MYA review by MYA Gallery

MYA REVIEW

MYA REVIEW nยบ 01 Limited Edition nยบ

/500

Happy anniversary mya

g allery

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The first thing was to make the art

market

accessible.

experience of London galleries has been one of the traditional Mayfair space:

door

bells

enter

and

deafening silence, they can seem very intimidating

for

anyone

who

isn't

familiar with that environment. Art should be for everyone. At MYA we have installed a small library, sofas, and, combined with the good music and a friendly and knowledgeable team, we hope to create a place where people feel comfortable to hang out, perhaps read a book, ask questions. A place to make your mind more open.â&#x20AC;? Tom-David Bastok, CEO of My Art Invest

My Art Invest, online since march 2011, is now enjoying its fourth year with more and more joining its international community of art collectors, enthusiasts and investors. Its innovative concept is the brain-child of Parisian entrepreneur Tom-David Bastok, introducing a whole new avenue of accessibility to the art market, and guidance within it for those who wish to learn its secrets. ‘The biggest point for me is you have to fall in love with a good investment. It's our job to select quality pieces with strong market potential, but it’s you that has to fall in love to buy your shares’. MYA Gallery, the UK showroom of My Art Invest, is about to celebrate its first birthday. Specialising in exhibiting original artworks by both emerging and well established contemporary artists from all four corners of the globe, MYA has enjoyed an exciting inaugural year. Situated in the heart of London’s East End, the gallery is surrounded by an area famed for it’s importance in the development of such guerrilla expression and visible throughout this historical urban landscape. The 230-squaremeter, two story gallery space, benefiting from a large glass exterior and interior dissected by a distinctive mezzanine. The resulting wall, transcending over 20 feet through both upper and lower floors, offers artists a unique surface to create large scale murals and site specific, cutting-edge installations. Visitors also have the ability to access My Art Invest’s online platform through dedicated iPads and purchase shares of the artworks in our extensive art inventory online. So regardless of your budget or your knowledge of art, there is always something for everyone here at MYA. As we celebrate this important milestone in our London space, MYA and My Art Invest bring to you the special first edition of our new magazine, MYA Review, which will have a limited and numbered print run of just 500 copies. In the following pages we reflect on our incredible past year with interviews from artists in each of our exhibitions, we meet clients already making money on our online investment platform as well as giving you our hot tips for the top ten artists in which to watch.

F re q u e n t ly asked questions

What is the difference between MYA Gallery and My Art Invest? MYA Gallery is the London experience of My Art Invest. The gallery focuses on showcasing a programme of curated solo and group exhibitions, artist talks and workshops. The gallery's primary objective is to offer our clients complete artworks from a selection of top international talent. My Art Invest is the online share and exchange platform that can also be accessed directly in the gallery through our dedicated iPads. So... Explain to me about how the shares work... The concept was conceived to make buying artwork more accessible and allow clients to invest in the flourishing art market in an informed way and in an easy to use format. My Art Investâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s platform allows access to all, carefully selecting a portfolio of artists that clients can hand pick from online. Each artwork is broken down into between 100 and 1,000 shares and, with the ability to buy just a single share, clients can choose their level of investment. So who keeps the artwork when all the shares are sold? Usually My Art Invest will store the artwork on behalf of the shareholders, however, if any one client owns 25% of the shares or more they have the option to hang the work in their home for 25% of the the year, 50% would be 50% and so on. 6

So who decides when to sell the artwork once all the shares are sold? My Art Invest carefully monitors the art market to find the best or the most suitable time to resell a work but, as with every investment structure, we would need 51% of the shareholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; consent to proceed. Once we have been given the go ahead and the sale of the work is finalised, the profit is then distributed evenly between all of the shareholders. On average My Art Invest will look to resell the work within a 3-5 year window. What happens if I want to buy the entire work but a number of the shares have already been purchased? We will do our best to keep everyone happy by often selling the work to the buyer while reimbursing the initial shareholders with up to 15% on top of their investment. When we have bought shares and there are none left except on the exchange platform, what happens then? You can resell the shares on our exchange platform or top up your investment by buying supplementary shares, especially if you are looking to be the majority shareholder of the artwork. If I buy 100% of the shares, is the painting mine? Yes, you are the full owner and can take the artwork home. Can I resell shares in a work even if not all the shares have been sold yet? No, you have to wait until all the shares in an artwork have been sold in the primary market. How do you select the artists? We select artists and works according to the following criteria: the quality of work, the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity, the latest results in auction houses and gallery trends. 7

summary

Introduction

4 FAQs 8 Grand opening 12 EXHIbitions 14

From hackney to Harlem 20 Matt Small 24 Otto Schade

Wall To Wall 32 Joe Webb 34 Mr Penfold

36 Kaleidoscope 42 Txemy 44 Btoy 46 Client Interviews 57 Our Top 10 Artists to watch 58

What's Next at MYA Gallery

60 The Team

G RA N D OPENING

April 2014 marked the start of My Art Investâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s London story.

