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    BodyWork – INSA

    BodyWork is a brand new collection from the UK-based artist INSA – the show opened recently at Oakland Gallery in the town’s Victoria Quarter and runs until Sunday September 5.Held in collaboration with New Brighton Street Art and Motobüro, the multi-space show features new original works including prints, paintings and sculptural pieces.At the centre of the show is a very rare 1968 Lincoln Continental MK3, Cartier Edition, which has been customised by the artist and automotive specialists Motobüro, who oversaw the restoration of the vintage car, which has taken more than six months to complete. Roughly 18 layers of candy paint, metal flake, pearlescent white, lacquer and countless hours sanding for the flawless paint job and then INSA together with sculptor Kristian Movahed created the boot piece transforming this car into a rolling art display.In addition to the Lincoln Continental, BodyWork also includes a Harris Magnum motorbike, treated with as much care and attention to detail as the car, hand-crafted wooden sculptures and light-boxes all featuring INSA’s trademark ‘graffiti fetish’ artwork.Explaining the work in the show, INSA said: “Maybe it’s lockdown or maybe it’s the fact I’ve mainly been working in the digital/public space for the last few years that for this exhibition I really wanted to make some physically tangible pieces. I wanted to enjoy the craft and hard work of making real things. To bring together my past commentary on identity, commodification and object fetishism with an appreciation of the material within it. Extracting the material from materialism. As simple as enjoying the wood of the surfboard or the metal of the car – the bodywork of physical labour.”Robert Jones, creative director of New Brighton Street Art added: “We are delighted to have been able to work with INSA on this important and significant show, which brings together some truly innovative and ground-breaking content. It not only cements our collaboration and relationship with one of the leading exponents of contemporary art, but also acknowledges New Brighton’s status as a credible and creative destination.”A graduate of Goldsmith’s, London, INSA established his art career more than 20 years ago as a graffiti writer. In 2004 he rejected the traditional graffiti style and began painting the instantly recognisable high heel shoe. Graffiti Fetish went on to appear on buildings around the world from LA to Lagos. It also appeared on luxury items including designer footwear, clothing and bespoke interiors.Always keen to push boundaries and innovate further, INSA has gained a huge following for his work globally, and which he has expanded through his recent experiments with social and digital media as well as product collaborations with brands including Nike. His work is held in the V&A permanent collection, and has also been presented at Tate Britain, London.www.instagram.com/insa_gramwww.oaklandgallery.co.ukwww.gif-iti.com More

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    “CONVECTIVE MOTIONS” by Gola Hundun in Milan, Italy

    Italian artist Gola Hundun just recently finished his latest mural in Milan, Italy during  the INNESCHI Festival. The project is dedicated to the universal cyclic movement. The composition starts from a central element, identified as cosmic energy, a solar force that unravels centrifugally.Leaves are painted as if they were part of a fire explosion, following and growing the movement which consequently generates new ones, involving other celestial bodies, represented on the contiguous facades, symbolically returning towards the central sun in a perpetual cyclical movement. The three stars represent the three circles of the Celtic Triskele.The motion represented overcomes its two-dimensionality and becomes real, physical and tangible through the call of the avifauna, invited to take part in the universal movement through the installation of clay nests I realized with the citizens of Vimodrone according to the needs of the species of birds of the area indicated by LIPU Milano.The whole composition includes some endemic plants (useful for insects) and some grass, bushes, hornbeams, dogwoods, hazels, hawthorns and an English oak placed in axis with the tree painted on the wall. The tree of life represented is the same you can find into monotheistic or rather pagan religions. The two trees will be set in two movement: the painted one will be crystallized where as the real tree will grow up inexorably.The mural will be gradually hidden by the vegetation growing that will be set as a curtain – representing the time. The artwork can be put itself into the eternal cycle of life, hence it can not be defined as done, due to its vulnerability to the universal movement of existence.Gola Hundun’s work shows the relationship between human beings and the biosphere. This consideration combined with the conscious decision to live as a vegetarian since the age of 16, positions the artist and his work closer to both the animal and human spheres. He explores themes such as interspecies communication, shamanism, ecology, a return to the earth, vegetarianism, and spirituality.Check out below for more photos of “Convective Motions”. More

