Contemporary Art Today, An International Collection by Vitaly Rusakov

CONTEMPORARY ART TODAY An International Collection

CONTEMPORARY ART TODAY An International Collection Fearless photography, commercial imagery, sharp sculptures, pop ideas, and raw street art, all make up the components of contemporary art. Contemporary Art Today brings you the international elite within these fields, represented by 25 individual artists. Opera Gallery debuts in Oslo, taking along its invincible collection of contemporary art. Through collaboration with Katinka Traaseth of ArtWalk this Pop Up Show unveils a fresh and whimsical art world for a new audience. Opera Gallery was founded in 1994, by Gilles Dyan, and offers collectors and art enthusiasts a diversity of art from all the corners of the globe. It being a prominent piece by Picasso, or a current creation by Mauro Corda, it will be present in one of the twelve, internationally spread, Opera galleries. From Andy Warhol, the founding father of pop art, to the 27-year-old street artist, Vitaly Rusakov, Contemporary Art Today unites an Ateam of contemporary artists. Their backgrounds as diverse as their mediums. Robert Indiana has proclaimed himself an “American painter of signs”, as well as being immensely famous for his iconic rendering of the word LOVE. He has now brought this Love all the way from Times Square to Karl Johan. Another artist of human emotions is Lita Cabellut. The expressive beings on her canvases are created through a modernized fresco-technique, and communicate sentiments from Mona Lisa-smiles to dubious curiosity. Mr. Brainwash became a fast star on the street art sky. After filming a documentary about the greatest street artists there are he attempted the art form himself. Inspired, creative and dedicated he creates Warholesque pop portraits, and larger than life commercial sculptures. All done with a mischievous streak. Graffiti Godfather, Seen, has literally made a distinct mark on the world. Not only has he decorated the Hollywood sign with his spray cans, he made sure that more walls were signed by him than by various billboard advertisers, in New York at one point. Luckily, he sometimes trades grungy brick walls for canvases. From a crisp, modern bulldog to an androgynous person in a beautiful, gymnastic movement, Mauro Corda captures the power of every limb in his sculptures. Employing a great range of materials he portrays honest, sometimes harsh, always beautiful pieces. Cubist, pop-artist, graffiti painter and sculptor, Romero Britto, brings colour and celebration into all of his creations. He makes art innocent and playful, to an almost blissfully naïve extent - mood elevators in tangible form. Gerard Rancinan captures his vivid imagination through the camera lens. Dramatic accounts of global themes from consumerism to starvation play out before the viewer. His reports are inspired by legendary masterpieces, applying strong symbolism. These are only a selection of the artists Contemporary Art Today invites you to witness. Welcome to the most novel show of contemporary art in Norway.

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Text by Julia M. Ciarlo

Yasmina ALAOUI & Marco GUERRA

Respectively born in 1977 and 1965, the French-Moroccan artist Yasmina Alaoui, and the Chilean photographer Marco Guerra form a couple in life as well as in art. Yasmina Alaoui studied drawing and sculpture at the Ateliers du Carroussel in Paris, and immersed herself for 10 years in the cultural richness of the French city. She also earned a B.A. of Fine Arts from William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. Marco Guerra, New York-based fashion photographer, is widely known in the fashion world. He has photographed for such names as Conde Nast Traveller, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Levi’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Ralph Lauren. Simultaneously he develops his own projects in film and photography. Their inspiration comes from “One Thousand and One Nights”, a legendary collection of tales from the Middle East, as well as from the magic surrealism of South American literature. Through the combination of their techniques, Yasmina and Marco find a unique way of portraying their models. Their collaboration begins

with Marco photographing the subject in black and white, creating strong contrasts between light and shadow. The images then pass to the hands of Yasmina who dresses the naked forms with drawings she creates in China-ink or watercolour. Bodies are covered from head to toe in Arabic Henna patterns, constructing the illusion that the designs are painted directly on the skin. They are illuminations of the soul. Yasmina Alaoui and Marco Guerra’s works “One Thousand and One Dreams” have been exhibited through group and solo shows all over the world, including USA, Italy, and France. The artist-couple is also represented in many private collections. They live and work in New York.

Yasco 40 Blue Yellow Photography . 134.6 x 101.6 cm

Yasco 17 Photography . 61 x 61 cm

Yasco 33 Photography . 182.9 x 243.8 cm

Golden angel Photography . 114.3 x 86.4 cm

Hiro ANDO

Hiro Ando was born in 1973 in Japan. Ando began his career as an illustrator after his studies at the prestigious University of Tama Art in Tokyo. In 2005, he founded an artist’s studio in Tokyo with another artist, Saori Nakamishi, to manage the creation and promotion of other young Neo-Pop artists who incorporated their own popular culture into their creations. Today, around ten artists are part of this studio. Ando is a polyvalent artist. He has used oil on canvas, digital supports, resin and porcelain and worked in video art. Ando’s technique consists of elaborating several basic sketches before painting on canvas. His final work presents streets of Tokyo nightlife, often graphic and filled with bright colours. It was only recently that Ando added sculpture to his wide range of media. He started working on a series of sculptures that were inspired by the Japanese popular culture. The recurring theme of the cat, which in Japan represents a lucky charm in the form of the Maneki-Neko, comes in a variety of traditional Japanese figures such as the Samurai or the Sumo. He translates this theme in a very modern way.

