Art Anywhere – Motivating Workers By Making Your Office Less Rubbish!

// January 31st, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

There’s nothing quite as uninspiring as a dull office to put you off work. But ‘Art Anywhere’ has come up with a great way to liven up the office space and help out local artists at the same time…

A boring office with a grey wall and just a photo of the family to lift your spirits – not an environment conducive to motivated staff and creative endeavours, especially on a Monday morning (yawn).

Raymond Luk however, has seen a way to lift the mood of drab office walls and potentially the mood of staff too. With the help of CEO Julian Haber, their company Art Anywhere has come up with the idea of offering paintings to corporate businesses in Canada. They have sold art to 32 businesses and landed several corporate contracts.

“When you think of the millions of empty square feet of office walls, you realize the opportunities are endless. People love art but art has become very elitist,” Luk says. “We’re trying to solve the problem of how to get art back into people’s lives.”

“When you put art up in a boardroom or hallway, it changes the way people think about their space,” he says. “Workers treat the space with more respect. Buyers have told us that the rooms are cleaner since they put art on the wall and the employees feel like creative workers, rather than office workers. Creative people want their workplace as a place where the best and the brightest go.”

I have to agree with Luk – it’s amazing what a smart office with a bit of style and creativeness will do for productivity. When you work in a lifeless and tired looking office, your work often matches the mood. If the office space is smart and modern, you feel as if your bosses value you as more and care more about the business. It’s not just a case of a pretty painting to look at – it’s psychological.

It’s more than sprucing up Canada’s offices that makes Art Anywhere a good idea, they are also helping local artists. It’s always tough for an artist just starting out to make a living and keep at their craft. Art Anywhere gives them a great option to make regular money. Any artist can submit their work to the catalogue and set a price. The artist keeps 70% of the sale, which is a better deal than they are likely to get at a gallery.

Not only that, but as Luk points out - ‘There are only so many galleries in the city, but thousands of offices and every one of those can become an art gallery’.

When you put it like that, is office art the future? Let us know your thoughts…

Super Bowl Betting Hits The Art World

// January 28th, 2011 // View Comments // b-scene

Sunday the 6th of February is a huge day in the U.S  - It’s Super Bowl time, and time for a high stakes bet in the Art world…

One of the biggest sporting events in the World will always throw up a few big bets, but this is one bet you won’t see at your local Coral. The Milwaukee Art Museum director Daniel Keegan is betting the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, that the Packers will beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Nothing too unusual there then? But every bet has its prize – and the prize at stake here is larger than most.

Keegan is putting his museums extremely rare Gustave Caillebotte painting on the line, with the Carnegie putting up its similarly rare Auguste Renoir. Two very brave, or stupid, Art directors then?

Well, it’s not as drastic as you may have first thought. The win isn’t for keeps, this will be strictly a ‘loser loans’ rule – you can’t go around losing works of Art now can you! There is more to this bet than Art one-upmanship anyway, sporting pride is at stake here.

“This is personal,” Keegan said, bullishly. ”We aren’t giving it up, we are gaining a painting because why? The Pack is going to win,” so says a true fan.

Cue the reaction from his rival, Lynn Zelavansky at the Carnegie: “In Pittsburgh, we believe trash talk is bad form. We let the excellence of our football team, and our collection, speak for itself.”

All this makes me think – what other crazy bets has the Super Bowl thrown up?

Looks like this contest could prove just as interesting as any events on the field come February 6th! Who are you backing to win? Let us know…

Is The VIP Art Fair Unfair?

// January 25th, 2011 // View Comments // b-scene

B-Uncut is all about innovation in Art and, of course, the Internet. So we love the idea of selling Art online. You would think then, that we would be big fans of The VIP Art Fair? Well, yes and no…

Art is one of those industries that provides debate after debate about where it can go forward and what is acceptable or not. Whether it is denying new forms of Art their right to be classed alongside established genres, or debating what level of mass consumption is right – Art produces as many arguments as it does pieces.

The VIP Art Fair is no different. The concept is brilliant – selling and demonstrating Art online are the next logical steps in spreading Art Worldwide. It isn’t the first online Art innovation. Ideas like our very own B-Uncut and The Future Generation Art Prize have shown themselves to be great ways spreading Arts global reach and giving artists the chance to start earning a name for themselves.

