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      in Street Art

      “Proud Little Pyramid” by Adam Nathaniel Furman in Kings Cross, England

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      As Pride month draws to a close, King’s Cross will explode with camp, colour and creativity as British Argentine-Japanese artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman unveils their ‘Proud Little Pyramid’ in Granary Square. Known worldwide for their irreverent architectural creations and infectious love of colour, pattern and ornament, Furman’s ‘Proud Little Pyramid’, which will remain in place throughout the summer, is designed to monumentalise joy during Pride after such a difficult year. The 31ft pyramid, which has communal seating integrated into its base, is designed to act as a beacon in the centre of King’s Cross signposting the entrance to Coal Drops Yard, reinforcing Granary Square’s reputation as a place for people to meet and come together.During the six-month residency – their first for a destination – Furman will use King’s Cross as a creative playground, delivering multiple ‘fabulous’ artworks across the site as well as a series of pop-up retail experiences, in person and virtual events. Furman will also launch and co-judge the destination’s first annual poster competition in the run up to London Design Festival which would be open to all with a prize value of £2,500 for the winning entry.  Up to 60 posters from the competition would be showcased during the autumn in the Outside Art Project, an outdoor gallery spread across King’s Cross.King’s Cross has built a reputation as a London arts and culture destination, using its public spaces and buildings to showcase artworks from a huge variety of artists and sculptors such as Eva Rothschild and Tess Jaray, street artists such as Andy Leek and Rana Begum, and painter and curator Rashid Araeen.“King’s Cross has been the backdrop for so much of my life – I have learnt, loved and laughed here. In the 90s I was regular at iconic nightclubs The Cross & the Scala and later a student and then teacher at Central St Martins. Whilst I have taken inspiration for my residency from King’s Cross’ recent queer history from the 80s through to the early 2000s, I have also looked back to London’s Victorian heritage in which dramatic monuments of all sizes, from water fountains and public loos, to tube stations, memorials and town halls  brought accessible decorative art to  public spaces. I want to make history – and its complexity- instantly present and fun. And the opportunity to use this vast and striking space – once my playground, now my canvas – is beyond thrilling.” Furman exlplains.Anthea Harries, Head of Assets for King’s Cross, comments “We are proud to be working with Adam Nathaniel Furman as our latest Artist in Residence. At King’s Cross we are committed to delivering outstanding places, and art is a fundamental part of that. We have been working with artists to create installations at King’s Cross for 15 years now and the site is home to numerous spectacular pieces that act as orientation points for meeting friends and loved ones, as well as to interact and play with. Now more than ever we need to bring as much joy and opportunity to everyday life as possible, and King’s Cross remains the ideal backdrop for embracing these simple pleasures and looking forward to the future with optimism.”Photo credits: John Nguyen/PA Wire More

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      in Street Art

      “Revenge Body” by Emma Stern at Carl Kostyál Gallery, London

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      Carl Kostyál London is proud to present Revenge Body, Emma Stern’s first solo show with the gallery. The exhibition is open from 13th May to 12th June 2021.Borrowing from the visual vocabulary of online niche subcultures such as fursonas, fandom and 3D erotica, Stern plays with the quasi-pornographic representation of women in the virtual world, combining traditional painterly techniques such as monochromatic underpainting and chiaroscuro with virtual 3D programmes and modelling to create eerily anonymous, finely-worked ‘portraits’, reclaiming these man-made avatars for the female domain.“What my work is most critical of is the inherent inclination toward pornographic (or at least porn-adjacent) representations of women throughout cyberspace. As our virtual selves become ever-more inextricable from our physical selves, I’m interested in how the preferences of the programmers are imposed on virtual female bodies within the largely male-dominated arena of software and technology.” – Emma Stern in conversation with Evan Malachosky, Cool Hunting, 2019.“There are recurring female archetypes that appear all throughout history but are especially pronounced in the world of 3d fandom and pornography: the cheerleader, the cowgirl, the pin-up girl, the bimbo, the secretary, the girl next door… and then when you start involving all these niche internet/gamer subcultures, you get these fantasy elements and wind up with the slutty elf, sexy centaur, the warrior princess and so on. All these characters are recognisable even if you’ve never seen them before, so they have their own narratives in a way, because they are archetypal.” –Emma Stern, De:Formal, 2020.Emma Stern (b. 1992) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute’s School of Painting. Her recent solo shows include ‘Slow Fade’, The Newsstand Project, Los Angeles (2020); ‘Works’, Jorge Andrew Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2017); ‘Tabs’, Stream Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2015). Stern has an upcoming solo show at Carl Kostyál, Stockholm in November 2021.Recent group shows include ‘Stockholm Sessions’, Carl Kostyál, Stockholm (2021); ‘Resting Point of Accommodation’, Almine Rech, Brussels (2021); ‘The Artist is Online’, Konig Gallery, Berlin (2021); ‘Friend Zone’, Half Gallery, New York (2021); ‘06’, PM/AM, London (2020); ‘Escapism’, Meredith Rosen Gallery, New York (2020) and ‘American Woman’, Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens, Greece (2020).Check out below for more images of “Revenge Body”Fiona, 2020. 3D printed PLA plastic, pearlescent acrylic enamel paint, clearcoat laquer.Erowid + Emily, 2020. Oil on canvas.Gabbi (Flexing) 2, 2020. Oil on canvas.Nina, 2020. Oil on canvas.Jess 2, 2020. Oil on canvas.Emily and Fiona 1, 2020. Oil on canvas. More