The shiny and smooth material, the bright colours, and the sharp but round shapes of Ando’s sculptures take us to the world of Manga, in which the artist’s generation grew up. The art of Ando is the meeting between the Meiji era and the Manga, it is Shogun in Pokémon land, and it is traditional Japan viewed trough young eyes. It definitely is Japanese Neo Pop Art. Hiro Ando’s works have been exhibited worldwide, in cities like Amsterdam, Geneva, Hong Kong, London and Paris. He has also participated in various art fairs such as ARTPARIS at the Grand Palais, ARTAMSTERDAM at Amsterdam Rai, SCOPE BASEL at Kaserne Basel and SCOPE NEW YORK.

Samuraicat Silver Resin . Height: 150 cm

Robot Cat - Black Resin . Height: 70 cm

United cat of Imperial Japan (red) Resin . Height: 55 cm

United cat of Imperial Japan (white) Resin . Height: 55 cm

BRITTO

The Brazilian Neo-Pop artist and sensation, Romero Britto, is an established artistic entity in the United Sates, as well as being highly acclaimed throughout South America, Europe and Asia. Despite living an extremely modest lifestyle whilst growing up amongst eight brothers and sisters in Recife, Brazil, Britto’s innate creativity allowed him to fill his life with vibrant colours and images of a beautiful world. There is almost a fairy quality to his life story and artistic development. His canvas was any scrap of newspaper or cardboard he could find. Regardless of having an inordinate passion to excel and prosper academically, Britto’s artistic natures eventually lead him to seek experiences outside the classroom. In 1983 Britto travelled to Europe to examine, first hand, the Art of the masters. After exhibiting in a few galleries and private shows, Britto was encouraged to travel to the US where Pop Art was flourishing. Britto moved to Miami and set up a studio, which was open to the public. With an unshakable belief in his art, he spent the next few years exhibiting and attracting the attention of many, making a name for himself. He became known for combining elements of Cubism, Graffiti and Pop Art in his works.

In 1989, Absolut Vodka commissioned Britto to add a splash of colour to its high profile ad campaign. By this Britto added his name to a list of renowned artists to work for Absolute, including names like Warhol and Haring. Meanwhile, Britto’s studio in Miami quickly became known as the place for people of all ages and walks of life to meet and acquire a unique style of art. Much like Warhol’s Factory. As the official artist of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2010, Britto’s artwork epitomizes the spirit of music and celebration. Over the course of his career, Romero Britto’s résumé boasts a list of collaborations with names such as Pepsi-Cola, Bentley Motors. His style is reminiscent of “…Matisse channelling Picasso.” wrote the New York Times when Britto created a living canvas performed by the Cirque du Soleil in celebration of Super Bowl XLI. His diverse résumé also includes several series of postage stamps designed for the United Nations Postal Administration. His most recent achievement, Romero Britto was named the official artist of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. The combination of Britto’s joyful themes and his signature cubistpop style has captivated audiences of all ages and made him the global sensation that he is today. Currently, his work can be found in galleries and museums across five continents, supporting his belief that “Art is too important not to share”.

Big Hug Enamel painted wood and lacquer . 46 x 46 x 30.5 cm

Pleasures n째29/100 Enamel painted wood and lacquer . 59.7 x 38.1 x 28 cm

Cheek to Cheek Enamel painted wood and lacquer . 71 x 51 x 20 cm

Mr. BRAINWASH

Mr. Brainwash is the moniker of Los Angeles-based filmmaker and pop artist, Thierry Guetta. He has spent the better part of the last decade attempting to make the ultimate street art documentary. Meanwhile, inspired by his subjects, he started hitting the streets, from Los Angeles to Paris, with spray painted stencils and posters of his pop art inspired images. He rapidly emerged as a renowned figure on the international street art scene. In June 2008, Mr. Brainwash debuted one of Los Angeles’s most memorable solo exhibitions entitled “Life is Beautiful”. In addition to his widely recognized images, the show featured larger than life installations, such as a 20 foot robot constructed of old televisions, a life-size recreation of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, and a pyramid made out of 20,000 books. Originally scheduled for two weeks, the exhibit was extended for three months, attracting thousands of visitors. By 2009, Brainwash’s work had garnered so much recognition that Madonna approached him to design the cover of her greatest hits album, “Celebration”. In addition to this CD cover, he created 15 different covers for the accompanying vinyls, singles, and DVDs. On February 14th 2010, Mr. Brainwash made his New York solo debut as he unveiled “Icons”, a 15,000 square foot exhibition in the heart of the Meatpacking District. The show featured paintings and silkscreens of world icons, portraits of music legends made out of broken records, and large-scale sculptural installations such as a giant boom box, and a NYC cab in a life-sized Matchbox packaging. Major collectors acquired Mr. Brainwash’s works, followed by some of the most prestigious auction houses such as Christie’s and Phillips.

