London Wall Project | Design Competition for Emerging Artists

As yet untitled by Remi/Rough

Rich Mix and Havana Club the Authentic Cuban Rum are calling on amateur or professional artists to submit designs for a specially commissioned wall art project, taking place over the next twelve months at East London’s Shoreditch cultural hotspot, Rich Mix.

The art competition includes three commissions launched by three live events, hosted in conjunction with the start of Rich Mix’s new seasons.

Artist Remi/Rough launched the Havana Club Wall Project with his interpretation and vision of the values that make Havana so unique. The celebrated urban artist was specially commissioned to design and paint an interior wall that runs the entire length of the Rich Mix events space.

Artists are invited to submit their entries to panel of experts, led by Remi/Rough, who will select two winning designs to feature on the Rich Mix interior wall throughout the year.  The design must embody the unique and inspiring attitude that reflects the true values of the Cuban capital – humanity, spontaneity and creativity, this refreshing attitude highlighting the informality, passion and generosity of the people of Havana.

Design sketches must be submitted to Rich Mix (visualarts@richmix.org.uk) as a jpg by:

• March 21 with the winning wall design on show from May to August 2011; or
• July 2 with the winning wall design on show from September to December 2011.

The project celebrates Rich Mix and Havana Club’s shared ethos of inspired ingenuity for creativity while nurturing new and emerging talent.

For more information, visit Rich Mix www.richmix.org.uk/wallproject.htm, www.facebook.com/richmixlondone16la, and Havana Club www.facebook.com/HavanaClubUK.

Update on March 18, 2011 by Stated

The first deadline for submissions is this coming Monday, March 21st! Submit design sketches as a jpg to Rich Mix at visualarts@richmix.org.uk to be considered for the first wall design showing from May to August 2011. More info above.

Update on July 5, 2011 by Stated

The first winner has been announced for the Summer Season of the Wall Project. Artist LXOne’s artwork is now on display at London’s Havana Club.

LXOne’s winning wall art at Havana Club

LXOne described his piece. “I’ve used shapes and symbols that refers to my work and interpreted the brief using colour and movement. Orange is for the sun, red is for the passion and yellow is for the happiness—all characteristics I see in Cuban humanity. The geometrical patterns convey both accurateness but also spontaneity with my use of the arrow. The value of creativity can be seen in the finished product from submission to completing my work and the whole creative process been something I have hugely enjoyed having the opportunity to do”.

The next round of submissions are due Friday, August 5th, with the winning wall design on display from August to October, 2011.

For more information, please contact Krista Booker @ www.fourteenten.com

A’ – An exhibition of new works by Steve More & Remi/Rough opens in London

Remi/Rough and Steve More, who forged their partnership in the early 90’s, have worked extensively in the international graffiti art scene ever since.  A’ - an exhibition of new works, opens today at London’s Blackall Studios. According to their press release, the A’ title refers to “their starting point of reshaping letters of the alphabet and integrating them into an urban context. It also refers to a new beginning—a reference to the Avant-garde, Abstraction and Alternative aspects within their work—all of which are central to their approach, reiterating a new interpretation and a new beginning for what was urban art—the urban abstract movement.”

A’ runs Feb 1 through 6 at Blackall Studios, London. For more information, contact Krista at krista@theneonhub.com or visit the Facebook event page.

Update on February 11, 2011 by Stated

Update: Agents of Change have posted a nice video of the exhibition, which has been extended due to popular demand. It now runs through Saturday Feb 12th at 1:30pm and is open every night until 7pm, giving more people a chance to see their work.

Museum of the Moving Image Reopens

After three years of renovations, the Museum of the Moving Image reopened this weekend at its gorgeously refreshed facility next to New York City’s famed Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens. The opening kicked off a variety of ongoing special events, including screenings of restored classics such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, newly acclaimed films such as The King’s Speech (including a talkback with its cast and creators), and the new exhibitions “Behind the Screen,” “Real Virtuality,” and “Dolls vs. Dictators.”

Movie lovers will find more than enough here to make the short trek from Manhattan well worth it.

Visit www.movingimage.us for hours and more info.

Steve Martin's "An Object of Beauty"

Image via theartnewspaper.com

Yes, that Steve Martin. Comedian, actor, banjo player, playwright, author, and art aficionado. A longtime collector, the man clearly knows his subject matter.

In his third novel (and my favorite Christmas gift this year), An Object of Beauty, Martin gives us a glimpse into the New York art world of the last twenty years. We view this tumultuous time through the eyes of Lacey, an opportunistic yet beguiling art dealer in-training. Our narrator is Daniel, Lacey’s college friend and art journalist, who tells us in the first few pages that the story will be told from his own “recollections, from conversations I conducted with those around her, and alas, from gossip…,” and admits to filling in the blanks with his own imagination. We get to know Lacey much as we would a work of art—from a distance and left to form our own conclusions.

Through Lacey, Martin cleverly wrestles with the question of value—both aesthetic and commercial—and manages to keep us entertained and enchanted with Lacey and her world without ever passing judgement.

This was truly a fast and engrossing read, appealing to art lovers and the uninitiated alike. Definitely recommended. The LA Times recently published an interview with Martin that provides some nice insight.

The Market NYC - Unique Designs in Lower Manhattan

If you happen to stroll down Mulberry Street on a weekend afternoon, you may stumble across a gymnasium filled with the handiwork of local indie artists and designers. The Young Designers Market offers crafts from graphic tees to handmade jewelry, all delivered with a downtown edge.  The Nolita hotspot is open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm and located at 268 Mulberry Street. For more info, visit www.themarketnyc.com.