INVURT

As a mad fan of urban vinyl and designer toys, there is nothing better than seeing a custom toy show (even if I can’t make it, I can’t wait to see the pics!) – and when you see one that has the backing of Kid Robot, there really isn’t much else to say! With Red Bull curating the event, and with a whole slew of amazing names both local and international, we’re hoping that they decide to expand this show out to the other states, pronto!

"We would like to extend a very warm welcome to you and your crew to attend the first ever Mo’Munny, Mo’ Problems event. Showcasing 35 of the best visual artists from Brisbane and around the world, this inaugural event will surely become a highlight event of the Kidrobot phenomenon currently sweeping the globe.

A team of quality lifestyle brands in Brisbane have come together to produce this event, which aims to put an international spotlight on the acclaimed Brisbane design community. Red Bull Curates has enlisted the help of Laced, Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Ironlak & Media Playground and the result is sure to create a stir amongst industry and media alike.

Mo’ Munny, Mo’ Problems is a Kidrobot Munny Design Show for which 18 inch, 7 inch and 4 inch Munnys have been sent around the world to be designed for sale during and directly after the event."

Get there this Thursday, and get yourself a one of a kind customised toys! Here’s a hint – they look awesome on a window sill …

Who: Dave White (UK), Frank Kozik (USA Kid Robot toy artist), Mega (France/Indonesia), Claudio Kirac, Sofles, Kalin Thompson, Benjamin Reeve, Keiron McMaster, Sonny & Biddy (WeBuyYourKids), Glen Manders (Bad Teeth Comics), Sam McKenzie (SamSamSamSam), KatieKate (Winner of Vinyl Countdown 1&2), Shane Johnson & Sean Condon (Media Playground), Loz (Seventh Circle Tattoo), Swamp Fiend (John C), Josh Thorsen (Kid9), Shaun Campbell (Squidtank), Joel Cameron aka. (DARKOYO), Jesse Bernard Paul Olsen, Julian Tognini (Tognini’s), Ben Johnston (Joseph Marks), Britta Gud and more!!
What: Mo’ Munny Mo’ Problems custom toy show
Where: Laruche, Bakery Lane, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
When: Show opens Thursday 27th October 7pm til late

Check out Kid Robot, which we love, and the facebook event page for more info!

Explosive, clean cut lines extruded from chaotic letterforms, seemingly random yet synchronised splashes of patterned chaos – these are all the hallmarks of Melbourne graffiti artist Slicers energetic and motion packed works.

Usually relegated to spaces often unseen by the public eye, his art often draws your eyes outwards, discovering subtle nuances behind what at first seems a disjointed, random sampling of work – yet seen correctly, each a cohesive sum of a perfect whole, precisely executed.

On the eve of his first solo show at Rtist Gallery in Prahran, Slicer gives us a brief glance into the mind behind the work – from demolition sites to the beauty of urban decay, his work with the AWOL and MCT crews to mentoring youths, Slicer is, in our humble opinion, one of the most uniquely styled graffiti artists practicing in Australia today, and we’re completely stoked that he had the time before his show to answer a few questions on over a decades worth of painted obsession …

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MEGA is, amongst many things: an esteemed artist, writer, master of languages, seasoned art director, and an enigmatic sucker-punch of creative POW. This artistic virtuoso will hit our shores this April, touring Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Newcastle – as well as a bunch of international locations – spreading his colourful brand of illustrative-esque awesomeness with his upcoming exhibition Longing to Be Knotted Together. If all that doesn’t blow your creative envelope enough, the man himself will feature at this year’s Carbon Festival, hosted by Acclaim Magazine and New Balance, to be held at Federation Square from April 29th to May 1st.

We thought we’d hit him up for a quick chat before things got a little hectic, and as well as showing us a bunch of exclusive preview images for his forthcoming shows, Mega also talked to Invurt about his art, girls, design, girls again, and what it’s like being, well … MEGA …

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This whole thing looks really, really cool, and the whole show is rather epic in scope! Traversing Asia, Europe and Asia, Mega will be showing an expose of his work across all, and its nice to see him returning back to Oz after his move to Bali. If you’re not familiar with Mega’s work, you soon will be!

“Mega is one of the leading voices of the new artists generation.
Linking traditional techniques with innovative process, his personal art, known for spicing a urban flavour over tasteful creations, has been celebrated in specialized magazines worldwide.

