Jo Peel + Stik at The Rag Factory
Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments
Image Courtesy of Stik
Thanks to everyone that came to the Ashes 57 show last Thursday – We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
In case you were wondering when the next show is, you don’t have long to wait. We’re back at The Rag Factory on Thursday, 5th August, a mere fortnight after the last event! This time we’re taking part in Time Out’s First Thursdays Program. We got the invitation on incredibly short notice, following the cancellation of another show. We decided to accept the invite, even though we only have a week to publicise it. So please, help us to spread the word.
We are showcasing the work of 2 new LAVA artists: Jo Peel and Stik. Jo Peel is a member of Scrawl Collective. She is based at Boot St Studios in Hoxton. This year she decorated The Park Bar at Glastonbury festival, and painted the roof of Cordy House amongst many other places. Her distinctive line drawings find beauty in scenes of urban decay and construction.
Stik is a prolific and talented street artist. His minimalist characters appear in countless poses and scenarios all over London. Each piece of his is highly site specific, painted with a sensitivity that makes them resonate with their surroundings. He is preparing a new piece especially for this show; we can’t wait to see what he comes up with.
http://www.jopeel.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/stiklondon
LAVA Collective presents: First Thursdays at The Rag Factory. Thursday, 5th August, 2010. 6pm-11pm Free entry. 16 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
The Message – An Ashes 57 Photo Show
Posted on | July 8, 2010 | No Comments
Loefah gets The Message. Photo: Ashes 57
We’re excited to announce that we’re heading back to The Rag Factory on 22nd July. This time we’re showcasing the photography of Ashes 57 – see the events page for details. It is going to be a cool show; so many beautiful photos in there. My personal favourites would have to be the portraits of Madlib and Benga, which are both stunning. As her thousands of Flikr followers will testify, Ashes is a prolific and talented photographer with a massive back catalogue to choose from.
The Rag Factory is one of our favourite exhibition spaces and in many ways it suits us down to the ground. Situated just off Brick Lane, the location is good, and Silas and his merry band of brothers are really accommodating and friendly. The smoker-friendly courtyard is a valuable asset and it is a great place for a party!
This show is on for one night only; we’ll be open from 6-11pm. We’ve invited Standard Place resident Jon Rust to DJ at the event, with support from LAVA DJs .The dubstep fraternity will be out in force for this one, so don’t be surprised if some very special guests pop up behind the decks at some point. We’ll be serving up drinks in the courtyard – have a free one on us but if you’re planning on getting drunk, we’ll be taking donations at the bar.
Tags: Ashes 57 > Benga > Jon Rust > LAVA Collective > Loefah > Madlib > Rag Factory
LAVA + Rooms hook up
Posted on | May 27, 2010 | No Comments
Keep an eye out for the next issue of Rooms Magazine – It has a piece on LAVA Collective and an interview with Talita Hoffmann. We were also involved with the Rooms Magazine Launch Party, where Jo Peel represented LAVA at the live paint event.
Rooms is a really cool little magazine, available in many shops and bars around the East End and beyond. Their first issue contained some striking artwork by Aya Kakeda, and I loved the section on Lewis Cambell, an artist I had never encountered before. There is also a double page spread from our very own Ashes 57, plus plenty more besides.
It has been fun collaborating with Rooms on the forthcoming issue. We are like-minded organisations with a lot in common and we hope to do another project with them before too long.
Ashes 57 – Adventures in NYC
Posted on | May 26, 2010 | No Comments
Bikers congregate in front of an Obey street piece
Big in the game: Russell Simmons attends the opening
Shepard Fairey at The Deitch Projects
LAVA artist Ashes 57 recently returned from NYC. She was there with the Obey crew, who were helping Shepard Fairey set up his May Day show at the Deitch Projects. Ashes was there primarily to document the event, and true to form, she took some fantastic photos. You can see the full set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashes_57/
New York turned out in force to attend this event; the opening reception witnessed crowd swells more akin to a rock concert than an art show. Meanwhile, it seems that Fairey has gone on the counter-offensive, with a major court case looming large on the horizon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/arts/design/10fair.html
ROA
Posted on | May 26, 2010 | No Comments
Photo courtesy of Graff à Dénoyez: (http://graffadenoyez.blogspot.com/)
Roa is so prolific on the streets of London that you would be forgiven for thinking he lives here. In fact he lives in Ghent, which is in the Flemish region of Belgium. His work really speaks for itself, so I will spare you a lengthly eulogy. His show at Pure Evil last month was great, but to really experience the full force of Roa’s work, you need to see it in the street. My favourite at the moment is the one on Hanbury Street, on the way to the Atlantis art supplies shop. The scale and intensity of his work is amazing.
Bruno 9li & Talita Hoffmann on display in Dalston
Posted on | May 9, 2010 | No Comments
Detail from: Untitled 4 (2010) by Talita Hoffmann
The Rag Factory show was over in the blink of an eye, but fortunately we have found the perfect place to exhibit Bruno 9li and Talita Hoffmann’s work on a longer-term basis. This fantastic location, a closely guarded secret, is just a hop skip and a jump from LAVA headquarters in Dalston, East London.
If you’re into the discreet Dalston scene, you might be able to guess where it is; a lavish, bohemian hideaway not a million miles from Gillett Square. Dining clubs, sexy parties, you get the general idea. It will be a great place to display 9li and Hoffmann’s work, the show will run until 7th June.
