INVURT

After the hectic bustle of Kuala Lumpur and an overeating dose of food for Chinese New Year, I headed back to Singapore. My first few days there were, yep, full of eating, and getting back to do some proper exploring was pretty exciting. In all my previous wanderings, I just hadn’t seen any signs of graff or street art. Not a single piece, or tag …

I mean, I didn’t see anything. It was so clean, so tidy and so manicured that I was a little despondent – I’d been told by so many people that if I wanted to see street art, then I was pretty fucked in Singapore.

Late last year I’d also read some news over at BSA that a Singaporean street artist, known only as “sticker Lady”, who had put up some really fkn cool stickers across the city on pedestrian crossing buttons, was facing a hefty dose of potential jail time and/or the cane for doing so. Thankfully, as far as I know, that didn’t eventuate and from all reports the legal system went quite easy on her – but it didn’t really fill me full of much optimism for any potential visit there.

Image via the WSJ article on Sticker Lady

Then, not too long before I left, I saw a piece in Melbournes Blender Laneway by two Singaporean artists, Ink & Clog – and I fkn loved it. I ended up interviewing them for the first issue of our upcoming print magazine, Damn It! (you’ll have to buy a copy when its out later this month to read it, but its a good one!) and my feelings on the place started to shift – here were two amazingly talented artists who were really making some headway with their art in a place reminiscent to Australia back in its zero tolerance, culturally wastelanded 90s period.

I kept in contact with Ink & Clog, and, a week after I arrived back from KL (Id been practically bed ridden when I got back) they invited me out to visit for the afternoon. Thats when  discovered Sultans Gate – and my faith began to be restored.

After arriving in Sultans Gate (thankfully the bus took me right there, and I didn’t have to wander around wondering where the fuck I was) I walked down the street, and, almost as soon as I looked I saw something that had been missing from all my glances around Singapore – tags. You have no idea how much even seeing one tag restored my faith – here it was, visible proof that there really was something cool going on in Singapore.

Wandering down the road, I bumped into Ink  & Clog heading to go and grab some food, so after a few bites they took me on a quick tour of the somewhat more artistic side of Singapore.

Our first stop was Blackbook – run by Slac Satu and crew. This is the place you go to get your paint, people. They had a good range, too, mostly the local paint – Zenith which was pretty damn affordable and much cheaper than anything we get in Australia. I didn’t try it out, but the colours looked good and I was assured it was pretty decent.

Blackbook being an artist run shop, it didn’t stop at the paint supply – it also has a whole bunch of art from Slac and others adorning the walls, so if you want to pick yourself up some pretty mad art direct from the source, it’s all there for you to see on the walls.

Blackbook used to have a big wall erected that they could paint on that ran behind the shop – I’m not sure if they were asked to take it down or whatever, but it wasn’t present when I visited. I was told that they wanted to erect it again and I hope they do – given that there are almost fuck all places for people to paint with any freedom in Singapore (more on that in part 2 of this article!), I reckon anything is better than nothing. As it stands, they did have a whole bunch of boards about the place that had been painted on – and they all rocked.

I highly recommend visiting these guys when you’re in Singapore – its around the back from Ink & Clog and Bein Store.

Oh yeah, and their cats were all pretty cool. Cats rule (sorry Lukey!).

We then stopped in at a really cool store right next door to Ink & Clogs studios – Bein Store. I loved this place, not only did it have some amazingly cool threads and other locally made products (the freakin watches there were mad), but it was packed full of sweet art as well.

One of the high lights of also checking out Bein was getting to see a  bunch of the Hell Lotus custom toys on the shelves.

I’d heard of the “Hell Lotus works that Clog had done, and I remember a passage he said in the interview I did with him for Damn It! that didn’t make it into the piece -

“The Hell Lotus was initially inspired by a trip to Hong Kong in 2011 together with ANTZ, ZERO and Neo,” Clog explained in the interview answers he sent through to me for the Damn It! interview.

“We visited the giant sitting Buddha at a mountain tops. I was so blown away that I made a sketch of it in my black book. It was an illustration of sitting Buddha with his head splitting open, revealing a skull, encapsulated in it. Signifying that in us, there’s God, and in God, there’s us. When I got back to Singapore, I was approached by Mighty Jaxx to design a toy for them and the splitting Buddha head illustration caught their eyes. A few changes were made soon after due to religion sensitivity, and was adjusted accordingly to remain the same ideology but yet subtle.

