SHIFT!

a series of art events and exhibitions

curated by Hege Sæbjørnsen

 

Shift! Is the name for a new programme of visual arts exhibitions and events at the artsclub, curated by Hege Sæbjørnsen, who organized The Affluenza Project across Clerkenwell in March this year as well as curating for The Bigger Picture festival of interdependence by think tank New Economics Foundation. ‘Some of the shows will be participatory, an opportunity for socially-engaged and inclusive art, others will be more conventional,’ explains Sæbjørnsen, ‘but the first event is much more interactive!’

 

Shift! presents
The End of The Line
Mon 28/09 //
6pm-1am £5 before 11pm, £8 after

 

Shift! presents The End of The Line on Monday 28 and converts the artsclub into a 360° blank canvas, with freshly-wallpapered surfaces on which artists, illustrators and club-goers can draw. The night happens in collaboration with the creators of Doodle Earth who’ll create an animation for this night, Secret Wars and DebutArt.com (which represents up-and-coming independent artists), but the idea is to create an arts piece that evolves during six weeks after the initial event.

'Secret Wars’ draw-off battle could well inspire the crowd. Secret Wars stages clandestine ‘battles’ between different communities of artists, and they’ll present the draw-off on massive canvases on either side of the stage as two groups go head-to-head in a 90-minute challenge, with audience reaction being measured by decibel meters.
‘It won’t be paint because that gets too messy, but definitely it will be marker pens, and maybe some collage too,’ says Sæbjørnsen. ‘The theme of this exhibition and event is interconnectedness, and sometimes the experience and the engagement in the work is more important than the end product. The point is that people who come along need not just be observers, they can contribute. It’s partly to take away any ideas of ownership, so everyone can take part – though I’m sure we’re going to get lots of penises drawn at the end of the night,’ she laughs, ‘once people have a few drinks.’
Oh, and in case you’re wondering there will be DJs and live music on the night too, including the tapdancing one-man band Mayor McCa.

 

If you are an artist, designer or entertainer engaging with the concerns of SHIFT! we would love to hear from you!
Proposals must be submitted in PDF format no longer than 3 pages. Please include the following details:
• Name & contact info
• Brief Biography / Artists Statement
• Proposal for artwork, exhibition or event
• Images or details of previous related work

contact info (at) hegesaebjornsen (dot) com

 

multi-story

by Sam Wilson

from 5 June - 20 July 2009


 

A set of paintings on pizza boxes, a growing comic strip that has been printed with rubber stamps, a specially made wall painting celebrating 'calmness' and a wall full of photocopied pages of Sam Wilson's comic/zine 'Quiche kebab'. This just about describes the work currently on display at the artsclub.

"I approach my work intuitively and intimately", explains Sam. "The paintings are approached without much of a preconception of a finished result. The canvas is replaced by a pizza box to further individualise an object."

Taken from his small press comics, the stories in multi-story are observed events and thoughts, "mainly from having too much time on my hands" muses Sam. They have different styles - some are drawn more graphicly and others quickly, almost surreal in style.

About 6 years in the making Sam Wilson's work takes over the artsclub for the coming month.

www.wilsonwilson.co.uk

 

Fresh Meat : The First Cut

curated by art students

from Sunday 10 May


Fresh Meat : The First Cut is a creative exhibition run by art students.

The opening night we will see an affordable art sale, new animation screenings, a silent raffle (with amazing prizes, including tshirts and other arty stuff), and a live draw-off from illustrators.

Live music from Sheeps, Arthur Delaney and loads of djs playing anything including motown / rock'n'roll / 90's r'n'b / soul / new wave / 80's pop/indie.

 

Brazilian Record Covers

curated by DJ Cliffy

from Friday 12 December 2008 till January 2009


Batmacumba and Future World Funk head honcho DJ Cliffy has put together a fantastic selection of artwork of Brazilian records covers from the 1960s onwards.

Brazilians are mad about music and Brazil has always at the forefront of the record industry. In 1913 the first factory producing records in Latin America was opened in Rio de Janeiro and when Brazil introduced their first long-play (LP) in 1951 it was only the fourth country to do so (after the USA, England and France). As many of the first records to feature artwork were compilations of various artists record labels preferred to use illustration instead of photography. Hence many of the early albums were conceived by some of the country’s greatest artists of the day including Di Cavalcanti. From the very beginnings of cover artwork in Brazil there was a great emphasis on creativity.

From the first covers of the 1950s right through to the current day graphic artists in Brazil challenged the boundaries and created styles that were unique to the country. Perhaps the most creative period was during the dictatorship which saw the rise of Tropicalismo in the late Sixties. Perhaps the most infamous story is of recording artist Tom Ze who for his album Todos Os Olhos (All the Eyes) insert a marble in his backside and photographed it for the cover of his 1973 album.

This exhibition aims to showcase a broad range of styles of artwork across several decades and various musical genres, from bossa nova to samba, from Tropicalismo to funk. The idea is to give an introduction to the artwork of Brazilian records which is graphically interesting even to someone who has perhaps never even seen a Brazilian record cover before
supported by artvinyl.com
.

Opens Friday 12/12 as part of Batmacumba with DJ Cliffy and a live PA by Sabrina Malheiros (daughter of Alex Malheiros, bassist from legendary Brazilian band Azymuth)

 

Gin & Curiosities

by Robert Rubbish

from Friday 4th July - 5th November 2008

 

 


Robert Rubbish
of Le Gun Magazine and The Rubbishmen of Soho presents his latest solo exhibition of drawings, paintings, prints and artefacts called 'Gin & Curiosities.'

Robert has produced a new body of work that brings together his interests in curiosities, joke shops, facial hair, Victorian Punk revivalism and Gin. On the subject of Gin, the exhibition launching on Friday 4th July with a night of fun, frolics and pink gin, will be endorsed by Dr Hillbutts Gin.

Robert Rubbish is keen to celebrate old-fashioned eccentric ways and places. Historic London is a very inspirational place for his work. His latest obsessions are glitter and 70's cosmic rock band Hawkwind. Particularly the long deleted (and only available on import) 'Quark, Strangeness and Charm' album.

Along with the sparkle and space rock, inspiration for the mish-mash of paintings, drawings, posters and typography of 'Gin & Curiosities' came to Robert during a six-month stint manning a modern day curiosity shop in Hackney in conjunction with Le Gun magazine (Mr Rubbish is also co-editor of said internationally renowned illustrated periodical). To pass the time whilst acting as shopkeeper in 'L H Brown's Shoe Shop of Curiosities', Robert spent many an afternoon soaking his brain in gin and bitter lemon, thinking about future days in his dream holiday destination Belgium, eating oeuf et frites and discussing the artwork of James Ensor with a couple of Smurfs.

