François Wunschel and Fernando Favier produce audio-visual installations, micro-architecture, urban intervention, performances, exhibitions and other strange new forms of art colliding with tech. They labor under the name 1024architecture and focus their efforts on the interaction between body, space, sound, visual, low-tech and hi-tech, art and architecture. Way awesome.
Artist and illustrator Colin Johnson’s work has been published and awarded by Print’s Regional Design Annual, The Society of Publication Design, Communication Arts Illustration Annual, American Illustration, and Society of Illustrators Los Angeles from which he received the Gold Award in the Editorial category for the Illustration West 43 contest. Some of his Freelance Illustration clients include: American Airlines, The American Medical Association, Audubon, Better Homes and Gardens, The Chicago Tribune, Converse, Epoch Films, Fast Company, The Harvard Business Review, National Geographic, The New York Times, Newsweek, Raygun, Time Inc., and U.S. News and World Report. He has recently been a part of gallery shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Portland, Hamburg (Germany), and Melbourne (Australia).
He has a strange, unusual and somewhat surreal style.
Victor Rodriguez is a painter who was born in Mexico City but currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He paints some fantabulous paintings that use hyper-realism to a rather awe-inspiring degree. His website is nuts and bolts but that’s no matter considering his inspiring talent. I can only imagine the impact of his work in person.
The David B. Smith Gallery is currently hosting AJ Fosik’s exhibition ‘Count Back From Now’. To the unfamiliar, Fosik’s sculptural monsters are crafted out of hand carved and painted pieces of wood and the end result is a kind of contemporary take on the African mask. The neon ‘monster’ like masks and creatures are even more striking and imposing in person and you really have to stand in front of one and move around it to appreciate the craftsmanship Fosik employs when building them.
I took over a studio at the now closed Andenken Gallery a few years back that Fosik had been using before me here in Denver. He left a big collection of boob boxes and a little eye or two from some of his sculptures. Consequently, I have about 6 boom boxes in my garage and the eye now sits on my desk in my studio. I’ve always like his work.
The exhibition is on until August 14th in Denver.
David B. Smith Gallery
1543 Wazee Street
Denver, CO 80202, United States
303-893-4234
I think you could just say that St. Louis born artist Jason Hackenwerth makes gigantic aquatic balloon animals and that would be enough to entice a lot of people just to at least take a look at his work. But after saying that, you also have to at least follow up with the fact that they really are beautiful pieces of art that invoke a real sense of wonder and inhabit a space in a surreal way that must be very engaging in person. It’s a fascinating little niche he has carved out for himself and I would love to see some of his work in person.
The Clayton Brothers have thrown some new and as always colorful and inspiring work up at their blog. I am becoming a very big fan of their work and I think they are really transcending that lowbrow scene into genuinely influential contemporary artists. It will be interesting to see how their exhibition schedule evolves in the coming years and if that notion is reflected in where they are asked to show.
The Illiterate Gallery here in Denver has been curating some great exhibitions lately and the current show for July looks amazing. It is the first solo show of local Denver artist and director Ravi Zupa. You can see Zupa’s work at some of the trendier destinations around the city and it always stands out.
Here is a description of the show from the gallery:
“The exhibition at Illiterate running throughout the month of July is Ravi Zupa’s first solo gallery show, however this seems to have less to do with the artist being overlooked by contemporary art circles as it has been a product of his DIY mentality and rejection of the elitist status quo within the art world. A self identifying anarchist, Zupa believes that art is for everybody. When Ravi approached us about making Illiterate the site for his gallery debut, we were both honored and excited to work with this talented and driven individual. The exhibit titled “The Pyre”, coincides with a book project by the same name between the artist and hip hop musician Sole, founder of Anticon records and leader of Sole and the Skyrider band, for which Zupa has directed a number of music videos. This collaborative publishing effort involves an epic poem written by Sole and illustrated by Zupa and will be released at Illiterate during the closing reception for the exhibition on July 30.”
