Charles Krafft Show

A show that is definitely one to see!

Thursday 20th September, 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Seattle artist Charles Krafft utilizes the traditional techniques and materials of decorative Delft ceramic painting to explore the sometimes-Orwellian realities of our times. Images of natural and socio-political catastrophes decorate his ceramic objects. In addition to ironic commemorative plates and plaques, Krafft makes porcelain weapons and ammunition. "Contemporary art should be relevant to our lives and experiences," Krafft has said. "The time we live in produces curious and splendid souvenirs of the events we live through."

It's at the StolenSpace Gallery @ Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane

Usugrow X Secret Base "Rebel Ink"

Usugrow has teamed up with Secret Base to release a black and white edition of "Rebel Ink". Wonderfully detailed tatoos that look sick on a skull body. Apparently, they are retailing for about 30GBP and again, I would love to get my hands on both colourways. Check the great images below to see more detail of his toys.






You can see more of Usugrow's work HERE.
Beautiful Images found on TOYSREVIL.

Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket is a shojo manga series written by Natuski Takaya and in 2001 was relased as an anime directed by Akitaro Daich. It is a very popular series as both an anime and a manga and has won awards for both. The anime follows the manga up to vol. 8 and centres on Tohru Honda and the Soma family. The Soma family has a curse on it where certain members are affected; if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex they will turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac. Now even I thought this sounded cheesy when I read this and passed it off as another silly girly anime. But I was wrong in a big way; this anime has so many different layers to it and you can watch it over and over again and not get tired of it (and yes I have done this).

One of the main reasons why Fruits Basket is so good is because it has many themes in it: rejection, gender stereotypes, and acceptance just to name a few and a lot of people can relate to these. The title Fruits Basket is a children’s game in Japan; and we find out that as a child Tohru was rejected by her classmates when playing this game. This anime is very dark in places (even more so in the manga) but it is also very funny and will have your sides splitting with laughter. The manga is a lot longer then the anime and there are some major differences in the manga that the anime left out. Therefore if you love this anime I would suggest that you read the manga as well you won’t be disappointed. Now I would not be doing my job if I did not mention there has been many attempts from fans to get a second season to the anime made. But in 2006 both Takaya and Daich announced in two interviews that there would not be any more work on the anime for a number of reasons. I think one factor in this decision is that in the manga Akito is a girl raised as a boy and in the anime Akito is just a boy.
I would recommend that you watch this anime and don’t let the fact that it may seem girly put you off, it wont disappoint. For all you guys out there that may be thinking I could never watch this because it’s a girls anime, I say to you 'if you have a girlfriend then watch it with her no one will be the wiser. If you don't then what does it matter watch it on your own no one will know, that is, until you start talking about it and you will because it is that good.

(This is a clip that will give you a taster of the anime but it does have some spoilers in it so be warned before you watch it.)

New Antony Micallef Prints

Antony Micallef is an artist with some very high profile followers such as Damien Hirst, Jude Law, Robbie Williams and more.
Today he released 4 prints via Lazarides Gallery priced at £1000 each and limited to 400 prints. If those are out of your price range then there is 1 new print via Pictures on Walls priced at £300 and limited to 1000 prints.

This final Print is the Pictures On Walls 1/1000

Source VIA

Transforming Dresses

Brit designer Hussein Chalayan has recently shown his Transforming Dresses collection and boy did it transform my face. Wait it out or go straight to the last dress and behold technology and nudity working in harmony. Great stuff!

Infinite Bubble Wrap Popping

ESP love strange Japanese products and this one just had to be added:
Mugen Puti Puti (Bubble wrap popping device)

"Popping bubble wrap is one of the most dangerous and ignored addictions in society today. You've seen it before, the glazed-over look in the eyes, the sheets of spent bubble wrap all over the floor. Sadly there are no officially recognized support groups for those who suffer from popping bubble wrap, but thanks to Bandai relief for your addiction is on its way. Mugen Puti Puti, which translated means "infinite puti puti" will be co-released this month by Bandai and Kawakami Sangyo Co. Ltd, a bubble wrap company. Air bubbles on double-layered silicon rubber and a built-in speaker simulate the experience of popping bubble wrap and if this wasn't addictive enough, every 100 pops this keychain emits a random sounds such as a doorbell, a dog barking, "sexy voice" or the passing of gas."

SOURCE

123 Klan X Rolito Toy

123 Klan have collaborated with Rolito to create RED NEDZED Rabbit figure set.
The toy has been produced by TOY2R, the figure set includes the 7” NedZed figure plus a bonus Mini Safari Rolitoland figure and is limited to 300 pcs worldwide. I wish, I wish I could get my grubby hands on one of these babies......




