Latest articles on Art by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:42:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au Latest articles on Art by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1416&Itemid=10 We have a hunch we will be seeing much more of the work by the young, London-based graphic designer and illustrator, Nikki Farquharson (http://www.nikkifarquharson.com/). Her ongoing project, Mixed Media Girls, gives the viewer a lot to look at. The collages appear innocent and sweet but at the same time exude sharp, pent-up energy that does not feel altogether safe. The title of the work is also wonderfully suggestive — or not, depending on how the reader wishes to understand it.Farquharson’s work extends from the one-dimensional world to book projects and 3D pieces in which she often ponders and twists the meaning of words and proverbs, spies on conversations, and questions established truths. In 2007, she started the website Random Got Beautiful (http://www.randomgotbeautiful.com/) that is open for anyone to submit images focused on a specific color. Farquharson’s work was on display in September in Helsinki at the YCN Alive exhibit (http://www.ycnonline.com/event/show/128/kokoro-moi-kokoro-moi-helsinki) hosted by the Helsinki-based agency Kokoro Moi. (http://www.kokoromoi.com/index_content.html) - Tuija Seipell Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:07:50 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1399&Itemid=10 New York artist Tara Donovan is a master of seeing. Not just looking, but actually seeing. Her sculptural, one-of-a-kind art is based on her ability to see, imagine and create forms, shapes and textures from ordinary objects that most of us don’t even notice. She creates art from rolls of tape, pieces of pencil, Styrofoam cups, paper plates, napkins. Her sculptural works evoke thoughts of nature. A perfect example is the “Untitled” cloud formation she created in 2003 from Styrofoam cups and glue (http://www.acegallery.net/artwork.php?pageNum_ACE=22 totalRows_ACE=58 Artist=8).The 38-year-old Donovan has recently accomplished several things many artists never achieve. This September, the first monograph of her work was published by visual book press, Monacelli Press (http://www.monacellipress.com/aboutus.html) (now owned by Random House). A couple of weeks later, on October 10, a traveling retrospective of her work opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art (http://www.icaboston.org/) in Boston.But perhaps the biggest deal is the extra half-a-million dollars that she will have to work with in the next few years. In late September, she received a phone call from the John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation (http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.3599935/). She was informed that she had been made a Fellow of the Foundation and that she will receive a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. It is a no-strings-attached support of her work over five years. She was selected as one of 25 recipients in 2008. Others include a physician, an astrophysicist, a violinist, a computer scientist and representatives of many other endeavours who were selected for their creativity, originality and potential to make important contributions in the future. - Tuija Seipell Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:23:25 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1368&Itemid=10 The name Gary Fernández (http://www.garyfernandez.net/) has started to appear often enough to warrant a closer look. Fernández is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist based in Madrid, Spain, and currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His client list is impressive, ranging from advertising heavies DDB, McCann Erickson, JWT and Grey to superbrands such as Coca Cola, Nokia and Camel. His illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines and books. Fernández’s intricate, retro-esque illustrations marry a liquid stroke with a rigid tension, which in turn projects an underlying seething mood and latent danger. For some reason, I’m thinking Dadaism and Salvador Dali mixed with the sixties’ London vibes and New York’s retro fashion illustrations. At the same time, some of his work is almost whimsical and merry; evoking images from Cirque du Soleil and old European circus posters. Whatever you see, you are irresistibly drawn into his world. A fantastic recent example is his elaborate illustration book titled Introduction to Fantastic Girls, Future Landscapes the Most Beautiful Birds Ever Seen, available -- possibly -- on his site in limited quantities. Gary Fernández is also the founder and creative lead of the T-shirt brand VelvetBanana (http://www.velvetbanana.net/). The name VelvetBanana draws its parts from The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol’s “banana cover” for their first album The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967). Fernández started VelvetBanana in 2005 with the goal of redefining the “Art Rock T-shirt” by producing thematic collections. The themes capture certain moods, songs or bands. The latest, Collection #3, is described as having “electrifying, abrasive, furious and hypnotic graphics full of energy” although the photo book of the collection appears indoorsy and tame, with clean yet fashionably brooding models photographed against a pristine white background. The T-shirts are available at Urban Outfitters blog.urbanoutfitters.com (http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/) among others .- Tuija Seipell Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:17:34 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1363&Itemid=10 Take a look at these incredible abstract and retroesque pieces by designer and illustrator Andy Gilmore (http://kunstformen.blogspot.com). Born, raised and based in Rochester, New York, Gilmore applies the understanding of one practice with the other - applying the proportions of harmony to form and colour - colours as chords - and scales as tonal gradations, in order to create these geometric works of art.If you love his work as much as we do, you can get your hands on a print (or even a t-shirt) over at Esty. (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5166315) - Brendan McKnight Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:10:51 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1312&Itemid=10 Having spent more than enough time travelling the world, I didn’t think I’d ever been this excited about yet another art event. But Buenos Aires and its amazing ArteBA Contemporary Art Fair (http://www.arteba.org/) have just reminded me how exciting art really can be. Forget the mainstream Basels and Miamis – this is where the world’s hottest art event is right now, and this is where the art world is really happening. Argentineans are an extremely cultured bunch, more than any other nation, and this is the most important art fair in Latin America. Absolutely everyone seems to be interested in or involved in art here, and the massive daily line-ups were events onto themselves. This is where you meet everybody who is anybody, from artists to collectors to critics to celebrities to the general public. The entire city and its incomparable art, cultural and tourism charm is turned fully on and you are going to love it! ArteBA is a fantastic meeting point of everything that has