Category Archives: Festival

Barcelona, Berlin, Bristol, Festival, Interviews/ Studio visits, London, Malaga, Paris, Shows, Street, streets, Toulouse, Uncategorized, Weston Super Mare

2015 Highlights

December 28, 2015 butterfly

As 2015 comes to an end, we look back at the highlights of this incredible artistic year across Europe. Click on the pics to view more info.

Solo Shows: Dran, Mark Jenkins, Antony Micallef, Cranio, Daniel Arsham, David Shillinglaw, Julian Opie, Brusk, Angela Lizon, Pixel Pancho, Lisa Wright, Vhils, Anj Smith, Remi Rough, 100Taur, Hisham Echafaki.

Murals and Festivals: Artists for Je suis Charlie in Paris, El Seed, Ron English and Meetings of Style in London, Urban Nation M7 in Berlin, Open Summer Festival in Toulouse, Bom.K for Moniker, MAUS Festival in Malaga.

Museum Exhibitions: Jeff Koons at Pompidou Paris, D*Face & Shepard Fairey at the CAC Malaga

Studio Visits: Borondo, Reso, Nick Walker.

Group Exhibitions: Mapping the City, Endangered Species, The London Project, LAX/LHR, Painting Guide, Empowered Printworks, Creve Hivernale

Last but not least Banksy’s Bemusement Park Dismaland

THANK YOU to all the artists, organisers, publications and art enthusiasts for your actions in 2015.

Best wishes of Peace, Love and Happiness surrounded by amazing Art !

Festival, Shows, Weston Super Mare

Dismaland Focus: Banksy

August 27, 2015 butterfly 1 Comment

We take a closer look at the Banksy artworks featured at the ‘Dismaland Bemusement Park’ (covered) that opened officially this week end in Weston-Super-Mare.

The Ice Cream van (first seen at the Bristol Museum exhibition in 2009) is back.

Ten new pieces are featured in the show including a woman attacked by seagulls, a killer whale jumping out of a toilet seat, a butcher on a merry-go-round with a hanging horse dripping blood next to boxes of lasagne ( nod to the 2013 horse meat scandal).

Dismaland Bemusement Park

Within the gallery space new artworks include a canvas featuring a revisited version of the Creation of Adam, the hand of God being replaced by the Devil. In the fireplace we recognise a familiar image of the spraycan candle, tribute to King Robbo (as seen in the streets of London in 2011). A seaside painting shows a mother and child playing on the sand unaware of the tsunami of detritus coming to them. Banksy continues his animatronic series that we much enjoyed at the Bristol Museum (2009), with an animated rabbit that took control and made the magician disappear from the circus tent.

Dismaland Bemusement Park

Banksy also created some pieces relying on the participation of the audience while highlighting political and environmental issues. Local families visiting the park were confused with the Mediterranean Boat Ride, as the public could drive robotic boats of migrants amongst dead floating people. Kids were desperately looking for disappearing golf balls on the impossible Mini Gulf course or playing at ‘ Fish a Duck’ drown in oily waters. We also see the return of the Pier Pressure / Dolphin Ride ( protest against BP’s 2010 Deep Horizon oil spill ) and the Dance of Death (seen in BOTI).

Dismaland - Banksy Dismaland Bemusement Park

Banksy plays with placement in this new stencil where a woman is showering while kids are peeping through the steel curtain.

A billboard falls down due to the weight of a fat cat having diner while his wife and kids are still standing and waiting.

Surrounded by murky water with a dumped riot van transformed into an impromptu water fountain, a decrepit fairy-tale castle ‘shows how it feels to be a real princess’: a sinister Cinderella pumpkin crash sculpture is lit up by the swarm of paparazzi, with flashing cameras taking photo after photo of the tragic crash scene echoing Princess Diana’s death. And you can pose and have your souvenir photo. Truly depressing.

Dismaland Bemusement Park

View the full set of pics here

Check back for further updates on Dismaland

Dismaland
Until 27 September 2015
Tropicana
Marine Parade BS23 1BE
Weston Super Mare

Bristol, Festival, Weston Super Mare

Weston-Super-Mare (UK): Banksy – Dismaland Bemusement Park

August 20, 2015 butterfly 1 Comment

Banksy is returning to the UK and curating a pop up festival / bemusement park entitled ‘Dismaland’. Located on the seaside front of Weston-Super-Mare, not far from Bristol, Dismaland will be running from 22 August until 27 September at the Tropicana, a former Lido. Revisiting Disneyland with a sinister twist, the park features attractions, sculptures and installations, three galleries showcasing the largest contemporary artwork collection ever assembled in a north Somerset town, a model village, a Cinderella’s Castle, a Guerilla Island, a cinema, a puppet show, a circus tent and a mini Golf to name a few.