In May 2010, “Icons” closed for a few days and reopened on Moth er’s Day as “Icons Remix”. The show featured 20 large-scale paintings using mixed media, and sculptures made out of recycled tyres. It was extended until the end of September 2010. Mr. Brainwash ended 2010 with a bang by taking Miami Art Basel, the most important art fair in the US, by storm. Within ten days, without any announcement or promotion, he turned a 25,000 square foot empty retail space in the heart of South Beach into another art spectacle entitled “Under Construction”. Surrounded by cut-out Storm troopers, and featuring a monster made out of traffic cones, the art show created an energy and excitement that made it an obligatory stop for collectors and art lovers during Art Basel. The show mixed the ever-evolving urban environment with Mr. Brainwash’s trademark positive message and playful spirit. Show highlights included a giant 40 x 12 foot mixed media mural on canvas and the “AmeriCAN” flag made out of 1400 empty spray cans. After four days and thousands of visitors, Mr. Brainwash packed up “Under Construction” and left Miami almost as quickly as he arrived, in what some might call a successful art hit-and-run. Considered one of the most prolific and talked-about artists of today, Mr. Brainwash is also the subject of Banksy’s documentary, “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010. Using Thierry Guetta’s street art footage, Banksy eventually turned the camera on the only man who ever filmed him. Their collaboration resulted in a remarkable documentary that is part personal journey, part exposé of the art world, with its mind-altering mix of hot air and hype.

Einstein Stencil and mixed media on canvas . 91.4 x 61 cm

Kiss Broken vinyls on wood panel . 121.9 x 111.8 cm

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be cruel Stencil, spray paint on canvas . 152.4 x 91.5 cm

Max Spray Stencil and mixed media on canvas . 101.6 x 233.7 cm

Mickey and Minnie Mixed media on canvas . 162.6 x 121.9 cm

Smile Stencil and mixed media on canvas . 91.4 x 61 cm

Tomato Spray Mixed media on canvas . 101.6 x 233.7 cm

Lita CABELLUT

The Spanish Lita Cabellut was born on 1961 in Barcelona, where she grew up in a poor Gypsy-environment. Her work is closely intertwined with her memories of the old area of Barcelona, El Raval, with closeness to the docks, La Bocquerai market, Las Ramblas and Sant Antonie market. All these places replete with pickpockets, street performers, and prostitutes. After 13 years of street and orphan life she was adopted. In this new period of her life she discovers the Prado museum. She becomes taken with Goya, Velazquez, Ribera and Rembrandt. One of her preferred statements explaining her passion is: “I married very young; my first marriage was with art”. This does indeed seem to be the case of Lita.  She had her first exhibition at the age of 17, at the Town Hall of Masnou, Barcelona. At 19 she decided to change her native country of Spain, for new challenges in the Netherlands. Here she studied between 1982-1984 at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.  Currently Lita Cabellut is considered a painter with a unique pictorial language, using a contemporary variation on the fresco-technique and an immensely enjoyable, communicative and recognizable ‘Cabellut-palette’. Lita Cabellut’s ‘human-faced’ paintings are present all around the globe - New York, Dubai, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, Barcelona, London, Paris, Venice, Monaco, Seoul and many more cities.

Coco 41 Mixed media on canvas . 280 x 200 cm

Chaplin 02 Mixed media on canvas . 280 x 200 cm

My Muze 01 Mixed media on canvas . 280 x 200 cm

Thomas CANTO

After beginning as a graffiti painter, Canto rapidly started work with other mediums and canvases. Imaginary architectures, dynamic calligraphy, light painting and even body painting became parts of his repertoire. The heterogeneity of these disciplines share some common points: movement, the foundation element of any line or stroke, and a constant research of equilibrium. If his paintings find inspiration in his imagination and constitute a structured creation, in other disciplines there is a striking desire to appropriate the medium for his art in order to customize and embellish it.

Vincent Acrylic on canvas . 150 x 150 cm

Sigmund Acrylic on canvas . 150 x 150 cm

Mauro CORDA

Corda’s love of sculpture prevailed at the tender of age 15, having enrolled at the Beaux-Arts in Reims. From there he continued his technical training at the Paris Beaux-Arts where he won first prize, and with that started his somewhat tumultuous friendship with Jean Cardot. At 23 Corda tragically lost his elder brother, Salvatore, in an unexpected accident. Following this his works became imbued with much pain; lowered heads, cast down eyes, almost in tears, and open hands. Corda met his wife, Alicia, following his acceptance to Casa Velázquez in Madrid. At this point his sculptures developed a harshness that still originated at the death of his brother. An acceptance of male love, absence, contemplation and androgyny dominated his works; a posthumous reflection of the homosexuality of his late brother. Corda’s success blossomed in the early nineties with the timeless truthfulness of his works overcoming the ready-mades of the period.

As a sculptor, Corda incorporates colours such as chrome silver, gilding and paint into his bronze creations. In search of greater dimensions, his sculptures have moved on to other materials as well, such as aluminium and iron. Influenced by his time in the Italian Pietrasanta, he has also introduced marble and terra cotta into his work. His incredible control over the materials develops them into profound pieces of art. Corda’s shifting of materials lead back to his vision to portray persons in their most diverse roles, environments, and situations. His expressiveness is far too powerful to be portrayed by a single material. He will redo his bronze bust of an Asian girl in ceramic, if it will illuminate aspects of her essence that remain hidden in bronze. These figures create a continual dialogue between revealing space and man, offering a powerful visual exchange.

Contorsionniste IX 7/8 Bronze . 107 x 45 x 25 cm

Plongeur homme Aluminium . 237 x 60 x 40 cm

Olivier DASSAULT

The name Dassault belongs to a select list of families that have meant something in France’s reputation: from the aviation industry to new technologies, from motion picture production to the international press industry, from fine art to fine wine, and from charities that the Dassault family supports, to those it initiates. Born on June 1st, 1951 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Olivier earned his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the French Air School in 1974. He then obtained a Master’s in Decision Theory Mathematics (1976), followed by a Doctorate in Computer Science Management (1980). An aviation Aficionado, Olivier passed his professional IFR Pilot license and has since broken several world flight airspeed records. A renowned professional of the press and communications industries, chief executive officer, deputy, accomplished musician and photographer, Olivier devours and pursues several lives at once. It is part of who he is: a man with an insatiable appetite and many talents! “Creation is a source of energy and vitality. Revealing it to the world is just as exciting.”

