INVURT

We knew this one was coming up, and damn we’re looking forward to it. Since interviewing the man himself earlier this year, we’ve been hankering for a chance to see this Perth artists work in a full blown solo show – and it’s almost here, thanks to Prahrans RTIST Gallery.

"A composite mesh of graffiti, illustration, fantasy and photo-realism. Light and complex, with a hint of lustful attitude.

Still Under The Influence exhibits a new selection of pieces capturing Daek William’s world of influence and appreciation. Throughout his career, an obsession and fascination with the female form has been the strongest theme in Daek’s monstrous and detailed canvases. This new exhibition brings his classic work to view and enters into a new period for the artist.

“I wanted to show the world my appreciation of the geniuses that have pushed, pulled and influenced my own thoughts.” says Daek.

Using a unique style of laying origami crowns on the heads of his subjects, Daek new work depicts the artists who he admires and collaborates with. As the founding member of Last Chance studios in Perth, Daek works alongside names like Creepy, Kid Zoom and Yok . Daek’s deeply personal paintings take on the subject of the influential artist he admires, shares friendships with, and the stories that they have to convey.

“His new work is so f@#king amazing.” – Kid Zoom

Still Under The Influence will see Daek create his own play land within RTIST Gallery. Viewers can expect an experience filled with pink flamingos, BBQ’s, sand, lasers and dry ice. “This will be our last show for the year and were going out with bang”, says Jeremy Gaschk Head Curator RTIST Gallery."

Now, we always say this about the shows on at RTIST, and many others, but this one really is something you should get to! As their last show for the year, its sure to be off the hook. Daek is already making his mark the world over, and we’re predicting even bigger things for him over 2012 – so if you’re in Melbourne, make sure you go,and we’ll see you there!

Who: Daek William
What: Still Under The Influence solo show
Where: RTIST Gallery
When: Show opens Friday 9th December at 7:30pm and runs til Friday 23rd December.

Check out Daeks website, the RTIST Gallery site, as well as our interview with Daek earlier in the year.

We are big fans of Perth artist Paul "El Deejo" Deej here on Invurt, in fact, we interviewed him just before his highly successful first solo show last year – and we’re happy to announce yet another solo show opening this week in WA.

Deej has been hard at work in the studio, painting up his gorgeous acrylic styled characters and the effort shows in these small previews of his work! Deej also has some work in the upcoming Artboy vs Fanboy: Scifi exhibition in Prahran this Friday, so those that can’t make it over West can get a taste of his style there.

“El Deejo” is Deej’s alter ego, and this exhibition marks the end to a series of artworks he has recently completed. Always on the quest to capture the beauty of the female form and face, he has created a body of colourful and bold work that represents his love of comic book and street art, while also adding a graphic designer’s touch.

In the past year since his highly successful first exhibition “Nicely Toasted” at ABD The Gallery in Northbridge, Deej has worked diligently and shown pieces in a plethora of exhibitions locally and nationally including Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast.

This will be the first in a series of Thursday night gallery showings by the team at the Grey Door and well know Perth art dealer Melanie Price lends a hand in setting the scene and providing the all important art enthusiasts."

"Paul Deej has been a professional Illustrator and Graphic Designer for 10 years.

Usually working within the digital realm, around 2 years ago he got the paints out and started painting canvas and murals in the traditional way, and found he had a overwheming desire to capture his minds eye on this raw medium based in reality rather than a computer screen.

With a short time on the gallery scene, Deej has been a part of 13 solo and group shows within the last year."

"Deej has also made a name for himself over the years as a part of the ever growing Hip Hop community in Perth and the eastern states, creating literally hundreds of event posters for local and interstate acts. Deej is also closely affiliated with the West Australian music collective known as Syllabolix (SBX), for whom he does artwork for acts such as Downsyde, Layla, Dazastah, Hunter and Mortar. One of the album covers Deej painted, “Monster House” by the late MC Hunter, was awarded the “Album Cover of the Year’ Award on the country’s biggest Hip Hop website, www.ozhiphop.com."

As we’ll be in Perth this weekend, we’ll unfortunately just miss the opening – but we’re looking forward to popping in there over the weekend to see it, and so should you!