The new gallery space hosted its grand opening with a launch party featuring works from some of the finest names in the international street art scene and welcomed over 800 guests.

Mark Jenkins Katrin Fridriks Crash Hush El Seed Tilt Banksy Revok D*Face Pose Connor Harrington Rero Dondi White Retna Rime Futura 2000 Ludo

Exhibitions

From Hackney To Harlem

Wall To Wall

Kaleidoscope

From Hackney To Harlem

From Hackney to HarlemÂ was a celebration of contemporary street art with an emphasis on urban mediums such as spraypaint and acrylic.

The show was the first to be curated at the new MYA Gallery, on London’s Commercial Street. From the outset visitors were met with bright colour and a stylistic variety visible from the mezzanine. From here the staircase led down to MYA’s large open plan lower level and the gallery’s unique architecture, with the removal of part of the upper floor, made room for the monumental and impressive, hanging sculpture Grapes of Wrath by Ludo. The Parisian based artist Ludo has been fast making a name for himself globally as one of today’s most relevant names in the street art scene. Grapes of Wrath, in which life-size human skulls hang on a giant grape vine, is a classic example of one of his ‘organisms’ where he blends organic life with the man-made, often military objects or, in this case, an object referencing human death and brutality.

- From Hackney To Harlem

Ludo was one of several major international artists in the show; Banksy, and Katrin Fridriks also graced the walls alongside up-and-coming artists and local names. A Banksy entitled Daddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Back, for example, was displayed in one corner next to Proof By Contradiction by Smash 137. Smash 137 is a graffiti artist who has moved from calligraphy styled works into a more abstract use of spray paint.

Ludo Banksy Katrin Fridriks Smash 137 Shepard Fairey Magnus Gjoen Inkie Rero Nathan Chantob Matt Small Rime Pose Revok D*Face Otto Schade Ellannah Sadkin Trash Anderson

From Hackney To Harlem

M a t t S m a l l o t t o schade

m a t t s mall

When did you start painting and when did you decide you wanted to be an artist? We all have our talents, mine was drawing which I did from a very young age but it was never something I was totally passionate about, making art was something I just did. I studied to be an illustrator because I thought it was a viable way of using my talent to make money but as I went through art education I become more aware that, as a creative person, I needed to communicate something about me. I started to feel like what was the point of having a talent if I was not prepared to say something intimate, to make a point, to be brave, to be me. I had a unique opportunity to interpret the world how I saw it. At the end of my illustration Masters at the RCA I no longer saw myself being a commercial minded artist, I had produced 22

- From Hackney To Harlem

a body of work which was totally about me and my world, being a commercial illustrator and having a career in the Arts felt so far away from me. What mattered was that I had fun exploring me as a person, and realising that there were numerous ways I could make a piece of art in order to convey a message, it didn’t need to be a painting, I could use sculpture, I could work with print, or film, I didn’t need to follow any rules. It’s exciting to realise that actually there are no rules to creativity, that you can ignore the established ideas placed upon us by so called art intellects, those who try to place reason upon creativity, there is no reasoning, it's random and travels where it wants, it shouldn’t be constrained. At the RCA graduation show my thoughts were of stacking shelves at Sainsbury’s but luckily enough a girl on my course had family that owned a prestigious gallery in Mayfair. They came to see her work, liked what I did and asked me to exhibit at theire gallery. All of a sudden, I was having a solo show with these paintings I had produced on pieces of crappy scrap metal. It was then that I realised that there was a place for me in the art world. In your paintings, you look to give a sense of humanity in our society. Why do you focus on these themes? It feels like our politicians and the media have a very real desire to put us all against each other, to create division amongst us all. It's actually encouraged to look down upon others who are different, be it based on class, race or religious beliefs, we are fed a constant slew of negative information about certain groups in our society to a point where “I want to find the humanity we begin to dehumanise others. We no longer see the in others, to envision the individual, we see others we positive attributes of those should fear in some way. We put them in a box. It’s a cruel I encounter. ” thing, stripping someone down to a stereotype but we all can do it. It makes life easier to assume someone must be a certain type of person. I need to address these issues in my art. I want to find the humanity in others, to envision the positive attributes of those I encounter. By using portraiture I can shine a light on others that society pushes into the shadows, I can bestow some importance upon 23

