The story of painting rascal Ide André
“Everyone can say what they want, but I do hope that my work comes across as fresh, dirty, firm, crispy, dirty, clean, fast, strong, smooth, messy, sleek and of course cocky.”
“Everyone can say what they want, but I do hope that my work comes across as fresh, dirty, firm, crispy, dirty, clean, fast, strong, smooth, messy, sleek and of course cocky.” – Ide André
Somewhere between the concrete walls of the Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, a talented kid with a big mouth and an urge to paint was bound to challenge perspectives. Years later, he found himself rumbling in his atelier, experimenting with ideas and creating things out of chaotic settings. With a determined attitude and an open mind, he managed to turn everything into a form of art. Some people liked his work, some people questioned it; either way it got attention. Right now, he’s working on several projects all exploring the relationship between painting and everyday life with the carpet (yes, the carpet, I told you this guy can turn anything into art piece) as main subject. His work is a reflection of his personality: bold, impulsive, fun and with a fair amount of attitude. He however likes to use a couple more words when describing his own work. This is the short version of his biography, the end of my version of his story. If you prefer a more authentic one here’s the story in the artist’s words:
I once saw a show of Elsworth Kelly when I was a child. The enormous series of two-toned monograms clearly made a big impression on me. I remember staring with my mouth wide open at the big coloured surfaces. I’m not that much of a romantic soul to say that it all started right there, but it did leave an impact on me. I actually developed my love for painting at ArtEZ. I started out working with installation art and printing techniques, but I was always drawn to the work of contemporary, mostly abstract painters, until I actually became fascinated about my fascination with abstract painting. Because, let’s be honest here, sometimes it seems quite bizarre to worry about some splotches of colour on a canvas. Even though painting has been declared dead many times over, loads of people carry on working with this medium no matter what; from a headstrong choice, commitment or just because they can’t help it. I am clearly one of those people, and that fact still manages to fascinate me.
At ArtEZ you talk so much to your fellow students, teachers and guest artists, little by little you kind of construct your own vision on art. And that’s a good thing! All this time you get bombarded with numerous opinions, ideas and assignments, some of them (as stubborn as we are) that seemed useless to us and weren’t easily put on top of our to-do-list. Until there is that moment you realise that you have to filter everything and twist and turn it in your own way. Then there is that epiphany moment. That moment you realize you can actually make everything your own. I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learned during University: giving everything your own twist and constantly questioning what you are doing, subsequently always struggling a little bit but still continue until the end. Like an everyday routine.
I’m not going to enounce myself about the definition of art. That would be the same thing as wondering what great music is or good food. I think it’s something everyone can determine for themselves. I do think it is interesting to ask myself how an artwork can function and what it can evoke. There is this exciting paradoxical element within art. On the one hand we pretend that art should be something that belongs to humanity, something that is from the people, for the people; on the other hand is the fact that art has its own world, its own domain where it can live safely, on its own autonomous rules, and it doesn’t have to be bothered by this cold, always speculating world. There are pros and cons about both sides, and I think it’s impossible to make a work of art that solely belongs to one of the two worlds. As Jan Verwoert, Dutch art critic and writer, words it: “Art as a cellophane curtain”. Without getting too much into it (otherwise I’m afraid I’ll never finish this story), there is this see-through curtain between the two worlds. The artist is looking at the outside world through his work, and the outside world looks at the artist through his work. That’s how I see art and how I approach it.
My work often comes about in various places, with my studio as a start and end point. I buy my fabric at the market and from there the creative process really starts. I print on them, light fireworks on them with my friends, or sew them together with my mother at the kitchen table in my childhood home. I try to treat all these actions as painting related actions. Like a runner that goes to the running track on his bike; we could ask ourselves: is he already exercising running? On an average atelier day, I toil with my stressed and unstressed fabrics, chaotically studded around the room. Usually I don’t have a fixed plan. My process is semi-impulsive and comes from an urge. Often this causes little and mostly unforeseen mistakes, these ‘mistakes’ often prove to be an asset in the next project.
As for the future, (Lucky for me) I don’t own a crystal ball, so I wouldn’t dare to make predictions. And quite frankly I wouldn’t want to know. Young collectives, initiatives and galleries keep popping up and I think we continue to grow more and more self-sufficient. Of course there is that itch of our generation to always learn more, do more; an urge that I believe will never disappear, also not within myself. I will stubbornly continue to work on the things I believe in. Not because it offers me some sort of security (most of the time it’s the opposite) but because I just can’t help it.
Alec Soth – Gathered Leaves
The Alec Soth retrospective at The Science Museum contains works from four of his most well known projects: Sleeping By The Mississippi (2004), Niagara (2006), Broken Manual (2010), and Songbook (2014).
2008_02zL0189, from Broken Manual © Alec Soth
The Alec Soth retrospective at The Science Museum contains works from four of his most well known projects: Sleeping By The Mississippi (2004), Niagara (2006), Broken Manual (2010), and Songbook (2014).
As well as being the first major exhibition of his work in the country, this is also the first ever UK exhibition of Songbook.
The first room contains his first and perhaps most well known collection, Sleeping By The Mississippi. A series taken all along the iconic American river, documenting the daily lives of the locals who live inside its wide basin.
Hailing from Minnesota, Soth has an intimate knowledge of this river that runs through his hometown of Minneapolis. In this way this series is partially self-referential, as he is documenting a society of which he is an inhabitant. This familiarity is evident through the photographs, and such closeness would be unimaginable were he not a part of what he documents.
His work shows us beauty in the most unexpected of places, and this series is especially good at showing to us that which we would have never found for ourselves. What is ordinary to these people is otherworldly and exotic for those who live away from it.
The simple lives of people living outside of traditional society are beautiful in their approach to nature, and in their honest simplicity. They live with the existing landscapes, rather than upon them. Their houses are simple and inoffensive to the nature that surrounds them, hermitlike and nomadic.
Two Towels, 2004, from Niagara © Alec Soth
The works in this series (and indeed most of his oeuvre) instill an unusual air of calm upon the viewer. There is an intense stillness in these works that seems at once both serene and frozen. The expressions and poses seem at first calm, but upon further discovery seem pained, even forced. This is something that Soth himself embraces, as the camera set-up and way he photographs takes longer than most contemporary cameras. This removes the initial pose that is automatic from the subject, and the one captured is of bewilderment and frustration at the process. In this way he is able to take un-posed photographs of posing subjects, and through this he shows us the real person beneath their instinctual façade.
These people have sought out freedom, and somewhere for them to disappear. They are contented with their lot, and all they seek is escape. Soth permeates this community with ease, and is accepted by the residents. Their need to disappear is lifted slightly, and he allows us to peek beneath. In a sense we are voyeurs when we look upon a Soth photograph, for they were always only posing for Soth, and never for us.
“When I think of the Falls as a metaphor, I think of a kind of intensified sexuality and unsustainable desire”
Soth’s love of the work of Diane Arbus is evident throughout, and the methodology of documenting those ‘on the fringes of society’ permeates the work of both artists. One obvious difference is that Soth is primarily a ‘book-photographer’, but in this show he proves that his work is as at home on a gallery wall as it is in a book.
Niagara is the series that fills room two, and in many ways feels like an extension of the Mississippi project. The work is presented slightly larger, but the themes of stillness, calm, and loneliness all appear throughout. Niagara itself appears still and calm, like a blanket of crushed blue velvet.
Two Towels, 2004 is a photograph of a pair of towels manipulated in such a way that they appear as if two swans are kissing, forming a heart in the negative space between them. Tragically comic, this arrangement is clearly shot in some budget motel, the type which is often stayed in alone, or with a guest who is paid by the hour.