Who: Paul Deej
What: El Deejo solo show
Where: The Grey Door Gallery, Claremont Hotel, Bay View Terrace, Claremont, WA
When: Show opens Thursday 24th November 8pm, and the gallery will be open 8pm -1am Thursday and Saturday nights until the exhibition ends on December 15th.

Check out Deejs website for more info, as well as his facebook page, and heaps of more pics and graphics from the artist! Also, head over and RSVP on the facebook event page.

Having that love in the bones for our ancestral home in the West, seeing great art come out of there is always pretty cool – but couple that with an equally fine selection of artistry from the east coast just completes the awesome factor.

Taking nine artists from the west coast, and nine artists from the east coast, Bryan Dalli and Luke Thomas have forged an intriguing show, East West, which will be opening at National Grid Gallery this coming Friday.

Having seen a couple of the preview images from this show, it really is of the highest calibre, traversing street, illustration, painting stencils and more, it really has something for everyone. Even from the few preview images, there really does seem to be a cohesion amongst the works in the show. Taking those opposite counterpoints, and hand picking the artists by which to balance the theme looks like it has produced a really unique collection of new works.

“East West came to fruition one balmy summer evening in late 2010 when some light drunken banter between two like minded friends, (one from Yallingup, WA, and the other from Narrabeen, NSW), developed into a fully fledged group exhibition of artists from opposite sides of Australia.

Art loving east coaster, Bryan Dalli, and west coast creative all rounder, Luke Thomas, have culminated their artistic networks to curate an exhibition of nine artists from the west coast of Australia, and nine artists from the east coast of Australia.

“Louie and I saw a gap in art show space. There were no stand out events that brought together talent from such polar opposites, we felt the need to set the benchmark and bridge the gap” BD.

The exhibition showcases the assorted talents and artistic techniques of emerging to established artists, normally separated by geography, in a communal space. Each of the 18 artists were hand picked to compliment the groups dynamics, and to bring their own unique style and flavour to the event.

“We set out to select a broad mix of skills and artistic genres, so we pulled together friends and colleagues from different backgrounds and compiled a pretty hard hitting line up. The show has stencils and graffiti, juxtaposed with low brow art, and epic garage pieces.” LT.

There will be a live airbrushing display on the opening night with the final product being sold by silent auction. The 2011 East West event debuts in Sydney (11/11/11), with the show set to start touring coast to coast next year.”

Very nice indeed.

West Coast Artists:
Ian Mutch (Kingbrown), Jen Thomas, Holdfast Tattoo Studios Artists, Phil Smart, Suzi Q, Lauren Fenlon, Ryan Young, Nathan B, Saira Kwol

East Coast Artists:
Caspian De Looze, Bec Crockett, Emily Reid, Laure Ives, Nick Bazarow, Patrick Indo, Rad Dan, Sam Clark, Desmond Sweeney (Live Airbrushing)

What: East West Group Show
Where: The National Grid, 24 Chard Road, Brookvale, Sydney
When: Show opens Friday 11th November, 630pm and runs til December 2nd.

Check out the National Grid Gallery for more info.

One Sugar To Go has already proven a huge success, its first show in 2010 showcased a huge range of talented Western Australia artists and was a much loved event. The premise is simple – each artist gets a take away coffee cup, and goes to town … the end result is a unique show of dynamic and creative proportions; all benefits from sales going to the Leukemia Foundation.

“Thursday 3rd November, 2011, see’s The Bakery transformed into an art gallery of epic proportions as contemporary artists and designers come together with local performers to present One sugar to go – an eclectic West Australian art exhibition with a difference.
Building on the success of its 2010 launch, One sugar to go is back showcasing a cross-section of contemporary culture and raising funds to support a very worthwhile cause – the work of the Leukemia Foundation.

Born from the desire to make a real and positive contribution to the cultural landscape of Perth whilst engaging community support for those affected by cancer, One sugar to go is an event to celebrate life and some of the things that make it great: art, vibrant culture, and good people.

Available for sale via auction on the night will be artworks donated by local, interstate and international creative’s utilising the medium of a take-away coffee cup. These normally throwaway items that litter streets and clog landfills the world over are reworked and transformed into works of art, promoting the themes of reuse, recycling and respect.”