After making a name for themselves, an artist will hopefully be in the position where they can make some money – artists have bills just like anyone else. What can be better then, than something like The VIP Art Fair? It’s a chance for artists to sell their works to collectors that have the money and inclination to pay well for the pieces they like.

There are a number of problems with the concept though – both in terms of its implementation and whether it is the right thing to do. If you were about to spend sums potentially in to the millions for a piece of Art, would you want to buy it from somewhere that doesn’t give you option of seeing it up close and personally? It is far less personal than an auction type situation and is almost like buying ‘blind’. I feel trepidation spending more than £50 on eBay, so I would struggle to part with such huge sums on Art, with just a few pictures as a reference point.

Everyone is different though. I do believe that there is a market for spending big on online Art, particularly with the younger generation of Internet users. With The VIP Art Fair taking in a dream list of top galleries and artists work, they will have no trouble selling the pieces. In fact, the work of featured artists like Jackson Pollock, Louise Bourgeois, Francis Bacon and Damien Hirst practically sells itself.

The only problem I have is with the fact buyers are ‘invite only’. Sure, I’m a little short of £1 million for a Jackson Pollock piece, but the fact remains, if you only allow a certain crowd of Art buyers to take part, you are making Art elitist. Elitism is not something Art needs thrown at it, being that it is already battling against this public perception already. I don’t think it is doing a particularly good job of battling either.

Closing off the potential for everyone to enjoy and purchase top Art works is creating a ‘closed shop’ vibe around the Modern Art World. I can’t afford to buy top Art, but I would like to think that I could if I had the money. I think it is unfair to prevent potential buyers that right, that is why I think things like The Future Generation Art Prize are a much better and more meaningful step for Art as a whole.

So, it’s sadly a case of: The VIP Art Fair – almost very good, but not quite…

What do you think? Let us know…

Tattoo – Art Or Not?

// January 24th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

The traditional attitude towards tattoo’s might be changing.

Far from turning their noses up at a good inking, the public are falling in love with a good old bit of body art.

In fact, tattooing has become a bit of an art in its own right…

In a world where art has become much more than just some paint and a brush, or paper and a pencil, tattoo art has really started to become a medium of its own. The artistic merit of tattoo’s has never really been thought of in an art sense. But over the last few years there has been a growing movement to view it as an art form in just the same way a light installation or diamond encrusted skull are recognised.

There is plenty of logic in this. As with all art, there are some truly awful examples of tattoo’s out there. This shouldn’t be a factor in distinguishing tattoo’s as an art form though. If you viewed art on the merits of every shoddy painter or sculptor out there, the World would have a pretty different view on what art is. But the fact remains, some tattoo artists are as skilled in what they do as any painter. The detail and technique of some tattoo’s is astonishing and should be recognised as truly artistic.

In a funny way, there is no art form that connects more with people than tattoo art. The person is the canvas. If you think of it like that, it is a truly unique art form. Very few niches in art can claim to be as intimate and up close and personal as this type. You can actually have you own piece of art created, which you carry round with you everywhere and forever. That’s an interesting concept. Of course, you have to hope the artist you choose to do your tattoo doesn’t mess it up - it’s pretty permanent!

There are key figures in this growing movement, such as Thomas Hooper. He is a tattooist so popular, he has a 6 month waiting list and a hefty price tag to match. Plenty of tattoo artists like Hooper have also started upping their technical levels in very traditional ways – studying to become a Master of Fine Arts in respected art schools. This is a style of art that is demanding to be taken seriously.

Critics point out that tattoo artists work cannot be sold on and can’t displayed for hours on end in an exhibit – I suppose a tattooed display person might need a toilet break at some stage. The point I would make is this – if you showed some of the classic artist, like Michelangelo and Monet, a glimpse of now celebrated modern artists, they would probably have denounced their work. Modern art is different and varied and its uniqueness is part of its appeal. Tattoo art should be no different.

It is a departure from almost everything before it, but it takes a great amount of skill to do well – and that should be recognised…

What do you think of tattoo as art? Let us know…by the way – I have No tattoo’s…

Pop Stars, Topless Ladies And Candy Canes – Will Cotton Making Art Fun Again

// January 21st, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

It’s almost as if Art has to be too many things nowadays. Shocking, controversial, daring – yes. Fun – no. There’s one artist that is changing that impression and making Art that is a lot more accessible for it…his name is Will Cotton.

