Hired? Absolut-ly!

// September 28th, 2011 // View Comments // b-inspired, b-legendary, b-scene, featured

I think it’s fairly safe to say that everyone who has ever had a job interview will always remember THAT question.  And by this I mean the one that induces the sweating/stuttering/speechlessness resulting from the thought, ‘I really have no idea how to answer this’.

For me, this question was, ‘If you could hire any brand to represent you, which would it be and why?’ and my answer constituted a great deal of mumbling, several ‘ums’ and a fair few ‘ahhs’, before I came to the swift realisation that I would have to settle with a defeated smile and an attempt at some form of light-hearted humour.

If I were to be asked the question again now of course I would reply – with an air of smug self-satisfaction – that the brand would be Absolut Vodka (and no, it’s not because I am a university student and have a particular fondness for the product…)  

Why?

Absolut is…CREATIVE

As the tagline states, ‘It all starts with an Absolut Blank’ – but it is clear that Absolut’s newest marketing campaign did not stay that way for long.  Launched in July 2011, and comprising of 18 artist collaborations from a variety of different specialities including drawing, painting, print-making, film-making, sculpting and digital art, the Absolut Blank campaign seeks to ‘inspire artists all over the world by turning their iconic bottle into a blank canvas to be filled with creativity’.  Among the artworks are collage imagery by Mario Wagner, light installations by UVA, colourful graphic design by Aesthetic Apparatus, paintings by Dave Kinsey and mural work by Good Wives and Warriors.  Adam Boita, Marketing Manager at Pernod Ricard UK stated, ‘We brought together artist collaborators from a variety of disciplines and watched the journey from pure white canvas to exceptional pieces of art. The result depicts how artists and creativity are inspired through Absolut’. Watch the TV advert here.

Absolut is…INNOVATIVE

Last week, the company launched its free Absolut Blank app for iPhone 3GS, 4 and iPad2.  Using the camera and microphone, the app creates images and sounds inspired by the content that it has been fed with by the user – to produce an evolving piece of art.  The creation can then be uploaded to the Absolut Blank App Gallery and shared with friends on Facebook.  As Mark Hamilton, Global Marketing Director at Absolut, asserted, ‘The Absolut Blank app is both highly innovative and very addictive, it really changes your surroundings’. Want to see for yourself? Download it here and let us know what you think!

Absolut is…COMMITTED

This is not the first time Absolut has turned to artists when it comes to marketing campaigns. The company has a long history of dedication to contemporary art, with Andy Warhol (a teetotaller, he allegedly used Absolut as cologne!) being one of the first artists to paint for the brand in 1985.  According to Anna Malmhake, Vice President of Global Marketing, ‘It’s not about temporarily sponsoring something for one year, it’s 30 years of history’.  And, as a way of demonstrating this long-term commitment to creativity, the Absolut Art Award has been in existence since 2009.  Malmhake described the annual €30,000 prize as a small way for Absolut Vodka to show their gratitude to the world of contemporary art, presented to ‘an artist that we think is doing something really new and exciting and pushing the boundaries’.

It is at this point, of course, that I’m given a pat on the back by my interviewer for giving an excellent answer to such a tricky question.  Either that or I’m showed to the door and sent in the direction of Stockholm, the location of Absolut’s head office…

Looking for original artwork for your latest campaign like Absolut?  Submit a brief to the Creative Services Exchange today!

Art Prices In China Go Through The Roof

// March 18th, 2011 // View Comments // b-scene, featured

We have our very own Creative Services Exchange™ here at B-uncut…It seems China has an exchange of it’s own – The Tianjin Cultural Artwork Exchange.

The art market in China really hit it off in 2008 with some eye catching auction prices. Critics – and no matter the subject there are always seems to be a lot of them - said that the exploding market was just a bubble that was fit to burst. It didn’t - until now?

Shares in the Exchanges top two paintings – Roaring Yellow River and Autumn in Fortress - have shot up by a mammoth 1,700 percent, sparking concerns that the bubble is finally ready to go pop.

The art exchange only opened in January, operating by listing works of art and then offering investors part ownership in the pieces. But a mere two months after the Exchange listed shares in the two Chinese paintings, they have had to be pulled from trade to “reduce investment risks and protect investor rights.”

So is the art market in the worlds new financial super power set to fizzle out?

Exchange data showed that on its last day of trade this week, the shares in Roaring Yellow River traded at 17.2 yuan, compared with their issue price of 1 yuan. That valued the piece by modern Chinese painter Bai Gengyan at a massive 103 million yuan, or $15.7 million. There are more expensive works of art out there, but it is a price that is nearly 52 times as much as any of Bai’s works have ever fetched in a public auction.

Clearly there is a huge demand for art in the far east – seven new paintings and a diamond were added to The Tianjin Exchange on March 11, rising in price by a far more steady by 15 percent every trading day since  - it just so happens 15 percent is the maximum daily gain according to exchange rules. I have a feeling there is life in the Chinese art market yet…steady does it though.

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…

The Art We Love (Start of Winter Edition)

// December 3rd, 2010 // View Comments // b-Crowd

Welcome to winter. If you live in the UK, the snowy surroundings are probably a good enough indication in any case. We are possibly on course for a white Christmas!!! Wow!

And now we’re totally into the idea of the new season, we thought we’d share our festive sprit with some wintery artwork from our talented b-uncut Crowd members!

First Snow

by Bob Maurer

Old Man Winter

by Debra D’breau 

Winter Sky

by Sarah Slater 

Winter Reflection

by Scott Kahn

Ducks On Ice

by Stefan Fransson

More Of The Art We Love

// October 19th, 2010 // View Comments // Eyes on the Crowd

It’s that time of the month where we share some examples of the fantastic featured artwork on b-uncut. For more featured art, take a look here!

ARCO

by Damien Franco

 

An awesome old building in downtown Midland, TX that recently was torn down.

 

The Great White Beyond God

 by Russell Chowdhury 

 

Coucher sur le Vieux Port

by Laurent Sweetness  

y08_32

 

by DongSheng Guan

The Works We Love (Part Two)

// September 24th, 2010 // View Comments // Eyes on the Crowd

It’s the end of the week and we thought we’d share some further fantastic examples of b-uncut’s featured art. Enjoy!

…and now it is peaceful and quiet

by Daria Kudla

A memory of summer.

Bois de Boulogne,Paris

 by Adrienne Jalbert

Photo

 by Mark Rodmell

Lifeline

 by Otto Farkas

Oil on Canvas.

Art Inspiration | Kate MacDowell Porcelain Sculptures

// July 30th, 2010 // View Comments // b-inspired

Art inspiration from an accomplished ceramicist and sculptor Kate MacDowell.

“We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough.  We want something else which can hardly be put into words–to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” – C.S. Lewis.

b-POWER: SENE Festival Exhibits 4 b-uncut Artists

// March 31st, 2010 // View Comments // b-Crowd

b-uncut is surging with activity. Once Larisa Colantonio heard about the
SENE festival it wasn’t long before her virtual word reached more b-uncut’ers. Now Michelle Gates, Ross Kerr and Joe Niderno are also exhibiting.

“Through b-uncut I have met many artists that I now have a friendship with.  Whether it be a comment here or there or a chat, we have forged friendships that b-uncut made possible not allowing distance prevent our unity.“ Larisa

SENE festival is from 7th-11th April. Read more about each artist and see what work they’ll be showing below.
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“Art is the doorway I walk through for me to step outside of ME.“

Larisa Colantonio is a wife, a mother and an artist with a twist. Known for her Pensaic style of art, she runs off of raw emotion and bends it with her mind to create something truly unique.

In high school, through the open mindedness of her art teacher she was able to create a style of art  she called Pensaic. From there she flourished. Pensaic art became the outlet for her soul and mind.
As she entered adulthood, she found that painting with acrylic was also a very good way for her
to express herself. On occasion, you will find that she has even combined her acrylic painting with her Pensaic style.

“I see everything in layers, every layer is more important than the next.”

Joe Niderno has been dreaming and drawing since childhood.  ”My motivation derives from always seeing artistic visions in everything around me.  Often silenced in immediate thought or wonder. I am always pushing to project my visions the best way I can alongside maintaining a self truth.  I am trying to evolve as an artist everyday while being inspired by many artists in all types of mediums.”

“I climb through the hole in the fabric of our existence, seeking inspiration.“

Michelle Gates is a self-taught British artist whose art is influenced by raw emotion and her environment. She loves the interplay between colour and light, and the perceived and unseen worlds. Her dreams are also a vivid source of inspiration. They are twilight zone scenarios where reality and fantasy become intertwined.

What drives her? Each newborn concept strikes her vision and entices her creativity.
What excites her? The smell of fresh paint and the first scratch of the pencil on virgin paper. Emotional expression is key to all her paintings.

“I like to free myself from distress through painting and encourage others to do the same.”

Ross Kerr is a South African artist. “I am keen to begin exhibiting overseas. Personally the meaning of my life is to leave a mark with my paintings once I have passed on, or preferably while I am still living! I like to call my work Naive/Raw, as I do not attempt to make an intellectual statement, and I am uninfluenced by growing trends or fashion.”

EYES ON THE CROWD: March Madness

// March 30th, 2010 // View Comments // Eyes on the Crowd

We return this month to feature work on sanity’s fringes. We have selected five artists from b-uncut that conjure a potent intensity in their work.

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If Van Gogh was alive, he would obviously be a member of b-uncut and we may have selected the self-portrait he painted after he lobbed off a chunk of his ear but still he would have had stiff competition! Images can transport us, even for a moment we can lose ourselves in an artist’s vision. There’s nothing like an image taking you on that trip into unknown realms and imprisoning you with its voodoo. Time to walk through the city gates and hitch a ride on our crazy train. It’s March Madness!!
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Spanish artist Milan Rubio was born in Madrid. Drawing everywhere was an early obsession. He studied animation and illustration and his work appears in national and international magazines. He is always finding new ways to express the inner beauty of the human body. His paintings follow one statement: Think fast, paint faster. He captures warm earth colors from his Mediterranean roots and represents the human figure in a modern, neo-cubist style. His graphic work is about power and boldness. He is a young emerging artist with group exhibitions in Madrid, London, Bologna and New York.

Chinese artist DongSheng Guan has exhibited in Russia and China. Now in the middle stage of his artistic career he concentrates in three areas: watercolor painting, contemporary paintings and digital art. In his ‘Spring Light‘ series Guan has pumped a glass-wall voyeurism onto imagery that is prolific on the internet. The visual language of these playboy pastries could be likened to Chuck Close but not their conception. Guan takes animalistic control of the viewer and lures them helplessly into the unsettling position of a peeping Tom.

Italian Rita Carioti developed a passion for art when she was 14 years old. She has worked as a professional photographer for architecture, publicity, portraits, scenery and photo-journalism. She photographs numerous famous characters from the art and performance industries and many of her photos are published in daily papers, books, catalogues, brochures and reviews. Rita is currently a teacher at the Photographic Studio of Arezzo where she lives and works. She loves to search for and express humanity’s internal landscapes. Her works dynamically probe our conditions. Her conceptual imagery is direct and exposes our frailest notions.

Born in what was Yugoslavia and now living in Spain, painter Mirjana Lucic’s art is raw. She is a graduate in Philosophy and Literature and a post-graduate Painter. Her drawings and paintings are the result of a constant search for the inexplicable in and above our own selves. In her paintings you’ll notice tense connections grasping as they are torn from one another. Tied systems that battle and repel but co-exist. Their savage harmony is tactile and commanding as well as deftly engrossing.

French artist Herbot specialises in photomontage. He was born and grew up in a harbor city… Square shaped, rectangular and surrounded by the sea. “When I was little I couldn’t draw well, so I had fun cutting out pictures and assembling the pieces together, I didn’t know it yet but I was making photo-montage…” His photo-montage has advanced and his work is now incisive, funny and a bit mad.

SAVE SAM: Part 1: Labour Party & B-UNCUT Encourage Street Art

// March 25th, 2010 // View Comments // b-hind the scenes, b-street

.b-uncut & Amir Akhrif on a mission to get street art back to London.

Help with the campaign by joining the Facebook group.

Go to part 2 here
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Thanks to JudyGr, normko and hedgiecc from Flikr.