another, which is what the portrait has always been about. Whilst the painting sits on a gallery wall, they are included, they are given recognition and it allows for the viewer to spend time with another human who they may well have chosen not to have anything to do with in real life. How does contemporary urban culture in London influence your paintings? London has a definitive energy about it that I want to capture in my paintings, the rawness of the place, the grit, the grime, the toughness and the beauty. I feel like this energy is reflected in many creatives in London, we all feed from it, from music to visual art, it’s a big melting pot that ends up informing us all. That’s what makes London great but I fear that with ever zealous land owners whose primary concern is monetary gains, we are seeing a squeeze on creative individual's abilities to keep emitting this energy. If it becomes economically difficult for creatives to live in London, I don’t think the city will be such a cool hip place for all the money people whose desire to live here actually contributes to the ongoing gentrification we are seeing. What do the titles “Rodney” or “Jon” mean to you? I paint anonymous people on the streets of the capital. I find that living in the city it's really important for me to acknowledge that other person, it's easy to pass someone by and pay no mind to them. It’s like we're all ghosts floating by each other never stopping to wonder who that other person is. Where are they going? Where have they been? What’s their goals in life? What are they thinking about? I like the idea of depicting that other person and, rather than seeing no story, I envision their story and see an identity. Giving names to the people I paint makes them individuals, it makes them fully rounded. So Rodney is not just a hoodie-wearing black guy, he’s someone 24

- From Hackney To Harlem

off to college and Jon is an aspiring actor full of ambition. They are people, they are you, they are me, they are us. Why do you choose to work with found materialsÂ ? What is your process? Do you work with any other mediums? Painting on pieces of metal is about salvaging what has been discarded, what is no longer seen as valid, what some could view as ugly or useless... Urban debris... I take these objects and I see the potential usage, I find a purpose for them, I reconstitute them. By taking the image of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are people, they are young person, a person whom themselves can be seen as you, they are me, they are us.â&#x20AC;? being discarded and unvalued by society and combining it with the found material, I feel it increases the idea that everything is of worth, everything can be valued if we all take time to see the potential within. I love working with all these found objects, they are like sculptures in themselves, which has led me to becoming more interested in creating 3D artworks. I am currently producing a series of 3D portraits using cut pieces of metal to make up the features of the face, these pieces are technically very challenging and very damaging to my little fingers but art should be about pushing yourself in all directions. What brought you to be exhibited at My Art Invest? I was asked to exhibit in the group show From Hackney to Harlem. I like the connection between the two areas, its interesting how Hackney has evolved over the years into such an art hub and MYA Gallery is doing a great job of promoting and making accessible the art works being produced out of this scene so I was happy to be part of it all. 25

O T T O SChaD E

You moved to London in 2006, why the move? I moved from Concepcion (Chile) to Berlin (Germany) in 2004 and from Berlin to London in 2006. I decided to move from Berlin because it was difficult for me to sell my artwork there and also to find a job as an architect. Where did your artistic journey begin ? I have been drawing since I remember, painting on canvases since 1996 and painting on walls since 2009. I was convinced by a street artist friend to start painting on the streets as I was living in the centre of the street scene in London and, at the same time, because most of the galleries I wanted to show charge artists to exhibit their work in their spaces, a thing that I consider really bad because you don’t measure the quality of the artist, it’s just about having the money to show. At the same time when you hire the space, the rent for the owner of the gallery is already paid so they are not forced to sell. So, after painting on some walls in London people started recognising my style.

- From Hackney To Harlem

You’ve exhibited worldwide including Miami, New York and Moscow – what’s been your most enjoyable show? In Miami and New York I have shown my work but I did not attend the openings, I just posted the canvases. In Miami I went to paint a wall last year for Miami Basel Art Fair. But the experience in Moscow was one of the best ones because I was having a Solo show of my work at the Chilean Embassy with a great opening and positive sales. There is loads of culture in Moscow. Does travel and culture influence you? What has been the most inspirational place you’ve visited?

“I have all the

Of course travel and culture influence you all the time. The most insignificant detail you see somewhere could be used or could be developed into been experimenting a great idea or painting. I time with new stuff.” don’t think I have a most inspirational place, it depends on your mood, feelings and thoughts in a specific moment. That can come when the conditions of the environment you are in help you, it could be an amazing place or an ugly one. How would you describe your work and style? I have many different styles, and I experiment all the time with new stuff. I was known most for my ribboned work and for what I call, my 'Orb Series'. It was everything transformed into ribbons. I was trying to do something different, but at the same time I wanted to create shapes that you can see through or into. Apart from the interesting style, the ribbons helped me to create connections and to represent the expressions in a different way of the faces and bodies. The orb series developed because I was trying to give an anti war message in a sarcastic way. A clean and quick message to be painted legally or illegally on a black background. 27

Wall to Wall

Exhibited from the 28th of November 2014 to the 13th of February 2015. With the gallery situated in the heart of Shoreditch, the Wall to Wall exhibition was a celebration of East Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s street art legacy and those artists that have cemented its role as an international hub of urban creativity.

