Melbourne leaving the rest of the graffiti world behind

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Some great graph pics up on Blacklodge!!'s flickr site recently. I love what's going on in the scene over there at the moment. Melbourne excels as Australia's creative capital, and blacklodge!! has captured it nicely in his extensive street exposay. It's also fantastic that he's noted down all the locations for all of his pics too, for anyone who is there to take the tour to see the pieces for themselves.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebadseed/page7/

Blacklodge!! also belongs to an excellent flickr group called Stencil Graffiti, which has 934 members and features over 13, 000 photos. Highly recommend checking it out if stencil is your bag.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/stencilgraffiti/

New plague of rats in London

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A new plague of rats in town it would appear. Shot this one (if that's what you do with rats?) in Old Street yesterday. Banksy it aint, it's Zulu. The stencil is rather crude, as is the technique, but it had pride of place on an entire, freshly white washed wall just along from Curtain Road. Shot it with my phone, so the quality id somewhat ropey, but I like the way you can see the runs and scratches on the textured concrete.

I see your face in the clouds

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Out and about the other night I was surprised to see a rather large face staring across the road at us. Not completely proportionate, slightly skewiff (the picture - not me, fool!) there was something strangely attractive yet unattractive about this piece. So why does it look weird?

Here's a little test for you all. Enlarge the image in your browser. Now shield the majority of the face focusing on only one feature at a time. First the left eye, then the right, then the mouth (I realize the mouth is completely off center, but bear with me). Each individual feature is actually really well illustrated for a 2.5m tall aerosol painting on a roller door, but it looks like they're from 3 different subjects, or the same subject source from 3 different angles comped together to make one.

Thoughts?

Goodbye Bush...

I don't think there's a person left on this earth who isn't thrilled/glad/relieved to see the back of George Bush, America's worst president. Which is why I laughed out loud when I saw this brilliant ad in the Australian newspaper, The Daily Telegraph today. Supermarket hair removal brand Veet joined in the loud chorus of 'goodbye and good riddens' and sold a few more tubes of hair removal cream at the same time. Brilliant. No more Bush indeed.

Ha! Those crazy fuckn Danish!

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I came across some of Simon's portraiture work a few years ago, but his latest project is by far the most ambitious. He has a favored style concept of taking his photos over a period of time from the same place. His current project is no exception to this concept.

Simon's spent the last 17 months creating a truly remarkable piece of photographic history.... His photograph entitled We're all Gonna Die – 100 Metres of Existence uses an extraordinary dimension of image (100m x 78 cm) to highlight how incredibly ordinary we (well, at least some Germans) are.

All in all, there are 178 people in the photograph that were shot over the course of 20 days from the same spot on a railroad bridge in Berlin, most of whom oblivious of the fact that they would be part of such an historical image. There are a few obvious questions that come to mind for me... where the hell do you hang a photograph that is 100m long? Can you still classify and composite image made from multiple photographs a single photo? Regardless of either of these facts or if in fact this is the longest photo ever, I can't help but respect the effort and concept.

To witness the spectacular online fruition/representation of this project (and the images I've put here from the site really don't do his work justice), I urge you to go to:

http://www.simonhoegsberg.com/we_are_all_gonna_die/slider.html

Rosie Hardy - Fantas(y/tic) photographer

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Through the fantastic vehicle of flickr over the weekend, I was forwarded on to a young photographer called Rosie Hardy. Originally from England, but soon off to USA to be with her partner (also a photographer, who she met through flickr), this 18 year old just blew my mind with her outstanding photography and concepts. A little bit dark, a lot quirky, this youngster has a prolific output (on top of a hectic school schedule), but still manages to get a pic out every day for her 365 (self portrait) project. In fact most of her work is self portraiture with a twist, and her comping and retouching skills are well above average too. Makes the rest of us look positively lethargic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosie_hardy/

(Thanks Rosie, and good luck with your psychology exam)

Mark Rothko at Tate Modern

Untitled, Black on Maroon, Maroon on Orange

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Rothko in his East Hampton studio, 1964
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For something with a little difference from our usual Friday night antics, Ross & I decided to get a dose of culture. We had been meaning to go to the Rothko exhibition for some months, and as it was due to close in about a week, the time seemed right to pull finger.

The exhibition focused on the body of work from his last 8 years, a period in which he was consumed with the strategy of repetition and variation. This quote encapsulates the strategy at the heart of his work throughout that period:

'If a thing is worth doing once, it is worth doing over and over again - exploring it, probing it, demanding by its repetition that the public look at it.'

It was a great show, and fantastic to be a part of it (I tried to pull off a few self portraits in front of the pieces that were my favorites when the security guards were distracted, but without joy).