The balance between tragedy and comedy is evident in all of his series; in Sleeping By The Mississippi a woman sits amid garish Valentine’s decorations, drinking alone. In Niagara a mirrorball is strung from a tree in a forest, the photograph hung on the adjacent wall is of a shirtless man with a swastika tattoo. This man is one of the subjects interviewed in the documentary Somewhere To Disappear, and despite his fascist opinions, seems timid and delicate.
These people have actively sought a life that is away from the conventional, living entirely as they please. They appear to crave their own freedom, and yet allow (and indeed enjoy) the attention that they receive from Soth and his camera. Isolation can bring freedom, but it can also create intense loneliness. This loneliness is visible in his subjects, through the look upon their faces to their willingness to welcome Soth into their insular existence. These people are escaping ‘traditional’ life for a reason unknown to us as the viewer, and in this they make us fantasize about our own escape, if but for a fleeting second. This is something that pervades most of his work, and in every series in this show there are elements of “American individualism and the urge to be united.”
Crazy Legs Saloon. Watertown, New York, from Songbook © Alec Soth
As a species we crave both freedom and unity, but sometimes we forego one to fully experience the other. Soth has found such people, and their desire to be one with humanity is reminded to them through his intervention. There is a certain delicateness in his work that is suggested by the simple connection between two people who just happen to be together. Sometimes it is nothing more than being in the same place as another person, but in the moment that two people inhabit the same space, they are connected. This connection between Soth and his subjects is profound in its simplicity. They are connected, but only for a short while, and then they are both alone again.
A collection of letters between some of the people he photographs is displayed, and this offers us further insight into these people’s lives. One such letter closes with “Take care and drop dead”.
The brilliant documentary Somewhere To Disappear is shown in its entirety at the exit to the show, and is an exquisite look at some of these subjects. It is quite long (57 minutes or so) and can be viewed at the below here if time is a concern.
Page No 2: “If there was a nice apartment and I have a descent job and you felt happy and thought there could be a nice history together, would you come home?”
Carnival Glass at Block 336
This December, artist-run gallery Block 336 is offering you a different view on art history, altering and mixing different cultures, times and movements with exhibition ‘Carnival Glass’.
Aiming to provide a platform for both established and emerging artists with an emphasis on collaboration, freedom and experiment, the project space combines the talent of seven artists in the UK art scene in one exhibition. Lewis Betts, Freya Douglas-Morris, Grant Foster, Brian Griffiths, Archie Franks, Lydia Hardwick, and Lana Locke will be taking on the challenge of combining numerous techniques such as sculpturing and painting to create beautiful entities, simultaneously exploring chaos to reach innovation. Art history connoisseurs will recognize references to Gothic, Baroque and Rococo aspects, while culture enthusiasts will be able to deepen themselves in the subtly integrated carnivalesque elements. Londoner and award wining contemporary painter Archie Franks is both displaying his artwork and curating the event.
As if there isn’t enough for your eyes the focus on, you can let them wander around in the remaining rooms of the building as there will be another exhibition going on at the same time. In his first solo show HOMEWARE_update, Corey Bartle-Sanderson displays the experimentation of combining objects that aren’t usually put together.
Both exhibitions will have their private view on the 4th of December.
Body Of Songs
Get ready to be overwhelmed by creative concept ‘Body Of Songs’, a series of 10 songs, bringing together Britain's most talented musicians to contribute a single about the mysteries of the body’s organs.
Get ready to be overwhelmed, better yet staggered by creative concept ‘Body Of Songs’, as this is going to be one of the craziest yet brilliant ideas you have encountered so far. Starting off with the somewhat dark visuals and simultaneously easy-going tunes of Raf (music) and Ben Wheele (video), the song ‘Ooh Ha (Carolina) ‘ about the appendix is just the start of a series of 10 songs, bringing together Britain's most talented musicians to contribute a single about the mysteries of the body’s organs.
With artist like Ghostpoet, Bat For Lashes, Mara Carlyle & Max De Wardener, Afrikan Boy, Dave Okumu, Scruffizer, Sam Lee & Llywelyn ap Myrddin, Andreya Triana and Goldie, this music and science experiment is bound to be a success. As the songs are based on experiences the artists have had in their own life, from illness to age, the combination of this personal given and the distinct interpretation of the amazing line-up makes for a variety of unique songs. The collaboration with multiple body specialists, from scientists to medics, results in songs that are as accurate as possible while still allowing for emotional stories and great tunes.
If you’re curious about this exciting concept, you can get yourself the album on November 27th!
ANDROGYNY: An inherent truth?
What can we learn from androgyny? The artist challenging gender fluid stereotypes and promoting a different kind of well-being: Nastasia Niedinger
What can we learn from androgyny? The artist challenging gender fluid stereotypes and promoting a different kind of well-being: Nastasia Niedinger
Nastasia Niedinger is a unique product of the millennial age. A contemporary creative on the outside looking in, she is a hungry observer and spokesperson for those equally curious about the modern human condition into which they were born. Fascinated by post-modern and generational trends, she utilises art direction to produce remarkable pieces with profound social messaging. Her primary mediums include writing, photography and experimentation with digital spheres, which she uses to highlight incumbent cultural mechanisms at play. Always aiming to help viewers understand better the world around them, Niedinger’s attitude seems ever forward-looking.
Universal androgyny. The concept may seem peculiar, but one photographic study suggests just that. Gender in Utero is an intimate study of androgyny with a strong ideological underbelly. Tired of just the “what?” and determined to ask “why?”, this collection and its critical rhetoric is bucking trends in the media’s recent coverage of gender fluidity - and in more ways than one.
Gender in Utero is unique in its duality, making clever use of art to support social commentary. The collection uses photography as a medium to document the phenomenon in its physical form: the artist iterates our physical inheritances - the appearances of both mother and father - and although this is often taken for granted, she has found it to be a profound and inspiring truth.
But the message at its core is the prevalence of androgyny in our behaviour and observed benefits for the psyche. The artist asks viewers to consider, “How do I feel? How do I think?”, encouraging them to evaluate the fluidity of their own behaviours and thoughts.
“I believe androgyny is not only natural but inherent. It occurs moment by moment, case by case, in each of us. Faced with a multitude of situations, we unconsciously flex between feminine or masculine behaviour.
Androgyny is tantamount to people’s ability to evaluate, objectivise, empathise, subjectivise, and so on.”
The project’s title, “Gender in Utero”, pays homage to the unique development of the human mind and advancement over time. “A component of human nature is our inherent adaptability, in the short and long-term.” And though Nastasia observes that action is constantly changing, more fundamental still is the understanding that consciousness itself is after all, genderless.
Its poignant insights are supported by classical writer Virginia Woolf and pioneering psychologist in creativity and “flow states”, M. Csikszentmihalyi, whose research claims, “A psychologically androgynous person in effect doubles his or her repertoire of responses.”
Execution of the collection has abided by strict principles, sourcing participants from outside of the modelling industry and rejecting androgyny as a means for fashion, which Nastasia claims to be constraining. “Often, designers encourage diversity for the sake of diversity, freedom for the sake of freedom, without explaining its value.” Examples include Selfridges’ recent Agender floor, which although publicised gender as a construct, for all its PR failed to explore the implications of the statement. The artist holds a critical outlook on the subject, stating that:
“Androgyny has been commodified by fashion, and hijacked by sex. Neither industry is exploring why aesthetic or sexual liberation does good for the well being - areas like self esteem, flexibility, and of course empathy”.
