ART | DIVINE VIOLENCE

Mostyn is a great gallery in lovely Llandudno. I spent a lot of time in Llandudno growing up and love visiting the Orm and this gallery in particular. They have recently teamed up with Artes Mundi to host the UK premiere of Broomberg and Chanarin’s latest work, Divine Violence. 



Broomberg and Channarin were inspired whilst visiting the Bertolt Brecht archives in Berlin and came across his personal bible. Having studied and been a long term fan of Brecht's (also love those archives) I can understand this. 

Brecht used his bible as a kind of notebook and in this exhibition Broomberg and Channarin look at the archiving of modern conflicts and the consideration of considers the biblical text as a parable for the growth of modern governance. They first created their own illustrated Holy Bible in book form (published by Mack 2013). 

Totally recommend this and a jaunt to Llandudno. Stroll down the promenade calippo in hand to go see an exhibition on conflict and violence. What a day trip! 

PHOTOGRAPHY | ALEXANDRA GRONSKY

Sometimes you stumble across a photographer who knocks you square out with their talent. Alexander Gronsky is one of these photographers. 

Born in 1980 in Tallinn, Estonia and based in Riga, Latvia, this photographer captures often desolate scenes but gives them a kind of playfullness because of the people and his framing. It's like a photographic post industrial move from Seurat's impressionist depictions of La Grande Jatte. 

Caught in a kind of middle ground, an urban purgatory between rural and industrial, the past and the future. These pictures leave you in limbo, feeling both warm and cold but wanting to look deeper none the less.

ART | OFFICE SESSIONS

If you're in London do go and check out HOUSE RULES as part of ‘Office Sessions’ over at Anchorage House, East India Quay in London tomorrow (13 February) at 7pm. Creative director and curator Caitlin Mavroleon’s ambitious project sees a group of artists lead by Nadia Berri that include Tatiana Baskakova, Victoria Burgher, Terry Dynes, Ben Faga, Matthew Hammond, Jeremy Lee, Jayne Lloyd, Kate Mahony, Erifili Missiou, Cristina Pedreira, Daniella Valz-Gen and Rob Brown working collaboratively in the empty office space.

Over 42 days these artists will engage in the development of constantly evolving work for and in response to 20,000 sqf of a deserted office floor. This project utilises the tension that stems from trying to push creative practice in a space that has restrictive house rules and is a refreshing experience because it reminds us of the potential for fun and play that exists even in the most prescribed and unexpected locations. Just go have fun! This is a great opportunity to meet and work with some talented artists and feel very much immersed in a creative project. An added bonus is that you get to ride the slow-motion roller coaster that is the DLR to this event. It’s not every evening you get to experience creativity like this in an empty office building so don’t miss it!

KEITH HARING | Musée d’Art Moderne

It's taken me ages to post this. Back in August I caught the Keith Haring retrospective at Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. The retrospective was vast, with over 250 paintings, and focussed on the political aspects behind Haring's iconic work. So pleased that I didn't miss this well curated exposition on a fascinating 
American artist and his iconic work. It was a right treat!

PHOTOGRAPHY | LINA SCHEYNIUS

Brilliant photographer Lina Scheynius' first solo European exhibition is at the innovative Christopher Guy Galery here in London next month.It's a deeply personal and frank exhibition in which she captures her daily life, loved ones and friends. Go, go, go!
 
 

ART | ECKHART HAHN

Paintings with a tangible 3D quality and surreal compositions. Eckhart Hahn's work speaks for itself, in volumes. Look!..

ART | SIMON CASSON

These paintings by Simon Casson are a great take on Renaissance classics mixed up with an informal painting style to create a fresh new type of pseudo collage. They really are quite unique and stunning.

ART | MAIKO GUBLER

Maiko Gubler is a visual artist working with digital modeling tools in imagery and sculpture. His intriguing use of luminsce colour and contorted shapes are really striking.

ART | GRRR

Ingo Giezendanner is an artist and member of the Kroesco Foundation, an artistic collective set up by Mark Divo in Zurich. Since 1998, Ingo Giezendanner, has been documenting the urban spaces in which he has travelled and lived. Using a pen and paper he produces fascinating illustrations presented in the form of zines, books and animated films as well as in spacious installations and wallpaintings.

Giezendanner, working under the alias GRRR (not the Rolling Stones' compilation), has been presenting his work continuously in a series of publications which you can see more of on his site and you can also exchange money for his zines at the crackin nieves  store.

ART | INK

I'm no stranger to the needle and I'm soon getting my fifth tattoo, with a  few more designs in the pipeline. I thought I'd share some of my favourite artists from around the world as there's some immense talent out there. There are so many artists to admire that I'll roughly split these into sections/posts, starting with...

Graphic/Photoshop/Abstract/Ignorant/Post-Modern...

Valentin Hirsch

Daniel Meyer

Roxx at 2spirittattoo


Ondrash.com

Xoil, Needle Side Tattoo

Peter Aurisch


Fuzi Uvtpk


Also like...
Paul Talbot at Custom Colour
Lianne Moule, Immortal Ink
Lea Nahon

Will add to this list as go along...
These are just a few of so many talents. Please share any artists I might have missed, always keen to see great work!

ART | WERNER KNAUP + NIMA YOOSHIJ

Love Werner Knaup's work, especially these emotive paintings of stormy seas.




The Boat - Nima Yooshij

My face is withered
My boat is stranded.

With my stranded bark I cry:
“I am stranded in sorrow
In this dangerous seashore
And the water is far away
“Help, O friends!”
A smile of derision breaks upon their lips
But directed at me
At my askew boat
At my tumultuous words
At my infinite perturbation
At my infinite perturbation
Suddenly a cry issues from me:
I fear but danger and annihilation
The commotion of `to be or not to be'
It is but for endangered life.”
With their mistake
I buy mistakes
From their disheartening words
I suffer
Blood spurts out of my wound
How can I dry the water?
I cry.
My face is withered
My boat is stranded
My words are clear to you:

One person is alone
I extend my hand to you for help

My voice is broken in my throat
And if voice is voluble
I cry
For your salvation and mine
I cry!

FILM | GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING

'You can only express in words what words are capable of expressing.' 


Film by Corinna Belz 

ART | INSPIRING CHALLENGE

'I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats called the fascination with what's difficult. I'm only trying to do what I can't do.'
Lucian Freud

Ryan McGinley

I went to see Freud's portraits at The National Portrait Gallery recently and was - as I expected - mesmerised and lost amongst the paintings. The faces, the expressions, the stories to discover or imagine. 

Whenever life gets tricky and I need to escape I find myself in a gallery, whether in Florence, Paris or at home in London (hello again The Portrait Gallery). Whether visiting a convention, I went to the Elcaf convention at The Village Underground in Shoreditch on Sunday and chatted to lots of talented illustrators, or strolling around the Tate Modern. Art can allow you to indulge in feelings and ideas in a solitary capacity or it can open up a space to exchange and enjoy the company of strangers. It depends on what you need at the time.

James Rosenquist

Being amongst creative passionate artists and/or witnessing the work leaves me craving a new challenge. For me that challenge is the written word, but whatever the chosen form there is nothing better than the battle to create. It's a battle that can't be won but for everything created there's a need and a doubt that's been conquered.

Yangyang Pan

Joan Saló 

Zander Olsen

Owen Nichols


Some artists