Amongst the 50 participating artists exhibited at Dismaland, Banksy invited a few from the POW roster: Bill Barminski (present at the 2011 Christmas show), Paul Insect, Bast, Escif, ESPO, Jimmy Cauty, Lush, Pure Evil and David Shrigley.
Bill Barminski
ESPO
Paul Insect and Bast
Paul Insect
Escif – American Peace (Piss)
Lush
Jimmy Cauty
Pure Evil
View the full set of pics here
Dismaland
Weston Super Mare
Until 27 September 2015
Continuing their series of shows like in HK, SF, Berlin, or Detroit, Thinkspace Gallery is co-curating their LAX-LHR show with Stolenspace in London showcasing the usual format of 12″ x 12″ works from each artist.
Participating artists include Aaron Nagel, Adam Caldwell, Alex Yanes, Alexis Diaz, Allison Sommers, Amanda Marie, Andrew McAttee, Andy Kehoe, Angry Woebots, Anthony Clarkson, Arth Daniels, Atsuko Goto, Baghead, Beau Stanton, Bec Winnel, Ben Frost, Ben Turnbull, Brian Mashburn, bumblebeelovesyou, Carl Cashman, Casey Weldon, Charles Krafft, Charlie Anderson, Chie Yoshii, Chris Stead, Christine Wu, Cinta Vidal, Cleon Peterson, Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker, Cryptik, Crystal Wagner, Curtis Kulig, David Bray, David Cooley, Derek Gores, Drew Leshko, Drew Young, EINE, Ekundayo, Erik Siador, Evoca1, Frank Gonzales, Fumi Nakamura, Haroshi, Herakut, Hueman, Jacub Gagnon, James Bullough, Jana & JS, Jason Thielke, Jeff Ramirez, Jeremy Fish, Jeremy Hush, Jim Houser, Joanne Namk, Jolene Lai, Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, Joseph Martinez, Josie Morway, Kari-Lise Alexander, Kelly Vivanco, Ken Flewellyn, Kevin Peterson, Ki Sung Koh, Kikyz1313, Kojiro Ankan Takakawa, Kozyndan, Kwon Kyung-Yup, Kyle Stewart, Lauren Napolitano, Lindsey Carr, Linnea Strid, Liz Brizzi, London Police, Low Bros, Luke Chueh, Mari Inukai, Mary Iverson, Matt Linares, Matt Small, Matthew Grabelsky, Meggs, Meryl Donoghue, Mike Egan, Monica Canilao, Mysterious Al, Nosego, Nychos, Nylon, Okuda, Ozabu, Pam Glew, Paul Barnes, Paul Stephenson, Persue, Peter Adamyan, Ramon Maiden, Reka, Rone, Ronzo, Ryan Callanan, Sandra Chevrier, Scott Listfield, Sean Mahan, Sebastian Wahl, Shepard Fairey, So Youn Lee, Snik, Stinkfish, Sylvia Ji, Tony Philippou, Tran Nguyen, Troy Lovegates, Twoone, Von, Will Barras, and X-O.
In parallel a series of 32″x 32″ artworks are also featured from Audrey Kawasaki, Alexis Diaz, C215, Curiot, Cyrcle, D*Face, David Cooley, Erik Jones, Joram Roukes, Kai & Sunny, Kevin Peterson, Low Bros, Maya Hayuk, and The London Police.
View the full set of pics here
LAX/LHR
Until 4 October 2015
STOLENSPACE GALLERY
17 Osborn Street
London E1 6TD
As we enter the premises through a cardboard security control room built by Bill Barminksi ( featured at the 2011 POW show) the security staff ask the most random questions.
After the clearing security, doors open to a sinister derelict place with trash, paper on the floor and mud. It almost looks like a dump. The surrounding staff dressed in pink hi-vis, is looking bored, miserable and haggard, sometimes holding David Shrigley’s ‘I’m an Imbecile’ balloons. When asking questions, they responded whispering messages beyond understanding. Customer service is below standard and not responsive at best.
A large indoor space is dedicated to ‘the finest collection of contemporary art ever assembled in a North Somerset seaside town’, featuring artworks from 50 artists from over 17 countries.
The exhibition starts off with an installation by Caroline McCarthy, whose flowers are growing out of packaging boxes, a smiley animation by James Joyce. Jenny Holzer’s electronic road signs surround Andreas Hykade’s drawing desk animation. Banksy Grim Reaper ‘ Dance of Death’ also makes a come back from BOTI.