You can see images from the exhibition here and find out more about Illiterate at their website. Be sure to drop by if you are close to the Denver metro area.
Matt McMullen is the original creator of the Real Doll. If you haven’t heard of them, they are high-priced sex dolls that are disturbingly (well depended on where your tastes lean) realistic. It’s easy to look at the dolls and think, wow that is pretty weird, but it another thing all together to realize just how much time and attention to detail goes into their creation. It’s really an amazing sculpture that is the output of genuine craftsmanship. This is an insightful short little documentary, expertly put together and super entertaining to watch.
The first solo exhibition of Coarse titled ‘Glimpse of Truth’ goes on display July 16th at the Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago. It looks pretty promising if you can make to to the show. Coarse crafts unique vinyl figures that draw influence from both Eastern and Western cultures. The ‘toys’ combine geometric forms with animated sculptural figures. You can find out more about the show at Coarse’s website.
Big Bag Big Boom is the latest video to be released by the ridiculously amazing street painting crew Blu. Their explanation for the project is as follows: “an unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life … and how it could probably end”.
Xavier Barrade has updated his very unique portfolio of work with some new and thought provoking projects. The above image is from a self-initiated project called ‘The Book’ which is a photo book about the presence of books.
Oh Shy the Sun will wonders never cease. I am not entirely sure what to make of this but it’s definitely got something to do with art. Beneath the video at the Vimeo page is this poem:
“The Lord made a big mistake,
To make the world from layer cake,
He cast a spell to see it bake
So tides will swell and plates will shake.
So If you ever wonder why;
Moun-tains erupt and fishes die.
Beyond the clouds beyond the sky;
beyond the oven is a watchful eye.”
– Christian Netherwood
The Molotain Bog (1908 )
Artist David Jon Kassan sent this video in earlier in the week and I just finally got to it today. He sat and did a portrait painting session using his fingers and an iPad. The results are pretty astonishing as you can see. It definitely peaks some interest around what you can do with this new age contraption.
Philosopher/illustrator/artist Eri C. Lu does not have much to say for himself but what he does have is a short scroll of very unusual and beautifully crafted art. He is one to keep an eye on when he starts updating with more work as his style can only continue to evolve and take on new levels of sophistication.
“Unbearable Lightness is an amazing art installation from Dutch designer Tomáš Gabzdil which features 40,000 bees and a honeycomb sculpture of a martyred Jesus Christ.
Industrious bees created a honeycomb skin over the laser sintered framework, before filling each cell with honey they produce. Next, the bees worked hard to remove the honey from the cells only to return it to their own beehive, cleaning the figure and restoring the wax cells to their original state. Gabzdil made the honeycomb a red-orange color to symbolize the cross.”
I was kind of speechless by this art installation that I think is appearing at Art Basel. You can read more about it at My Modern Met. It’s a stunning work combining so many different elements like religion, spirituality, nature and technology making it an extremely emotional piece of art.
Blik recently added an entire series of wall decals featuring the art of Keith Haring who was famous in the 80’s for his simple but provocative drawings that flooded the NY subway system. I have long been a fan and have a massive book of his work always handy on my coffee table. It’s extremely tempting to pick one of these up for the studio. Super cool, simple and direct imagery that would surely spark some conversation. RIP Keith.
Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins is a popular painter on the so-called ‘lowbrow’ scene but his amazing paintings are really transcending his audience and becoming something more akin to fine art. He is an amazing draftsman and the detail in his recent work is just stunning. He continues to grow and evolve into a bigger and better talent.
Sculptor Willy Verginer was born in 1957 in Bressanone and currently works and lives in Ortisei. He carves his work out of wood creating meticulously crafted human sculptures combining intricate patterns and swaths of bright color. The craftsmanship in the work is that of a true master and the care and skill required to create something so delicate in wood is hard to imagine.That’s old world talent.
