Semi-Permanent2008 and StupidKrap.com bring to you KIDS TODAY - a cross selection of today's young contemporary artists making a mark internationally and in Australia. Take some time to find out more about the artwork of artists in this incredible line-up.
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ARTIST LINE-UP
KELSEY BROOKES
Kelsey Brookes was born in 1978. A formally trained scientist who spent years tracking viruses for the U.S. government, he now lives and works in San Diego as a painter. His art can be found broadly throughout the US and Europe and is represented by New Image gallery (LA) and Lazarides gallery ( London ). Kelsey's figurative paintings draw influence from Hindu and Buddhist deities, exotic animals and sex, as well as rustic American quilts. Each figure is adorned with ghostly representations of the natural world...animals and plants that unfold from the body into the surrounding canvas. His chimeras are frozen with animalistic intensity in explosive and sometimes tortured positions. Kelsey blames this raw, anxious form of art on the U.S. university system which refuses to teach its scientists how to draw.
www.kelseybrookes.com / www.lazinc.com
BUFF MONSTER
The artist Buff Monster channels the Buff Monster spirit through high doses of heavy metal, kaiju and ice cream. His first inspired output occurred in 2001, nailing flattened spray cans to telephone poles. And since 2002 he has been inspired to post thousands of silk-screened posters in the streets. Now that many people all over the world know the Buff Monster characters, he is free to tell their story and show everyone their world. It's a happy world called Lollipop Land , full of ice cream, fun and adventure. There are mounds of ice cream piled high and an abundance of squirting breasts and clouds; "Pink is Power" is the foundation of Lollipop Land . And Buff has worked with big companies to help get the word out; Nike, Hurley, the Standard Hotel, Vans, Hustler and Vivid all enjoy Lollipop Land . The imagery has also been seen in lots of books and magazines and art galleries. The first in a series of vinyl figures were released in July 2007, and there are more on the way. When Buff Monster isn't designing new toys and merchandise, he takes on very select freelance design projects. These projects range from magazine design and creative direction to specialty cross over items.
www.buffmonster.com
BEN FROST
Ben Frost is most well known for his confronting and often controversial Pop Art paintings. Using a ‘collage’ style of unlikely juxtapositions, his dynamic paintings are complex mash-ups of popular culture that savagely critique our media and advertising obsessed society. His painting 'White Children Playing; Late 1900's' was deemed too controversial for some for its graphic depiction of children shooting-up drugs, and was debated recently on the channel 7 Sunrise program. His now infamous 2000 exhibition and art prank ‘Ben Frost is Dead’ saw him fake his own death and was branded ‘tasteless’ when the art world and national media actually believed his demise. Police have threatened to close every exhibition his 12m long collaborative painting ‘Where Do You Want to Go Today?’ has been exhibited and a disgruntled viewer went so far as to slash one of the paintings with a knife in reaction to the confronting imagery. Ben was an invited artist at the 2002 'Primavera' exhibition at the Sydney MCA , and more recently at galleries such as: 798 Space in Beijing ,The Arm in New York , White Walls in San Francisco , Cosh Gallery in London and Studio Apart in Amsterdam . Ben’s work has appeared in countless magazines and newspapers including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Australian Art Collector, Empty, Monster Children, and the Sydney Morning Herald and was a contributing illustrator for over 3 years to Black + White Magazine.
www.benfrostisdead.com
ANTHONY LISTER
Lister graduated from Queensland College of Art in 2001, shortly after, he went to New York and worked under the mentorship of New Zealand painter Max Gimblett. Recently, he undertook a research residency in Berlin , and his travels have extended him to take part in solo and group exhibitions around the world. During 2007 Anthony Lister ived and painted in New York City . He is currently preparing for exhibitions in NY, London and Italy .
JEREMYVILLE
jJeremyville has been in shows in Colette Paris, Reed Space gallery New York and Tokyo , Mondo Pop Italy, Bunkamura Tokyo, Tiger Translate Beijing, MTV Milan, Studio Camufo Venice, Semi Permanent Sydney, Vallery in Barcelona , Exposure Gallery London, Gallery 1988 LA, and has an upcoming solo show at Artoyz in Paris . Jeremyville's work has appeared in art books by Taschen, IdN, Victionary, Pictoplasma, Die Gestalten Verlag, and magazines such as Swindle, Faesthetic, Monster Children, Nylon, Dazed and Confused, Refill 7, Territory, Oyster, IdN, Vapors, Juxtapoz, and many more.
PLUS-MINUS PRODUKTIES
Amsterdam's leading pop art duo Willem and Denise Verburg.
