LUDO
Drawn with the precision of botanical illustrations, Ludo sociological imagery and malevolent creatures are as elegant as they are fierce. Hailing from France, Ludo has been creating attention around industry-fueled consumer culture for over a decade. Seamlessly fusing nature wondrous species with its man-made destructive counterparts, these works intend to jolt us out of a longstanding collective denial: despite repeated natural disasters, we refuse to acknowledge our own fragile state. Ludo resulting quasi-mutant images so effortlessly evoke contemporary creative canons that they might almost go unnoticed, underscoring the impact of “commercial propaganda” on both taste and decency. For his first London solo exhibition, Ludo transmutations are an accumulation of new works spanning sculpture, drawing, and print. This exhibition also heralds the international launch of a 72-page full colour book, OPUS #23, with an Introduction by Marc & Sara Schiller of Wooster Collective. A limited 25 signed copies will be available for sale during the exhibition.
Opens 9.9.11 High Roller Society Unit 10 Palmers Road Bethnal Green London E2 0SY
Hopefully I will see some of you there.
all the best,
ludo
For further information regarding this show visit the gallery site:
Parisian Street Artist LUDO brought “Nature’s Revenge” to the US this month and his eye-popping surreal wheat-pasted creations are now on walls in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. By combining weaponry with insects and plants into hybrids, LUDO is using this ongoing series to draw attention to how we are messing with nature in ways we never have in an unquestioning way and at our own peril. From biotech to nanotech to robotics to remote controlled drones, the face of war is sold with branding and a sizzling “wow” factor, accompanied by vague assurances that these developments are necessary to protect us good guys from the bad ones. From the perspective of this ongoing “Nature’s Revenge” series, our romance with all things shiny and futuristic is quickly morphing out of our control and it’s likely to come back and bite us, or worse.
Using a reliably greyscale, white, and acid green palette, LUDO’s high-tech hybrids are alternately frightening and amusing, and even super cool. While a Freddy Kruger facemask is obviously symbolic, it’s pairing with a mechanical daisy is unnerving. The wheat paste of a tarantular top-loaded missile delivery device is laughable until you see the video of unstoppable multi-limbed all terrain “big dog” robots being developed to do the same thing. Even the bunch of grape skulls seems sort of blunt until you think of what we’re now learning about irradiation, pesticides, and genetically modified foods. Taken as a whole LUDO’s work is one of the more message-driven on the street today and is another example of the new narrative-driven story telling we continue to witness in Street Art. Luckily, it’s also visually compelling.
In LA Ludo installed work with Daniel Lahoda for LA FreeWalls, C.A.V.E. Gallery, and with curation by BSA. Special thanks to Daniel for his total support, hospitality, and vision.In Chicago special thanks to Nick and Seth from Pawn Works Gallery and to Brock for making this happen and for providing the wheels and the good company.
“Brooklyn based artist XAM is showing work at Fuzion Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA alongside artists Chadillac and Martin Diaz. The show titled FLIPN’ THE BIRD opens September 1st with DJ sets, giveaways, live paintings and free booze. RSVP at flipnthebirdsb@gmail.com.”
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Bast, Chris Uphues, Cyrcle, Dain, Enzo & Nio, Ja Ja, LMNOP, Shepard Fairey, Skewville, Swampy, and Willow.
The Viennese Art Gallery INOPERAbLE presents works of one of the most highly regarded artists of the street art movement, ROA.
INOPERAbLE gallery will show the latest work of the Belgian artist, including installations, paintings on found objects, and original drawings. ROA will also present his limited edition hand bound book “ROA: An Introduction To Animal Representation” (Mammal Press). A limited number of copies of the books, which include his first ever print, will be available at the opening.