'Gin & Curiosities' on display from Friday 4th July is kindly supported by www.sillyjokes.co.uk

 

UK ROCK - POSTER EXPLOSION TOUR

presented by The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company

11 - 23 June 2008

 

UK ROCK - POSTER EXPLOSION TOUR is presented by The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company. This rock art touring poster troupe, which brings the spirit of Haight Street all the way from San Francisco, will be coming to nhac on their way to Glastonbury exhibiting limited edition hand-printed silk screened rock posters. Creators Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan have journeyed through political comics to working for Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedies), the Detroit Cobras , the cover for the official Joe Strummer biography 'Redemption Song' and new album cover art for Turbonegro.

private view and launch 11th June 6-8pm
closing event & workshop 23rd June

 

 

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Art from contemporary Helsinki by EGS and Jani Tolin

04 April - 09 June 2008

EGS and Jani Tolin are two renowned graffiti writers from Helsinki that have known each other and occasionally worked together for 20 years. Although their credentials in the graffiti world are unquestioned they have both managed to translate their personal history and graffiti backgrounds into successful careers in the mainstream art worlds. Both have shown work in galleries across Scandinavia and both have worked at advertising agencies in Finland with great success.

Northern Lights at the nottinghillartsclub sees them not only collaborate together but also fuse their raw graffiti art with a more mainstream multimedia approach. Alongside aerosol art Northern Lights will use video projection, printed canvases and slide projectors to transform the artsclub and show graffiti art in a new light.

www.alfonshelsinki.com

Northern Lights private view 4th April, 6-8pm

 

presents

Guerilla Shrines by Ernesto Muniz

05 March - 01 April 2008

From the streets of Mexico city via British immigration, Ernesto Muniz came to destroy our morality and religion. The super hero of the Anti - Altar is brought to you by Slaginc Gallery

So, Slaginc muses:

We are the gloomy children of the night. Curses they call us in our homes beneath the ground. We drive from home those who have shed the blood of men.

Where is the place, then, where the killer's flight shall end? A place where happiness is nevermore allowed. Now
the House of Justice has collapsed.

There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls. There is advantage in the wisdom won from pain.

I, disinherited, suffering, heavy with anger shall let loose on the land the vindictive poison dripping deadly out of my heart upon the ground; this from itself shall breed cancer, the leafless, the barren to strike, for the right, their low lands and drag its smear of mortal infection on the ground.

In complete honesty I promise you a place of your own, deep hidden under ground that is yours by right where you shall sit on shining chairs beside the hearth to accept devotions offered by your citizens.

Aeschylus "Oresteia"

Slaginc Gallery is... an overstatement. A home for the artistically dispossesed. It's supreme manifestation being the vagrant with the shiny eyes, sacrificing his life to no purpose, wandering the landscape to smear a trail of blood and dirt. To waste is to be free. www.mxski.com

 

LAURA OLDFIELD FORD

from 03 December 2007 - 04 March 2008


Laura Oldfield Ford will show drawings and writing generated by a psychogeographic drift under the Westway. She will be presenting large format Xeroxed posters derived from pages of her zine Savage Messiah. The artist will also be facilitating a drift around the area using a form of subverted cartography and showing films by the Savage Messiah collective.

Savage Messiah has been going since 2005. In it Laura makes drawings and writing about her 'drifts' around London. The zine uses a strong 70's DIY punk aesthetic and Laura persistently returns to the late 1970's, early 1980's at a point of cultural unravelling. The England conjured up in her work is one of socio political upheaval: squat culture, brutalist architecture, Anarcho punk and sentimental pop tunes. Nostalgia as a form of revenge.

"Elevated on concrete stilts the Westway sweeps over the canal. We are edging towards the old Paddington maintenance depot haunted by the sounds of lost acid house parties and the distant reverberations of 1986

Trapped in a confusion of concrete stanchions, light almost green now, the splintered images of a lost trogladite flash up. He was immersed in those underground chambers, a post human sentry, a feral guardian of the last relics of acid culture. Four years since the last party but he held his plot, pink and black paint spanned the walls in Masonic checkerboard formations. He lived wild in those dank corridors scavenging for food like a Ballardian crash victim.

Terra Incognita, this world is hidden from view, defying panoptican mapping,the A-Z shows the Westway slicing through the Paddington rooftops but notthe Jungian shadowscapes beneath. We traverse the sevice roads where vistasopen up. Caravans, security shacks and plastic chairs are taped together in the smell of frying onions. Paddington Central, a greasy rebranding, who listens?

Voices of these hidden worlds reverberate softly on the planners desk, an undercurrent gently pulsating. The meshes of a crumbling infrastructure and the textures of chaos will undermine this north American banalization."

Excerpt from Savage Messiah Westway Issue.

 

NEIL MONTIER
"In Arcania"

03 October - 29th November 2007

 

‘In Arcania’, is an ongoing series by Neil Montier, which explores the modernist preoccupation with the utopian ideal, and its counterpart the dystopian metropolis.
Neil uses bleak landscapes in the form of abandoned wastelands and mountain regions, to house failed architectural monuments in sepia and grain effect. These built structures act as motifs, and stand ominous in stature against their seemingly timeless backdrops.
The architectural element accentuates a legacy of failed urban planning, which once had its goal of creating a utopian society, and which now, has evolved into a place we relate to as being more Dystopic.

In exploring methods that investigate the dialectic between these two perceived spheres of existence; Neil looks to the landscape as a site to question, the slippage that occurs between desiring these futures and being afraid of them.
In the surgical mechanisms offered by digital montage, he has been able to peel away the cities façade, and reinsert certain elements into a barren and unforgiving horizon. The hidden montage effect that reconstructs, as it does reinterpret the space, is imbued with doubts, failure, and loneliness, and the resulting works have an original, abnormal and deviant appearance.

Drawn to dystopian models as a medium to create a dialogue, Neil’s interests span modernist literature, propaganda, manga animation and dystopian cinema. These are used in combination to comment on societies obsession with premeditating the future, and in helping to create new threads in his enquiries.
Inspired by traditional maps and utopic visualizations, (which charter spatial and social perspectives). Neil embarks on quests to utilise new forms of production that enable us to envision societies, and re-think our relation to urban-planning.

www.neilmontier.com

 

 

INKIE:
"Exposed To The Elements"

First London solo show from legendary Bristol graffiti artist Inkie. Featuring new artworks

private view: Monday 2nd July 6-9pm


Influenced by punk rock album graphics and early New York wild style pioneers such as Dondi, Seen & T-Kid, Inkie started out 1983 alongside 3D of Massive Attack fame, Goldie, The Chrome Angels and Nick Walker.

In 1989 he came 2nd to LA in the World Street Art championships beating off fierce competition from New York and all major European countries. Later that year he hit national headlines, when he was arrested along with 72 other writers as the 'Kingpin' in the UK's largest ever graffiti bust 'Operation Anderson'. His arrest, court case and subsequent acquittal (!) was all documented by BBC2 in the programme 'Drawing The Line'.

In the late 1990s Inkie and fellow Bristolian and collaborator Banksy organised the largest ever UK graffiti event, 'Walls On Fire', which pulled together UK's finest street artists to create 1.4 km painting around Bristol's historic docks. Since moving to London, Inkie has become one of the leading graphic designers in the video game industry as well as continuing to contribute to the UK street art scene.

