Tag Archives: Blo

Paris: BLO – ‘Anywhere, Out of this mind’

Berlin based artist BLO, from the Da Mental Vaporz crew, is currently showing a new exhibition entitled Anywhere, Out Of This Mind at Galerie 42b in Paris.

The new body of work features a series of oniric painted assemblages with a mix of grayscale abstract shapes and surrealist female portraits. The figurative intertwines with the abstraction of lines and textures. Painted figurative cut outs inspired by found contemporary images are pieced together with energetic abstract brushstrokes. Playing with textures, focus and blur, light and shadows, it creates a dialogue between the real and subconscious.

BLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind

A seductive choreography is set up by a series of assemblages, contrast and accumulation, layering of paint, erosion of textures and images. A dialogue is established between actions and reactions. Energetic abstract brushstrokes recall the gesture of the tag which blends with finesse and elegance onto the female body while silk and drapes bring elegance, lightness and sensuality to the female figures. Mastering anatomy and pose with great detail, the cut out paintings bring our focus on hands, legs, a mouth while the woman’s face remains blurred, as to transport us into a nostalgic and dreamlike world.

BLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind
BLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind

We asked BLO a few questions to find out more.

How long have you been preparing for this show?

BLO: After a year experimenting with abstraction, and following my artistic residency in Perpignan (FR) in November/December 2017, I decided to return my focus to figurative painting while exploring fragmented compositions. So, I have been preparing for my current show for the past five months.

BLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind

What is the inspiration behind the exhibition title Anywhere, Out Of This Mind?

BLO: The title of the exhibition is a reference to a poem by Baudelaire, Anywhere Out Of This World, with the last world being replaced by ‘mind’, as an invitation into the subconscious world.

What are your sources of inspiration and creative process?

BLO: Based on contemporary photography and textures I have observed in the urban environment, I created preparatory collages on paper that served as first sketches for my canvasses and then let my inspiration flow on canvas until I am satisfied with the composition.

BLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind

What materials did you use?

BLO: For the first time, I have used very little spray paint. I focused on acrylic, oil paint, using pigments, varnish, and different types of inks and enamels to create a variety of textures on canvas.

Some of your artworks are purely in black and white while others are colourful. Can you tell us more?

BLO: After the past two years, I wanted to create grayscale paintings again as a tribute to drawings, specially ink drawings, with a focus on textures.

BLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This MindBLO - Anywhere Out of This Mind

Photo credit: Butterfly Art News, Eli Cornejo, Nicolas Giquel.

BLO
Anywhere, out of this world
Until 16 June 2018
Galerie 42B, Paris

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Release: Underground Does not Exist Anymore

underground-doesnot-exist-anymore

Fresh from their return from their one year artistic residency at Villa Medici, Lek & Sowat present their latest book  ‘Underground Does not Exist Anymore‘ together with curator Hugo Vitrani. The book retraces the events between December 2012 and June 2014, where the two artists supported by curator Hugo Vitrani invaded the Palais de Tokyo through various official interventions, secret or ephemeral .

What started out as a mural on a peripheral space of the institution then evolved into an ambitious long-term project. We look back at the project in more details, as we’ve been keeping the secret for a very long time…

John Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de TokyoJohn Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de Tokyo     John Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de TokyoJohn Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de Tokyo     John Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de Tokyo

After a first collaboration with the American artist John Giorno ( see more here) Lek and Sowat were invited a second time to the Palais de Tokyo in December 2012 to paint on the walls of an emergency exit overlooking the technical premises of the museum. Rather than acting as a duo on the agreed space, the artists invited a dozen of graffiti artists including Dem189, Sambre, Wxyz, Katre, L’Outsider, Swiz, Rizot, Legz, Seth to join them and created an immersive installation by painting from the floor to the ceiling and began an urban exploration of the building.

Palais de Tokyo - ParisPalais de Tokyo - Paris    Palais de Tokyo - Paris      Palais de Tokyo - Paris     Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

In October 2013 with the complicity of the president of the Palais de Tokyo, Jean de Loisy, new spaces were made available and the project now titled ‘Lasco’ in tribute to the prehistorical cave paintings, the first wall paintings. Curator Hugo Vitrani with Lek and Sowat decided to pay tribute to French graffiti writers with individual dedicated spaces featuring Azyle, Bom.K, dran, Monsieur Qui, ….

In parallel to the authorized areas,  Lek and Sowat as well as invited artists like dran, Alëxone, Kan, Blo, Evol, Cleon Peterson  would also discreetly wander corridors, push doors, paint unofficially and create hidden or ephemeral installations,  illustrating the evanescent nature of graffiti and its ability to penetrate everywhere.

Palais de Tokyo - ParisLasco Project - Palais de Tokyo  Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo  Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

The results can be seen within the video ‘Invisible Vandalism’.