His steadfast allegiance to traditional photography and his love for his Minolta allow Olivier to create the most surprising superimposed works. “I like to create mutations between reality and its replica, and to reveal a new creative aesthetic by my choice of angles and composition.” Having mastered the art of creative photography, Olivier Dassault brings new meaning to abstract art, a language that defines the artist. “As with philosophy, the notion of abstraction implies three specific procedures: analysis, decomposition, and conception. This is instinctively how I work.” The success of his collaboration with famous Belgian gallery owner Guy Pieters in Knokke-le-Zoute (June, 2011) encouraged Olivier to set off on an artistic world tour. After attracting much attention at Art Miami and in Palm Desert, his latest photographs are now being exhibited for the first time at Opera Gallery London, before travelling to Opera Gallery Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Ex-Libris Photography . 100 x 70 cm

SynthĂ¨se de Braque Photography . 140 x 100 cm

Archinovo Photography . 135 x 90 cm

Soukissime Photography on plexiglass . 125 x 125 cm

Palladium (triptyque) Photography on plexiglass .195 x 189.5 cm

Jean-Paul DONADINI

Jean-Paul Donadini was born in Troyes in 1951. After studying at the Fine Art Schools of Troyes and Nancy, Donadini headed for Paris where he finished his education in 1976. Donadini has redefined the very essence of still life. His works are of technical excellence, and are also very deep interpretations of the subjects he paints. There is grace in his shapes, a vivacity in the colours he uses, and a timeless dimension to their power of seduction. The beauty of the things of this world, so fleeting and frail, is his inspiration made manifest. With his recent series entitled Brosses arêtées (“Stop the Brushes”), Donadini reveals a skilful stroke tainted with that unique sense of humour, so typical in his work. The artist strives for the trompe l’oeil while beckoning us to participate in a crucial moment of creation. His series on flags suggests a process of creating forceful images powered by symbolic force. Might this not be attribute to the artist’s savoir-faire, with Donadini once again becoming the creator of what he is painting? He has participated in several individual and group expositions, mainly in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong.

Wonder Woman Mixed media on wood . 124 x 124 cm

Capitaine gonflable Mixed media on wood . 89 x 114 cm

Miche-Miche gonflable Mixed media on wood . 137 x 113 cm

Alireza FANI

Born in 1975 in Tehran, Iran, the photographer Alireza Fani spent his childhood and adolescence mostly between the city and his father’s farm. This influenced him in his work today. During these adolescent years he became very focused on detail, which lead him to become interested in everything around him. Influences came from a river fish, his father’s old calculator, the goose wish bone that his mother was cooking and so on. He studied and made interpretations of objects surrounding him, one at a time, and every thing became an extraordinary event in its original form. He not only saw an object in its existing form but also in a different light. This gave him the confidence to use this imagery to make works of art. Today his recollections are interwoven. They form a new language and illusionary world, which he considers more real than reality. The collection of photographs “In search of the concept”, (2007) shows a young woman photographed a number of times with a single letter. He tells us that this single letter does not convey a message, but in fact is only a symbol of the many meanings that have encircled today’s women. The collection of photographs “In search of illusion”, (2008-2010) shows a veiled girl, floating fish or sliced fish and cloudy skies.

Sliced fish symbolizes spirit of life destroyed by violence. Repetition of the same girl is used to symbolise a fragile generation - women who are forced to stay in this environment. Those elements build an illusion and eternal atmosphere. In 1994 Alireza graduated with a Graphic Design Diploma in Gorgan, Northern Iran. By 2000 he also had a Graphic Design degree from Azad University in Tehran. Interested in photography he has worked as an Art Director & Graphic Designer in Tehran since 1995. He built up his experience in the industry while working for the Bazi Theatre Company, as well as for other theatres and TV series in Iran. Alireza has won a number of awards, including the best professional design in 2003 “Anti SARS Int’l Poster Contest” in China. He took part in several group exhibitions where the public grew to learn and love his work. He began exhibiting his work in 2001, “The 7th Biennial of Graphic Design”, held in Iran. Followed by 2005, “The 1st photo exhibition of Iranian Advertising & Industrial Photographers Society”, Tehran or “The 1st photo exhibition (Art and Nature)”, in 2007 at the Niavaran cultural centre, Tehran. In 2010 he exhibited at the 1st Invitational Biennial Photography Group Show at Skotia Gallery in New Mexico, USA. These are only a few of his accomplishments. Alireza Fani lives and works in Tehran.