He was featured in and organised the launch exhibition for the Thames & Hudson book 'Graffiti World' and the LA produced worldwide graffiti film 'Bomb It' that premiered at this years Tribeca Film festival to unanimous critical acclaim. More recently he's produced work for Puma, Xbox, Adidas, Levis, Addict, Lovebox and Latitude Festivals. Inkie has also been an integral part of the Shoreditch based Secret Wars collective, soon to take their infamous street art battles to NYC, Europe and Tokyo.

Exposed To The Elements will run at Notting Hill Arts Club for a month starting on Monday 2nd July with a private view from 6-9pm. The show features new paintings on wood/canvas, prints and a light box installation.

www.inkie.co.uk
www.myspace.com/inkie70

 

ROCK DOG

by Pockets
from Tuesday 5th June 2007


The ultimate example of the Wessex Water Hound. The companion of Merlin and fabled guardian of the Philosophers Stone. A living link to the mysticism and megaliths of the ancients.
Timelessness and transience. Permanent, yet fleetingly equipoise.

Whilst the many claims, for canine levitation, remain unproven, the Wessex Water Hound is undoubtedly as comfortable climbing as it is when, famously, diving to retrieve the eel nets of the Somerset fishermen; with an agility matched only (perhaps) by the chamois.

private view:
Wednesday 13th June, 6-9pm

 

CATASTROPHE

by Psapp
from Thursday 8th March 2007


Psapp are two people who make music together out of anything they like the sound of. Their second album, "The Only Thing I Ever Wanted" was released on Domino Records last Summer. Their music's engaging formula of addictive melodies, electronic frolics and found sounds has been busily winning over hearts and minds both here and abroad.

This exhibition showcases the weird and wonderful album artwork, selected drawings, canvasses and objects by Psapp's leading lady Galia Durant. Prepare for the unexpected...and cats. Lots of cats.

http://www.psapp.net

private view: Thursday 8th March, 6-8pm

 

Hey Man Hattan!

drawings by Chris Dent
from Thursday 2nd November 2006

Hey Man Hattan!
is a series of breathtaking mono-drawings by Chris Dent who recently graduated from Camberwell College of Art with a First Class honours degree in Illustration.

Dent found himself at the top of the World Trade Center only four weeks before 9/11 and these drawings represent his personal view of a city which, despite the devastating events of five years ago, continues to grow, obsess, inspire and baffle. He explores the visual beauty of New York City with an artist's keen eye, balancing emotion and energy within his work, and helping to create a sense of freshness and intrigue for which New York City is known.

These scenes from across Manhattan should make us appreciate what many of us have forgotten; that though it has been easy to 'point the finger' and become anti-American, we should never allow such judgements to blind us to the effect this metropolis has on our society. Dent's work has a magical quality that is somehow symbolic of the mood in New York at Xmas and his use of black-and-white focuses the eye on a city known for its colourful history and above all, its life. Visit Dent's website www.hybridbunny.com to appreciate the scale of his work and breath of his vision.

Hey Man Hattan!
opens Thursday 2nd November 2006
private view 6.00-9.00pm

 

 

opening 24th August

Do you remember the first time? What, where and how? Music has always had the power to evoke a sense of time and place like nothing else, recalling a myriad of references and pinpointing moments and emotions as unique as your personal experience. Now EMI, the world's biggest music publishing house lets you own a part of your music history in a unique project that fuses pop culture with the collectability of modern art.

It's Pop It's Art is a series of limited edition screen prints featuring iconic song lyrics from the past four decades. Drawing on the bold legacy of pop art legends Hockney, Ruscha, Warhol, each canvas echoes the power of the chosen lyrics through striking colours and hand drawn original typography. Produced in collaboration with Airside - www.airside.co.uk - the agency famed for their unique vision and winners of numerous prestigious design awards, the initial collection focuses on four lyrics taken from some of the most infamous bands and acts in living memory, including the legendary 'What's Goin' On' by Marvin Gaye.

Gaye's mesmerising lyrics are the perfect launch of It's Pop It's Art, particularly relevant and poignant for new generations living in a world at war. Of their time and relating to his despair at the Vietnam war, the corrupt politics, drug abuse and discrimination of the age, today they capture the international zeitgeist just as they did when Gaye first released the song in 1971.

With just 300 numbered prints of each lyric in 3 different colourways, each screen print gives you the chance to own a piece of pop history. The screen prints will be released in small numbers throughout the year with only a few on sale at any one time. The initial 4 releases will be followed by further culturally significant lyrics from EMI's 1.3 million strong song library, with collaborations from some of the most innovative designers and graphic artists offering their visual interpretations of the classic song.

The appeal of It's Pop It's Art mirrors the allure of the music itself, taking those memories and making them tangible. Cutting across boundaries with vibrant associations and a synergy of music and art culture.

Background information

It's Pop It's Art screen prints measure 1000 x700mm and are printed on 216-gram astrolight paper. The print production is handled by K2, Damien Hirst and the Serpentine Gallery's printers of choice. The song lyrics are drawn from EMI Music Publishing's world famous music catalogue and reproduced with the permission of the writers. Each limited edition numbered screen print retails for £65. www.itspopitsart.com

 

A Haunted Man

opens 19th June 2006

Private View :
Monday 19th June
6-9 pm

Ghosts of an innocent-until-proven-guilty past popular culture plague A Haunted Man. Only he sees the travesty of what went wrong and how it manifests the visual meltdown that is modern culture.

There she blows! is the call of the iconic imagery pirates that sail the seas of A Haunted Man's punk rock propagandized twisted thoughts. As he pillages subcultures and disputes archaic class systems while doubting anarchy, one question pilots his voyage of discovery; Is consumerism the scourge of modern life?

As you delve into the mental holocaust of mass culture, A Haunted Man compels you to ask yourself, do I give to receive? Then he arouses your affection for advertising and a better life.

A Haunted Man knows only the bewitched between realm of reality and monochrome marauding. Ignorance is bliss, believe A Haunted Man you don't want to see or feel their kiss.

A Haunted Man welcomes you with a cheeky grin and invites you to join him taking the piss out of the piss takers.

A HAUNTED MAN
MONDAY 19TH JUNE 2006
6.00 PM - 9.00 PM PRIVATE VIEW
NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB
21 NOTTING HILL GATE LONDON W11 3JQ

For more information please contact:

ahauntedman@hotmail.com

 

le poisson et d'autre chose
A joint project by Marcus Palmqvist
and Frode Fjerdingstad
opens 13th March 2006
A

"Le poisson et d'autre chose" deals with the life of a drifter on the streets of Paris. Roaming endlessly and picking up clues on his path, he pretends that nobody knows who he is nor speaks his language. His only goal for this day is to get hold of a goldfish…

From an ironic point of view, "Le poisson et d'autre chose" questions the male archetype in film. Simultaneously, it is a homage to Film Noir and the Nouvelle Vague of the 60's, that often described the lonely man battling against the strong forces of society. Our aimlessly drifting main character is a clear anti-hero. With inspiration from Duane Michaels photo stories, Cindy Sherman and 60's film aesthetics we have created an environment where the notion of freedom from time and space plays an important role. The photo sequences in this project describes a man in perpetual motion, modulating constantly from one stadium to the next, searching for something that may not exist. The images are everyday situations, laden with connotations of mystery.