 

Traces Directs / Direct Outlines

The book also features all the artists ephemeral interventions on a blackboard ( see our coverage here) from Philippe Baudelocque, Wxyz, Alëxone, Smo, L’Outsider, Sowat, Babs, Skki, Jay one, Tcheko, Apôtre, Kan, Seb174, Sambre, Nassyo, Popay (pictured below), Spé, Fléo, Lek, Dem189, Swiz to  Jacques Villeglé.

Popay

The short feature film Traces Directs is now part of the permanent collections of the Centre George Pompidou.

 

La Trappe 

Pushing their exploration of the building further and further, Lek and Sowat discovered a hatch leading to the ventilation lines underneath the Palais de Tokyo.

This is the epilogue of their artistic journey. Lek and Sowat adorned the narrowed and out of reach spaces with graffiti and with curator Hugo Vitrani invited legendary Mode2 and Futura to paint using ochre, black and white colours, reminiscent of the sacred prehistorical paintings in the Lascaux caves.   Large graffiti letters by Mode2  form the sentence  ‘Underground doesn’t exist anymore’.

Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo                  Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo Lasco Project - Palais de TokyoLasco Project - Palais de Tokyo     Lasco Project - Palais de TokyoLasco Project - Palais de TokyoLasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

View the full set of pics here

Due to the nature of the space and for security reasons, the Palais de Tokyo has now closed  the access to the hatch permanently. While these paintings will never be accessible to the public, they have been documented in the following video.

Underground Does not Exist Anymore by Lek &Sowat and Hugo Vitrani
ISBN: 978-2-91-917217-81-8
340 pages – Format 17 x 24 cm
Editions Manuella
€ 30 Available here

In parallel Le Palais de Tokyo just released a special issue  Palais Magazine #24 focussing on the urban interventions together with artist interviews from Andre, Azyle, dran, Craig Costello, Futura, Mode2 to Os Gemeos.

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Palais Magazine # 24
ISBN: 978-2-84711-071-5
216 pages – Format 22.5 x 28.5 cm
€ 15 Available here

 

Streets: BLO

BLO

While in Brest, French artist BLO let loose with some free hand painting adding a touch of Art Nouveau lettering and his melancholic figures to a vacant building

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View more pics here

Brest (FR): Crimes of Minds

Crimes of Minds - Sowat

During 3 years the Crimes of Minds project invited local and international artists to create 21 murals across the city of Brest (France), transforming the city into an urban art museum.  To celebrate the end of the project and launch of a book documenting the process, a retrospective exhibition has been organized within 22000 sq meters former warehouse, a perfect opportunity for artists to display artworks but also perform some  live painting.

Featuring Liliwenn (FR),  Jef Aerosol (FR), Guy Denning (UK), Ben Slow (UK),  Finbarr Dac (UK), Da Mental Vaporz (Bom.K, Blo, Brusk, Gris1, Kan, Sowat),  C215 (FR), Morten Andersen (DK), SLY2 (FR), Wen2 (FR), Alice Pasquini (IT), Kool Korr (US), Best Ever (UK), Pakone (FR), Celeste Java (FR), TSF, Antoine Stevens (FR).

Crimes of Minds - Alice    Crimes of Minds - Morten AndersenCrimes of Minds - Ben Slow    Crimes of Minds - Guy DenningCrimes of Minds - Jef Aerosol  Crimes of Minds - Fin Dac  Crimes of Minds - Antoine Stevens
Crimes of Minds - DMV Crimes of Minds

Full set of pics of the exhibition here

Berlin: Blo – La petite Mort

BLO - La petite Mort

OpenWalls Gallery in Berlin just opened the solo show of French graffiti artist Blo
(see our recent studio visit here) called  La petite Mort.

Set in Stadtbad, former public baths reconverted into creative spaces, the first room presents one-off black ink hand drawings on watercolor paper.

BLO - La petite Mort BLO - La petite Mort     Blo - La petite Mort

Upon entering a second room, viewers are surrounded by a “Duels” serie,
monochrome paintings using exclusively Krink.

BLO - La Petite Mort BLO - La Petite Mort

The grand finale consists of colorful canvases using spray paint and acrylic,
featuring erotic and androgynous figures in various oniric state.

BLO - La petite Mort BLO - La petite Mort   BLO - La petite Mort  BLO - La petite Mort

Blo also takes a twist on the icon Mary and Child with his “Madonne”,
and created two accompanying murals.
BLO - La petite Mort BLO - La petite Mort BLO - La petite Mort

View all the pics from the opening here

Check the online catalogue

BLO
“La Petite Mort”
Open Walls Gallery
Stadtbad, Berlin
6 July – 27 July