Tag Archives: butterflyartnews

Toulouse: Subcultures @ Espace Croix Baragnon – Part I

April 23, 2016 butterfly 2 Comments

The museum ‘L’espace Croix Baragnon’ in Toulouse is celebrating the underground cultural scene with a new exhibition called ‘Subcultures’. The city of Toulouse is the cradle of many renowned artists from Miss Van, Fafi, Reso, Tilt to dran, but the artistic scene is even more prolific, mixing popular cultures (rock music, punk, goth, hip hop, experimental … sci-fi, comics, movies, skateboarding, tattoo…) revisiting modern art movements (surrealism, Dadaism, pop art, poster-art…) as well as post-modern art forms (lowbrow, graffiti, street art,…)

Curator David Pujol has been observing the local underground culture for several years and presents ‘Subcultures’ featuring 10 established and emerging artists, with their influences and distinctive style on the local and international scene: Amandine Urruty, 100TAUR (covered), A4 Putevie (covered), Mathieu Bourrillon, Nicolas Delpech, Fräneck, Herbot, Kinder K, Arnaud Loumeau and Benjamin Stoop.

Although not listed in the official artists roster, enfant terrible dran (covered) makes several appearances with a brand new canvas and stickers and flyers throughout the exhibition space.

Subcultures - Toulouse

Huge crowds and artists turned out for the eagerly awaited opening including anonymous artist <++ (covered) who also made a live performance.

Subcultures - Toulouse

Through his drawings and sculptural installations, artivist artist A4Putevie (b.1980) illustrates the thirst for freedom within the urban environment, his thoughts and distress about the current politic affairs, war and surveillance society.

Subcultures - Toulouse

Inspired by nature, religious art, Japanese culture and mythology, 100TAUR (b.1982) explores the concept of imperfection, creating a universe populated by fantastic creatures, distorted hybrids humans and animals with a sacred touch. Anthropomorphic fishes are adorned with a golden aura, while his signature character ‘Slug’, symbol of resilience is omnipresent within his compositions.

Subcultures - Toulouse

Kinder K. (b.1984) oil paintings play with medieval imagery and religious iconography to question our faith in life. Her colourful compositions illustrate empowered female characters with an erotic touch, whether Lolitas dancing and being seduced by the devil, or a man-eater she-devil.

Subcultures - Toulouse

Fascinated by video games, Arnaud Loumeau (b.1978) draws kaleidoscopic shapes on paper. Using mathematical precision, patterns are repeated in a loop like in a computer and coloured with marker. Underground illustrator Franeck painted a mural inside the gallery space with a series of small black and white drawings featuring his signature humorous round shaped characters within architectural landscapes.

Subcultures - Toulouse

View the full set of pics here

Stay tuned for the rest of the coverage soon with our Part II

‘Subcultures’
Until 18 June 2016
Espace Croix-Baragnon
24 rue Croix-Baragnon
31000 Toulouse (FR)

London, Street, streets

London: Space Invader – Wave 18

Image April 2, 2016 butterfly 2 Comments

French artist Space Invader has just returned to London since 2013 for a 18th wave of invasion. As part of an art commission for the London Games Festival organised by Film London, 12 new artworks have appeared on iconic buildings and streets.

As always location is key, and to celebrate spring, brand new CCTV flowers have popped up across the city, including a union jack one next to the British Film Institute surrounded by four other video cameras .

A pixelated cheeky prince with crown and 3D glasses is flying high above the Prince Charles Cinema in the West End , while the Arts Building in Finsbury Park is adorned with a paint brush waiving invader mosaic.

London Invasion 2016 - Wave 18

Wandering through the Museum of London, visitors can enjoy two new invaders with bowler hats and umbrellas watching each other.

And before looking for the remaining invaders, enjoy a cup of tea in Shoreditch…

London Invasion 2016 - Wave 18

View the full set of pics here

London, Shows

London Opening: Lusus Naturae – 100Taur & Hisham Echafaki

October 23, 2015 butterfly 3 Comments

Lusus Naturae - 100Taur & Hisham Echafaki

Here is a photo recap of ‘Lusus Naturae’ we have been pleased to curate with French artists 100Taur and Hisham Echafaki.

Viewers were introduced to the dark enchanted world of 100Taur with his hypnotic hybrid creatures from a weird Buffalo, a meditating and multitasking Holy Slug to some cheeky ‘Blood Brothers’ and a flying Mandrill.

Trompe l’oeil paintings by Hisham Echafaki captivated the audience, while they were intrigued by his oniric butterflies in three dimensions.

Congratulations to the talented artists 100Taur and Hisham Echafaki on this fantastic body of work. We would like to extend massive thanks to Dave Skelly, Bassim and Tunde for their precious help and all the people who have been supporting this event.

Lusus Naturae - 100Taur & Hisham Echafaki

View the full set of pics here
Lusus Naturae
100Taur & Hisham Echafaki
94 Leonard Street
EC2A 4RH

London

London: Lusus Naturae – 100TAUR & Hisham Echafaki

October 13, 2015 butterfly

Hisham Echafaki - Sunset Moth (detail)

We are excited to curate Lusus Naturae, a two-person exhibition with French artists 100TAUR andHisham Echafaki featuring a series of new paintings, drawings and three dimensional works.

In natural history, the latin terminology ‘Lusus Naturae’ is used to describe any creature or specimen that defied classification, an animal or a person that is markedly unusual or a freak of nature.

The show explores notions of anthropomorphism, human fascination with oddities or monstrosities and our fragile relationship with the natural world. 100TAUR’s mythical monsters are portrayed in a surrealist dark enchanted world with colourful details rich in narrative.

100Taur - Flying Mandrill 100TAUR - Blood Brothers

Hisham Echafaki’s paintings play with intricate repetitive patterns found in nature and examine the impact that humankind exerts on its fragile balance.

For the first time Hisham Echafaki will also present a series of his three-dimensional paintings. Using a unique technique of resin layering and acrylic paint, the artist meticulously builds layers to create three-dimensional insects in transparent boxes. Oniric butterflies, bees and dragonflies appear to be suspended and preserved in the manner of fragile taxidermy insects.

LUSUS NATURAE By 100TAUR & Hisham Echafaki
94 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH

14 OCT 11AM – 10PM
15 OCT 11AM – 10PM
16 OCT 11AM – 7PM

Private view 14 OCT 6-10PM
RSVP info@butterflyartnews.com or here

100TAUR - Weird Oslwald (detail) Lusus Naturae flyer

Shows, Weston Super Mare

Dismaland Focus: Galleries

August 31, 2015 butterfly 1 Comment

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.

Dislamand - Galleries

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.

Dislamand - Galleries

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.

Dislamand - Galleries

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.

Dislamand - Paco Pomet Dislamand - Galleries

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.

Dislamand - Galleries

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.

Dismaland - James Cauty