Category Archives: London

London: East End Mob

April 22, 2017 butterfly

In the last decade London’s East End has seen some remarkable changes. The wave of gentrification has forced the once industrial sprawl and urban wasteland of the area into adopting a different facade. ‘East End Mob’ presents work from iconic artists who have been actively painting in the area before and during this change, their character-driven style synonymous with the walls and landscape of the East End.

The line-up includes A.CE London,Coloquix, Dscreet, Mau Mau, Mighty Mo, Pez, Rowdy, Sickboy,Sweet TooF, Tizer, Vinnie Nylon and Cranio.

‘East End Mob’ is an authentic exhibition and much needed nod to some of the biggest pillars in East London’s Street Art and Graffiti scene.

Specially loving the Mighty Mo miniature brick wall, nod from back in 2010.

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East End Mob – Until May 14th
BSMT SPACE
5d Stoke Newington Rd
Dalston, N16 8BH

London, Shows

London: Mat Collishaw – The Centrifugal Soul

April 8, 2017 butterfly

The Centrifugal Soul is the title work and centrepiece of British contemporary artist Mat Collishaw‘s new exhibition at Blain|Southern in London.
The sculpture, in the form of a zoetrope a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion through rapid rotation and stroboscopic light, animates scenes of bowerbirds and birds of paradise as they perform elaborate mating rituals. The work offers a captivating demonstration of how aesthetic diversity has evolved through sexual selection and also reflects the artist’s ongoing examination of our insatiable appetite for visual stimulation.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, a new body of work continues the examination of visual power play with twelve trompe l’oeil paintings of tethered British garden birds revisited with graffiti textured background, in a nod to seventeenth-century fashion for commissioning portraits of prestige pets.

A monumental visual installation titled ‘Albion’ presents a rotating ghostly image of an oak tree, in reference to the mythical Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham.The image represents a living object that is trapped in perpetuity to present the illusion of life.

Throughout his work, Collishaw has examined the way in which we consume imagery and how our biology has conditioned us to respond. The exhibition reflects the consistent themes addressed in the artist’s practice and the diversity of his chosen mediums. Moreover, it questions how much choice we have in accepting what seems to be a natural preoccupation with self-image.

Mat Collishaw
The Centrifugal Soul
Blain|Southern London
Until 7 May 2017

Art Fair, London

Studio visit: Hisham Echafaki

March 15, 2017 butterfly

We stopped by the London studio of contemporary artist Hisham Echafaki as he prepares a new body of work with drawings, surrealist paintings,3D paintings and prints to be showcased at the Talented Art Fair opening this Friday.

His surrealist compositions show a real fascination for nature and the animal world through intricate symmetry and patterns with a trompe l’oeil effect.

Most intriguing are the 3D paintings. Using several layers of resin, Hisham Echafaki paints three-dimensional insects, that give the optical illusion they are taxidermy specimen embedded in resin. Each piece is a tribute to the beautiful intricacy and complexity of the insect world but also a critique of how humans are affecting and shaping evolutionary changes in animal species.

In parallel a series of prints from his famous Ballets will be released at the Fair and online here

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Hisham Echafaki
Talented Art Fair
17-19 March 2017
Truman Brewery
London E1 6QR

Films, London, Music, Shows

London: Daydreaming with UNKLE – The Road Soho @ Lazarides

January 23, 2017 butterfly

James Lavelle , infamous DJ and electronic recording artist, better known as founder of Mo ‘Wax record label and co-founder of music group UNKLE is curating a multisensory exhibition at Lazarides Rathbone titled: Daydreaming with…

Lavelle’s Lazarides show is celebrating 25 years of UNKLE and will kick-start the release of his brand-new album, THE ROAD. For UNKLE, this will be the start of a multitude of events celebrating his history in music so it was only logical that the first exhibition takes place where it all began: Soho.

The exhibition is focussing on creating an immersive experience with UNKLE’s new music and combine the past, present and future of UNKLE over two floors at the gallery, with the first floor being a virtual reality experience featuring the first trailer to The Man From Mo’ Wax as well as two new videos for two new UNKLE tracks from the forthcoming album The Road. In the adjacent room visitors can experience with a VR headset a new 360° version of Doug Foster’s Beyond the Infinite installation.

Featuring original canvases by Futura and 3D, photos by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones that were used to illustrate LP covers, screenprints, limited edition toys, sneakers, and LPs, there’s something to enjoy for every age and every background.

Some of the UNKLE collaborators attended the overcrowded opening including James Lavelle, Ben Drury, Elliott Power and Dorian Lutz much to the delight of the fans.

Daydreaming with UNKLE