Category Archives: London

London: Choose Love – Help Refugees and win a Banksy

December 2, 2018 butterfly

In the middle of Carnaby street in London during the busy Christmas shopping period, a new pop up shop opened with a mission: help refugees.

Choose Love is the world’s first shop where you can buy real products for refugees. From emergency blankets to school bags and medical equipment, you can shop to your heart’s content, leave with nothing, and feel great. All funds raised will go directly to Help Refugees, supporting our work across Europe and the Middle East.

Help Refugees is a pioneering organisation working on the frontline of the refugee crisis in Europe and beyond. Founded in 2015 as part of a grassroots movement of volunteers, in just two years they have become one of the most prominent and effective humanitarian aid organisations working directly with refugees.

Josie Naughton, CEO of Help Refugees, said: “It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have a bed, a blanket and a roof over our heads. For thousands of refugees this winter, these basic human needs are completely out of reach. This shop is all about one simple idea: that we should all Choose Love and help those in need.”

Banksy Boat raffle
Elusive artist Banksy has teamed up with Choose Love and is putting his remote controlled ‘ dream boat’ up for a raffle competition. This coin operated sculpture was created as part of his acclaimed theme park Dismaland. Is it a darkly satirical work of art or a remote control toy in very bad taste? It might be both. It certainly is unique and it could be yours in time for Christmas…
Make a minimum donation of £2 and guess the weight until 22 December here.

The items on sale include emergency blankets, children’s shoes, warm socks, mobile phone credit and more. Costs range from £4.99 to £499 – to ‘buy the store’.

You can also visit the online shop here.

CHOOSE LOVE LONDON
Until January 2019
30-32 Fouberts Place, Carnaby, London, W1F 7PS
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11 – 6 pm, Sunday 12 – 6 pm

Art Fair, London

London: PAD Art Fair

October 2, 2018 butterfly

The 12th edition of the Pavilion of Art and Design (PAD) fair kicks off on October 1 with a fine line-up of 58 returning exhibitors. Set in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, PAD focusses on masterpieces across design, art, antiquities, tribal art and collectible jewellery.

10 new exhibitors join the prestigious roster of returning galleries and include: Achille Salvagni (London), Veta Stefanidou Tsoukala (Athens), 18 Davies Street (London), Karen Swami (Paris), and Robert Zehil (Monaco) in the fields of design and decorative arts; Hélène Bailly (Paris) in the field of 20th century art; Walid Akkad (Paris), Lorenz Bäumer (Paris), Valery Demure (London) and G by Glenn Spiro (London) in the field of collectible jewellery. With the arrival of these new renowned exhibitors, the fair will have a focus on collectible jewellery this year with a dedicated alley.

With the recent launch of PAD Genève and the ever-growing success of PAD Paris, PAD reinforces its position as Europe’s leading cross-collecting fair group based in three prime locations.

Here are some selected highlights. Click on the images for more information.

MATHIAS BENGTSSON “Growth Table”, 2017 Photo : Martin Krupp / Copyright Mathias Bengtsson ©Galerie Maria Wettergren

Franck Evennou 3 Leaves ‘Lotus’ coffee Table in polished bronze Photo: Bruno Simon Courtesy of Avant-Scene

The Claudette Colbert Starfish: A Ruby and Amethyst Starfish Brooch Designed by Juliette Moutard for René Boivin, Paris, 1937 Courtesy of Siegelson

Amphora With An Episode From The Myth Of Medea Greek (Attic), 520 – 500 B.C. Ceramic Courtesy of Phoenix Ancient Art

Joan Miró Femme et oiseau V/X (1960) Oil on burlap 54 x 42 cm (21 1/4 x 16 1/2 in) Signed with the initial M (lower left); signed Miró, titled and dated 14/5/60 on the reverse Courtesy of Mayoral

LOUIS MAJORELLE (1859 – 1926) “POINCARE”, A RARE FLOOR LAMP, CIRCA 1900 Wrought iron; the shade in alabaster Courtesy of Robert Zehill

PAD Art + Design Fair
1-7 October 2018
Berkeley Square
Mayfair
London W1J 5AX

London

London: Static ‘Modern Muses’

September 26, 2018 butterfly 1 Comment

Since 2006 London based artistic duo STATIC, made of Tom Jackson and Craig Evans have been producing bold original work abstractly exploring duality and conflict through figurative assemblages.