This project is Frode and Marcus' third collaboration since graduating LCP. The two previous projects have both been well received and exhibited in a number of galleries in London and published in magazines such as The Guardian Weekend Magazine. Edy Poppy and her husband Tamaien have written texts inspired by the images, without any guidelines or limitations, adding a new point of view.

13.03-13.06.2006


Private View
:
Monday.13th.March
6-8 pm

The show runs until the 13th June

Marcus Palmqvist was born in Borås, Sweden 1976. He studied photography at London College of Printing and in 2001 founded Beachclub. the Scandinavian monthly art showcase in London. In 2004 Marcus started a Swedish artbased magazine called Amjus. He has been practising his photography full time since 2003 and published work in various international magazines such as Dazed and Confused, Crash, The Guardian, Blowup and Fjords. He has had several exhibitions in London, Paris and Stockholm and lives and works as a free-lance photographer in Paris.

Frode Fjerdingstad was born in Oslo in 1975. He studied photography in Oslo and at the London College of Printing. Frode has exhibited his work at the Notting Hill Arts Club, ICA, Fotogalleriet.
He was part of Diesel New Art exhibition in Oslo 2005 and he was a runner up at the National Autumn exhibition in Oslo 2004.He has also conrtibuted to STÆRK, a DVD wich was part of Creative Review, May issue. The DVD was a production of the Norwegian Embassy in London to promote Norwegian Artists in the U.K. He lives and works as a free-lance photographer in Oslo.

Edy Poppy (pseudonym for Ragnhild Moe), grew up on a farm in Bø in Telemark, Norway, but aged seventeen she moved to Montpellier, France, where she met Tamaien, a writer and filmmaker, with whom she has done numerous collaborations. Together they later moved to London where they lived for seven years, before moving to Norway. Edy Poppy and Tamaien have a collective background in theatre, film and art. Edy Poppy has published short stories, essays and poems in English, American and Norwegian literary and art-magazines. "Anatomy. Monotony", her first novel, won the Gyldendal prize for best contemporary love-story, and was published in 2005 to critical acclaim. It will soon be translated into German, Italian and Finnish.

a

 

DEATH AND THE DEVIL
BY BEATRICE BROWN
19th December 2005 - 13th January 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death And The Devil is the
debut show by artist, film maker and
musician Beatrice Brown which
examines and exposes the inner mind of
Beatrice as she visualises her
monsters / her dark side / her light side.
See one of her captivating paintings
on the cover of the current Babyshamles
single "Their Way" (pictured)

 

STUCK ON ME
curated by Joana Niemeyer (Thomas Manss) and Nadine Fleischer (The Guardian/Observer)
10th October - 17th December 2005

Creatives from the art, design and fashion worlds will be reinventing the pin badge for an exhibition at the artsclub in October.

Put to use as pop memorabilia, political statement and fashion accessory, the pin badge has come a long way over the last century. Styles, shapes and graphics have evolved in pace with new technologies and trends. Over the last year, pin badges have again come into their own as personal statements and a part of their owner's identity.

Stuck On Me is an exhibition curated and put together by Joana Niemeyer (Thomas Manss) and Nadine Fleischer (The Guardian/Observer) that explores the different meanings of badges and takes them to the next level. Artists and designers will give a unique interpretation to the medium with their own badges, while a special essay by Gavin Lucas, the editor of Creative Review will provide the historical frame work.

The list of participants includes Browns, Spin, Experimental Jetset, Park Studio, Peepshow, Dan Holiday, Scrollan, Daniel Eatock, Paulus Dreibholz and Zoo York.

If you don't have a chance to see the exhibition here at the artsclub, you will have another oppotunity to catch the work at Designmai in Berlin 2006.

 


presents
THE SPATTERING UZI
15th August - 2nd October
LE GUN magazine is proud to present "THE SPATTERING UZI", a show of large format limited edition screen prints by 12 of LE GUN's most talented artists

The exhibition coincides with the release of LE GUN 2, the second edition of the art magazine which brings together the work of emerging artists and established practitioners (Sir Peter Blake, Alan Kitching, the Brothers Quay, Sara Fanelli) in an orgy of illustrative and narrative talent.


Produced by recent graduates from the Royal College of Art, the magazine is described by contributor George Melly as "an admirably lively magazine" and by one of its editors Neal Fox as "An orgy of the hand and the heart, dripping with the inner noodlings of bedroom geniuses and the rich ejaculations of pop culture heroes".
The prints on display reflect the nature of the magazine itself; powerful images that ask enigmatic questions, with an emphasis on eccentric storytelling rather than over stylised fashion slavery.

The exhibition launch will be celebrated with a night of ink related debauchery and live music at the Notting Hill Arts Club on August 15th, where prints will be on sale and the artists involved will be on hand to offer you their kindest hospitality.

LE GUN was born in June 2004 and the second issue is on sale at Tate Modern, Magma, The Whitechapel Gallery, Beyond The Valley, The Serpentine, Gosh, Art Words, Tatty Devine, Rough Trade, Red Snapper and other shops throughout London, as well as outlets in Edinburgh, Belfast, Brighton, Paris, Berlin, New York, and Tokyo, and through the website www.legun.co.uk

launch Party - 15th August 2005
Closing Party - 2nd October
Exhibition - 15th August 2005 to 2nd October

Neal Fox: 07960136512
ammunition@legun.co.uk

 

Look At All This Space
I Nearly Left Behind
by Johnny Cole
6th June- 31st July
 

'Johnny Cole has spent the years since leaving the royal college of art in search of a soul. Doctors have at last seen fit to release him into the community. All may be well as long as he continues to take appropriate medication. He was last seen wandering down the Harrow Rd with a DIY tattoo kit. The resulting experiments can clearly be seen on his face and hands. Johnny will consider all reasonable requests for commissions, No time wasters please.'

 

Nevermadeit
by Clare Evans
2nd - 30th May 2005

Clare Evans’ upcoming exhibition at the artsclub sheds light on a scene that most oof us immediately recognise: the world of bands that never made it. Cecilie Nusselein Gravesen takes a closer look: "For my own experience, it was a band called School-cheese: 14-year old Danish kids from hell, roasting all ‘adult fascists’ with our evil kidscore. Our hit was The Urban Flower, and while I empathise with those poor souls who lent their ears to our notorious teen-growling, I still come across trembling elderly punks who can cite whole passages of our lyrics."

This is exactly what Nevermadeit celebrates: bands from your local neighbourhood, college bands, longhaired friends with guitars or squeaking leather-grungers that manage to express our emotional life as precisely as any luminous signed act.

Clare Evans, who is a conceptual artist and a manager of music venues, grew up with The Action Heroes: “They were a school band from Devon that played in all the local venues, and everyone fancied them. I didn’t speak to any of them then but was in awe of the fact that they sung about our chemistry teacher, about living in the country, Umbro jackets and pornography. This was music that took the piss out of the people that took the piss out of us.”

