Ape on the Moon: Contemporary Visual Culture » Galleries and Exhibitions

Upcoming Tomokazu Matsuyama Exhibition with Intense Acrylic Paintings, Sculptures and Installations

Philip Dennis — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:06:13 +0000

Tomokazu Matsuyama spent his childhood in both Japan and America, and is now based in New York, which would explain his interest in multiculturalism. His eclectic mix of influences has led to an equally diverse range of styles in his work, which includes mixed media sculptures as well as these wonderfully bright paintings.

His upcoming show, ‘The Future is Always Bright’ both honours traditional Buddhist themes and deals with them in a satirical way, with a mix of work that also includes site-specific installations.

We particularly like his intense acrylic paintings. They make such an impact with their colliding shapes, colours and textures. There’s an almost stencilled feel in parts where different applications of paint have been contained in blocked-out areas and set against other opposing elements.

You can catch the upcoming show at the Frey Norris gallery in California from 3rd of May to the 30th of June.

“Tomokazu Matsuyama grew up in both Costa Mesa, California and the town of Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

His sense of cultural displacement and nomadic living has served as a keystone to the creation of his artwork ever since, fusing cowboy American optimism and the exquisite craftsmanship and bushido work ethic he learned by completing a graduate degree in business management. “

“He has completed commissions for Burton snowboards, Le Sport Sac, Nike, The Standard Hotel and a recent painting at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. For two years running, he was one of three finalists for Japanese National Culture and Arts Affairs award, the most generous grant given to a Japanese artist living abroad.

Presented in parallel to the exhibition at Frey Norris, Matsu has mounted his first solo museum exhibition at the Katzen Arts Center at American University in Washington, D.C.”

‘Pick Me Up’ Graphic Arts Fair 2012 at Somerset House, London

Philip Dennis — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:00:48 +0000

The sun has decided to make a long-awaited appearance once again, which means spring is here and time for another instalment of Pick Me Up, a week and a half-long celebration of international graphic art. Having loved what was on show last year, we were delighted to have been invited to get a sneak peek at the launch earlier this week.

First seen through the door are this year’s Pick Me Up Selects artists, including previously featured AOTM illustrators, Paul X Johnson and Sac Magique. The selection of 20 international up and coming artists covers a broad spectrum of styles, with 3D paper craft, painting, ink and prints.

You may recognise some of the names such as Riikka Sormunen, Mimi Leung, and Zim & Zou, whose 80s-inspired paper sculpture series, ‘Back to Basics’ has been very popular on the blogosphere.

Event photos © Kevin Meredith, 2012

In the main gallery, once you’ve made your way up the little twist of a staircase, there’s a collection of collectives displaying their work. Make sure to bring your pennies with you if you’ve been looking for something to fill that lonely space on your wall as there’s a wide choice of affordable prints, books and zines on sale.

One of our favourites was independent publishers, Landfill Editions, who’s collection of prints, plates, glassware and books was inspired by a 1971 design by Eduardo Paolozzi.

Event photos © Kevin Meredith, 2012

Peepshow, the collective founded in 2000, including illustrators like Luke Best, Andrew Rae, and Lucy Vigrass, are this year’s artists in residence making their home in the first of the Somerset House Embankment galleries. They’ve put together ‘The Museum of Objects and Origins’ and will be bringing in special guest to run workshops throughout the programme.

Check the listings if you want to learn how to make a model as cool as Morph with the infamous Aardman Animations Ltd. or just want to touch up your paper toy, cartooning, or graphic novel skills in any of the other many workshops.

We managed to get some great stuff while we were there but you’ve still got a chance, Pick Me Up 2012 is up in London now until the 1st of April, check their site for details.