Last years works can be seen here, and we have no doubt that this years is going to be even better yet. So many cool Perth street art names, lots of great illustrators and designers, and several internationals and interstaters on there as well!

Who: Deej, Abigael, Hydro74, Sanida, Im The Boss, T E E A I T C H E N K A Y, Toni Williams, Andy Quilly, Aramas, Maniac, Custards, Dennis de Groot, Buttermilk, Lady Bananas, Tomahawk, Aaron Main, NVS, STRT4, Reboot, Miss Jane, Ladie Poise, Jean-Luc Marinal, Nia May, Damon. DJs Jazza, Sistym and Caspter will be on the decks!
What: One Sugar To Go group show and fundraiser
Where: The Bakery, 233 James Street, Northbridge, Perth, WA
When: Show opens Thursday 4th November, from 8pm til late.

Check out the One Sugar To Go Website as well as the facebook event page for more info.

We spotted this show over at Vandalog in our daily read, which we weren’t expecting! Stormie Mills has put together a cool group show in Perth (Subi) to showcase a awesome range of national and international artists, with a great premise behind it all.

"Artists Remi Rough (London), John Fekner (NYC), Kenton Parker (Los Angeles), Jaybo Monk (Berlin), Matt Doust (Perth), Marco ‘Pho’ Grassi (Milan), Jade Palmer (Melbourne), Jon One (Paris), Amanda Lynn (San Francisco), Darren Henderson (Melbourne), and Jordan Seiler (NYC) were asked to consider the premise that there are three sides to every story, responding to the brief of Perth artist and curator Stormie Mills with an exhilarating collection of fresh, contemporary works in a very special exclusive for Western Australian viewers.

Whilst all of the participating artists initially arose within the street art or graffiti scene, Mills points out that they now considered some of the foremost, respected visual artists of their generation, and goes on to state, “Being able to bring such amazing talent to Perth is a long held dream of mine, and I am so very proud that my friends, heroes and contemporaries have agreed to join with me to make this happen.”

The conceptual genesis of the exhibition came to Mills over a period of time while contemplating the notion of self, our thoughts about our selves and how these thoughts may contrast with the ways that others may view us, be they close friends, family, lovers or people we merely pass by in our lives.

“Once these ideas started forming in my brain, I started to think about who my ‘dream team’ for such an exhibition might be and luckily for me, they have accepted. I’m honoured that these incredible artists have all agreed to work with me on this project and bring something that I believe is truly special, to Perth.”

I mean, this is seriously cool – the artists in the show are of a really high calibre, and Perth is in for a definite treat. Between this and ROAs upcoming show, Westralians are getting spoilt to all hell!

Who: Remi/Rough, John Fekner and Jordan Seiler, as well as Kenton Parker, Jaybo Monk, Matt Doust, Marco ‘Pho’ Grassi, Jade Palmer, Amanda Lynn and Darren Henderson
What: For, Against & The Truth
Where: Linton & Kay Contemporary Gallery, 123 Hay St, Subiaco, WA
When: Show opens this Thursday, October 20th from 6:30pm til 8pm, and RSVPs are essential!

Check out the Linton & Kay website for more details on the show.

We knew he was in the country for Outpost Festival, but this news caught us by surprise – it seems that ROA has already hit our shores, and has been crossing the country doing a bunch of research for a solo show in Perth! One half of us is completely stoked, the other half if dismayed that we wont be able to get to this amazing artists show!

"In the spring of 2011, ROA found himself in the remote Pilbara region of North Western Australia.

Travelling through remote terrain accessible only via four-wheel-drive or on foot, deep in Ngarluma country, ROA was hosted by Ngarluma Aboriginal elders and shown places known only to the locals. This is a place of paradoxes, where the natural beauty of the land intersects with the flotsam and jetsam of human habitation – disused water tanks, abandoned houses, pieces of car and machinery.
Where life and death overlap. Where cultures and histories constantly cross paths. Where urban art meets the outback.

A modern day naturalist, famous for his large-scale depictions of animals on urban walls around the world, ROA moves between continents and cities, observing and documenting the creatures that co-inhabit the urban landscape. ROA’s explorations span the natural and built ecosystem. Fascinated with the beauty in the circle of life, he brings the animal world back to our urban jungle, often juxtaposing his imagery onto remnants of yesterday. His bold paintings reintroduce these animals to the locations that they have long since lost to human expansion."

