Everyone has a Sweet Toof

All around the east end there are pieces by Sweet Toof, they are not exactly difficult to spot, seeing as they are usually huge and pretty bright.

On my daily mooching around London today I cycled a different route and saw this parked up under one of the arches near the Hoxton Tube station. It would seem that Street Art is now on the move as well, maybe it is for a Sweet Toof roadshow, or maybe not.

Toof trailer

Sweet Toof also leaves pieces around the place for eagle eyed Londoners to keep, a mate of mine found a copy of the Metro with the cover completely transformed with the trademark Sweet Toof design. Lucky get!

Taped Up – Max Zorn

On Blue Peter it was all about sticky back plastic, and let’s be honest most of the stuff they made was pretty shite. I was never a fan it was always about Art Attack with the legend that is Neil Buchanan (who follows me on twitter, claim to fame time)

Frankly my dear..... tape it up

Anyways I digress, Max Zorn has taken the idea of working with tape and created a different form of street art. He cuts and shapes tape in layers and shapes to create art pieces which then use light to bring the imagery to life. Zorn uses windows or street lights to display the imagery and although I have not seen them first hand I think it would make a great addition to my fair city as the sunshine has just started shining. It is almost like the street art take on church stained glass windows.

Get yourself over here Zorn, though not sure you need the hoodie…

Spotted on PSFK

National Portrait Gallery – Feb 2012

Lucian Freud at the National Portrait was very good indeed, clearly an interesting chap. Something that I had never appreciated before but that becomes very apparent when you see the body of work first hand is the piercing eyes.

Both Girl with Beret and Boy Smoking display very beautiful  and clear eyes, my favourite in the entire display is the Boy Smoking, quite stunning and modern looking even though it was created 60 years ago.

Girl with beret

Another thing you will notice is the number of self portraits Freud created, what I noticed on everyone of his self portraits was the darkness of his eyes everytime, in stark contrast to the majority of the paitings of his subjects.

Freud - self portrait

The exhibition stretches from his early work through his changes of styles to a far more harsh representation of those who sat for him.

Freud - self portrait

In addition there is a brilliant portraits from 1960 – 1990 featuring this brilliant piece from a certain Andy Warhol of Mick Jagger

ol big lips

lo doy porque quiero

Saw this today in Hackney, do not know too much about it as yet. Found something referring to Medellin, which I thought was the Columbian drug cartel…. I’ll try and find out some more, unless anyone can fill in the gap?

I know nothing so far....

Anyways it is off Hackney Road

Gig Club – Little Dragon – Kentish Town Forum

Tatty-bitch

Off to see Little Dragon ce soir… pretty damn excited too. Basically I was looking forward to it before and then my friend sent me this…..

I can only hope that this is bust out at the end as I think I will simultaneously whet myself and cum…. Too much in formation?

Fave tracks are Constant Surprises, which sounds like Erika Badu is singing it… this is good.  After the Rain which is quite apt after the weather in Feb so far turned to sunshine this week and then there is Feather.

Song Dong – Barbican Centre

One man's waste....

I’ll admit it, going to see Song Dong’s ‘Waste Not’ I was a little sceptical as to whether this was an art installation or if it was a bit of a stunt . Once I arrived and saw the enormity, the variety and also the triviality of the pieces included. The triviality is the part that gave such emotion and beauty to the collection of very everyday items such as pans, empty drinks bottles, shoes, cutlery and pens.

On entering Song Dong tells how the story of China in the 50’s and 60’s, his family relationships and of how his mother’s attitudes to material waste combined to create an art installation which is the story of his mother’s life.

Is another woman's treasure

I would suggest you visit The Barbican Curve to to see the scale of the collection, which is not the entire collection as there is another one in China as well. The story of how and why this came together is quite poignant and actually gives this huge collection of bits and bobs a rather beautiful feel.

If you can not make it then read more here…

Dirty Bird – J. Phlip – Top draw Techy Garagey Detroit House

Dirty Bird

I went to Sonar 2 years ago and amongst the amazing performances I saw during that 5 day sleep deprived bender of a weekend was a certain Claude von Stroke. I had managed to miss my flight to Barca, had had to go straight into a testosterone soaked Irish bar to meet my friends (all girls) to watch England under perform in the Coupe de Monde live from S.A. Little did I know that my evening would end on an ear piercing set from Mr v Stroke which basically changed my view of what techno and Sonar was that year. I’d post a picture of my disheveled state but it would plant certain assumptions amongst the reader’s mind….

From his Dirty Bird stable here is an slick mix for I-D online by a certain J. Phlip, click below. There is also an interview with Claude von Stroke, who says the festival to visit this year is Movement in Detroit…. think I might go book a ticket

J. Phlip – Dirty Bird

White ArtBox Installation at St Pancras

White Artbox

The red phone boxes are as English as double decker buses, pie ‘n’ mash, The Queen, Oscar Wilde, Bowie, the village pub and queueing. Now BT have launched their art campaign to redesign the iconic boxes, 4 white versions have been placed at London’s Kings Cross St. Pancras.

A gallery event will take place at the National Portrait Gallery on July 18th featuring re-imagined telephone boxes by such creative types as Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes and Keith Tyson. The activity is a fundraiser for ChildLine so even more reason to like it. Go Esther Rantzen

I like these choices, but what about a UK street artist like Stik or Eine or even Robbo if he is back on his feet yet, surely that is representative of the more urban side of London?

Alex Winston – Choice Notes – J£ZUS M|LLION

Probably heard this on an ad in it’s original version but this remix makes Miss Winston far more interesting and cutting edge to my mind….

Following the current trend for a wee bit of a dubstepping influence

Alex Winstone – Choice Notes – J£ZUS MILLION

Stik man on the move….

Just a little update to Stik man just off Old Street. Quite cute and a nice commentary on people wanting to take street art away with them.

#Stik