STATTMARKT // An Art Market In The Bath
This coming weekend at STATTBAD Wedding, we are making an art market with a twist. A market without using the word Ch****as. “An art market in the bath.”
West Berlin Gallery is happy to announce you that we participate in the STATTMARKT on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of December, 2011 with ALIAS, Prost, Giacomo Spazio, Niark1 and 1UP.
We encourage you to come into the bathroom stalls and find a unique idea for someone special. Discover rare works by local artists and creative products from independent business owners, or just enjoy the atmosphere of shopping in a bath.
STATTMARKT is the place to be in Berlin this weekend to find great last minute gift ideas, and much more! The stalls will carry independent artists, gallery representatives, photographers & graphic artists, design, fashion & jewelry, product design & merchandise, comics & literature, food & beverage, etc.
In the joy of the festive season a charity fund called DADAAB Help Program in Kenya will also be hold. The program also includes performances, exhibition and a mid market party. (Sat 17th, 20:00)
Other highlights of the weekend: Constant Installation by Clemens Behr & Buff Diss / Constant video installation by Quintessenz: watch a video preview / Live screening of The Grinch. Saturday: Performances from 18:30: IMPROVOLIGE (improvised singing) 20:00: DADAAB (dance & live painting from BLO) / Live painting by IRGH, Karl Addison & James Bullough. Sunday: Live painting by DEVI (style wars 2) & Danny Doom / Matias Schüttenberg (poetry-costume-art-entertainment)
West Berlin Gallery will be on the 1st Floor Gallery, don’t miss our stand!
We will be happy to welcome you from 14:00 – 22:00 Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th of December, 2011 at:
STATTBAD Wedding
Gerichtstr 65,13347 Berlin
S + U Wedding
S Humboldthain
Entrance: 3€ per day / 5€ for both days (The entry gives you a discounted price for the Saturday party!)
The charity project ”DADAAB” transfers all profits to platrorm www.betterplace.org
More info at: www.stattbad.net/stattmarkt or to find details about the program on the Facebook event.
Blood Sweat Vector – Opening this Thursday
Only 3 days to go until we celebrate the big opening of our eagerly awaited next exhibition: WEST BERLIN GALLERY presents BLOOD SWEAT VECTOR…
West Berlin Gallery presents a group exhibition of the artist collectiv ‚Blood Sweat Vector’, running from November 13th to December 12th 2009. For the first time works by members of online-community Blood Sweat Vector will be brought together in the rooms of a gallery.
123Klan: We got the skills to pay the bills
Based on geometric variables like points, lines and curves and their composites in form of polygones, today computer generated vector graphics are an essential part of visual communication and illustration. Blood Sweat Vector, founded in 2008 by the designers Jared Nickerson (aka J3Concepts) and Brad Mahaffey as a platform for news, portfolios, recommendations and artistic exchange, is today one of the biggest networks for vectordesign. Some of the most important international vector artists are among the members. Blood Sweat Vector sees itself as an open channel for communication which encourages instant feedback and allows for interaction between likeminded designers.
All Blood Sweat vector members are highly regarded internationally and can look back on several cooperations, doing design for vinyl toys, skateboards, video games or fashion. In their portfolios you will find clients like Louis Vuitton, Kid Robot, Eastpack, MTV, Adidas, Sony, Artoyz and publications in magazines like Modart, WAD, Juxtapoz and many more.
Tokyocandies: Sweet Nightmare
In assembling an international selection of multifaceted styles the exhibition provides an overview of contemporary artistic vectordesign. The exhibition features works of more than 20 renowned artists, among them such staple names as Niark1 (France), 123Klan (Canada), Cuypi (France), Sheena Aw (Singapore), Maria Vittoria Benatti (Italy), J3Concepts (USA), Loungekat (Melbourne), Sublevel (Munich), Keuj (France), Tokyocandies (Italy), Charuca (Barcelona) and many more…
Niark1: Dead End
Join us for the Vernissage on Thursday, November 12th, starting 19:00. Some of the artists will be around, as well as Blood Sweat Vector founders Jared Nickerson and Brad Mahaffey.