Accident, 2010 Photography . 150 x 100 cm

Likeness Photography . 150 x 100 cm

Event Photography . 100 x 150 cm

Eduardo GUELFENBEIN

Born in 1953 in Santiago, Chile, Eduardo Guelfenbein studied in England, and later acquired a diploma from Academia delle Belle Arti in Brera, in Milan, Italy. Today, he resides in Paris. Guelfenbein’s art has always been dominated by a commanding presence of the figure. He uses close to a free narrative figuration while representing a South American expression, with an imprint of energy, speed and movement. Guelfenbein constructed certain of his latter works in free forms, exploring the outlines of the faces and the bodies, favouring gesture and colours, and leaving the work to express itself. Guelfenbein attains his emotional satisfaction through the “liquid” technique, which has always been a renewing experience through a process of discovery. He paints and grates through thick textured acrylic while listening to the flow of music, remembering the joys of his childhood as he brushes across the canvas and morphologically binds the colours. His experience over the years has

lead to a better technique, but his focus today is on creating interesting acrylic texture where light refracts strongly with the contrasting gestural strokes, as well as adorning his work with a full colour palette. The result is works full of movement and colour, portraying complex and distinctive surfaces. Guelfenbein started by painting figures, however, soon he began painting abstractions within the figure, and today his work is free from silhouettes. He compares these liquid abstractions to his emotional feelings of Love, Beauty, Truth and Goodness - spiralling emotions that have no limit. Just like an abstract painting open to imagination. His recent exhibitions include “Liquid Portaits” at Galerie Sit Down, Paris in 2008, and at Opera Gallery London in 2009.

Evasion Acrylic on canvas . 114 x 146 cm

Higher Acrylic on canvas . 73 x 60 cm

Rococo Acrylic on canvas . 130 x 97 cm

Delights Acrylic on canvas . 130 x 162 cm

Robert INDIANA

One of the pre-eminent figures of American art since the 1960s, Robert Indiana has been a pioneer of assemblage art, hard-edge abstraction, and pop art. Over the past five decades Indiana’s work has explored the power of abstraction and language, American identity and personal history. As a self-proclaimed “American painter of signs,” Indiana gained international renown in the early 1960s. He employed the vernacular form of American road and shop signs, combining it with a sophisticated, formal, and conceptual approach that turned this familiar vocabulary into something entirely new. His distinctive rendering of LOVE, in paintings, sculptures and prints, has become an icon of 20th-century.

Hope Bronze . 45.7 x 45.7 x 23 cm

Laurence JENKELL

Laurence Jenkell was born in the city of Bourges in 1965. A selftaught artist, Laurence took adult courses at several schools to study different art techniques (aquarelle, charcoal, oil, acrylic, abrasion...). After years of research, candy became Jenkell’s favourite subject, and she has been creating sweets ever since. She employs a variety of disciplines: painting, inclusion and sculpture. It is in her studio on the French Riviera that Jenkell produces her work, drawing her inspiration from trends influenced by fashion, design and today’s consumer society. It is there that she developed a new process referred to as “Wrapping”: the idea is to magnify an object by a technique of draping and twisting Lucite, perfectly capturing the shiny, transparent and rainbow-coloured wrappings used by candy manufacturers. Each piece is unique. Her artistic talent and creative flare has lead Jenkell to explore different materials, like aluminum, bronze and marble. She has also tried her hand at fragmentation. Sweets interpreted by Laurence Jenkell’s hand becomes “a language”. An expert critic would say that her candy sculptures are radical gestures born from the semantic codes of Pop Art and New Realism. An amateur would speak of an artistic craving that tantalizes our senses and which, sweetly evocative, allows Jenkell to blow-up an ensemble of objects borne by her sweets. She has participated in several international expositions and festivals across the globe, mainly in France, Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Abu Dhabi, and recently, at the Courtyard Garden at the Plaza Athénée, Paris.

Grand bonbon rouge (socle tournant) Plexiglass . 200 x 75 x 75 cm

Bonbon Choco nacré Plexiglass . H: 80 cm

Bonbon blanc nacré Plexiglass . H: 80 cm

Franck KELLER

Urban sensuality can be used to describe the photographs of Franck Keller. The dark fluid silhouette of the female form strikes a strong contrast against the bold city skyline. Like a scene out of a MTV music video, Keller’s style can be traced from his pop star days. He travelled the world with his band “Bel Amour”, playing their unique blend of house music. Having produced video clips and worked in the American film industry, the influence of film and videography is highly evident in Keller’s photographs, especially through his signature lighting technique. Through the use of lighting and exciting angles, Keller’s work captures the feminine, sensual forms of his subjects in an original interpretation that is timeless and trendy at the same time. Born in 1973 in Saint-Tropez, Keller is considered one of the most promising young photographers today. Keller’s work has won him the admiration of an international and renowned clientele, which includes Peter Beard, Valerio Adami, Peter Klasen, and Jacques Monory, among others.

Heroes are green Diasec on light box . 80 x 200 cm

David MACH

Born in 1956, in Methil, Fife (Scotland). Mach joined the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 1974, where he experimented with many techniques and ideas, which he has continued to develop. After graduating he was awarded a place at the Royal College of Art in London, emerging with a Masters degree in 1982. In 1988 he was nominated for the Turner Prize and ten years later he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts, and later became a Professor of Sculpture. Mach’s artistic style is based on flowing assemblages of mass-produced, self-found art objects. Typically these include magazines, worn-out teddy bears, newspapers, car tyres, match sticks, and coat hangers. In the early 1980s Mach started to produce some smaller-scale works assembled out of unstruck matchsticks. These mostly took the form of human or animal heads and masks, with the coloured tips of the match-heads arranged to construct the patterned surface of the face.