ROAs work indoor is just as fascinating and innovative as those created outdoors in urban and suburban areas. The artists original works have solidified him as an undisputed key figure in the Urban Art movement. Recently a work of ROA was scheduled to be removed by the Hackney city council, however an overwhelming reaction from the local citizens helped save the work. Similarly numerous works by Banksy were “rescued”, again marking ROAs signifigance in the contemporary art scene. Animals are the central theme in ROAs artistic universe. His monumental rabbits, birds, rats or fish, usually in black and white, can be found in cities like New York, London, Paris, Berlin or Mexico. Hefocuses on the fauna of the region, merging them naturally and seamlessly into the environment. Often the decompossing creatures reflect the artists critical view of society around the walls where he works. The bold and large scale murals of ROA confrontハ viewers and provide a break in their hectic everday lifestyle, if only just for a moment.
Over the last half decade, ROAs work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Most notably ROAs work was shown in the internationally acclaimed exhibition “Art in the Streets” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles) alongside Banksy, Swoon, Barry McGee, Space Invader, Basquiat, JR, Os Gemeos and many more. ROA spends much of his time traveling the world, visiting cities and villages of all sizes. This summer he was invited to Gambia along with a handful of active Street Artists to paint murals in small villages, which are usually ignored by tourists. The project was meant to encourage “whites” to stop in these towns to admire the works and support the local businesses, rather than just throw candy out of the window to the children.
ROA will spend the month of August in Vienna as Artist in Resident at Museums Quartier. With the help of the MQ and INOPERAbLE, ROA will spend much of his time creating awe inspiring works around the city. Keep your eyes open for new works as he hits up the capital of Austria, and prepares for his solo exhibition at INOPERAbLE.
The streets are covered with symbols and markings that have meaning to the maker, their peers, and to passersby. Depending on socio-political-geo-historical factors, you may or may not know what certain tags or images are meant to indicate and aside from gang indicia, no one seems particularly alarmed by this fact that street art and graffiti is often a nest of hidden meanings.
One such symbol that has often appeared on the street is the bottom jaw from Hellbent, rough and jagged, hovering above a bed of psychedelic or pastel floral patterns. If it happened once, you might think “Oh, it’s part of a series and I’ll figure it out when I see the other pieces”. In fact, no. It’s the one symbol that Hellbent repeats most often, and it is perplexing.
We finally got an answer from the artist regarding the genesis of the jaw when he was describing his current piece in the LA show “Street Art Saved My Life” and, while it sheds light on the background, somehow it raises more questions. In the story about this Austrianneurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, we postulate that the jaw represents our base animal qualities and our similarities to the ruthless animal kingdom, all the while acknowledging the ultimate fragility of a simple bone structure, and be extraction, us. Anyway, before we psychoanalyze it further and bore everybody in the room, here’s what Hellbent says:
“Sigmund Freud at age of 67 appeared in a clinic in Vienna because he had discovered some hard, smooth spots on his jaw. After the doctor examined him it was discovered that they were cancerous and the lesions had to be removed immediately. Since the hospital population at that time was at capacity, Freud was put in a makeshift room that he shared with dwarf. After his operation while his family was out, Freud began to hemorrhage and was unable to call out, while laying bleeding on the floor. If not for the dwarf roommate Freud would have surely died and with this I began thinking of the jawbone.
The earliest images I was influenced by as a kid were the graphics on skateboards and punk albums. The image of the human skull was a constant in a lot of these images. It was a sign of rebellion and it seemed the embrace death, where society was much more concentrated on living. But as I grew up I noticed that a lot of people who where similarly influenced by these images began to bring the skull into the mainstream. Now you see cute skulls on Paul Frank baby clothes and such.
So to get away from this trend I began to concentrate on just the jaw bone as an image. The jawbone is what is used to communicate and form words with and the way we consume food to sustain life, an important part of the human experience. I have come back to the skull and separated it from the jaw; making it two unique images that are connected through this separation. I also use a lot of animal imagery on the streets, so the jaw bone represents the human element of this world…
I have been calling the new use of multiple floral stencils “Quilting”. I like the idea of taking all these used “scraps” to form something more tangible, something other than its self. Sometimes it makes up the border around the image and other times it is used inside of the image, giving it a cubist like quality. The colors in each of the patterns also play off one another, giving them a natural 3D quality (which is actually intensified with 3D glasses, as was discovered at my last gallery show at Mighty Tanaka) that further emphasizes this cubist element. The shapes seem to pull and push of the surface, but the image is still readily available to the viewer.”
