debate. Whilst the artists themselves cite their work as a form which provides freedom of expression across the drab urban landscape, council's and pensioners worldwide see (what to them must only be) uninterpretable mirages of colour as dirtying the city. Pesky kids. Whilst the debate around graffiti rages, graphic artists across the world are taking the concept behind graffiti - to make something plain into something alive - and since the mid twentieth century have carved out a new artistic medium. Wall Drawings have become a graphic artists playground. No longer confined by the limitations of this or that project, the freedom of expression associated with Graffiti is translated into a myriad of repeated designs, large pop-art esque motifs and bold broken fonts.
Conceptual artist Sol LeWitt is often accredited with the introduction and real advancement of the wall drawing genre. His wall-art combines geometric shapes, bright colours and disco-patterns made to surprise the onlooker. You can imagine getting lost in his artwork - transfixed by the simple yet enchanting patterns on display. The MASS MoCA gallery is currently undertaking a twenty-five year homage to LeWitt in the form of a three floor retrospective look at some of LeWitt's best work. During the period of construction the gallery undertook you could watch artists imitating LeWitt's style in real time. Now that is dedication. Most of the artwork from the gallery is online here.
In terms of contemporary artists working in the genre of wall drawings, the list is endless. Most artists and graphic designers worth a pinch of salt seem to have dabbled with the medium -the lack of constraint which a huge wall offers is simply too appealing for these young creative minds. Some of my favorites have to come from Tokyo based designer Torarin. I was looking for T-shirts when I stumbled across his website. His drawings are entrenched in the organic - roots sprout from words and motifs, the artwork growing from the foundations of the building.
The art above is called 'Assistant' rather surprisingly, and adorns the wall of Tokyo based firm WithAssistant. Drawn in pen with some kind of polyfilla for the colourant, the simplistic design stands out, and suggests a certain anti-growth. Close-ups and a smattering of the rest of Torarin's works are here. Expect to see more wall-drawings as time goes on.
On the music front I have a Sinden remix of the S.O.V. (as she likes calling herself) - only in this track she manages to largely hold back from lairy rude-girl esque rapping and puts down a rather enchanting vocal, which provides perfect contrast with the frenetic synths and heavy bassline of Sinden's creation. The track builds and builds, and the vocals ignite the positivism which the looping drumbeat emphasises. This is undoubtedly a party track - but the surprising softness of Miss Sovereign's voice leaves the listener with a sense of catharsis. By the way, Lady Sovereign should be made to scrub the stencils of herself off the wall. Thatt'le learn 'em.
Out]]]
No comments:
Post a Comment