Pop Art revival or nothing new?

Photo: loganfitzpatrick.com

Written by Kieron Lee

A couple of weeks ago, in one of many random encounters with the cloak and dagger pop-up art gallery scene, I stumbled upon an exhibition run by Belly Kids that was dedicated to the actor Bill Murray, with accompanying colouring book (yes colouring book) and t-shirts to boot. Lets face it, Bill Murray is an alternative icon, the Paul Newman of the fixie Mafia. A God among men. But what is it that resonates with generations of hipsters (ugh) and the A-List alike. It would be easy put it all down to worldwide fame via Ghostbusters through Groundhog Day and a revival sparked by quirky character factory Wes Anderson. Yet something all together different is at play when your watching Bill Murray, as if he understands it all, he has a self awareness not only of himself in his setting but also the general ridiculousness of life itself.

Love In L.A.

Alex on Pig 2005 ©BrytenGoss.com

Written by Jackee D. Koerner-Hintz

When I was 19, I lived in Los Angeles, California, the city of angles and dreams and in my case, of unrequited love… we will get to the topic of art, I promise. I moved there to study film, but spent most of my time wasting it. Coincidentally, at this same point in my life, I not only believed that I would become a famous movie star, but that I would simultaneously meet and fall in love with actor, Jason Lee. For the record, this was well before Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Destroy Rock City, some dessert for your table

Lee Misenheimer,  better known as Destroy Rock City, has been not noticed in the internet space, but recently he flashed up in the global network, as if showing that he hadn't put down his hand, armed with a pencil. After just a couple of sketches in Flickr rang out in various corners, he was loved by the world‘s Internet users, including us.

Photo diary: Song Kol, Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is one of those places that people don't know much about and, because of that, tend to think that it's a scary and mysterious part of the world. In fact, it's one of the most interesting places to be at the moment because it still has places which are not Westernised at all. Song Kol lake is one of them -  there is no electricity, no Internet or phone service, no shower or even toilets.  Basic life conditions in nomadic yurts,  cold nights, starry skies and beautiful nature - that's basically all one would find there.

Otaku Shoreditch Culture

Written by Nathan Gotlib

LONDON, September 2012 - Nothing beats a nice walk around East London and visiting your favourite gallery spaces. One of them is the ICN Gallery right off Great Eastern Street, and they have a pretty interesting show going on there at the moment. Besides enjoying amazing rice tea and eating rice-bun burgers and chicken teriyaki wraps, the space usually boasts an interesting display of upcoming Japanese artwork.

Their current gallery is divided in a few sub-sections. They have a permanent display of the 20>20 J-pop illustration prints, a collection of work by upcoming young Japanese artists. All of the prints displayed there are also for sale.

Rasul Mono. The Wizard of Ambient from Tatarstan

Written by Grėtė Kaulinytė

In the beginning you might find yourself surrounded by winds and fog. Then transferred to the forests, whitened by the moonlight, dusty factories or empty roads. You immerse into his music like into dark cold water. At first skin tingles and itches, but then this water becomes so pleasant, so familiar that you don‘t want to get back to the land. Never again. Meet Rasul Mono. The ambient wizard from Tatarstan.

The Artist in Control

Valerie’s Snack Bar, Jeremy Deller 2009 at Joy in People 2012. Image: Eddie Mulholland

Written by Rosemary Marchant

There has been a recent trend for participatory or socially engaging works that allow the spectator to take a more active role. They appear to have played a large part in encouraging more people to enjoy art. The artists creating these works are often celebrated for giving up some of their artistic control and letting the spectator dictate the outcome of the work. Marina Abramovic could not choose who she would sit across from in The Artist is Present nor could she predict what people would do. Yoko Ono cannot control what people write to place on her wish trees outside her current show at the Serpentine and Jeremy Deller relied on volunteers to run his cafe at his recent show Joy in People at Hayward Gallery London.