Gender in Utero was born out of a firmly collaborative effort between Nastasia, photographer Al Overdrive and makeup artist Sophie Yeff. The trio have utilised an acute sensitivity to human physiology to produce a gripping standard of portraiture. Its founders mark an expanding community, coordinating a larger production team to cater for its growing number of subjects.
These captivating pieces and rhetoric are a refreshing departure from ineffectual “gender fluid” posturing in the media, (many gaining views using provocative but unanswered questions). Instead, the project demonstrates the potential inclusiveness of androgyny, inviting individuals to celebrate the benefits of fluid thinking in everyday life. Gender in Utero boldly addresses the big “whys” which industries like fashion and sex overlook, and gives those who identify with the “genderless mind” a powerful visual means to reclaim androgyny.
Want to explore more? Interact here www.genderinutero.com
Alexandra Uhart – real stories through the power of image
With a mission to document real life, and an execution that is unique and compelling in every way possible, ROOMS' photographer Alexandra Uhart stole our hearts and will soon devour yours too.
Since the last month of my masters, I’ve transformed my home into my temporary studio. I live in a newly built flat with big white walls, two of which at the moment are covered in photographs, sketches, sticky notes and diverse research material that I have been gathering for my latest work “Someone here”. I’m sitting at what used to be the dinning table, and now transformed into a desk. I have a laptop, books, a couple of pens and a glass of water in front of me. From here I face the window. It’s raining heavily outside, I’m happy to be working in today. If I were to photograph this, I would set up my camera on a tripod and shoot the scene from behind me. The photograph would capture me facing the window from across the table, showing the artist behind the work and the process behind the photos. I would maintain a certain mystery by facing away from the camera, giving the viewer an opportunity in doing so to connect the dots and make up their own story about the scene.
ROOMS' long time photographer Alexandra Uhart has just completed her Photography Masters at the London College of Communication, and her series Someone Here is the Winner of the Photoworks Prize 2015. With a mission to document real life, and an execution that is unique and compelling in every way possible, Alexandra stole our hearts and will soon devour yours too.
When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
Photography has always been a passion of mine. My first camera was given to me on my 9th birthday. It was a little Ninja Turtles themed film camera, which took photos that had a Ninja Turtle stamp in the right corner of every print. I remember photographing my toys with it; organizing them in groups and posing them amongst very elaborate settings. As I grew up and upgraded my photo equipment, I started photographing my friends. I would spend the afternoons borrowing make-up and clothing from my mom and styling photo shoots with them as models.
However it didn’t occur to me to study photography until years after I left college. I tried being traditional at first and went to law school for a couple of years, quickly realising that it was not for me. After that I decided to study Aesthetics. I really enjoyed it but I wasn’t sure where it would take me, since I felt like something was missing. It was not until I moved to Paris in 2009 that I decided to pursue photography, realising I wanted to be the one creating and not just theorising about other people’s creations.
Where do you go for inspiration?
I think everything can inspire me at a certain moment; inspiration can come from so many different places and I go and search for different things depending on the work that I am looking to produce. I would normally start by doing some research on an idea and moving forward from there. The truth is reality can be immensely inspiring.
When is a scene good enough to be captured?
I think every scene is good enough to be captured, depending on what you’re looking for. My work comes from a documentary and street photography tradition, from capturing the life around me and trying to understand it through images.
I’m motivated by humanity; how we interact with each other and with our environments. In my latest series “Someone Here” I’ve focused on different aspects of our current struggles with the environment. In this media-driven world that we live in, photography has the opportunity to be shared easier and faster than ever before, making photography an invaluable channel of communication in raising awareness. What we choose to photograph can actually make a difference in the world.
“What we choose to photograph can actually make a difference in the world.”
Your portraits have a very authentic feel to it. Tell me something about your process of shooting portraits. What is your goal, and how do you achieve it?
I really enjoy taking portraits. Most of the ones I shoot are set in people’s studios or houses, which helps give the photograph a more intimate feeling. However, the camera can be very invasive so it’s very important for me to make my subjects feel at ease quickly. My goal is to reveal something about them, to show an aspect of their personality. I have to say that the most important part of the process happens before taking the photo. I do my research, I prepare everything. Then I go to their homes or their working spaces. Once I get there I talk to them while setting up my equipment. I love getting to know people, having the opportunity to capture something special about them with my images.
I’m fascinated by your photo series 'mind trap'. It conveys however a very different style and feeling than the work you did in the beginning of your career. Can you tell me something about the concept?
‘Mind Trap’ was one of my first incursions into fine art photography. After years of working in more commercial areas of photography, I decided it was time to explore my personal interests and move to a setting that would allow me to freely express my views. I created this series when applying for the Photography MA at LCC. My inspiration came from a deep concern I have for our environment and its species. In the past years we hear of an increasing number of animals that are going extinct due to our careless appropriation and treatment of their ecosystems; with these images I aimed to mirror the way in which people have been confining them into man-made spaces where they don’t belong.
Any exciting projects in the future?
I just finished working on my new series “Someone Here” a documentary exploration of the Atacama Desert in Chile, where the rise of the mining industry has led to an alarming environmental detriment. As a Chilean artist, I think it is important for me to show the stories of my country and help raise awareness of its problems. I am currently exhibiting this work at LCC College as part of the MA Photography show. I’m thinking of creating a book with the body of work and some of the research that led to the creation of this project in the near future.
Since film is an area that I have also always been very interested in, I am eager to start working on a collaborated film project with Chilean-Swiss director Nicolas Bauer that will be shooting in Miami next year.
After that, I see myself continuing on the path I am now: combining fine art photography and film. However, as I evolve as an individual so will my way of looking at things and photographing them. It is essential to keep reinventing myself as an artist and photographer, but I hope to do this while still being faithful to what’s drawn me to photography in the first place: telling real stories through images, documenting life.
Sex in the art scene
How art is demolishing the misconceptions around sex and sexuality (and why this is a good thing).
SEX, SEX, SEX. Next to eating and sleeping it’s one of the most mundane and self-evident phenomenons in our human lives, however with constituted social norms telling us to oppress our sexuality and discard any exceptions on the ‘normal’ conceptions, thus treating it as a taboo subject, I bet that somehow some of you still feel the embarrassment creeping into your body when reading those three first words out loud in the office or during a family dinner.
Living in 2015, there is still so much wrong with the misconceptions formed around this broad subject. Yet luckily for us there is an active movement going on in the creative scene and the polished and one-sided approach we’re used to is gradually being substituted by an honest representation changing our narrow perspective on what sexuality really entails.
Describing themselves as a liberation from a culture of self-hate and impossible ideals, Ladybeard fights the reinforcement of a demeaning attitude towards sexuality. When we were all too busy flashing our boobs on the Internet with the hashtag #freethenipple hoping for a change, the team behind Ladybeard made an entire magazine!!! accessing real sexual experiences and voicing sexual diversity.
© Shan Huq SS16 - Photography Thomas McCarty - via dazedigital.com
Shan Huq
“These clothes are the essentials of your wardrobe, but also the essentials of your mind, the essentials of life and the essentials of your sexuality”. New to the fashion scene and already making statements, Shan Huq’s creations represent the reality of young Americans, tackling sexual taboos in a brilliantly cheeky way. Subtly touching the taboo subjects: gender, beauty and sex, the brand pushes the straightforward boundaries which the fashion industry continues to occupy.
Ren Hang
Having been arrested for “suspicion of sex”, Chinese photographer Ren Hang has experienced right handed how much of a taboo sexuality continues to be in this modern age. Yet instead of being discouraged by the extreme consequences of his work, Ren does not let this get in the way of his creative process. Showcasing the naked bodies of his friends in its purest form, he manages to capture images that go beyond the focus on sex, making them both arousing and scenically interesting at the same time.
