Tag Archives: Art

Yasmin Müller, Copia : Modern disbelief

Posted on by

Yasmin Müller

Copia : Modern disbelief

Exhibition dates: 5th October – 10th November, 2012
Opening hours: Tue – Fri 11-6, Sat 11-3 or by appointment

Maria Stenfors is proud to present ‘Copia: Modern disbelief’, Yasmin Müller’s second solo presentation at the gallery. The installation is embodied in the title word copia, meaning a mass, copiousness, and also a wealth of knowledge and ideas.

Like an expanse of open ocean, constantly shifting in shape and unquantifiable, multiple abstract light patterns fill the volume of the room, continuously moving focus from artwork to room. A confusing and disorientating space, that is darkened and unknown, illuminated in passing moments. These light shapes create an endless moving mass, a copious pattern that conducts the perception.

Central in the space are two geometrically shaped sculptures, erected like columns. These columns and piercings of light are Müller’s reconfiguration of razzle dazzle, a pattern created by Norman Wilkinson and utilised by 20th century warfare engineering. Designed not so much to camouflage but to disorientate, it blurs the perception of depth, contour and edge. it doesn’t hide, but is more of a visual disruption, making it impossible to estimate size and shape.

Placed throughout the installation are objects of pictorial chaos plucked from the everyday images of modern life and cultural trends, copies of copies, an evolution of the original, and all framed and constrained by hard minimalist shapes: exquisitely angled diamonds and sharp edged lightboxes. Familiar patterns merge with common place fashion styles confined by geometrically perfect dimensions, as seen in the clothing of the figurative lightbox images, and visual emblems like the parrot, featured on multiple canvases, each copy being an evolution, a mutation of the former, allowing the copy to perhaps stand stronger than the original.

Yasmin Muller was born in 1977, studied at the Staatliche Akademie der bildenden Künste Karlsruhe, and lives and works in Berlin.

Maria Stenfors, Unit 10, 21 Wren Street, London WC1 0HF

Sure Maximum Protection statue blogger challenge

Posted on by

Sure Maximum Protection has revealed that out of 640 official statues in the UK, only a measly 15 per cent of them represent women!

So they invited me to take part in a bloggers challenge. They asked me to put creative skills to the test to customise the ultimate female statue.

Years ago I won a number of art competitions and have always loved drawing. I have been too busy to keep this up and also never really did paint. I have always been creative though so I took the kit that was sent to me and got to work.

I immediately made a few mistakes but managed to recover well. I am annoyed at myself for allowing my creative skills to get rusty but I just decide to paint away and go where the artistic mood took me.

In the end I have a futuristic female statue. My statue has traits that I love in my fellow women: elegant, strong, caring, ambitious, smart, fashionable, individuality.

 

She’s different and cool.. She’s not perfect (blame her creator) but she carries it well and is all the better for it. She has kick-ass red lipstick and smile. What else could she possible need?

 

 

London Art Fair Returns

Posted on by

London Art Fair, the UK’s largest art fair for Modern British and contemporary art will return to the Business Design Centre, Islington, between 16 and 20 January 2013. The 25th London Art Fair will feature galleries presenting the great names of the 20th century as well as exceptional recent works from established artists and emerging talent.

 

 

Highlights will include:

 

Main Fair

Galleries from across the UK and overseas will exhibit work by artists covering the period from the early 20th Century to the present day. Museum quality Modern British art will be presented alongside contemporary work from the best leading and emerging artists.

 

Art Projects

Established as one of the most exciting sections of the Fair, Art Projects captures a snapshot of the current practice and concerns of contemporary artists.

 

Art Projects is a curated showcase of the freshest contemporary art from across the globe and will feature large-scale installations, solo shows and group displays from selected galleries.

The Art Projects Film Programme will host a selection of experimental film and video work.

 

Photo50

A showcase for contemporary photography that highlights the richness and diversity of photography today, Photo50 will feature 50 works presented in an exhibition curated by Nick Hackworth of Paradise Row Gallery.

