Spotlight: Luke Embden

// May 22nd, 2012 // View Comments // b-inspired, b-street, featured

Street art can take on many a form. Traditionally developed in public spaces, perhaps the medium of aerosol painted stencilled guerrilla art may be first image that pops into mind. Contemporary street artists are changing the perceptions of the artform everyday and the stigma of vandalism that once stood is being broken down piece by piece. There’s something rather special about street art style and in particular large mural pieces. Perhaps it’s the size of space or the freedom to create an artwork that’s organic and evolves within that space? All of which brings me on to the latest work of London based artist Luke Embden.

Luke’s work stems from a passion for graffiti, Pop Art flavours and freeform typography. His style is extremely bold and has a spontaneous flow to it yet retains a clean aesthetic throughout its multiple layers of lines, shapes and illustrations. Using a variety of mediums he experiments with screen printing and risography to create the stunning final output.

Having worked for a host of clients since graduating in 2005 his latest mural work is for beverage company Desperados, implementing lemons, limes, tequila leafs and sunset; all elements that sum up what the Desperados brand means to its fan base.

The most impressive element of Luke’s work seems to be just how well his ideas flow and how his style can be used in multiple applications. Impressive work.

Check out more of his activities here!

If you are looking for original artwork, submit a brief now!

Paper Boat Creative

What is public art?

// March 30th, 2012 // View Comments // b-inspired, b-street, featured

What is the point of public art? …perhaps to regenerate urban areas, to create local or national pride, to aid tourism, or simply to make a statement?

The answer is all of the above.

Public art can bring people together, and can enable those who would perhaps never set foot in an art gallery to experience something new and exciting. Taking art out in the open is a way to display the work of great artists to the general public, and can bring a rich cultural mix to our environment.

The term ‘public art’ often refers to sculpture, which as a 3d form, is typically the most suitable medium for filling a public space. but it can take many forms; from a painted road, to a building covered with fabric…

‘The Urban river’ installed in the town of Drachten, Netherlands, 2007

Parlimentary building in Berlin, ‘The wrapped Reichstag’ by Cristo and Jean-Claude, 1995

It can be created as a permanent fixture to the landscape, or as a temporary installation (the latter often involving a more interactive element with the viewer). The realist sculptures of Claes Oldenburg can be seen in many major cities worldwide as permanent additions to the landscape, whilst the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar square regularly sees new artworks occupying its empty space amongst the permanent statues.

Flying Pins by Claes Oldenburg, Eindhoven, Netherlands, 2000

The current work occupying the fourth plinth: ‘Powerless structures, Fig.101 by Elmgreen & Dragset

Light (both artificial and natural) is also a common subject in public art displays, perhaps because it interacts so clearly with its environment, and in turn, encourages interaction with the viewer.

‘Kolonihavehus’ (or glass house) by Tom Fruin, installed in Copenhagen, 2010

Art for the masses. This is essentially what public art is; above all it is for everyone, it can aim to instill some meaning to the mundane, to brighten up everyday life, or just look nice!

If you are looking for unique artwork, submit a brief now!

Paper Boat Creative

Bicycle culture

// March 27th, 2012 // View Comments // b-inspired, b-street, featured

The bicycle has been a functional, fun and accessible way to travel around for many many years. Used all over the world by people of all ages the bicycle is in essence a timeless piece of engineering and design and it would seem that more and more of a cultural following has begun to surround this humble machine.

Without diving too much down the route of cycle sports and the athletic appeal of a bicycle lets concentrate on what is on offer. Is it the freedom gained? The design and aesthetics? The combination of components and customisable nature of building something personal?

Well one great project worth looking into is ‘Artcrank’, a celebration of all things cycle, design and creative culture.

‘Artcrank is a show of bicycle-inspired poster artwork that introduces people to talented local artists and sends them home with affordable, original works of art.”

The bike themed poster exhibition started in Minneapolis, America in 2007 and has since expanded to nearly a dozen locations, adding more cycle-happy cities. Interestingly it’s creator is a Creative Director and discovered cycling was a great antidote to the stresses of his day often riding with the other designers at his company. By creating the event he has managed to successfully combine two things he really loved; bikes and design. The work and event offers a lot of insight into what a bike means to specific individuals and suggests that the cycle and the culture it cultivates could be considered to some a way of life. Crucially, above all sharing ideas.

*Images courtesy of Allan Peters and Juri Zaech

A further example of fantastic cycle art is ‘I feel good today’, a three-dimensional wall art, symbolic of creative minds coming together. Located in a popular coffee bar in Germany, interestingly the bar’s owners happen to be video producers and feel the piece represents creative minds coming together.