Here is a map from the Dismaland’s website:

Dismaland presents a selection of international artists coming from a wide range of countries and backgrounds, with artists coming from Syria and the Middle East, an installation from Burning Man, artists from the contemporary art scene, YBA and more: AAndreas Hykade (Bavaria), Amir Schiby (Israel), Axel Void (USA), Banksy (UK), Barry Reigate (UK), Ben Long (UK), Bill Barminski (USA), Block9 (UK), Brock Davis (USA), Caitlin Cherry (USA), Caroline McCarthy (UK), Damien Hirst (UK), Darren Cullen (UK), David Shrigley (UK), Dorcas Casey (UK), Dietrich Wegner (USA), Ed Hall (UK), El Teneen (Egypt), Escif (Spain), Espo (USA), Fares Cachoux (Syria), Greg Haberny (USA), Huda Beydoun (Saudi Arabia), James Joyce (UK), Jani Leinonen (Finland), Jeff Gillette (USA), Jenny Holzer (USA), Jessica Harrison (UK), Jimmy Cauty (UK), Joanna Pollonais (Canada), Josh Keyes (USA), Julie Burchill (UK), Kate MacDowell (USA), Laura Lancaster (UK), Lee Madgwick (UK), Leigh Mulley (UK), Lush (Australia), Mana Neyestani (Iran), Maskull Laserre (Canada), Michael Beitz (USA), Mike Ross (USA), Neta Harari Navon (Israel) , Nettie Wakefield (UK), Paco Pomet (Spain), Paul Insect & BAST (UK/USA), Peter Kennard & Cat Phillips(UK), Polly Morgan (UK), Pure Evil (UK), Ronit Baranga (Israel), Sami Musa (Palestine), Scott Hove (USA), Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė (Lithuania), Shadi Alzaqzouq (Palestine), Suliman Mansour (Palestine), Tammam Azzam (Syria), The Astronauts’ Caravan (UK), Tinsel Edwards (UK), Wasted Rita (Portugal), Zaria Forman (USA).

site2

In parallel several live events will also be taking place every Friday night including Peanut Butter Wolf, Pussy Riots, Kate Tempest or Massive Attack.

Book your tickets now on Dismaland.co.uk

BROCHURE

Dismaland
Until 27 September 2015
Tropicana
Marine Parade BS23 1BE
Weston Super Mare

Festival, Stavanger, Street

Upcoming: Nuart Festival 15

August 12, 2015 butterfly

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Nuart Festival (see last year coverage here) will take place on the first week of September, 2015 in Norway. Renowned artists from around the world will come to the city of Stavanger with murals, installations and interventions and Tou Scene centre for contemporary arts, a former 19th century brewery, will host the festival’s indoor exhibition.

Nuart Festival 2015 artists include: Bordalo II (PT), Bortusk Leer (UK), Dolk (NO), Dotdotdot (NO), Ella & Pitr (FR), Ernest Zacharevic (LT), Futura (US), Harmen de Hoop (NL), Icy & Sot (IL), Isaac Cordal (ES), Jamie Reid (UK), Martha Cooper (US), Martin Whatson (NO), Outings Project (FR), Pejac (ES), Pixelpancho (IT).

Dot Dot Dot - NuArt Martin Whatson - NuArt

Nuart will also attempting to create the world’s largest outdoor mural of 21,000m2 in Klepp on the outskirts of Stavanger with French artists Ella & Pitr alongside partners Block Berge Bygg. In parallel, Sandra Chevrier (CA) will be introducing the Aftenblad Wall.

Nuart Plus, the festival’s annual symposium of academic and industry debates, artist presentations and film screenings will take place at Scandic Stavanger City hotel from Thursday 3 – Saturday 5 September. Here, key figures such as Evan Pricco (Juxtapoz), Jaime Rojo and Steven Harrington (Brooklyn Street Art) and critic and author Carlo McCormick will come together with artists and academics to delve into the culture’s roots and reflect on its place within the wider contemporary art canon.
Alongside the recurrent theme of Situationism, this year’s festival will explore notions of play and the ludic tendencies within street art and urban culture. From Jamie Reid – pioneer of the punk visual aesthetic – to conceptual artist Harmen de Hoop, photographer Martha Cooper and abstract graffiti pioneer Futura, leading practitioners from across the spectrum of street art will demonstrate how they approach their craft within the subject of play.

Find out more details about the programme and participants of this year’s event over at Nuartfestival.no.

Nuart 15
Festival: 3-5 September 2015
Exhibition: 6-11 October 2015

Festival, Malaga, Street, streets

Malaga: Remed & Okuda at MAUS 2015

June 27, 2015 butterfly

For the second edition of the MAUS festival in Malaga (Malaga Arte Urbane en el Soho) curated by Fer Francés, many international artists have been invited to paint in the Soho district and along the Guadalmedina river.
Remed and Okuda painted a 30 meters high Venus on the facade of the Hotel Bahia Malaga, mixing their signature colourful style.

The mural is entitled ‘La Danse de Venus et du Marin’.

MAUS - Malaga 2015