Perth, you are in for an absolute treat – we say it time and time again, but in this case, but you would really be mad to miss this show from one of the finest talents in street art today. You lucky, lucky bastards.

(Image via UnUrth)

Who: ROA
What: Paradox – Perth Solo Show
Where: Form Gallery, 357 Murray Street, Perth, Western Australia
When: Friday 21st October, 6pm til late. Exhibition runs til 13th January, 2012.

Check out ROAs unofficial facebook page and the Form website for more information. UnUrth also has some great coverage on the artist.

 
Sean Morris is a guy who isn’t afraid to turn over a few stones, looking under the skin of our metropolistic culture for gems of uniqueness. Not all of these gems are beautiful in the traditional sense, however the scenarios and characters that his work portrays hold their own attraction – you know, like that incident you saw on the way to work. You wanted to look away, but couldn’t, so you kept looking, torn between curiosity and the desire to avert your eyes, but settling on "wow".

It is often those feelings that his work evokes, that Sean Morris has garnered a whole swath of fans all throughout the world. It’s not only that, though – his work also carries in it elements, be they pop sensibilities, or iconography, that everyone can relate to.  Low brow in so many senses of the word, he pulls no punches – indeed, the Perth artist is at times highly characteristic of a West Australian, reflecting in his words, and work, a relaxed, no worries, whatever, ever so slightly (okay, more than slightly) piss taking attitude.

It’s for all those reasons, and many more, that we love the work of Sean Morris. When we had a chance to talk to him after his recent return from an international sojourn, we just had to dig a little deeper …

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The first instalment this month of Relative Magazine’s new live art event is Relative Sketch at Four5Nine Bar at The Rosemount Hotel in North Perth.

Stormie mills is one of those artists that, if you follow street art, needs very little introduction. For almost thirty years, the Perth artist has plied his trade – painting, drawing and decorating walls and gallery spaces the world over with his unique and enigmatic characters.

His depictions of often solitary characters belie any thought of simplicity in the stories they tell. Viewing them, each image is seemingly crafted with a hidden narrative – their trails, tribulations, triumphs or titillations depicted in a simple stance, expression or suggestive gesture. That Stormies work is beloved by art lovers the across the globe is no mystery – here are images that talk, and they do so through a variety of techniques and experiments in mediums that the artist has explored over the passage of time.

Invurt caught up with Stormie in the lead up to his next solo show this week, at the curiously cool Friends of Leon Gallery in Sydney, and we were given the chance to delve, ever so slightly, into an internal world of continual fascination …

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Tonight in Perth a show of 8bit goodness will be launching, and, as we love Perth, and we love 8 bit computer games, we love the looks of this show!

"A lot of you may remember spending countless days after school and weekends locked in your room playing games over and over again, trying to beat the levels. Subconsciously humming the addictive tunes that got stuck in your head as you made your way to the end boss, trying to save the day and rescue the world from imminent destruction. Or maybe even wasting an entire afternoon with your mates and countless coins down at the arcade.

I know I do, These were the golden age of games and for many others fond memories of a wasted youth. I am a lover and painter of everything that is Pixelated, and through this exhibition I hope to awaken a sense of nostalgia, the memory of the games you played in your youth. And for others an idea of what it was like in this young era of gaming. A generation that started it all…"

Well, I for one remember my days of playing the Commodore 64, days filled with Elite, Leisure Suit Larry, 1942, Heavy Barrel and countless others – and if this show is anything to go by, it looks like a grand trip down memory lane – with a hint of the future thrown in. This looks like a good one, Perth!

Who: Aaron Main
What: A Few Little Bits solo show plus Nude Nuns With Big Guns film screening
Where: One Up Micro Cinemas, Upstairs 312b William St, Northbridge, WA
When: Show opens Friday 2nd September at 7pm

Check out Aaron Mains deviantart site here for lots of 8bit goodies.