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      in Exhibitions

      SOS – Dscreet

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      SOS is a new body of work from Australian artist, Dscreet. The well-toured owl lover previously painted extensively in London, as part of the infamous Burning candy Crew, a collective that included artists such as Cept, Pegs, Sweet Toof, Cyclops, Tek33, and occasionally SickBoy. Now repatriated in his home country and forced to spend hours alone during Melbourne’s draconian lockdown, drunkenly trawling Tinder, Dscreet finally put down his phone and picked up a paintbrush, putting the many bottles of booze he’d drained to better use. This is the result.
      SOS – Dscreet‘I spent a lot of time in isolation walking around alone, first depressed, then I found a way tolook at things differently.’‘The world was upside down so it was time to discover new places to keep my mindoccupied. To find new uses for the detritus in my brain and on the streets. This city becamea strange jail with one hour of outdoor time to breathe, no painting and no surfing allowed,few outlets for anyone like me who funnels freedom into my art. I felt like we were allsharing a special kind of crazy. At first I began to go a little insane, listening to the media,trying to make sense of it all, trying to deny my relative misery, but there were a lot ofconflicting stories coming out, no-one really knew what was going on. I meditated, didyoga, breathwork, exercise and then drank a lot of alcohol. I felt the same conflicting storyin myself, trying to stay healthy and positive then destroying the good work with the polaropposite force. Somehow a balance evolved, staring into the empty bottles, I decided toput them to good use and decorate them with the profound lyrics of those who have beendrunk and isolated before me, after all, many of us creative types spend even the mostnormal times in isolation, sometimes confused and conflicted. Sometimes there’s thosemoments of clarity at the end of a cycle.’‘In memoriam to my personal journey, through the schizophrenic stasis of the world, eachof these painted bottles represents a piece of my creative therapy and struggle throughlockdown. The other pieces represent found objects and prose I’ve salvaged from personalhikes through the streets and wilderness and songlists. The surfboard is a monument tothose opposing forces that keep clashing in the media and in our minds, ready to flowbackwards or forwards, I reached an acceptance that nothing can be taken for grantedanymore and nothing is absolute. I’m happy to be sober and surfing and painting again.’– DSCREETView the full catalogue here.COLLECTOR ENQUIRIES: [email protected]@backwoods.gallery@dscreetsheet
      SOS – Dscreet More

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      in Art

      Cloaked in Neon, Tate Britain Celebrates Diwali Through an Eclectic Technicolor Installation

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      Art

      #installation
      #light
      #London
      #neon
      #pop culture
      #public art
      #religion

      November 16, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Remembering a Brave New World.” All images © Chila Kumari Singh Burman, courtesy of Tate Britain
      A new installation by artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman masks the stately columns and ornate flourishes of Tate Britain’s facade, enveloping the London museum in a blanket of neon. In “Remembering a Brave New World,” technicolor symbols, pop culture references, and religious iconography transform the neoclassical structure into an illuminated space for celebration. The public artwork was revealed on December 14 to coincide with the start of Diwali, the five-day Indian festival of lights, and casts a kaleidoscopic glow on the surrounding area.
      The eclectic collection draws on Punjabi Liverpudlian artist’s own life and family history, which manifests in pieces like the multi-colored ice cream truck. After moving to England, her father purchased one of the vehicles, an experience that imprinted her childhood.

