See more of the inspirations on ACF
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Yinka Shonibare MBE POP! Exhibition
YINKA SHONIBARE MBE - POP!
16 March 2013 - 20 April 2013
Stephen Friedman Gallery is delighted to announce a solo exhibition of new works by Yinka Shonibare, MBE.
This exhibition of all new works focuses on the corruption, excess and debauchery that have in part led to the current economic crisis. With characteristic wit and critique, Yinka Shonibare explores the contemporary worship of luxury goods and the behaviour of the banking industry while referencing well known iconography and art historical homage - most notably in his creation of a large tableau based on Leonardo da Vinci's ‘The Last Supper'.
POP! not only presents some of Shonibare's most ambitious work of late but also reflects the artist's engagement with social commentary. It heralds a new direction for the artist with large-scale self-portraits inspired by Andy Warhol's 1986 series ‘Camouflage'. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for audiences to assess Shonibare's most recent lines of enquiry.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the artist's largest and most complex sculptural tableau: a subverted depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's ‘The Last Supper' where Bacchus replaces the central figure of Christ. The Roman god of wine is here transformed into a headless satyr: half-man, half-goat. Surrounding him at this debauched banquet are his twelve beheaded disciples cast in poses of sexual and animalistic abandon. In homage to da Vinci, and filtered through the lens of Victoriana, the scene unravels as the Dionysiac climax of a pan-historical hedonistic party. By removing the figures' heads, a recurring motif in Shonibare's work, the artist dissuades associations of race. We are also reminded of the executions of the barbarous French Revolution: a period fittingly remembered for its corruption and excess. In direct reference to the celebratory excesses of the banking world, these debauched guests have cast their work troubles aside with no care for tomorrow; scattered across the table is the debris of a lavish feast of both glutton and luxury. This dramatic tableau is a moment frozen in time, inviting us to walk around and marvel at its exuberance.
Furthering the sense of an over-indulgent party, a sharply suited banker is displayed in another room, simulating the act of masturbation with an exploding magnum of champagne. Deliberately brash and humorous, the work combines the light and the dark inherent throughout the exhibition. The corruption caused by obscene amounts of money still carries its scars today as the hangover of the party remains to be cleared up. This contrasting depiction of celebration and depravity is continued in a new series of works entitled ‘Champagne Kids'. These youthful figures each carry a bottle of champagne ready to pop and in the place of their heads are Shonibare's trademark globes, displaying financial data relating to the global economic crisis. Combined with the carnivalesque poses of the figures, they present a powerful commentary on our current state of affairs, as generations suffer the consequences of the banks' over-indulgence.
The second part of the exhibition builds from ‘The Last Supper' by further exploring ideas around the contemporary worship of commodities. Here, the artist's most intricate wall painting is presented in alluring visual opulence. In reference to Shonibare's ‘Toy Paintings', the installation includes a number of round fabric canvases framed by a multitude of different toys. The toys relate to key themes of war, luxury and religion: toy guns, military figurines, shoes, handbags, faux diamonds, crucifixes and the Holy Grail. Spray-painted black, the toys are studded with diamantes creating silhouettes against the vivid gold of the mural behind. The multitude of swirling panels come to represent the fetishisation of war and money, as we simultaneously desire and repel such objects of glittering beauty.
Throughout the exhibition Shonibare uses his trademark wax batik fabric in the tailored outfits of the figures and the canvases of the mural. The material is a poignant interception of our modern and colonial times: inspired by Indonesian design, mass-produced by the Dutch and eventually sold to the colonies in West Africa. The fabric has become emblematic of his practice, closely tied to his own self-recognition as a ‘post-colonial' hybrid. For the first time here, the colours and patterns of the material are used in a group of large-scale self-portraits based on the iconic Pop Artist Andy Warhol's ‘Camouflage' of 1986. Militaristic and haunting, the artist's face is so closely blurred with the patterning of the wax batik that despite its immediate familiarity, he becomes instantly anonymous. As with the other works in the show, the self-portraits are a potent reminder of the illusory boundaries of protection and danger, so closely aligned with power and money.
The exhibition coincides with a major career retrospective at Yorkshire Sculpture Park which includes new and critically acclaimed work from 2002 - 2013 and runs 2 March - 1 September 2013.
Entrance to 'YINKA SHONIBARE MBE - POP!' is free.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Friday, 22 March 2013
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
The shoes are brogues of course, the original fusion of refined craft and rugged utility in service of sartorial travel. Built in Great Britain using a traditional Goodyear construction complete with leather soles laid over hand troweled cork-paste footbeds and stitched to the upper via a goodyear welt. But tradition gives way to modern practicality as conventional laces are exchanged for the pull-on-and-go convenience of a contemporary elastic gore assembly.