 

 

London Art Fair tickets will be on sale at £12 (plus £1.50 booking fee) in advance, including a copy of the 2013 Fair Guide (to be collected at the Fair). Tickets on the door are £16.

 

For a full list of galleries and the latest London Art Fair news visit: www.londonartfair.co.uk

Stonehenge replica made entirely from scrap cars installed on London’s Southbank

Posted on by

ŠKODA presents CITIHENGE

Stonehenge replica made entirely from scrap cars installed on London’s Southbank

· Ambitious Stonehenge replica launches ŠKODA’s new Citigo model

· Installation provides an urban meeting point to mark Summer Solstice

Car giant ŠKODA has installed a unique replica of Wiltshire’s iconic Stonehenge – made entirely from recycled car parts – on London’s Southbank.

The sculpture has been specially positioned to sit on little known ley lines and is set to become one of the key talking points in the capital this summer…

With the new car as its centrepiece, the audacious piece of automotive art dubbed ‘Citihenge’ by the makers, was specially commissioned to celebrate the launch of the ŠKODA Citigo.

Citihenge, led by sculptor Tommy Gun, took a design team three months to create. The ambitious piece of art, built using 18 scrap cars, stands at over five metres tall. Each henge is five metres wide and the commanding structure weighs a remarkable 36 tonnes.

Gun, a self-taught artist who specialises in big sculptures often made from machine parts, has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show and The Grand Designs Show, Olympia, and was commissioned to produce a sculpture for the Tour de France. The installation is the latest in a series of cultural creative projects undertaken by ŠKODA, which has included giant cakes, a car in a cage and collaborations with musicians Anastacia and DJ Tiësto.

Tommy Gun, sculptor says: “The Citihenge project has been the most amazing challenge. Stonehenge is a huge, iconic structure and the Citihenge replica is too. It is made entirely from old car parts, which taps into my own childhood growing up on a farm where I used to love building and creating things with pieces of discarded machinery.”

Citigo re-defines what’s possible with a city car – small exterior dimensions yet exceptional interior space offering ample space for four adults. Great manoeuvrability, exceptional comfort and safety with high levels of equipment, Citigo has been designed to deal with almost anything life can throw at it.

PANTONE UNIVERSE Art

Posted on by

We think these PANTONE UNIVERSE Art are cute and fresh. A perfect way to update your home with some art.

PANTONE UNIVERSE Art launches to July 2012.

 The ready to hang and highly collectable prints are the new ‘must have’ item for the style conscious home owner.

 The PANTONE colour system has been used by designers for the last 45 years as the most reliable system for matching colours. Now everybody can choose the colours that say most about them and their personality.

 The new collection has been created by art publishing company, Artbrand, based on an exclusive license deal with Pantone Universe™.

 PANTONE UNIVERSE Art will be available to buy directly at www.pantone-art.com from July 2012.

London Artist Makes ‘Top 10’ In Harley-Davidson Art Competition

Posted on by

UK Artist From London Makes ‘Top 10’ In Harley-Davidson Art Of Custom Competition

Fans urged to vote for the UK’s shortlisted entry

Harley-Davidson®, the world’s most iconic motorcycle brand renowned for its rich heritage in customisation and self-expression, has announced that UK artist, Christopher Hollands’s ‘Graffiti Tank’ design has been officially shortlisted into the ‘Top 10’ of the brand’s Art of Custom competition, which has searched for inspirational new art to appear on bespoke Harley-Davidson fuel tanks.

The competition received over 2,000 entries from 16 countries including the UK, Spain, France, Italy and Germany. Each budding artist downloaded a template of the famous fuel tank and got to work bringing their interpretation of the Harley-Davidson spirit to life, just as the Harley-Davidson styling team have done for over one hundred years.

Competition finalist, Christopher Hollands said: “Art has always been a passion in my life, especially street art. Although I have no art qualifications, I am an avid fan of graffiti and tattoos. I come from a family of motorcyclists, so to connect my passion here with my artistic skills has brought me great happiness through the Art of Custom competition.”