To the people that think our generation of artists is deconstructing everything that has been built up for the last hundreds of years, I say so what. It was about time. Our society is in need for individuals like the ones above, so we can leave all those misconceptions about sex and sexuality behind us and work towards that one moment where we can finally all openly accept that women do masturbate, there is no one in this world that is 100 per cent straight, and sex is as opposed to what you have been watching in your bedroom with the door locked, more raw and real than anything you have ever been confronted with on the internet, rap song video clips or perfume adds.
Dele Sosimi
Dele Sosimi stands out as one of the most active musicians presently on the Afrobeat scene worldwide. Here he talks about duty to Afrobeat, relentless performances and his latest CD.
Dele Sosimi stands out as one of the most active musicians presently on the Afrobeat scene worldwide. Here he talks about duty to Afrobeat, relentless performances and his latest CD.
His tutor and guru was one of the world’s most feted and controversial music icon - Fela Kuti, also known as Fela Anikulapo Kuti or simply Fela - before his family, bandmates and friends and indeed the world was rocked by his passing on August 2, 1997, from Kaposi's sarcoma which was brought on by AIDS. Nonetheless, this loyalist, representative and artist - Bamidele Olatunbosun Sosimi, known as Dele Sosimi, from teenage keyboard player for Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 to bandleader for his son Femi Kuti's Positive ensemble, was tutored and raised in Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s shadow and worked and travel around extensively with Fela around the world at the pinnacle of early 70s Afrobeat fever. Picked by Fela to join his band at a somewhat tender age, he was still a young man when sharing Fela’s Glastonbury stage in 1984. But be that as it may, Dele Sosimi - born in Hackney, East London, raised in his native Nigeria from the age of four, refutes to slow down. He is here and now one of the leading forces/important voices of Afrobeat holding fort the Afrobeat music on the Afrobeat scene internationally.
After Fela’s passing in 1997, Dele went on to concentrate on his solo career and, with meticulous endurance, sliced out his own Afrobeat trophy in London, where he now dwells. Totally, this Nigerian-British boy is done admirably well. Sosimi has helped define the sound alongside some of its most iconic figures – he is an inspiration to many. Check this out: Vocalist? Tick. Keyboard player? Tick. Producer and Afrobeat giant? Tick. And the founder of his own orchestra? Tick. In addition more recently he was the Musical Director & Afrobeat Music Consultant for the award winning musical FELA! Currently on a global tour. And what’s more? Sosimi is an Afrobeat Composer, Producer, Musician, educator and instructor (via London School of Afrobeat) as a Visiting Lecturer at London Metropolitan University, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance - the UK's only conservatoire of music and contemporary dance and Cardiff University.
Once again an experience awaits with another marathon session (four-hour-non-stop) of keeping Afrobeat, the music, spirit & legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti alive in London at The Forge, Camden, UK
Saturday 28 November 2015. The Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra are a gang that must be seen live in all its astounding fierceness. Dele is returning to London for his third Album lunch gig ‘You No Fit Touch Am,’ a 7-track collection of compositions – his third solo album and his first for 10 years that is immersed in socio-political messages and showcase classic 1970s Lagos song writing. “You No Fit Touch Am” was recorded in London with a crew of long time players and producer Nostalgia 77 (Tru Thoughts) presenting a 21st century clarity to the mix. There's no silly compromises to the music here though, just a thoroughly modern sense of energy in the mix with an aptly heavyweight bass charisma.
Dele Sosimi: Afrobeat Vibration is my way of keeping Afrobeat music alive and accessible to Afrobeat music lovers and musicians in the UK bi-monthly, are creation of the spirit and ambiance of Fela's Afrika Shrine.
Why are you staging a four-hour-non-stop musical marathon? Why 4 hour non-stop and why the chosen venue? Can you really keep this up?
Dele Sosimi: I stage it because it is a duty that must be done by me as an ambassador of the genre and culture. It is an experience hence it is 4 hours nonstop as we take you on a journey based on the repertoire selection for the night. We initially used the New Empowering Church in Hackney till November 2014 when the lease expired. Since then we used the Forge in Camden once before moving to Shapes in Hackney Wick May 24th 2015. We chose Shapes because it had the ambience size and potential for a late license till 5am. The importance! People or musicians who did not have the opportunity to listen to live afrobeat now have a regular bi-monthly platform that we have kept going for 7 years - last Saturday of January, March, May, July, September and November which is usually the anniversary month. We cover a wide range of Felas Classics and original new compositions featuring a wide range of guests and young musicians who have either attended one of my Afrobeat masterclasses or workshops. This year we are celebrating the 7th year of keeping it going.
Could you reveal names of guest stars contributing to this extravaganza on Friday November 28th? And what should fans expect?
Dele Sosimi: We never know who will turn up until the night itself bit we have had Tony Allen, PA Fatai Rolling Dollar, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Afrikan Boy, Breis, Shingai, Byron Wallen, to name a few.
Fans should expect to be delightfully Afrobeaten up.
You have a new album out - third album -”You No Fit Touch Am”. Tell us more about this album - and why the title; "You No Fit Touch Am?"?
Dele Sosimi: Release earlier this year by WahWah45s on the 24th of May, the literal meaning is “You cannot touch it”. On a conceptual level "the thing is too cool", "too tasty to be messed with", "you can't even come close", "and it is beyond you". "The jam just baaad", "don't look at it with common eye" with regards to what I do, what we do, the experience we provide, the spirit of music. Identity my 2nd Album was released 10 years ago, and I had made up my mind the third Album would have to wait for the right conditions, right record label at the right time with an offering of a clear development of the Afrobeat idiom, an important restatement of what Afrobeat is about, in the current scene where the term is used quite indiscriminately (and unfortunately confused with the rather more superficial “Afrobeats”). I strongly believe this is now the case. Suffice to say its taken 10 years but once the record deal was in place from recording, production to release nine months as most of the songs had been written years ago.
What is your message here?
Dele Sosimi: It depends on which angle you look at it from. Spiritually be open, tolerant and aware, appreciative and humble. Musically, there is a jewel of infinity contained here that will most likely be missed by many, who lack the ability to see the greatness in small things. On the other hand, beauty will be discovered and found here by many. Mainly the message draws attention to the state of things worldwide today with songs like "Na My Turn" (Elections worldwide with special attention on so called democracy in Africa pre and post elections) ~ “E go betta” (Despite facing abject poverty the admirable spirit of resilience and resolve to carry on and soldier on with the song of hope for a better tomorrow)~ “We siddon we dey look” – (Ferguson incidents, Boko Haram, ISIS and most recently Xenophobia) “Where We Want Be” (The intolerance prevalent in world society with the message being bring love back BIG TIME!) “Sanctuary”- (In line with Fela’s “Music is the weapon of the future” message. In this case music being the Sanctuary where you recharge your batteries to keep on) and “You No Fit Touch Am” as earlier indicated.
What drives Dele Sosimi?
Dele Sosimi: Breath, life, love and family drives Dele.
Saturday 28 November 2015
Shapes, London, UK
Shapes, 117 Wallis rd. Hackney Wick E9 5LN
Cost of Tickets: £10 Adv. £12 Otd
Tuesday 09 February 2016
Kings Place, London, UK
West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song
The British Library celebrates West Africa: A region that spans 2,000 years, 1,000 languages and 17 different countries – the grass may indeed be greener in West Africa.
The British Library celebrates West Africa: A region that spans 2,000 years, 1,000 languages and 17 different countries – the grass may indeed be greener in West Africa.
Early illustrations by Ibrahim el Salahi.
Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther 1867
YOU might have heard of the 17 countries that make-up the West African region and that the region is plague by never-ending conflicts and hunger. Nevertheless, have we got news for you? West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song, a major new exhibition at the British Library is showcasing/celebrating the cultural vitality of the West African region – not warfare. Its thousand years of history, from centuries-old drum language, protest songs, informative religious manuscripts to the great manuscript libraries of the early Middle Ages, through to colonialism and independence. The exhibition likewise offers an insight into the centuries-old written heritage, as well as the ancient oral traditions of West Africa, both of which continue to influence and motivate in the present day.
West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song, is conveyed through rare texts, recordings and manuscripts of the time. This is an extraordinarily exhilarating exhibition, like no other you have ever read about or seen before. Hundreds of fascinating stories from the region’s 17 nations tell how West Africans have harnessed the power of words to build societies, drive political movements and human rights issues, and sustain religious belief and fight injustice. Furthermore, it shed light on the colonial era and the slave trade controversies including a generation of enslaved West Africans who advocated for the abolition of the slave trade in the 18th century. This is an exhibition with depth and feeling, in addition to the excitements and unusual objects the spectators would see. It explores in such detail the vibrant cultural history of this multifaceted and captivating region, even if they haven’t always been given their due by the rest of the world - until now.
There are many, many things to like about this display. Watch out for several key bits and pieces including, a poem from the 17th-century Islamic scholar Nana Asma’u, which illustrates women’s active public role in Islam; a room dedicated to the music and activism of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and a striking carnival multi-coloured regalia newly designed for the exhibition by Brixton-based artist Ray Mahabir. This retrospective will open you up to new things and to what you think you know, but in a different light. My only grievance is, you’ll need to see West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song, twice to get the full gist.
West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song
Fri 16 Oct 2015 - Tue 16 Feb 2016
PACCAR Gallery
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
Non-organic Life: Recycling to a level beyond imaginable
Visiting an exhibition about the creative experimentation with non-organic life might not seem something you would put on top of your bucket list. However, ‘Non-organic Life’ proves that the subject is as rare and unidentified as it is interesting.
Visiting an exhibition about the creative experimentation with non-organic life might not seem something you would put on top of your bucket list. However, ‘Non-organic Life’ proves that the subject is as rare and unidentified as it is interesting. Taking recycling to a level beyond imaginable, you might even say the exhibition showcases an art form that belongs in our (hopefully near) future.
‘Non-organic Life’ gathers artists addressing creative processes which denature the origin of the materials used or contradict the properties of its constituent references. Combining art, science and technology they allow non-organic masses of materials to be transformed, refiguring the perception you have from those materials, that are considered to be a deterioration of the environment, into something beautifully captivating.
Starting off by collecting clusters of non-recyclable and non-biological materials from urban environments, the clusters then get removed out of its context and taken apart, to be assembled again in a completely different way, creating new forms that make those clusters unrecognizable.
The distinctive aspect of this concept is something called: cite-specific intervention, meaning that the artwork is always linked to the site the materials were original found, opening up a dialogue between the non-organic materials and the procedures they are undergoing. This may all sound very mystifying but is in fact a unique and innovative way of recycling what we consider dirt, into striking works of art.
An inspiring exhibition needs an inspiring venue. The exhibition will take place in ‘PERMANENTE’, an artist-led initiative located in Bogota, Colombia, aiming to provide a space for experimentation and collaboration and transmitting knowledge and inspiration amongst their visitors. A perfect match if you ask me.
Artists:
Verónica Lehner
Carlos Bonil
Juan Melo
Federico Ovalles-Ar
Víctor David Garces
Laura Ceballos
Nicolás Cardenas
Luz Angela Lizarazo
Gabriel Zea + Camilo Martinez
Rafael Gómez Barros
Angélica Teuta
Andrés Matías Pinilla
Caroline Bray
Andrés Londoño
Curated by: John Angel Rodriguez
PERMANENTE | Bogota, Colombia
Introducing: Nick JS Thompson
We interview photographer Nick JS Thompson ahead of his forthcoming show The Decline of Conscience at Hundred Years Gallery.
ROOMS presents: The Decline of Conscience by Nick JS Thompson
Curated by Benjamin Murphy | Hundred Years Gallery
19 - 25 Nov'15
Nick is a photographer with a strong sense of social conscience, and his work is always both beautifully alluring and ethically charged. This duality is what balances his work perfectly in-between honest documentary photography and fine art.
Often his photographs show human-altered landscapes, long after the people charged with their intervention have left them behind. These ghostly but familiar images are both beautiful and almost frightening.
BM – Is photography a nostalgic art form, always documenting the past?
NJST – Not necessarily. For my work yes possibly; it is rooted in nostalgia. I create work that explores events that have happened in the past and what people’s actions have been. Maybe that is a nostalgic act but I still wouldn’t class my work as nostalgic. I think it depends on the type of photography though. Something like still life photography, which is created in the present with a certain purpose in mind, could be anything but nostalgic.
BM – Are photographers creating or recording a reality? And do you think you can do one without doing both?
NJST – That’s a hard one, I think both are true. Obviously if you are a photojournalist and covering a story, you should be recording reality as it happens or as it happened in the past. Photography is such a broad term that it encompasses things such as fashion photography where each situation is carefully controlled and created to evoke a particular emotion or put across an aesthetic which has been chosen by the photographer.
BM – Susan Sontag said that no two photographers can take the same photograph of the same thing, do you agree?
NJST – Yes I do, I think that even if two photographers are photographing the same scene at the same time the images will each be different. Every person has a different take on things, what their views are on the subject matter, and emotional insights, and biases that each person has.
BM – How much control over the final image can the photographer actually claim, due to lighting changes, wind, shutter speed etc.?
NJST – Again this depends on what type of photography you are talking about. The phrase that Henri Cartier-Bresson coined is that of “the decisive moment” which he sums up by saying "the decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression." This is taking the chance events that are happening around you and trying to control them to the best of your ability in one image. This is true of documentary photography, or the street photography that Cartier-Bresson is famous for, but if you are creating a still life in a studio then you obviously have complete control of every aspect of the image.
Fanø
Fanø
BM – Should photographs only be viewed in print? As then the artist can control exactly how it is encountered. Screen brightness and quality affect how it is seen, is this a problem?
NJST – I definitely prefer people to see my work in print. Viewing work online also affects your concentration, people flick through thousands of images and don’t give them as much attention as they sometimes deserve. (I know I’m guilty of it.) It is very easy to become desensitized with an endless stream of images from your computer screen or smartphone. The display quality is also definitely an issue, presenting images, which have sometimes been compressed and the resolution reduced. These things can greatly influence and detract from the viewers experience with an image.
The sequencing of pictures in a series is also extremely important for me to tell the story that I want. In the digital world this is often lost; which is why the recent surge in self-published photo books, with people like Self Publish, Be Happy leading the way. I think that is an incredible thing.
BM – Do you think smartphones and the Internet have ruined photography?
NJST – With platforms such as Instagram, where images are presented in an endless list and shown on a small scale, on screen, like I said before I think has definitely affected photography in a negative way. I wouldn’t say that it had ruined it per se but the knock on affect for a new generation of photographers and artists viewing work in this format I’m sure will have repercussions down the line.
“it is really interesting to see how people alter things for purposes that maybe no longer matter or aren’t relevant any more”
Having said that, I think that digital has a place in the world of photography and obviously it is here to stay so we just have to look for ways to use it in different ways; to embrace it and use it in a way that compliments the technology.
BM – You take photos and make videos, what does photography have that video doesn’t?