- Design by Art Comes First.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Monday, 18 March 2013
ACF Shirt with detachable collars (The COAL project). Made in Sweden.
A concept balancing a shirtmaker’s craft with modern functionality by means of modularity. Four separate classic collar-types attach or detach allowing a single shirt to rotate seamlessly and meet the challenges of any sartorial challenge.
- Designed / Developed by Art Comes First / Sebastian Dollinger of Eton Shirts.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Friday, 15 March 2013
Juergen Teller: Woo! 23 January 2013 - 17 March 2013
23 January 2013 - 17 March 2013
Free entry
Considered one of the most important photographers of his generation, Juergen Teller is one of a few artists who has been able to operate successfully both in the art world and the world of commercial photography. This exhibition will provide a seamless journey through his landmark fashion and commercial photography from the 90s, presenting classic images of celebrities such as Lily Cole, Kurt Cobain and Vivienne Westwood, as well as more recent landscapes and family portraits.
Teller entered the London photography scene through the music industry taking photographs for record covers, it was Teller’s photograph of Sinéad O’Connor for her single Nothing Compares 2 You that marked an important moment in his career. Teller’s photographs first appeared in fashion magazines in the late 80s, and included portraits of Kate Moss when she was just fifteen years old. Teller’s images could be described as the antithesis of conventional fashion photography seen perhaps most markedly in his campaigns for Marc Jacobs.
Picture and Words introduces a series from his controversial weekly column in the magazine of Die Zeit which often provoked outcry amongst readers, and the exhibition will feature many of the letters of complaint that the magazine received. Irene im Wald and Keys to the House are Teller’s most recent bodies of work, revealing the photographer’s more personal world in his hometown in Germany and family home in Suffolk.
Teller’s provocative interventions in celebrity portraiture subvert the conventional relationship of the artist and model. Whatever the setting, all his subjects collaborate in a way that allows for the most surprising poses and emotional intensity. Driven by a desire to tell a story in every picture he takes, Teller has shaped his own distinct and instantly recognisable style which combines humour, self-mockery and an emotional honesty.
A selection of Teller's books and tear sheets from his editorial and advertising work will be on show in the Fox Reading Room.
With thanks to the Juergen Teller Exhibitions Supporters Group: Lehmann Maupin, Shane Akeroyd, Derek & Christine Wilson, The Edwin Fox Foundation, and others who wish to remain anonymous.
Media partner
Thursday, 14 March 2013
ACF by Lotho Eye-wear (The COAL project). Made in Japan/France. The heritage of early round-lens spectacle reading glasses transformed by the guitar-pick shape influence of military aviator frames to produce a hybridization of intellect and action worthy of Thelonius Monk.
- Designed / Created by Art Comes First / Aroun Ducroix of Lotho Eyewear.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
ACF detachable shirts and Ties (The COAL project). Made in Sweden. A concept balancing a shirtmaker’s craft with modern functionality by means of modularity. Four separate classic collar-types attach or detach allowing a single shirt to rotate seamlessly and meet the challenges of a sartorial challenge.
The shirt also comes with a tie loop in the middle to accommodate the function of a tie clip.
- Designed and developed by Art Comes First & Sebastian Dollinger of Eton Shirts.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
ACF Shoes #2 (The COAL project). Made in England. The shoes are brogues of course, the original fusion of refined craft and rugged utility in service of sartorial travel. Built in Great Britain using a traditional Goodyear construction complete with leather soles laid over hand troweled cork-paste footbeds and stitched to the upper via a goodyear welt. But tradition gives way to modern practicality as conventional laces are exchanged for the pull-on-and-go convenience of a contemporary elastic gore assembly.
- Design by Art Comes First.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Monday, 11 March 2013
ACF by Superduper Hats (The COAL project). Made in Italy.
One universal hat-form given distinct stylistic and sub-cultural nuance by virtue of the shifting size and shape of its brim across four variations.
- Designed and developed by Art Comes First / Matteo Gioli of Superduper Hats.
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Thursday, 7 March 2013
ACF by T-Michael (The COAL project). Made in Norway/Portugal.
This arsenal of creative tools needs a bespoke carrying case. A compartment for every concept but space to add more; strips of texture, cuttings of color, totems of tonality, talismans of inspiration all picked up along the way.
To be inspired, to stay inspired, to inspire yourself, to inspire others..
- Designed by Art Comes First & T-Micheal
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
ACF Scrapbook Journal (The COAL project). Made in Lisbon/Portugal. The scrapbook’s power to inspire - with carefully curated drawings, photographs and fabrics embedded - magnifyed exponentially by the journal’s power to harness ideas - within the limitless potential of thick sheets of virgin white paper.
- Crafted by Art Comes First & Kalaf Angelo
- Picture by David Pattinson.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
- Design by Art Comes First
- Picture by Bent René Synnevåg.
- Words by Liam Maher.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
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