Here’s your Fun Friday Menu (all entrees come with a slice of pepperoni pizza)
1. New Film Opening About Toynbee Tiles – Ticket Giveaway
2. CYCLE Crew : “We Never Die”
3. Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories
4. That Was FUN! “The Grassy Lot” Opening
5. 8 Hours in Brooklyn – VERY COOL SLO MO, BRO
6. There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute: Re-creating the Cardiff Giant by Ty Marshal
7. Narcelio Grud “Sonic Spray” By Yeah
New Film Opening About Toynbee Tiles – Ticket Giveaway
“Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles”
Opening in NYC at the IFC Center on Friday 09/02,.the film is about the Toynbee Tiles and an unlikely team that tracks down the mystery’s source for the better part of a decade. It won Best Documentary Directing award at this years’ Sundance Film Festival so it’s got cred.
Win Tickets To Opening Night! First person to send an email to info@argotpictures.com with BSA in the subject line gets a pair of tickets for opening night this film by Jon Foy. Second person will get tickets to any night during the run.
Now in it’s 3rd smashing week, this show in Venice has been getting lots of great visitors and conversations, mostly because the participating artists put so much of themselves into this densely layered show.
Names you know, and others you don’t – but you may hear more about in the future, all telling their New York Stories.
Congratulations to Joe Franquinha and Liza and Crest Arts for putting together a very successful community-feeling event on the grassy lot last night. A LOT of people, a LOT of art, a LOT of fun conversations. And it didn’t rain! (Even though Joe was prepared for that too) Thanks to Keith Schweitzer of MaNY and all the artists who participated. Best guest we met? Joe’s mom, who raised her boy right.
Here’s a fun video Keith made:
8 Hours in Brooklyn – VERY COOL SLO MO, BRO
Can you spot the big portrait by a street artist that has been featured on BSA in this video?
There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute: Re-creating the Cardiff Giant by Ty Marshal
More artists stopped by to put up pieces for “The Grassy Lot” show, an impromptu little get-together of 15 artists in a little bit of heaven on the Lower East Side. Jaime Rojo gives us some more shots of the lot.
Joe Franquinha, life long New Yorker, told us how he assisted Street Artist QRST with his decision of subject matter for this installation: “I told QRST – Rats have lived in this lot for years so rats should be represented here. Because we have the best f*cking rats and no one is going to take that away from us.”
We’re proud to announce the “Grassy Lot Show” coming this Thursday presented by Crest Arts at the Timeshare Backyard. It’s been a little whirlwind of activity with 15 artists putting up brand new work on the walls of this oasis on the Lower East Side for you to come visit. With Keith Schwietzer and us helping Crest out here and there, and of course with Franklin doing lawn roomba duties, it is a bit of a community event. All it is missing is you! What are you doing Thursday?
Crest Arts invites you to the TimeShare Backyard for “The Grassy Lot Show”
Thursday August 25, from 6-8 pm
145 Ludlow Street between Stanton and Rivington
Admission is free.
Take off your shoes and walk in the grass and do a cartwheel while looking at brand new outside work on the walls by Bishop 203, Creepy, Gaia, General Howe, Jake Klotz, Laura Meyers, Nanook, Over Under, QRST, Quel Beast, Shandor Hassan, Travis Simon, Veng, XAM, and Yok.
Davey, Devin and Rabi Ponder Life Eternal At Design Matters
Life is a mystery, we all know that. In fact, that may be the only thing we know.
In preparation for their new show “We Never Die” at Design Matters, the art collective Cyrcle Crew is letting you get the essence of their take on life and death and the continuum of experiences. With a little levity and a less than heavy heart, sometimes it’s possible to revisit this stuff we all are affected by.
Photographer and BSA contributor Carlos Gonzalez took a peak to their installation and offers some tantalizing views of the preparations for this unusual show with the CYRCLE crew.
The reception for this show is open to the public on Thursday from 7:00pm – 11:00pm. The show continues through October 8th, 2011 @ Design Matters – 10590.5 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. You will need to RSVP .
Please visit the CYRCLE site for more information: