We Heart; Lifestyle & Design Magazine » Artists

Kristian Hammerstad

James Davidson — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:20:09 +0000

We’ve spent a lot of time lately researching productivity tools, you know, to-do lists with magic desktop/web/iPhone integration. Whilst we may still be undecided on whether one wonder-app is going to take the place of our Moleskine and ‘buckling-under-the-pressure’ Firefox bookmarks, we’re sure of one thing, high up on that list is “find out more about Kristian Hammerstad“. We probably should have done just that before putting together a feature on this brilliantly twisted Norwegian artist, but we just couldn’t resist showing off his morbidly sexy ‘pin-up goes kitsch horror movie’ artworks. Kristian’s website features a shockingly original array of gig poster-art, cover-art and one rather brilliant animated music video, and of course, absolutely no information at all about him…. Rest assured that we’ll get our act together and be in touch with Kristian, hopefully bringing you some more of his sensational work and maybe even a few words, for now, enjoy the art!

Kate Cleaves x Matt W. Moore: Convergence

James Davidson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:23:14 +0000

With Matt W. Moore famous for his geometric “Vectorfunk” style, characterised by hard lines and strong brushstrokes, and Kate Cleaves known for a softer, almost psychedelic, approach inspired by nature, a collaboration between the pair was always set to yield results that neither would have delivered of their own accord. Working together for 5 months, the pair have produced a series of paintings with layers and layers of each others unique styles as they worked with a natural flow, with no preconceived ideas or concepts. Now showing at the Corduroy Gallery, Portland, Maine, where the pair also collaborated on a unique window mural to commemorate the debut showing of this unique collection.

Leandro Elrich

James Davidson — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:41:07 +0000

Remember that scene in A Series of Unfortunate Events, where a witchy Meryl Streep is terrified of a door knob ‘shattering into a thousand pieces’? Imagine what she’d be like if she happened upon Argentinian artist, Leandro Erlich’s eye-popping ‘Shattering Door’. She’d not be dancing on the bed to ABBA songs, that’s for sure. Wrong film? Maybe. Still, Erlich’s work might look like a health and safety officer’s worst nightmare but, trust us, no-one was harmed during their creation. Not even the poor souls trapped in the ‘Smoking Room’ (It’s a room. That smokes), those caught underneath the surface of the ‘Swimming Pool’, or seemingly caught between this life and the next, in the ghostly ‘Cabinet Du Psy’.

Leandro Erlich makes installations which play with our concept of what’s real, which way’s up, and what’s on the other side of the mirror. He’ll allow us to enter a space, move around it, touch it and inhabit it, yet still feel utterly lost. He says “reality is something we are dealt… but the final product of reality is a matter of major construction made by us.” In other words, it’s not what’s out there. It’s what’s inside that counts. No matter how strange and otherwordly his dreamlike creations, it’s how our minds interpret these set pieces – that’s where the magic begins…

Samuel Green, Illustrator

James Davidson — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:39:12 +0000

Based in London and with a masters from St Martins, Sam Green is a striking young illustrator with an already formidable client list that includes Nokia, Warner Bros, Vice, Dazed and Confused and even LucasArts to name but a few. We adore his simple penciled style that often evokes a playful human spirit that is captured so well by his free and loose technique. Already a rising star on the design scene, expect to see Sam’s work filling up contemporary galleries on an increasingly regular basis over the next few years.

Kevin Cyr

James Davidson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:00:35 +0000

Finding beauty in the ‘vehicles and scenes that have defined the evolution of the American landscape’, Kevin Cyr offers a refreshingly unique style that challenges modern societies fixation with symbols of wealth, status and success. Working from his Brooklyn base, Cyr paints derelict commercial vans, RVs, working vehicles and pretty much anything with rust, graffiti, or simply just old fashioned character, removing them from their existing context to create warm, inspiring, portrait-like paintings that document these vehicles and their place in American history.

Pure Magenta

James Davidson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:14:52 +0000

Pure Magenta is both an online showcase of the outstanding work of the wonderfully talented Sarah Kissell and a ‘luxury brand degradation’ art project. In a progression from her brilliantly perceptive ‘Faux Real’ work which explores the counterfeit culture in high fasion, Pure Magenta sees Kissell continuing her fascination with haute couture’s identity crisis and in particular the movement of diffusion labels which increasingly see the brand logo taking prominence over the actual product itself. Another great body of work, and a further continuation of Kissell’s passion for the perverse public fascination with iconography is that of her ‘Still Remains’ exhibition, a celebration of Jackie Onassis’ birth as an icon through the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

SpY, Urban Artist

James Davidson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:14:06 +0000

With Tate Modern’s recent street art exhibition and the rise of Steve Lazarides’ galleries, works from upcoming and increasingly established urban artists such as Paul Insect, JR, Faile and of course that little-known character, Banksy, to name but a few have become as popular as mainstream contemporary art and street art looks like it is here to stay as a recognised art form. Of course, finding rising stars is now the name of the game for art dealers keen to make a quick few quid, maybe they should be casting their eye to the streets of Madrid and the work of the elusive SpY, a former graffiti artist turned ‘urban remodeler’.

SpY takes urban elements and then puts them back, albeit with a slightly new twist to their original form. No street sign, advertising hording, fencing or even zebra crossings are safe from the irony and playfulness of SpY’s work and his strong messages of social conscience easily match those of the populist Banksy as he takes on bullfighting, homophobia and capitalism to name but a few.

SpY’s poignant tribute to the deaths of those involved in the Madrid train bombings along with his playful smiley man traffic light intervention show the positive humour with which he treats his work and if you check out his website, do not miss the touching story that accompanies his flower-power hippy treatment of a road sign. Inspirational in both his work and his beliefs, SpY is certainly a rising star in the blossoming international street art scene.

Jon Burgerman: Pens Are My Friends

James Davidson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:43:48 +0000

Pens Are My Friends is the first published collection of work by one of our favourite UK artists, Jon Burgerman. Jon is probably the greatest illustrator in his field today, his field being vividly coloured sketches and doodles of bizarre little monsters, munchkins and freaks. This 310 page tome filled with commercial, personal and collaborative works alongside images of exhibitions around the world and complete with jam packed DVD is available to buy for £35 from various too cool for school outlets such as Paul Smith boutiques and Magma Books, but if you’re quick and head over to the official website, Jon is offering signed copies for a limited period only.