Matthew Gillet's Art Kills Monsters!!!

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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Music by:
Mavens
mavensband.com
Underlights
myspace.com/underlightsband

'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/

Greenpoint Gallery Review (for Shakefist Magazine)

See original article HERE.

Through an unassuming metal door on a back alley beneath an overpass lies a wondrous world. A world where you can drink. A world where you can smoke. A world where you can get your creative fix be it visual or aural. This is the world of the Greenpoint Gallery.

An art space and venue for hire the Greenpoint Gallery was set up in 2005 by Shawn James to 'facilitate creativity in all disciplines by providing the perfect solution for NYC artists seeking an affordable and flexible performance/exhibition space in which to fulfill their visions'. And that's exactly what it did this Friday night as it hosted Shawn & Ted's Excellent Art Adventure - a 5 hour fun-fest of music, art and all the good stuff in between. There were paintings, there were sculptures, there were bands, there were dogs, there were birds - everything was possible.

The 2 story space is a wonder to behold as far as exhibition spaces go, the lower floor consisting of a small stage shrouded in greenery (and said bird, somewhere…) with an Aztec-themed lounge area and works on display by none other than curator himself Shawn James. His style is macabre yet kaleidescopic, combining the strong human form with equally strong slashes of color and light. He captures the pain and intensity of man well, without presenting it as such.

Moving upstairs we were treated to a simple but fulfilling bar area (complete with aforementioned dog) and another small stage, this time almost too well lit due to the artworks on display. Ted Stanke was the main feature, taking over the space with his life-size metallic sculptures and ode's to popular culture. Most impressive were the 1 Billion Cent Piece - a large mock sculpture of a penny made of pennies, Long Live Steve Jobs - a collusion of metal pieces and coins brought together to form a human heart, all placed within the confines of an old Apple Mac screen, and my favorite, The American Dream - a small sculpture of a toilet made of Matchbox cars. His works were daring yet tongue-in-cheek, and extremely well crafted considering the innovative materials he had chosen.

All this was set amongst a backdrop of about 10 local musical acts who suited the event well. The stand out was Colorform, a simple act featuring a female singer with band including an excellent cellist, who sang catchy songs whilst a friend of their's created a piece from scratch in front of the stage using pastels. A creative and inventive idea that suited the event to a tee.

Greenpoint Gallery put on a great night that not only highlighted the artistic side of the gallery but the musical side as well, perfectly capturing their diversity as a venue. A great space featuring great works that are well worth a look in.

Textile Field: Reworking the Way We See and Experience Art

See the original article posted HERE


Thanks to French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec visitors to London's Victoria & Albert Museum are able to view it's prestigious Raphael gallery in a very unusual way.

As part of London Design Week the pair have created an artistic recline of sorts, giving museum goer's the chance to sit back, relax and fully take in the magnificence of the old school while wholly partaking in the new. As shown below in a wonderful time lapse piece created by Lonelyleap Films, Ronan and Erwan's 'Textile Field' is creating a unique public haven for art lovers:

http://vimeo.com/30742930

As explained on the London Design website (http://www.londondesignfestival.com) Textile Field takes up over 240 square meters of the gallery floor and has created a space that closes the formal distance between the viewer and the artwork. 'We have decided to provide a kind of furniture element that helps people to relax their bodies and so relax their minds,' states Erwan Bouroullec, 'And then, maybe, the meaning will come.'

Buff Monster & Jeremyville at The Cotton Candy Machine, Williamsburg (for shakefistmagazine.webs.com/)

See the original article here: http://shakefistmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/08/shakefist-writer-visits-cotton-candy.html

Brooklyn's Cotton Candy Machine is a fairly new addition to the scene, having been open only since April 2011. Specializing in art prints, posters, books, toys and various interesting trinkets it has held an eclectic mix of exhibitions in it's short life span, including an intimate evening with US band The Melvins. On Friday 5th August the heavy humid Summer air was laced with the sweet smell of success - and sugar! - as Jeremyville and Buffmonster held an outstanding viewing at the art house entitled 'Sprout Up'. It was a night of free beers and cotton candy, bright colours and even brighter sentiments.

Buff Monster cites heavy metal music, ice cream and Japanese culture as his main influences and this is ever-present in his work. Awash with pink hues - which he describes as the colour of 'confidence, individuality and happiness' - and abstract Manga-style characters his work is definitely a product of his influences. Crazy animated characters, blow up ice cream cones, glossy-eyed stuffed animals and Tim Burton-esque skulls and pumpkin lanterns lay scattered throughout Cotton Candy Machines shelves and cabinets. His work is abstract and fun, even if a little confusing at times. My friend and I were particularly taken with a set of one-eyed characters which looked like a cross between a salt and pepper shaker and a massage implement - noting that neither of the aforementioned products would cost a whopping $350, which was the price tag on each of these little gems. Creative and fun Buff Monster likes to think outside the box, and I must say I do like his train of thought.

However being the optimistic, happy-go-lucky person that I am Jeremyville certainly stole the show for me. Matching basic and positive phrases with basic and positive shapes and colours Jeremyville takes you to a world where everything is possible and nothing can stop you. His messages of good will and inspiration seize the imagination and the accompanying animations are endearing to the heart and the eye. Phrases such as 'Imagine your future then make it real', 'Find a way out', 'Let's dream of each other' and 'The late worm evades the early bird' could come across as corny and cliche if not for his fun, colorful and finely sketched characters. His work also included a screen print poster series of New York neighborhoods such as the East Village, Devils Kitchen and Union Square - all of which captured the true essence and character of each neighborhood using minimal and basic colours - and a series of skate board decks which made me want to take to the streets on 4 small wheels myself. With numerous group exhibitions under his belt and the release of 2 styles of Jeremyville Chuck Taylor high top's by Converse it's clear that Jeremyville's artistic style is admired by the masses. The occurring themes and pop-art like images are simple in their delivery, and one can only hope Jeremyville's messages of life and love can inspire people through their viewings.

Thanks to the lively and inspirational works on show the scene at Cotton Candy was one of fun and frivolity on the night, and I highly recommend heading into Williamsburg to take in some of these fine pieces. The 'Sprout Up' exhibition featuring Buff Monster and Jeremyville is showing at the Cotton Candy Machine August 5th through September 4th.