In addition to his monumental installations made from industrial objects, David Mach also creates various collage pieces. This is partly a result of having access to thousands of reproduced images in the magazines left over from many of his installations. So far, this has culminated in National Portrait, a three by 70 metres collage for the Millennium Dome that featured many images of British people at work and at play. The impressive busts “His’n’Hers”, created in 1999, and The Spaceman, presented in 2000 in Paris and in The Hague, are both works that demonstrate Mach’s great talent. Some of his permanent public works include “Out of Order” in Kingston upon the Thames, the “Brick Train” (a depiction of an LNER Class A4 steam engine made from 185,000 bricks, which can be seen near a supermarket on the A66 just outside Darlington), and the “Big Heids” visible from the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh. In October 2006, one of the highlights of the monumental sculptures shown in the Jardins des Tuileries in Paris, during the FIAC was “It Takes Two”, made out of two giant Sumos and one container. Mach has enormous passion, energy, and a refreshingly modest approach to his work, and is not afraid to court controversy. David Mach lives and works in London.

Tiger head Coat Hangers . 74 x 80 x 66 cm

Buddha Head Coat Hangers . 56 x 58 x 58 cm

Munch - The Scream Mixed media postcards on wood . 152.4 x 152.4 cm

Minnie Mouse Mixed media postcards on wood . 152.4 x 152.4 cm

MOZ

MOZ “I was born to Brest - IT WAS in the middle of the summer 1970, and, yes, at present I realize some more or less vaguely, this is well the oil, sticky liquid irrigating the arteries of our well-loved consumer corporation, that had to mark my young subconscious one. While the world was shaken by the hysterical crises say “oil”, the beaches of my childhood, such an indigestible sorbet, were favored with a topping manner tide black. Suddenly, I am said that if I put myself to the paint, this is maybe to play the same oil - but this time, in tubes and in colors... But we not some let us are again there. Before constructing my universe of paint and of flesh, I saw my worthy parents to construct their cosmos: my mother decorating the interiors, my father painting the exterior ones. All that it was necessary, on the whole, to stabilize the chaos of the Newspaper. Then my professors opened decisive gap: to their contact, the gods learned me that life was elsewhere - and precisely, to Paris. We were again early. We have therefore wanted to learn... Scarcely 17 years old, I followed with application the courses of Applied Arts of the Academy Carpenter. Since then, I did not leave the capital, where I live and I work. After 2 years to ladite Academy, I interrupt there my program and I make a decision therefore to work, to live, since these two terms are sometimes violently indissociable. My “qualifications” multiplied themselves to the taste experiences - “young solitary graphic designer” (not again of card of visit at this point in time -là...), “Artistic Guiding Assistant in pub agency”, then “Artistic Director” and at last “Director of Creation in the Web”. To the final one, a lot of titles, of quotation marks and of capital letters, but especially a supreme key: the mastery of the techniques of creation.

For this is well that that one looks for - the creation. I kept to the spirit a single word of order - not to take itself to the serious one, but to do it seriously!... And while the day I replied conscientiously to the ask of my employers, the night I worked without respite to create my own universe - trés simply: colored pictures on melts of Rock one’ n’Roll. This is the reason why today it is time: I drop all, and I dive myself in the essential one: the paint. The blocked meter in the 60’s, I return thanks to my idols - and my manner to adulate them, is to pass them with the passing of my brush. Sometimes also, I do a jump to the present, your world, and I paint “which is current”. And in my imaginary gallery, the icons that inspire me align themselves one to one alongside endless walls: Elvis, Bettie Page, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen, Emma Peel and a lot of other actors, actresses, models and year singers 60. Certain of these personages, more pitiless and more cruel than of others in their eternity stature, distressed my life - And these first playmates that haunt my spirit since always... These pines up of the former magazines... All these nude girls that I try to do to exist elsewhere that on a bad site Internet. Around them, toys and their packings, job method, notices and warning messages, some advertisings, a lot of stolen scenes in Comics, all more superimposed, more stuck, more tattooed ones on these bodies, diverting these beauties of their original context while the constraint to a job method, a hazardous explanation, a new history... A new direction one, to another era, for a second existence... All these heroes, these ideal post-modernes, multiply themselves on my canvass. This are of the “monsters”, to the direction a lot of the term - terrifying, more immortal, more magnificent, fascinatinger, it is a matter now for me of the “to show” to the public, for that to his turn, again, it takes himself dizziness in front of what the surpasses.

Pow ! (3 couleurs) Lacquered aluminum . 100 x 80 x 3 cm

Gerard RANCINAN

Born in the Bordeaux region, Gérard Rancinan travels the globe, bearing first hand witness to events of historical importance. Natural catastrophes, civil and ethnic wars, and urban riots…he comes face to face with the complexity of the human condition and the random events by which it is fashioned. His imperious need for self-expression leads him to focus on the world’s most important issues, he delivers startling images filtered through an ever-evolving aesthetic prism. Constantly breaking down barriers, he is, by turn, an investigator deconstructing the great sagas of contemporary life, and a portraitist. His photographs of athletes, artists, ecclesiastics and politicians have become iconic. His images have earned him a number of prizes, including four prestigious World Press Awards. Following his domain of predilection, in the “Trilogy of the Moderns” he becomes the wakeful observer of his contemporaries. This marginal perspective involves real mises en scène, veritable simulacra of the world in which we live. Internationally renowned, Gérard Rancinan’s work is exhibited in the world’s most prestigious galleries and museums and features in the most important contemporary art collections. During a recent Étude Millon auction at Drouot (2008), Gérard Rancinan became one of the highest ranked photographers in France. Gérard Rancinan is a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

