Meet Elodie Chapuis, the newest member of the discosalt Artist Collective. Since she began photography in 2006, Elodie has contributed her music and fashion photography to a slew of culture magazines and fashion projects. In 2007, she spent 4 days covering the Roskilde Festival in Denmark; the first step towards a personal artistic project to photograph live performances and off stage portraits. Elodie’s work in music, has lead her to several solo and collective exhibitions and she is constantly looking for new upcoming artists and bands to photograph. Some of her work includes The Kills, Franz Ferdinand, The Drums, Razorlight, Florence & The Machine, The XX, Iggy & The Stooges, Cold War Kids, PJ Harvey, The Strokes among others. For updates, check back soon to find more of Elodie’s work in the collective here.
Before she heads over to Auckland, NZ to speak at the amazing We Can Create conference series, a 2 day conference for creatives, discosalt artist Sara Blake is sharing some new work. Not only can you can see more of Sara in the new issue of DISCOSALT Magazine, but she has been busy preparing new work for a side event exhibition with several incredible local artists as well. The exhibition will be the first installment of a year long project called 100 Girls—a personal exercise and exploration in creating a large body of work of one of her favorite subjects—pretty ladies. And Sara also has very hush hush top secret collaborations coming up as well, which you can sneak a peak at.
Below are some process images and sneak peaks of the 100 Girls series.
Here are some sneak peaks at Sara’s top secret project…shhhhh:
For an urban artist, “CT” tells us that he didn’t grow up in a big metropolis. As a result, he “wasn’t directly in contact with the more common writing dynamics, which at the beginning of 90′s established themselves in all European cities”. CT’s environment took him in a different direction; influencing his way of thinking and contributing to a different approach to “Graffiti” art. Without any stylistic references in his small town, he grew curious about the world of graffiti art in cities like New York and Berlin. CT soon discovered a group of artists who were starting a stylistic/formal/conceptual revolution, able to lead Graffiti to a new level. This lead him to create urban art that has an old school spirit but also expresses his subjective vision of contemporaneity.
Pam Glew’s forthcoming show features icons from the Roaring 20s, from silent movies to the golden age of cinema. The next generation post-urban pop artist uses her signature style of dyeing and bleaching vintage materials to create poignant portraits of the beautiful and the damned.
‘Beautiful and Damned’, the shows title, is of course taken from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 novel, which explores the listless lives of moneyed society during the Jazz Age. This captivating era, drenched in glamour yet tinged with tragedy is the decadent setting for this extraordinary series of work. The exquisitely beautiful movie starlets, society icons and characters on display capture the spirit of the age all who are caught in the unforgiving glare of the limelight and some sadly burn out before their time. As Pam states, “the tragedy amongst the beauty is what has inspired this show, the sharp contrast between a blessed life and one that ends in scandal, hedonism or destitution”.
For this latest series, the artist uses found materials from the same period. This is the first time she has incorporated antiques into her work. Each piece is deconstructed, dyed, and repeatedly bleached until a portrait emerges from the cloth. Rather than add pigment, Glew takes away the pigments in layers, creating ghostly figures, which appear almost woven into the cloth. This technique, mastered by the artist, can also be seen in the ‘Flag’ series and ‘Circus’ series, these prolific luminaries’ faded portraits are not only responsive to the vulnerability of the characters but are also loaded with connotations of the fragility of all human life and the transcendent nature of all our lives. However, in this new body of work Glew explores colour and pattern as a contemporary re-invention of found materials. The vintage materials and antique techniques used, such as crewelwork, further highlight and bring to the surface the precious and tenuous lives of the characters featured.
Household names of the time feature in this ever so evocative exhibition, such as world famous vaudeville performer Josephine Baker, sultry screen goddess Marlene Dietrich and the pioneering aviators of the time Amelia Earhart the first female pilot to fly solo over the Atlantic, who went missing attempting to fly around the world and Charles ’Lucky Lindy’ Lindberg, whose child was notoriously kidnapped and murdered in the ‘Crime of the century’. These highly iconic figures, each with their own personal distressing life stories, represent the true spirit of the age.
Glew acknowledges the influence of some of the great Pop artists like Johns and Warhol while we also see a nod to women’s installation art and post-modern film theory allowing her to comment on contemporary society in a more poetic and subtle way than we usually see in the urban scene. Her gentle and feminine approach to a sensitive subject matter could be the reason why she has been picked up by the likes of the actress of the moment
Check out the work from the newest member of the Discosalt Artist Collective: Sara Blake aka ZSO.