Plusminus Produkties is the name of an Amsterdam based cut and paste duo that have been active in the visual arts since the late eighties. After meeting each other at the same art school, a romance decided that they would live together ever since. After having separate careers for the first 10 years they started to do occasional collaborations.The process of working together became more natural by the day, their themes and interests being pretty much the same. The difference in their styles has developed into a single style in which the differences seem to make the message stronger. There is no limitation to the means and no combination of possibilities is shunned. The message is either harsh in a sweet package or the other way around, two wrongs can make a right. Sugar coated horror. They paint after nature, although nature has definitely redefined itself over the years. Society is a natural habitat in which every expression serves a natural goal. Combining elements of society is the way they compose their messages remarking upon it. They feel the need to steal from the rich imagery of the world as if they were Robin Hood, trying to fight the poverty of the mind. This is a metaphore because Robin is ofcourse a rather bleak bloak. The balance can be found.
KILL PIXIE
Developing his craft in the city, this former street artist has made an astounding transition to softer mediums. His delicate line work and masterful use of colour through ink, watercolour and acrylic communicate beautifully through his choice of canvas - mostly paper or resinated hand-made wooden boxes. His pattern work is unorthodox and abstract yet strikes a schizophrenic harmony with his longing and respect for space. Embedded with symbols and life experiences the work is often a suggestion what could have been. He presents a prophecy for an abstracted, urban version of folk art.
CUPCO!
Cupco is the design,animation, illustration and doll-making brainchild of Lucas Temby and his wife/muse Mayumi Temby. Born on the streets of Tokyo and subsequently transplanted to Sydney, Australia, Cupco! both appreciates and satirises the ludicrous and ridiculous nature of modern society!
We try to make good stuff and we can proudly say that we make almost no money from the world of Cupco! Cupco! is you! Cupco! is me! Cupco! is life! Cupco is death! Death to all humans!! More War! Less Peace! More Sex! Less talk! BLAH! Cucpo! Is Dead! Long live Cupco!
CUPCO! By Lucas Temby
JAMES JIRAT PATRADOON
James was born in 1985 in Thailand and raised in Sydney , Australia on a super-diet of cartoons, comic books, and sci-fi movies. Now he makes giant candy coloured screenprints/posters you can look at and adore but cannot eat. He has always dreamt of joining the X-men, or becoming Ultraman, or Dracula, or a Lucha Libre pro wrestler. These ambitions reflect themselves in his work. He worries about alternate realities, the poor Hikikomoris, and cosplay supplies. One day James wants to publish a book about his research into parallel universes but until then I will stick to drawing pictures. James recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with First Class Honours at the UNSW' College of Fine Arts in Paddington - where he majored in Printmaking.
Sydney artist Numskull's background is in graffiti, stencils and street art. His latest work has seen him progress into the use of oil paints, illustration and screen-printing, making his work highly collectable. He exhibited as a feature artist at the Sydney Stencil Festival in 2006 and just recently finished a successful solo show at China Heights Gallery in Surry Hills titled "Numskull's Friday the 13th". He has also been featured in publications such as YEN, Without Reason, Sydney Morning Herald and The Brag.
MATS?!
San Francisco based artist.
AINSLIE FLETCHER
Ainslie Fletcher is a Sydney based artist and designer. She graduated from College of Fine Art with a degree in Design in 2001 and her graduate project - a collection of laser printed wallpaper and laser etched lampshades - was included in student design award shows both in Australia and Munich. From here she ventured into the land of product design constructing beautiful laser etched and printed lampshades which she sells under the Mixxo label. Her love of colour and ornament coupled with her passion for textile design then led her into the land of fashion where she spends alot of time working collaboratively with local fashion designers and streetwear labels such as Insight, Chronicles of Never, Mambo,Von Zipper, Billabong and Milk and Honey designing custom artwork for use on fabrics and tee shirts. She had her first solo show of drawings, painting, one-off lampshades and wallpaper in 2007 at China Heights gallery and since then has been exploring a wide range of themes in her work that include Occult Symbolism, Snakes, Death, Fluoro, Mythology, Ethnic costumes, Love and 18th Century hairstyles. Her works on paper are an explosion of vivid colour, intricate geometry and mind boggling squiggle and snake obsessions. Her interest in large scale site specific work has also been explored recently through collaborating on murals at commercial venues including Oxford Arts Factory and retail fashion store Capital L. She is currently working toward her next solo show later this year in Sydney.
www.ainsliefletcher.com
JOSEPH ALLEN
Sometime curator, now-and-then publisher and occasional art maker, Joseph William Allen likes to doodle, skateboard, talk to strangers and attempt to make music. Now returned from London, he considers himself a wanderer and wants to live everywhere he visits, his current top places to move to are the NSW south coast and Hamburg. He has appropriated a new working approach from his good friend, French – who draws and drinks tea whilst sitting in his underwear. Joseph refrains from the black metal soundtrack and opts for Jonathan Richman.