After a successful career as an art director in France (WAD) and abroad (Acclaim, Australia), Mega decided to devote himself exclusively to his love for art. From Nike to Volkswagen through Complex magazine, his images are found on all medias. The invasion has begun, they are already among you. After living in Brazil, Argentina or Australia, Mega decided to locate its office in Bali, the island of the gods.”

This is an official Carbon event as well, and from the media release, it looks like a fun tie in as well -

“Masked warriors, savage girls, iconic objects, swarming insects and other wild creatures emerge straight out from the jungle in which Mega imagination leads his insatiable artistic struggle.
In his epic crusade to capture all the components that surround his mental and physical universe, Mega has bring the closest attention to create a fresh and balanced combination of perfectly clean lines and spectacular deep colours. The challenge was to create appealing and cutting edge drawings with the use of a minimum of elements.
The exhibition is currently featured in some of the most prestigious galleries around Asia/Pacific and Europe (from Singapore to Indonesia to France), for a very limited edition of one hundred elements of every artwork displayed across the world, allowing only ten pieces to be sold in each city.

Fascinated by the pure tradition of French luxury, Mega is committed to guarantee the highest quality of work. This series of exclusive visuals are individually hand silk screened on a sensual heavy-stock art paper, and approved, numbered and signed by the artist, with a constant and obsessed attention on every detail. An additional special embossing makes this exquisite work an uncompromising ‘must-have’ piece of art.”

Who: Mega
What: Longing To Be Knotted Together solo show
Where: No Vacancy Project space, The Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne, VIC
When: Show opens 30th April, 7pm til 9pm, and runs until the 2nd of May

Check out Megas website, as well as the facebook event page and the No Vacancy Website for more details.

We love anything that crosses the boundaries, and Short, Sharp & Sweet looks like it does a fair bit of that, judging by the list of artists in this group show opening at Greenwood Gallery in South Melbourne tonight – and it’ll be a great mesh of pop, comic, graff and other genre-traversing art.

“10 days/4 artists/no-holds barred original artworks of pop and neo-expressionism scented with eau de la Lichtenstein, Basquiat, graffiti and comic book imagery.

Green-Wood Gallery showcases again the artworks of enfant terrible Sydneysider Ben Frost, Victoria’s Dave Bowers and Nick Morris (aka the painting duo ‘Doug Bartlett’) and for the first time in Australia, France’s Johanne8.”

Ben Frost “There is duplicity where cuteness and evil coexist behind the saccharine façade of a comic-book character or a much loved fast food restaurant. I am reflecting a world in trouble, a heaving dying fur-seal of an earth that is being repeatedly clubbed with baton-sized television remote controls. The drips that melt down the canvas are nods to an immense self-destructing machine made up of endless icons, logos and expressions that are the infected medical waste of the 21st century. At first it is a feeling of wanting to express this consumerist, pop-culture Armageddon that we are a part of, but I realize I have no choice, as, like you I have been given the responsibility of its maintenance and I never flipped through the instruction book (if there ever was one). Any second now, any second now – we’ll all wake up.”

Doug Bartlett The ‘Self Portrait Red’ by Doug Bartlett was a finalist in this year’s coveted as well as lucrative Doug Moran Art Prize and recently completed Hoodoo Guru’s artwork for their new album ‘Purity of Essence’. Doug Bartlett is the name given to the energy created when Nick Morris and Dave Bowers work together on the same canvas.

Johanne8 Born 1974, Paris-based Johanne8 is an emerging artist considered to be a rising figure in the French urban/pop/graffiti art scene.

Who: Doug Barlett, Ben Frost, Johannes8, Dave Bowers and Nick Morris
What: Short, Sharp and Sweet group exhibition
Where: Greenwood gallery, Hotham St, South Melbourne, VIC
When: Show opens Thursday 25th November @ 6pm, runs til 5th December

Via Greenwood Gallery

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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When a person thinks of drum’n'bass, they don’t necessarily make the connection between the genre and a bastion of cultural temptation such as France. To make the judgment that the genre is not alive and well in the back alleys and clubs of the nation, would, however, be a mistake, and one group is showing the world the French scene’s vibrancy.

Forming over five years ago, the five lads from Dirtyphonics, Playte, Capskod, Pho, Pitch In and MC Youthstar have captured the soul of d’n'b in a way that once again helps to invigorate the genre. Combining production techniques with an innovative and exhilarating live performance, and having been signed to the salubrious RAM record, their sound has managed to grab attention world round.
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