Event photos © Kevin Meredith, 2012

Pete Fecteau Creating a Mosaic Entirely out of Rubik’s Cubes

Philip Dennis — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:31:53 +0000

I could never get the hang of the Rubik’s Cube, still can’t. That has obviously never been the case for Pete Fecteau. Being more than comfortable with a Rubik’s Cube in his hand, Pete goes one step further in Rubik’s fluency, using them as his medium in his large-scale piece ‘Dream Big’. He took a little time to tell us about himself and this impressive project.

My name is Pete Fecteau and I’m an artist and designer. My fascination with Rubik’s Cubes started in 2008 when I decided to learn how to solve one. It was super addictive once I memorized the algorithms and, within a year, I was solving them in less than a minute.

It never occurred to me to use them for art until it came to me in a dream, literally. I came up with the idea to make one of the world’s largest Rubik’s Cube mosaics as my entry into the ArtPrize competition. I knew it was entirely possible and I used my skills as a designer to create a digital version of the mosaic and then a system for me to navigate and track each cube as I build the mosaic by hand.

The Rubik’s cube has a very limited color palette and I wanted to use 5 of the 6 colors to translate the work of Martin Luther King Jr. into a dynamic, analogous visual. I started by composing the image in black and white and then separated the grey scale into 9 solids.

Those 9 greys were then swapped with the 5 cube colors and the gradients between them. The process was and is a true test of color theory. Once I had the cubes, which was the hardest part of the whole process, the construction was simple. 4,242 Rubik’s Cubes, 5 colors, 1 subject.

I’m too cheap to buy or rent studio space. I’ve always borrowed space. Now that I’m in San Francisco, studio space is even more out of the question. I’m planning another mosaic for 2013 which will be twice as big and will probably rent out storage space in a self-storage facility.

I prefer bleak, featureless spaces because there’s so much to focus on. Any kind of distraction is a huge risk. I don’t listen to music or eat/drink while I’m working. I also prefer to work alone. I guess that makes me an art hermit, huh?

‘Free Space’ Project from Brighton Graduate Matt Lyver

Philip Dennis — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:02:41 +0000

This interesting and original project is from recent University of Brighton graduate, Matt Lyver. It’s an intriguing concept, engaging his surroundings and questioning the environments we live in.

It seems to have also been quite an undertaking but definitely presented well, having not only a collection of miniature installations around town but also a screen printed, embossed book documenting the project and a larger installation within the walls of the degree show. He tells us more.

I love ideas. The final outcomes of my projects tend to be driven as much by ideas and concepts as aesthetics. Much of my recent work has focused on reusing objects, materials and spaces in ways that give them new life or meaning, allowing them to serve new purposes. I also enjoy physical, tangible objects and being hands on and making things, which is why I think a lot of my work recently has taken a three dimensional form.

This project looks at how today space is at a premium, especially in towns and cities, and with available land steadily disappearing to development, free space is becoming increasingly hard to come by. With this project I aimed to seek out dead spaces, unused spaces, spaces with no visible purpose; spaces that may usually go unnoticed unless brought to your attention, and offer them up for rent as a tongue in cheek comment on ‘free space’.

I found a variety of these spaces in different shapes and sizes around Brighton, settling on 12 to use for my final selection. I then recorded all their measurements and constructed a Perspex fascia to sit in each space. The dimensions, details, prices etc. are all screen printed onto the Perspex and are specific to each individual space.

After installing and photographing all the ‘free spaces’, I collated them into a 26 page estate agents style catalogue with their dimensions, details and prices. The cover is screen printed, embossed and debossed, with screen printed end papers and yellow page details.

Photo of Brighton in the lego model village, from a club excursion to Legoland.

Popshot Magazine Print Shop

Philip Dennis — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:36:43 +0000

‘Popshot‘ is a magazine that is printed twice a year in the UK, and brings together beautiful poetry and wonderful illustration. Each issue gathers together a collection of poetry on a uniting theme, before pairing the poets with illustrators, who in turn interpret the work in their own way.

After having a successful run so far, they’ve decided to move from their pages onto our walls, and have opened up ‘Print Shop‘ as a means to display and sell work by some of the contributing artists. Jacob Denno tells us more.

