Tag Archives: London

London: Stormzy portrait goes on display at the National Portrait Gallery

December 8, 2019 butterfly

The cover art for Stormzy’s upcoming album has been hung in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The photographic portrait by Mark Mattock is on display in the gallery from December 5 and displays the south London artist holding the Banksy stab-proof vest from his Glastonbury performance with the letters H.I.T.H serving as a crown.

H.I.T.H. stands for Heavy Is The Head, the title of his forthcoming album to be released on 13 December.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1202564073214414848

The stab vest was also visible recently at the Gross Domestic Product pop up shop (featured here) designed by Banksy in Croydon, birth city of Stormzy.

Gross Domestic Product TM Pop up Store

Stormzy at Glastonbury Festival 2019

The Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan commented “Stormzy has undoubtedly had a significant influence on British culture today, both through his music and work with minority groups and young people, and we hope our visitors will enjoy the juxtaposition of this new work with historic paintings of influential figures from the Victorian era, from politicians, royalty and radicals to artists, sporting heroes and singers.”

Auctions

Smashing record of £9.8m for Banksy Devolved Parliament at Sotheby’s London

October 4, 2019 butterfly

Banksy’s painting depicting chimpanzees sitting in parliament has sold for more than £9million at auction, breaking the record price for a work of the elusive British artist.

‘Devolved parliament’, in which chimpanzees replace politician in the House of Commons, measures 4 meters long, making it Banksy’s largest known canvas. Despite being painted in 2009, many commentators have drawn comparisons to current-day politics, and the chaos witnessed in the House of Commons over Brexit.

It was first unveiled as part of the Banksy versus Bristol exhibition in 2009, and was lent to the Bristol Museum earlier this year, marking both the exhibition’s 10th anniversary and Britain’s original planned exit from the EU on 29 March. At the time, Banksy wrote ‘I made this 10 years ago. Bristol museum have just put it back on display to mark Brexit day. Laugh now, but one day no one will be in charge.’

‘Devolved Parliament’ surpassed its estimated price tag of £1.5m to £2m, with the auctioneer declaring ‘history is being made’ at one point during the sale that was being streamed live. After bidding that lasted 13 minutes, the2009 artwork from a private collection sold to loud applause for a hammer price of £8.5m, giving a final price of £9,879,500 ($12.2m) with added fees.

‘Record price for a Banksy painting set at auction tonight. Shame I didn’t own it.’ Banksy wrote on his instagram feed. He added a quote by critic Robert Hugues about the value of artworks: ‘ The price of a work of art is now part of its function, its new job is to sit on a wall and get more expensive. Instead of being the common property of humankind the way a book is, art becomes the particular property of someone who can afford it.’

Before Thursday ‘s sale, the auction record for Banksy work was £1.4m for ‘Keep it spotless’ which sold at Sotheby’s in New York in 2008. It also comes a year after another Banksy canvas, ‘Girl with Balloon’, shredded itself in front of shocked onlookers at Sotheby’s auction just as it was sold.

Watch the live stream of the bidding here

London

London: Kaws – Black Out at Skarstedt

October 3, 2019 butterfly

KAWS just opened a new solo exhibition called ‘BLACK OUT’ at Skarstedt in London. Featuring a series of ten new abstract paintings and two new sculptures. BLACKOUT coincides with KAWS: COMPANIONSHIP IN THE AGE OF LONELINESS at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, which follows a further solo presentation, ALONE AGAIN, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. This exhibition continues to further explore the emotional content of the artist’s work.

While retaining his colourful acrylic palette, the abstract compositions within his paintings contain figurative elements that suggest traps, pathways, bridges and boundaries. This imagery alludes to the artist’s underlying concern about the divisions within and across societies. He reminds us that despite living in a time of connectivity and constant communication we are separated by the toxic nature of current political and public discourse that also permeates social media.

With the sculptures KAWS uses two of his characters to convey opposing human attitudes.

In SHARE, the Companion is secure and looks outward, holding but not attached to the toy in its hand. KAWS’ figures, as ever, poignantly reveal to us the human condition in the contemporary world and also offer an alternative way of being.

In the sculpture TAKE, the BFF holds a child Companion defensively, pulling it back in a gesture of mistrust as if to prevent someone else from touching it; the child cowed looks to the ground, the fear is transferred.

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KAWS – BLACK OUT
Skarstedt

Until 9 November 2019

London, Shows

London: Banksy back to the Royal Academy

June 1, 2019 butterfly

Banksy created a new artwork for upcoming The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition that will open to the public on 10 June in London.

Following last year’s participation with ‘Vote to Love’ (covered here) , Banksy created another politically charged artwork about Europe and Brexit.

The artwork features a closed shutter with a ‘Customs’ sign for arrival from the EU.

Looking at the bottom of the shutter, a cheeky stencilled rat stole the T of the ‘KEEP OUT’ sign to use it as a hammer over the padlock that keeps the borders closed.

Above Pics by Tagfinearts & Peter Jones

Vote Love – Banksy’s artwork for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2018

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London: Banksy new artwork supporting Extinction Rebellion protests

April 26, 2019 butterfly

A new Banksy mural appeared in Marble Arch, London to mark the end of the 10 days of climate change protests by Extinction Rebellion activists.

The environmental artwork sprung up on a wall in Marble Arch around the time the demonstrators gathered nearby to celebrate the closing of their spell of disruption in central London. On Sunday Great Thunberg addressed the crowd and the Parliament on climate change issues. Massive Attack also played a concert on the Extinction Rebellion stage.

Although unconfirmed yet, the artwork bears all the marks (location, style and message). The multilayered stencil of the little girl has been used previously by Banksy in his Walled Off Hotel (covered here)