On show will be flyers and band memorabilia from more than 20 artists and treasures such as The Cheaters, The Secrets and The Trespassers, plus a decade worth of London/New York punk photographs by music journalist and Wandango-musician El Gordo.
The idea for the exhibition occurred shortly after the split-up of The Action Heroes, and Evans’ collection of band memorabilia is enthused by a love for the integrity and optimism of the underdogs of the music industry. “In the UK there is so much focus on celebrity as the only mark of having made it. Growing up with bands make you realise that ‘success’ is not always the most important thing to the people that play in them. With the show I am saluting the experience itself as being more important than a commercial triumph.”

Evans has found the participants through ads in the NME, Loot and musicians notice boards. “I feel quite protective over how the bands will be perceived. I make it very clear from the offset that this is a retrospective show and it is not my intention to revive their careers by giving them a second chance. It’s hard promoting things that are not looking to succeed commercially without sounding like you’re being ironic. I’m bored, however, of things having to be ironic for us to feel comfortable enough to admit that we like it.”

The opening night will feature the premiere of Evans’ band-documentary, an interview film without music. “By not having music in the film, I wanted to move the focus away from whether these bands were good or bad musicians, to ultimately allow them to share the message that their playing brings across”. As a conclusion to the film, the interviewees mention the tunes that they most wish they had written. A cover band will be on stage at the NHAC to perform these gems of wishful thinking. As a further treat, a merchandising booth will be offering band badges made by Designer Joanna Niemer, there will be a VIP lounge with free access policy and an Nevermadeit-poster wall commenting on certain sponsored backdrops sported in award ceremonies.

Some of these bands really had it, but were killed at an early stage by record industry bureaucracy. Some were in it for the pleasure, some for the booze. Some of us still find ourselves as members of bands spending our holidays budget-touring as idealist support acts for the big guys. On a UK web forum nominating bands who never released an album, a heartfelt quote reads: “I think everybody should have to have their own band, and there should be just this one big show where everybody in the world played.” In May, at least some of these ‘everybodies’ will get their 15 minutes in the limelight

www.nevermadeit.co.uk

 

EDGE OF THE LINE
by Jessica Albarn
1st of March - 30th April 2005

ABOUT THE WORK

Edge Of The Line explores notions of a state of mind. The portraits of people and nature exhibited here are part of an ongoing series. Jessica is looking at people who create an edge within themselves to communicate within society. She brings in elements suggestive of the people portrayed and the artist's relationship with them and their ideas.

Within this body of work there are also recurring symbols such as insects (symbolising the potential for growth and metamorphosis and the fragility of life) and the skull (the inevitability of death).

Whatever the subject matter, Jessica draws from an emotional reaction, weaving her response into the conceptual space. Through feeling the line in the drawing process, she expresses her fascination with nature, its lines and patterns. In some cases reclaiming from the macabre aspects of nature something beautiful.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Drawing has always been at the centre of Jessica Albarn's work. During her Fine Art Degree at Middlesex University, she also studied sculpture, painting and printmaking. But her love remained drawing and she won the drawing prize for two years running! Jessica is a founding member of the North Bank Gallery, run by a collective of Artists. After becoming pregnant with her first child, she found that children inspired another route of artistic expression. She designed an Interactive Toy for public spaces (hospitals etc.) called' Brainbow'. The prototype was a finalist in the British Female Inventor of the Year Award in 2003. It is currently going through the patent process with the view to being manufactured.
The last 18 months have again seen Jessica focussed on drawing. During this time she wanted to see how far she could push the simplicity of the pencil in executing ideas. In her view, a drawn line is direct; it expresses the emotion and rhythm of the thought, carrying this far better than any other medium.

 

OXFAM PRESENTS:
MAKE TRADE FAIR AND MUSIC4LIFE
with photographs by Greg Williams
6th January to 28th February 2005

     

Antonio Banderas

Thom Yorke

Oxfam's Music4Life Club night and Make Trade Fair Campaign launches a unique celebrity photographic exhibition.

The exhibition, showcasing exclusive photographs from internationally renowned photographer Greg Williams, sees some of the world biggest celebrities being dumped with milk, sugar, and other products to make the point that, across the world, poor farmers are dumped on every day by rich countries and big companies.

Celebrities photographed include Bobby Friction, Michael Stipe, Chris Martin, Jamelia, Youssou N'Dour, Thom Yorke, Nitin Sawhney, Angelique Kidjo, Tamara Rojo, Alanis Morrisette, Colin Firth, Minnie Driver, Finn Brothers, Antonio Banderas and Susanna Bacca.

The launch event on 6th January 05 will give party goers the chance to help raise money and awareness for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign, see some of the world's biggest celebrities as they have never seen them before and dance to the hottest funk, soul, hip hop, eclectic beats and breaks. It features DJ sets from Radio 1's award winning Bobby Friction and Nihal and a live performance from reggae infused performance poet AJA

Date : 06:01:2005
Time : 6pm-2am
Price : Free 6-8pm then £5 if you donate a record on the door or £8 otherwise

For more information on the campaign and Oxfam's work please visit: www.maketradefair.com
For media enquiries please call Raakhi Shah on: 01865 312243 or email: rshah@oxfam.org.uk

 

Michael Stipe


Jamelia

Alanis Morrisette

Music4Life is a new form of club night. It gives partygoers the chance to enjoy famous up-and-coming guest DJs while also contributing to Oxfam's fight against poverty and suffering. Not only do the proceeds of the night support Oxfam's work, the events act as a platform to highlight key issues affecting the world's poorest people. DJs play for free, there is a record fair selling, the pick of the second hand music from Oxfam shops, and people can get in for less when they donate a record or CD on the door.

Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign calls on governments, global institutions and big business to give poor people a chance to work their way out of poverty. You can help. Add your voice to Oxfam's Big Noise petition at www.maketradefair.com. If we all join together and make a big enough noise politicians and corporate bosses will have to listen and make trade fair.

Nitin Sawhney

   

 

 

SAVAGED

CULTURE

A Portrait of London

by Nick McFarlane

4 November - 31 December 04

opens as part of YoYo from 6pm, free till 8pm

Nick McFarlane uses graphic agitation to portray the city of London and its unique social fabric.

Savaged Culture exposes a dysfunctional society where all walks of life converge and collide. Young and old, rich and poor, diverse ethnic groups, the establishment and rebellious subcultures rubbing shoulders to create an underlying tension. Using iconic imagery, confrontational language and urban symbols, the exhibition provides an outsiders view of a city which both alienates and inspires those who live there.

Nick McFarlane has always been interested in the cultural identities of places. That is, the kind of personality or attitude that you can sense from a street, city or country. This is often made from the physical environment and the stories it tells through grafitti, street graphics, urban decay, industry, distribution of wealth and most importantly, people. Their pace of life and relationships reveal much about the collective psyche. As a design student Nick applied this concept to his hometown of Wellington, New Zealands' capital. By studying the city's graffiti for a year he was able to draw conclusions about its people and the interacting sub-cultures. Enabling him to make a statement about its cultural identity. From there, Nick expanded this idea, looking at New Zealand's cultural identity, and said: if a country can have an identity, then part of it could also be described as its alter-ego'. Nick has created artwork to portray this concept. Looking at gangs, goths, punks, transvestite hookers, anarchist book dealers, protestors, junkies, streetkids, anti-heros and the impact they have on society. Moving to London just over two years ago, Nick is now applying these ideas to a new environment. Watching how all walks of life converge and collide. This exhibition is an outsider's view of a city which both alienates and inspires those who live here.

