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Friday, December 17th, 2010

Buy Art, Do Good :: Earth By Holiday Promo


Kelsey Brookes

EARTH BY, a side project of Planet Magazine, invites artists to create pieces based on their interpretation of Earth. Selling limited edition prints as well as the original work, the company donates 10% of all proceeds to  Charity: Water, which provides safe and clean drinking water to thousands of people in developing nations, and 350.org, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about climate change.

Current available editions are by Alisson Schulnik, Kelsey Brookes, Chris Scarborough, Hisham Bharoocha, Cheryl Molnar, Ernesto Caivano, and Andy Gilmore. Past contributors included Chris Johanson, Peter Beard, Aurel Schmidt, Ryan McGinness, Wangechi Mutu, and others.

Use the code HOLIDAY2010 to receive a 10% discount on all prints and 5% on all originals through Dec. 25


Allison Schulnik

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Editions, Product, Uncategorized | Comment now »

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Become a SLAG :: Secret Little Art Geeks Launches Today

We’ve been waiting to drop news of this for a while. SLAGS (Secret Little Art Geeks) is a new venture in limited artist designed t-shirts. The online shop opens for business today with inaugural contributions from John Baldessari, Curtis Kulig (Love Me), Greg Lamarche, and Inkheads (by the looks of it, Jose Parla/Ease and Scott RAGE Johnson). Go buy now and sign up to receive advance notice of who the next mystery artist will be. Act quick and enter the code slagslaunch at checkout (valid today only) to receive 20% off your first order. You’ll be doing a good deed as well. A portion of all proceeds goes to the Autism Science Foundation

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Product | Comment now »

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

Crime Alert

The recent buffing over of Blu’s commissioned mural for MOCA LA has been the talk of many bloggers. I’m still putting my thoughts together on that and will post soon. This posting is to alert readers to a name that popped up in Los Angeles Downtown News’ Dec 9th article, Moca Commissions Mural, Then Whitewashes It. The article mentions Mr .Daniel Laohoda, referring to him as “a street art advocate” whose Freewalls Project “connects artists with building owners who offer their walls for murals.” Many of us in the young collecting community are no stranger to Lahoda’s name, but not for his supposed good will or support of the arts. On the contrary, according to the LAPD, Lahoda and his business Jet Set Graffiti are responsible for baiting and defrauding several collectors, galleries and businesses, including multiple members of the TAC community. He currently resides on the LAPD’s Art Theft website, which summarizes the numerous allegations against him including, “embezzling funds” from two separate galleries he was employed by, and more than $47,000 from Acumen Entertainment Group in Las Vegas.

Read the full Crime Alert here

We would like to hear from you if you have had similar experiences or any information regarding Mr. Lahoda. Send messages to us at info@theartcollectors.com and contact LAPD’s Art Theft Detail at (213) 486-6940 or by e-mail at artcop@lapd.lacity.org.

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Legal | Comment now »

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

KAWS x Robert Lazzarini Companion Collaboration


(Product images via kawsone, Lazzarini artwork images © Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors)

KAWS has just dropped a big one on us all. Next week the artist will release a new version of his Companion figure in collaboration with artist Robert Lazzarini. While KAWS is known for releasing products in several color versions, Lazzarini’s twist on the iconic character goes further, with each of the three renditions distorted in unique ways and manufactured from separste molds. Several t-shirts depicting Lazzarini’s concept illustrations for the project accompany the release.

Lazzarini’s renditions are an extension of his stunning sculptures, which brilliantly warp the perspective on common objects, including the artist’s recent weapons series that was the subject of a 2009 exhibition at the Aldrich Museum as well as recent gallery shows with Honor Fraser and FLAG Art Foundation (see our pics below)  In 2004 his works were shown at The Virginia Museum of Fine Art, whose Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, John B. Ravenal, noted, “Lazzarini’s sculptures are at once rigorously formal and intensely expressive. As distorted versions of familiar objects, they appear in the process of slipping- from three to two dimensions, from realism to abstraction, from this world to the next. Products of a dense and innovative process, his works seem both real and unreal: their striking immediacy is belied by a quality of ghostliness, as if they were hardly there at all.”

Lazzarini also has a recent editioned work produced via the Aldrich Museum available here.

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Editions, Product | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

R.I.P. Sure

I arrived home from Basel Miami to some sad news by way of our friend Faust about the loss of his brother in arms, Sure. For the past decade Faust + Sure have arguably been most prolific and recognized names in New York sticker bombing culture. I don’t think I can walk more than a block here without seeing their lettering marking a newspaper box or sign pole. While graf writers take a lot of flack and are up against some of the most stringent anti-vandalism laws here in NYC, behind the scenes Sure, an enlisted Marine, was doing more for his country than most of us would even think about. Here’s Faust:

“It is with my deepest regrets to inform you that this morning I received news of the passing of my close friend Sure. Last night he was killed in Afghanistan where he was stationed as a Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Sure was born and bred in Brooklyn and recognized for his exceptional handstyle which brought together elements of classic New York graffiti with ornamental calligraphy. His script signatures could be found throughout the city and were a major influence on myself and countless others.