Mixing stencil and spray paint with vivid collages with feathers and glass, lego, mother of pearl inlays; STATICs aesthetic is as dynamic as it is intricate.

Blending pattern with portraiture, their signature style is heavily influenced by modern ‘tribes’ and mythologies.
Mixed media creations primarily examine perception with colours and shapes seemingly suspended through the use of layered materials.
Through iconic signs and symbols charged with their own histories, STATIC are looking to challenge the viewer to examine their own cultural identity.

Their new exhibition ‘Modern Muses’ features four layered glass originals, a series of hand painted multiples that accompany the originals and 10 hand painted multiples featuring their signature Chinook Chandeliers.

Check their social media as they will also be running competitions to win this week.

STATIC – M O D E R N M U S E S
@ Robi Walters Gallery
12 Ingestre Place, London W1F 0JF
27th – 30th September 2018

London

London: Conor Harrington ‘The Story of US and Them’

September 24, 2018 butterfly 3 Comments

Irish born painter Conor Harringtonreturns to London with a new solo exhibition “The Story of Us and Them” at HENI Gallery in London. Fascinated by art history, Renaissance and the Baroque era, Conor Harrington continues to explore patriotism and contemporary social political themes, combining classical oil painting techniques and graffiti influences.

The exhibition features 12 new large scale works featuring two fictional male figures dressed in ornate baroque uniforms fighting each other and brandishing their bright coloured flags as weapon.

The viewer is immediately transported in this semi fictional tale, through bold red and blue vibrant colours, while the energetic brushstrokes accentuate the feeling of drama and movement.
Duality is an omnipresent theme : realism vs onirism, a sense of political division occurs through the use of colours, flags.
Conor Harrington’s painting techniques have also evolved with more loose paint gestures, the use of solvent and extinguishers to create some blurring effects while some elements of the composition are in focus with intricate details such as the uniforms or expressions of the faces.

“The works are set against a background of a fictional nation state and feature two so-called ‘blind patriots’ engaged in combat,” the gallery says. “By using predominantly red and blue in their apparel and the flags they brandish, Harrington draws on the various political and cultural connotations associated with this pairing to make a comment on society today.”

View the full set of pics here

Conor Harrington: The Story of Us and Them
14th September — 13th October 2018

HENI Gallery
6-10 Lexington St, London W1F 0LB

London, Street, streets

Streets: Aida Wilde – Less Homes 4U

September 22, 2018 butterfly 2 Comments

London based artist AIDA WILDE continues her interventions denouncing the rapid gentrification of London’s iconic and creative areas like Hackney Wick.
Her powerful text based street interventions incorporate social media terminology as a tool for activism.

Earlier in September, during the Art on the Streets conference, she presented her work about the gentrification of Hackney Wick, the curation of the Lord Napier project for Hackney Wicked ( from Shithouse to Penthouse), and A Hackney Wick Funeral, uniting countless artists in homage to Hackney Wick’s vibrant artistic past.

Croydon, a borough located south of London, often nicknamed ‘Cronx’ due to its infamous and controversial reputation, from Kate Moss to the 2011 London Riots, has been undergoing a lot of real estate development and revitalisation in a bid to change its image and attract new crowds.

In the city center many of the local shops have now closed to give way to big brands and so on.

For the Croydon Rise Festival, a street art festival curated by Monoprixx, Wherethereswalls and Rise Gallery, aimed to become the largest free open air museum in Europe, Aida Wilde decided to create a bespoke shop front window namely apt ‘Less Homes 4U’.

Using her signature vibrant neon pink dotted wallpaper and black block text imagery, Aida Wilde continues to denounce the gentrification process.