A Beautiful Death Giant Snails
& Tiny Lions
September 19 - November 17, 2013
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books
Altered States
View Art Gallery presents a group show
Altered States
November 21 - January 12, 2014
View Art Gallery 159-161 Hotwells Road Bristol BS8 4RY United Kingdom for enquiries: +44 (0)5603 116753 info@viewartgallery.co.uk
ROBERT BRADFORD REBECCA CAINS RWA THOMAS DOWDESWELL KRISTIAN FLETCHER RYAN HADLEY CEDRIC LAQUIEZE MR. MEAD CHINA MIKE FINN STONE MIKE STUART FRAN WILLIAMS
FINN STONE Eccentric, cutting edge and quirky; Finn Stone’s Cyber Dogs are the epitome of pop art. Serving as a commentary on modern-day communication, where our natural world is mediated by technology, Finn is not afraid to test the boundaries of creativity. With a background in design, the artist is particularly interested in how different materials react and respond next to one another. His surreal Cyber dogs with their plastic looking bodies, studded collars and TV heads, certainly fulfill his intention to be “fun, funky and fascinating”.
Cyber Dog (left and cover) fibre glass 70 x 65 x 39 cm £2,900 each
Ball Dog (right) fibre glass 49 x 26 x 24 cm £1,450
CHINA MIKE Illustrating the unstoppable ticking of time, Bristol based artist, China Mike’s extraordinary paintings are a unique combination of abstraction and figuration. Beginning his creative career illustrating for record labels and clothing lines, his unique style soon became distinctive. Saturated with colour, Mike’s paintings fluctuate between clearly defined figures and hollow outlines. His subject matter will not cease to intrigue, at times dark and mysterious, his images are not limited by routine. Prepare to see anything from robotic looking portraits, to distorted children walking a dog.
Progress Report mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 120 x 100 cm £1,980
A Dance of Two Strangers mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 114 x 89 cm ÂŁ1,700
Lounger mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 105 x 80 cm ÂŁ1,400
A Snap Shot of an Affair (left) mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 100 x 100 cm £1,450
Untitled Study (right) mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 115 x 100 cm £1,800
Just Friends mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 120 x 100 cm ÂŁ1,980
Simian in Cloth mixed media, acrylic, on canvas 120 x 100 cm ÂŁ1,980
FRAN WILLIAMS Evocative figures appear from the depth of Fran’s oil paintings. Vivid colour and texture almost mask the face and body of her self portraiture. The strength of tones and free use of the brush are in contrast to the vulnerability of the portraiture. Fran’s paintings offer different interpretations and stimulate multiple emotional responses. We may feel ‘broken’ sadness, abandoned joy, torment, longing or desperation. The sense of mystique draws us in to the paintings and questions our understanding of the work and maybe our own feelings.
We Need More oil on wood 120 x 90 cm £3,500
Human Nature I oil, collage on canvas 50 x 70 cm ÂŁ1,900
Hold On and Let Go oil on wood 30 x 60 cm ÂŁ1,320
The Things I Tell You That No-one Else Knows oil on drift wood 45 x 66 cm ÂŁ1,870
You’ll Be Alright oil, acrylic on canvas 40 x 50 cm £2,000
KRISTIAN FLETCHER Kristian Fletcher’s highly realistic yet semi-abstracted drawings will transport you into an ulterior universe. Inspired by films such as Sin City, based on the graphic novel series by Frank Miller, Kristian’s fantasy scenes aim to explore how permanent and temporary structures come to be invested and reinvested with meaning. Technically brilliant; the hard realism of the work is achieved through Kristian’s detailed execution of the built environment. His talent lies in the ability to combine this realism with a real sense of mysticism and atmosphere.
Swimming Pool graphite and pen on Fabriano paper 75 x 56 cm ÂŁ1,300
Out in the Past graphite and pen on Fabriano paper 75 x 56 cm ÂŁ1,300
MIKE STUART Entitling his genre of art as Mythic Realism, Mike Stuart’s explosive art showcases a combination of technical mastery and captivating characters. Fantastical and mythological imagery can be seen throughout his art, but it’s important to Mike that his art remains centered in real life and the search for meaning in life. Drawing much of his inspiration from an eclectic mix of sources such as comic art, childhood memories and the iconoclasm of punk rock, Mike has developed his own unique style of art. For the artist, art is not just about being good at drawing, but rather, “I feel a duty to be good at living, and art to be an expression of that.”
Caged ink on paper 81 x 58 cm £695
The Great Cat ink on paper 84 x 59 cm ÂŁ695
The Well ink on paper 84 x 59 cm ÂŁ695
MR. MEAD Surreal, otherworldly and inhuman, Mr Mead’s art is driven by his ultimate fear of anthropomorphism. Whilst the figures in his pen and ink drawings are conjured from his imagination, their illustrative nature retains a certain graphic novel feel. Through blending animals, humans and nature, unexpected images and scenes are combined together. Mr Mead refers to this as “Bio-Mechanical Anthropomorphism” Varying between planning his drawings and simply rolling with a vague idea, he describes his creative practice as a “cathartic process to release his inner nightmares.”