Back again after a massively hectic month of article writing and editing! August has been an interesting month in the news, so here is your wrap up of all (most all!) things media related in Oz and New Zealand …

• Mandy Ord and her work was in the SMH last week also – you mgiht know her from the Inherent Vice event that was on down at the NGV, who did a cool comic book interview for us! Great article!
• Fintan Magee was featured on the SMH and The Age websites. We interviewed him this week about it all …
• There’s a bit of a write up about the Oi! You! show in NZ over at the Nelson Mail … interesting read! There’s also an article there about Josh Manu, one of the 20 finalists selected in the event.
• Stormie Mills got written up all over the place for his show at Metro, and this is a cool article on the artist – but, umm, I mean, that byline? lol – oh Herald Sun, you romance novel loving funsters, you!
• Oh look, another stupid law in South Australia – yeah, because removing some ones license is going to stop them painting. It was stupid when it was first suggested, and its stupid now. Wake up, SA – and what’s with media outlets using what look like legal pieces attached to articles on illegal work?
• We actually caught out OnePerth doing the same thing last week, where they had a piece on illegal graffiti (well, probably anything that looks colourful) being removed from all over Perth because the Skeksi, I mean, the Queen, will be visiting. They removed the pic and replaced it with a tag (which isn’t too bad a piece of calligraphic art). I guess its nice to see the media actually paying attention to its readers, but it would be nice if they all actually stopped using legal artwork to go along with their graffiti "scourge" pieces.
• Oh and hey look, go NSW! So progressive of you! Now that you’ve put in harder laws, you’re going to choke your legal system even more by forcing people who have"graffiti implements" to go to court, instead of getting a caution or diversion. Sounds great! Idiots. Ears said it perfectly in the article – "Until there’s some understanding and acceptance of the culture, and actual facilitation for it to grow – not just token gestures – then I don’t think things are going to change.”
• Anyways, on to something nicer – Toowoomba artist Ian McCallum did some legal work last week at Sojo Collections – looks pretty colourful and cool, dude.
• The Footlocker Art Prize was won by Brisbane artist Kalin Thompson, and heres an interview with him – nice kicks and nice work!
• Everyone’s talking about those "Banksy" inspired pieces that the NZ Police have done up around the place to get new recruits. Funny how they’d promote themselves with something that they are later going to arrest people for. I mean. Really?
• A little bit left of centre for the end of this run, but Gizmodo had an article up a week or two ago about an Alternate Realty application for iPhones that lets people paint the walls around the place … hmm. Yeah, nah.

Now, we certainly don’t condone illegal acts of vandalism here, but we will certainly condemn idiotic laws that are out of touch with modern culture. There was also a whole lot in the press in the last month about a whole bunch of stupid laws, and people being forced to pay ridiculous amounts in damages. It would be nice to see full cost breakdowns as to where all these officials get their estimates when they are claiming "it caused $100k in damages." I bet in reality it costs a hell of a lot less than what is purported.

Regardless, I still think the Queen looks like a Skeksi.

For our readers who are uninformed of some of the background of Invurt’s editor, Facter, he actually grew up a stones throw away from the Perth suburb of Craigie, 6025 – (sharing the same postcode in neighbouring Padbury), and one of the landmarks near there, was  "the Craigie Wall." Described as a legal wall that all were invited to make contributions to, many Perth based artists took their first spray can to concrete on a legal wall up in the 6025 postcode, and it was an important part of the WA graffiti and hip hop culture for many, many artists and youths in the area. Way back when he was a youngu’un, even Facter attempted a piece there, which he promptly described as “a piece of shit” and was happy when it was covered over by a burner not long after [ed. so MANY fkn burners on that damn wall … ].

“For 15 years the northern suburb of Craigie provided a place for graffiti writers to paint without fear of prosecution or persecution. For the first time in the suburbs history an attempt to document the stories, pieces and individuals that made the Craigie Walls an important place in West Australian graffiti culture, has been made.

Craigie Tales is a publication about a suburb, a site and a mural arts program regulated by the painters that took ownership of three local High School tennis court walls.

Craigie is having a party and everyone’s invited! Finally your book is ready and tacos served. Cordial for the straight edger’s, art on the walls and a RTR after party. Every purchase of Craigie history receives a Lucky dip for stickers!"

