After a work incident led to him being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, Australian artist Matthew Gillett quit his job, packed up his life and moved to Indonesia to embark on an 11-month odyssey - creating pieces for a 14-piece art exhibition. Set to tour Australia in 2012, My Art Kills Monsters is a collision of art, photography and music - designed to raise money for mental health.
This is his story.
http://vimeo.com/41692738
For more information:
myartkillsmonsters.wordpress.com
nathansbequest.com
A film by Hamish Siddins
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Monday, 14 May 2012
Friday, 11 May 2012
Light versus Dark (for Shakefist Magazine)
See the original article HERE.
New York-based artist Bill Norrby features such glowing luminosity in his works it's almost an oxymoron his latest exhibition should be held in a dimly-lit Gothic gallery on the edge of Chelsea. However upon perusing the subject matter of his painted prose it's seemed only fitting that last weekends viewing was held at the Last Rites Gallery.
A former worker bee for the video game industry Norrby has since turned his hand to painting, graduating from the New York School of Visual Arts in 2010. The result is a talented new artist forming a cohesion of classical brushstrokes and modern day defiance and upheaval. His latest exhibition The Fury is an impressive collection of works presenting the plight and struggle of every day man set against an old world, almost mythical backdrop. These fighters for the future are depicted in an almost angelic state with Norrby's ever-present and immaculate use of light. Each painting appears to have an inner glow despite the macabre nature of it's subject. Smoking cities in ruins, dark enchanted forests, wartime and apocalyptic mob scenes adorn his canvas' joined by gas-mask clad protagonists shining through the terrors, displaying a luminous, almost ethereal glow - all done with the stroke of brush. Such dark moments painted in such beaming light makes for a definite feast for the eyes.
The Last Rites Gallery played the perfect host with it's dim red lighting, black walls and church-like facade, with soundtrack provided by a eerie, brooding live violinist. Bill Norrby's work combines futuristic subject matter with a classical artistic style, and his use of light is simply outstanding. His paintings take you to confronting and unfamiliar worlds, and I look forward to further explorations from this up-and-coming artist.
'The Undermining Satanic Energies Of An Incongruent Suburban Sickness', and so on... (for Shakefist Magazine)
See the original article HERE.
With a title like 'The Undermining Satanic Energies Of An Incongruent Suburban Sickness' it was fairly clear this exhibition was going to be an interesting one. Californian artist Skinner is now in residence at Brooklyn's Cotton Candy Machine and his is an awesome presence. His use of vibrant and vivid colors take you on a spaced-out trip through the abstract, cartoon and pop-art sectors of the art world and Skinner is the perfect tour guide.
Originally a teacher Skinner left the classroom to concentrate on his artistic endeavors and the result has been an eclectic mix of prints, murals and custom made toys, all of which were on display in Brooklyn on Friday. Upon entering Cotton Candy Machine you were handed your very own pair of 3D glasses with which to view his incredible 3D alien mural painted on the stores right wall. The mural created the perfect backdrop for his paintings, mainly consisting of neon-colored teeth-nashing hideously deformed creatures, freakishly beautiful in all their colorful glory.
Particularly eye catching were his hand-crafted monster masks - a collection of evil-eyed, sharp-teethed and pointy-horned characters that looked oh so menacing and would be perfect for scaring off trick or treater's on any Halloween. His latest book 'Every Man Is My Enemy' was also flying out the door, this being the first East Coast signing event for the release. He has an amazing and truly inventive take on pop-art very well presented in his books, including previous title 'The Butcher Kings'. Characters such as Scumby, Biggiefoot, The Funisher and Wu-Tang Clown leap off the pages and into your worst nightmares while definitely stopping by to tickle your funny bone.
Skinner takes images of deformed and scary creatures and makes them beautiful with his penchant for bright colors, his awesome imagination and ever present attention to detail. If bringing kitsch science-fiction based pop-art to the masses is his game then he is definitely winning. His character creations are fun, full of life and even a little bit creepy. So venture forth to Brooklyn if you dare - just don't walk home alone afterwards...
From the Barrio to Soho: Mexicali Rose art exhibition (for Shakefist Magazine)
See the original article HERE.
The Artists Space bought the sights and sounds of the barrio to New York's Soho this weekend as they presented an amazing array of art, photography and audiovisuals from South of the border. Radical Localism: Art, Video and Culture from Pueblo Nuevo's Mexicali Rose featured artistic endeavors from those involved in a project named Mexicali Rose - a self-professed 'grass roots communitarian organization' founded to provide readily available and free access to all areas of artistic media for the youth of Mexicali, a small town in Baja California hovering just across the US border.
The idea - founded by Mexicali-born filmmaker Marco Vera in 2007 - is a great one, and the artworks on display were a testament to the project and it's success. Covering a blanket of mediums including photography, murals, paintings and short films the exhibition transported you to Mexico, the barrios and beyond. Art lovers sipped on Coronas whilst surveying the works of Pablo Castaneda, Carlos Coronado and Julio Torres, photographs by Rafael Veytia and Odette Barajas and Zeta journalist Sergio Haro, and an original mural created by Fernando Corona.
Castaneda's works portrayed great female beauty and vulnerability in shades of black and white, painted with such care and detail some appeared as if they were photographs. Julio Torres explored the lighter and more inebriated side of barrio life with his candid public transport and house party shots, as well as the comedic 'Resultados de la Busqueda: Borrachos Besandose' ('Drunks Kissing'). Jose Miguel Salcido depicted the often grittier day-to-day life of the barrios with his photographs, present in works such as 'Policias Corruptos' ('Corrupt Police'). And the colorful murals done by Fernando Corona were the perfect backdrop for such intriguing and eye-catching pieces.
Mexicali Rose showed a side of Mexico that some might never see. The project gives youths the chance to express themselves and reflect their environment creatively and positively while giving the rest of the world insight into their culture, political climates and creativity. An all round success and a delight for all the senses Radical Localism is definitely worth a look in. The Artists Space is located on the 3rd floor at 38 Greene Street. Soho - for more details visit http://artistsspace.org/
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