The Art of Rock was curated by Logan Hicks and he got some really talented artists involved.

My personal favorite was this piece by Chris Stain, one of his best I think:

chris
Photo by Paulo20210

And I think you really have to see Logan Hick’s laser etched pieces in person, but this shot should give you some idea. The background is laser etched.

logan_d

Each piece in the show (other than Logan’s portraits) is based on the lyrics from a song off of Green Day’s latest album.

c215
C215
Sixten
Sixten
Ron English and The London Police
Broken Crow, Ron English and The London Police

If you ever liked Green Day, you need to check out this show. The lineup is solid, the art is great and the connection to music is different.

Photos by S.Butterfly

Posted on

The Art of Rock

As previously mentioned, Logan Hicks is curating a street art show for Green Day inspired by their latest album, 21st Century Breakdown. Well now we know that the show is called The Art of Rock and it will be opening at Stolenspace Gallery in London on the 22nd of October. I particularly like Broken Crow’s piece. Here are a few preview images:

Logan
Logan Hicks
Broken Crow
Broken Crow
Eelus
Eelus

More info at Urbanpainting.info

Posted on

Viss Van at StolenSpace

I’ve been eyeing a piece by Miss Van in the office of StolenSpace Gallery for some time now, which is why this announcement caught my attention:

Miss Van

‘Lovestain’

By Miss Van
1st – 18th October 2009

StolenSpace are proud to present ‘Lovestain’ a UK premier solo show from world renowned female street artist, Miss Van. A retrospective as well as a new body of work and taking over two exhibition spaces at StolenSpace, this will be her largest solo show to date.

Toulouse native and current Barcelona resident Miss Van started to paint her graffiti on the streets during the 90s, at the age of 18. Her overtly feminine street art was a breath of fresh air in a traditionally masculine movement of urban art and paved the way for many contemporaries. Now her infamous sultry female characters, known as her ‘Poupes’, are seen on the streets and in galleries alike all over the world.

From these pouting, sulky girls emerges a certain sensuality and disconcerting eroticism that is frank and unabashed. Their thoughts are palpable and the paintings become real in both flesh and spirit.

Miss Van creates her characters with an innovative spirit.  Affirming her style, the artist infuses into her work traits from her own personality, rendering them thus, self-portraits. It is through their fantasy that the sensitivity and fragility of the artist is expressed. She takes pleasure in playing with ambiguities, her dolls are childlike women that are equally angelic and devilish. They have a rare appeal that transcends gender-an appeal that also extends to the work that she shows in galleries.

Over the years, Miss Van’s characters keep evolving. They have become less cute and  more dangerously alluring, edgier – their sexy aura made all the more complex by their increasingly ambiguous facial expressions. The more she has moved into gallery work and can work with the nuances of more fragile media than the streets allow (pencil, for one), her characters have grown even more sensitive, subtle, and delicately rendered.

Featuring a retrospective of her work & new paintings this show will also see the release of a rare exclusive hand pulled limited edition screen print from Miss Van.exclusive hand pulled limited edition screen print from Miss Van.

Posted on

Brad Downey: An Honest Thief @ StolenSpace

On Sunday Graffoto posted their review of Brad Downey‘s current solo show at StolenSpace Gallery entitled “An Honest Thief”. Although I usually love and agree with NoLionsInEngland’s reviews, I have to go a slightly different direction this time.

Here’s an excerpt from thier review:

Ever been jealous of someone’s lateral vision, been envious of the gift of conceiving and executing simple, subverted variations to the street scenery around us? If you’re an ordinary guy and have come across Brad Downey’s street art – then the answer is probably yes and yes again.

However, have you ever been let down by your heroes or disappointed by the mediocre achievement of a show hyped up by your own expectation that the street work is somehow going to transpose to a white box gallery space? If you go to Brad Downey’s first solo UK show in Stolen Space, London, then again you may find yourself ticking yes several times.

I went into the show with absolutely no expectations. I had no idea what I was going to see. Of course Downey’s street work would be very hard to move into a gallery space, but I had seen him speak this summer at the Tate Modern, and he had shown some videos there which I’d liked.

Brad Downey The B in the Brad

When I arrived, the first thing that struck me was the large sculpture “The B in the Brad” which looks like a giant jack made of street signs. This piece is the centerpiece of the show, and although I could never imagine it in a house, it is an interesting project and a bit of a twist on Downey’s usual street sign work.

There were a few photographic prints of Downey’s outdoor work which show the before and after scenes. Most of these can also be found on his website, but it was nice to provide a context for the work. After all, Downey is best on the street, so why not show some of that.

Night Dicks

There were a few pieces of more gallery-suitable work as well.

The “Night Dick in Love” and “Night Dick on Limp” pieces are well crafted and made it smile. These sculptures also come with a dvd of a police violence.

Animals that Crossed

“Animals That Crossed” were probably my favorite physical works in the show. Normally I’m not a fan of fur, but I’ll make an exception here.

The real reason to visit “An Honest Thief” though are the videos. There are 4 videos of Downey’s work playing in the gallery, and these are what, in Vandalog’s Great in ’08 series, Asbestos said were so fantastic. My personal favorite has to be the video of Downey cutting out a giant heart shape from a red screen covering a building under construction. Brad ended up getting arrested and fined for that, but I suppose that’s part of street art.

Go down to StolenSpace Gallery before this show closes on the 8th, because while much of Brad’s work is online, who knows when you’ll be able to see his videos again. Plus, it’s always better to see work in person.

Keep an eye out on Vandalog later this week for my profile/interview with Brad Downey (right now I’ve got a physics exam to study for).