NJST – They are such different disciplines for me. In my opinion, photography can be more powerful. A still image can be looked at for as long as you want, and is often seared into you brain. The length of time you can look at it and the attention you can give to it mean that it can have more of an impact.
Video for me is more of a whole atmosphere that can be created encompassing sound and images. This is more on par with a photo essay or series of images to make up a whole picture of events or what you want to portray.
BM – You take mainly portraits, but more specifically portraits within landscapes. What are the relationships between the two?
NJST – My work looks at the effect and marks that people have left on a landscape or surrounding. I think it is really interesting to see how people alter things for purposes that maybe no longer matter or aren’t relevant any more. My work on Fanø for example was documenting the huge number of bunkers that cover a small island off the coast of Denmark, built by the Nazi’s during WWII. Their purpose has completely changed, and they are obsolete. Their appeal to the viewer now is at first glance more aesthetic than functional, although they have undertones of what the original purpose was, and this adds a sinister layer of emotion to the work. Or the work that I have shot over the last few years around the Heygate Estate in South London, again is a record of how people have changed the environment in which they live and the constant changing of this for better or worse
The Decline of Conscience
BM – Are these the fine art photographs and your Cambodia ones more documentary?
NJST – Yeah, some of the work I shoot when I travel is more based in the traditions of documentary photography. The Fanø series is a lot more calculated and thought out over an extended period, where as the travel documentary photos are usually more off the cuff and going with the flow of what is happening around me at that particular time.
BM – Why do you choose to show the documentary works in a fine art setting?
NJST – Documentary work can definitely be shown in a fine art setting. It depends on what your thought processes are behind the images and work as a whole. For me, my work falls under fine art to an extent because of the ideas behind what I am trying to portray visually to people. I choose to show the work in a fine art setting because it gives me a space to explore the work and display the work exactly how I want it to be viewed instead of handing it over to a picture editor and letting them then edit and govern the work, possibly even changing its intended purpose to fit a particular agenda. I think it is maybe me being a bit of a control freak over the work and over people’s experience of viewing it.
BM – Do you think that once you have taken a photograph of something, that the act of you taking the photograph changes it forever or are you entirely a voyeur?
NJST – I like to think that it doesn’t change it, but I think possibly it does. It’s a question that I constantly ask myself. If you are going to enter a person’s personal space or environment to take a picture then I think that inevitably you are going to effect their behavior in some way. This is why I prefer to spend longer periods of time with people so that they become used to me being around and then almost forget that I am there. This is the ideal.
Phuomi
BM - Often your work is rather bleak, what is it about this kind of photography that attracts you?
NJST – For me it some of the most interesting human emotions are fear or distress. I don’t know what type of person this makes me (Laughs). They are extreme and when people are in these states it sometimes makes them behave in odd and interesting ways. For me putting myself in uncomfortable situations either as they are happening or after the event, pushes me to create work that reflect these extremes.
I also find it interesting to see how viewers engage and react to work when confronted with images that are uncomfortable to look at.
BM – My favourite of your works are the empty rooms, what do you think these can say that a portrait can’t?
NJST – This links back to showing how people have altered their surroundings and the effect that this has on the atmosphere of a space. Vilhelm Hammershøi is a massive influence on my work, with his paintings of rooms with often-muted tones and somber ambiance.
It is documenting everyday life but when you take the people out of the image it slows things down for me, I can concentrate of the finer details of the scene that I think can be extremely telling in what that person is like. And this adds to it being a more complete picture.
The Decline of Conscience by Nick JS Thompson | facebook event
19 - 25 November at Hundred Years Gallery
Curated by Benjamin Murphy
Solitary by Patrick Colhoun at the Ben Oakley Gallery
With exhibition ‘Solitary’, contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun introduces his new take on the dark nature his previous works dealt with, going from grievous to playful in an utterly unique way.
With exhibition ‘Solitary’, contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun introduces his new take on the dark nature his previous works dealt with, going from grievous to playful in an utterly unique way.
When an artist is capable of expressing himself through his works of art, transferring his feelings to objects and sculptures and translating even the darkest thoughts into every little physical detail; that is when art has reached its greatest version. The man that stands by this method and masters it simultaneously is contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun.
“I have a strong belief in myself and my work. I am confident that my work has the potential to stand out and as long as I can keep making that sort of work, I will keep progressing. How far though, in this game, is anyone’s guess.”
Patrick Colhoun’s art is known for treating dark subjects such as death, decay, sexual deviancy and aggression. Dealing with grief and difficult encounters he has experienced in the past, many say the work he produced in his previous years has been a way to express his emotions, portraying them in an extreme and mesmerizing way.
Today, 6 years after his last solo exhibition, Patrick’s creations have taken another turn, shedding a light upon his previous work and changing the atmosphere from grievous to playful. The exhibition: Solitary is the third part of a series of 3 exhibitions. Having taken place at Belfast and Dublin, it is now London’s turn to be wow-ed by the artist’s ability to move with sculpture. The exhibition still deals with memories from Colhoun’s past, however this time he highlights the parts he likes remembering. Solitary combines contemporary sculpture and mixed media to create something that Patrick calls ‘anti-ceramics’. Striving upon the idea of being unique, the artist surprises every time, may it be with unseen material combinations or objects that are as far removed from ceramics as possible.
“I want to do ceramics, but not as you know it. I started introducing other materials to the ceramic base, including latex, neon, hosiery, spikes and piercings, all things not usually associated with traditional ceramics.”
Solitary will take place at the Ben Oakley Gallery from the 13th until the 29th of November.
HUNDRED YEARS GALLERY presents: Editions
Celebrating its 4th anniversary, the Hundred Years Gallery presents ‘HYG Editions’, a collection of never-seen works from 8 artists that have collaborated with the gallery before.
Celebrating its 4th anniversary, the Hundred Years Gallery presents ‘HYG Editions’, a collection of works from 8 familiar faces that have collaborated with the gallery before. The exhibition runs parallel to our programmed exhibition ‘The Decline of Conscience’, a photo series of Nick JS Thompson displaying the inescapable problem of gentrification in London.
For this special occasion, the gallery is treating its visitors with limited edition prints, selected drawings and collage work from artists Yvonne Yiwen Feng, Helen Bermingham, Victoria Kovalenko, Maey Lemley, Nick JS Thompson, Lex Thomas, Jaime Valtierra and Rita Says, as a thank you for their interest in the gallery. They also see this exhibition as an opportunity to show they are extremely grateful towards the artists that have been more than supported for the last 4 years and to encourage new talent to engage with the project.
Helen Bermingham.'Untitled'. Edition of 5. Gicleè print on Hahnemühle paper 22 x 29.5 cm. 2013
If you grown a liking for any of the exhibited artists there will be a more than pleasant surprise awaiting at the gallery. Besides an exciting collection of exclusives as well as never-seen artwork, the Hundred Years Gallery will be hosting ‘Editions’ workshops for community groups and schools, giving possible up-and-coming artists the opportunity to get involved, learn, play and explore all there is to know about the mysteries of art. And here is your extra bonus: the artists showing their work at the exhibition will be your workshop teachers.
The exhibition will be running from November 19th until December 20th. However better go sooner than later, it will be over before you know it and this exciting and fruitful event is one you don’t want to be passing out on.
Editions launches with a private view November 19th 2015
The Decline of Conscience by Nick JS Thompson
The Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson St, London E2 8JD
Fuzz Club Festival – Edition 2015
Somewhere under two railway arches, psychedelic sounds and rock-and-roll beats are echoing and exclusive vinyls are calling your name.
Somewhere under two railway arches, psychedelic sounds and rock-and-roll beats are echoing and exclusive vinyls are calling your name.