Sure also received great recognition as one of the most prominent sticker bombers of all time. Of the thousands of stickers he put up, nearly every one of them was individually hand done in an incredible array of styles. This was recently exemplified in Stickers: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art (Rizzoli) by DB Burkeman and in Martha Cooper’s latest book Name Tagging (Mark Batty Publishing) which features an interview with Sure.

Sure was like a brother to me. He was my partner-in-crime and my best friend. I am grateful for the time we had and that everywhere I go in New York City I see his name and know that his presence will be felt by many long after his passing.”

-Faust


(Bottom image © Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors)

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Graffiti, New York City, R.I.P., Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Bright Lyons Grand Opening

I’m in Miami for all the Basel madness and am sad to be missing this back home. If you are in NY tonight, stop by the grand opening of Bright Lyons, a new store in Brooklyn mixing modern furniture and design with a contemporary art gallery. The shop is run by our Paul Bright, who’s previous endeavors included an old favorite of ours, Community Outreach/Paul Bright Gallery in Toronto and Hamilton, Cananda

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Brooklyn, Design | Comment now »

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Nieves Launches App

We are huge fans Nieves. Since 2001 the independent Swiss publisher has  collaborated with an eclectic mix of talent, releasing a consistently interesting and high quality array of limited artist zines and books. Now, Nieves goes mobile with the launch of an iPhone/iPad app. Though initially excited over the potential to have on-the-go access to their entire back catalog and out of print publications, we were quickly disillusioned. While the application itself is free to download, digital zines wil run you .99¢ a pop, making this pretty worthless unless you plan on shelling out enough money to build up a useful archive. It also seems to run contrary to the very aesthetic and mission Nieves has been championing for the past decade. Oh well. We still love you Nieves.

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Product, Publications, Upcoming | Comment now »

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Flying High :: Murakami in Macy’s Parade / Settles Lawsuit


(Image via NYClovesNYC)

Happy Thanksgiving!

With the 84th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade complete, Takashi Murakami becomes the latest artist to contribute balloon designs to the iconic holiday celebration, following previous collaborations with the Estate of Keith Haring, Jeff Koons and Tom Otterness. Giant renditions of his signature characters Kaikai and Kiki floated through Manhattan accompanied by Murakami himself, who was adorned in a furry dragon costume topped off with a headdress featuring his flower design.

In other news, according to a recent KaiKai Kiki press announcement, Murakami and Kaikai Kiki Ltd. have reached a settlement with Cerulean Co., Ltd. regarding the sale of an original work titled Flower Ball Blood (3-D) V. The sale was conditioned on Cerulean not reselling the work for a fixed period of time. However, when the piece was slated to be auctioned by Christie’s in London five months after its purchase, Kaikai Kiki filed its lawsuit demanding immediate return of the painting, along with s compensation for damages. On October 30, 2009, the suit ended in an amicable settlement, resulting in agreement for the return of the work in question.


(Image via sandrasoroka)


(Image via NYClovesNYC)


(Image via sandrasoroka)


Murakami shows off his parade costume (All Artwork including Kaikai and Kiki (c)Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved., via New York Times.)


Concept Illustration. (All Artwork including Kaikai and Kiki (c)Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved., via New York Times)


Murakami works on concept sculptures. (All Artwork including Kaikai and Kiki (c)Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved., via New York Times.)

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Legal, New York City, Outdoor, Sculpture, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Time Before Time – Matt Leines in Italy

Our friend Matt Leines is set to open his first solo gallery show in Italy, at Galerie Patricia Armocida, Milan.  Matt he has been largely absent from public view lately, having taken time off to regroup and hone his practice. Though Time Before Time includes many pieces that have appeared in previous exhibits, the show is a welcome introduction for a new audience and serves as dialogue between old and new,. Presenting earlier illustrations from the past few years along side more recent works, Leines offers us an honest and  self-critical personal statement of a young artist striving to improve his craft and reflecting on his growth.

Matt Leines – Time Before Time
Nov. 25 – Feb. 14
Galerie Patricia Armocida
via Bazzini 17, 20131 Milano – IT

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Europe, Openings, Uncategorized | Comment now »

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Scott Campbell’s on Fire

Tattoo artist to the stars Scott Campbell just had a show of new works open in Mexico City at a gallery sponsored by Vice magazine. Don’t expect to see it even if you live nearby. As this email to Purple magazine founder Oliver Zahm suggests, apparently the artist dumped his work on the sidewalk and lit it all on fire after disagreements with the gallery’s owner.

Purple via TWBE / Wicked Wink

Posted by ATARMS | Filed in Artist Talk, Last Chance | 1 Comment »