Katrin Fridriks Endless D*Face Art is Trash Retna Mr Penfold Ben Levy Kaws Carl Cashman Cally Jo Hush Patrick Bremer Jean-Michel Basquiat Otto Schade Martin Ron The exhibition served as an extension of the exterior urban landscape while simultaneously drawing visual comparisons with the tightly packed walls of the traditional 18th Century French salons. The collection presented a wide range of mediums, disciplines and techniques, giving collectors the opportunity to experience both those established artists with a proven auction record, as well as an exciting selection of emerging artists hand picked by MYA as the ones to watch in upcoming years. Ironically what united them all, however, is their uniqueness of style, each competing for your eye as they would in their original collaborative settings, the canvases of the very city itself. Running from the 28th of November through to early February, the show delivered Wall to Wall colour over London’s bleak winter months.

Roy Lichtenstein A.CE Robin Coleman Joe Webb David Shillinglaw Magnus Gjoen C215 Malarky

- wall to wall

T h u r s d ay, J a n u a r y 2 2 n d 2 0 1 5 Finding your Voice: Panel Discussion with the artists

A One-off panel discussion with artists Joe Webb, Ben Levy and Mr. Cenz, discussing their various beginnings, early influences and the source of their unique style and identity.

Wall to Wall

J W

o e e b b M i s t e r Pe n f o l d

J w

o e

e b

Your work features incredible collage juxtapositions of vintage photographs. Where do you source the images? I’ve got a few secret reliable sources, various local antique shops, and vintage magazine stores. If I find myself in a new place I’ll be sure to check out the second hand shops, there’s an element of serendipity in finding found imagery for collages. The buzz is when I place two images together that I found years and miles apart from each other and a narrative somehow appears. The work is about saying as much as I can as simply as possible. What was it that first attracted you to the medium of collage? I like the graphic impact of it…it feels relevant in today's culture of the mash up and remix. It’s the visual equivalent 34

- wall to wall

of sampling a record or remixing, reinventing the original and taking it somewhere else. It’s also nice to go back to something lo-fi, away from the computer. I make a conscious decision that none of the work is made digitally. It has to be analogue, made from the original magazines otherwise it looses its magic somehow. It is difficult to miss the satirical undertones to your compositions. How important is the message compared to the aesthetic? It’s a visual language, so I guess it helps if the piece is attractive to look at - The technicolor 50’s imagery is the hook that draws people in, then they can start “Collage can be quite to look more deeply at it if they want to, and peel through immediate where as with the layers to reveal the ideas painting there’s much more within the piece. I want my work to have a message in room for error.” it, there’s loads of ambiguous artwork out there already. There’s so much going on in the world I feel I want to say something about it. The challenge is how to say it in a clear way without being clichéd. I generally avoid the gun with a flower coming out of it type of approach and opt for something a bit more subtle. Your newest works, featured in Wall to Wall, sees you move your trademark compositions into the painting medium. How have you found the transition? It’s been a long process. I’ve experimented with lots of different techniques to find out what works best when translating the collages into paintings. Collage can be quite immediate where as with painting there’s much more room for error. If the composition doesn’t work, or some paint drips in the wrong place, then weeks of work can be ruined. If you could live the life of any other artist, dead or alive, who would it be? Sigmar Polke. I’d like to know what his techniques were and how he approached his halftone paintings. His work is brilliantly mad... It’s like he just didn’t care but somehow it all works. 35

M i s t e r penfold

Having lived and worked in both Cambridge and London, what were the reasons behind your recent move to Bristol? I love both CambridgeÂ and London, but living in Cambridge for 26 years the city started to feel stale. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been coming to Bristol on the regular since I was 14 for skateboarding. The city has such a strong sense of community within the arts and that was something Cambridge was always lacking for me. In your recent works the stylised, almost cartoonlike, characters have made way for much more abstracted forms. What were the main reasons for the shift? Abstraction is something Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been into. Growing up as a kid I used to go and visit the studio of my dad's friends. 36

- wall to wall

At the time I was too young to appreciate what was infront of me, but the older I got the more I think back to those times for inspiration. I decided to seperate the character and abstract work just because it felt right. For me the characters are for the street and all my paintings in the studio are now pretty much all abstract. You have collaborated with many artists in the past such as Malarky and Sweet Toof. What do you feel you have learned the most from working so closely with other artists? Yeah, it’s fun to paint with different people. I’m not sure if you learn stuff from each other, but you always get to bounce of each other and ideas usually get thrown back and forth so you always come up with something you might not have dreamt up on your own.

