In early December we’re moving into Kingly Court, a little shopping arcade that leads off Carnaby Street. We’ll be selling originals and prints from our international network of artists. We’ll also be using the gallery as a base from which to to co-ordinate a series of pop up shows in vacant shops throughout the Soho area.

We’re moving next door to Material, the bookshop / gallery where Ashes 57 had her show a few weeks ago. We’re looking forward to being their neighbour, they’ve got some lovely books and with links to Le Gun they have some cool art of their own.

We’re really excited to have a full-time gallery space of our own. (I use the term ‘full-time’ advisedly; the terms of the lease require us to be there bright and early 7 days a week!) It allows us to showcase our artists on an ongoing basis, as opposed to the flash-in-the-pan nature of pop up events. We love doing pop ups and we will continue to do them, but having a permanent base is a big development for us.

If all goes well, we’ll open our doors for the first time on Saturday 4th December. We’ll be starting off with a LAVA group show, featuring exclusive artwork from Ashes 57, Bruno 9li, Jo Peel and Stik. We’ll be throwing an official opening party later in December – keep an eye out for that.

LAVA Gallery, 1.11 Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London, W1B 5PW Open Daily, 10am-6pm. Sunday: 12pm-6pm

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

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.

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

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 4^th 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…

………………………………………..

Thanks to Bruno for taking the time to talk to me. I look forward to meeting him in person, and watching him at work.

Image courtesy of  www.flickr.com/photos/litsy/

Image courtesy of  www.flickr.com/photos/litsy/

We are excited to announce that Talita Hoffmann will be joining Bruno 9li at the Rag Factory. Hoffmann will be travelling to London with 9li to preside over her first appearance in a London art show.  At a precocious age, Hoffmann is creating work of astonishing subtlety and depth. She is a fantastic inclusion to the forthcoming show and we’re looking forward to meeting her.

LAVA Collective at the Rag Factory. 30th April – 3rd May 2010.             Preview party 29th April, 7pm. RSVP for invite: rsvp@lavacollective.com

Suma - Bruno 9li - Mural at Rojo Artspace, Copenhagen

We are very excited to announce that Bruno 9li will be headlining our event at The Rag Factory. This will be his first major London show.

9li, (pronounced ‘Novelli’) has emerged in recent years as one of Brazil’s brightest young artists. A native of Sao Paulo, 9li has been gaining admirers across Europe and America. In the last 3 years he has had solo shows in Copenhagen, Milan, Barcelona and San Jose.

9li’s work combines an edgy metropolitan sensibility with the mysticism and wonderment that he finds in the natural world. 9li is a deeply spiritual individual and his work channels his fascination with alchemy, shamanism and hermetic philosophies. He is at that exciting point in his career where is technique seems to become more refined with every piece he does. Follow the link to his website and you’ll see what I mean.

http://www.bruno9li.com/desenhos_english.htm

9li has agreed to come to London to create a large scale mural for us. This will form the center piece of our forthcoming show. We have also commissioned him to produce 4 original works to appear alongside the mural. At 200 cm x 70cm they are going to be spectacular.

Here at LAVA Collective we are already getting excited. Flying over 9li to create a mural is quite an ambitious undertaking and it demonstrates our commitment to showcasing emerging talent from overseas. Of course, we could just get some work shipped over, but where would be the fun it that? We are looking forward to meeting 9li and watching him at work.

LAVA Collective presents: Bruno 9li

April 29th – May 3rd

The Rag Factory, 16 Heneage Street E1 5LJ