Batman Family (girls) Argentic print monted on plexiglass . 180 x 265 cm

DĂŠcadence Argentic print monted on plexiglass . 125 x 250 cm

Balthus Argentic print monted on plexiglass . 150 x 150 cm

Zhang Huan Argentic print monted on plexiglass . 180 x 264 cm

Subodh Gupta Argentic print monted on plexiglass . 180 x 264 cm

RATAPLAN-JOYA

Rataplan Joya is a group of StreetArt-artists from New York, London and The Hague. All artists are well known in their home-town. Like pop-musicians they join each 3-4 months together to make StreetArt. StreetArt on canvas in their own typical and original way. They use well-known charakters in their work like f.i. Charlie Chaplin. Their work was presented 2010 in hidden-galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in New York and 2011 in Amsterdam. All works were sold within some hours. Press and public were very enthioustic, this kind of work was never shown before! May 2012 Rataplan-Joya present their work again in Amsterdam (NL) and Collogne (Germany).

The Menace Mixed media on canvas . 200 x 160 cm

Milk stockings Mixed media on canvas . 200 x 150 cm

Target Practice Mixed media on canvas . 160 x 200 cm

Vitaly RUSAKOV

Born in 1985 in Ekaterinburg, Vitaly Rusakov is a young Russian street graffiti artist, renowned for his urban art murals. For a long time he expressed himself upon the walls of Russian cities. As a founding member of Arterror, he’s still very much involved within the group’s dynamics. He divides his time between Ekaterinburg and Marrakesh, where he is one of the artists in the residence of the “Jardin Rouge”. Vitaly Rusakov was selected in 2007 by the Montresso Foundation, and has been painting and expressing himself on different Russian historical subjects since. This seems to be important to him.

Mao, the time after Acrylic and aerosol on canvas . 97 x 130 cm

Lenine bird of peace n째3, 2010 Mixed Media . 92 x 73 cm

SEEN Mirando

Referred to as the ‘Godfather of graffiti’, SEEN carries the title of being the world’s most famous graffiti artist. He has become an icon of what was once considered an underground trend but now has become an internationally respected art movement. Richard Mirando, which is his real name, was born in 1961 in the Bronx, New York. He first started painting on New York’s subways in 1973, when he was only 12 years old. For the next 16 years his pieces were running across the city, covering various train lines. Many of the great subway painters from that time have fallen into oblivion. Nevertheless several have been quite successful with their creativity, and SEEN might be the greatest and most versatile artist from this generation. He quickly gained a reputation for producing full colour cars; he was responsible for hundreds of whole cars covered top to bottom in drawings, many of which have become iconic images. SEEN seemed a perfect name for him as it reflected his desire for his work to be seen. As he became more and more renowned in the city, SEEN was also becoming more and more skilled. Historically, artists have suffered for their art, but never before had it included car chases and police crackdowns. Each challenge simply heightened SEEN’s ambitions, which extended well beyond New York, including tagging the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. It is even reported that at one point during the 80’s in New York, there were more pieces by Seen than there were billboards…

Featured in the documentary ‘Style Wars‘, a hip hop culture and graffiti documentary about the New York art scene in the 70’s and 80’s, SEEN continued to inspire countless others and his influence on graffiti was without precedent. The significance of SEEN’s work was going beyond the subways of New York. In 1981 it took a seat alongside the work of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Basquiat in the exhibition ‘New York / New Wave’ at P.S.1. A genre that began as a form of subversive, public communication was on the way to becoming legitimate - moving away from the street and into private collections and galleries. SEEN was at the forefront of this development. His pieces were suddenly displayed in major galleries, and large corporations commissioned his work. The collection we bring you today illustrates with ease that SEEN is not prepared to sit back on his considerable laurels and is still creating ground-breaking work.

Superman Spidey was here Spray paint on canvas . 220 x 320 cm

The Incredible Hulk Spray paint on canvas . 220 x 320 cm

Antonio SEGUI

Born in Cordoba (Argentina) in 1934. Studied painting and sculpture in France and Spain. Against a backdrop of urban blight, Segui brings to life a coloured and graphic world which seems to jump right out of the frames of comic art. Through his works, Segui likes to hammer out, repeatedly, the absurdity of every-day life; he reminds us of the alienation of modern man, reduced to a monotone social dimension.

Nos quedamos o nos vamos Acrylic on canvas . 146 x 114 cm

Estar Apurado, 2008 Acrylic on Canvas . 60 x 73 cm

SPEEDY GRAPHITO

Graffiti artist Speedy Graphito (real name Olivier Rizzo) is one of the pioneers of French street art. He started working on the streets of Paris in the early 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. His iconic stencil work has gone on to inspire future generations, and remains as strong now as when he first started. His work is inspired by the world around us and in particular the barrage of advertising logos that are part of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consumer culture. Other influences include America in the Fifties, cartoons, Manga, and images from the Maya culture. His strong colours and juxtaposition of imagery is meant to make us question the iconic images he uses, and the popular culture it is taken from. Recently Speedy has been executing his street art in Los Angeles, and participated in the Dogtown Artists United Art Crawl in 2011. His works are found in private and public collections throughout the world including London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, and Asia.