Judging by his work, Will Cotton seems like a pretty fun guy. You know when you look at a piece of art, you imagine what the artist is like? Well I do anyway! Even if you don’t and you think I’m now a weirdo, no one can doubt that an artists personality comes through in their work. They may come across as intense or a bit random. You might imagine them as pretentious and a bit ‘removed’ from the way the rest of us think - Well I think that superiority complex is dangerous and bad for business.

Art should be entertaining and thought provoking, but let’s not forget, there’s nothing wrong with having a bit of fun either. Many artists forget that and go down the far out, trendy and potentially out of touch route. That might earn you respect within a circle of starry eyed, ‘cool’ critics, but why limit yourself in such a way? That is why Mr Cotton’s work is so refreshing.

Cotton’s work doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, at all. It draws on vivid imagery that is relevant to a lot of different people, and all without appearing too contrived. He manages to use a global Pop icon like Katy Perry without appearing like a sell out. He also manages to pull off mixing two universally popular things – topless women and candy – without appearing smutty. All too often, modern art jumps on the bandwagon of smut to gain controversy. Frankly, this is a really lame tactic. We have, literally, seen it all before.

Will Cotton is an artist you could imagine actually giving you the time of day. Backing up this assertion, Cotton says: “The goal of art-making in general is communication. I don’t think we’re taught to expect to have a large audience. And now, in some small way, I do.” So how does Cotton measure his popularity? Money, Critical Success? “I have a lot of new Facebook friends!”

How refreshing - a modern artist that communicates and listens to his fans…

What do you think of Will Cotton’s work? Do you think modern art has got a bit too out of touch with the average person? Let us know…

Li Wei Vs Gravity

// January 18th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

Modern Art is increasingly becoming all about grabbing our attention. There aren’t many artists out there that achieve that as successfully as Li Wei…

Li Wei produces art that is guaranteed to make you do a double take. The images Wei creates make you wonder how the hell he managed it – gravity and concrete are no match for Mr Wei. Visually striking and thought provoking in equal measure, Wei has developed the knack of capturing the imagination of the public with every passing image. All this from a guy that used to work in oil.

Even more impressively, none of Wei’s photographs are created using software – it’s all props and bucket loads of elbow grease.

Wei’s photographs bare all the hallmarks of a showman. It will come as no surprise then to hear Li say: ”I was a performance artist before turning to photography. Now I merge performance elements into photographs.”

The performance element is certainly a strong one within Li’s work and Wei is vindicated in saying: ”I think my ideas and my expression in the photos make the works seem like the live performance. My works represent a radical change of urban life.”

There is an almost strange live feel to Wei’s photo’s – You almost feel as if you’re there. Some of his images are like stills from an action film, but the often calm surroundings frame the visual madness going on at the forefront of the image. Wei’s images really do stand out. Enough talk – you have to see Li Wei’s art to believe it…

What do you think of Li Wei’s art? Let us know…

Willard Wigan: The Small Art That Leaves A Big Impression

// January 17th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

In a world where big is often best, there is one artist that is proving size really doesn’t matter…

There are many reasons why you might identify with a piece of art. It may have political undertones, be controversial or very publicly visible. Occasionally though, an artists work is so unbelievably intricate and skillfully crafted that we simply have to sit back and marvel at it. In this case, through binoculars or a telescope of some sort!

Willard Wigan is a Birmingham born artist with a difference. His art is extremely visual and impressive to look at, but is so tiny it can’t always be seen by the naked eye alone. A squint will not suffice with Wigan’s art, for the style that he has made his own is the sculpting on surfaces as small as the eye of a needle. The usual reaction of the public to these pieces is a mixture of shock, amazement and the spewing of superlatives, for which there is simply not enough.

Words really can’t do Willard’s work justice, it is actually flabbergasting what this guy can create.

It’s not just needles that Wigan works with though, the man with the steadiest of hands can create a timeless masterpiece on the head of a pin, a grain of sand or even an eye lash. Many are so small that they are completely invisible to the naked eye and have to be seen through high power magnification, begging the question – how the hell does the guy do it?