Viewings are by appointment only, but don’t be shy; whether or not you are interested in buying one of the remaining canvases we would be more than happy to show you round. To arrange a viewing, get in touch with us at: info@lavacollective.com
Bruno 9li and Talita Hoffmann – Pictures from the show
Posted on | May 6, 2010 | No Comments
Photos: Helen Lenarduzzi & Gordon Gibbens
Thanks to everyone who made it to The Rag Factory over the bank holiday weekend. I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a memorable show- Bruno 9li and Talita Hoffmann lit up the East End with their extraordinary imagination and skill.
The opening reception on Thursday was pretty wild – props to Sagatiba and Vitamin Water for providing the drinks. It was a really buzzy event and the enthusiasm was evident, not just for Bruno and Talita but also for our very own Ashes 57 and Vitriol, who showcased their work in Room 2.
Special thanks to Silas and the crew at The Rag Factory for their assistance setting up the show, it is a great environment in which to work and we hope to do another exhibition there before too long.
We still have some original art and prints left over from the show, email us if you want a copy of the catalogue: info@lavacollective.com.
Tags: Ashes 57 > Bruno 9li > LAVA Collective > London > London Art > Rag Factory > Talita Hoffmann > Vitriol
Afterparty with Skipple and Crises
Posted on | April 27, 2010 | No Comments
STAR OF BETHNAL GREEN
Bruno 9li at The Rag Factory opens on Thursday at 7pm – check the events page for details. Sagatiba are sponsoring the opening reception, so we’ll be handing out free caipirinhas to our guests. But the fun doesn’t stop there…
After the opening reception, we’re heading to The Star of Bethnal Green for the afterparty. We have invited DJs Skipple and Crises to represent our sound, and we’ll be projecting 9li’s Video art as a visual accompaniment.
The Star is a lovely pub with a high grade soundsystem – We’re going to touch down with a dubstep / garage / funky session from 2 highly-rated pirate radio DJs. Skipple plays on Sub FM, while Crises has a weekly slot on Rinse FM, and both are getting well-known for rocking dancefloors in London and beyond.
The afterparty is from 10pm-2am, entrance is free.
LAVA Collective presents: Bruno 9li Afterparty
Thursday, 29th April, 10pm-2am, free entry
The Star of Bethnal Green
359 Bethnal Green Road E2 6LG
LAVA promo video
Posted on | April 12, 2010 | No Comments
Director: Shane McNamara Editor: Stephanie Tasker
Tags: benny ill > Gramaphone > instra:mental > lava > Loefah > london sessions > sgt pokes
Bruno 9li Interview
Posted on | March 6, 2010 | 2 Comments
Image courtesy of bruno9li.com
You have a solo show coming up in Sao Paulo, plus our show in London. Are you really busy right now?
I’ve been very busy, visioning, researching and stretching time in my observatory. I just keep it going forward, always aiming to see more.
Please tell me if you plan your compisitions carefully before you start, or do they develop organically as you create them?
Yes, it comes like our thoughts, organically. But there is a structure before, the foundation of the visual idea, so I make a sketch before starting a drawing or a canvas. People say that my work is chaotic so they maybe think that it’s been done in a chaotic way… but it’s the opposite, I see my creations as balanced systems, I’m always searching for the balance in intense systems.
Many of your pieces are large and highly detailed. How long do you spend on a single canvas?
It can take months… it depends of how complex and the entropy of each composition, of each quantum entanglement I aim to represent.
Tell me about the materials you like to use. What is the benefit of using acrylic and ink together?
I use ink only if it’s on paper, that’s the beginning, ink on paper. I started to develop lines and compositions using only ink on paper at the beginning. Over time I’ve introduced acrylic paint for the evolution of my scenes.
I interpret the central characters in your paintings as Shaman figures, bridging the gap between man and nature. Is this a fair comment?
My entities are the gap between man and nature, man as manifestation of nature, man-expanding consciousness to the 4th dimension. They are entities, warriors from civilizations that can see what is invisible for our eyes and indecipherable for our minds. In a society where rituals are not so much effective they are a manifestation of the transcendental.
I love the paintings from last year – Na Força, Leão Escuro and A Trindade Renova na Terra. This series has a rainforest backdrop – is the rainforest a source of your creativity?
If you visit Brazil you’ll see that the power of nature here seems to be different from everywhere in the earth. And those who aim vision, those who work for evolution step to the center of a virgin jungle when they start to create…
For those who don’t know Sao Paulo, please tell us a little about the art scene there. Who are your favourite artists from SP?
Sincerely, those who aim evolution, meta-vision. They are hidden…
Is there one district where the artist community lives / hangs out?
Everywhere, this is a giant city.
Is there a big street art scene in SP?
Art here seems to blow everywhere, including the highest point of a building’s façade. Yes, there is a lot of art on the street here.
Who are the best graffiti artists in SP?
Considering what is really visionary instead of pure graffiti mannerism there are very few good people, in my point of view. I like the hermetic vibe of Pixação, sometimes aggressive, sometimes just visionary and inventive letters.
Finally, please tell me what music you enjoy.
I like good music… Elomar, Hermeto Pascoal, Chico Buarque, Klaus Nomi, Vivaldi…
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Thanks to Bruno for taking the time to talk to me. I look forward to meeting him in person, and watching him at work.