All posts by butterfly

Melbourne: Da Mental Vaporz – Le Venin Part 1

February 27, 2012 butterfly 1 Comment

Aboard “Le Venin”, the French graffiti crew Da Mental Vaporz crossed oceans and snow storms for a spectacular show at Rtist Gallery in Melbourne. The top floor of the gallery has been totally transformed with a massive installation. The tunnel shaped space hosts a life size version of the raft ‘Le Venin’, while on the side a treasure chest reveals a multitude of gold and silver objects like spray cans, tools, toys, drinks.

Inside the cabin, viewers can enjoy detail shots of the Squatters mural done at Le Palais des Congres in Toulouse last summer, and look at accessories that survived this epic trip. While sharks are swimming around the raft, the dark horizon features a short documentary of “Squatters” directed by Emile Sacre.

For further pics of the exhibition, click here

A poster of “Squatters” is currently available online at Edition Populaire.
Photo by Big Addict

Stay tuned for the part 2 covering the rest of the exhibition.

Da Mental Vaporz – Le Venin
Until 4 March 2012
Rtist Gallery
Melbourne, Australia

Street

Toulouse (FR): Da Mental Vaporz – Squatters

February 18, 2012 butterfly 1 Comment

Back in summer 2011, while they were showing in Toulouse at the GHP Galerie, the Da Mental Vaporz crew couldn’t resist leaving their mark on an iconic building: the former Palais des Congres of Toulouse (exhibition center). Famous for its political corruption and dirty money, the place was being left abandoned following legal disputes and is currently being squatted by a small community of local residents.

During a week-end, all members of the crew Bom-K, Blo, Brusk, Dran, Gris1, ISO, Jaw, Kan, and Sowat revisited the building and gave it a second life. Featuring harmoniously their distinctive style, the prolific DMV crew created a skull headed giant with his heart on his sleeve.

Eight months later, while France is being crippled by snow storms and presidential elections delirium, the Da Mental Vaporz have decided to head to sunny horizons down under, boarding their vessel “La Misericorde – Le Venin” with a pirate flag reminder of the “Squatters” face. Direction Melbourne, Australia…

London, Shows

London: Philippe Pasqua at Opera Gallery

February 1, 2012 butterfly

Opera Gallery London is providing a complete insight into the art of self-taught French artist Philippe Pasqua through a broad collection of artworks featuring paintings, drawings and sculptures.

The show includes monumental provocative nudes, as well as sensual up close and personal portraits. There are also Pasqua’s signature large “palimpsests” – works on paper mixing silk-painting techniques, printing and painting, where the painter goes back over his own work and adds patches of colour to them or redesigns them.

Another major aspect of Pasqua’s work lies in his series of “vanities”. For years the artist has been collecting human skulls, which he covers in gold or silver leaf and decorates with butterflies with iridescent colours. Other gigantic skulls have been sculpted in Carrara marble, and tattooed with delicate motifs of imaginary flowers interleaved with mythical animals.

View more pics from the opening HERE

Philippe Pasqua
Until 15 February 2012
Opera Gallery London

London, Shows

London: Unweave the Rainbow at Scream

January 29, 2012 butterfly

Scream Gallery is currently presenting their second annual exhibition entitled “Unweave the Rainbow” with emerging artists from the USA, UK, China and Poland, each with a unique style, who have in common a psychedelic, other worldy or surreal sensibility.

Featured artists include Andrew McAttee, Cain Caser, Caroline Jane Harris, Jen Stark, Malgosia Stepnik, Scott Hove, and Ye Hongxing.

More pics from the opening HERE

Unweave the Rainbow
Until 17 March 2012
www.screamlondon.com

Paris, Shows

Paris: Futura 2012 Expansions at Jerome de Noirmont

January 20, 2012 butterfly

Graffiti legend and contemporary artist, Futura recently opened his newest exhibition Expansions at Galerie Jerome De Noirmont in Paris.

The new body of works on canvasses explore spontaneity and geometric abstract forms through a vibrant colour palette, where viewers might recognise either real or imaginary landscapes. Futura happily signed books and invites for the eager crowd.