ED WOODLEY
Co-founder of China Heights Gallery and studios. Popular surry hills sculptor and painter often working with text and patterns derived from signs.
MARK DREW
Co-founder of China Heights GAllery and studios. Artist and designer, often working in print media and with graphic styles.
EAMO
25 year old EAMO is an illustrator and artist from Melbourne . He has worked for magazines and companies such as: J Mag, IsNotMagazine, Golden Plains Music Festival, Rip Curl, Redbull Music Academy , Riot, Lifelounge, Don't Panic, Monument and Owl Movement (U.S.) EAMO has exhibited in Sydney and Portland . EAMO artwork has a uniquely home-grown authentic aussie-pop feel. The soft tonal colours reflect those of the australian landscape. His subjects are core australian cultural icons like the surf lifesaver, humphrey bear and the underlying poetry of the quintessentially ocker bloke.
HAHA
HaHa is an ‘ol skool master stencil artist based in melbourne . His skills first emerged during the stencil revolution of the early 1990s. His stencil paintings are astounding for their intricate detail and delicate rendering. HaHa’s subjects are pop icons and sporting champions of Australia and the World, for which he has a true passion. He is currently a director of Blender Studios and has upcoming shows in Australia and Los Angeles.
SEKITANI NORIHIRO
Sekitani creates mesmerizing digital collages of body parts and pop culture icons. The works is colourful and exciting as it is confronting. Sekitani claims that he uses ‘pictures of bowels because they have such beautiful colours!’. As well as printed digital artworks, he has published a book with an art-publishing outfit in Paris and creates animated videos based on the collage pieces.
Beastman is an artist, designer, photographer and all-round creative type person raised in the hills of Sydney. He likes to ride his skateboard on the streets, play football, drive a Peugeot, drink sars, eat chocolate, bong on, chill out, sleep in, listen to music, read magazines, watch movies and TV, surf the net, hang with Jac, draw and paint pictures, and capture moments in time with his Nikon. He has so far exhibited in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and his work has appeared in publications such as Wooden Toy, Edtn, Deadbeat, Blanket and more. Beastman is also the founder, editor and designer of online publication [weAREtheIMAGEmakers] - www.watim.com / www.esnce.com
TRENT WHITEHEAD
Trent 'Burger' Whitehead is a Sydney based painter, illustrator and designer. His evocative and endearing images are characteristically painted directly on to wood panels and cut-outs. His works have been exhibited in galleries all over Australia . Recent exhibitions include WATIM 12x12 (watim.com), GAS with Doze Green, a custom wall piece for the Oxford Art Factory and a mural piece for MTV.
JEREMY PIERT
Jeremy Piert is an Adelaide based artist, who uses mixed media to create works that explore and question the themes of popular culture, consumerism and religion. His loose painterly pieces have been described as reflective and provoking with a melancholic undertone. His work titled ‘Animal Traps’ was voted third Best CD Artwork for 2006 by the magazine mess + noise. He also received the 2007 Adelaide Art Society Award for painting and drawing, as well as the honour of being chosen as a recipient for the 2007 SA Great Rising Star Award. Jeremy’s work has also been featured in numerous magazines, including Semi-Permanent and Empty.
KAREENA ZEREFOS
Kareena Zerefos is a rising star with a delicate approach to her subjects of children and animals. Working between watercolours, pen and computer, using text and imagery, her romantic pieces are very popular. Kareena’s work has been featured in Frankie magazine and Curvy.
BRETT CHAN
Brett Chan is an artist, film maker, designer and skateboarder. His colourful and fantastical works represent a 'future primative' aesthetic.
TORSO CORSO
Named after a song by French No Wave Disco whore Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Torso Corso are taking over the world through their music, art and jewellery. Comprising of a brother/sister duo TORSO CORSO Designs shrink heads, create hand-cast jewellery and draw visual recounts of zombies in an aggressive world. Using resin, photo media, parties and music to reflect their ideas, Andy and Candy explore the parallels between the brutalities of nature versus the mundane rituals of modern life. Their aesthetic is heavily inspired by voodoo and the tribal beats of bands from the New York no-wave movement of the late 70's provide a soundtrack to their world.