For more information contact Nick McFarlane 0773 6442696

 

Beachclub EXHIBITION on 13.12.04 only
Monday 13.12, 6pm - 1am
free B4 8pm, £5 after

Showcase advertising and subvertising from the Gothenburg cityscape: Gothenburg hosts the Swedish adbusting movement, and is also the home of the most innovative and prized ad agency in the country. This series of photos juxtaposes the work of activist group Reklamsabotage with the ad campaigns for the newspaper GöteborgsPosten, highlighting the lineages between non-sanctioned and sanctioned advertising messages. Advertising innovation and politics are thus intertwined in the city's ongoing debate on the power over public spaces.

Live music will be provided by the Gothenburg Male Lucia Choir, The Travelling End (Sweden), Luger. Plus DJs Joe&Jiros

 

x-mas EXHIBITION on 07.12 only

7th December 2004
6pm - 1am,
Free B4 8pm, £5 after

with ska and reggae sounds courtesy of Sweet Memory Sounds

A DISCERNING CHRISTMAS

Christmas is coming, the end of the year is nigh. It's a time for unwanted gifts, domestic violence and Slade. But don't despair, the illustrators and designers from MA Communication Design at Central Saint Martins will brighten your festive mantelpiece.

They have teamed up with such luminaries as Paul Davis, Neasden Control Centre, Build Design, Hort, Spin (the list goes on...) and turned their not inconsiderable talents to producing a range of single-edition Yuletide cards. At once wryly sceptical, rapier-witty, or sentimental like only Christmas can be, the unique designs will be exhibited and auctioned on December 7th at Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, from 5-8pm.

Bristol's legendary DJ Derek will provide the entertainment for the rest of the evening . A limited edition of printed cards will also be on sale in discerning galleries and bookshops. This being a time for charity and altruism, all proceeds will be donated to the worthy cause of the students' final show. So have a good Christmas, invest in a Central Saint Martins card.

 

Terratag Presents:
PORNOGRAFFITI - The Joy of Text
6 September - 1 November 2004
opening: Monday 6 September, 6pm as part of Sticky Rice, the night of Oriental art, music and culture.
Free before 8 pm, £5 after


Terratag takes the spirit of Japan and fucks it up, twisting Japanese themes into a unique graphic vocabulary. Mutating and originating a truly innovative Anglo-Japanese hybrid.

Until now, graffiti art has been based predominantly in Hip-Hop culture, only using the western alphabet. I have turned my back on both, adding a new dialect to the genre of contemporary graffik art. Pornograffiti is the inspired mix of Porno, Hentai Manga, Wild Style Graffiti, Tagging and Japanese Tattoos.

Paul, the man behind Terratag, is a Japaholic. His addiction started at the age of 16 with the release of Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s ‘Flaunt it’, its sleeve emblazoned with Japanese text and dominated by a giant robot. Once hooked it was all to easy to get sucked in... Japanese comics, magazines, films and pop... The imagination, the style, the imagery blowing his mind. Born in 1970 and brought up in Yorkshire, Paul moved to London in 1989, to study Graphics at Kingston University. Within a few months of leaving University he started Prototype 21. At Prototype 21 he was responsible for the creative output, which included graphic design and illustration contracts and creating the T-shirt brand Prototype 21, the forerunner to Terratag. Most of the contract work was music related and past clients include Andrew Weatherall, Aphex Twin, Global Communication, Orbital, Warp Records and more recently Wagamama, Harvey Nichols and Production IG animation studios in Japan.

Since 2002 Paul has concentrated his efforts on Terratag. This year saw Paul working more on art projects including the creation of canvases, photographic prints and the exhibiting thereof. Paul is also part of the Kraftshop.com collective which is presently exhibiting at Harvey Nichols. Terratag T-shirts and canvases are now available.

For an interview with Paul, check out Super Magazine

For more information contact Paul Nicholson:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7328 2249
Email: paul@terratag.com / www.terratag.com

 

PRESUMED INNOCENT
Photography by Maren Lindeberg and Haakon Harriss
21 June till 1 September 2004
opening: Monday 21st June, 6pm as part of Beachclub, the night of Scandinavian art, music and culture.
Free before 8 pm, £5 after

'Nature wants children to be children before they are adults' (Rousseau 1762)

Clothes maketh the child. Presumed Innocent explores our fascination with beauty and a world where looks are everything and even playtime has to look good. The exhibition consists of a series of images depicting children as young as four years old. The children are as their faces indicates brand neutral and in a mismatched world they change into little adults on a kindergarten catwalk.

Maren Lindeberg is graduating from Surrey Institute of Art and Design this summer where her work has incorporated art direction, photography and styling. In this work Lindeberg questions the increasing commercialisation of childhood and it's innocence with her 'misfit' portraits.

Haakon Harriss graduated from Surrey Institute of Art and Design in 1999 studying photography. He is now living and working as a freelance photographer in Norway.

All images are available for sale
Print unmounted £150
Print mounted £ 250
Smaller sizes available (limited edition)

 

STICKY RICE and STUDIO 15 " present
Love Me Long Time
3 May - 20 June 2004

Sticky Rice, the much lauded oriental club night has teamed up with Taiwanese Studio 15" to bring a brand new visual art exhibition to the Notting Hill Arts Club. Love Me Long Time showcases work by young London-based artists from all over Asia. Starting on 3 May 2004 and running for six weeks, Love Me Long Time will feature graphics, illustration, video animation and mixed media offerings from more than a dozen artists, many of whom have featured at the regular monthly Sticky Rice club nights over the past year.

The work on show at Love Me Long Time deals with a diverse range of themes, challenging and questioning western conceptions of the Orient, the Orient's conception of itself, the nature of power, crony capitalism and the emerging Asian middle class, among many other things. The exhibition aims to critique entrenched racial stereotypes, asking artists to question the interplay between their own culture and that of their adopted country.

15" is a virtual art studio based in Taiwan that aims to provide free space for artists to exhibit their work. For more information visit 15inches-in.com. For more information on Sticky Rice visit stickyricenight.co.uk Exhibiting artists hail from art and design colleges all over London, including Central Saint Martins, London College of Printing and Chelsea College of Art. Artists' native countries include Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Participating artists:

Ham Lee (Taiwan), Central St. Martins BA Graphic Design student
King To Fung (Hong Kong), London College of Printing MA Typography student
Koo Wan Ting (Hong Kong), Chelsea College of Arts and Design MA Environment Design student
Kosuke Shikata (Japan), Graphic Designer
Leo P.H Chan (Hong Kong), London College of Printing MA Typography student
River Kuo (Taiwan), Fashion art director
Solaris 100 (German), Graphic Designer
Tina Wan (Singapore), Central St. Martins BA Graphic Design Student

 

Mark Wilkinson:
Underground - Twelve Stations
11 March - 23 April 2004
Private view: Monday 11 March 2004, 6-9 pm


Mark Wilkinson's Underground - Twelve Stations
is a series of portraits taken on the London Underground over the past two years. Displayed as a series of twelve triptychs, Wilkinson weaves together themes of human emotions displayed by complete strangers encountered on the tube. Humour and sadness, loneliness and romance, exhaustion and exuberance can all be seen in the body language of his subjects, every gesture or expression tells a story that can only be guessed at. Each triptych relates to a single emotion exploring the disparity in how individuals communicate with the world around them.