42Below will care for excellent cocktails again and for the first time we will have DJs spinning, West Berlin Gallery’s own Guillaume aka DJ One (also founder of Vinyl kills MP3) back to back on the decks with Tatjana.
We are looking forward to see you on thursday, in the meantime also link up to the Facebook event :)
West Berlin Gallery presents Blood Sweat Vector
We are really happy and excited to announce our upcoming collaboration with Blood Sweat Vector!
Blood Sweat Vector is an online artist community which brings together some of the highest regarded vector artists in the world. Founded in 2008 it serves as a platform for news, recommendations, portfolios and artistic exchange.
West Berlin Gallery is very happy to show a group exhibition with an international line-up of artists like Sublevel, Niark1, Sheena Aw, 123Klan, Short, Maria Vittoria Benatti, J3Concepts, Tougui, Cuypi, Loungekat, Keuj, Los Fokos, Tokyocandies, Charuca and many more…
Watch out for more infos coming soon…
‘Martin Krusche vs laFraise: Ugly & Drippy’ Vernissage
Here are some pics of last night. Thanks to everybody who came around and enjoyed the evening
See more pics on our flickr.
Tonight!! Opening of ‘Martin Krusche vs laFraise: Ugly & Drippy’
Come around and enjoy Martin’s original artworks (he even painted our walls and windows) and see what the contestants have done with ‘Ugly & Drippy’. Music, drinks and a nice atmosphere guaranteed!
Featured Artist: Martin Krusche
Tomorrow, October 15th, will see the big opening of the ‘Martin Krusche vs laFraise: ‘Ugly & Drippy’ exhibition, so I sat down with Martin and talked to him about his work, ink and other ugly and drippy things. Meet Martin after the jump…
‘Heads’, acrylic and ink on carton
Hey Martin, how are you doing? Would you like to introduce yourself? What should we know about you?
I’m fine, thanks. My name is Martin Krusche, I’m 27 and I work as an Illustrator. I’m mainly working for my own brand Yackfou, but i also do many free stuff, like paintings, free illustrations and ink sketchings. You can see some examples in the upcoming exhibition.
First tell me, how comes your special interest in ‚Ugly & Drippy’ things?
I like ‚Ugly&Drippy’ because I’m just attracted by raw, unfinished and even unaesthetic things. Our life is very ‚overaesteticised’ and in art/graphics we always try to create very beautiful things as well. This contrast between the Ugly and Imperfect and the Beautiful is always very charming for me and influences the style of my illustrations a lot.
Do you like the way the contestants worked on the ‚Ugly & Drippy’ topic?
Yes, basically I’m very satisfied with their adaption of the topic. But I was really surprised that almost all contestants just worked on the motif of ‚Ugly & Drippy’ and didn’t use it as a technical approach.
And what do you think about combining your works with the contest designs in an exhibition?
I like that very much, super! Actually I really like group exhibitions, and if there’s a topic above all, I’m always all excited! So you can see how different people pick up a topic and work on it. I’m looking forward to the exhibition…
What inspires your works?
I’m inspired by everything. I don’t have any particular examples or heroes or anything like that. Of course I go to see exhibitions, check magazines, books and blogs, but that’s not the only input. Everything I experience all day or leave impressions can affect my work.
Can you describe your workflow? For me it was a really interesting point that your designs rely a lot on analogue handwork with ink and pen.
Yes, that’s right. I like the feeling of producing something by hand. And I like the haptics and optics of analoguely sketched illustrations much more than the relatively cool and mathematic layout of digital works.
But regarding the workflow: I draw a lot, which serves as a foundation for elaborated illustrations. Mostly i take good drafts and enhance them until I judge them as good as in the sketchbook. Then I enlarge them and do a black and white final drawing on the light box. These I will scan and colour the ink sketching digital.
