Some new pictures and video from Gaza appeared on Banksy’s website, featuring a stencil version of the mythical female Greek character, Niobe, turned to stone and weeping continuously for her children.
‘If we wash our hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, we side with the powerful – We don’t remain neutral’
Banksy
Returning to London after five years, the French master draughtsman dran has just launched a new solo show entitled ‘Public Execution‘ . Announced at the last minute on Pictures on Walls, the show ‘ promises to be a ‘live’ masterclass in ‘spontaneous creativity’ happening in ‘real time’. All of which actually means he hasn’t done much yet. Over the next three weeks dran will be creating an art show from scratch in full public view in an empty shop in Soho. Upon completion it will close immediately.
The public are invited to visit at any time, but may not always be welcome.’
Despite the last minute announcement, eager fans came in force to the opening, and were welcome with enormous cheese platters, wine and beers. Sitting behind a broken laptop and copy machine, a painted female assistant is greeting visitors. Next to her features a canvas of a little boy dressed up in shiny costume made of snack packaging. Guests are invited to put bids and comments to get it. And so far the walls are covered with painted blank frames. So we’ll see how the show will evolve and what surprises lay in store.
View the full set of pics here
dran – Public Execution
Until 21 Feb 2015
35 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1
London Westbank Gallery, the Last Night a DJ Saved My Life Foundation and Temwa gathered for a second year running for a fantastic charity fundraising event Smile Britannia at the Houses of Parliament in London. The auction featured an impressive line up of artists from Nick Walker, Zeus, Dan Kitchener, Copyright, Gemma Compton, Matt Small, Rowan Newton, Will Barras, Banksy as well as Turner Prize nominee Richard Long, and last but not least Picasso.
The full list of artists includes: Andy Council, Art is Trash, Banksy, Beejoir, Belinda Frikh, Ben Allen, Benjamin Murphy, Chapter, China Mike, Copyright, Cunni Outsider, Dank, David Walker, Ellie Steele, Elmo Hood, Fin DAC, FLX, Gemma Compton, Goldie, Gil Carvelho, Henry Hate, Hornhead, INKIE, James Mylne, Jim Starr, Jim Vision, K-Guy. Lhouette, Lucy Sparrow, Matt Small, Mau Mau, Mr. Cenz, Mr. Jago, Nick Walker, Osch, Paul McGowan, Patrick Bremer, Richard Long, Rowan Newton, RYCA, Schoony, Stiffado Dante, Studio Philly, Tim Fowler, Toaster, Tommy Penton, Will Barras, Yuliya Danylyuk, and Zeus.
Big up to the organisers, participating artists and generous bidders for making this happening in this magical venue!
View the full set of pics here
Lawrence Alkin Gallery is presenting brand new works by David Walker at the Hoxton Gallery in London. The show entitled ‘A Blank Canvas is a White Flag’ features sculpture, photography and printmaking, made in collaboration with RYCA and Schoony.
David Walker & RYCA
Working only with spray paint, his signature multi-layered colourful portraiture has evolved through different techniques. For his ‘Pour Paintings’, David Walker created portraits by literally pouring paint onto canvas.
A medical cabinet displays a series of colourful multilayered fragments, results of years of spraypaint accumulation. These are featured in his new photographic series.
The main body of new works in the show titled as ‘arrangements’ are made of single portraits created across multiple canvasses each with their own self-contained colour theme and nuance, from monochrome to photorealistic sections.
On this collection of works, Walker comments:“The arrangements are a way for me to revitalise my process, the different coloured backgrounds suggest different approaches and colour logic to each, seeing both the individual and the whole. This is what I want the viewer to experience- first acknowledging the portrait in its entirety – then as the eye moves across each canvas the image is decoded and in some instances its elements become abstract.“
View the full set of pics here
David Walker – ‘A Blank Canvas is a White Flag’
Until 30 November 2014
Lawrence Alkin Gallery
9 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8AA
While usually artworks during the Nuit Blanche only last one night, this year selected artists have been invited to create long term works. We caught up with some of them as they prepare for the big night. Large scale murals are being painted throughout the 13th District like Borondo (covered here). ‘THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TRIVIALIZED’ by Tristan Eaton is a tongue in cheek play on the famous Gil Scott Heron quote: ‘The revolution will not be televised’. “In a time when protests are becoming the norm from Ferguson to Hong Kong and beyond, it’s easy to see how civil unrest is often co-opted, undermined or diluted by the opportunistic.”
Spanish art activist SpY ( which we saw at Nuart earlier) is creating a large scale slogan in UV light “I’M NOT A REAL ARTIST”.
Parisian artist Thomas Canto is taking over a tunnel with his monochrome and dynamic lines.
Berliner artist Jan Vormann is building an installation ‘ Disptachwork’ made of multicoloured bricks.
View the full set of pics here
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