It has taken me the best part of 4 hours just to finish the colouring here. If you think #art is easy for #artists, that it takes no time at all and that we do not deserve money for our time, remember this instagram. #design
New School 3 at Graffik Gallery
It’s a rather soggy night in West London and my shoes are soaked by the time I arrive at an uncharacteristically empty opening night at Portobello Road’s reliable Graffik Gallery.Maybe it’s the cold, maybe the rain, but it’s certainly not the artwork.
It’s the third installment of the New School series of exhibitions and although not the usual throng of excited chatter there are still several enthusiastic and chatty artists and punters milling around. With more room to manoeuvre than normal, there is more space to admire the work on display.
The first set of works are by Aberdeen-based Scott Mackie, a masterful display of portraiture created using ballpoint pens, a medium that almost entirely escapes my personal attempts to tame it. Marilyn depicts the screen legend in an iconically coy pose, the delicacy of the drawing contrasting with glittery black of her one piece, the solid pink of the acrylic background and stencilled wings adding to the ethereal nature of her character, or at least the cult idea of it that has lasted long beyond her death.
De Niro also plays with these ideas; the shirtless image from Taxi Driver (1976) is drawn expertly against a stark yellow background, the blood spatters and gun depicted in solid black, perhaps separating the figure of the human from his inhuman actions, the actor from his character and film.
Marilyn by Scott Mackie
Jason Poremba’s geometrically-informed portraits are an engaging jump from the soft playfulness of Mackie. King Samo at its core nods to traditional graffiti stencilling in the form of its subject, but enriches the simplicity with overlaid complex patterns in rich golds and greens flecked with nods to pop culture and language. Lady D portrays the late royal figure in more muted colours, perhaps befitting her need to blend with ordinary people.
King Samo by Jason Poremba
Some of my favourite work in the exhibition is also some of most immediate. Ant’s work is just as enthralling as his neighbours; grey scale portraits in mixed media are dashed with streaks of colour blazing across the darkness of the canvas as the lines between classic ideas of art and graffiti are scrawled over in neon brilliance. Icons appear again as Twiggy peers out with Bambi eyes as different eras of pop culture collide.
Twiggy by Ant
Other clashes call out playfully from their frames; Streetplay’s The Last Super depicts the famous Biblical scene, Christ’s disciples comic book characters across Marvel and DC, even including Popeye and Bananaman. Simply tongue in cheek, or a nod to shifting ideas of the hero? Only Streetplay knows, but it inspires a lot of laughter as people drift by.
The Last Super by Streetplay
Zoe Moss’s carefully and sweetly rendered coloured pencil images are often used or referenced by corporations, and it is easy to see why; well loved sci-fi figures, Star Wars’ Stormtroopers hold “I’m with stupid” signs, a Transformer holds a bag from Hamleys toy store. The Joker from Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy poses with a football carefully balanced on his neck, and I can’t help but picture him tearing down a football field with a terrifyingly cheerful irreverence for the game.
Joker by Jenny Moss
Transformers by Jenny Moss
Lee Henderson’s works stand out as stencilled figures glow from starkly black backgrounds. Paul Weller sits serenely next to more ghostly figures drifting in nothingness, each carefully executed.
Floatation by Lee Henderson
There are too many pieces and too many artists to discuss individually; but if you do make it out into the cold in the next week, make sure you hit up Portobello Road and see for yourself.
Source of Life by Tref
Top: For Travis
Bottom: Native New Yorker by Daemon Priestley
Free Soup by Daemon Priestley
Don't Stop Bomb by Marco Polo
New School 3 runs until 4th March at Graffik Gallery, 284 Portobello Road 11am-6.30pm daily.
We Will Be Proud
I'm really excited to announce a project I have been working on with a couple of people- the We Will Be Proud project.
With the recent events in Ferguson, with the woman in Ireland forced to give birth via C section after being refused an abortion, with other projects like Everyday Sexism, with trans issues more in the media than ever before, representation of those issues is more vital every day, and organisations that elevate the status of these issues and work to change them need help.
We Will Be Proud is an intersectional art directive initiative, with artwork celebrating People of Colour, the LGBTQ+ community and many more maligned communities. We are open to suggestions! All profits made will go to charities like Black Girls' Code, International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association and the Point Foundation.
At the moment we are looking for artists who would like to join the initiative, particularly Women of Colour.
We are looking at producing and selling prints, paintings and accessories and are open to any and all suggestions.
(I have a basic page on my site about WWBP. You can find it here. I am looking to buy a separate domain for WWBP when I next get unemployment benefits)
If you want to be involved, or simply have any questions or suggestions, please e-mail us at [email protected].