“For me the characters are for the street and all my paintings in the studio are now pretty much all abstract.”

You come from a very creative family, how has this helped mould you as an artist? Yes! It would have been a struggle to not do something creative.

Do you collect art yourself and which is the piece you are most proud of? Yeah I’m lucky enough to have a really good collection from working as a screenprinter for 7 years. My most treasured piece has to be the Eduardo Paolozzi sculpture I was given when I was a kid. If you could add one artist to you collection who would it be and why? Kaws. Always been a massive fan and he’s a huge inspiration to me. 37

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope exhibits 12 hand-selected artists that have created, inspired and lead the public art movement in Spain over the past 10 years. Artists that initially placed their mark on abandoned buildings, villages, city streets and dark alleys, have now reached international attention for their artwork in galleries and museums across the globe.

Kaleidoscope aims to analyse, challenge and celebrate the influences, patterns and trends that can be found in Spanish art and understand how their culture, location and heritage has helped them develop their colourful, creative voice. Spain has always enjoyed a unique position in relation to modern art history. Now in 2015, Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy of insurrection continues to fuel a collection of urban artists exploring various mediums, styles and dimensions, from large murals to intricate, detailed paintings and stencils; experimenting with colour, humour and the varied Spanish landscape. The underlying similarities and paradoxical diversity of style originating from Spain can be largely accredited to this rich heritage and, with artists persisting to experiment, not content to simply mimic the successes of others, the region continues to bubble over with a raw, and largely undiscovered, collection of genius. MYA brings together an innovative and highly influential group of contemporary artists from all corners of Spain in one exhibition, illustrating the pure talent that has developed from this unique culture. Specifically curated for MYAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space and with artists Txemy and Murone painting directly onto the interior walls, the exhibition sets to capture the attention and imagination of the London art market, urging them to recognise and connect with this powerful group of living artists. Alongside the exhibition MYA showcases a collection of photographs from these artists, demonstrating the impact that their street artworks have in their original settings, from abandoned farm buildings to city landscape. 40

- Kaleidoscope

F r i d ay, 2 0 t h F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5 Kaleidoscope in Focus: Q&A with exhibiting artists

A Q&A with exhibiting artists Kenor, Zosen, Txemy, Murone and Spok. Discussing their artworks, the exhibition and the Urban â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Contemporary art movement in Spain.

S at u r d ay 1 4 t h M a r c h 2 0 1 5 BCN RISE & FALL: Film screening and Q&A with the director Aleix Gordo hostau.

BCN Rise & Fall is a documentary that examines the rise and fall of street art in Barcelona in the past years, transforming from one of the world capitals of street art to a state of zero tolerance, which has led to the disappearance of an emerging scene of great artists from its streets.

Zosen Okuda Felipe Pantone Nuria Mora Kenor Murone Btoy Txemy Pez Demsky Uriginal Spok

Kaleidoscope

T x e m y B T O Y

T x e m y

Where are you from? I grew up in the Canary Islands in Spain, but I was born in Chile. You use a lot of vivid colors in your work, which gives your work a lot of life. What’s the story behind that? It comes from Van Gogh’s colour application and Velazquez’s use of light; I like to experiment with a very vivid palette, the joy of using complementary colours and combining them with energy. It’s truly magical to have so much colour in one artwork. What made you decide that you wanted to live your life as an artist? Being a painter was not in my plan, the word artist is still too big for me. I prefer to use the word painter. My first steps as a painter was working in a web agency as an Art Director, a job that required all my creativity. When I got home at night and I wanted to paint, I just didn’t have any energy left. My creative 44

- Kaleidoscope

energy was all dedicated to my day job. That’s why one day I said to myself; “I really just want to spend my days painting”. So I made the brave decision to leave a very good job and start over, from zero, and follow my dreams I had as a young kid. How would you describe your journey thus far as an artist? My journey to become an artist is the best decision I have ever taken in my life. Everyday I wake up wanting to create something, to paint, to experiment with all my ideas. I do what I want, but I of course have to be responsible with my ideas, and to search or create something new. When you’re on the high ladders making murals, what runs through your mind? I’m really used to it, it’s so much fun. Maybe it helped spending most of my childhood climbing trees to eat the fruit on the Island. There is one experience I will “That’s why one day, I said to never forget, a mural called “Corazón de Wynwood” in myself: ‘I really just want to 2013 (at the entrance of the Wynwood neighbourhood, in spend my days painting’.” Miami, Florida) I painted a huge piece with a pole and a big ladder. Everytime I was at the very top of that ladder I prayed, asking God to help me, again and again, and it was worth it. But so scary. Have you enjoyed taking part in the collective show, Kaleidoscope at MYA Gallery? Yes, of course, it’s very interesting. I like my pieces to be surrounded by other good artists and artworks. All the artists in the exhibition are artists that I have been inspired by and respect greatly. It was a real honor to showcase my work with MYA Gallery and be part of such an important show for Spanish street art. What advice would you give an aspiring artist? To have no fear. To look, observe and try to read each art piece, understand how they are created, enjoy them and study the history of art. 45