*Image courtesy of thecoolhunter

Another angle to consider is perhaps the craftsmanship involved with constructing something personal to the individual. It is often rare in the modern world that the opportunity of being personally involved with the design and manufacture of a product you ordered is presented to you. Well, recent short film ‘The Inverted Bike Shop’ tells the story of just such an opportunity. Their collaborative building project invites you into the design process and even asks you to immerse yourself in a bit of elbow grease working alongside their mechanics; the end result, your very own custom built bicycle. Even if not a DIY’er this opportunity of having a hands on approach is one that is appealing.

It would seem that from these outlooks the most appealing elements of cycle ownership is accessibility and sharing ideas. Perhaps that’s why creatives find them so appealing, I’m not sure but personally I find a certain thrill and sense of freedom delivered from these two wheeled contraptions. What are your thoughts?

If you are looking for unique artwork, brief the Exchange now!

Paper Boat Creative

Street Artist Swoon

// December 13th, 2011 // View Comments // b-street, featured

Swoon has captured our imagination with her decaying street art. She’s not a graffiti artist, rather she prints her works on paper before hand-painting them and pasting them onto walls. The pieces decay after a while, becoming ragged and faded. Eventually they disappear completely. Right now, her installation ‘Murmuration’ is on display at Black Rat Projects in Shoreditch. We’d encourage you to go.

Swoon, real name Caledonia Dance Curry, is worlds away from more traditional street artists like Banksy. There’s something macho about Banksy’s graffiti work. He uses stencils to quickly spray cheeky or shocking images onto walls and bridges, often touching on political themes. Rats often appear in his work, and he filled his exhibition in Notting Hill with over 100 live ones. We’re Banksy fans, but we have to admit his work his impactful rather than subtle.

By contrast, Swoon draws ordinary people, often women and children. The images are large-scale reproductions of her drawings with the pencil lines clearly visible. They retain that hand-drawn feel, meaning they feel intimate despite their size. Swoon also hand-paints each image, after printing them using a linoleum block. You can watch a video of Swoon putting up a piece and explaining her methodology here.

It’s clear that Swoon puts a lot of thought into her images. The woman she pastes up in the video is her vision of Thalassa, an ancient Greek water goddess. Swoon came up with the drawing in New Orleans, where she worked after Hurricane Katrina. She sketched her friend Naima, a performer in a show called Hurricane Season. The original print was over 3m and formed part of an installation at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

We often associate street art with political statements. And some of Murmuration’s images like this one could be interpreted as political. It shows a cut-out of a fat and evil-looking man towering over a woman adjusting her headscarf. The woman’s dress shows the corrugated rooftops typical of a refugee camp. Other drawings could be inspired by Swoon’s time living and working in post-earthquake Haiti. She doesn’t belabour the point though, allowing the viewer to reach his or her own decision.

So who is Swoon? Her real name is Caledonia Dance Curry and she grew up in Florida. Like countless aspiring artists she was drawn to Brooklyn, where she fell in with other hippie types. She wandered the streets and papered the walls before becoming interested in working collectively to tackle bigger projects. Her band of helpers is now known as the Toyshop Collective. They’ve built houses from local materials in Haiti and New Orleans. More famously, they created performance art by sailing down the Mississippi and up the Venetian Grand Canal in ragtag collections of handmade boats.

Swoon is pushing the boundaries of street art. Do you need a groundbreaking piece of art? Let our artists help – brief the Exchange.

Art of Protest: Ai Weiwei

// November 23rd, 2011 // View Comments // b-street, featured

Earlier, we wrote about Egyptian protest design and now it’s time for China. Artist Ai Weiwei has mobilized his supporters to strip naked to show their opposition to the government’s ongoing vendetta against him.

Ai is an internationally renowned artist, famous for works like Sunflower Seeds where he filled Tate’s Turbine Hall with 100 million ceramic replicas of sunflower seeds. He also openly criticises the Chinese government’s approach to human rights and democracy, unusual in a tightly censored country. As an example, he investigated government corruption in places like Sichuan, where 7,000 schoolrooms collapsed in the 2008 earthquake. Ai blamed corrupt local officials who cut corners on construction for the deaths of thousands of children. This didn’t go down well with the government.