Sara is an illustrator and fine artist living and loving in New York City who mixes traditional illustration with digital techniques to create these amazing vivid and textured pieces. After spending the last few years as an art director, graphic designer, and freelance illustrator, Sara is now a full-time illustrator, with some impressive projects under her belt; she has collaborated on campaigns with Marc Jacobs, Hurly, TedX Brooklyn, Nike House of Hoops and designed some really sick skatedecks with SGCNY.
Two years ago, Sara was featured in Yen Magazine as one of the the 120 ”most exciting female graphic designers and illustrators” from 39 countries around the world and now a member of our collective, we are excited to follow her career and looking forward to some bang-up collaborations real soon! Follow her on her blog right here: http://www.hellozso.com/blog/
Discosalt artist Jeffrey Capossela recently added some finishing touches on a rowdy new four panel project which draws influence from the 2nd floor bar window at New York’s live music venue The Bowery Ballroom. Channeling the work of post-impressionist artists, Jeff creates his familiar aesthetic images by building layer upon layer of acrylic paint in brilliant pure colors to create simplified structures of form, in a ‘dream like’ manner.
Discosalt recently caught up with Jeff in Hells Kitchen to talk about the idea behind his new work “Bowery & Delancey”. Here is what he had to say:
JC: I really came up with the idea from just going to see live music and really loving the venue and how it makes me feel when I’m there. Warm ambient surroundings, amazing sound and just an all around arousing experience every time I step foot inside the venue. The first painting “Bowery & Delancey” is from the second floor bar and is an abstract impression of the inside atmosphere of the second floor and a peak of the downtown New York City street at night, traffic lights, cabs, neon, but all in all a controlled chaos. Below, you can see the actual window Jeff drew his inspiration from, the work in progress and the final painting.
Discosalt Artist Jason Woodside has been hard at work making some new updates on his website which you can check out HERE. You can watch a new video in the media section filmed by Philip Mansfield which shows some of his more recent work. Also, there’s a series of limited prints up online in the store. Each print is $100 and comes framed. They’re in the new line of work Jason has been doing and are cool if you want some of the artwork without having to buy an actual piece. Check out more of Jason’s work in the Discosalt Artist Collective and watch his new video after the jump.
We are excited to welcome Ana Cabaleiro as a new member of the Discosalt Artist Collective this month!
Escape the city, to a washed out world of never ending sunny days, clean air and overwhelming natural beauty. In these spaces there are things to smell other than car-exhaust and there are textures to feel other than concrete or brick. Being there, photographing these types of areas simultaneously engages all of Ana’s sense in a pleasurable way, something that happens infrequently in the crowded and noisy urban environment.
Discosalt recently caught up with cult icon/flag obsessed UK based urban artist Pam Glew, to discuss her new show “Circus”, the glitter of celebrity, the joy of old cinema, future fashion collaborations and the cherry on the cake.
DS: You use some amazing portraits in your work. Where do they come from and how do you select images that inspire you?
PG: I watch a lot of old movies, and as a result some of the images stem from screen stills of films, I take about 200 photos from a film and then deconstruct the image in Photoshop, I might morph a few photographs morphed together, I do a lot digitally to the images before I start painting. I choose faces that seem to have a kind of beauty that’s also slightly painful; like Micheal Jackson as a youngster, Hunter S Thompson, and Edie Sedgewick, they all have a certain pain that balances out their success; slightly tortured souls.
DS: Where did the idea of calling the show “circus” come from?
PG: I’m interested in the idea of all kinds of performers. I think of ‘show business’ as abit like a kind of travelling circus; artists, musicians, actresses, writers all having some kind of dark side. I worked in theatre for a few years, it was quite rustic and not very glitzy. I’ve always been drawn to the chaos of backstage, and the Terry Gilliam-esque eclectic montage of costumes, props and ephemera. I think its fairly important in this celebrity obsessed world to get a grip and realise that people are just people, and there is always a possibility of tragedy in the most glittering lifestyle.
DS: Your work mashes two things we seem to worship here in the US: the flag and celebrities. Are you consciously raising celebrity to a higher status or bringing the notion of patriotism to a superficial level?
PG: I think we salute flags like we salute celebrity, I’m not raising them, but am interested in how we look up to individuals that have achieved something. Its hard graft that gets recognised a lot of the time, especially when we look at authors, painters, performers that work on a stage, a platform. People like to think of performers as having very glamourous lives but I’m sure it has its flip side. So I painted Twiggy, Françoise Dorléac and Kate Moss with the idea of the Pierrot clown, with a certain kind of beautiful melancholy in their eyes.