My name is Jacob Denno and I’m the Editor of Popshot magazine— a bi-annual, Britain-based arts publication that champions contemporary poetry and illustration. Using our wealth of knowledge in the field of contemporary illustration we have recently launched ‘The Print Shop’— an opportunity to bring beautiful and affordable illustration prints to the walls of visual art/illustration lovers around the world.

After five issues of the magazine and having worked with over 100 illustrators, we decided to take six of the finest illustrations from the past two years and turn them into beautiful, collectable art prints. Each illustration is giclee printed, produced in limited edition runs of 150 and measures at a whopping 550mm x 675mm. You can find out more by visiting Print Shop.

Vend Send Mend Art Sale for Japan

Philip Dennis — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:15:39 +0000

After the March earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan this year, there has been an encouraging amount of support from the artistic communities all around the globe. Recognising that the need for aid is ongoing, artists Craig Bowers and Jee-Shaun Wang took on the task of organising a large exhibition, Vend Send Mend, to raise money for ‘Doctors Without Boarders’ working in Japan.

Now, the resulting collection of artwork is on sale, so make sure to check out their site and show your support, while also picking up great pieces of art! Here are some examples from the project and a little more information from Craig and Jee-Shaun.

On March 11, 2011, Japan’s northeastern shore experienced a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami and nuclear meltdown at Fukushima power plant. In the wake of 2011 Tohoku earthquake, ‘Vend Send Mend’ was created as a means to aid the disaster relief of the battered coast.

© Harry Campbell, 2011.

We decided we wanted to create an illustration-based fundraiser with a Japan-related theme. In this way, we tried for two birds with one stone by introducing illustration into the Baltimore gallery scene as well as creating the opportunity to raise funds.

After juggling a couple of different ideas, the theme manifested itself in the form of ‘vending machines’ because of the fact that Japan has truly pushed the innovative design of those machines by selling everything from soft drinks to live lobsters to underpants. Also, it seemed like a fun idea that many people could relate to. The name ‘Vend Send Mend’ presented itself as both unused and catchy so it was adopted quickly as we moved on to develop the show.

The first step we took involved contacting a great deal of illustrators to contribute/donate original works of art for the fundraiser. Fortunately, we received a wealth of responses ranging from professionals to recent graduates and students from multiple continents.

As Summer 2011 began to settle, we booked the opening night show for July 1st, at ‘Sub-Basement Artist Studios’ here in Baltimore, Maryland. The show went very well and now the artwork from the show is for sale online at www.vendsendmend.com!

It’s been great realising how much talent is out there that we previously hadn’t known and we also acknowledge the extra mile that all the contributing illustrators and artists made by creating and delivering original works of art specifically for Vend Send Mend. We cannot express our gratitude enough for the generosity of all the VSM contributors.

Despite the disaster in Japan being out of the headlines the repercussions are long lasting and people are still in dire need of assistance. We’re aiming to raise $6,000 for ‘Doctors Without Borders’, an active and productive organization that dispatches medical help worldwide.

Drawings and Inks of Kingston Graduate Nina Cosford

Philip Dennis — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 18:00:32 +0000

Here are some examples from recent Kingston University graduate, Nina Cosford‘s project, ‘Museums for Kids’. The bright and engaging design is perfect to grasp, inspire and encourage kids in their experiences at museums.

I think it’s also a lovely combination of nicely structured layouts and her much looser drawing style. Nina took a little time to tell us a little more about herself and the project in depth.

I’m a freelance illustrator, having just graduated from Kingston, London. I’d describe my main work ethos as seeing colour, humour and narrative in almost anything. I particularly enjoy playing with themes like anthropomorphism in order to communicate ideas/information in a whimsical, lively and accessible way, appealing to a wide range of people.