You are often working with the contrast of black-white and colored details. That makes most of your designs highly recognizable.
You are right. The reason for this is the way I work – basically inking the illustration in black and white.
‘Smokerface’
As you are socialised with Graffiti, in which way does it influence your work today?
Hardly intentional, as I’m not thinking: How would this work on a wall or something like that. But indirectly or unconsciously I would say that a certain sense for letters, size, colours and forms is rooted in this graffiti aesthetic somehow.
Why did you decide to focus on designs for clothing? You are running your own clothes brand Yackfou…
It wasn’t a deliberate decision, things just turned out like that.
In the beginning i just wanted to use my abilities for creating a product, which is beyond the duration of a flyer or a website but, like a T-shirt does, shapes a phase in one’s life and your everyday life in a very intense way. But over the course of time me and the fabric became friends, so my focus automatically came to rest upon it!
Thanks a lot for your time, Martin, and we are happy to show your work here at West Berlin Gallery!
Thank you too.
If you are now curious to see more of Martin’s work and the results of the laFraise ‚Ugly & drippy’ contest, join us on the opening tomorrow, starting at 7pm. We will care for nice music and 42Below will serve you with tasty and boozing drinks. If you can’t make it, the exhibition will run until November 06th. In any case check Martin’s blog and laFraise for the shirt designs.
Martin Krusche painting West Berlin Gallery
Martin spent the afternoon painting our gallery walls and even the window. Get a first impression of the upcoming exhibition Martin Krusche vs laFraise: ‘Ugly & Drippy’ and see it in living colour at the opening this Thursday, October 15th, starting at 19:00. Enjoy the designs, a nice chat and some tasty free drinks with us!
You can see more pics of the painting session on our flickr…
Featured Artist: Cuypi
Today we feature an artist who loves music and typography – meet Cuypi!
Hey Cuypi, nice to meet you! Would you like to introduce yourself? Like who you are, where do you live, what are you doing?
Hi, nice to meet you too! My name is Sébastien Cuypers, I’m 29 years old, I’m a graphic designer from France, near Paris, actually I’ve been working in an advertising agency for 6 years now.
‘I love brain’
What’s your usual way to find ideas for a design? How do you work?
I search for an idea or sometimes the idea comes to me. Then I make some sketches, do research… and if the inspiration is with me, I start it. Sometimes I’m not sure about the result, so I stop and restart many months later, and often the result is better than I hoped for. I think the most ripe ideas are the most successful.
And what do you use as a source for ideas? What inspires you?
The most important is MUSIC. It’s the rhythm of my life, and my life is the rhythm of my music. Before I start drawing an illustration, I put my headphones on and choose a playlist which matches my mood. Then I try to translate feelings into images. I’m also influenced by movies, comics, street culture, and artists like Alex Trochut, Zeloot, Jeff Soto, Jeremyville, Steven Harrington and many more…
Cuypi vs Headliner
Talking of music, you also did the new VKMP3-shirt and it seems that you are doing a lot of shirt-design? What do you like about that? And is there any difference between doing a design for shirts and other works?
Yes, tee-shirt is my first love, I really like working on it. I like the way shirts are a living support, because many people can see it and we can play with it, according to the place, situation, transmit a message, a mood… There are many differences between doing a design for shirts and other works, not the same situation, place and public. Many designs work very well on a screen or poster… but not on a shirt, and many designs work very well on tee and don’t work on posters… I can’t explain it.
Shirt for VKMP3
These typographical elements are prevalent in your designs – I like the way the design of the front is supporting the work as a whole.
Yes me too, I really like typography – Alex Trochut is a master for me. It’s hard to found a good text to illustrate which works alone, so I often put drawings on my designs to support typography works.
‘Nothing to say’
And is this your first gallery exhibition? Or have you had one before?
Not yet. But maybe one day I will do another one.
