All posts filed under: Art

© Tim Lane

Drawing a Narrative: In Conversation with Tim Lane

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A web of eclectic visual storytelling, knitting threads of mythology and classic literary tales, delving into the abyss of the human psyche with a surrealist verve that raises far more questions than it answers. Simply put, Tim Lane’s impressive portfolio effortlessly ticks all the boxes for me. He first caught my attention when nomadic Antlers Gallery – the lovely Bristolians who represent Tim – set out for collaborative exhibition ‘Kindred’ with London’s emerging Curious Duke Gallery in 2013. Since then, the Cheltenham-born illustrator and painter released his highly ambitious, crowd-funded mammoth project ‘Anima Mundi – Soul of the World’, a 5-metre concertina book of graphite drawings that took two whole years to complete. Similar to his earlier works, his large-scale visceral illustration plays with recurring themes such as love and death, renewal and sexuality as well as the animalization of the human being, which yet unfolds an enigmatic open-ended narrative. And when I got the chance for a short Q&A with Tim, I eagerly jumped at it and asked him about his all-time favorite authors, the …

Converge: Mark Salmon x Column Arts Agency

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Normally I’d refrain from praising myself, and this is definitely not the time to challenge old habits. Though in this case, it was probably my humble self that played a tiny part in bringing both sides to the table for photography-design-fusion project ‘Converge’. A few months ago, a tweet from Will Astbury’s Column Arts Agency – who already mounted the incredible ‘Triple Hop’ exhibition together with Test Space & Honest Brew – turned up in my twitter feed, hunting for a Birmingham-based photographer. My first idea was Mark Salmon, who recently collaborated with me for a story in The Quarterly, so I gladly put down his name for the raffle. Apparently, it did work out quite well. For ‘Converge’, which has been commissioned for annual visual arts festival Eye Candy, Mark teamed up with Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers Celine Gittens, Kit Holder and Anna Monleon to produce some really sweet live-action shots. Column Arts in turn send off an ace selection of their represented artists, including Trou, Joshua Billingham, Sweaty Eskimo, Laura Tinald, Joel Millerchip or Guy McKinley, to run riot on Mark’s images and add their very …

Shilpa Gupta: ‘There is no Border here’

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Last time I hopped on a train to Glasgow, the extensive GENERATION project, celebrating 25 years of contemporary art in Scotland, was still in full swing at almost every art space downtown. To be honest, when I came over last weekend, I didn’t mean to pay the Gallery of Modern Art another visit yet again or even had the foggiest idea what was on. At the end of the day, when push comes to shove, there’s less pleasant places to seek shelter from the pouring rain than the halls of GoMA. So why not have a look around?, I wondered. Maybe I should do that more often, cause ‘Art from Elsewhere’ certainly was pretty much amazing. Curated by David Elliot, the show assembles a set of works recently purchased by six major UK museums, covering themes like life in conflict zones, oppressive government regimes, the advent of capitalism and post-colonial experiences. After I eagerly wandered through the exhibition space, passing by prominent pieces like Meschac Gaba’s socio-critical installation ‘Brazilian Bank’ or Józef Robakowski’s film chronicle ‘View from my window’, I particularly dwelled on …

Acrylic Etchings by Takashi Yamamoto

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‘Well, Hello Sir. I like your style.’ That was probably the initial thought resting on the tip of my tongue when I came across Takashi Yamamoto’s cool portfolio and my eyes couldn’t help but cling to his acrylic etching works. Looking closely at everyday life objects and random sights of his native surroundings, the printmaker and illustrator from Saitama, Japan combines a dainty yet sharp technique with ambient shading and colouration.

