Tag Archives: Paris

Paris: Banksy Bataclan Tribute

July 6, 2018 butterfly 2 Comments

Continuing his Paris invasion, Banksy chose a poignant subject and spot on location.
A new stencil appeared on the exit door of the Bataclan theatre in the 11th district of Paris.

Extremely strong symbolic as it is this exact exit door where victims of terrorist attacks tried to escaped during mass shooting on 13 November 2015, leaving 89 dead and over 300 injured.

Painted on the black background of the exit door, a white stencil features a woman with a lace veil, which gives a mystical and protective aura like a Madonna.

Her face is inspired by a marble sculpture by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Lombardi from 1869.
She is dressed in a uniform , reminiscent of the rescuers that did everything to save the victims that night.

veiled woman by giovanni battista lombardi

©Francois Lafite

The mourning woman is holding some files in one hand, maybe the victims reports and a delicate lace handkerchief on the other.

Using just a monochrome stencil, Banksy creates a strong moving memorial to the victims of terrorism in Paris, as well as a big up to the rescuer teams.

For further updates on Banksy in Paris check here

Paris, streets

Paris: Banksy for World Refugee Day

June 22, 2018 butterfly 2 Comments

A new mural appeared in the streets of Paris . A black and white stencilled little girl standing on a wooden palette is painting a pink wallpaper over a Nazi cross.

It bears all the tales of Banksy. Timing and locations are key: It’s world Refugee Day and the artwork is located on the wall of dismantled refugee camp in the north of Paris.

It’s the first time that Banksy paints in Paris

The image is reminiscent of his 2009 artwork ‘Go flock yourself’, with the same wallpaper pattern.

The little girl is homeless as shown with her teddy bear and duvet stencilled on the lower part of the wall. Banksy continues to fight against xenophobia and continue to raise awareness about the refugee crisis.

Stay tuned for more Banksy news to come…

Paris, Shows

Paris: Miss Van Retrospective at Galerie Openspace

June 8, 2018 butterfly

OpenSpace Gallery in Paris is paying tribute to leading female urban contemporary artist Miss Van with a special Retrospective. The exhibition, curated by Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus presents more than 90 works from 2003 to today, and is running until June 14th.

Spanning across 15 years, the exhibition showcases her prolific body of works on paper, wood, and canvas. It’s quite an emotional journey which present her incessant sources of inspiration and Miss Van’s signature female characters set in diverse oniric situations.

Upon entering the gallery, early works with acrylic on canvas, are featured along side the most recent oil paintings Gitanas series.

Key highlights include her little madonnas or ‘Virgen’, Princessas, Bailerinas, Twinkle, a room dedicated to circus with artworks from here 2008 ‘Still Little Magic’ series, as well as the ‘Atame’ painting who graced the cover of the Juxtapoz magazine.

On the lower ground space hosts the ‘Hypnotic flower’, a wooden installation that was featured at the MOCA in LA in 2011 for Arts in the Streets and her masks series.

The evolution of body of works is simply spectacular. Her lolitas have blossomed into sensual Gitanas with a stunning colour palette and precision of the brushstrokes.

View the full set of pics here

Miss Van Retrospective
Until 16 June 2018
OpenSpace Gallery
116 Bd Richard Lenoir
75011 Paris

Paris

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

June 2, 2018 butterfly

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Paris, Shows

Paris: Oli Epp ‘Epiphanies’

May 28, 2018 butterfly

Semiose Galerie in Paris is currently showing ‘Epiphanies‘, a solo exhibition by British artist Oli Epp. Born in 1994, Oli Epp is a recent graduate of the City & Guilds of London Art School and has taken the art world by storm. Despite his young age, Oli Epp has already taken part in a series of exhibitions from Australia, Denmark, the US and Spain and has a huge following on social media.

His body of work are inspired by his everyday experiences and observations. Often autobiographical, they share situations that involve the artist and his encounters with a touch of humour.

Using flatness and realism, simplified characters are portrayed with oversized heads, with an absence of facial features, self-absorbed in their post digital age with a focus on their branded items and communication pieces. Oli Epp’s paintings are a visual play between real and digital lives and a satirical representation of human interactions in a world of consumerism and communication.