Alec Monopoly - Solo UK Show - L.E.G.E.N.D 9th June - 23rd June

Graffik Gallery is thrilled to announce the upcoming solo show of American street- art sensation Alec Monopoly titled “L.E.G.E.N.D.”, opening June 9th and running for two weeks.


“L.E.G.E.N.D.” will feature brand new works by US hotshot Alec, including pieces of beloved Monopoly board game mascot Rich Uncle Penny Bags and a multi-faceted array of Pop culture icons interspersed with financially-apocalyptic newspaper clippings. What separates his efforts from other high-profile graffiti artists who have effectively transitioned into the commercial art sphere (a.k.a. Banksy and Mr. Brainwash) is a deeper attraction to the ‘anti-hero’ personas of Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro.

Large celebrity portraits will be unveiled in this show, such as Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver,. Other paintings will reveal a broader sense of style, as some canvases touch on impressionism; others evoke a feminine sensibility through color, subject, and minimal line art. Alec’s show will display the colourful styles of pop art which he has implemented in his pieces adorning neighborhoods in Los Angeles and New York — iconic portraiture of Jack Nicholson, Bob Dylan, and Twiggy, interspersed with a large-scale series depicting the Monopoly man on canvases coated in archived copies of the Wall Street Journal, sealed with resin.

Adding to the profile of such an impressive young artist is the mere fact that he is wanted by the NYPD for utilising the urban landscape in the Big Apple & Cali as his canvas. This international debut will in fact be the very first time that his show will warrant an appearance by the legend himself as in the last few weeks leading up to this latest New York exhibition, uniformed and plain-clothed police officers made enquiries at the studio and gallery with intent to discover his whereabouts. That he is under surveillance may be a surprise to those unfamiliar with how the NYPD has treated artists since Giuliani introduced a “quality of life” clean streets approach in the ’90s, largely kept in place by Mayor Bloomberg. Painters selling their work on the street as well as graffiti artists have been locked up, with their artwork confiscated and destroyed.

He has recently been hanging out with the A-list in Cannes and the actor Jack Nicholson has personally commended him on his work! http://www.alecmonopoly.com/Videos.html

The exhibition will open with an exclusive party on 9th June at Graffik Gallery located at 284 Portobello Rd, Notting Hill. Media check in will begin at 4:30pm and red carpet arrivals will be from 6.30. This event is invite only. Please RSVP 

Open publication - Free publishing - More lsd magazine

LSD Magazine Interviews - Indigo (Canada) (Issue 5)

Rippling gently with the stillness of whispered emotion frozen into a moment, Indigo’s soft serenade of stencil and spray over the last two years has graced our universal public spaces with profound echos of an intangible dream. A stunning photo-realism resonates with ethereal other-worldliness -laced with memory and silken sighs of melancholy that open a window onto the self reflection of a floating soul. Hand drawn and hand cut stencils balance sublime harmonies and a supple delicacy with dissonant waves of silent sadness : humanity, loss, loneliness and a tender innocence flow out of her work and flood the streets with inscrutable layers of emotional texture and the gentle mysteries of feeling...

Can you give us a little insight into your background? 


I grew up in a small northern British Columbia village called Burns Lake, and have been living in Vancouver for the past ten years. I’ve always been a multidisciplinary artist. My creative output has over the years gone in and out of different phases where I’ve been more focused on one medium than the rest, but I value each just as much as the other. Most of my life has been spent inside various dance studios, feeling like a dancer who likes to draw and paint. After high school I was accepted into a university visual art program but for various reasons decided instead to do a degree in contemporary dance. Graduated in 2004 and spent the next four years working as a dancer, choreographer and teacher in Canada and the United States. Two years ago I got a bit burned out, decided to take a break and focus on painting for a while. I started stenciling and making art for outdoors in March of 2008 – just little stuff, simple one layer things, nothing super special - but I was finally feeling excited about making art again. I had been doing a lot of site-specific performance work in the year or two leading up to this, and it seemed like a relevant transition to make – and still seems to be a place where there’s a lot of possibility for the two art forms to overlap. Last fall I made the scary but ultimately fulfilling decision to quit my day job and spend all of my time making art - I spent some time traveling around and painting, through New York, France, Germany, London and Amsterdam – I met some amazing people, learned a lot, ran out of money, went home inspired and ready to get to work…since then it’s just been fast forward to forever.