Wake up Acrylic on Canvas . 150 x 180 cm

Yehan WANG

Born in 1959 in Shanghai, China. Wang Yehan graduated from the University of Arts, Shanghai (now known as University of Shanghai, Fine Art College) in 1980. His works are collected internationally, displayed in venues such as the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Macao, Macao National Museum, as well as in the HSBC Bank and the Luxury Art Hotel, both in the US. Wang Yehan believes that the process of making an abstract painting may continue even though it is physically completed - that it will not stop as long as the artwork is capable of causing the viewers to feel new emotions. Artworks, just like clouds, are capable of extending their mysteries by the nourishing of feelings they bring to its viewers. Reluctant to define himself as part of a specific movement, yet valuing particular traditional attitudes to the production and reception of art, Wang Yehan is resolute in his abstraction, refined and methodical, and always prepared to bring his canvasses to life with his very specific, personal and unique creative system.

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Target Practice Acrylic and oil on canvas . 120 x 120 cm

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C8108 Acrylic and oil on canvas . 200 x 140 cm

C8056 Acrylic and oil on canvas . 200 x 300 cm

Andy WARHOL

Andy Warhol was one of the most important artists in the Pop art movement in America. He quite simply became just as famous as many of the celebrities he portrayed in his popular screen prints. Among his many popular quotes and comments he stated “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Warhol was born Andrew Warhola, in 1928, to Slovakian parents. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Warhol studied Commercial Art at the Carnegie Mellon University (formerly known as the Carnegie Institute of Technology) from 1945 to 1949, majoring in Pictorial Design. He then moved to New York to begin a career in illustration and advertising. Warhol achieved success as a commercial artist during the 1950s, earning commendations from the Art Director’s Club and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. He also became quite well known for his whimsical ink drawings of shoes. Warhol had work published in popular and widely renowned magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker. He also created window displays for several popular retail shop windows. During this time Warhol also began exhibiting his work in fine art galleries and managed to exhibit in a group exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1956.  “Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist.” Andy Warhol  During the 1960s Andy Warhol produced many of his most famous and iconic images. He had now moved into “the Factory”, a large building located on Union Square in New York City where he and his team of hired workers would mass-produce pop culture screen prints. Famous works from this period included the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coke Bottles, Disaster paintings, and pop icon portraits such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. Warhol also started making 16mm films during the 60s with titles like “Chelsea Girls” and “Blow Job”.

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The Factory was not just a working space for the artist and his assistants, but also a meeting place for all kinds of creative and talented people. Artists, musicians, writers and actors frequented the Factory, with such notables as Mick Jagger and Truman Capote stopping by. During one nearly fateful day in 1968 one of the Factory regulars shot Andy Warhol in the stomach, injuring several internal organs. A deranged militant feminist Valerie Solanas fired 3 bullets at Warhol wounding him only once. Warhol survived but never fully recovered from his injuries. Andy Warhol extensively exhibited his works in well known art galleries and museums around the world in the 70s and 80s. He published “The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to B and back again)”, started “Interview” fashion magazine (still published today), and worked on several television projects including “Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes” produced for MTV. Warhol also collaborated with several up and coming painters including Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1987, on February 22nd, Andy Warhol died. After a non-threatening gall bladder operation complications arose and Warhol passed away. His funeral was his final act of celebrity with more than 2000 people attending. Many celebrities, artists, musicians and influential people attended, with Yoko Ono among those who spoke at the funeral. “Death means a lot of money, honey. Death can really make you look like a star.” Andy Warhol Andy Warhol was a methodical and obsessive person with a great love of art, wealth and fame. He amassed a great fortune during his lifetime, and achieved fame like no painter before him had. He merged art, wealth, and fame, producing the first Pop Artist, Andy Warhol.

Ingrid Bergman, the Nun, 1983 Screenprint in colours . 96.5 x 96.5 cm

ZOOBS

Zoobs is a critically acclaimed, award winning artist who forges visual excellence in an embodiment of conceptual philosophy. His commissions are both arresting, on the cutting edge, and transitions between style, fashion, sexuality, morality, and human nature. His works are prized amongst niche collectors as well as frenziedly coveted by the media. Who is Zoobs the artist? He is his work. Every piece of his limited editions not only enrich the lives of their audience, but they document the work of this legendary force.  Studying Fine Art at the Slade School of Art and later gaining a degree in Graphic Design and Photography from Kingston University, Zoobs was awarded a priceless internship at Shiseido Cosmetics in Japan, on the strength of his Art Directional skills combined with Photography and Design.   This was followed by his appointment to work as a designer and photographer at the Paris Headquarters of the same company, assisting Serge Lutens, the then creative director for Shiseido. Drawing inspiration from the theatrical photo shoots of the Shiseido campaigns, the immaculately prepared models, and the thought provoking creative direction of Serge Lutens, Zoobs moved

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on to further explore and immerse himself in the creative route of fashion photography and image making.   Death, magic, love and deep emotions are recurring themes in the haunting works of Zoobs, which at times possess a sinister and dark character. He creates a surreal world, wrapped up in fantasy and dreamland, where each portrayed emotion is a reflection of the reality surrounding the artist himself.   Zoobs continues to create breathtaking iconic images. He travels extensively and incorporates different cultures and their traditions and symbols into his images. He is also the co-founder of Freedom From Sorrow, a platform for raising awareness and funds for worldwide charities aiding children’s welfare.   Zoobs is based in London and works closely with Ausaf Abbas, his Strategic Advisor.

Credit Crunch Photography . 210 x 150 cm

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Apple of my eyes Photography . 150 x 100 cm

Goddess Photography . 150 x 100 cm

S info@artwalk.no

www.artwalk.no

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by Sarah Willoch

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