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    “Shirt Mask SOW03” by Nuno Viegas in Lisbon, Portugal

    Portuguese artist Nuno Viegas have recently created a mural for Muro Festival in Lisbon. Muro Festiva is an  event by Galeria De Arte Urbana which added a huge amount of new giant murals to the capital of Portugal in the area of Parque das Nações.For this wall measuring 36 x 7 meters, Nuno Viegas experimented playing with the throwies in the background to give it another pop to his work.Nuno Viegas, also known as Metis, is a Portuguese artist and founder of the Policromia Crew art collective, who began his artistic journey with graffiti in 1999. His work presents us with a contrast between the visually aggressive and sometimes dirty reality of traditional graffiti, and his own peaceful and clean representation of that same reality. The approach to this theme stands as a continuous tribute to all those who dedicate part of their lives to this art form: graffiti writers who keep tradition alive in a time where the definition of graffiti tends to be blurred and mixed with street art. Since 2016 he has been a constant presence in the international urban art scene, working on a variety of projects and showing his work on walls and in art galleries across the globe.Take a look below for more photos of “Shirt Mask SOW03” More

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    New Murals by David de la Mano in Paris, France

    Street artist David de la Mano have recently worked on two small murals located in the Batignolles area in district 17 of Paris. This project was conceived after his last exhibition “Intemperie” at the Galerie Itinerrance. He was invited by the Paris-based curator Olivier Landes, who also conceived the Rouen Impressionnée festival in 2020.As an alternative to the raise of big scale muralism, the project aims to bring on site-specific urban art pieces, based on the fusion with architecture and urban micro landscapes. In his unique black monochromatic style, David imagined two great pieces of his enigmatic characters, fitting with this XIX-century Parisian architecture and its cracks.David de la Mano is a Spanish contemporary artist best known for his stunning murals often depicting silhouettes. Through a minimalist style, characterised by the monochromatic use of black, David de la Mano is able to create extremely poetic artworks, a symbolic reflection on humankind.Check out below for more photos of the project. Photo credits: Olivier Landes & David de la Mano More

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    Mural by SNIK in Aberdeen, Scotland

    Stencil art duo, SNIK have recently collaborated with Nuart Aberdeen Summer’s third project in this year’s residency programme. Nuart and SNIK have developed a fabulously creative and productive relationship over the last few years. This will be the second visit to Nuart Aberdeen having joined the event in 2018 where they produced the now landmark “Hold Fast Hope” mural.This years theme of “Re-Connecting” is marked by inviting several artists back to the city, a literal attempt to connect artists back to Aberdeen but also to connect citizens back to a post pandemic public space. This particular work, is a companion piece to a similar sister mural in Stavanger, also twinned with Aberdeen. Extending this idea of “re-connection” back across the North Sea.The bridge that the work is produced on connects Union Street, the city’s main high street, to Aberdeen Market, a much maligned building that is now scheduled for demolition and redevelopment. SNIK’s recent body of work has employed and embraced the idea of the ephemeral, something we know all too well in this culture. Soon the physical bridge, the market and artwork will all be gone.What’s left will be the memories of this production, the memories of the art, its digital legacy but also carried in the memory of everyone who either worked on the project or had the pleasure of experiencing it. How it haunts the new development, we’ve yet to find out, but hopefully, in the short time of its existence, it finds a way to connect the past with the future in interesting ways, much like the bridge itself.Snik is an artist duo based in Stamford, UK. Specialising in hand-cut stencil art. As two of the most progressive artists of their kind. Despite of digital techniques, Snik as a male and female partnership always remained true to the origins of their craft with complex, multi-layered and hand cut stencils. The commitment to the discipline’s heritage and their aesthetic of frozen scenes of dynamic action makes their work instantly recognisable. Their art focuses on the conventional and commonplace, such as tangled strands of hair or the textures and folds found on certain fabrics. Their focus on the ordinary elevates the subtle aspects to hint a deeper meaning.Scroll down below for more photos of SNIK’s masterpiece. Photo credite: Clake Joss Photography More

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    “Unique Characters” by Mahn Kloix in Poitiers, France