I’m pretty sure you will have another one soon, stay tuned for that ;). All that’s left to say now is: Thank you very much Cuypi, and good luck for the future!
Thanks to you, and excuse me for my poor english!
No one will mind about your english, we just love your designs! Check more of Cuypi’s work on his blog.
Featured Artist: Niark
Meet the aliens with Niark :)
‘We come in peace’
Hello Niark, nice to meet you! Please introduce yourself – where do you live, what are you doing?
Hey there! I’m Niark1 but you can call me Seb. I’m a freelance Graphic Designer / Illustrator based in Paris (France). I do graphics for a lot of different clients all around the globe like communication agencies, music labels, street wear brands, etc…
What are your sources of inspiration?
I have a lot of inspiration sources.
Living in Paris I have many opportunities to see exhibitions in galleries and museums. This allows me to examine the work of ‘others’ and that gives me some motivation. Of course the internet is the most important source of inspiration for me since the time I spend behind my computer screen ;). Furthermore I find some cool stuff in art books, street arts, magazines, movies, video clips, documentaries, etc… Music has a big role in my life too and is a big source of inspiration for sure.
Wallpainting
And can you describe your working process?
I don’t follow a specific working process. It depends on my inspirations, the customer, etc… I can start with some sketches, drawings or paintings and rework the graphics on my computer or I start directly on my computer. There is not just ONE good way to make art.
Your work is often based on plane, strongly colored elements and geometric patterns– does this feature have its roots in graphic design?
For some time I have been changing my style, trying to create graphics with simple shapes, but complex in their accumulation. I am very inspired by logos and vector illustrations. I like the potential impact of simple shapes and a limited color choices. Obviously sometimes I work with textures, especially in my paintings. Colors have an important role in my compositions and are an essential element in most of my work. I spend a lot of time to find the right color combinations although mostly black is the one that predominates.
‘Run 4 ur life’
I was wondering about the many aliens in your work. Are these aliens dangerous for the mankind? Can we trust them saying ‚We come in peace’?
The monsters that I represent in my illustrations are not really different from us after all. They are rather what we are on the inside. Things really dark, vices, or the madness that it is in us and in our thoughts, what one wants to hide. They are not really dangerous because they are only pictorial representations, but I can not say the same for the human race. Finally they are not coming in peace. But this is just a stupid message like ‘this is the end’ that I like to write on my artwork ;).
There’s a lot of character design in your portfolio, you’ve even designed Toys.
I have already been contacted by industries that manufacture toys. I would love to have a lot of my characters in volume. That would be great! But this requires hard work and the selection is pretty rough. However I have several times been invited to produce designs on existing toy shapes or make some hand-made customs for exhibitions.
You are part of the ‚Blood Sweat Vector’ collective. Can you tell me about what that means for you or your work?
‘Blood Sweat Vector’ is a good way to make connections with other artists and see or discover their work. It also helps to show your new work, while having some feedback and advice. I love the concept and I think I will send from other visual pending future upcoming events organized by Jared aka J3Concepts.
Just to let you know, folks: We will have a big ‘Blood Sweat Vector’ group show here at West Berlin Gallery in November!! And Niark will take part of course. Watch out for more informations coming soon!
I suppose the laFraise 15K exhibition is not your first show in a gallery. Where did you show your work before?
Yes I have already taken part in some gallery exhibitions before for collective shows. Recently I participated in a group show called ‘Battle’ at the Gallery Chappe in Paris with some guy from the 9eme concept crew and other artists. And I have already done some other exhibitions in Paris (with C215 at the Heart Gallery, at Artoyz with my buddy Bunka, Dadawan Madturnip, …) and in some other places in France with Customania. Also I had group shows in Belgium, UK, Australia, Singapore etc…
Thank you very much, Niark, and good luck for the future!
Thanks to you and for your interest in my work!
Take your time and browse through Niark’s portfolio and blog until there’s the next chance to see his works in living colour at West Berlin Gallery ;)
2011 West Berlin Gallery