My work process is centralised around the mighty mechanical pencil (I go nowhere without it) which I use to scribble with, often over bright blobs of colour (applied with watercolours, promarkers and oil or wax pastels). I use Photoshop mainly to compose, construct, experiment and overlay elements to make many of my finished pieces. I love my Wacom graphics tablet and use it to add loose handwritten type. I enjoy screenprinting too when I have the chance.

A recent self-initiated project of mine was titled ‘Museums For Kids’. The aim was to explore and expand the appeal and involvement that children can experience in museums. This is an area of great interest to me, as history— and indeed education— are vital ways for children and adults alike to relate to the world.

The interactive nature of my museum guides are designed to place the individual within the context of history in a way that transcends how they access information as they become a part of it themselves. For each museum, I selected key elements of the display/content and structured a route via which the child can take in the information and play around with it at the same time.

This is an example of how I like to use motifs, themes and characters in my work to communicate more complex things in a light, fun way. It’s one of the most challenging yet illuminating tasks I’ve done.

Absolut Blank Creative Advertising Campaign Artwork

Philip Dennis — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:58:12 +0000

If you’ve been paying attention to some of the huge billboards around London at the moment, you may already caught a glimpse of the new Absolut Vodka campaign, Absolut Blank. It’s an interesting project that has brought together a wide array of artists from varying disciplines.

Each artist has put their own twist on the Absolut canvas they were given, resulting in a collection of unique and interesting designs. Here are a few examples and a little information from the Absolute Blank press release.

ABSOLUT has always challenged conventions through creative collaborations with artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, and more recently Ellen von Unwerth and Spike Jonze. ABSOLUT BLANK is a daring new chapter for ABSOLUT.

“In ABSOLUT BLANK, ABSOLUT has boldly made its iconic bottle into a blank canvas to inspire artists throughout the world to collaborate and fill it with creativity. We brought together creative 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,” says Mark Hamilton, Global Marketing Director at The Absolut Company.

Urban Drawings of Brighton Graduate Sam Ashton

Philip Dennis — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 11:16:31 +0000

I really like the fullness and energetic movement coming out of recent University of Brighton graduate, Sam Ashton‘s work. Below are a few examples, including some recent drawings inspired by the London location and made with a range of materials to get the variety of marks and textures you can see. Sam tells us more.

I have quite a freeform approach to drawing as I rarely have an idea of what a drawing will look like before it’s finished. I enjoy the idea of people noticing something new about a drawing every time they look at it, so I include lots of detail and a wide range of colours and tones. When it comes to materials and mark making, I’m pretty open-minded. I like using graphite and running-out felt-tip pens to make textures of gloom and decay, but I wouldn’t say my work is dark at all.

I’m a lifelong resident of Hackney, East London. The area holds a lot of personal relevance, which has motivated my current East London Drawings project. The drawings also mark a very pivotal stage for Hackney, documenting the urban developments in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games, an event that will have a profound effect on the social and physical fabric of London’s East End in years to come.

Kingston Graduate Tom Clohosy Cole

Philip Dennis — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:32:14 +0000

Here’s an ambitious final project from recent Kingston University graduate, Tom Clohosy Cole. It was presented as a large, satirical life insurance agency installation, together with screen printed posters and a screen printed concertina book. The project was about our need for safety from unseen, lurking danger, and what we are led to believe we must do to attain it. Here’s a look and a little more from him about his process.

A pic of one of Tom’s favourite places is at the end of the post.

I am an illustrator currently based in London, recently graduated from Kingston University Illustration & Animation. I have found that there are 3 areas of illustration that drive my want to make new work and challenge new projects; they are idea generation/problem solving, production of the work and the print process.

My working processes are heavily lead by these three stages. Once arriving at a solution that communicates, I compose my image, designing and drawing out my imagery in layers using a range of mixed media before it is compiled digitally. I try to ensure that my final outcome is always taken to print, for me there is nothing more rewarding than seeing an edition of hard worked prints finished and drying.