Alexandros Vasmoulakis in L.A.

With the sarcastic title "is everybody happy?" the viewer is invited in a satirical play of chaos having the female figures as the central characters. Alexandros Vasmoulakis uses fragments from advertized models as a fundamental source in order to dismantle the "ideal" image of refinement. The collage-like women stare insistently towards the spectator, carrying these uncanny shiny smiles that express derision and irony in conjunction with confusion and anxiety. A jumble of narratives is created out of ink and acrylic, which brings into surface the relationship between the female nude and the male gaze. 

The first solo exhibition of Alexandros Vasmoulakis in the U.S, is presented at the Lebasse Projects, on Saturday the 20th of March 2010.

(text: Elli Paxinou)

Adad Hannah's Eros and Aphrodite

A detail of Adad Hannah's Eros and Aphrodite, one of the images displayed around Vancouver as part of "Endlessly Traversed Landscapes" a public poster project curated by Natalie Doonan, featuring works by Canadian artists placed in various locations throughout the city, during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Eros and Aphrodite is part of the "Prado Project".

Paper Record Player

Fully working, manual record player made entirely of paper. To play the record the handle needs to be turned in a clockwise direction at a steady 33^1/3rpm. The paper cone then acts as a pickup, amplifying the sound enough to make it audible. (Record shown, The Sound of Music 1965). By Simon Elvins.

Thousands of years old

Nick Howard is an artist based in Minneapolis U.S.A. For his work he uses pens and ink, creating dark figures without a face, alien creatures with hairy tentacles, landscapes smothered in grass and portraits of ancient men. The vulnerability, darkness, beauty and humor that is entailed in being human, are the main concerns in Nick Howard’s art. The portrait Thousands of Years Old focuses on a detail of the human face, in order to comment on the importance of the passing of time and our obsession with beauty.

This work is going to be exhibited in Anarchy vs. Order, an exhibition curated by the design shop, part of the Design Walk 2010 / Poles Apart.

Nollywood

"Pieter Hugo (Johannesburg, 1976; lives in Cape Town) is one of the most representative photographers of his generation. With great capacity of penetration, his works explore the most striking contradictions of African societies, together with certain peripheral aspects which are nonetheless dense in meaning. For the production of his Nollywood series, with its large size pictures, the artist frequented in 2008 and 2009 the sets of the Nigerian film industry. With an eye that is at once detached from but in dialogue with the subjects of his portraits – with whom he always builds up relationships of mutual awareness – Hugo is fascinated by the borderline situations he identifies on his trips throughout Africa.

Nollywood is said to be the third largest film industry in the world, releasing onto the home video market approximately 1 000 movies each year. Such abundance is possible since films are realized in conditions that would make most of the western independent directors cringe. Movies are produced and marketed in the space of a week: low cost equipment, very basic scripts, actors cast the day of the shooting, 'real life' locations. Despite the improvised production process, they continue to fascinate audiences."

Hugo exhibits at the e x t r a s p a z i o gallery, Rome, from 25th Nov 2009 to 9th Jan 2010.

This image: Obechukwu Nwoye. Enugu, Nigeria, 2008

Dormido

Constanza Giuliani is an Argentinian artist. Her work is expressive and global.

Carton Animals

"Animals are not all fluffy and soft, they can be hard and square as well." says Linus, a visual artist based in Hong Kong. This is the complete collection of his creatures.

Space 1026 Art Auction

Poster by Alex Lukas for the Space 1026 Art Auction.

24 HEURES DANS LA VIE D'UNE FEMME ORDINAIRE

Michel Journiac (1935, Paris - 1995, Paris).

There's Aliens in Our Midst - AJ Fosik

"I really feel like I'm just getting warmed up so in the future I'm not sure were it's going but it's going to better." Art and positive thinking byAJ Fosik. Read his interview at FECAL FACE DOT COM.

Ara Peterson's colours

Ara Peterson. Untitled, 2008 (Detail), Paint on laser cut wood.
Peterson (b. 1973) lives in Rhode Island and is obsessed with colour. You can see more of his work at Ratio 3 (An access point for contemporary art in California). Don't miss out his Backgammon Boards.

Mona Lisa Remix

 

This is another item I bought from Etsy. This pop version of Mona Lisa is designed by Gary Clarke, from Manchester, also known as Graphic Nothing. His work can be admired here and here and bought here.

Cabezas perplejas

Javier Palacios is a 24 years old painter from Spain.

Meyoko

"Melissa Murillo who is also known under her alias Meyoko, is an Artist based in Berlin. Her early years were divided between a small town and the inner city of Paris. Meyoko is a self-taught artist obsessed with details, ephemera, nature and dreams. The relationship between man and machine is another obvious fascination as she often juxtaposes organic and mechanical images to form surreal and whimsical narratives."

I can only add that her work is the most amazing illustration work I have ever seen!

Slava Asstronaut

Illustration by Brian Kenny. His flickr, his site.

Nichts

Art catalogue designed in 2006 by Raffinerie for the exhibition "Nichts" (Nothing) that was presented in Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. An exhibition filled with "a diverse, shimmering nothing" curated by Martina Weinhart. Raffinerie is one of the best design studios in Zurich.

Last days in Heaven

The 2nd Athens Biennale 2009 HEAVEN closes on Sunday 4 October. The Athens Biennale consists of six exhibitions with more than 150 artists from all over the world. The picture above is from an installation by Miltos Manetas.

Nashville's Smallest Art Gallery

I quote from their site:

"Located in the heart of Hillsboro Village NSAG is the smallest functioning art gallery in Nashville, and dare we say, the world! The art is real. Really small, but real. The gallery is already attracting some of the top artists from around the US, as well as local Nashville artists."

"In a former life, the gallery was a neglected, graffiti-covered display case. Soon with a little help from some Goo Gone, a razor blade, and a total interior makeover, the gallery started to take shape. The gallery lights are powered by a solar panel mounted to the top, making it the only 100% self-sufficient art gallery in Nashville (and again, perhaps the world)."

Artwork by Lauren Rolwing (check my previous post about her). Photo by Daniel Box.

Last Chance Lost

Jack Pierson (born 1960 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Lives and works in New York and Southern California) is one of my favourite contemporary artists. His work includes portrait photography as well as impressive installations made of huge type from signs and neon lights. I couldn't find an official page but I found the gallery that represents him. It is Regen Projects in LA. This picture is taken from artnet. Follow this link to see all the images on flickr marked with his name.

Today

Installation of Robert MacPherson (Brisbane, Australia, 1937) at the 1+1+1=3 exhibition in Lisbon last year. Photo by Pedro Silva.