The design of the Hell Lotus got thrown back and forth to make sure that design are firmed, and the prototyped was also checked that the artists impression of the Hell Lotus was perfectly done for the buyers. That was the most important stage for me, making sure that people receive what I received in my head.”

So, having already been worded up on these pieces, seeing them in the flesh was pretty rad. The guys at Bein were welcoming and friendly, and looked pretty proud of their space – and the should be, there’s not much like it in Singapore and we hope to see them do great things in the future.

We then made our way next door to Ink & Clogs new studios that they’ve recently set up – inside, was a veritable treasure trove of cool shit. Paintings, toys, materials and all the things needed to create amazing work – and there certainly was a lot of that around.

Having had a chance to peruse a bunch of their work, I was pretty well left just wanting to buy a whole bunch of it – alas, canvases and backpacks are not really the greatest of travelling companions, but I now have my heart set on getting something for my walls in future!

Of course, there was the obligatory stickered out fridge in their studios as well – with a couple of pretty recongisable additions to it!

I didn’t have a hell of a lot of time to hang out, unfortunately, so just before I left they gave me the only kind of gift an artist really loves  a piece in my blackbook. I can’t thank them enough for this, I absolutely love it – and what impressed me also was just how quickly they did it together. This is a well oiled artistic duo, and in under ten minutes they were done and dusted with this gem.

Again, Ink & Clog fucking rule.

My quick visit to Sultans Gate gave me a real sense of an underground artistic community amongst the high octane, business driven world of Singapore. Fortunately, I can now say for a fact that all those people who said that there isn’t anything worth seeing in the Singaporean underground arts scene were wrong. It may not be everywhere and all over the place like in Melbourne, but its most definitely there.

In the next part of this article, I’ll cover a lot more of the actual art I saw up on the walls, my feelings on the overall “scene” and “artistic culture” of Singapore, as well as a place that is doing some pretty cool shit in Singapore that I’m sure you’ll all love – Kult Gallery.

Until then, check out the rest of the pics I got from around Sultans Gate, Blackbook, Bein and Ink & Clog Studios.

Last year saw a great collection of artists at GTNBZY, and this year is no exception – we’ll let the press release do the talking!

"It’s Fringe season again and GTNBZY is back with their next ‘Fringe Dwellers’ group art exhibition and music showcase – ‘Outside the Box’. Upstairs at the Light Hotel on Saturday the 2nd of March, ‘Outside the Box’ combines visual art with the local hip hop scene and will showcase fourteen exhibiting visual artists, two live visual artists and seven of Adelaide’s emerging hip hop acts.

A varied collection of artwork, all following the ‘Outside the Box’ theme of creativity will be displayed from 7pm, featuring artists Alex Gilchrist, Jelena Vujnovic, Dabman, Dan Adams, Donovan Christie, Fletch, Joel Sanders, Josh Muller, JPEG, Kevin Rumbelow, Luke Trevorrow, Munki, Nick Strutton and Pip Cocciolone. As a part of the exhibition Dan Adams is exhibiting his own custom vinyl toys which will be painted by each artist, and local art heavyweights Donovan Christie and Luke Trevorrow will also be providing a live painting demonstration using aerosol and acrylic mediums on the balcony outside during the exhibition, courtesy of Clinic 116. Entry to the exhibition is free before 8pm, and $10 from 8pm onwards.

Following the exhibition, ‘Outside the Box’ will transform from art-space to music venue, showcasing a broad and talented collection of local Adelaide performers. As well as performing, 2011 Hilltop Hoods Initiative winner Koolta will host the night alongside The Kid, with additional performances from Til the Break, Foreign Correspondence and Elapsed Time. DJ’s Chaps and Antrax will round out the night on the decks."

Looks like another great event from a great crew, who have a lot of experience in putting on some fine assed art events! Head down and see it for ourselves next week!

Who: Alex Gilchrist, Jelena Vujnovic, Dabman, Dan Adams, Donovan Christie, Fletch, Joel Sanders, Josh Muller, JPEG, Kevin Rumbelow, Luke Trevorrow, Munki, Nick Strutton and Pip Cocciolone
What: GTNBZY Outside The Box Group show & Event
Where:  The Light Hotel, Adelaide
When: Saturday the 2nd of March from 6pm, entry to the exhibition is free before 8pm, and $10 from 8pm onwards.

Check out the facebook event page here.