The judging panel, made up of Harley-Davidson styling team members, Ray Drea, Frank Savage and the legendary Willie G Davidson, along with street artist ‘Lebo’, whose art graces the walls and galleries of Wynwood, Miami and Northern-Irish character artist Terry Bradley, had a tough job picking their top 10 favourite designs.

Terry Bradley said of the entries: “We’re over whelmed at the high standard of designs entered. It’s great to see so many people having the freedom to create and express themselves, and what better canvas than the iconic Harley-Davidson tank. The public have a hard job choosing the winner.”

The public now hold the power in deciding who will win ‘Art of Custom 2012’ and receive the prize of a lifetime; their bespoke design re-created on their very own mechanical masterpiece; a Harley-Davidson Sportster. The winner will also visit the home of Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with two runners up to see their tank art displayed at the famous Harley-Davidson Museum.

To vote for your favourite design, visit the Harley-Davidson Digital Tank Wall at www.harley-davidson.com/tankwall before the 1st June. The wall is an online version of the real-life wall housed in the Harley-Davidson Museum and also showcases some of the most iconic designs from the past century including the classic 1971 Willie G. Davidson designed ‘FX Super Glide’ and the 2008 ‘Cross Bones’ which formed the basis for the motorcycle ridden by Captain America in the 2011 Hollywood film.

The winner will be announced in June 2012.

Top Tips To Get an Art Gallery Internship

Posted on by


Getting into the art world can be hard. If you don’t know someone it can even seem impossible. Here are some top tips to get an internship at an art gallery.

Have a niche. Think about what you love the most and specialise in it.

Go to openings. Find out about art openings and socialize with the people there. Get business cards made and hand them out. Know what you are talking about. Art people are notoriously snobby but just win them over with your intelligence and personality.

Follow galleries on Twitter and like them on Facebook. We live in a world of social media. Everybody is contactable. After you have followed your chosen gallery on twitter @ reply to them (mention them or reply to one of their tweets) or retweet a few of their tweets. Flattery gets you everywhere. Making contacts with people and letting them know about you will pay dividends. It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease!

Write letters to people. People actually love helping other people and older people are always hungry to pass on their knowledge. People love mentoring. After you have made one connection they will pass you in to someone else, who will pass you on…you get the picture. Write a brief, concise letter explaining who you are and what you want on good stationary. Don’t get upset if no one responds, just take every ‘no’ as a step toward ‘yes’.

Have a list of galleries you are interested in. If you can’t get in straight away ask about their employee’s holidays or maternity leave. They will be impressed by your eagerness and think of you next time they need a temp.

Good luck!

Top Art Fairs

Posted on by

If you love art you are probably going to want to go to as many exhibitions and art fairs as possible. The more art you see, the better your ‘eye’ will get and the more you will learn. There is so much art out there it’s hard to know where to begin.

If you really love art it’s worth taking a trip to London. October in London is art season. Art fair after art fair happens. I have visited Art London every year for the past four years, ditto with the Frieze Art Fair. Champagne, art, people watching. So much fun to be had. There is also the and that is just scratching the surface. You are spoilt for choice in London.

Frieze. Established in 2003. It takes place in London’s Regent Park every October. Frieze also has it’s own magazine There is also the Frieze in New York which will feature art from approximately 170 of the most exciting contemporary art galleries. It is massive. Almost impossible to do all in one day. Unless you make a day of it and have lunch there.

British Art Fair runs 12 – 16 September at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London. Champions Modern British art.

London Art Fair takes place 18-22 of January every year (all of the art fairs are every year, sometimes twice.)

Art London runs 6-10th of October. Art London is at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. I thoroughly recommend it. It is a brilliant art fair. The experience starts before you even step into the marque and there is also free champagne on the first night.

The Affordable Art Fair travels all around the globe.

And two that are not in London:

Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Runs June 14th-17th

The Armory Show, New York

Founded in 2000. Runs March 8-11.