There was an awesome section of the show where they delved deeply into the techniques Rothko used. This was done by photographing some of his works with ultraviolet light. This technique helps highlight the multi-layered application of his strokes, making the 'invisible' visible. It was fascinating.

My only criticism was the lighting of the show on the whole. I understand these large pieces with subtle colour change and brush work are very hard to light, but out of the 9 rooms of work, only about 2 were lit satisfactorily.

Selfish Cunt

New batch of stickers up around Hoxton/Shoreditch. This has gotta be my favorite tho. Ha! Clockwork Orangesque. Dedicated to you Jonathan!

Kate Moss for knife crime

New(ish) on the streets is this nice piece for knife crime London. Around Hoxton, and I think there may be one near Camden too?

Put your hands up for... crowd shots

Came across some great gig crowd shots on a friends site the other night (thanks Lionel - Ha!) I think they're from the Boyznoize gig?

Grant Armishaw: Great NZ events/gig photographer

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I recently came across a very talented young photographer based in Auckland. He's relatively new to the professional photography game (ie. he's young and fresh). His gig pics blew me away, especially his Shapeshifter exposay, and behind the scene shots. Great eye and composition. He manages to capture the moment, and get right up close and personal with his subjects, in particular Shapeshifter, Pacific Heights, Tiki & Concord Dawn. Made me wish I was back in NZ at those gigs.

Grant heads a studio in Auckland called GAP (Grant Armishaw Photography).
Check out his work on:
http://gap.smugmug.com/gallery/6907424_ute8c#448056475_xt23h

Grant's also got some great pics on his flikr site too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantarmishaw/

This guy's one to watch for sure! Thanks for the pics Grant.

... are you 'avin a bubble?

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Couldn't help but start this article with the words of my friend Jonathan echoing in my ears - "are you 'avin' a bubble" - a comment he uses at least several times a night (Cockney rhyming slang for "bubble bath" = "laugh".

Creative Review commissioned photographer Jason Tozer to shoot these pictures on behalf of Sony using its new Alpha digital camera.

They are, in fact, all common-or-garden soap bubbles, shot in-camera. They’ll be revealing more on how Tozer obtained these stunning images later on. The full series is shown on CR’s photostream, or the link I've added below, and to see them at a larger size simply click on each image. I think they're awesome, and anyone whose ever tried to shoot this kind of shit in the studio has gotta be impressed with 1/ the shot quality, and 2/ the beauty of the subject.

www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/planet-tozer/

New Years eve with a bang. 40's Blitz style

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Christmas is almost upon us... but what about new years!?

Kindly Neill has stepped up to the plate, and will be hosting a rip roaring party at the mansion in Oval. The theme is set: Blitz, London, 1940. I'm in the process of doing the invite for them, and while this flyer isn't in the final short list, I liked it, so I've stuck it up until the final decision has been made by the committee.

The bonus is (apart from being surrounded by an absolutely spiffing bunch of people, being able to control the dj order, no large bar bill, a massive multi zoned location, an huge outdoor garden etc) that the tubes are running all night, and they're free.

Heads down, it's gonna go off!

Wellington by night - Sam Brown

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While we're on the nostalgic Wellington theme, I recently had a squizz through our mate Sam's Flickr site, and came across some stunning pics he's done over the last few years. One series that stuck in my mind was his Welly night scene stuff. Great scenes on the wharf, some fabulous city scapes, and these stunning lighthouse beauties.

Thanks for letting me use them Sam, I'll post some more up soon.

(Welly's own) Dave Le Fleming exhibibition

Well our good mate Dave Le Fleming from Wellington just exhibited in a group show in Central London. Mixed Blessings at Signal Gallery in Curtain Road, Shoreditch.

I was lucky enough to make it along, and loved what I saw.

‘Mixed Blessings’ showcased five artists who come from very different backgrounds (art college, street art and illustration/design) but who all equally have a strong desire to tell a story.
SPQR, Alke Scmidt, Replete, Jonathan Darby and David Le Fleming's work could not have been further apart in style, substance, medium and wit. Heres what the gallery said about our man Dave:

"New Zealand born David Le Flemming has been showing his artworks for about ten years. For the past five years he has lived and worked in London. Coming from a graphic design background his works have a strong, decisive line and a very particular humour. He has made a feature of painting on acquired metal objects, most noteworthy, car bonnets. His subjects often have an unnerving domesticity about them. Davids’ work has proved to be very popular and a number of celebrities are collecting his pieces."