Ah, we do love ourselves a great fkn customised toy show, and, as always Espionage Gallery puts on one of our favourite types of shows in the best possible way – we’ve seen some of the hints and previews, and damn this looks good!

"Espionage Gallery has invited 41 of the best artists from Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Argentina to modify, customise, paint and decorate 41 Blank Munny Vinyl Toys. This is one of the BEST exhibitions to showcase at the gallery this year."

As far as we are aware, this is the first toy show from Espionage, and damn, but they’ve done a great job at assembling the artists involved! Some great names in there – head down this Thursday to check it all out!

Who: Joshua Smith, Gary Seaman, César Zanardi, Rebecca Murphy, Cameron Brideoake, Creature Creature, Michael Duncan, Luka Va, Nic Bic, Fredrock, Fletch Cuts, Donovan Christie, Caitlin Millard, Peter Fong, Lilian Choo, Scatterbrain, Lampin, Elita, Alphamanta, Chris Edser, Sam Barratt, Ali Harmony Brown, Sally Jo Cook, Claire Wee, Trent Lambert, Mustachio, No Hope, Rem, Dave Court, Backyard Jesus, Michael Carney, Tiernan S, Hex 1, Tiff Rysdale, Julian Lee, Daniel Purvis, Lucas Croall, Kat Coppock, Shane Haddy, Jerry Pendleton, Alyshia Eming
What: Unboxed custom toy show
Where: Espionage Gallery, Suite 1, Level 2, 93 Rundle Mall, Adelaide, (entrance off Lindes Lane, next to Zu Shoes)
When: Opening Night Thursday October 18th at 6:00pm til 10pm

Check out Espionage Gallery as well as the facebook event page.

Fred Fowler has been bringing his own brand of creative, awesome madness to galleries across the country for many years, and yet this next show may be one of the best shows yet.

Decorating the Apocalypse will show Fred in all his glory, at one of our favourite galleries in Melbourne – Backwoods Gallery.

"Decorating the Apocalypse is a playful investigation of themes related to cultural identity. Images of masks and faces function as the primary signifiers in Fowler’ work. Through sculpture, painting and printmaking, he is questioning the ‘mythologies’ or artificial constructs surrounding issues of identity. Cheap, plastic, Chinese-manufactured toys are sourced locally before being deconstructed and re-configured, to finally emerge – through the ancient process of casting – as intricate, bronze masks. Kitsch wooden ‘primitive’ masks, found in flea markets in Paris and Melbourne, are methodically vandalized, painted and re-presented as cultural artifacts of contemporary society.

Also on display at the exhibition will be a 72 page book showing selected works from 1996 – 2012 both on and off the streets.

Selected solo and joint exhibitions include Raiders of the Lost Art, A.R.T Gallery Eden, Melbourne 2001; Productivism, Fine Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2003; No Comply, Federation Square, Melbourne, 2006; Refil 7, MTV Gallery, Sydney, 2007; Bootlegger, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne, 2007; Highland Chamber, Until Never Gallery, Melbourne, 2008; The Outsiders, Kristian Pithie Gallery, Melbourne, 2009; Surface, Michael Koro Gallery, Melbourne, 2009; Space Invaders, National Gallery of Australia, 2010; Larger Than Life, The Substation, Melbourne, 2011; South of the Border, Lo Fi Gallery, Sydney, 2011; VCA Graduate Exhibition, Melbourne, 2011.

Fowler’s work is held in the National Gallery of Australia collection, as well as various private collections in Australia and overseas."

Head over to Collingwood this Friday night to see it all – gunna be grand.

Who: Fred Fowler
What: Decorating The Apocalypse
Where: Backwoods Gallery, 25 Easey St, Collingwood, Melbourne
When: Show opens Friday 17th August from 6pm til 9pm, and runs until the 26th August.

Check out Fred Fowler as well as the Backwoods Gallery website, and the facebook event page for more info.

Friday night we had a brief chance to get down to Backwoods Gallery in order to check out Stephen Ives show, Jet, and to get a few photos of the work.

There was no disappointment – the man is a master of transforming every day models and toys into otherworldy, complex pieces that tell  unique stories. Again, we also loved his 2d work, and the sketches and drawing was fantastic.

Check them out for yourself …

Since interviewing Stephen Ives last year, we’ve been ardently waiting to get yet another chance to see one of his collections – and that time is almost here, as he launched is last show, Jet, this Friday at Backwoods Gallery in Collingwood.