DS: There is an element of film noir in your work. Do you have a favorite?
PG: I love Double Indemnity, and the scripts back then were awesome, so well written, witty and each line is so well crafted. For the ‘Circus’ show I watched a lot of films from the 1960s though; and loved ‘A Dandy in Aspic’, the painting called ‘Wonderwheel’ is loosely based on Mia Farrow in that film, I still have no idea what happened in that film, but that’s half the joy of cinema, being left confused and slightly unsettled.
DS: What projects would you like to work on in the near future?
PG: More shows! I also really enjoyed the Ralph Lauren commission this year (I made the first ‘art star’ for Polo Jeans & then they have commissioned over 40 more artists from all over Europe & Middle East. That was interesting as I realised there actually is quite a lot of freedom in working to a brief and it makes you approach your work in a new way. It was challenging in a very healthy way. So more things that can make me look at the work in a new and interesting way. Fashion collaborations or furniture & interiors would be a great direction to get my teeth into. Looking at fabric and cloth in new ways that promote innovation.
DS: Any plans in the works for a solo show across the great pond in New York?
PG: Funnily enough, yes, there are possibilities of a show in NYC. I would LOVE to show there, that would be the cherry on the cake.
Exciting news from Discosalt Artist Pam Glew. Her long awaited second London solo show is coming to town. Eddie Lock and Death by Daylight will present the ‘Circus’ exhibition at Red Bull Studios.
The exhibition will showcase 15 brand new pieces. This is her most iconic series of work to date and includes European flags, a ‘love series’ made from deconstructed stars & stripes and new distinctive portraits of cult figures.
Details:
Where: Red Bull Studios • 155-171 Tooley Street • London • SE1 2JP
Nearest tube London Bridge When: Friday 26 November – Thursday 2 December
Opening hours 11-7 weekdays • Sat 10-5pm • Sun 12-5pm
“Leonie is a portrait and fashion photographer based in East London, UK. She had her first solo exhibition in London in September 2009. Entitled Rocker the project consisted of intimiate portraits and gritty documentary photographs, taken on the UK rockabily scene. Since her adolescence, Leonie has always been drawn to subcultures. once a die-hard mod, she then became fascinated by the colorful characters and vibrancy of the rockabily scene and has been able to enter their world, photographing intimate portraits of them. Currently she is working on a personal project entitled Rebel Rebel, photographing 12 achingly cool teenagers in their bedrooms, capturing their private worlds. Leonie has previously been commissioned by The Face, X Ray Magazine, Sleazenation, You Magazine, Virgin and Time Out Australia. Leonie was nomiated in The Hospital Club Top 100 list in 2010, under the category “Emerging Artist” “(http://www.leoniemorse.com/about.html)
You can also check out some of Leonie’s work here on Discosalt.
Here’s a little sneaky peeky at what the DISCOSALT artist / musician has been up to lately:
Viktor received an award for his work that we showed you which he exhibited at shows in London and Germany back in January of this year. For the prize he was awarded another showing in Cologne, Germany in November. The images above and below are an exclusive snap shot of what to expect for the upcoming show this fall.
And the dopeness continues…
Over the years Viktor has been combining his love and talent of visual art with that of musical art, often performing live at shows of his work. Now collaborating with New York act nihiti Timofeev will be performing at HBC this week (http://www.hbc-berlin.de/) at 22:00 and at Fridey Mickel Art Berlin on Saturday, July 17. The collaboration is called nihiti + Viktor Timofeev – check out some of the tracks below: german sunset in an american heart (live in berlin with viktor timofeev, july 4th 2010) by nihiti
nihiti recently played with Timofeev at the Exit Festival in Serbia and will be performing 4 shows in Berlin soon. The cover of nihiti’s first LP, to be released 10/10/10, will contain artwork from viktor timofeev as well. You can check out more tracks from nihiti here and also at www.nihiti.com
Meet Elodie Chapuis, the newest member of the discosalt Artist Collective. Since she began photography in 2006, Elodie has contributed her music and fashion photography to a slew of culture magazines and fashion projects. In 2007, she spent 4 days covering the Roskilde Festival in Denmark; the first step towards a personal artistic project to photograph live performances and off stage portraits. Elodie’s work in music, has lead her to several solo and collective exhibitions and she is constantly looking for new upcoming artists and bands to photograph. Some of her work includes The Kills, Franz Ferdinand, The Drums, Razorlight, Florence & The Machine, The XX, Iggy & The Stooges, Cold War Kids, PJ Harvey, The Strokes among others. For updates, check back soon to find more of Elodie’s work in the collective here.
