Berlin: Olek’s “Keep Going” Crochet Performance

November 14, 2017 butterfly

In conjunction with the official opening of the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, among the 150 invited artists, 35 were asked to do site specific installations in the Art Mile in Bülowstrasse. NY artist OLEK created an integrative neighbourhood project, where OLEK and her team took her crocheted art materials to the streets for a live performance.

OLEK looked for crocheters of all skill levels to join as performers. The public performance piece transforms the process of making art from a solitary act into a collective adventure. During three hours under the elevated subway between Bülowstraße and Nollendorfplatz stations, Team OLEK meditatively and silently performed “Keep Going” by crocheting bright pink naprons on a loop, while the crowd was passing through.

In OLEK’s work, the use of the pink colour is a symbol of a bright future filled with hope, but also a fight for freedom and equality, human rights regardless of gender and sexuality. Her art has always sought to bring colour and life, energy, and surprise to the living space.

Gathering people of all cultural backgrounds and gender, the crocheters of Team OLEK peacefully showed that we are stronger together, giving a sense of unity, love and community.

‘Keep going’ is a tribute to the never ending flow and circle of life, an act of resilience despite obstacles.

A video by Director Ulle Hadding documents the performance and observes Team OLEK as they continue crocheting peacefully while surrounded by an unstoppable traffic of people.

London

London streets: Ludo

November 6, 2017 butterfly

French artist Ludovic Vernhet aka Ludo (covered) is back to the London streets with new large paste ups. Continuing his ‘Nature Revenge’ series, Ludo created three artworks on the theme of love, violence and fame using his signature neon green paint and monochrome paste ups. Featuring hybrid creatures mixing nature and technology and weaponry, Ludo highlights societal and environmental issues.

Ludo – Have a Nice Day, London 2017

Ludo – Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes, London 2017

Ludo – Love at first sight, London 2017

Here are further works from Ludo in the streets of London we enjoyed throughout the years:

Ludo – London 2015

Ludo – London 2014

Ludo – London 2011

Bristol, Shows

Bristol: Rowdy & Wilde at Clifton Fine Art Gallery

November 2, 2017 butterfly

One of Bristol’s most renowned street artist Rowdy is gathering forces with legendary London screenprinter Aida Wilde for a duo show ‘Rowdy and Wilde’ at Clifton Fine Art in Bristol.

Aida Wilde was born in Iran and arrived in the UK in the mid 80’s as a political refugee. Aida’s artistic career has been a diverse one. She has been a professional screen printer for the last twenty years.

Her work has been featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum since 2011 and 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).

Hailed by many as a screen-printing genius, Aida’s process is her art. She prides herself on her perfect printing technique and continually pushing the boundaries of this once traditionally considered art form. The artist’s skill is second to none when it comes to print making. Her unique style expresses her ongoing battle to bring alternative elements together, the graphic and the classical, whether this is through pop colours, texture (glitter, velvet…) or through image. Aida’s most recent experiments feature the use of the screen as a mono-printing tool to develop her ‘Life: Still’ edition.

Rowdy, member of the Burning Candy crew, is an integral part of the Bristol graffiti scene. His work appears worldwide and can be found in the most unlikely places, from underground rural settings to highly visible urban reaches. Rowdy’s trademark crocodiles are often huge in scale and are indicative of the playful nature of the imagery in his work.

Burning Candy Crew in London 2009

Rowdy’s abstract cityscape paintings show skyscrapers constructed out of the tiniest marks a spray-can can make, floating colour fields combined with 1980’s graffiti fades. Some are bustling and hectic, recalling markets and highways, motion and change, whilst others show a more meditative side to the city, haze and city lights hover within an expansive luminous ground.

The two artists bring an explosion of vibrant colours with bright, uplifting, and innovative works to Clifton Fine Art Gallery: upon entering the gallery a screen printed leopard rug with velvet feel by Aida Wilde is framed on the floor while abstract landscape paintings by Rowdy and still- life and neon pink screen-printed artworks by Aida adorn the walls. Rowdy signature monumental crocodile wooden sculpture is a playful delight for small children and guests.

View the full set of pics here

Rowdy & Wilde
Until 4 November
Clifton Fine Art
12 Perry Road, Bristol, BS1 5BG

Art Fair, Paris

Paris: FIAC 2017 Highlights

October 24, 2017 butterfly

After Frieze, the art world is gathering once more for the 44th edition of the International French Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC) in Paris. As the fair drew to a close this week end, we look back at the highlights amongst the 193 modern and contemporary art galleries from 30 countries filling the Grand Palais , like Flame of Desire a five meters high golden sculpture by Takashi Murakami featured at Galerie Perrotin.

Jeppe Hein

Andrea Bowers

Tomas Saraceno

John Giorno

Kohei Nawa

Photo Credit: Celine Neveux for Butterfly Art News

FIAC
18-22 October 2017
Paris

London, Shows

London: Chapman Brothers – Disasters of Everyday Life

October 14, 2017 butterfly

Jake and Dinos Chapman (covered), known for their provocative and pessimistic ruminations on human violence and barbarity , have created seven bronzes of suicide vests for Blain|Southern Gallery.

Made from images found online, the “life and death vests” are extremely detailed and real, apart from one which is based on a Hollywood film prop used in a Jackie Chan film.

The Chapmans’ work is often a response to the work of other artists. In this case, they were inspired by Jeff Koons’ Aqualung from 1985 (check our coverage on Jeff Koons retrospective here )

Jeff Koons Aqualung 1985

The bronzes clearly address world events but the artists have declined to speak about the new works. Each bronze is being sold as a one-off, apart from the one based on a prop used in the Jackie Chan film Rush Hour, which the brothers bought from a movie props website. That comes in an edition of six.

Also on display, Jake & Dinos Chapman continue to expand on their career-long preoccupation with Francisco Goya’s series of etchings, The Disasters of War. The Disasters of Everyday Life presents three full sets of Goya’s prints, each set substantially reworked in collage, watercolour and glitter by the Chapman brothers with their own wit to depict the absurdity of war.