Situated on the South Bank, near Tower Bridge, the ‘Art of Loves’ pop-up, which will be open to the public from Thursday 9th – Sunday 19th November, has been designed to look like a huge Pandora jewellery box, welcoming everyone who walks through its doors into an art installation which celebrates different interpretations of ‘Loves’.
Guests who visit the activation will not only be able to view the artists’ installation, but will also have the opportunity to create their own piece of art, via a bespoke interactive platform. After creating their own artwork, guests will then have the opportunity to showcase their designs on digital screens which will surround the exterior of the pop up, or print their designs off as personalised wrapping paper for a loved one. The pop-up will become London’s largest digital gallery of ‘Loves’, transforming the digital art created inside the pop-up into 8 by 3 meters digital canvases.
The Museum Jean Larcena, in Val d’Ocre, Burgundy, France, is pleased to open an exhibition of works by London based artist Hisham Echafaki entitled Mirabilia Naturae ( Wonders of Nature), curated by Butterfly Art News. The exhibition runs until 19 June 2022.
Hisham Echafaki is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist who has been exhibiting internationally for over fifteen years. The artist’s style is a mix between realism and surrealism and sometimes uses the trompe-l’oeil technique.
In 2013, for the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Hisham Echafaki produced an anthropomorphic portrait of the singer composed entirely of 66 animals with a surprising trompe-l’oeil effect to celebrate the 66th Birthday of the singer.
In 2019 Hisham Echafaki was invited by the Musée de la Poste in Paris to illustrate the facade with a 13-meter fresco retracing the history of mailboxes and artistic movements.
The artist will well appreciated with the local residents of Val d’Ocre as in 2018 he painted a giant fresco featuring an Iberian tortoise to warn about this endangered species. The mural has been the mascot of Val d’Ocre since.
MIRABILIA NATURAE – Wonders of Nature
From the end of the XVII th Century, explorers illustrated their discoveries of new animal and plant species and named them in Latin.
With the exhibition ‘Mirabilia Naturae’, Hisham Echafaki pays tribute to these ancient explorers who show us the wonders of nature, and transports us to a universe where the beauty and diversity of fauna and flora are celebrated in all their patterns and colours.
The series on display includes works on canvas, works on paper and multi-dimensional paintings on resin or plexiglass.
Beyond aesthetic imagery and the celebration of the beauty of nature, the themes of the exhibition highlight issues of biodiversity, the conservation of threatened species and habitats, and the impact of Man on the evolutionary changes of animal species.
In parallel with his paintings, Hisham Echafaki has also created a particular and very meticulous technique of painting on resin and plexiglass whose rendering is three-dimensional. His almost realistic animal works are based on multiple superimposed and meticulous layers of paint, resin, creating an effect of perspective.
This series of multi-dimensional works attempts to capture the beautiful complexity and diversity of the animal world. Detailed pieces can take up to 15-30 layers and several months to complete.
Whether based on real or imaginary specimens, butterflies, fishes or bees are immortalized giving the optical illusion that they could have been living creatures. Presented as “faux taxidermy”, animals often have anthropomorphic features on their wings or bodies with recognizable patterns from art, design, science while others, such as aquatic creatures, are just more realistic.
Hisham Echafaki would like to thank all the people that helped him on this exhibition: local residents of Val d’Ocre, the core team of the Museum with Francoise Richez, Patrice Lagrange, Sylvie Marchand, Bernard Curnier, and also Bassim, David Chaumet and Butterfly who worked on the preparation of the exhibition.
Here are some pictures from the set up and the opening:
The Musee de la Poste has been undergoing massive transformation and architectural refurbishing during the past 6 years. To celebrate its reopening, we have collaborated with artist Hisham Echafaki to create specific artworks for the facade of the new building.
A series of festive panels illustrate different postal boxes through the years and pays tribute to many art movements from Art Nouveau, Art Deco to Pop Art and more.
In parallel, Hisham Echafaki integrated messages about the acceleration of the fauna extinction ( from trophy hunting to the increased plastic pollution).
The last panel represents bees taking over a postal box and launching an S.O.S.
The Musee de la Poste will open to the public on 23 November.
London based artist Hisham Echafaki is currently exhibiting a new series of large scale multidimensional paintings at The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles.
Continuing to push the limits, the trompe l’oeil effects are so intricately done, that the eyes can be deceiving in believing these are real insects, butterflies and dragonfly. But, no , the visual effect are the results of a long and detailed process of acrylic paint and layers of resin. Even a closer look can leave the visitors puzzled as to whether these specimen really exist.
Playing with depth, iridescence and transparence, Hisham Echafaki imaginary creatures seem to be floating in space. A magical moment not to be missed.
Hisham Echafaki
The Other Art Fair – Los Angeles
Booth 95
The Magic Box – The Reef
Los Angeles 90015 CA
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