      Other elements focus on the United Kingdom’s history of imperialism: the Britannia figure at the building’s apex, for example, is camouflaged with Kali, the Hindu goddess of liberation and power, while the lower region features Rani of Jhansi, the warrior and leader of the Indian resistance against the British in 1857. “It’s important to critique buildings like this because they’re very Eurocentric,” Burman said in an interview with Dezeen. “So, I just thought: why not do something that captures what we’re all going through right now? I felt like it needed a blast of joy and light. And Diwali is about good over evil, about hope, unity and the light at the end of the tunnel.”
      Glowing Hindu deities sprawl across the windows and arches, as well, including Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and purity, and Ganesh, the god of prosperity. The religious figures juxtapose the more playful elements, like a life-sized tiger, peacock, and pair of lips.
      “Remembering a Brave New World” is the fourth annual winter commission by Tate Britain. The public artwork will be on display through the end of January, even while the inner halls of the museum are closed to visitors due to the ongoing pandemic. Follow Burman’s projects that explore questions of power and identity on Instagram.

      #installation
      #light
      #London
      #neon
      #pop culture
      #public art
      #religion

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      in Street Art

      “Airhead” by SHOK-1 IN Hackney, United Kingdom

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      Bristish artist SHOK-1 just worked on a new mural in collaboration with London Mural Festival. The said mural is located in Hackney, United Kingdom. It features SHOK-1’s unique spraypaint X-ray style.

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      A cool blend of street and science, SHOK-1’s artworks have tremendous resonance with a wide range of demographics: from fans of pop culture, contemporary and street arts, to surgeons, radiologists and scientists. Darkly beautiful and packed with subtle layers of intricate detail, X-rays are one of the most difficult subject matters a painter could attempt. SHOK-1 has pioneered cutting-edge freehand techniques using no tape or stencils to render his X-ray style.
      Check out below for more images of “Airhead” More

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      in Street Art

      Coverage: “NOBODY’S BABY” by Austyn Weiner at Carl Kostyál Gallery, London

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      Talented multimedia artist, Austyn Weiner recently opened a new show entitled ‘Nobody’s Baby’ last Monday, October 5th, at Carl Kostyál in London.

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      ‘NOBODY’S BABY’ is about independence; both forced and found. A growing into oneself when longing to grow into another. The desperation and desire for answers that do not exist. ‘NOBODY’S BABY’ is a survey and a celebration of our most primal intuition; survival.

      “Nobody’s Baby” by Austyn Weiner, 2020

      I AM THE BABY⠀I AM NO LONGER THE BABY⠀I FOR SURE AS HELL AIN’T YOUR BABY⠀I AM NOBODY’S BABY⠀With love and resentment – AUSTYN, 2020

      Austyn Weiner is a multimedia artist whose practice denotes and engages a recourse in chaos. Weiner’s practice explores A duality of forces that are influential and abject to the subjective mind; romance, rejection, isolation, and performance. Weiner’s use of charcoal, house paint, crayon, acrylic, oil paint, and oil stick, suggest a disposition of combative struggle and distressed victory.
      Check out below for more photos from the show.

      “Coming Together Whilst I Tear You Apart” by Austyn Weiner, 2020

      “In The Heat The Moment No One Told Me Was A Moment” by Austyn Weiner, 2020

      “In The Heat The Moment No One Told Me Was A Moment” by Austyn Weiner, 2020

      “Best Kept Secret (An Ode To What Happened In That Garage)” by Austyn Weiner, 2020 More

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      in Street Art

      Mural by Mr Cenz in South London

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      London based graffiti artist Mr Cenz just worked on a mural for London Mural Festival that is taking place this September 2020. The breathtaking wall is located on Selhurst Park Stadium – home of the Crystal Palace Football Club. According to Mr Cenz it was an honour to create something special in an area close to his heart and with strong personal connections.

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      Mr Cenz has been scribbling on surfaces since 1988 when he first discovered hip-hop culture and graffiti art. His distinctive work can currently be seen all over the streets of the world, especially in his hometown of London. It features layers of intricate and flowing letterforms, shapes and line work, which are abstracted in a unique and aesthetically pleasing way. His style is full of funk and movement and fuses different skills together such as photorealism, illustration and graffiti letterforms. His work is open to individual interpretation and has been described as “surrealist graffiti art for the soul”.
      Check out below for more photos of his work.

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