Do you feel that you brought your sense of balancing movement and stillness from dance into your painting? 


I think that movement and stillness are each present in the other, in life and ideally in art as well. What I try to find in my work is a sense of the captured moment – the brief eternity between the fall and the impact, those few seconds of suspension when a jump feels like flight, the evolution of sadness to strength when there are no more tears left to cry and life goes on. Regardless of the subject matter, the images that I am drawn to use as source material seem to always have a sense of motion and fluidity, whether the body is moving or at rest. I am not sure if my dance training has something to do with that – but I do think that it has given me a good awareness of body mechanics, an anatomical and visceral knowledge of the ways that muscles and tendons and bones fit and work together to make our bodies move. A large part of dance training is increasing your awareness of every part of the body separately and in relation to all the others, all at the same time. Whatever has made it into my painting has been ultimately on an intuitive basis. I don’t approach the creation of new work with an analytical mindset, I just go with what I am drawn to; make decisions because they feel right. Luckily my intuition usually points me in the right direction. When I am creating a piece of choreography, a lifetime of training sometimes means that I overthink the process every step of the way. With art, I don’t usually have that problem. Of course I always spend time thinking about what I’m creating and why, but I find it a lot easier to go with my intuition.

Do you think that applies more generally – does analysis accentuate beauty or subvert it?


I think that it really depends on the situation, and the person. I find that if I spend too much time thinking about a particular piece or a project, I sometimes lose sight of that initial creative impulse that can feel so magical at the time. If I spend too much time in my own head, I fail to appreciate the beauty inherent in each moment. Ideally, analysis goes hand in hand with curiosity, experimentation, discovery and innovation…and if so, leads more towards an appreciation and celebration of your subject matter than away from it – whether that is beauty, ugliness or anything in between.

READ ENTIRE INDIGO INTERVIEW IN LSD MAGAZINE 

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Graffitimundo present 'Buenos Aires Calling'

Graffitimundo is very proud to present 'Buenos Aires Calling' - the first collective show of Buenos Aires street art to hit London.


Taking place at Pure Evil gallery, the exhibition will feature leading artists from Argentina and give an insight into the Buenos Aires movement - one of the most exciting urban art scenes in the world.


The exhibition starts on Thursday, 26th August at 6pm and will last until Sunday 12th September.
...
There will be food and drink from our friends at Gaucho (delicious empanadas - think argentine cornish pasties), Argento wine (superb red and white wines), and Corona (frosty beers)

We hope to see you there.

Graffitimundo 

Graffiti Writers Warning 2 Big Brother's 'Sam' in Hackney Gazette

A number of recent street art graffiti enthusiasts that have subscribed to the gazette for decades have been keeping LSD up to date on related articles that feature in the local rag. Every time an art piece features in the gazette we get texts and pristine copies of the newspaper for our archives. So first we should say thank you to those wonderful 'oldish' ladies for closely scrutinising their favorite newspapers in search of the latest painted piece. Meanwhile back on the ranch, LSD recently reported that Team Eastside warned big brothers 'fake graffiti writer'  Sam to stay out of Hackney otherwise he'll get painted head to toe (SEE HERE). The story was picked up by the Hackney Gazette and for a change we got loads of texts from our eager 'old' ladies announcing that 'LSD is in the 'ackney' As most of you know we don't do car crash TV unless it mentions street art graffiti of course...

East Side Gallery - Berlin Wall Artist Listing

LSD Magazine has created a gallery of shots taken of the Berlin Wall by various people - ISSUE 5 (Jul 2010)

The Gallery consists of approximately 100 paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery was founded following the successful merger of the two German artists' associations VBK and BBK. The founding members were Bodo Sperling, Barbara Greul Aschanta, Jörg Kubitzki and David Monti. It is possibly the largest and longest-lasting open air gallery in the world. Paintings from Jürgen Grosse alias INDIANO, Dimitri Vrubel, Siegfrid Santoni, Bodo Sperling, Kasra Alavi, Kani Alavi, Jim Avignon, Thierry Noir, Ingeborg Blumenthal, Ignasi Blanch i Gisbert, Kim Prisu, Hervé Morlay VR and others have followed.