Chinese authorities are now clamping down on Ai, trying to find a reason to jail the artist. They detained him for 3 months this spring and eventually accused him of economic crimes. He was ordered to pay £1.5 million in overdue tax but his persecutors were flummoxed when supporters sent in at least one-third of that. So last week they accused him of spreading pornography with works like One Tiger, Eight Breasts, which shows four nude women giggling around a nude Ai.

The charge of pornography is nonsensical in a few ways. Ai is hardly a pinup, and the women in the photo are equally ordinary looking. The photo isn’t sexually charged. Chinese artists have been photographing themselves nude for years with not a whisper from the government. Real pornography is also widely available online in China. In Ai’s words, “If they see nudity as pornography, then China is still in the Qing dynasty.” It’s quite clear to the Chinese public that the government is pursuing a vendetta against Ai, and they’re hitting back online.

Ai’s supporters are tweeting nude photos of themselves in a bid to show the government that nudity is not pornography. The photos have been collected on a photo blog here, with the tagline “Listen, Chinese Government. Nudity is not Pornography.” The Huffington Post has a good selection. The fans are getting creative. Some have covered their parts with pictures of Ai or stuffed animals while another posed like Michelangelo’s David. One man put up several pictures of himself smoking a cigar in his bath. Look elsewhere for titillation because these photos are defiantly unsexy. In their saggy glory, China’s citizens present an eloquent argument that nudity is not pornography.

We sincerely hope Ai’s supporters can tweet him to freedom. And if you want some nakedly political art, brief the Exchange.

The Brevity of the 30ft Portrait

// September 13th, 2011 // View Comments // b-street

Normally when you see someone’s name or face emblazoned on the wall of a building it’s safe to assume that they’re the ones in charge.

However, if you travel to Chandler, Quebec then the faces you see pasted on the side of the towns now defunct pulp and paper mill are those of the workers. Their faces, rendered 30ft high in black and white by the artist Dan Bergon (also known as fauxreel), are a solemn reminder how widespread the ramifications of a failed business can be.

The town of Chandler was founded by Percy Milton Chandler who built the first pulp and paper mill in the region in 1912. When times were good it provided employment for the town, but when it closed in 1999 it lead to widespread unemployment and worker migration. Unsurprisingly Chandler was left with economic and social problems. The workers depicted in the portraits have possibly left in the general migration in an attempt to find a better life. But the lineage of the workers who supported this mill while it supported them runs deep, and nowhere else could you can see how much it’s closure has taken from them.

The mill is scheduled for demolition soon, meaning that the portraits it now hosts will vanish like the jobs it once provided. The sheer size of the portraits in their deserted mill lends them a poignancy and nobility that they would not have in any other setting. The pictures will still exist on the internet but without the sense of scale or the authority of their current existence. But while the buildings still stands they serve as a sharp reminder of the instability of life and the ability for anywhere to be a gallery.

How much is a Photo Worth?

// March 3rd, 2011 // View Comments // b-street

Supposedly a picture’s worth a thousand words, but how many cups of tea can you buy with that? If you’ve managed to papp an elusive celebrity it might be worth a small fortune and these days it’s easy to sell your paparazzi pics. There’s even an iPhone app where you can load your pictures straight onto the market and sell them to highest bidder within minutes. The inexorable march of technology has spread all over photographic world. From your phone to the latest high tech professional kit; cameras are coming with features and settings making it simpler for people to take high quality photographs. You can now pick up an SD card which will hold thousands of photos for less than a tenner. The resources for sharing photos are becoming more prolific as well, Flickr reached the 5 billionth picture mark in September 2010 on it and it’s users alone upload around 3,000 images per minute.

With so many photos around how do you possibly keep track of everything? Well you can’t obviously. I barely even keep up with my friends’ photos. It’s quite common for them to go off for the weekend and come back with 500 pictures, most of which will be rubbish.

But does this proliferation of photos raise the bar? Do you have to take truly exceptional photos to stand out from the crowd? Is there any room for mediocre any more? Well this is definitely something that is true in the professional world. There are hundreds of photography courses churning out thousands of photographers each year and the industry is steadily becoming more competitive. Today’s professional photographer has to be multi-skilled number crunching marketer as well capable of taking fantastic photos to stand a chance of surviving.

But can you say the same of the amateur? It would be nice to say that the bar has been raised across the board but the truly great photos do tend to get lost in the sheer quantity that get uploaded every day. Things such as Flickr’s Last Seven Days and Tumblr’s Explore features do make it easier to see people’s favourite photos. But these are far from perfect due to the quantity of photos and the variety of people’s tastes, although Tumblr’s Explore feature is a personal favourite.

