Four Virtual Exhibitions

For anyone missing day trips to galleries and wandering around exhibitions,  there are some great virtual tours and guides online to help you get that culuture fix.

Ok, it's not quite the same thrill as seeing the work in person, nor do you have the delight of tea and cake in the cafe at the end, but there's something rather lovely about sitting with a cuppa (and cake) in the comfort of your own home whilst taking a virtual tour (they also have webshops if you miss the exit through the gift shop).

Here are four of my favourites available now;

Andy Warhol, Tate Modern, London

It's been almost 20 years since the last Andy Warhol retrospective at Tate Modern, so don't miss the opportunity to see some of his iconic, pop art alongside rarely seen works from his Ladies and Gentlemen' series.

Sophie Taeber-Arp, MOMA, NY

“a central figure in many of the most important avant-garde movements of the first half of the twentieth-century”  

Enjoy the work of artist, sculptor, dancer, teacher, writer, interior and textile designer, Sophie Taeber-Arp including her wonderful Dada heads.

Margaret Calvert: Women at Work, Design Museum, London

Celebrating the launch of Network Rail's new custom typeface, Rail Alphabet 2 created by Margaret Calvert, this exhibition also looks at Calvert's other work including the UK's renowned road-signing system which she co-designed.

Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City

Take a stroll around the brightly coloured home of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo – ‘La Casa Azul’ (The Blue House) in Mexico City. The birthplace and home of the artist for many years is now a museum of her life and work. 

Well Hello 2016!

Happy New Year.

It feels like only yesterday I was saying that at the start of 2015 - last year flew by for us and our poor blog was (once again) left unloved for far too long but I promise this year will be different.

For starters, here are two exhibitions in London right now that are guaranteed to bring a little happiness to you in this dreary month;

The EY Exhibition: The World goes Pop

"Whaaam! Pop! Kapow! This is pop art, but not as you know it."

The Tate Modern is showcasing lesser-known international artists from the pop-art movement in the 1960s and 70s, exhibiting together more than 200 works from Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. Previously considered a western phenomenon, the exhibition demonstrates just how far globally this bright and bold movement spread and how it became a, "subversive international language of protest".

Showing until 24 January 2016 on Level 3 at Tate Modern, London.

The World of Charles and Ray Eames

Design icon alert! Over 380 "personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, products, models, multi-media installations and furniture", exhibits by Charles and Ray Eames are currently showing at the Barbican. The World of Charles and Ray Eames explores over 40 years of their pioneering and often experimental work, looking at their collaborators and their influences on 20th century architecture and design.

Showing until 14 February 2016 at The Barbican Gallery, London.

Brighton i360 getting a lick of (spray) paint

Last weekend the hoarding around Brighton's i360 site was treated to a colourful makeover. The site was originally painted by graffiti artist Aroe and his buddies Gary, Rebus and Radios last year adding some much needed colour to the construction site and highlighting this area of the seafront as the 'Creative Quarter'.

This year, the original artists were joined by a selection of hugely talented local and UK based graffiti artists; Jiroe, Vodka, Morf, Warg, Ster and Past, as well as Yes B, Rench, Alert, Twesh and Relay. The brief was completely open-ended and their mission was simply to cover as much of the 100 metre hoarding as possible in just one day.

So what did they come up with? A giant doughnut hotel, a seagull, a gorilla and a Donnie Darko inspired rabbit no less. I think you'll agree they did a cracking job, so next time you are down on the seafront pop along and have a look.

Find out more about the project and the amazing i360 build here.

All images copyright Brighton i360.

Pick Me Up 2015

Pick Me Up 2015 is currently in full swing at Somerset House, London showcasing a huge selection of illustration, design and print for the sixth year running and proving to be a successful platform for both emerging and established artists to promote their work.

London’s biggest graphic arts is not only a chance to engage with artists and designers about their work. Throughout the 12 days there’s a comprehensive programme of talks, debates, interactive workshops, demonstrations, the chance to create your own piece of print (with help) and the opportunity to purchase some wonderfully affordable art.

As we’re about half way through the festival I thought I’d share with you the very talented motley crew I’m showing alongside with BEST this year.

First up, our Brighton buddies hello DODO - ‘husband and wife team of playful printmakers’ brightening up the world with their colourful animal and pun-tastic screenprints.

Tattoo artist and printmaker, Alex Binnie. Normally found in his Brighton tattoo shop, Alex creates beautifully intricate wood and lino cuts inspired by his tattoo work and his past as a  medical illustrator.