When did you feel stencils became your speciality? I started experimenting and working with stencils as my main medium over 10 years ago on the streets of Barcelona, the city I have been living and working in throughout my life. What artist inspired you most to become a street artist? I have always liked art, and followed the work of several artists as my career developed, however, no specific person or artist really caught my attention or drove me to become an artist. The decision to start painting on the street was a natural choice for me. Do you remember any significant moments in your career that really pushed you to become a full time artist? I have always wanted to become an artist, as long as I can remember! I have had other jobs to get by but none of them allowed me enough freedom to express myself. Being an artist lets you pick up and move when you please. I can simply depend on myself and it is a freedom that I cannot live without. What is your experience on the streets while painting? What challenges have you faced most? When I paint on the streets, I try to disguise myself and act normal, just blend in with the crowd and not draw any 46

- Kaleidoscope

attention to myself. As a street artist, you become aware of your surroundings, the people that walk past you, and the routes and roads around you. It is not just the wall that is important, but the environment you enter into and the energy around the space you are working. You have to be truly aware of your environment when painting on the streets. I understand on the street you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much time to create a piece of art, so can you explain your process when working with stencils? Do you map out the work before and do you choose the location beforehand? There are two ways in which you work on the streets, legally and illegally. Working legally allows you to prepare and organise the work and create a perfect piece for the desired wall. For example, preparing the stencils for the specific measurements. When I work illegally, everything becomes much more improvised. I have to work quickly and I often do not know where my next canvas will be, so it is almost impossible to plan. Most artists will see a place in which they want to paint, and it just depends on timing and how accessible it is.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to be truly aware of your environment when painting on the streets.â&#x20AC;?

One of your pieces for the Kaleidoscope exhibition included screen-printing, stencils and hand painting... What other mediums are you currently experimenting with? Screen-printing has taken a crucial role within my practice. I have recently moved slightly away from stenciling, and started experimenting with textures and how different layers and patches change the overall effect of a piece. I am really enjoying the process of testing out new mediums and techniques. What are your objectives with your art? What do you want your viewers to understand through your work? The problem is that my objectives are often unclear. I do not have a precise method or issue that I follow and stick to. I often do not know where I will take my work when I start and I have a vision that has totally changed by the end. My independence, passions and even loneliness is something that I aim to maintain, which in turn keeps my work fresh and exciting. 47

C l i e n t I n t e r v ie w s

Pascal Guyot

Matthew kearn

Rob Rose

Baptiste MondĂŠhard

P a s c a l G u y o t real estate How did you hear about My Art Invest? I heard about My Art Invest while I was living in Shanghai almost 4 years ago. I was watching the TV program “Télé Matin”, a famous show in France on the chanel TV5 Monde. Have you ever had an interest in art before you got to know My Art Invest? I always loved contemporary art. I am constantly going to museums, exhibitions… but to be honest I don’t know that much about art or artists. I just like art, I found it beautiful.

“I also thought it was a good way for me to invest in something different, for the diversity of my heritage.”

How did you start with My Art Invest?

It is a really innovative and clever concept. So why not try it? While I was watching TV I felt that Tom-David Bastok could bring something different, something new to the art market. And in the way of buying art. I would never have bought a piece of art before I knew of My Art Invest. I also thought it was a good way for me to invest in something different, for the diversity of my heritage. Why are you using My Art Invest? To learn about art? To invest in art? Before everything it’s a pleasure. I can’t imagine buying an artwork I don’t like just because it’s a good investment. For me, it is really important to have faith in the art dealer you are doing business with before any investment. I have had a really good relationship with Tom-David Bastok for a few years now. Who would you introduce to My Art Invest? I spoke about My Art Invest to all of my friends. Every time I see a friend we are talking about it. They ask me about my artworks, my investments… But I would never advice a friend

- Clients interviews

or my family when there is a connection with money. Money is the best way to create conflicts. So I am just talking about me and the company, but I won’t advice them on a specific artwork.

