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The New Contemporary Art Magazine
Kitt Bennett’s stirring, graphical murals have a particular resonance on paved parking lots, sprawling across urban spaces. The sheer size of these works gives viewers the chance to examine the details of his murals on an intimate level. For the past few years, the Melbourne-based artist has built a reputation in both illustration and public art (and he held a a solo show in a public toilet in 2015).
Chicago gallery and toy store Rotofugi, have really turned things around. This adorable ad spot "The Collector" with a fantastic sense of humor was created by the folks at Country Club Chicago and is an award winning animation featuring our favorite designer toys but instead of being the collected, they are the collectors... of humans! We know it's an ad, but it's so cool we had to post it.
Kevin Cyr (first profiled in Hi-Fructose vol.10) presents a video of his new work in progress project, the Camper Kart.
One of the things Kevin Cyr is best known for his are his "portraits" of derelict vehicles which "explore social and economic issues" in America and abroad. One aspect of that is the use and evolution of the vehicle as it relates to self reliance and autonomy best embodied in his 2008 Camper Bike which he built himself. The Camper Kart is his latest step forward with his concept of movement.
While the collective mindset at some street art festivals seems to be "go big or go home," at NuArt Festival in Stavanger, Norway, the line-up of artists seemed more concerned with creating deliberately-placed works with an underlying political punch. That's not to say that a few mammoth pieces weren't painted. Polish duo Etam Cru (who are featured in our current issue, Hi-Fructose Vol. 32), true to their form, left behind a storybook-like mural that added color to the overcast landscape. The piece pictured a sleeping boy tucked into his bed with a can of spray paint sticking out from under the covers — a young artist in the making.
Femke Hiemstra’s acrylic paintings carry a whimsical, absorbing quality no matter the canvas. A new collection, "Sonntag Spaßtag,” offers works on books, panels, and other objects at Jaski Art Gallery in Amsterdam. It’s been a decade since the Dutch artist has shown in Holland. She was last mentioned on HiFructose.com here.
Puerto Rican artist Cristina Toro creates intricate acrylic paintings and collages that often explore both the interior and our connections to the outside world. Her works appear as both surreal and personal revelations, as the artist often sets out with no final image in mind. In a new show at LaCa Projects in Charlotte, N.C., these ideas take on grand forms in works like the enormous “Without Exception Everything is Reflected in this Mirror,” at 12 feet by 9 feet. The piece itself took her more than a year to complete.
Taiwan may not be the first place to come to mind when you think about street art, but Hawaiian arts organization Pow! Wow! recently made Taipei its second home. For the last week, about 40 international and Taiwanese artists scaled buildings and crossed below highways to bring their fresh paint styles to Taipei. Just a few months ago, the Pow! Wow! team was in Hawaii revamping the walls of Honolulu for the fourth edition of street art festival Pow! Wow! Hawaii. Now, they’ve hopped 5,000 miles across the Pacific for the first ever Pow! Wow! Taiwan.
As the saying goes, "the best things come in small packages". Philadelphia gallery Arch Enemy Arts has challenged artists to create their smallest works to date for their annual group show, "Small Wonders". For its fourth installment in a row, "Small Wonders 4" features over 75 small pieces by artists from all over the world, including 64 Colors, Alex Garant, Brian Mashburn, Caitlin Hackett, Caitlin McCormack, Craww, Hanna Jaeun, Maria Teicher, Matthew Greskiewicz, and many more. As with previous showings, all the work is sized under 12 inches.
Situated in Richmond, VA, the street art festival Richmond Mural Project was founded with the goal of creating over 100 murals by the world's leading contemporary artists in its first five years. Such an eclectic array of permanent public artworks, according to the project's founders at Art Whino, would propel Richmond as an international street art destination. Now in its third year, this rendition of the event gave 10 contemporary artists two weeks to complete over 20 murals. Chazme 718, Meggs, Onur, Ron English, Sepe, Smitheone, Ekundayo, Proch, David Flores and Wes21 began painting on June 16 and are finishing their works as we speak. Today, we bring you some photos of the works in progress as well as some finished pieces from Ekundayo and Smithe, the latter of whom was working double time on two pieces. Take a look at the progress photos below and stay tuned for coverage of all the finished murals.