Another pal of ours, illustrator and 80s toy collector Carlos Garde-Martin whose wonderfully detailed illustrations were seen all over Brighton last year as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival branding.

The lovely designer and illustrator Matt Jeffs (aka Nimbws - think ‘Nimbus’ but in Wesh) popping his exhibiting cherry at Pick Me Up with his quirky ‘cartoon Picasso’ style prints.

Dupenny, the brainchild of Brighton gal, Emily Dupenny brings a little cheekiness and vintage glamour to the party with her wonderful burlesque patterns and designs.

London based graffiti artists and designer Josh Stika (aka Stika) inspiring us with his great lettering and filling out our space with a giant (and I do mean giant) 3D ‘S’ - it lights up and everything!

Vinyl guru and king of perspex Curly Mark is back for a second year with more skulls, pop art style loveliness and laser-cut wooden jewellery.

Sam Egarr, designer, photographer and lover of all things typographic has joined us this year with her old shop signage inspired range of letter and number prints.

And last but not least, the lovely lady who had the vision and herded us all together Niki Best, former owner of BEST - the best shop in the world selling graffiti art, screenprints and limited edition art back when no-one even knew the name Banksy. Niki is selling off some of her very own collection at the show so grab the chance to own a classic Kozik smoking bunny, an Obey ‘André the Giant’ or an authentic Faile screenprint.

Pick Me Up runs until Monday 4 May. It’s open everyday 10am - 6pm and until 10pm tonight and tomorrow so come by and say hello.

Quentin Blake Rareties at Castor + Pollux

Signed, limited edition Quentin Blake prints and sold-out rareties at Castor + Pollux, Brighton.

Our favourite seafront gallery is showing a wonderful selection of Quentin Blake limited edtion and previously sold-out rarely available prints all signed by the man himself. Recognised and loved by all ages from the pages of Roald Dahl' s equally wonderful books, these illustrations bring back happy childhood memories and I can't wait to see them.

The exhibiton runs until 4 January 2015 at Castor + Pollux, seafront gallery and bookstore, 165 King's Road Arches, Lower Promenade, Brighton BN1 1NB

All images copyright Quentin Blake.

Pop-up shop at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft

So, today Niki Best and I had a lovely morning at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft setting up our pop-up shop ready for their 1st birthday party tomorrow.

Remember it's FREE entry 11am - 10pm, there's local beer, produce and cake. Workshops and fun activities are running throughout the day and then of course there's the pop-up shops from me and Niki Best, Brighton's Unlimited and the guys from SORT.

We would love to see you, come down be sure to say hello.

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft’s 1st Birthday!

It's official, we're doing a pop-up shop at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft as part of their 1st birthday celebrations!

Ditchling museum is a gorgeously designed museum nestled in the heart of Ditchling village on the South Downs. This unlikely village has a strong history in the art and craft world, having had many world renowned artists and crafts people living and working in it's community over the years. For example typographers Eric Gill and Edward Johnston both lived in the village and Eric Gill is buried there. The museum celebrates these arts and craft ties with an amazing collection of work and objects created and used by these people right there in the village.

To celebrate their 1st birthday the museum is opening up it's doors for free 11am - 10pm on Saturday 20 September. We'll be there selling our wares as part of the Best pop-up shop, along with pop-ups from Brighton gallery & shop Unlimited and the lovely guys from SORT Design. The pop-ups will be open from 11am - 5pm after which there'll be a paper-cutting workshop and a DJ so you can dance the night away.

There are loads of events on throughout the day plus there's delicious cake, locally sourced foods and real ales so be sure to put it in the diary. Come on down have a look around and say hello, there's a free shuttle bus to and from Hassocks Station too so there's really no excuse!

For more information check the museum website.

Derek Yaniger at Castor + Pollux

Roll up guys 'n' gals, swingin' cat Derek Yaniger has another fantastic exhibition at Castor + Pollux, Brighton.

Yep, our favourite seafront gallery has screenprints from the king of tiki style, illustrator Derek Yaniger for you to eyeball until 11th July.

His prints ooze retro 50s loveliness and burst with energy, so swing by cool cats and take a gandar!

David Shrigley at Sketch

British artist David Shrigley has transformed the Gallery restaurant in London's iconic Sketch to house the largest collection of his original illustrations ever to be exhibited.

Since 2002 Sketch has hosted over fifty exhibits and installations from internationally renowned artists. It's always a wonderfully quirky place to eat and now there's a new reason to pop in for lunch or afternoon tea.