to do with art in the Latin American market – new, avant-garde, exotic, experimental, traditional; established artists, newcomers and everybody in between -- you name it, and it is here. Mainly visual artist and galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and Uruguay displayed their best and their hottest art. The venerable, 17-year-old, five-day intensive art event had an attendance of more than 110,000 people, and it came close to having more energy and eye candy than I could handle! Argentineans are extremely stylish with an edge, and it seems they are all good looking. So, I found myself people-stalking (http://onthecornerstreetstyle.blogspot.com/) a lot as well, even at the art events where there was more exciting art than I have ever encountered in any art event in any city. From now on, this is THE one art event I will attend every year. In Buenos Aires, my home away from home was Palermo’s Home Hotel (http://www.homebuenosaires.com/), one of the Hotels included in our latest book World’s Coolest Hotel Rooms (http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Coolest-Hotel-Rooms-Hunter/dp/0061353868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 s=books qid=1212179258 sr=8-1). and also Tailor Made Hotel (http://www.tailormadehotel.com/) in Las Cañitas. Palermo Viejo is Buenos Aires's equivalent to New York's Soho and it is definitely the trendiest neighborhood and way much cheaper than Soho. The cobbled streets are lined with fashion boutiques, amazing restaurants and design shops, mostly one-off local brands, the really interesting stuff. I liked Arte Etnico Argentino (http://www.arteetnicoargentino.com/) that sells textiles, furniture and accessories made in tribal villages. Another amazing area is San Telmo with its antique stores and the hugely popular Sunday antique market. This is the way antiquing is supposed to feel like! I have never experienced a city more extroverted and exotic in its fusion of night and day, history and future, foreign and local. My every sense has been heightened here by the overwhelming richness of sights, sounds, smells and tastes, and by the endless succession of nightlife, tango parties, special events, dinners, clubs...I’ve had an amazing time and I have Astrid Perkins and her great team at Think Argentina (http://www.think-argentina.com.ar/) to thank for pretty much all of it. I have never been looked after better than here in Buenos Aires! A big thank you to LAN Airlines (http://www.lan.com/index-en-us.html) business class for... Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:44:38 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1306&Itemid=10 If in Barcelona, you’ll have a couple of more days to see MWM’s — aka Matt W. Moore — solo show 20/20 by ROJO magazine (http://www.rojo-magazine.com/bcn) at Artspace at Carrer Girona 61 Local 02 in Eixample. But it is worth a view online as well at mwmgraphics.blogspot.com (http://www.mwmgraphics.blogspot.com) and Flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/mwmgraphics2007/sets/72157605089666947/show/). Moore is a 28-year-old Boston-based graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design. He is a multitalented artist, illustrator and designer who has worked with Ecko, Nike, Samsung and many others. Fascinated with symmetry, math and wild color, he creates retro-spirited, abstract graphics with a wild, graffiti edge. His typography, type treatments and icons are featured in his annual b/w book – MWM B:4, and in a comprehensive solo book Vectorfunk by ROJO. By Tuija Seipell Thu, 29 May 2008 05:08:57 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1304&Itemid=10 If you are in New York, go to the Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn Bridge and peer at London with a monstrous telectroscope. If you are lucky, your buddies in London happen to be on the South Bank by the Tower Bridge where a similar telectroscope stands. And guess what you will see? Each other! Why would that be in any way interesting, considering that we can webcam with anyone any time? This prehistoric-looking getup is ART created by London artist Paul St. George. And he, apparently, is only fulfilling the dream of his great-grandfather, Alexander Stanhope St. George. The elder St. George dreamt of burrowing a tunnel across the ocean, setting a magnifying telectroscope at each end so that people could see each other. If the fake tale isn’t enticing enough, the gizmo itself is worth the trek. It took two days and nights for the massive contraption to grow from the river mud and morph from a six-foot, revolving, metallic drill bit to the final tower of a 37-foot-long telescope. It will be there until June 15. To set up a viewing date with your buddies at the other end, go to telectroscope.net (http://www.telectroscope.net). By Tuija Seipell Tue, 27 May 2008 14:57:09 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1263&Itemid=10 Here is a selection of images straight from the portfolio of the sought-after illustrator Steven Wilson. (http://wilson2000.com/home.html) Because Steven’s impressive client list includes everyone from Coke to Nike, BBC and MTV, it is likely that you have already come across one of his beautiful works.Steven is inspired by circus imagery, tribal art and 70s rock posters among other things, and he can often be found sifting through flea market stalls looking for obscure books to use as reference. All of this ensures that his work stands out. There is no question that his pieces define and represent a new wave of illustrated art. He has a particular passion for working on albums covers. By Brendan McKnight Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:48:28 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1236&Itemid=10 Gianluca Fallone (http://www.gianlucafallone.com/) is a designer/illustrator based in Argentina and at only 23 years old has managed to build up an impressive folio that includes working with clients like MTV, Nike and Cartoon Network. Fallone's stance is simple 'I love type and design, and particularly like when both are present' – which is evident in much of his work. Inspired by Japanese Animation and comic books, which were triggers for his 'illustration - design rollercoaster', his pieces are beautifully crafted and extremely detailed. Putting a mark on the Argentinean design world, we are expecting to see great things from this young and amazingly talented artist. By Brendan McKnight Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:38:56 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1118&Itemid=10 Forget about wandering through an art gallery and wondering if you’re the only one who has no idea what anything means. Hannes Broecker has brilliantly invited the cultural elite to grab a glass at an exhibition in Dresden, Germany, and drink away the art. Regardless of what we do or do not understand about art, we can all agree, it stimulates our senses. Broecker has aroused our sense of taste (not to mention eliminated the need of elbowing our way to the bar) by hanging flat, glass containers with a variety of cocktails in the exhibition space. As the night progressed, the levels of the multi-coloured infusions diminished. By the end of the event, the art, itself, ran dry, and empty drinking glasses were returned to where they were originally placed. By Andrew J Wiener. Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:28:49 +0100