Alongside Banksy artworks (covered here), many artworks relate to the seaside and funfair with a certain twist: Damien Hirst’s beach ball is floating above a sea of razor sharp knives, Ben Long giant Ice Cream Cone made of DIY objects, a wooden carved merry-go-round horse sculpture by Maskull Lassere, apocalyptic funfair paintings by Jeff Gillette and seaside paintings by Leigh Mulley.
Cereal boxes become a nightmare with Jani Leinonen. Tree houses, safe refuge for children, are either made from broccoli, through a photograph by Brock Davis, or a mushroom cloud by Dietrich Wegner. Jessica Harrisson‘s tatooed ceramic dolls dance around stitched car installation by Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė.
Environmental issues and relationships between human and nature are highlighted with porcelain animals from Kate MacDowell, paintings by Paco Pomet, Josh Keyes, or pastel drawings showing global warming from Zaria Forman while Lee Madgwick shows architectural landscapes.
Palestinian artists Sami Musa and Shadi Alzaqzouq are confronting the Israelo-Palestinian conflict. When realizing his work was exhibited alongside Israelian artists like Neta Harari Navon and Amir Shiby, the palestinian artist Shadi Alzaqzouq decided to initiate a protest and hide his artwork from the public.
The last room is dedicated to Lush paintings with miniature figures and an apocalyptic model village by James Cauty.
Entitled ‘The aftermath dislocation principle’, James Cauty installation features a miniature post-apocalyptic world, burned, looted and devoid of all human life apart from a swell of police make up. The construction is a vast 1:87 scale model detailing the desolate, charred aftermath of what appears to have been a crazed riot in London. The only visible people are the 5,000 or so policemen at the scene armed with vans and weapons ready to control and quell. The whole scene is set into motion for the show as ambulance and street lights strobe in the darkness.
View the full set of pics here
Ahead of his upcoming solo show ‘Entrophy’ at Above Second Gallery in Hong Kong, we popped by the studio of Bristol artist Nick Walker.
For this new show, Nick Walker has been exploring new ideas and broadening the scope of his signature Gentleman Vandal series to more abstract imagery and new techniques playing with metal and sculpture.
“A new element I am exploring with this show is ‘Numbers’ which I call the Smoke series. Originally I was inspired by Jasper Johns some time back and began to implement numbers into my paintings as background or fragmented, but now I am focusing solely on the numbers themselves.”
Having visited Hong Kong in December to gather inspiration and collect photos some new pieces featuring the Hong Kong busy urban landscape, Nick Walker mentions “It [has] an abundance of old signage and history, and also a very gritty edge which is something I love to portray in my street scenes.”
View the full set of pics here
We take a closer look at the Banksy artworks featured at the ‘Dismaland Bemusement Park’ (covered) that opened officially this week end in Weston-Super-Mare.
The Ice Cream van (first seen at the Bristol Museum exhibition in 2009) is back.
Ten new pieces are featured in the show including a woman attacked by seagulls, a killer whale jumping out of a toilet seat, a butcher on a merry-go-round with a hanging horse dripping blood next to boxes of lasagne ( nod to the 2013 horse meat scandal).
Within the gallery space new artworks include a canvas featuring a revisited version of the Creation of Adam, the hand of God being replaced by the Devil. In the fireplace we recognise a familiar image of the spraycan candle, tribute to King Robbo (as seen in the streets of London in 2011). A seaside painting shows a mother and child playing on the sand unaware of the tsunami of detritus coming to them. Banksy continues his animatronic series that we much enjoyed at the Bristol Museum (2009), with an animated rabbit that took control and made the magician disappear from the circus tent.
Banksy also created some pieces relying on the participation of the audience while highlighting political and environmental issues. Local families visiting the park were confused with the Mediterranean Boat Ride, as the public could drive robotic boats of migrants amongst dead floating people. Kids were desperately looking for disappearing golf balls on the impossible Mini Gulf course or playing at ‘ Fish a Duck’ drown in oily waters. We also see the return of the Pier Pressure / Dolphin Ride ( protest against BP’s 2010 Deep Horizon oil spill ) and the Dance of Death (seen in BOTI).
Banksy plays with placement in this new stencil where a woman is showering while kids are peeping through the steel curtain.
A billboard falls down due to the weight of a fat cat having diner while his wife and kids are still standing and waiting.
Surrounded by murky water with a dumped riot van transformed into an impromptu water fountain, a decrepit fairy-tale castle ‘shows how it feels to be a real princess’: a sinister Cinderella pumpkin crash sculpture is lit up by the swarm of paparazzi, with flashing cameras taking photo after photo of the tragic crash scene echoing Princess Diana’s death. And you can pose and have your souvenir photo. Truly depressing.
View the full set of pics here
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Dismaland
Until 27 September 2015
Tropicana
Marine Parade BS23 1BE
Weston Super Mare
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