(Love)

Observing strangers on any one journey on the Underground can be a kind of voyeuristic journey into people's lives. People in transit sitting side by side, but each one immersed in their own private world of thought - so much so, that the photographer often goes unnoticed. Travelling from East to West, North to South through 12 stations, Wilkinson catalogues the character of London in all its rich cultural diversity. We may be separated by race, religion, wealth or social status but in the carriage of an underground train the playing field is levelled.

Mark Wilkinson studied photography at Bournemouth Arts Institute. Since graduating in 2000, he has exhibited at Photofusion, The Royal National Theatre and The Photographers' Gallery. In 2001 he won the Channel 4 Year 1 Photography Competition. Originally from Edinburgh, he began his career as a scientist before taking up photography. He currently lives and works as a freelance photographer in London.
"Photography for me a way of exploring the world in which I live and expressing my feelings about it. A photograph can capture intangible moments expressing emotions that lie under the surface. When exploring a subject or location I work instinctively and find myself returning to recurrent themes. Much in the tradition of Robert Franks The Americans my instinct takes me towards sub-cultures and people living on the fringes of society, be it homeless people, ethnic minorities or extreme dressers. My style is influenced by the great documentary photographers of the past like Franks and Bill Brandt. Freed from the restrictions of the Photo-essay I work in the style of more contemporary practitioners like Wolfgang Tillmans and Nan Goldin, to produce series of images that meander like a stream of visual narrative. As a photographer I look at the human condition and common links that bind us all."

Prints are available from £50. Editions of 15.

 

Dif + Dang: Piece on You
22 January – 9 March 2004





Working as a father and son tag team, Dif + Dang take the art of graffiti from the street and into the Notting Hill Arts Club.

Piece On You is a series of large-scale cut-out sculptures focusing on PEACE. The one word exhibition uses a wide spectrum of global languages to communicate the message of Peace through graffiti art. Each individual cut-out is a collaboration of son Dif’s graffiti designs, blown up and cut out of MDF by father Dang, then spray-painted.

Having first explored the use of sculptural graffiti in Fuji Rock Festival Japan 2003, this exhibition marks their first show in the UK.

 

RYAN DENTON:
Arrival of the Fittest
4th December 2003 to 16th January 2004


We will win again homesick blues
, May 2003. Date stamp on post-it-notes with masking tape

 
Ryan Denton's work draws on his experiences as a semi-professional golfer and sportsman by using sport as a metaphor for life. His underlying theme explores the parallels of human competitiveness and the natural instincts of primates. In representing an ape in an office chair, Denton suggests the underlying primal instinct of man in the competitive work place.

Man's constant desire to succeed in a capitalist world is a theme that Denton repeatedly returns to. His use of office stationary, such as post-it-notes, biro, photocopies and date stampers suggests that the commercial world is just another forum for man to compete. The unfinished quality of the work can be interpreted as a protest to the constraints the commercial world has on competitive instincts that Denton depicts as irrefutable.

Ryan Denton studied Fine Art at Central St Martins. Previously London exhibitions include group and solo shows at the Lounge Gallery, Deluxe Gallery and Letherby Gallery, Holborn. He was born and raised in Whitely Bay (Newcastle) and pursued a profession as a semi-professional golfer until he was 20. His experiences and enthusiasm for sport continue to have a strong influence on his work. Denton currently lives and works in Krakow, Poland.

 

SCANDINAVIA -
THE UNKNOWN
A Photographic Exhibition Curated By Beachclub
20 October – December 2003, private view: Mon 20 October 6-9pm

Beachclub has become London’s premier art-collective celebrating the free spirit of Scandinavia through promotion of its music and art. Centered around a monthly club night at the Notting Hill Arts Club, Beachclub showcases the undiscovered photography, design, film and music coming out of Scandinavia.

Scandinavia – The Unknown is an exhibition curated by Beachclub of three photographers exploring the traditions of Scandinavia’s sub-cultures. Each photographer has a different perspective - a Scandinavian sub-culture seen by an outsider; a Scandinavian subculture shot by a Norwegian and a post-Scandinavian culture in America seen by a Swede.

 

THE ARTISTS

 

Norwegian Jørn Tomter’s ongoing series follows a collection of youths in Norway who have just left school after their equivalent to A-levels. For 3 ½ weeks teenagers follow the unique tradition of ‘RUSS’ to celebrate the end of compulsory school. During this time they gather in groups, wear uniform boilersuits and travel from party to party on customised buses. It's a time without inhibitions or regrets, a time for experiments and enjoyment. Tomter is showing pictures from this year's celebration - his first of 5 planned visits. www.tomter.net

 

Swedish Jenny Nordquist went to the American mid-west to find Sweden. What she experienced was a quirky looking town in Minnesota called Lindström - a town trying to recreate Swedish traditions based on myths and tales. Nordquist’s series documents a community without a history trying to recreate one based on their ancestors life before they crossed the Atlantic centuries ago. www.jennynordquist.com  

American Peter Beste has spent the last three years infiltrating and documenting the Norwegian Black Metal scene. As Norway’s biggest musical export, the movement became renowned in the 90s as the self-proclaimed Satanists – known for their violence towards one another and for burning 14th Century wooden churches. Beste is showing a series of strong and highly fascinating portraits of individuals in full garb. www.peterbeste.com

images clockwise from top left:

KOHV by Peter Beste
YOUTH AFFTER BUS by Jørn Tomter
FOLK DANS by Jenny Nordquist

Especially organised for the exhibition Beachclub is
proud to exhibit a display of designer Louise Hederstrom " TBC lights". Louise is from Konga in Sweden and won the 1999 Young Swedish Designer Award with her beautiful TCB lamps which were spotted by a Beachclub agent at the Malmo Design Museum. See more of Louise's work at www.louisehederstrom.com

Beachclub is a registered company that organises events, curates exhibitions and produces DVDs, books and magazines inspired by Scandinavian culture. For two years, Beachclub has had a regular monthly slot at the Notting Hill Arts Club. Live music acts on Monday 20th October include The Unisex from Sweden, Norwegian The Love Thugs and DJs - Vinyl Vikings Hinnerskov, Mr T, Baby Soul & Cato Canar.

 

 

ABANDONED
...
(a work in progress)

opening Friday 29th August
closing Sunday 5th October
private view:
Friday 29th August 6-8pm

 

MARC WILSON

 

marcwilson.co.uk / britart.com

This work is this latest series by Marc Wilson, titled Abandoned, and is being shown at the Notting Hill Arts Club as a work in progress.
This series of photographic images portrays places and objects that have been either physically abandoned or evoke an air of human abandonment. The purpose of the images is by showing the viewer the subject as it is, it may

  allow the viewer to imagine the subject as it was.
Abandoned
continues the running themes of the artist’s previous works that have dealt with issues of family, memory and loss, but now looking at subjects within a landscape and thus takes the artist away from the more set-up images of his previous work.
Further images in this series will aim to take the artist from Croatia to Australia and various locations in between.