"Stephen Ives work is about contrast and balance and the meaning within the juxtaposition, whether it is the bringing together of disparate ideas or the conjunction of objects, themes, colours or overall placement. On the surface level aesthetic and skill need to be balanced, the integrity of the structure fusing with overall feel creating strength flow and ‘beauty’. The surface then has to be balanced with the content, the underlying conceptual structure supporting the roof of craftsmanship. Belief has to be suspended to enter the worlds Stephen creates, (when the audience no longer see the puppets strings they will then believe the puppet is real), the audience can then be taken on the journey the artist wishes them to experience. Of course if the journey is dull no amount of surface glitz will make it better. A good idea has to have form that is true.

The best way to describe the process by which Stephen Ives thinks and works is to use the French word bricolage (a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things), his work is entirely immersed in this concept. Ideas are distilled from an experiential, mental, historical and cultural grab bag and constructed from a hyper Lego pile of toys, scrap, junk and purpose bought materials that fill his studio. Concepts are edited and refined, materials are collected, cut, morphed, distorted sometimes discarded and eventually brought together in an homogenous whole that is both a mental thought form and a candy apple treat."

Seriously, if you haven’t seen Stephens work before, you need to get down to Backwoods Gallery to see it all – photos just do not do the level of detail and intricacy that he puts into each piece. His work is often whimsical, yet it speaks volumes of expression – something that, and this is a personal thing, I often find difficult to feel from a lot of sculptural work.

When I first saw Stephens work last year, I actually took a step back and began to appreciate sculpture a lot more, whereas previously I had often dismissed it. Over the past year, I found myself actively seeking out various different sculptural works to see if it could also convey that new found sense – sometimes it has, sometimes it hasn’t, but the point is that via Ives work, my eyes were opened.

That’s what good art does, and that’s the kind of shit that he brings to the table – go see it for yourself.

Who: Stephen Ives
What: Jet solo show
Where: Backwoods Gallery, 25 Easey st, Collingwood, VIC
When: Show opens Friday 3rd August, 6pm til 9pm and runs til 12th August.

Check out Backwoods Gallery as well as Stephen Ives website for more info on the show.

When we first heard word that Comic-con was coming down under last year, we were pretty damned excited. After that, we sat her in Melbourne and had to live vicariously off the photos and run downs of the inaugural event over in Adelaide – but now, finally, its Melbournes turn.

If you haven’t heard of Comic-con, in whichever incarnation it takes, and you’re reading this website, then there is something seriously strange going on. Comic-con is now a world wide phenomenon, garnering legions of fan of comics, movies, animation and all things super, horror, scifi and fantastical. That this event is now running down here in Oz is a big thing – proving that our fandom is just as mighty as any other countries!

Patrick Stewart. Stan Lee. Artists. Writers. Editors and everything else in between – read on for the press release, and check it all out …

“After the success of their inaugural Oz Comic-Con event in Adelaide last March, DCA Enterprises heads to Melbourne to present the second round of Oz Comic-Con on Saturday 30^th June and Sunday 1^st July, 2012.

Over two days, the Oz Comic-Con event will feature international and local film and TV stars; with legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier in The X-Men Series, Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation) and comic icon Stan Lee (original creator of Spiderman and other comic icons such as The Hulk, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Thor) heading the stellar line up.

In the spirit of Comic-Con events worldwide – Oz Comic-Con will be a pop culture expo like no other in Australia. Melbourne fans will be among the first to experience the event in Australia, with Oz Comic-Con expanding further into Australia throughout 2013 and 2014.

Sir Patrick Stewart and Stan Lee will be joined by other international and local comic, film and TV guests; including Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Stargate: Atlantis), Julie Benz(Dexter), Mitch Peleggi (The X-Files, Sons of Anarchy), Sean Maher (Firefly, Serenity),Armin Shimerman (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and in an exciting new twist – two stars from The Hunger Games movie; Willow Shields (‘Primrose Everdeen’) and Dayo Okeniyi (‘Thresh’) among others.

In an Australian first, aspiring comic creators will be able to submit their work for professional review, with Scott Allie (Dark Horse Comics, Senior Managing Editor) in attendance at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne and scouting for new talent.

There will also be comic book and anime artists, gaming demonstrations and cosplay competitions (a unique type of performance art in which participants don costumes to reflect cultural ideas and concepts, often from Japanese popular fiction).