This November 13th and 14th, Independent label, online store and production company Fuzz Club, known for bringing in the best experimental music and upcoming music genres, celebrates the 2015 edition of their annual event: Fuzz Club Festival. Co-presented with Bad Vibrations, the festival has gathered their go-to psych and underground bands from Europe and places beyond, as well as some of their recently spotted talent.
The musical madness is divided over two stages located inside the London Fields Brewhouse. Known for its cultural versatility and popularity in the music industry, the venue makes for a perfect match. The line-up features artists such as Camera, The Telescopes, Lola Colt, The Janitors, Radar Men From The Moon, and Dead Rabbits, making the festival is a first-class feast for lovers of psychedelia, noise, garage, blues, folk, electronica, basically anything that doesn’t have your everyday pop song sound.
With The KVB chosen as the main act for this event, you’ve got your go-to performance already set. Prepare for a headline full of shoegaze guitars, hypnotic voices and abstract visuals, causing the show of the Berlin-based duo to be a rare experience on its own.
As for the die-hard fans planning to be present at the event, Fuzz Club has some exclusive pre-releases of upcoming albums, as well as a selection of releases including sold out vinyl editions from Austin Psych Fest up its sleeve. If that wasn’t enough, the production company is launching the Fuzz Club Black Editions, allowing everyone to devour up to 10 copies, selling them exclusively at the festival.
Fuzz Club London 2015, November 13th & 14th at London Fields Brewhouse
FRIDAY NOV. 13th
THE KVB
CAMERA
THE TELESCOPES
10,000 RUSSOS
NEW CANDYS
THROW DOWN BONES
SATURDAY NOV. 14th
THE MYRRORS
LOLA COLT
SONIC JESUS
MUGSTAR
THE CULT OF DOM KELLER
RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON
THE JANITORS
THE ORANGE REVIVAL
DEAD RABBITS
BUY TICKETS HERE
Early Bird from £12.50
Weekend from £25
Doors:
Friday at 7pm
Saturday at 4pm
5 Documentary photographers who will change your life
...Or at least your view on photography.
Adam Broomberg And Oliver Chanarin
Known for:
Talking to the subjects, making them aware of what their work contemplates and getting to know their subject behind the superficial layer of preformed stereotypes.
Treating photographing as a very slow and meticulous process. Adam and Oliver‘s photography style references to 19th century photography in terms of process and style, going beyond the conventions of photojournalism.
Highlight: The Day Nobody Died (2008)
Quote: “People are given time to compose themselves. The fact that we're not looking through the lens but we're actually above, it looking at the subject and they are looking at us means there's a different relationship. There is a dialogue. The important thing is that we talk to people, we don't categories them and that's the big difference.”
Brenda Ann Kenneally
Known for:
Developing intimate portraits of the growing economical and social desperation in the US, intersecting personal and political into honest and poignant photographs.
Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City (2015) © Brenda Ann Kenneally
Observing the lives of her subjects on a long-term basis. Her latest one, 'Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City' Brenda documented her main subject for over 10 years. She claims to always go back to the people she has met to see how their life is developing. “When I stop it is as if my life with these people ends, I sort of never want that to happen.”
Highlight: Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City (2015)
Quote: “This kind of documentary work requires a kind of obsessive pathology and stamina. Also one must have a big empty space that allows for complete integration of life and work. Luckily for me I was born with this empty space. Some call it loneliness. I say it is a gift.”
© Tina Barney
Tina Barney
Known for:
Capturing the relationship between family members, different as supposed to the clichéd stick-up-your-ass household portrait hanging above the fireplace. Her fascination with this subject started with the exploration of her own family in North America. Her years of experience made her able to understand the private and complex relationship between family members. “I began photographing what I knew.”.
Highlight: Theatre Of Manners (1997)
Theatre Of Manners (1997) © Tina Barney
Quote: “I want to make approaching the image possible. I want every object as clear and precise as possible so that the viewer can really examine them and feel as if they are entering the room. I want my pictures to say, “You can come inside here. This is not a forbidden place.” I want you to be with us and to share this existence with us. I want every single thing to be seen, the beauty of it all: the textures, the fabrics, the colors, the china, the furniture, the architecture.”
Stephanie Sinclair
Known for:
Confronting us with gender and human rights issues such as child marriage and self-immolation in a direct yet beautiful way, evoking action, shock and compassion.
Highlight: Too Young To Wed (2012)
Quote: "We can’t just present a solution before we’ve presented the problem, or they’ll feel like it’s already taken care of and it’s not urgent. We want these issues to feel urgent, because for the girls being forced into marriage, it is urgent."
Russia, Oblast Murmansk, 2006 / Brigade number three - from the series NomadsLife © Jeroen Toirkens
Jeroen Toirkens
Known for:
Covering every nomadic tribe in the Northern Hermisphere through the lens of a camera, uncovering the unknown facets of what nomadism in this modern age entails.
Highlight: NomadsLife
Solitude. Norway, E75 near Vardø, 21.04.2013 - from the NomadsLife series © Jeroen Toirkens
Quote: “For me, photography has always been a kind of excuse to do all sorts of things, to be present in many places. I think it's just great to connect to a group of people who, for whatever reason, are forced to work together and to live together, to be a participant in that, in that life.”
A Digital Suicide by Liam Scully | The book launch preview at Matt's Gallery
Come, and look on sadistically at an act of public execution for the new epoch.
Private life has certainly become public life and private life has become art; Tracey Emin gave us her bed, and now Scully gives us every poke, post and private message of his online life. Come, and look on sadistically at an act of public execution for the new epoch; the “digital suicide” of Liam Scully.
A heavy online-liver from 2008-2013, Scully decided to delete social media and eliminate his online presence. When committing this deed of “digital suicide”, Facebook offers the opportunity to download all your data; even that thought deleted. You can relapse and return to as you once were, or scan through every sordid detail of your online past.
Post-Snowden, Scully has taken ownership in reclaiming his online self and spent a year artistically documenting this data to publish to the public. Every page of meta-data has been printed onto pink thermal electrocardiograph paper and every photograph has been recorded in drawings, collages, marks, rubs, spillages and stains. The digital has become as permanent on paper as it is online; provoking fascination, sensational gratification, and concern. Their vulnerable, chunkily-crafted beauty has been bound in five large-scale, limited edition books which will be on display on Friday 13th November (1830-2100); as well ‘In loving memory’, a limited edition obituary-book by friend and art writer Elizabet Homersham.
Friday 13th November, 1830 – 2100 @ X MARKS THE BÖKSHOP, Matt’s Gallery, 42-44 Copperfield Road, London, E3 4RR
The Decline of Conscience by Nick JS Thompson
We are proud to announce the launch of our first exhibition: ‘The Decline of Conscience’, a photo series confronting us with gentrification in London in the most antagonizing way.
If there is one word to describe ROOMS, it is as a creative platform; whether that takes form as an online art website, or a print magazine. We are not limited to the confines of media, because we believe art should have no limits at all. With that in mind, we are proud to announce the start of our exhibition programme, introducing the first exhibition on the list: ‘The Decline of Conscience' by Nick JS Thompson.
Co-curated with visual artist Benjamin Murphy, ‘The Decline of Conscience’ shines a light on the amazing work of Nick JS Thompson. The documentary photographer, with an interest in communities and the effect they have on their surroundings, has spent the last 3 years in the dark spaces of Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle, South London. Confronted with vandalism, dilapidation and even cruel events such as animal sacrifices, this empty building is the perfect example of one of the biggest problems London is dealing with today. Having been empty for 7 years and now finally regenerated, only a wretched 3 per cent of the building can be used for social housing. This photo series makes gentrification real in the most antagonizing way, playing with the idea that morality might not be a necessity anymore in our society.