Nice one brother, more of the same please

The disappointing disappearance of street art in London

Twat - Shoreditch

Banksy - Faringdon

After strolling around the streets of London this week hoping to photograph some fresh street art I was disappointed to discover a distinct absence of artwork. The usual haunts of Shoreditch, Soho and Brick Lane seemed to be lacking in the usual abundance of stencils and paste-ups. Found a few new Invader mosaics and a Banksy rat in Faringdon, but not much of anything else. Also a lot of the areas around Rivingdon Street were freshly white walled. I hope this can only mean a fresh canvas for London's urban escapaders...

Faile for sale

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After having my fancy tickled by the recent Faile exhibition in London, I jumped online to see where one could view/purchase some of the collectives pieces. The Belgrave Gallery in St. Ives seems to be the place, and they're currently running an excellent exhibition of street art too. They also have a pretty impressive collection of works inc. Banksy, Eine, Blek Le Rat, Cyclops, Shepard Fairey, Adam Neate, Nick Walker and D'Face.

www.belgravegallery.com

The day Mereana met the queen

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Key: ELIZABETH RICHIE MEREANA PHILLIP

The royals came to meet the All Blacks and inspect The Rugby Ball, the giant expo centre that has been erected in London to promote The 2011 Rugby World Cup and New Zealand tourism.

With a large media throng assembled an hour and half before the Queen's arrival, and the All Blacks taking up their position about an hour later, standing in formation three-deep outside the ball, they copped a decent blast off the Thames. Officially the temperature was two degrees but the wind-chill factor had to be much lower.

The Queen and Duke arrived to be met by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, All Blacks captain McCaw and a Maori welcome by Mereana & Precious. This time Mereana actually got to shake hands with the Queen, and spent a good old time nattering with the Duke.

I was standing about 6m away from the Queen when she got out of her car and walked toward the welcoming committee. She seemed tiny, and was dwarfed by the ABs. Sorry, my camera has crapped itself, so these are screen grabs from the video.

Adam Neate 1000 piece free art for all

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“Art worth an estimated £1m is being given away by one of the world’s leading street artists, Adam Neate, in an exhibition that will see 1,000 pieces deposited across the capital and left for whoever wishes to take them.”

I couldn't quite believe it at first, but it seems to be for real, and I expect a fair few people are going to be taking the day off this Friday on the hunt for one of his works.

The drops will be made this Friday, 14th Nov according to the paper, and they’re stating that they will be all over London:

“The action will begin before dawn, when helpers will begin distributing the hand-painted pieces on the outskirts of the city, moving inwards towards the city centre as the day goes on. While some will be left at famous landmarks around the capital many pieces will be placed in less salubrious areas of the city – both Lambeth and Hackney will be decorated.”

Post drop: Well, I wasn't lucky enough to fall over one, but I see the pieces are going on Ebay for up to 400 pounds already. Lordy - what a giveaway eh...

Faile exhibition in a abandoned school in Vauxhall

Faile collective was working on something a little different for their show in London. They took over an abandoned schoolhouse in Vauxhall for a ten-day project. Their show, entitled 'Lost the Glimmering Shadows' incorporated some Native American imagery along with their distinctive torn poster look. the first set of images show them hard at work…

More photography - Bjorn Giesbrecht

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While I'm still on the photography tip, here's another one worth checking out. Bjorn Giesbrecht is based in Dusseldorf, and unless you agency/client has an utter shit-load of dosh you won't get the opportunity of art directing him on your dream job shoot. He's just put up a bunch of new work, and has a new (and very beautiful) website as well.

www.bjoerngiesbrecht.de

Eric Traore - Professional photographer

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Ok, so I've been neglecting the street art thing of late, but work gets in the way of fun so... but on the plus side, while creating mood boards for some clients lately, I've come across some pretty fantastic photographers. Eric Traore is a photographer who deals mainly in the fashion & beauty fields, and works between NY and Europe. He has worked for some of the best clients and agencies in the world, and you can see why.

Check out his work on: www.eric-traore.com

Underworld @ Brixton academy

Saturday night saw a group of us head down to the Brixton Academy for the second night of their sell-out gig. Great time had by all. Fantastic set and up for it crowd made for a very special time.

All the sets for this tour have been recorded and are available
through their website.

www.underworldlive.com

Tough job but somebody has to do it...

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Photographer Elias Tahan hets to take photos of some of the most ridiculously attractive women in the world... What a trooper.

These photos just a snippet from his bulging portfolio. It's not hard to make models look good in photos, but his B&W pictures are really stunning.

See his work at www.eliastahan.com.

Mona Hatoum Exhibition

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Came across an interesting artist during the week. Mona Hatoum has been exhibiting in various forms since the late 70's, but has got quite a bit more experimental in recent years, including this installation that transforms during the course of the exhibition. Nice conceptual stuff...

Love on the streets...

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Just been pointed out to me that 2 of the pics on my flickr site are remarkably similar. The blue image is from Old Street in '07, and is a stenciled paste-up. The B&W is from Berlin in '08, and is a stencil. Different artists, but similar styles. Nice. Thanks for the observation Matt.