ma t t hew k ear n s

telecommunications

How did you hear about My Art Invest and what do you think of the concept? I was actually told about it over a rather boozey lunch with a friend and I thought the idea was really great and I really liked the concept. It opens up the market to people who wouldn't necessarily have the chance to invest in art, and the pieces you have on the website are great. Being an investor primarily in the work of Katrin Fridriks, can you tell us what it is about her work that drew you in? For me I was initially attracted to Katrin Fridriks purely on an aesthetic level but after some really useful investment insights from the Director, background information on her exhibitions, as well as both recent and past auction results showing how her work was appreciated on the international market, I was convinced I’d made the right choice. So have you always been interested in art? Well my dad has always painted so the house was always filled with paintings while I was growing up and I still have lots of works in my flat now. I have a lot of interesting prints, including one by Edvard Munch, but they have mainly been there for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, it’s only recently that I started to look at art as an investment. So how do you feel about owning artworks that won’t necessarily hang on you walls? I’m actually happy with it. I separate the two aspects of buying 51

for aesthetics and buying for investment, it’s great when they overlap though. It’s very well explained to you from the beginning so you are never expecting to take the art work home with you. You have to look at it from a different angle and with a different eye. It gives people who might only be looking at collecting prints the chance to take joint ownership of original works, unless you are one of the lucky few who are able to purchase the work outright.

“I separate the two aspects of buying for aesthetics and buying for investment, it’s great when they overlap though.”

What did you think of the gallery space itself? Really loved it, yes, really enjoyed it! The Kaleidoscope exhibition was well curated, the lighting is fantastic, and the whole space is suprisingly much bigger than what you would expect it to be from looking in from the outside. I’d highly recommend it.

R O B E R T R O S E

global financE

How did you hear about My Art Invest and what do you think about the concept? I found out about My Art Invest after contacting an artist about a piece of artwork I admired on his website. He told me that it was being displayed at My Art Invest’s London gallery so I took the short walk from my flat to view it and the friendly staff told me about the artwork, the artist and their concept. The concept itself is very original and takes its roots from the stock market where individuals and institutions can buy and sell shares in a company. A great benefit of the My Art Invest concept over the stock market is you can display the investment at home if you own enough shares in an individual piece of work. In theory, instead of buying one piece outright, you could invest 25% in four pieces of artwork and have them on display to enjoy at home for three months each. You can then sell the shares or purchase more in order to own the 52

- Clients interviews

piece outright. This can enable individuals the possibility of investing and displaying artwork from top artists that may have previously been out of their financial reach. You are now the owner of “Jon” by Matt Small, could you please tell us more about your choice? I first saw Matt Small’s work at another local gallery and I was completely blown away by the powerful images that he creates. His style is very unusual; by utilising materials that he has found, either used as a canvas to paint on or mould into 3D portraits, he creates a powerful raw, urban image. The piece that I purchased is made up of three pieces of metal, uneven in height and depth, to create a 3D canvas on which Matt has painted “Jon’s” portrait. The portrait itself is hand painted “I can not say when I started using mixed media to produce an image that is emotive and to become a lover of art somewhat thought provoking. The reactions that it has but I feel street art has produced from most of my increased my love and friends that have seen it is ‘wow’. knowledge of it.” How did you become an art lover ? I cannot say when I started to become a lover of art but I feel street art has increased my love and knowledge of it. Taking art outside the galleries and into public spaces has not only enabled many people to see wonderful works that they may not have been able to see, or even know existed, but also brought more people back into the galleries with a new appreciation of art. Would you imagine yourself buying shares despite not being able to display the artwork in your home ? Many people say that owning art is an investment and in many cases this is true, however, I see art as something to enjoy and if it appreciates in value, then great. With this in mind, I cannot see myself buying a handful of shares as an investment but I can see myself buying a significant percentage of it in order to have it for 3-9 months a year.

BAPTISTE MONDÉHARD Business management

What is your point of view about the concept of My Art Invest? What is it about the concept that appeals to you? My Art Invest is an innovative concept in the art market. In my opinion, it is based on two main pillars: a democratic approach to art and a selective vision in the choice of works. The business model itself is simple, if all the shares are sold you can trade them with others online, if not, after an average of three to fuve years, the art is sold on the secondary market when the gallery feels the artist’s market has reached a peak. Moreover, My Art Invest makes it possible for everybody, experienced art lovers or novices with a developed sensibility for contemporary art, to either support an artist or really invest in art on a medium term basis. I also love the fact that for Londoners or people visiting London, it is possible to see the paintings in flesh, not only on the website, and also meet the team. Even though the amount of the investment can be very low, with shares starting at just £5, it is reassuring to have a chat on the selection strategy, the investment process or simply art in general. The team members are very kind and open, and available to advise any kind of potential investor. More than just investing, when you become a shareholder at My Art Invest, you feel part of a community. Why did you decide to become a shareholder in Banksy’s painting Daddy’s Back ? I have always had a passion for contemporary art, and I’m an early follower of Banksy’s techniques and his critical look on the world of art and society in general. Banksy is internationally recognised as a street artist, not the kind of guy to lock himself in his studio to paint on canvas. It was brilliant My Art Invest managed to acquire such a piece so that everyone can buy a share of it. It is like a dream come true to be able to say, “I own a small part of a Banksy”. Moreover, this painting is unique, unlike his other work, which are often editions. In Daddy’s Back, Banksy has used several materials such as acrylic and spray and the painting has been 54

- Clients interviews

one of the pieces of his second exhibition. Essentially, investing in Daddy’s Back was both an irrational choice based on the pure artistic quality of the painting and a rational choice to balance my investment portfolio, as I have also invested in the less famous artist Hush which was more an impulse choice.