 

Marc Wilson has previously shown at The Focal Point gallery (Southend(, The Photographers Gallery (London) and the Instituto Europeo del Design (Milan) He also had the innaugural show at the Now Showing Gallery (Notting Hill Gate).

 

 

Flyposter
Private view 16.may 2003 from 6pm. Exhibition continues for 6 weeks.

2 NATURAL BEAUTIES. One strawberry blond F, with an element of streamlined elegance, eyes forest green, the other a raven haired F, with feline grace, eyes with heavy dose of chestnut charm, are taking a closer look at the concept of ënatural beautyí, producing a series of images exposing the fly in the poster. Interested? If you have a GSOH watch out for flys and posters infesting walls everywhere beginning of May, or come down to the Notting Hill Arts Club from 16th of may for f/ship+. Slick primadonnas neednít apply.

Container are a new illustrators partnership having their first joint exhibition. The show ëFlyposterí will host a collection of posters inspired by the current trend in art and fashion towards anything ënaturalí and ëorganic.í Taking a closer look at the concept of natural beauty and exposing the ëFlyí in the poster Nicola and Luise will display linked and clustered images throughout the venue. Container will also ëinfestí the city by ëflyíposting images throughout Central London over the next 2 months container.me.uk

 

TRANSGENDER UNDERGROUND - LONDON AND THE THIRD SEX

Booklaunch and opening of exhibition by mixed-media artist Claudia Andrei

31st Oct. - 2nd Dec. 02

  Transvestites, transexuals, drag queens and androgynes: exotic, nocturnal creatures living their lives in the bars and night-clubs of London. Or such is the myth. Most os us may have an idea of what the word transgendered means, but do we really know what being transgendered is all about? More importantly, how deep is our knowledge when it comes to defining all the various categories of gender-bending and how tolerant are we, ultimately, towards the transgendered community?

For years, the media has fed us with images of crossdressers and transitional personas. But in many cases the portrayal of transgendered people has been incorrect, superficial, and often insulting. Now in 'Transgender Underground', mixed-media artist Claudia Andrei, who admits to a lifelong fascination with transvestism and androgyny, looks beyond the media myth and exposes the real lives, opinions, and sexual orientation of more than a dozen members of the so called 'third sex'.'Transgender Underground' is the result of several years of research, interviews, photography sessions, and a complete immersion with unlimited and unprecedented access in the gender-bending scene. Illustrated throughout with lavish colour- and striking b/w photos, and featuring extremely candid interviews with her subjects, Andrei's book is a fascinating document of the last twilight zone of modern London.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Multi-media artist Claudia Andrei, born in Germany, is based in London and works as a freelance illustrator. Claudia studied traditional as well as digital graphics at the London College of Printing. Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the UK and Ireland. Her distinctive collage- and photomontage style has appeared in various music mags such as VOX, The Wire and MOJO and in such glossy fetish magazines like Skin Two and Ritual. Claudia has also designed a limited edition postcard series for Hammer Films Ltd. and is a regular contributor to horror/SciFi magazine SHIVERS. She illustrated numerous bookcovers, most notably for publishing houses Dedalus Ltd and also for Serpent's Tail.
In addition, Claudia writes freelance for German film magazine MOVIESTAR. 'Transgender Underground-London And The Third Sex' is her first major book publication.

Published 31st October 2002 by Glitter Books

 

ARTY Presents:
IDOLISE

1st Oct. - 28th Oct 02

Elvis, Madonna, 1968, Thora Birch, Fidel Castro, John Travolta, Jimmy Cliff, James Bond, Christina Ricci, Commander Brian Paddock, Goya, Donna Summer, Lara Belmont, The Virgin Mary, Judy Garland, Dorothy, Peter Osgood, Rita Tushingham, John Wayne. Jean Luc Godard, Beatniks, Jesus, The Outlaws, Anna Karina

Revolutionary Student
by Alex Michon

The anti-academy spirit of the art fanzine Arty is embodied in Idolise where Arty editor Cathy Lomax has assembled a group of maverick artists to celebrate fantasy, fandom and notions of celebrity.

Antonio Gianasi in a series of poster sized self-portraits becomes a pop star (Tin-age), a spy (Italian Bond), and a doctor (Theatre). Through their naive playfulness these images evoke the allure of fame, glamour and 'super-achievement'." I wanted to be rich, I wanted to be famous, I wanted to be a star, I wanted everybody to love me...and my dreams came true" (Madonna)... Cue the music.
Damian LeBas the enfant terrible of the Outsider movement, presents work which includes 70s West London sharp suited footballer Peter Osgood. "It was either him or my granddad," says Damian "I'm an artist and so was Osgood".
Delaine LeBas explores the point where real meets unreal, her work references Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and her never ending search for somewhere over the rainbow.
Cathy Lomax makes Bollywood posteresque paintings, modern nostalgia depicting a new generation of teenage rebels. This time the sultry stares come not from Marlon or James Dean but from a bunch of tough teen girls.
Alex Michon paints Stories From the House of Arty, vignettes, cut from their backgrounds and reassembled to form her own private Idaho, a place where Fidel Castro rubs shoulders with Rita Tushingham and Johnny Too Bad skanks with Goya.
Paul Murphy shows 10 x 8 glossies of a fan's encounter with his waxworked idols.
Saskia Wilson-Brown degenerates images of iconic figures to their component parts, leaving a pattern of dots that at first glance could be a close up of any image. However despite the commodification of these faces by society they still retain the power of their various myths.
Yolanda Zappaterra takes Elvis's '68 Comeback Special and crosses it with a sprinkling of wannabe humour to make My Name In Lights.

Arty was recently voted fanzine of the month by Dazed & Confused
(July 2002). Its ethos is to be inclusive and enthusiastic and it has been described as "Friendly, naive and serious". Inspired by punk fanzines "with its stapled together and typed format ARTY looks as good as it reads."

 

VAULT49

To rob a bank requires cunning, precision and nerve. Our heroes have none of the above. Showing signs of ingenuity in planning that would have embarrassed the most adventurous of children, cunning tactics were to be employed to distract the filth during this time of heightened criminal action.

Working harder than most because of their bulbous digits, evil dwarves toiled day and night devising a series of magical psychedelic screenprints designed specifically to subliminally distract anyone with flat feet. The plan worked. A gaggle of policemen, policewomen and an entire Church of England congregation were to be found wherever a poster appeared.

All would have gone seamlessly were it not for the forward thinking of the head of Scotland Yard’s Serious Cod Division, Inspector Pat McBly. Foreseeing that deformed feet may eventually prove the downfall of the plod, Pat had visited his local surgeon to have his arches surgically enhanced, and was thus was hot on the tail of our heroes with the backup of the armadillo squadron.

Our visual villains were almost home and dry when the deafening sound of McBly on the back of a thousand armadillos could no longer be ignored. Yet, dear reader, our boys emerged victorious from the encounter after spending close on nine weeks undetected behind their own fingers and live to rob another day. Or so the story goes...