The revolution continues: New art from China at Saatchi Gallery

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Ok, so not street art this time, but got a bit of kulcha in on Sunday. Visited the Saatchi Gallery with the lovely Fiona, and checked out the new art from China exhibition. Some fantastic and creative work from across the ocean, and well worth checking out if you're down Chelsea way.

Cang Xin's 'Communication' at Saatchi Gallery, London

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Cang Xin is a bona fide shaman; he holds the profound belief that all things have spirit – both animate and inanimate objects – and is a member of an order of enlightened holy men who have the ability to enter various forms at will. As one of China’s most celebrated performance artists, Cang approaches his work as a means to promote harmonious communication with nature. His works have included bathing with lizards, adorning the clothing of strangers, and prostrating himself on icy glaciers: each act representing a ritual of becoming the other.

Cang’s Communication is an ongoing piece, begun in 1996. Engaging with the world at large with his tongue – one of the most intimate and sensitive parts of the body – Cang’s performance represents an internalising of knowledge and a religious communion with place/person/thing. Sites for this performance have included Tiananmen Square and The Coliseum. In the work presented here, Cang recreates this performance in the gallery with a realer-than-real sculpture of himself. Cang minimises the concept of representation, creating an engaging ‘environment’ in life scale. The realer-than-realism freaked a few of the people at the exhibition out tho!

Piercing gone horribly extreme

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My Lord, the things some peeps are doing to themselves!
When is too much enough? I have a friend who owns a piercing studio in Wellington (Fleshwound, in Cuba Street), and he has the biggest holes in his ears that I have ever seen, until I saw this guy that is...

Nice little Sydney graffiti microsite

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Came across an interesting little website from Sydney today. If you love street art as much as me check out his site. Some of the photos are a bit ropey quality-wise, but well worth a looksee...

www.pastemodernism.com

Website weirdness of the week...

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Ok, so this guy has taken photoshop comping to the next level. Some downright twisted images and some of his advertising comps. Well worth checking out...

http://www.salamagica.com/

Alternative Berlin - streets, squats, subculture

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Explore the gritty, grungy, underground of the city that Berliners love. Witness the clash between corporate expansion and counter-culture. Get off the tired tourist trail and see what makes this city the underground envy of other European capitals.

The tour starts daily at 2pm from the corner of Oranienburger Strasse & Tucholsky Strasse. Nearest transport stop: S-Bahn line (S1) : Oranienburger.

Tour guide: MATTI. Born in Berlin when it was still divided into an eastern and a western part – coming into the world on the communist side of the iron curtain. Fortunately the situation changed when he was one year old, so he was able to grow up in this city when it went through some of its craziest years – he saw Berlin growing together, changing its face rapidly, and fell in love with it. Now he’s eager to tell the people about the city he spent most of his life in and help them understand why Berlin is such an exciting and interesting place to live in.

As seen in Berlin...

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Ok, so the first batch of graf and street art (including this beautiful style from an unknown artist) from our recent trip to Berlin are up. Check www.flickr.com/photos/hamstar/sets

Lifelounge 89 - The Moral of the Story Edition

After Mr Bouncy Bunnykins finished reading the children The Ugly Duckling, he asked them what the moral of the story was.
"Being pretty is more important than anything!" said Frank.
"Ducks are crap but swans rule!" said Jemima.
"Peer pressure and mob mentality are dangerous weapons!" said Marky.
"Oh children," said Mr Bouncy Bunnykins, "they're all good answers, but the moral of the story is: It's what's inside that counts."
The children looked confused.
"I'll show you."
And with that, Mr Bouncy Bunnykins took off his mask, pulled out a knife and gutted the lot of them. "Get it, dumb-dumbs?" he asked.

Street art is alive and kickin' in Berlin

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I have just returned from a week in Berlin. The biggest surprise of the trip, for me, was to find out how in debt the city is.

An unbelievable €60 billion!

But for a city of just under 3.5 million people there still seems to be a feeling of optimism. This optimism is certainly reflected in the amount of street art that is going on there. Obviously street canvases are abundant in the form a considerable number of empty and disused buildings from a city in such financial turmoil. Add to this 17-25% unemployment, a community that actively supports squatters rights, and a high level of creativity and you have any graffiti artists nirvana.

I will be posting up some of the shots I took soon. Check www.flickr.com/photos/hamstar/sets

I will also post up info on where the best graf areas are there, and contact details for Matti, a native Berliner who runs a daily 3 hour walk that showcases the predominant street art areas, some famous squats, part of the Berlin wall and a generally alternative Berlin city walk (he's a great guy, and it’s free!).