The Cloud

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Thunder and Lightning. In a room. Yeah right! ‘The Cloud is an interactive lamp and speaker system, designed to mimic a thundercloud in both appearance and entertainment. Using motion sensors the cloud detects a user’s presence and creates a unique lightning and thunder show dictated by their movement. The system features a powerful speaker system from which the user can stream music via any Bluetooth compatible device. Using color-changing lights the cloud is able to adapt to the desired lighting color and brightness. The cloud also has alternative modes such as a nightlight and music reactive mode.’ That’s how experimental product, lighting and furniture designer Richard Clarkson describes his fluffy creation. Pretty damn clever, if you ask me. Richardclarkson.com Facebook twitter

© Sam Baxter

A natural connection: Interview with Sam Baxter

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Everyone responds differently to art. There is art we instantly feel comfortable with, art that just doesn’t appeal to us, art that inspires our fantasy and then there is art that has that little something, which makes us look more closely. That’s how I felt with Sam Baxter’s organic plant sculptures. The Dundee-based fine art graduate – who has honed her skills at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design – sees the world around her from a refreshingly different perspective and re-discovers the beauty of the outdoors with children’s eyes. As I was curious to find out more about Sam and her work, I decided to give her a heads up and shoot over a few questions about the life as a young artist, the scene up north and her natural connection with Mother Earth. Here we go! Hello Sam. For those unfamiliar with your work, please tell us a bit about yourself? I’m a Dundee based artist primarily working with plants, producing sculpture and photography. The work is inspired from plant design, my own …

Exhibit B: Third World Bunfight

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As my descent might imply, I’ve been growing up with the slowly fading burden of a sombre history, inevitably reminded of the gruelling atrocities of our ancestors in the 1930’s and 40’s. Whether it’s through exhibitions and talks, TV programs and films or simply school education, I’d say most Germans have a good awareness of their past, the debt towards other nations and especially the Jewish survivors of the Nazi torment. We mustn’t keep quiet about the bygone era – even though my generation shouldn’t be directly associated with the collective guilt – we address it, embrace it and remember from an early age. Because we owe it to ourselves. Maybe that’s why I don’t quite understand the hostile voices that call ‘Exhibit B: Third World Bunfight’ a racist art concept that oversteps boundaries, yet demanding a boycott of the exhibition-performance-hybrid. Based on the phenomenon of the ‘Human Zoos’ of the mid-19th century, emphasizing the racial superiority of ‘civilized’ Europe over the black African population, artist and project curator Brett Bailey vividly depicts the suffering of the oppressed throughout the centuries until the …

Spot On: Google’s ‘Street Art Project’

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Maybe you’ve already noticed, but google has officially launched their newest interactive feature a few weeks ago. The ‘Street Art project’ is proudly advertised as a digital exhibition space, library and immortalisation of urban art for future generations. Sounds like a wholehearted call, but let’s face it: Practically, Maps & Street View are (a) predestined tools to locate all the awesomeness on our big city walls and (b) longevity is unfortunately a pressing issue with street art – quite often unappreciated and removed, painted over by other artists or those who shouldn’t consider themselves as such. Well, is this the end of those countless street art blogs, which so many of us have come to appreciate? Probably not. Rather just another – more organised and quickly growing – source of inspiration for art lovers, under the watchful eye of the media giant’s ‘Cultural Institute’. And after all, there’s something both things can’t replace anyways: The real thrill of exploration and discoveries, wandering the streets of Brooklyn, Paris, East London or Downtown L.A., always on the hunt for exciting bits and …

Feature: Kareena Zerefos

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Kareena is an incredible illustrator I wanted to feature for quite some time now. The Australian traveller, dog-lover and self-styled occasional artist impresses with a quirky and playful drawing style as well as her versatile use of different media and techniques – including pencil, tea, ink and graphite – and yet skilfully envelops her illustrations with a pinch of graveness, fragility and childhood nostalgia. Pretty effing great for something occasional, if you ask me. Follow Kareena’s work over here: kareenazerefos.com Facebook Instagram Twitter

‘Reasons why we cry’ by Rachel Hill

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Next one on my personal tour d’arte through ECA‘s seemingly endless halls filled with art exhibits is designer and illustrator Rachel Hill, whose eye-catching works nailed down this year’s collections purchase prize for illustration. Drawing from a wide repertoire of styles and themes, her degree show pieces included this organic, imaginative series of artworks based on the many reasons why we cry: Find out more about Rachel’s work here.