    French artist Mahn Kloix just worked on his latest project “Unique Characters”. “Unique Characters” is an exploration project of the neighborhood of Belair, Poitiers. A total of 10 building facades supported murals showcasing portraits of selected inhabitants.Belair, Poitiers is a  suburban neighborhood in a city province of 90,000 inhabitants — building bars backing onto the airport, immaculate facades, an underprivileged population. The neighborhood is a key player in this region, creator of social links, cultural agitator and driving force of the daily life of the residents.The subjects of the portraits in this project were chosen by the inhabitants themselves. With the support of the team from the social center, which knows the neighborhood well, the residents were asked to vote for those whose portrait they would like to see on their walls. In the end, about fifteen inhabitants were picked with a range of ages, genders and of origins.During the photoshoot, the models were captured on the spot by photographer Mugur Enea. The residents conveyed their characters through different expressions – sweet, loving, combative, proud, happy… Some of the residents over 80 years old participated in their first shoot. Odette, aged 85, even asked the team to play her some music because she wanted to dance.Mahn dives back into this photographic material to conceptualize and work on his murals with graphite mine. The portraits were done with strong freehand lines.Mahn Kloix originally began painting in urban spaces in New York City. Heavily influenced by the street art scene, Kloix’s contemporary fluid and free figuration is also expressed on canvas and paper. He pays tribute to young protesters in Istanbul, Tunisia, and Athens by conveying their similarities in his works. Their portraits are a leitmotif to highlight human and environmental struggles.Between a communist grandfather and parents who were staunch, active union members, Mahn Kloix grew up in a family of activists, motivated by the major combats of the social Left. Despite the card-carrying activism hovering over his head, the young man himself would choose a path where there was no party, but just as much commitment — artistic creation. More

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    “Eau de Loire” by Taquen in Gien, France

    Spanish artist Taquen recently worked on a new mural in Gien, France. The mural entitled “Eau de Loire” is located on a 1, 400 meter square water tank which is one of the many that can be seen in the commune of Gien, flat lands that need high places to store the water and be able to distribute it. These towers rise to more than 35m in height. This project is curated and managed by Urban Art Agency during the Label Valette Festival in Gien, France.Water has always been synonymous with life. The human being developed the first civilizations along great rivers. The city of Gien is located on the banks of the Loire River, the second most important in France, where ospreys, common terns or gray herons are some of the many species that coexist, live and take advantage of its resources, such as the inhabitants of Gien.A mural that does not end, that rotates, an infinite cycle. No beginning or end.Taquen ia an artist based in Madrid, he graduated in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid. Interested in changes, movement and the relationship between human beings and the environment during this process. He perceives urban art as a tool for positive transformation and social cohesion, understanding space as something shared and that we must respect.Check out below for more photos of the impressive “Eau de Loire”. More

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    “Changing Tides” by Aaron Li-Hill in Annecy, France

    Canadian artist Aaron Li-Hill had recently gone to Annecy, France for his latest project entitled “Changing Tides”. The art installation was done in collaboration with Art By Friends for Annecy Passage Art Festival.With a global rise in temperatures, civil conflicts, inequality, and insecurity, the UNHCR has recorded the number of displaced persons at an all-time high for the past decade. The Alps region where Annecy is located is far from untouched; from glaciers losing mass more quickly than at any point in history, to people risking their lives to cross the massive geological barrier. Neptune, the god of the sea, becomes an apt vessel when speaking about the struggles facing so many peoples on the planet, as the earth’s water cycle is in flux.The imagery for this installation was created with the help of Adoma, an organization helping people in difficulty to find housing. Through them, I was able to meet the model for the bust of this image, one of many who travelled over desert, sea and mountain to arrive in France. Reinterpreting one of the most classical depictions of Neptune that sits in the Louvre by Antoine Coysevox, this installation reimagines power and possibility.Li-Hill is an artist who implements painting, illustration, stenciling, and sculptural elements to his works. Through the western perspective, Li-Hill’s works attempts to decrypt the complexities of rapid development in the modern age and points towards the devastating effects of capitalism on the essence of the individual.He incorporates found objects and unconventional materials to structure complex multi-layered pieces that are as aesthetic as they are thought provoking. Li-Hill possesses a BFA from OCAD and has travelled and shown in countries such as Australia, Thailand, Myanmar, Mexico and China.Check out below for more images of “Changing Tides”. More