“After the overwhelming success of Adelaide – we cannot wait to see what Melbourne has in store for us…,” said Carissa Avenhouse, of event organisers DCA Enterprises. “Oz Comic-Con is the perfect place for fans to share their love of pop culture, get up close and personal with celebrities, enter contests with fantastic prizes or gain tips on how to break into the industry.”

Oz Comic-Con is brought to Melbourne by DCA Enterprises (http://www.thehubproductions.com/), a Sydney-based company who specialise in popular culture events, bringing some of the world’s most loved stars to Australian shores. Recent DCA Enterprises events include Twilight 2008, 2009 and 2010 (featuring Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz and Nikki Reed), Star Trek 2010 (featuring William Shatner and Scott Bakula), Gleek-On 2010 (featuring Kevin McHale) and Stargate 2010 (featuring Richard Dean Anderson and Chris Judge).”

What more could you possibly want, really? After heading to Supernova a few months back, and having an absolute blast, we’re really looking forward to getting down to Comic-con – no longer do we need to spend thousands to get over to San Diego or New York – its right here in our own backyard.

We also just did a special interview with Dark Horse editor Scott Allie in the lead up to the event!

So, so good – check out some of the pics from the Adelaide event, and head here to grab some tickets!

Who: Stan Lee, Patrick Stewart, Scott Allie, Jason Momoa, Dayo Okeniyi, Willow Shields, Armin Shimerman and so many more stars and artists – check here for the full run down.
What: Oz Comic-con Melbourne
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre,1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Melbourne
When: Saturday June 30th and Sunday July 1st 10am to 6pm.

Check out the Oz Comic-con website and the facebook page for more info on the entire show – so much going on …

Ahhhh, good news – the long awaited 2012 Dunny series is about to be launched in Melbourne, and Villain are having a bit of a shindig for all Dunny fans.

"This Thursday, come down to Villain QV for our Dunny 2012 Launch Party. We have a great door prize that could be yours! A set of Gold Life Dunnys! This set was super hard to get and sold out pretty much straight away. We will also have the entries for our great Dunny Photography Competition on display. Bring your toys to trade as well. See ya there."

I love those Gold Life Dunnys! Trade your customs, get photos done, just check out a plethora of Dunnys – If you’re a fan of the toy, this is the event to head to – we will be!

Who: Dunny
What: Villains 2012 Dunny Launch party
Where: Villain QV – Jane Bell Lane, Melbourne CBD
When: Thursday 21st June from 5:30pm til 7:30pm. Be there between 5:30 – 7:30 for a chance to win the door prize!

Check out Villains facebook page, and their website, for more info

You know what? I think we’ll just have to let you read the introduction to this show first, and watch the video so you can grasp the idea behind it …

"Everything is in Motion is a new drawing work by Danny Wild and Luke Penders. It was created with the aid of various mechanical, robotic and wind up toys in which pens, crayons, markers and other drawing utensils were attached to enable to toys to ‘draw’.

With this piece our focus was on removing objects from their original context, investigating the unpredictable nature of drawing through non-conventional means."

Okay, got it? Cool, now,check out this cool ass video that they put together … mad stuff.

How cool is that?? Robots and dinosaurs, with pens, making art. I really don’t think there is much cooler. Except maybe if there was a wind up triceratops involved. Or if they were 100ft tall … but, this is really as cool as it gets, and a really great idea. Everything Is In Motion is a unique, nearly unclassifiable show, I mean, again, they have toys drawing shit.

It’s shows like Everything Is In Motion that are exactly the kind of things we love; we really wish we could get up there to see it. Kudos to the Zonk Vision dudes for dreaming this one up, and to the Tate crew for putting it on!

Who: What: Everything Is In Motion
Where: The Tate, 345 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, NSW
When: Show opens Wednesday 20th June at 6pm and runs until Sunday June 24th.

Check out the Zonk Vision crew, The Tateand the Toxeth, Danny Wild and Luke Pender.

If you’ve been reading us for a while, you would know that we are, at the core of it, pretty massive geeks. So when Supanova, the years largest festival of “pop culture expo” comes around, well, there’s no doubt that we’ll be there.

Covering every base from tv and movies, to toys and comics, scifi and fantasy and everything in between, Supanova is the epitome of creative culture. Just seeing all of the cosplayers and various suited and costumed people showed to us just how much the creative realm is permeating our society, more so than it was even a few years ago. These days, geek is cool, and being creative is even cooler. Supanova is, really just that – a massive celebration of creativity.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived, were the massive lines into the expo – we attended last year, and the crowd this year was definitely larger. The traders had been moved into one of the large exhibition halls, and even that was pretty damn crowded!