There are so many photos in all aspects of our life, when was the last time that you actually appreciated one? Next time you see a photo that catches your eye, don’t just think oh how nice and move on, stop and stare. Look and see what the photographer is trying to say, even if it’s just for a moment.

Vandalism Or Art? Banksy Dividing Opinion

// December 16th, 2010 // View Comments // b-street

One of art’s most divisive genres, graffiti is a controversial topic. The question remains: Graffiti, art or vandalism?

Long before he was helping out Russian art activists and selling his prints for big money, Banksy was a street artist trying to make a name for himself. Tarnished with the negative perceptions of a graffiti artist, it took a while before people cottoned on to Banksy’s skill and biting, political, wit. In some areas local councils have actually told street cleansing teams to leave Banksy’s work up. In others, like London’s Westminster, they have asked for his work to be cleaned off.

When one of Banksy’s pieces in Southampton was given a fresh coat of gloss by the local council, the disappointment spread beyond the city’s artistic community. The local community were so disappointed that a local ad agency, LowRyders Advertising, have pledged to display a giant poster of the mural using bikes and a giant billboard. They also plan to open up the debate to the public and ask city centre shoppers and workers the question: “Banksy in Southampton: art or graffiti?”

Which leads to my question to you: Graffiti, art or vandalism?

Asking ‘art or graffiti’, the ad agency in Southampton seem to have already made their minds up. But do you see a difference between graffiti and vandalism for the sake of vandalism’s sake? Any street art can be classed as graffiti,both the less artistic and the kind that wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery. As with all art, some has more merit than others. Is it only good graffiti artists that deserve respect and acceptance as artists, like Banksy? Should councils leave pieces like those by Banksy on their streets?

Let us know your opinions on this, can graffiti ever be considered art?

Banksy Backs Viona: The Penis On The Drawbridge…

// December 14th, 2010 // View Comments // b-street

Art has always been seen as having political undertones, but there is no doubting the motivation behind Vionas street art….

The anarchic performance art group have been wreaking havoc around Russia with their very public displays of dissension aimed at, what they believe to be, corrupt policing. From public sex and staged gay hangings, recently they have been flipping police cars and even painted a giant penis onto a drawbridge in St Petersburg. The latest of these stunts coincided with the international St Petersburg Economic Forum, with the erected bridge facing the FSB security organisations headquarters. Eye catching publicity indeed.

All of this publicity has landed two members of the group in a St Petersburg jail, not a very nice place to be. Fear not though, British street artist Banksy has come to the aid of the controversial group. Banksy has offered all proceeds from the sale of a new run of 175 prints to the jailed duo and their group. “Each print is £450 but if it’s any consolation Banksy is donating all royalties to the Voina artist co-operative in Russia, two of whom are currently residing in a St Petersburg jail,” reads a statement on picturesonwalls, where registered users were randomly drawn to buy the prints.

A step too far or utterly justified, the nature of Vionas art is sure to shock and divide opinion in equal measure. If faced with similar corrupt conditions, it would be hard to argue against the tactics Viona have became famous for. One thing is for sure, painting a giant penis on a drawbridge opposite a government building is a sure way to court publicity!

What do you think of Vionas art? Too far or fair enough?

Don't Play With Boy Soldiers

// August 24th, 2010 // View Comments // b-street

The likes of D*Face and INSA are collaborating with over 30 street and contemporary artists who have each customised Schoony’s iconic “Boy Soldier”. That’s right, a whole army of commando kids will be ambushing exhibitions next week in both East and West London.
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The ALL-STAR line-up is serious! There’s drum n bass dj Goldie, Inkie, Mau Mau, Dotmasters, Grafter, Liliwenn, Dan Baldwin, Matt Small, David Bray, Fin DAC, SnugOne, SNUB23, PEN1, BEST EVER, Joe Rush, Slice, John Nolan, K-GUY, Nick Reynolds, Carrie Reichardt and much more…

Boy Soldiers

02, 09, 2010 – 16, 09, 2010

Thurs 2nd September:
Buyers Preview. By invitation only, please email guestlist@graffiklondon.co.uk

BLACKALL STUDIOS
02,09,2010 – 04,09,2010
OPENING : THUR, 02,09,2010, 6PM
73a Leonard Street London EC2A 4QS, UK
020 7739 9551 / www.blackallstudios.com

GRAFFIK GALLERY
09,09,2010 – 16,09,2010
OPENING : THUR, 09,09,2010, 6PM
284a Portobello Road London W10 5TE, UK
020 3181 0000 / www.graffiklondon.co.uk