The tools of Wigan’s trade are a surgical blade and a shard of diamond, with his makeshift paint brushes made up of materials such as an eye lash and even the leg of a dead fly. It all makes you wonder how Willard found out all this was actually possible? Where do you get the inspiration to do art like this? A quiet boy with learning difficulties, Wigan spent a lot of time in the woods and became fascinated by the tiny ants scuttling around his feet. He went as far as to build them tiny little ant houses – quite an architectural feat for a young boy and one which got him hooked on his miniature design theme.

Wigan’s website is full of purchasable examples of just how far, both creatively and lucratively, his work has come. His craft demands the utmost appreciation – seeing his pieces makes you appreciate just how difficult his art must be to create. Wigan is a guy that suffers for his art too. Wigan perfectly sums up how tiny his pieces are and how difficult they must be to create in one sentence – “Once, I inhaled Alice in Wonderland.”

What do you think of Willard’s work?

Gilbert And George And Their ‘Interesting’ Exhibit

// January 14th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

Art can be a funny thing at times. Creative types are known for being a tad eccentric, the line between genius and insanity is fine after all. But do some artists cross that boundary with their works?

Legendary art duo Gilbert and George have just unveiled their latest exhibition in London at the White Cube gallery. The collection is a set of prints created from postcards. This is nothing new, the pair are famous for their postcard work. However, this is their first postcard collection in 20 years and is also happens to be their biggest. Still, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Except, that is, for the them of the exhibit…

‘The Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert and George.’

What? Urethra? Seriously? Those were my initial thoughts on this ‘interesting’ theme. Apparently each print in the collection consists of thirteen postcards – twelve arranged in a rectangle with one in the middle – representing “an angulated version of the urethra.” You may be wondering why the duo decided to take on this theme. As they explain it:

“Everyone has a urethra, very few people knew that word and even fewer can spell it but we all know how to spell leg, arm, head, stomach, foot, but not the urethra which is vital. It’s also, it’s not only for urine it’s also for sperm so it’s the beginning of life as well.” Well that explains that then?

Excuse me if I sound like a dumb art critic here, but what the hell has art got to do with the urethra? Maybe it’s sensationalism, maybe it’s a joke that they know no one else will get, but I just don’t see where they are coming from with this collection. I really don’t think ‘art’ like this helps the cause of modern art being seen as relevant or admired in mainstream society. As I observed about Damien Hirst, art like this can start to wear thin pretty quickly when the PR spin and shock and awe factor wears off.

There are so many artists out there stretching the definition of ‘artist’ very thin indeed. The problem is, with so many of today’s artists putting controversy and PR at the forefront of their work, it is becoming more and more difficult to differentiate what is hype and what is actually good. Someone like Banksy is a great example of an artist that courts controversy, but he also backs it up with clever, skilled art that makes you think. A far cry from someone that just draws huge amounts of attention to their exhibit without having great art to back it.

If an artist goes down the controversy route nowadays they better have some truly impressive art to back it up. I don’t think a few postcards count…

Damien Hirst: Fantastic Or Fraudulent

// January 11th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

Damien Hirst is a divisive figure in the art world, but are his works any good?

Damien Hirst is highly controversial and perhaps a little too ‘out there’ for the general population. At 45, he may not be a kid any more but he sure likes to attract attention as if he still is. Hirst held his recent Christmas party at St Mark’s church in Mayfair, with invitations featuring his face superimposed on an image of Jesus Christ. Some people might think that sounds like Damien having a laugh. It might have been a touch tongue in cheek, but it’s the general consensus that this is a guy thats biggest fan stares back at him in the mirror every morning. Hirst is quite the egomaniac.

But with what regard do the public hold Mr Hirst?

It may only be satire but, The Daily Mash have probably got it near to the mark. They feature an article declaring ‘More than 90% of Britons think they could do better art than Damien Hirst’. Of course this is a jokey piece, with no poll of 100,000 people to fall back on. But actually, the general content of the article probably sits pretty well with where most people are on Hirst: ‘Art prices should be based on skill’. They go off on a bit of a (humorous) tangent, but I could imagine hearing the same kind of talk in pubs up and down the country.

Courting controversy?