“It is like a dream come true to be able to say, “I own a small part of a Banksy”.”

I know you are also a Shepard Fairey collector, what other works do you have in your collection ?

More than an artist, Shepard Fairey is an icon of street art. I would say he is a true descendant of Keith Haring but, unlike artists like Mr Brainwash, he goes a step further. He does so by investing the political field and using not only symbols of the consumer society, but also graphic codes of comic books, typical of Russian or Hawaiian styles. It seems that his sources of inspiration are endless, but an Obey is always recognisable. Shepard Fairey is, from my point of view, maybe the best and the most accomplished of the street artists of his generation. (Ed. note: Baptiste Recently added a Joe Webb and an Okuda to his collection.)

Why did you choose to be owner and co-owner for different artworks ? Most of the time, people who succeed in art investment have had an underlying passion for art. When I buy a piece of art I never think of the immediate return on investment. The first question I ask to myself is, “do I like it?”, “do I believe in the artist?”, and “does the artist bring something new or innovative?”, the fact is that there are many pieces that I like in My Art Invest’s portfolio, but I cannot invest in each of those, so I have selected and invested in the ones that I love the most. It is maybe not the best indicator to make the best choice to invest, but basing its decision on feelings with artworks of My Art Invest portfolio is not taking a big risk, as the team has already made a good and qualitative pre-selection. In the end I have decided to be the owner or co-owner of different artworks either because I love the artists and their works but couldn’t afford to buy the whole piece, or I have spotted the true investment opportunity and the quality of the piece and wanted to balance my investment portfolio with a medium risk/medium term investment return. 55

TO P 10 ART I STS

MY ART INVEST PRESENTS THE TOP 10 ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2015 - 2016

W h at â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ne x t at MYA G a l l e r y

A P R I L

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Endangered Species Safeguarding wildlife and their habitats Opening reception: Thursday April 23rd 2015 This April, MYA Gallery commissions a select group of artists to create artworks inspired by the countless number of endangered species around the world. With nearly a quarter of all mammal species and a third of amphibians threatened with extinction, there’s an urgent need to safeguard wildlife and their habitats. We are excited to be partnering with World Land Trust, an international conservation charity, which protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats. A percentage of sales will be donated to World Land Trust to support the vital work they are doing internationally.

J u n e

a u g u s t Entre Muros Urban art from Latin America, curated by Maximilano Ruiz Opening Reception: Thursday June 25th 2015 This Summer, MYA Gallery is pleased to present Entre Muros, an exhibition of a diverse group of artists from Latin America, placing the growing Urban-Contemporary movement found across this rarely celebrated continent under its deserved spotlight. The exhibition is curated by subject specialist Maximiliano Ruiz, curator, author and editor of a number of publications that document Latin America’s street art movement, including Graffiti Argentina and Nuevo Mundo: Latin American Street Art. Ruiz brings to London both known and new talents from every corner of Latin America: Curiot and Saner from Mexico, Herbert Baglione and Finok from Brazil, Jaz, Doma and Elian from Argentina as well as other front runners from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Peru and Chile.

The

Tom-David Bastok Founder and CEO

Margaux Fleury UK Manager

Tina ziegler Gallery Manager 60

Team

Jacob Morrish sales manager

Marielle Sbaihi Graphic designer

Georgia deacon Gallery intern 61

MYA Gallery 150A Commercial Street London E1 6NU www.myagallery.com www.myartinvest.com /mya__gallery /myartinvest /myartinvestgallery

MYA REVIEW #01 Contributing photographers Events photographs: LVK, Lisa Dupont, Marielle Sbaihi Artists photographs: Matt Smal, Otto Schade, Joe Webb, Mr Penfold, Txemy, Btoy East London street photographs: Margaux Fleury, Marielle Sbaihi

Special thanks to: Matt Small, Otto Schade, Joe Webb, Mr Penfold, Txemy, Btoy, Ben Levy, Francisco de Pajaro, Pascal Guyot, Matthew Kearn, Rob Rose, Baptiste MondĂŠhard, Maxime Sbaihi, Leslie Guilbert.