WE BUY YOUR KIDS
We Buy Your Kids is Sonny Day & Biddy Maroney. We live and work in Sydney , Australia . Newtown , King St , to be exact. They make artwork for posters, albums, tshirts, magazines, the internet, the magic of YouTube, the telly and many other things. Alternatively, you could phrase that as "they are a Sydney-based partnership providing illustration-based design and art-direction for various clients from Australia and abroad." Should you wish. We Buy Your Kids also hand-screen some of their custom-designed posters in limited editions.
AKINA
Akina is a villain with a button fetish. She attacks innocent teddy bears to steal their button eyes! Sydney based artist Lang Leav uses pastels and pixels to weave the enchanting world of Akina. Since its inception, the illustration based label has established a cult following worldwide. In 2005, Akina was selected as winner of the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards. She is also one of the select artists chosen to have her work showcased in the fourth edition of world renowned publication Curvy.
ANT KEOGH
A studious drawer from the age of five, Ant Keogh is largely a self-taught painter. After a chance meeting in a park at the age fourteen with a “Commercial Artist” who rendered ink drawings for hardware catalogues, Ant realized art could be a career and years later took a degree in Visual Communication at RMIT Melbourne. Ant’s work has appeared in exhibitions, street art, ads magazines and on the covers of Penguin books. His largely figurative paintings tend to explore the workings of the inner psych, urban life, suburbia, character, loneliness, nature, and the cycle of birth, childhood, work, ageing and death. His depictions of place and character are brooding, dark and sad or, at times, heartfelt and even whimsical. Ant professes to employ “subconscious painting”, drawing on surreal or often symbolic elements, drawing from childhood memory, the confusion of youth and the sometimes paranoid relationship of influence between parent, child, authority figures and even the peer-group. Generally working in Oil, acrylic and, more recently, digitally, a somewhat raw, naive approach is evident making strong use of iconography and symbolism, creating a sense of ambiguous storytelling and veiled meaning. Ant is also involved in writing a feature film with the Australian Film Commission and creating music with his band, The Deep Seven. He is also the sometime-assistant of the mysterious Writer and Artist, Edward J Funkuncle www.antkeogh.com
HANA SHIMADA
Hana Shimada is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Sydney. Her recent clients include Bang Gang 12 Inches, The Bon Scott Project, Great Antonio, Say Cheese and Die! and Jimmy Sing's Imports. She co-runs the multi-purpose venue space SYDNEY, is co-founder of the Marrickville Jelly Wrestling Federation and is launching her GOOD GOD
label mid-2008.
www.hanamizushow.com
www.officialsydney.com
CREEPY
9 things you should know about Creepy :
- creepy lives in your mind, you invented him. this is a dream.
- creepy hand draws all his street posters.
- creepy is only as tall as he is wide.
- creepy likes to wee standing up if the seat is cold.
- creepy loves to draw on things and stick them on other things.
- creepy is as happy as you think he is - you should be more positive.
- everytime you say "I don't believe in creepy" somewhere a fairy dies.
- creepy likes art.
- creepy is based in perth , western australia .
BEI BADGIRL
SMITTEN BY STEPHANIE
smitten adjective 1 smitten with: struck down, laid low, suffering, affected, afflicted, plagued, stricken. 2 boys are smitten with her infatuated with, besotted with, in love with, obsessed with, head over heels; enamored of, attracted to, taken with; captivated by, enchanted by, under a spell, moonstruck by; informal bowled over by, swept off one's feet by, crazy about, mad about, keen on, hot on, gone on, sweet on.
ARNIE ARNOLD
High Brow artist Arnie Arnold is back from his sabbatical with a taste of a
new series of paintings "Modern Primitive".The work delves into Ancient
primitive culture imagery and sybolism. And Given a "Candy Whip" with
Arnold's signature pallet.
An Artist who boats a prolific and diverse practice. A certain graphic
and distinctive style flows between Arnold¹s work, which is influenced by
popular culture and the seductive power of commercial imagery. The use of
familiar images of the everyday and bold colour enables Arnold¹s work to
reflect the complexity and contradictions of contemporary society.
www.arniearnold.com
XX'ZILLA
[KISS’KISS] ‘Zilla is inspired by punk rock, tribal artifacts, and the NY/LA/Portland underground art movements. Her images, sculptures and art-toys convey a love of beauty, voodoo and destruction in a wild world. Skulls, skeletons and mystical creatures play in the voodoo jungle. XX’Zilla works with fabric, wood, paper and hand-cast resin to create art pieces you can collect and play with. She brings a characteristic punk-pop approach to watercolours, drawings, hand-coloured prints and screenprints on paper.
ARTIST NEWS
Check out this new mural piece by Buff Monster in LA with his Italian crew Bo130 and Microbo.
Brand new 'Thanks' street stencil video by Ben Frost- watch it!