Hirst’s latest piece is a dead babies skull, which he has cast in platinum and studded with diamonds. Does this art work have the skill of a Renoit? It’s certainly airs more on the side of raw than Rembrandt. B-Uncut has often raised the question of ‘what really constitutes art?’ and Hirst is great example for that debate. Is the guy really that talented or is he making the most out of courting publicity in a modern world of gossip and PR? I’m not saying everyone should paint like Picasso but is Hirst a step too far and a regressive figure head for modern art?

The critics choice?

Some think Hirst is an untalented, one trick, shock and awe flogging, pony. Others think he does have talent and is actually underrated. Hirst appears to be one of those figures that simply guarantees to divide opinion, which in many ways makes him a polarisation of the whole modern art movement. In truth, probably the last person that cares either way is Hirst. As long as he is in the public eye and infamous, Hirst will fulfil his mantra.

What do you think of Hirst? Let us know…

Behind Mona Lisa's Smile…Mystery Solved?

// January 10th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired

Somebody get Tom Hanks on the phone, Carla Glori has some big news…

OK, the picture is misleading, (but also hilarious). However, there are some interesting insights into the real story behind that smile. Ms. Glori, an Italian historian believes that a three-arched bridge, appearing over the left shoulder of our mysterious ‘smiling’ lady friend, is in reference to Bobbio near Piacenza in northern Italy. Personally I think ‘Lisa’ is giving us a grin at the very most but the general consensus is that she is flashing us a beaming smile. Curious.

Even more curious to the masses is the identity and story behind Mona Lisa’s smile. Forget the Julia Roberts film of the same name and think more Da Vinci code. Now our historian friend Carla says the rustic stone bridge, complete with grainy number 72 visible when the painting is enhanced, is the very same one that spans the river Trebbia at Bobbio.

Her theory is not quite as interesting to anyone who isn’t caught up in the whole Holy Grail, Dan Brown-esque theories behind the picture. To anyone that believes in the theories or has their own though, this is some pretty ground breaking news. It gets better though. Glori believes the number 72 is in reference to 1472, the same year a massive flood destroyed the bridge in Bobbio. ”Leonardo added in the number 72 beneath the bridge to record the devastating flood of the River Trebbia and to allow it to be identified,” Glori said.

Many art historians believe the scene depicted behind ‘Lisa’s’ head is an idealised landscape, drawn from Da Vinci’s imagination. Miss Glori though, is convinced by her own claims. She also went further by claiming that ‘Lisa’ is in fact Bianca Giovanna Sforza, the daughter of Ludovico il Moro. Il Mora was the nobleman who controlled Bobbio.

Glori’s claims are also backed up, well…kind of, by the finding of initials in Mona Lisa’s eyes last month. The letters found were S and G, two of Bianca’s initials, but not her first and her last name. Hmmm, coincidence?

‘Five hundred years ago Bobbio was an important centre of culture famous for its library and it was also on a major crossroad with a castle in the centre. It’s highly likely that Da Vinci visited Bobbio because of its famous library and that he painted the picture from memory a few years later, probably when he was living in France, says our persuasive friend Glori.

Ernest Hemingway described the valley where Bobbio lies as the most beautiful in the world and the bridge is also known as the Devil’s Bridge. Legend has it the Devil knocked it up in one night after he made a pact with Saint Columbanus, who in turn promised him the soul of the first passer by. Wiley old Columbanus tricked the Devil though, sending over a dog instead. Cue horrified gasps from the RSPCA.

A nice story yes, but as you may have gathered by now, I’m a bit of a sceptic. Therefore, the people of Bobbio’s insistence that Glori is 100% correct holds little sway with me. Obviously no small town would argue against Glori’s findings as they can likely see the tourist revenue Euros flashing in their eyes, let alone an S or G. Retired Oxford University professor Martin Kemp took scepticism a step further though.

The Da Vinci expert said: ‘The portrait is almost certainly of Lisa del Giocondo, however unromantic and un-mysterious that idea might be. There have been many attempts to identify the landscape as a specific location and I do not find the resemblance to the Bobbio bridge all that close. I have great reservations about all attempts to find some obscurely hidden meaning in Renaissance works of art.’ Well that pours cold water all over Glori’s theory.

Whatever version of events you believe, the debate is certainly intriguing and this is another interesting piece of ‘evidence’ to add to all the others. Maybe another film with Tom Hanks soon then? What do you think?