All posts by butterfly

London: Dan Witz – Mosh Pit Paintings

March 5, 2018 butterfly

Following his apparel and print collaboration with Dior Homme last September, NY based artist Dan Witz (covered) is returning to London to present his ongoing signature hyperrealistic series ‘Mosh pits paintings’ which he started back in 2010, capturing moments when people are caught at their most intense, ecstatic, and animalistic state.

Based on actual photographs he shot in the mosh pits of hardcore shows, Dan Witz uses academic realistic techniques to depict the transgressive energy of the punk rock movement: figures intertwine and climb over one another with different stages of expressions during a mosh pit, from the pressure, pain and joy.

The solo exhibition features archival works alongside contemporary pieces. Dan Witz reveals that despite the obvious aggression of the punk rock pit, there is also an underlying sense of euphoria and unification shared amidst the crowd.

View the full set of pics here

Dan Witz – Mosh Pit Paintings
Stolenspace Gallery
17 Osborn St.
London E1 6TD

Paris, Shows

Paris: Jean Charles de Castelbajac – I Want

March 1, 2018 butterfly

Multidisciplinary artist and internationally successful fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (also known as JC/DC) is currently presenting a solo exhibition titled ‘I Want’ at Magda Danysz Gallery in Paris.

Since the 70’s and 80’s Jean Charles de Castelbajac has been creating clothes integrating popular iconography from cartoon characters by Walt Disney to the iconic Snoopy, and collaborating with multiple brands, allowing him to mix tradition with modernity.
During his visionary exhibition in 2009 “The Triumph of the Signs” in London, he combined brand logos with iconic canvases of art history and has been pursuing this incursion by creating a new hybrid aesthetic, chaotic and iconoclastic.

By bridging the gap between art and fashion for over decades, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has explored all sides of this universe of collaborations both as a fashion designer and as artist.

Through this new exhibition “I Want – The Empire of collaborations”, the artist closes the last chapter of this artistic path started in 2009 by exploring on the one hand the hegemony of this new collaborative empire and its contradictions, and on the other hand, arises as a curator of desynchronized collaborations provoked by the meeting of artists, different eras and styles: André Courrèges meets street artist Andre, while Picasso secretely meets with Keith Haring. Fashion designer Virgil Abloh (covered) of Brand OFF WHITE lost his ‘Virgility’ …

JC/DC presents a portrait of the ‘Apotres Modernes’ / ‘Modern Apostles and dresses the Genealogy of Fashion with all the links between Brands and Designers.

A Mickey Mouse shaped canvas titled Kazimir, Walt & Raymond contains references to Russian painter Kazimir Malevich, Walt Disney and Raymond Pettibon

On the first floor, a series of portraits illustrate brand collaborations and ironically plays on words: Le Coq40 / CAC40 , French Kiss/Kith, Lacaste (the cast) / Lacoste, L’or & Elle (Gold and her) / L’oreal), Hell/ Shell, L’EGO / UNIQLO…

Next to the portraits gallery, a Wall / Mall showcases branded shopping bags painted with portraits or poetic statements.

In parallel, the 68 years old artist never ceases to be a street art poet, and describes himself as a ‘Craieateur (playing on the words craie =chalks and createur = creator) leaving chalk drawings and quotes on the streets.

View the full set of pics here

Jean Charles de Castelbajac – I Want
Until 17 March 2018
Magda Danysz
Rue Amelot, Paris

London

London: Marakami & Abloh Future History at Gagosian

February 21, 2018 butterfly 1 Comment

Coinciding with London Fashion Week 2018, Superflat Master Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is partnering with American Creative Designer Virgil Abloh and presenting a series of collaborative works “Future History” at the Gagosian Gallery in London.

The exhibition features large-scale paintings, sculptures and an installation drawing references to signature Off-White™ motifs alongside Murakami’s iconic cast of anime characters, reflecting incisively on the signs of the current times.

Amongst the works, visitors can enjoy The sculpture Life itself (2018), a kind of architectural carapace designed by Abloh to house one of Murakami’s brightly sinister flower sculptures; a pair of paintings embellished with yellow Off-White™ branding and a spray-painted “O” as well as “HOLLOW” lettering on each one; black Flowers sculptures, and a glass house installation completely covered with black spray-paint and “LIFE ITSELF” on one side panel in white.

In another instance, for Glance past the future (2018), the duo transformed Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s 1623 self-portrait by superimposing Murakami’s character Mr. DOB to affect a graphic blur of pink and black.

View the full set of pics here

Takashi Murakami & Virgil Abloh
Future History
Until 7 April
Gagosian Gallery
17–19 Davies Street
London W1K 3DE

Toulouse

Toulouse: 100TAUR Massive Mural

February 20, 2018 butterfly

French artist 100TAUR just completed the largest mural in Toulouse, after a continuous five weeks under extreme weather conditions.

Located in the district of Minimes, the 400 sq meters mural has been commissioned by the Mairie de Toulouse, visible at the rue des Anges.

The mural features strange creatures and hybrid monsters, mythological references, and popular imagery, sometimes borrowed from pop-culture like Sponge Bob or Popeye but also from illustrious painters like Jheronimus Bosch and Picasso.

The artist ‘s signature animal, the slug, symbol of resilience, plays also a big part in the narration with multiple appearances. The painted wall is also adorned with 3D elements giving it more dimensions.

View the full set of pics here

London, Shows

London: JR ‘Giants’ at Lazinc Sacksville

February 15, 2018 butterfly

Ted Prize winner artist JR is currently displaying a solo exhibition titled “GIANTS” at Lazinc’s new flagship gallery in Mayfair, London.

The name of the presentation directly references the artist’s ongoing GIANTS project which made its debut during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he created enormous black and white prints of athletes jumping over Rio’s buildings, swimming in its ocean, and diving off its mountains like Greek titans. .

Even if pictures of the installations in situ might look good, it’s very difficult to recapture their impact. So to give some sense of the scale of the project in the gallery space settings, the viewer has to walk underneath the massive paper head and shoulders of Sudanese high jumper Mohamed Younes Idriss, fixed to scaffolding, just to get in.

At the same time, visitors can discover the artist’s process from start to finish with behind the scenes items like architectural plans that were created to support his large-scale installations, installation permits collaged into 3D-printed digital reliefs of the final images, and look at the artist’s digital photography techniques.

View the full set of pics here