The new David Shrigley works - 239 of them are based on, "the grand themes of life, death and beyond" are intended as talking points for diners. But the exhibition isn't restricted to the walls, "the meal itself becomes a site-specific sculptural work that references sketch’s location in the heart of London’s West End" with a unique collection of Shrigley-illustrated, ceramic tableware manufactured by Caverswall.

Sketch is at 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG, I promise you won't be diappointed and be sure to visit the loos!

AT Openhouse

We've been pedaling our wares again this month at the wonderful AT Open House as part of the Artists Open Houses alongside a fantastic line-up of artists, designers and makers.

As you can see there's work from a few AT regulars; Mark Pavey (Dead Methods), illustrator Alice Pattulo, screen-printing duo hellododo, Pinch of Petting Zoo Prints & Collectables, glitter-loving James Sawyer, realist painter Rhys Trusseler and illustrator/rude word purveyor Nathan James Page. Along with some great work from some new additions to the AT family; perspex jewellery extraordinaires Designosaur, kitsch toy lover Toy Pincher, whimsical painter Becky Blair, contemparary jewellery designer An Alleweireldt (Oxx Jewellery), illustrator Ceri Amphlett, abstrat painter Sophie Abbott and Teresa Stewart Goodman with her quirky animal character cut-outs.

This weekend is the last weekend to see all this work in one place and of course treat yourselves to the delicious cake, so get yourselves down to AT Open House before the doors close for another year.

AT Open House is open 11-6pm, Saturday & Sunday at 42 Hendon Street, Brighton BN2 0EG.

Money, Power, Sex & Mark Wagner

These amazingly intricate currency collages are the work of brooklyn-based artist, writer and book-maker Mark Wagner.

He strives to create, "something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable... the foreign in the familiar" and uses only one dollar bills in his masterpieces, what he describes as, "the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America" and "a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept".

Watch him at work in this great little stop motion...

If you're lucky enough to be in New York next month you can check out his work in person at the Pavel Noubok Gallery. His next exhibition, 'Money, Power, Sex & Mark Wagner' starts on the 6th September and runs until 5th October 2013.

Images and video copyright Mark Wagner.

Via Colossal.

Patrick Caulfield at Tate Britain

Last week I took a trip over to Tate Britain to see the Patrick Caulfield exhibition and wow, was it worth it. Such amazing work; graphic, colourful, witty and enormous!

The exhibition follows his artistic career chronologically from the early 60s when he left the Royal College of Art through many iconic pieces to some of his last paintings in 2005.

Caulfield's work was influenced by cubism and rather than use traditional painting techniques, he developed a unique graphic style with simplistic shapes, flat colours and black outlines - a style more associated with commercial signwriters. It was great to see this style develop and become perfected as I moved through the exhibition/ years.

Anyone in any doubt over whether he could paint in a more traditional style will be blown away by the realism in some sections of his paintings. For example, take a close look at the landscape picture in After Lunch (above) - you would be forgiven for thinking it was a picture postcard, but it is in fact an extremely detailed landscape painting. The brass door handles in Bishops (above) are another fine example of his traditional painting pedigree.

These areas of detail surrounded by over-simplified objects and flat coloured backgrounds are typical of Caulfields work. They created what he thought was a reflection of how our memories record information, "I find that in treating things in different ways, they become a point of focus. It's the idea that one doesn't encompass everything, and that your eye can look around and see things. I'm not so sure whether it's your eye or whether it's that your memory remembers things in different ways. There seems no reason to treat everything evenly. It's more like a collaged memory of things. Some of the things are in sharp focus, and others, if you like, symbolise the object".

The exhibition runs until 1st September 2013 at Tate Britain.

Digital Bungalow Review AT Open House

The lovely folks at Digital Bungalow have written a great review of AT Open house with lots of pics for those who can't make it themselves. Read the full article here.

Images copyright Darren Baldwin at Digital Bungalow.

Bob Gill & Print Club

Not long now until the Bob Gill & Print Club exhibition. Designer, illustrator, teacher and one of the founding partners of Pentagram (then called Fletcher/Forbes/Gill) Bob Gill has had a remarkable career honoured by both the London and New York Art Directors' Associations with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The exhibition will showcase 6 new silk screen prints in editions of 15. Each one has been lovingly hand coloured by Bob with watercolour in the Print Club studio making them all unique.

It opens with a preview on Friday 28th and runs until 11 April at the Print Club Gallery, 10-28 Millers Avenue, Dalston E8 2DS.

Image copyright Bob Gill.

Eyebombing

Images from Eyebombing. Copyright of the individual photographers.