Lord Bio Wolf chavant clay 50 x 30 cm £1,650
The Keeper of the Time Tree acrylic and pen on glass 60 x 30 x 15 cm ÂŁ700
Carnival ink and paper cut on board 85 x 50 cm ÂŁ750
Candytron (left) pen on board 95 x 187 cm £TBC
The Last Acorn Collector (right) pen on board 75 x 75 cm £1,250
ROBERT BRADFORD Playful, dynamic and vibrant, Robert Bradford’s’ plastic sculptures are a form of Pop Art that you’ve probably never seen before. The inspiration behind his work is the desire to use materials that have already had a history. Comprised of anything from discarded plastic toys to buttons and clothes pegs, Bradford combines an eclectic mix of ‘everyday’ items in order to create an even more familiar object. With subjects ranging from rabbits to guns, fairies to dogs, Bradford’s technique means that each sculpture is totally unique in its own right. The appeal for him lies in the way this amalgamation results in energetic combinations of colours, textures and shapes. On a slightly deeper level, Bradford is also intrigued by the manner in which the items he uses can be viewed as a cultural signifier of the fads and fashions people were drawn to at the time. As society is somewhat fickle in its interests, his sculptures can therefore be regarded as a form of documentation.
My Alien toys on wooden armature 170 x 120 x 150 cm £8,000
REBECCA CAINS RWA Often unnoticed, but part of our everyday lives, Rebecca Cains’ art captures the less fashionable areas of towns and cities where she grew up and has revisited with renewed vision. Basing much of her work at a local scrap yard, her visual interest is evident in the haphazard shapes, textures and colours of decayed vehicles stacked together like forms of sculpture. Devoid of people, her scenes create a haunting poetry about the wrecked detritus of our contemporary world, heightened with the urban environment juxtaposed against a rural background. By depicting these undocumented areas, which in the future will change or be lost forever, Cains’ captures the essence of todays throw away society.
Scrapped Mercedes 119 x 114 cm £5,000
De Luxe Standard Vanguard III oil on canvas 122 x 152 cm ÂŁ4,000
De Luxe Standard Vanguard II oil on canvas 58 x 68 cm ÂŁ2,000
Porsche 924 oil on canvas 90 x 94 cm £4,500
Porsche in Scrapyard oil on canvas 84 x 100 cm £4,000
THOMAS DOWDESWELL Futuristic, mechanical and geometric, Thomas Dowdeswell’s art reveals a sense of order out of chaos. The early twentieth-century art movements; Vorticism, Constructivism and Futurism predominantly inspire Dowdeswell’s art. He combines this with an avid interest in current affairs and how people interact with each other within our society. Ultimately his work is an illustration of his fascination with the human form. His highly detailed and densely packed cityscapes are rich in narrative and vibrant in colour.
Locomotive oil on canvas 61 x 68 cm £950
Dynamics of a Relay Race oil on canvas 76 x 122 cm ÂŁ1,450
21st Century Gothic oil on canvas 30 x 40 cm ÂŁ1,750
CEDRIC LAQUIEZE Cedric Laquieze’s magical, exquisite and technically brilliant warrior series and flower skeletons will astound you. Having been fascinated by creatures from an early age, it was during his time at the Rietveld academy in Amsterdam that this interest really grew. Captivated by organic materials and esthetic shapes, he began specialising in using all kinds of dead objects in his art, from animal and bird skeletons, to dead insects and flowers. There is extreme technical skill in the creation of these wonderful sculptures, but his talent becomes most evident through the different personas he manages to incorporate into them. From delicate and graceful to intimidating and unnerving, these otherworldly creatures are truly wonderful.
Warrior insect parts, mixed media 35 x 18 cm ÂŁ1,400
I’ll Be A Kid Until The Day I Die mixed media 97 x 47 cm £2,600
RYAN HADLEY Mixed media artist, Ryan Hadley’s main influences come from Pop Art and Contemporary Culture. Not satisfied unless he is pushing the boundaries of his technical ability to its limits, Hadley has now adopted the distinctive new medium of rust within his creative technique. Working with steel instead of canvas to produce iconic images with rust, Ryan empowers this decay to play a central role in the artwork itself. Inspired by the parody of Jeff Koon’s work, this medium enables his art to explore the permanence of art, taking the contemporary image into a three dimensional constant form. Unusual through its transient and organic nature, Hadley’s art is definitely something to watch!
Guilded Shoal rust, spray paint on steel 40 x 40 cm £880
Punk Till I Die rust on steel 100 x 70 cm ÂŁ4,950
The Albion Sails On Course rust on steel 100 x 80 ÂŁ5,500
Humbug rust on steel 40 x 40 cm ÂŁ660
Jack rust, spray paint on steel 80 x 80 cm ÂŁ5,170
Metamothosis rust on steel 40 x 40 cm ÂŁ660
Guilded rust, spray paint on steel 20 x 30 cm ÂŁ330
Made American rust, spray paint on steel 120 x 30 cm ÂŁ1,100 Made British rust, spray paint on steel 120 x 30 cm ÂŁ1,100
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