New York: New Banksy invasion

March 14, 2018 butterfly

We are always excited to see new works by elusive artist Banksy. He’s back to the streets of New York with a new stencil, featuring a rat running in a clock turned wheel, reminiscent of the incessant rat race.

It can be viewed between 14th and 6th Ave in Greenwich Village, so get there quick to see it in its glory before it gets ‘plexified’ or else.

New update:

On Thursday 15 March the famous Bowery Wall, which was previously painted by renown artists like Keith Haring, Os Gemeos, or more recently Logan Hicks, unveiled a 70 feet new mural by Banksy, with the collaboration with graffiti artist Borf.

The mural protests the imprisonment of the Turkish artist and journalist Zehra Dogan, who was sentenced last March for painting the destruction of a Turkish town of Nusaybin, which was partly destroyed in 2015, with the country’s flag flying over rubble.

A screen shows a picture of Zehra Dogan’s painting with a message saying ‘sentenced to 2 years nine months and 29 days in jail for painting this picture’.

A series of hash bars like days in prison cell are numbered across the mural with one showing Ms. Dogan looking at out of one of the cells, with her left hand gripping a bar that doubles as a pencil. “Free Zehra Dogan” is written in the bottom right corner

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And there are more to come…. Stay tuned

Photo Credit: Banksy, nekyromero

London

London: Evoca1 ‘Caroline and the world on a stage’

March 10, 2018 butterfly

Dominican born street artist, Evoca1 (Elio Mercado) is currently presenting his first solo show in London at Stolenspace. ‘Caroline, and The World on a Stage’ explores the many conditions of human existence and the various misuses of power between people through the lens of a young fictional girl.

Growing up in challenging social and economic conditions in the Dominican Republic, Evoca1 is acutely aware of these difficulties that arise through social division, as well as the power that art has to alleviate such adversity. Despite not attending art school due to his family’s financial situation, Evoca1 learned and developed his style as a n autodidact.

Multidisciplinary artist, Evoca1 is showcasing his most comprehensive body of work, from graphite drawings oil paintings, wooden sculptures and videos. He magically combines the childhood innocence and dreams looking at a circus with the darkness of abuse of power by society.

Specifically about this show, Evoca1 has stated: “The oil paintings, drawings, sculptures and video performance in this show, serve as metaphors for our primitive world – a world which can sometimes resemble a ‘circus’. Through the eyes of a child, the puppet masters of our society are put on display and tried for their misuse of power and the calamity they create amongst us. The work mirrors our divided world in which people roll over all obstacles in their path in an attempt to gain popularity and experience “happiness” which is solely gained through the praise of others.”

View the full set of pics here

EVOCA1 – Caroline & the Wolrd on a stage
Until 8 April 2018
StolenSpace Gallery
17 Osborn Street
London E1 6TD

Interviews/ Studio visits, London

London: Studio Visit with Aida Wilde

March 8, 2018 butterfly 1 Comment

We are happy to have a look inside the London studio of Queen printmaker and artivist Aida Wilde

‘Who’s afraid of Aida Wilde?’ says one of the signs in the studio, surrounded by a screaming cute neon pink dotted kitty with dark kiss make up. Screenprinting is her ‘Weapon of Choice‘, as ‘Print is Power’.

Born in Iran, Aida arrived in the UK in the mid 80’s as a political refugee. She has been a professional screen printer for the last twenty years and has been pushing boundaries of the screenprinting techniques and transforming this traditional art form into fine art.

Hailed by many as a screen-printing genius, her unique style expresses her ongoing battle to bring alternative elements together, the graphic and the classical, whether this is through neon pop colours ( pink preferably), texture (glitter, velvet…) or through image. Some examples include a flocking velvet effect on a leapoard print to make it feel and look like a fur rug, or the use of the screen as a mono-printing tool to develop her ‘Life: Still’ edition.

Her most famous works are her colourful slogan paste-ups that can be found in the streets of London, Berlin, New York, Malaga or Aberdeen, featuring light hearted topics as well as raising awareness on sensitive subjects like gentrification, education and women’s rights.

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In 2009 in response to the financial and economic crisis Aida created a pink, black and white spotty slogan ‘There’s A Credit Crunch Not A Creative Crunch’, which is being featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum since 2011.

Strong advocate of women’s rights, her work has been featured at The Women’s Art Library (see our coverage here). Her HASHTAG series of works was used for the Brandalism project (covered) and the global project Subvert The City, which saw the world’s first coordinated international ad takeover & over 60 creative actions in 38 cities in 18 countries around the world. Aida still continues with her facilitating role with various workshops and community projects through Print Is Power – Reclamation Nation & more currently, Sisters In Print (All female international print collective).

So to celebrate the 8th March 2018, Aida is releasing a special screenprint from her famous Hashtag series ‘ A HASHTAG MIGHT NOT SAVE THE WORLD BUT … WOMEN MIGHT’ for one day only.

Initially before the craze of social media, this print was also part of the Brandalism campaign in Paris in 2015 and the statement is more valid than ever.

So grab yours here

Pictures courtesy of the artist and by Butterfly Art News

Uncategorized

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.