So. Many. Toys. And. Cool. Shit.

Again, one of the best parts of the day was checking out everyone dressed up for the event. You just know, that as soon as Supanova is finished, that a lot of the cosplayers are going to be heading home to start work on next years outfit immediately – you can see that much effort in their work.

We went and checked out the last  bit of Edward James Olmos, and then the finals for the cosplay competiton. The Samurai Pizza cats vs the French Revolution. Strangely enough (not really, they had great costumes), the French revolution won and went through to the finals.

We finished the day off by catching Summer Glau (aka Fireflys River Tam aka Sarah Connor Chronicles Terminator) doing her talk – ahh. Fan crush to see Summer Glau in person sated. What a girl.

We met these nice ladies when we went to get supplies from the supermarket – they were pretty curious as to what was going on with all these people dressed up. We gave them some stickers and told them to keep calm and carry on!

Supanova keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. It’s an inspiring day out, and there is so much to see and do – if you want a day that is a little out of the ordinary than your usual fare, this is the place to be. For us, the best part of the day really was watching how much creativity was on display – even if your bag doesn’t run to the scifi or fantasy realms, you should at least experience something like this once in your lifetime. We’re looking forward to next years saga!

Melbourne was just the first show in the run of events, so if you’re in Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, the Supanova events are coming up, so don’t miss out!

ArtBoy presents the debut exhibition of Melbourne artist and Illustrator BRUYN. This guy’s been doing some pretty cool things since we last saw his stuff at the Artboy vs Fanboy Exhibition!

BRUYN’s work comes from a background in illustration in the toy industry, an influence which is obvious in his work. It’s cute, yet kinda badass, funky work – most of which seems to have already sold before the opening of the show! We’re a fan of his crazy creations, characters and worlds of a darker existence. In this show it looks like he’s experimented with not only board and canvas but also skate decks, always interesting!

"In an attempt to seize control of Hub City once and for all, Rabbit has raised a cloned army of rabbits and is erasing all who oppose him. As always, it falls upon Bear and his band of brothers to quash this latest insurrection.

But now a new threat is emerging!

For within the inky depths of a nearby forest, a Sacred Acorn Tree has become contaminated, spawning an army of ferocious zombie squirrels!As brain-hungry rodents infest the city, Rabbit and Bear must put aside differences and unite to combat this new undead enemy!"

Whaaaaat! Here’s a small preview of the show …

Looking really cool, love it! We’ll see you there!

Hot on the heels of our previous article on the Cullen Open House day, here’s the full run down on events at this years Carbon Festival – got your tickets yet?

We were are Carbon last year (check here for last years wrap up of the event) and we have no hesitation in saying that you need to get to this grand event from the team behind one of the best culture mags we know, Acclaim. While we there last year, we brought you a live blog from the event for those that were unable to attend, and we’ll be doing the same this year. Hopefully we’ll also be doing a few interviews as well, and providing as much coverage and photos of the shebang as we can manage.

Anyways, here’s the break down – there is a shitload happening – all of this info is via the Carbon Festival website and the Carbon Festival facebook page, so you might just want to head over there for everything – this is just a summary.

“Australia’s premier contemporary, creative-culture event, Carbon is back! Now in its second year, Carbon celebrates and explores style, design and street culture via a series of forums and side-shows.
The main forum event, which takes place at the BMW Edge Theatre at Federation Square, has seen us scour the globe for some of the most unique and authentic voices and minds in contemporary creative-culture. The forums are the defining element of Carbon. More than just the transfer of knowledge, this series of talks also offers a platform for discussion and audience participation. Add to this a range of exciting side-events and exhibitions and you have a festival of creativity and thought that is not to be missed.”

Carbon Festival Pre & Side Events

Lots of side events happening as a part of Carbon, here’s a small rundown!

Cullen Open House (featuring Mural by Faith47 – Saturday 21st April-12pm – 10pm  @ Cullen Hotel, 164 Commercial Rd, Prahran, Victoria. Check here for more details.

The Ricky Powell World Famous Slide Show – Wednesday 25th April – 8pm @ 1000 £ BEND (cinema) – 361 Little Lonsdale St. Melbourne.

