Thursday, June 10, 2010

How much do musicians make online?

The answer is not very much. Digital royalties are looooow, with the below diagram (from Information is Beautiful) illustrating how many units / plays artists need to shift to earn the US minimum monthly wage. 143 self-pressed CDs = >4.5 million plays on Spotify. Yikes!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Kozyndan and Bernstock Speirs

Last week I went to the opening of Kozyndan's first UK solo show, 'And Then There Were None', at Nelly Duff gallery on Columbia Road.

Kozyndan are LA-based Dan and Kozue Kitchens, self proclaimed 'Mad Scientists' of the art world. They have made waves on the international art scene, mostly by virtue of their bunny prints - the best one of which (Uprisings) is featured in the poster above.

Everyone also seemed very excited about something called The Best Sushi in Town, but I preferred Takadanobaba on Acid and Bunny Blossom (both below) - the latter if only so I could link it with the Van Gogh I got last summer (right). HOW BLOODY KITSCH.

Unfortunately, Uprisings is ubiquitous, the rest of the Japanese-style bunny prints seem a bit derivative, and I'm not mad keen for the other handdrawn pieces. But it was still cool.

And on the way home we stopped off at Bernstock Speirs, which was launching a Peter Jensen line of baseball caps and tees to go with their acclaimed millinery (as seen atop Kirsten Dunst, Marion Cotillard, Karl Lagerfeld, Victoria Beckham, Will Young, Ralf Fiennes, Sharon Stone et al). Bonus.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Pick Me Up contemporary graphic art fair

Last month I went to the launch of Pick Me Up, the first contemporary graphic art fair in the UK. The intention was to bring together the most exciting graphic artists working today and provide opportunities to buy limited edition, affordable graphic art, illustration and design.
Unfortunately, I wasn't overly impressed. While the fair featured inevitably beautiful pieces by Rob Ryan - the most popular name secured by the fair - I thought that the quality of the works on show overall was a little disappointing. This was an affordable art fair that showcased up and coming artists, so you expect there to be some unevenness, but for me, a few too many pieces were amateurish, sparse and uninspiring.

There were some highlights: Rob Ryan hosted an open studio, bringing his paper-cutting tools and printing presses with him from east London, so that the entire process of making his work could be followed.Nobrow Press, a small publishing house in East London, produces fascinating tactile books and several of these were on display at the fair. Bright, bold and diverse, the prints leapt off the page and were amongst the most exciting works on show.Other standout works included Oranges and Lemons by Paul Bommer, Moustaches by Mr Bingo, Ice Creams by Paula Castro and Go For It by Alex Trochut (I also liked his Neo Deco typeface design). However, unfortunately overall I thought these jewels were few and far between.
Blog Widget by LinkWithin