123 Klan
Toy2R
Images from Toysrevil

Unlawful Treatment

Two 18 yr-old writers from Manchester, Krek and Mers were arrested last week for causing approx. 13,000GBP in damges to private property. This may sound like an average news report on an average day except for the fact that they were both given seriously hefty sentences of 15 months and 12 months in jail respectively!! Now wait a minute, last month I posted about how I thought Banksy was getting unfair treatment as the British Transport Police have advised train cleaners to "preserve" any possible pieces by him. (Rd. More HERE)Now a couple of kids who are committing the same crime as him are getting slung into jail with no questions asked! If you look at Krek's work (See below), it's hardly like he's writing "Fuck The Po-Po's" or something to that effect.




Francesca Gavin from The Guardian had this to say about the silliness of this all:

After a good few decades of the media representing graffiti artists as scummy youth destroying public landscape, it seems the tables have turned. The public's reception of graffiti is changing - and about time.

Take Krek and Mers. Almost 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a reduction to their sentence, and various events have been staged to raise awareness about their case. The obvious reaction is incredulity that a couple of boys scrawling on walls is being treated as a crime equal to rape or worse than GBH. According to this sentencing, painting on property that isn't yours is worse that violence. What kind of world is that? And maybe a bit of vandalism is a form of positive protest against this country's blatant obsession with the spoils of capitalism. Maybe the pointlessness of ownership should be highlighted. After all you can't take a wall with you when the floods come...



Judge Anthony Ensor is attempting to use these two young men as examples fn the evil of vandalism. In this case it looks like he picked the wrong two people. Thomas "TJ" Dolan (Krek) has worked with young offenders while Thomas Whittaker (Mers) was about to begin an art degree. Both have applied to teach literacy and run art workshops while in prison. Sound like evil criminals to you?

More interesting than the absurdity of their sentences, however, is the public's strong response in their favour. After years of people complaining about spray-can art, it has now become lodged in the public consciousness as something worth fighting for. Painting pictures or scribbling names is a lot more positive than gun crime.



And in this case the art is actually good. Krek, for example, draws on Japanese-style pop cuteness to create pieces that are bright, kitsch and well executed. It's a street nod to artists like Takashi Murakami.

Often he works on shutters or the poles of street signs depicting large doe-eyed childish characters. This is cute not criminal.

In a world where Banksy is getting six figure sums, why should an 18 year old be sentenced to a year in prison for the same
"crime"? It's all a bit daft - and thankfully the majority of the public seem to agree.

Higher Level Bombing

Click on the picture to see how two graff artists absolutely kill this building. Apparently, they had to learn how to write their names backwards cos you cant actually get onto the outside of the building. I guess you could call this the American version of Brazilian PIXACAO.





Classic use of the background billboard to inspire the foreground pieces!! Painted by Retna and friends.

Images from HERE.

The London Police New Site

Chaz has informed me that The London Police website is finally up and running after being down for a very very loooong time. Enjoy their new one as it's full of their escapades all round the world spreading the message of the "lads and their dogs".
Check their Website HERE.





All images copyright of The London Police.

BMX Kid Legend

A serious WTF??!! for this kid.....He's so small, that he hasn't even graduated to a proper kids BMX yet. Yet he's shredding the park like there was no tomorrow. You watch out for this Will, he's gona make it big time in the future!

Thanks to JRT from Look Rare for this gem of a vid.

Ma.K Maschinen Krieger

Without a doubt, Ma.K (Maschinen Krieger) is one of the best, little-known things to come out of the 1980's. Maschinen Krieger, formerly known as SF3D, is the brainchild of Kow Yokoyama, a prominent and influential Graphic Designer in Japan. It's set in a world 800 years from now, where opposing factions fight for what little resources the earth has left.



The model kits produced by Nitto were the first truly multimedia model kits, and to this day are still the best injection-plastic Sci-Fi kits manufactured. Each model included (depending on the design) wires, springs, photo-etched brass, lights, screens, rubber tubing, and lead weights. Due to some licensing disagreements in the mid-80's, production of Ma.K was ceased.



Of late, the plastic kits have enjoyed a comeback and a re-newed renaissance as more people are realising how amzingly retro-futuristic these kits are. I only have 3 big kits (7") and about 20 of the little scaled ones but I want more!





Although, Ma.K is famous for its bio-suited soldiers, Kow actually created a whole host of other droids, bots and heavy artillery gunners for his world. And it's only recently that I have seen rare pictures of them.



For THE most comprehensive guide/resource on Ma.K, please check out Roboterkampf that is run by super-otaku Jason Eaton.