Opening of Faith47 & DALeast Exhibition – Thursday 26th April-
6pm-9pm: @ RTIST Gallery, 29 St Edmonds Rd. Prahran, Victoria. (We’ll have more on this event soon)

Sneaker Freaker Swapmeet – Sunday 29th April

“Its that time of year again where sneakerheads, collectors, label whores, bike geeks, hoarders and street wear fashionistas gather to buy, sell, trade and give away mounds of stuff. Last year’s event attracted around 50 sellers and more or less 7000 people who came throughout the afternoon to see what all the fuss was about. We’re not sure what to expect this year, but rest assured it will be bigger and better. It always is!

If you’re into sneakers, bikes, toys, street wear, vintage gear and or bits ad bobs that are gonna be cooler than what you find at your local weekend flea market, then make sure you come and check this out. We guarantee you will be sorry if you miss it.”

Check out Sneaker Freaker website and the facebook event page, and the Carbon website for more details on this event.

Carbon Festival Launch Party

“The crew behind the Carbon Festival are pleased to announce the lineup for Carbon’s official launch party, a musical intro to the discussion forums and art shows that define the Carbon event.

Having developed a lineup that represents the evolutionary spirit of the visual aspects of Carbon, the following acts have been confirmed to kick things off for this year’s Carbon Launch: Headlining the party is a showcase performance by indie label Fool’s Gold outta NYC and includes eclectic sets by a favourite amongst local partygoers, Nick Catchdubs (Fool’s Gold co-founder and multi-genre party DJ), plus relative newcomer and literal one-man-band Party Supplies whose handmade MPC symphonies and heartfelt stage presence blend hip-hop energy with anthemic indie hooks. Party Supplies will be joining the lineup hot off the back of his collaborative release with Action Bronson ‘Blue Chips’ (download link below).

Party rocker, Mixtape DJ, founder of DJ collective ’5^th Platoon’ and former tour DJ for Jay-Z, are but a few of the titles attached to DJ Neil Armstrong, another New Yorker that we’re excited to welcome to the Carbon Launch lineup.

And from local waters, Auckland, New Zealand DJ collective The ARC will share the earlier hours of the party with local producer/DJ duo Dublin Aunts, favourites amongst Hype Machine enthusiasts for their approach to electronic funk and nu-disco.

Tickets for the Carbon Launch can be purchased from Moshtix at a discounted rate in conjunction with a 2 Day Forum Pass. Alternatively, a limited number of tickets will be available on the door for $30 (pending availability).

For further ticket information visit http://www.weareallcarbon.com/tickets/”

Carbon Festival Day 1 Forums

For a full run down on everything happening on Day 1 of the Carbon Festival, click here.

Saturday 28th April
11am- 1pm: Forum A @ BMW Edge, Federation Square
2pm-4pm: Forum B @ BMW Edge, Federation Square
4pm-7pm: Chaz Bojorques Exhibition Opening @ NGV Studio
Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square

Forums on this day feature speakers Nic Fensom, Eugene Kan, Joy Yoon, Faith47, DALeast, Jasper Wong & Chaz Bojorquez.

Carbon Festival Day 2 Forums

For a full run down on everything happening on Day 2 of the Carbon Festival, click here.

Sunday 29th April
12pm- Evening: Sneaker Freaker Swap Meet @ The Atrium, Federation Square
11am- 1pm: Forum C @ BMW Edge, Federation Square
2pm-4pm: Forum D @ BMW Edge, Federation Square
5pm-7pm: Live Paint session @ NGV Studio, Federation Square

Forums on this day feature speakers Mega, Dust La Rock, Huw Bennett, Ricky Powell, 13th Witness and Yimmy Yayo.

So, that’s Carbon – so much fukn awesome. Really, if you haven’t got your ticket yet, now’s the time – we cannot recommend this event highly enough for anyone interested in creative culture!

We’ll be updating this event article regularly with as much up to date information as possible, as it comes – don’t forget also to check the Carbon Festival website and the Carbon facebook event page for updates.

Unless your name is Anya and you are a vengeance demon,  then you probably love bunnies (we’re seriously showing our geek right now, aren’t we?)- if not then you are in the minority, as bunnies are hell cute  … and, well, sorry, but they’re pretty tasty too!

The bunnies in “Make The Bunny Rad” are deliciously cool, but hardly edible, and you probably couldn’t cuddle them – but god damn would they look great on your shelf or mantelpiece. We’re huge fans of customised toys here at Invurt, and we just want to see more and more shows with them – which is why we love seeing this one from that awesome team-up of Rah Collective and Damp.