The paintings at the East Side Gallery document the time of change and express the euphoria and great hopes for a better and free future for all people of the world. In July 2006, to facilitate access to the River Spree from O2 World, a 40 meter section was moved somewhat west, parallel to the original position

1. Oskar: (Hans Bierbrauer)
2. Narenda K. Jain: Die sieben Stufen der Erleuchtung
3. Fulvio Pinna: Hymne an das Glück
4. Kikue Miyatake: Paradise Out Of The Darkness
5. Günther Schäfer: Vaterland
6. Georg Lutz Rauschebart
7. César Olhagaray: Ohne Titel
8. Jens-Helge Dahmen: Pneumohumanoiden
9. Gábor Simon: Space Magic
10. Siegrid Müller-Holtz: Gemischte Gefühle
11. Ursula Wünsch: Frieden für Alles
12. Oliver Feind, Ulrike Zott: Ohne Titel
13. Ana Leonor Rodriges
14. Muriel Raoux, Kani Alavi: Ohne Titel
15. Muriel Raoux: Les Yeux Ouverts
16. Ditmar Reiter: Ohne Titel
17. Santoni: Trilogie-Maschine Macht
18. Bodo Sperling: The Trans-formation of the penta gram to a peace star in a big Europe without walls
19. Barbara Greul Aschanta: Deutschland im November
20. Willi Berger: Soli Deo Gloria
21. André Sécrit, Karsten Thomas: Du hast gelernt, was Freiheit ist
22. Theodor Chezlav Tezhik: The Big Kremlin's Wind
23. Catrin Resch: Europas Frühling
24. Irina Dubrowskaja: Die Wand muss weichen wenn der Meteorit der Liebe kommt
25. Dmitri Wrubel: Mein Gott hilf mir, diese tödliche Liebe zu überleben
26. Marc Engel: Marionetten eines abgesetzten Stücks
27. Alexey Taranin: Ohne Titel
28. Michail Serebrjakow: Diagonale Lösung des Problems
29. Rosemarie Schinzler: Ohne Titel
30. Rosemarie Schinzler: Wachsen lassen
31. Christine Fuchs: How's God? She's Black
32. Gerhard Lahr: Berlyn
33. Karin Porath: Freiheit fängt innen an
34. Lutz Pottien-Seiring: Ohne Titel
35. Wjatschleslaw Schjachow: Die Masken
36. Dmitri Vrubel: Danke, Andrej Sacharow
37. Jeanett Kipka: Ohne Titel
38. Gamil Gimajew: Ohne Titel
39. Jürgen Große: Die Geburt der Kachinas
40. Christopher Frank: Stay Free
41. Andreas Paulun: Amour, Paix
42. Kim Prisu (Joaquim A. Gocalves Borregana): Métamorphose des existences lié par un mobile indéfini
43. Greta Csatlòs (Künstlergruppe Ciccolina): Sonic Malade
44. Henry Schmidt: Vergesst mir die Liebe nicht
45. Thomas Klingenstein: Umleitung in den japanischen Sektor
46. Karsten Wenzel: Die Beständigkeit der Ignoranz
47. Pierre-Paul Maillé: Ohne Titel
48. Andy Weiß: Geist Reise
49. Gabriel Heimler: Der Mauerspringer
50. Salvadore de Fazio: Dawn of Peace
51. Gerald Kriedner: Götterdämmerung
52. Christos Koutsouras: Einfahrt Tag und Nacht freihalten
53. Yvonne Onischke (geb. Matzat; Künstlername seit 2005 Yoni): Berlin bei Nacht
54. Peter Peinzger: Ohne Titel
55. Elisa Budzinski: Wer will, daß die Welt so bleibt, wie sie ist, der will nicht, daß sie bleibt
56. Sabine Kunz: Ohne Titel
57. Jay One (Jacky Ramier): Ohne Titel
58. Klaus Niethardt: Justitia
59. Mirta Domacinovic: Zeichen in der Reihe
60. Patrizio Porrachia: Ohne Titel
61. Ines Bayer, Raik Hönemann: Es gilt viele Mauern abzubauen
62. Thierry Noir: Ohne Titel
63. Teresa Casanueva: Ohne Titel
64. Stephan Cacciatore: La Buerlinca
65. Karina Bjerregaard, Lotte Haubart: Himlen over Berlin
66. Christine Kühn: Touch the Wall
67. Rodolfo Ricàlo: Vorsicht
68. Birgit Kinder: Test the Best
69. Magaret Hunter, Peter Russell: Ohne Titel
70. Peter Russell: Himmel und Sucher
71. Magaret Hunter: Joint Venture
72. Sándor Rácmolnár: Waiting for a New Prometheus
73. Gábor Imre: Ohne Titel
74. Pal Gerber: Sag, welche wunderbaren Träumen halten meinen Sinn umfangen
75. Gábor Gerhes: Ohne Titel
76. Sándor Györffy: Ohne Titel
77. Gruppe Stellvertretende Durstende
78. Laszlo Erkel (Kentaur): You can see Infinity
79. Kani Alavi: Es geschah im November
80. Jim Avignon: Miriam Butterfly, Tomas Fey: Doin it cool for the East Side
81. Peter Lorenz: Ohne Titel
82. Dieter Wien: Der Morgen
83. Jacob Köhler: Lotus
84. Carmen Leidner: Niemandsland
85. Jens Hübner, Andreas Kämper: Ohne Titel
86. Hans-Peter Dürhager, Ralf Jesse: Der müde Tod
87. Jolly Kunjappu: Dancing to Freedom
88. Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek: Curriculum Vitae
89. Mary Mackay: Tolerance
90. Carsten Jost, Ulrike Steglich: Politik ist die Fortsetzung des Krieges mit anderen Mitteln
91. Brigida Böttcher: Flora geht
92. Ignasi Blanch i Gisbert: Parlo d'Amor
93. Kiddy Cidny: Ger-Mania
94. Petra Suntinger, Roland Gützlaff: Ohne Titel
95. Andrej Smolak: Ohne Titel
96. Youngram Kim-Holdfeld: Ohne Titel
97. Karin Velmanns: Ohne Titel
98. Rainer Jehle: Denk-Mal, Mahn-Mal
99. Kamel Alavi: Ohne Titel
100. Kasra Alavi: Flucht
101. Ingeborg Blumenthal: Der Geist ist wie Spuren der Vögel am Himmel
102. Youngram Kim

