INVURT

He’s been featured in such publications as Wooden Toy, Juxtapoz and the Herald-Sun’s Sunday Life, and now Darren Henderson has an upcoming solo exhibition at Gorker Gallery that looks to be chock full of his explorations.

“Loved, feared, celebrated and even hated, owls have a long history in many cultures throughout the world. They have been seen as markers of gods, symbols of knowledge, wisdom, fertility, as well as death, famine and destruction. There are few creatures associated with such contradictory meanings.

Inspired by the mythology surrounding owls and human culture, Darren Henderson’s infamous owls of the world have struck a chord in many hearts.

Gorker Gallery is proud the present ‘Get Lost, Find Something’ the debut solo exhibition by Melbourne artist Darren Henderson. His anthropomorphic birds are distinctly individual, each expressing the infinite shades and subtleties of emotion. With an extensive collection of 270 new works, ‘Get Lost, Find Something’ is a celebration of the unplanned and unexpected. Drawing inspiration from both the simplicities and complexities of life, Darren Henderson has created an enormously evocative and poetic world that people can’t help but wish to be a part of.”

Who: Darren Henderson
What: Get Lost, Find Something – solo exhibition
Where: Gorker Gallery, corner of Gorr & Kerr Streets – Fitzroy|
When: Thursday 29 April, 6:30pm – 8:30pm … Exhibition runs until Sunday 16 May

Via Gorker Gallery – also take a look at the Facebook event page, check out Darrens website for more information, or view a preview of the show.

Coming up this Thursday, 29th April, Crown Heights seeks to try to put to rest some of the controversy around the “gallery vs street” argument by bringing several luminous graffiti artists out from underground and onto the walls of the Highlander Gallery.

“Crown Heights is a group show – the tiresome quarrel of graffiti in galleries gets crushed by some of Melbourne’s leading letter mechanics and operationalists who are true to the game.

For the 1st time only, a collation of names, all in one space, one that
you would only ever find in the crevices and no-go zones of your own
city. Crown Heights is down with art. Crown Heights is down with crime … "

Invurt had a chance to speak to Tom Gerrard, the curator of the upcoming exhibition, about what was involved in putting together the show …

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No one fails to notice his stylistic and beautifully rendered work whenever they see it around the city, and it now looks as though Everfreshs Phibs is having his own solo exhibition at Collingwoods Hogan Gallery come 1st of May. The first solo show from this prolific artist should be something else.

"Prolific Sydney based artist Phibs has been painting graffiti for well over a decade. He is well known for his incredibly detailed aerosol cut-back techniques and bold, decorative line work. His unique and instantly recognisable tribal influenced style and characters are prominent on the streets all over Australia. Phibs is also a member of the highly regarded Everfresh Studios in Melbourne and continues to push himself by bringing his style to new areas of design, working not just on walls, but also on canvas, wood, skateboards and clothing. He has exhibited his work extensively around Australia as well as New Zealand and Germany, and was recently been commissioned to paint a large scale mural in Mumbai, India for Techfest. Phibs has also created artwork for Absolute Vodka, Rip Curl and Scribe."

Who: Phibs
Where: Hogan Gallery, 310 Smith St, Collingwood
When: 1st May, 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Via Everfresh Studio

There’s already a beer in my hand by the time I catch sight of him – it’s Friday afternoon and the bar I’m in, e55, is near-full, and the crowd is drinking their shit away in preparation of the night to come. He’s sitting down in the back corner, and I notice that he already has a jug in front of him, notebook out, writing away – plotting and listing whatever number of things an artist needs to get done in the week before their second solo exhibition.

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Nior has an exhibition coming up at the No Vacancy gallery, further on from a bunch of group exhibitions he has had work in so far this year, such as Drawing Blood and Constellations. Niors style is often “immediately recognised for his wood work decorated with wildlife, literally creating [an] encyclopedia of animals. Each creation captures these majestic animals expressions and wonderful sense of movement, they develop an instant connection with the viewer.”