The up coming book, released this coming weekend at The Bakery in Perth, should be a reminder to the general public, local councils and our local community about the importance of supporting local established and emerging artists abilities, and the walls on which they are able to paint, and the importance of these places in our history … and that sometime a legal outlet is all that is needed to start the dream.

What: Craigie Tales Book Launch
Where: The Bakery, Artrage Complex, 233 James Street, Northbridge,
When: Saturday August 20th, 6pm – 8pm

Check out the Craigie Tales website, and the facebook event page for more info on the book and the launch party … and stay tuned for some great words from the guys who put together the book ;)

The west has many great things. Beaches, wineries, Little Creatures Sunday sessions, mintox d’n'b gigs, rad friends, Northbridge at 1am on a Friday night (okay, not so great) but, mostly, it has a plethora of talented artists.

Perth has always had an extremely rich art scene, especially when it comes to the aerosol and street variety, yet for some reason many artists often struggle (along with all of those worthy people who attempted to get a small bar license in the past year) to truly be embraced by its own denizens. Even with such a rich and vibrant history of artistic merit, it can often be difficult for a Perth artist to break out – for whatever reason that may be (and please, feel free to disagree).

We spotted Perth artist Zach Freshwater some time ago – it was hard not to, with the colourful splays of paint that he produces, with its enthusiastic, zealous character. Bright, sun filled and, for us, containing ephemeral hints of home, we were immediately drawn to its abstract nature.

With his solo show "Alien Thoughtz" coming up later this month, we caught up with Zach for an insight into his work, his opinions on Perths artistic culture, and, most importantly, why he loves his colour …

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Our friend Enix will be taking off to distant shores soon, but before he heads off to the wide world of madventureland, he’ll be having a last display of his recent work – his fourth solo show, Sa.yo.na.ra!

"This will be the final exhibition before en?x goes to swim in a larger pond in Europe. The 4th and last Australian exhibition for some time, yet one of the earliest of many to come. The works on show are created primarily with a mix of aerosol & acrylic. For the first time there will be some of the digital works on offer presented with options of numbered print framed or unframed. Prints of previous works will also be available."

…Hailing from the desolate wasteland of Perth Western Australia, a place of rare beauty (a.k.a heat and boredom) en?x rose from the ashes and moved to Melbourne in 2007.

After arriving he was reborn from his creative slumber to a new outlook of colour and vitality. This has been a rebirth.
Bringing influences from a plethora of different disciplines including 3D Modelling and Animation, Graphic Design and Mixed Media, Enix strives to stretch new styles constantly. Enix plans to cover the world in delicious colours that can be chewed on and savoured by those who have the hunger."

We have been big fans of Enix’s work for some time now, and we’re both happy to see this show, but sad to see him go – so get down to this to see an artist who is truly delving deep into the land of curiosity, it’ll be a little while before you get another chance!

Who: Enix
What: Sa.yo.na.ra. solo show
Where: At Large Gallery, 208 High Street, Northcote, VIC
When: Show opens Friday 26th August from 6pm til 9pm, and runs til 2nd September

Check out the At Large Gallery website and the facebook event page for more details on the show!

Zach dropped us a line about his show some time ago, but we wanted to keep it fresh and in your minds for the launch! We’ve been following his work for a while now and we really like what we see – his flare for the abstract is concise and stylised, his palette is colourful, vibrant and, at the core of it,  his work is just damn right playful.

Alien Thoughtz is a "selection of Aerosol and Inkworkz – the work on display is fresh, modern and projected straight from the mind."

" … I’ve lived in Perth since 1992, after having left my home country London. Art, graffiti has been apart of my life since the early age of 14. The last decade I have been working on my own books and doing illustration, but I’ve slowly moved back into using the spray can again."

Cool guys, great artist – and with something different to offer, our bet is that we’ll be seeing a hell of a lot more from Zach in the future besides this show (keep an eye out for some words!) – if you’re in Perth, check it out, and also go see some of his artwork around some familiar traps …

 
Who: Zach Freshwater
What: Alien Thoughtz solo show
Where: HQ – 60a Frame Court, Leederville, Perth, WA
When: Show opens Saturday 20th August, 10am til 5pm, and runs til September 1st.

Check out Zachs blog here, and, of course, the facebook event page.