LSD Interviews Argentinean Street Artists - Ever / Siempre

Names, City, Country…Nombres, cuidad, pais
Ever/Siempre: Nicolás Romero Escalada: Buenos Aires: Argentina

Do you have an art background?
Tenes una formacion en arte?

Yes but not much, just enough to develop and progress myself. I don’t think that a person should be taught art, only in as much as how to use materials (acrylic oils etc) and after that creation is free.

Si, pero pequeña, lo justo y necesario para después moverme yo mismo. Tengo una opinión bastante distante a la enseñanza en el arte, creo que a la persona se le tiene que enseñar nada mas a usar el material (oleos acrilicos,etc) y después que la creación sea libre.

How long you been painting walls and how important is painting on the streets to you?

Hace cuanto pintas en la calle y que es la importancia de pintando en la calle para vos?  Que significa para vos?

I've been painting on the streets since 2000. Like everyone, I started off by believing that hip hop and graffiti went hand in hand. I wore my trousers so that my boxers were showing and walked as if I'd crapped in my pants. I started with letters until I realised that I wasn't actually any good at making them.

En la calle pinto desde el 2000, empece como todos creyendo que el hip hop y el graffiti iban de la mano, usaba mis pantalones que se me veian el boxer y caminaba como si me hubiese hecho popo, empece haciendo letras, hasta que me di cuenta que no era bueno en las letras.

I realised how important painting in the street whilst in the middle of doing it, you can trasmit ideas through an image on a pavement or wall or sometimes it doesn't relay anything! But afterwards you wonder how a passer-by might react with the images and how they will interpret them and this feels really powerful. You realise that you have a type of 'power' in your hands. I'm happy when I know that someone takes maybe even 3 seconds to look at something I've done, I know that in 3 seconds you can think, ‘What is this?', ‘Do I like it?, ‘Who did it?’, your brain works quickly!

Pintar en la calle, es algo que a medida del tiempo me di cuenta de lo importante que era, uno transmite ideas en un pedazo de pared, o tal vez no transmite nada!, pero después uno se da cuenta de como eso llega al cerebro de la persona que camina y como esa persona procesa el mensaje, y eso si es muy fuerte. Uno se da cuenta que en su mano tiene una especie de "poder", yo estoy feliz cuando se que alguien se tomo tal vez 3 segundos en mirar algo que hice, yo se que en eso tres segundos el penso:"que es esto?","me gusta?", "quien lo hizo?", el cerebro es muy rapido!.

 

 

 FULL INTERVIEW LSD MAGAZINE ISSUE 4

ARTISTS WEBSITE