Who: Nior
What: Switcheroo solo exhibition
Where: No Vacany Gallery, 34 – 40 Jane Bell Lane, Melbourne
When: Opens 6pm – 9pm Thursday 22nd April runs til 2nd May

Check out Niors website for more information

Highlander are presenting a group show  towards the end of April in the form of Crown Heights – not too much in the way of detail as yet, besides those who are exhibiting, but we’ll see what we can hunt down …

What: Crown Heights – Group Exhibition
Who: Jorz, Banos, Break, Greco, Aeon, Take2, Puzle, Renks, Tusk2, Sage, Duet, Sat, Tres, Shem, Sirum, Lush, Zode
Where: Highlander Gallery, 11a Highlander Lane, Melbourne CBD
When: Thursday 29th April, 6pm – Exhibition runs til 20th May.

Via Kompound

Every DJ has a story to tell, and every story has a beginning, and for French d’n'b artist Naibu, those beginnings stemmed from the wellspring of early 90s electronica that seems to have given inspirational birth to so many masters of break beat. Whilst providing a muse for so many across the board, it is a guide that has allowed artists such as Naibu to help evolve the nature of the music we often love and nurture, and, as he happily explains his roots, the elements that make for good electronic music of any genre are often firmly rooted in the internal narrative that a listener formulates for the duration of a tune, or the over symphony of a well constructed set.

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Having already held his first solo exhibition last year, as well as having contributed to an ever growing number of group exhibitions, Melbourne artist Simz is set to release his second solo Show at the At Large gallery in Northcote

With Mecha Graffical, Simz once again delves into his “gloomy, mecha, cyber [art] with a dark outlook for the future” and will be presenting pieces containing all the gritty futurism that he is well known for. Having followed Simz work for some time, we’re betting safe money on a stack of great work being shown come April 23rd.

Who: Simz
What: Mecha Graffical – Solo Exhibition
Where: At Large Gallery, 208 High St Northcote 3070
When: Opening 6pm – 9pm, Friday April 23rd. Show runs until 7th May.

With the year already off to a remarkable start with several major solo and group exhibitions having come, and, successfully, gone, Per Square Metre is preparing for its next feature, the first solo exhibition from talented up and coming artist Jack Douglas.

Invurt caught up with Jack last weekend to discuss his coming show, as well as to get the low-down on his personal thoughts and philosophies behind his current body of work …

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Following on from the Dabs Myla exhibition, Per Square have another showcase of a young up and coming artist, Jack Douglas, whose work has been seen gracing a plethora of walls and exhibitions around the city in the past couple of years. This guys work is fantastically energetic in its weird and stylised way, so its, yes, another, show not to be missed. Burn city keeps pulling out the goods – we’re pretty spoilt.

“This show is about coming-of-age in a society that’s not quite right. Graduating from art school and being forced to face the real world, dealing with drug use, alcoholism and petty violence. “I seek to escape my own personal dilemmas through the image-making process.” Feeling the urge to draw attention to the degradations in standards of living, the everyday Australian’s general contempt for each other and fearing things that are different. These “low life’s” each bear their own interesting stories, it is through his art that Jack attempts to portray them as a means for public discourse. Drawing on several influences (including pop surrealism, tattoo art, skateboard graphics, psychedelic music posters etc.), Jack has created a body of work that will act as a single piece of art through the process of installation that will hopefully make people stop and think about what is wrong with the world we live in.”

Who: Jack Douglas
What: Twenty One (Solo Exhibition)
Where: Per Square Metre Gallery, 191 Johnston Street, Collingwood VIC, Australia 3066 (corner Francis and Johnston Streets ), Telephone 61+03 94177991
When: Friday, 16 April 2010 at 18:00 to Sunday, 25 April 2010 at 21:00

Via Per Square Metre Gallery

You can find more info and a bunch of photos by Jack on his blog as well as the facebook event page.

I’m squinting hard as the early dawn light is pummelling through the vans windscreen. We’re hurtling down the highway, somewhere between Rhode Island and Brooklyn – its post-party hour and some friends and I are dropping Reid Speed back home after an all-night rave in an abandoned bank vault. The gig is all done and dusted, and we’re talking shit about breaks, d’n'b and all the things in between – the details are murky, its the start of the new millennium after all, but I can still hear the passion in her voice and I’m still feeling the vibe of the set she played, and I easily recall my predominant thought at the time – “this girls really going somewhere, can’t wait to see where she ends up…”

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