The exhibition will be running from the 19th till the 25th of November, in the Hundred Years Gallery.
Kojey Radical is more than just an artist
Artist Kojey Radical recently launched his single OPEN HAND, a powerful tune dealing with the race stigma in our society. With his new concept brand ‘Francis and the artist’, he proves yet again that art can go beyond superficiality.
If you never heard of the name ‘Kojey Radical’, you have been missing out on one of the best inspiration sources of the past couple of years. Referred to as the Basquiat of alternative urban music, the artist/poet/musician/director and occasional designer (amongst other things) will go to extremes to keep his creativity flowing. He recently launched his single ‘OPEN HAND’, a powerful tune dealing with the race stigma in our society. With his new concept brand ‘Francis and the artist’, he proves yet again that art can go beyond superficiality.
“The revolution is not in the closed fist, it’s in the open hand”
Kojey is not afraid to deal with world problems right handed. His last EP ‘OPEN HAND’ is as beautiful as it is meaningful. Produced by fellow London artist ‘New Machine’, he managed to find the words many aren’t capable of finding, striving for people to embrace acceptance.
“Those who will… and those who actually will…”
Knowing the struggle of receiving recognition in the creative sector, ‘Francis and the artist’, Kojey's new concept brand, is a project that hands over part of the creation to new artists. Fusing his background in contemporary art and his love for fashion, Kojey breaks down the basic constructs of the everyday garment, giving young talent the opportunity to make an art work and translate it into a piece of clothing. The first piece is curated by the artist himself, commissioning work from upcoming artist ‘Palime Demanet’ for “The Archetypal T-Shirt”.
The brand will be launched and available for everyone on the 2nd of November at 17:00 GMT. Prepare yourself for a 48 -hour race to get your exemplar at https://andtheartist.com
Dylan Thomas – The Curse of the Myth of the Artist.
Dylan Thomas was a British poet as known for his precisely obscure poetry as for his drunk, womanising behavior. October 27th would have been his 100th birthday...
Dylan Thomas was a British poet as known for his precisely obscure poetry as for his drunk, womanising behavior. October 27th would have been his 100th birthday, and I posit that it is time we laid to rest the myth of the artist and start appreciating Thomas for who he truly was, namely a hard-working poet who liked the odd half-pint.
The author of such works of literary genius as Do Not Go Gentle, and Poem On His Birthday is tragically never mentioned without allusions to hedonism and reckless behavior.
Born in Swansea on the 27th of October 1914; to his domineering schoolteacher and seamstress mother. As a child he was sickly and small, wearing clothes far too large for his slender frame.
He left school at 16 and began a relatively short-lived career as a journalist, whilst also incessantly writing poetry.
From a very early age Thomas was ambitious in his goals and driven in his attitude. Craving to be the most revered Welsh poet, he would sometimes write 200 versions of the same poem and spend days laboring over a single word.
This is clearly incongruous to the drunken poet often spoken about by the tabloids.
Traditionally Thomas is portrayed as a drunk, who mumbled out lines of verse in between whiskey and women; a myth that is only partially true. Not only is this myth greatly exaggerated, it misrepresents how methodical and labored was his work.
Stories of affairs, womanising and drunk behavior are plenty, and indeed some are true, but this fixation upon the character of an artist can often detract from the work. An unhealthy obsession with someone’s character can also put pressure on the subject of the gossip to act in accordance with the public’s expectations.
It has been documented that Thomas knew of the public's preconceived expectations of his character, and he felt the need to live up to them, often acting out in public as not to disappoint. This was a process that Thomas found exhausting, and ultimately, misrepresentative.
Many of these tales of debauchery came from his wife Caitlin, whom was perhaps the true alcoholic in the relationship. Supposedly jealous of her husband’s celebrity and his reported infidelities, Caitlin would tell many conflicting stories about him. Sometimes she agreed with the theories of his drunkenness and womanising, and sometimes she discredited them. Clearly not the most credible source.
This belief that an artist has to be some profoundly tortured soul drinking himself to death whilst channeling something from out of the ether must cease. It both serves to nullify work by those who aren't as the myth describes, and promotes some to live up to a character that isn't truly representative, with often-harmful effects.
It is not true that Van Gogh never sold a painting, but as they say, always print the legend…
Thomas reportedly claimed to have imbibed “eighteen straight whiskeys” hours before his death, which many took for the cause of his premature oblivion. Thomas’s doctor fallaciously diagnosed this as delirium tremens and administered three fatal doses of morphine.
Medical neglect was the cause of his death, combined with bronchitis, pneumonia, and other contributing factors (including a fatty liver). It was certainly not, alcohism that finished him off, as his liver showed no signs of cirrhosis.
Dylan's forced masquerade is tragic because it means that he felt that he had to live up to a false legend, and it is tragic because it is something that colours how we read his poetry. It is tragic because it is something that many still believe today, and it is tragic because some who believe the myth would alter their appreciation of his genius were they to learn of his true persona.
Taken out of context, an artwork cannot be appreciated to its full potential. When misrepresenting the life and character of a poet to create a more exciting headline the entire work is taken out of context, forever, for those who believe the twisted cut-and-paste version of the truth.
Dylan Thomas had a love of alcohol, but first and foremost he was a poet the likes of which is seldom seen. To define a man by his vices is to ignore his virtues.
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (1947)
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
What is Das Leben am Haverkamp?
Compound design identities, one collective. ‘Das leben am Haverkamp’ is here to give a new dimension to fashion and challenge the industry in every possible way.
photographer: Sandra Zegarra Patow/ stylist: Lewis Robert Cameron/ model: Stephen Edgar
Compound design identities, one collective. Leaving the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2013, Dutch designers Anouk Van Klaveren, Christa van der Meer and Gino Anthonisse, Dewi Bekker decided to not only stay in touch but also join forces. The outcome couldn’t be more mind-blowing as ‘Das leben am Haverkamp’ made it their mission to give a new dimension to fashion and challenge the industry in every possible way.
“Welcome to our island spaceship disjointed, from time and space, which could all of a sudden land at a prestigious museum, or right in front of you at your local supermarket, but never as you expect.” The message is as loud as it is clear: according to ‘Das leben am Haverkamp’, fashion is more fun when separated from conventions and restrictions, surprising and mesmerizing anyone, anywhere, any time.
While their intentions are set, combining four different mind-sets ought to be a challenging phenomenon. However in this case it appears to function in their benefit, using their differences as an empowerment. Where Christa focuses on combining aspects of different cultures, Gino intertwines classic with ethnic. Anouk explores the alienation of the body and Dewi brings in the playful, imaginary aspect. All this combined, it seems the general theme of ‘Das leben am Haverkamp’ is playing with the tension between normality and abnormality, causing a spectacle of surrealistic images, uncharted silhouettes, and unseen fabric combinations, forming a entirety that is as astounding as it is coherent.
Their latest project breaths the philosophy they’ve meticulously created over the past two years. Ornamenting an aged man from top to bottom and putting him on stage for Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week was unquestionably the most unconventional act of the week. They baptized it Gelificifashion, another delightfully weird piece of work to join a collection of lightning glasses and Leggo trousers, fish sculptures and hair art. Quite a portfolio if you ask me.
Presenting one collection a year collectively, ‘Das leben am Haverkamp’ aims to make people more aware of the value of clothing and discard the interpretation of it as a disposable item. As the rest of their time will be occupied by focusing on collaborations and smaller, more experimental projects, we ought to see a lot more from the designers in the future, whether that is as team or as individuals.