(Custom bunny by Alex Lehours – B&W)

“Twenty two artists from all over Australia were sent 7” vinyl bunnies to customize. now, these bunnies will be attached to our walls, so you can look at them, purchase them and love them forever! Vinyl is better than chocolate, or so we’ve been told.”

See, that’s what we’re talking about. The image above from Alex Lehours is just one of many previews we’ve sighted of just some of the bunnies in the exhibition, and they all look fkn amazing. Want!

If you’re in Sydney, head up the coast a little to Damp and check out this show!!

Who: Alex Lehours, Barek, Ben Brown, Helen Mycroft, Jacque Prior, Johnny Steiner, Josh Kid 9 Thorsen, Kate Mccarthy, Kinyobi, Kirst Ohh, Laura Chong, Lucinda Hayden, Luke Burcher, Matt Dampney, Noisy Kid, Ox, Qwux, Rebecca Murphy, Rob Buckley, Steph Tsimbourlas, Thom Bransdon, Yewot
What: Make The Bunny Rad custom toy exhibition
Where: Damp Store, Studio 4/31, Brighton St, Curl Curl, NSW
When: Show opens Friday 23rd March from 7pm til 11pm

Check out Rah Collective and Damp Store for more details on the show, as well as the facebook event page!

Artboy Gallery have done it again with their fifth Fanboy vs Artboy group show. Marc and the team threw down the gauntlet and challenged forty artists to come up with their own interpretations of famous fairytales and fables. The result: a diverse collection of contemporary and traditional art forms rediscovering cautionary tales with talking beasts, fantastical adventures of fairies, goblins and wizards. From a Little Red Riding Hood B-girl tagging the streets at night, eluding the Big Bad Wolf’s “authority figure” shadows in the distance to a mixed media triptych expressing the pre-fall foreboding in the Humpty Dumpty saga but wrapped in a hard metaphorical shell – Fanboy vs Artboy had it all.

At the end of the exhibition Artboy will choose one outstanding artist to exhibit more of their work in the gallery for a month – not too shabby. Also, the very lovely ladies from Curvy will also feature one of the participants on their website plus they will get a copy of the latest Curvy book. Radballs!

Fanboy vs Artboy: Fairytales and Fables runs until 25th of March. Check it.

Photos: Mick Rafferty (aka Drunk Monkeys)

We love the whimsicalness that is Fanboy vs Artboy, and this next show is whimsy and coolness in full flight. At the last Fanboy vs Artboy (Sci-fi), all visitors were asked to vote on what they wanted to see for the next show, with resounding approval for the theme of Fairytales & Fables!

"Passed down through the centuries from generation to generation, it would be hard to think of any story these days that hasn’t drawn inspiration from a fairytale or fable.

These classic tales and short stories sparked our imagination as children to dream of magical lands far, far away. But peeking behind the curtain of Enchanted Forests, Princes and Princesses, and ‘Happy Ever Afters’ lies sinister and twisted tales of murderous plots, poisonings, kidnappings and wickedly evil Stepmothers!

ArtBoy Gallery threw down the challenge for artists to create an original piece of fan art based on or inspired by their favourite fairytale or fable … over 40 amazing artists did not disappoint!"

These shows are just plain old fun -  if you haven’t been to one yet, this one would be a great place to start!

… oh, and on a parting note – vote #1 ROBOTS for the next installation! Okay? Okay! Hell yes, I hear you say!

Who: Artists include Matthew Dunn, Bruyn, Nicole Tattersall, Kaitlin Beckett, Ishi, RJW, Rachee Renee, Brett Willis, Mike Adey, A.i, Rebecca Murphy, Rival Revolution kids, Toni Dowd, Steph Hall, Lindsay Walker, Allain DeLeon, Tassj Brodie, (C)ALM and more.
What: Fanboy vs Artboy – Fairytales & Fables
Where: Artboy Gallery, 99 Greville St, Prahran
When: Show opens this Friday, 16th March from 6pm til 9pm and runs til 25th March.

Check out the facebook event page as well as the Artboy Gallery website for more information.

Well, it was a pretty epic night, for an epic show. Stormtroopers, imperial officers, and one hell of a lot of amazing science fiction related artwork at the Artboy vs Fanboy: Science Fiction exhibition in Prahran.

Check out the opening photos below!