Contemporary Art « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Preview: Mark Dean Veca – “Raging Opulence” @ San Jose Museum of Art

Posted by sleepboy, September 28, 2012

For those who enjoyed Mark Dean Veca’s (interviewed) installation and paintings for the Space//Form show (covered), you may want to head over on Saturday (September 29) to check the opening of his latest project at the San Jose Museum of Art – Raging Opulence. Composed of a psychedelic mix of fiery reds and oranges in a Toile de Jouy meets pop culture aesthetic, this fourth fourth and final chapter in the Phantasmagoria saga is entitled Son of Phantasmagoria. Follow updates of the mural on MDV’s new process blog here. Discuss Mark Dean Veca […]

Openings: “Live Free” curated by Mike Maxwell @ Hellion Gallery

Posted by sven, September 28, 2012

Opening on the same night as Space//Form in Portland, artist Mike Maxwell (pictured on the right above with Jocelyn Duke, Mark Dean Veca and Hellion owner Matt Wagner) curated a group exhibition at Hellion Gallery. Taking the exhibition’s title Live Free from the regular series of podcast interviews with fellow artists and creatives, and also his own ethos on life (see Mike’s tattooed knuckles in one of our pictures below), Maxwell brought together a selection of artists he has interviewed over time. With the podcast […]

Previews: Yoshitomo Nara – “Doggy Radio”

Posted by juggernut3, September 27, 2012

Last year, while AM was in Hong Kong, we had a chance to visit HOW2WORK studios and preview their special collaboration with blue-chip Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. Entitled Doggy Radio this unique project is a functional sculpture created by Nara and designed jointly between Sayers Studios & H2W. This beautiful limited edition artwork features Nara’s signature white dog (seen here), with the help of a specially placed “belly speaker” created by YAMAHA Lab, this lonesome puppy acts as a functional sound system. With easy access […]

Openings: Yue Minjun – “The Tao of Laughter” @ Harbour City – Part I (Hong Kong)

Posted by sleepboy, September 27, 2012

Over the weekend, Chinese blue-chip artist Yue Minjun opened his first ever Hong Kong exhibition at the Ocean Terminal (Harbour City). The Tao of Laughter included twelve new silkscreen works as well as publications for fans to peruse and will be open until October 14, 2012. Also, on display were new sculptures, also featuring his characters with his signature grin (more on this later). Photo credit: Layla Kawashima for Arrested Motion. Discuss Yue Minjun here.

Upcoming: Tessar Lo – “no evil, live on” @ Jaski Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, September 27, 2012

It’s been almost a year since Tessar Lo had a solo in Amsterdam (covered) where he’ll be returning this weekend for no evil, live on at the Jaski Gallery. The exhibition, entitled with a palindrome, will include smaller works on papers and mixed media pieces from the Toronto-based painter featuring his dream-like imagery. The opening of this show (September 29th, 4-7pm) takes place during OPEN!, the weekend in which the Amsterdam Spiegelkwartier opens the new season. Discuss Tessar Lo here.

Tim O’Brien – Aged Mona Lisa for Discover Magazine

Posted by sleepboy, September 26, 2012

Tim O’Brien, an artist who has been featured here on AM before (see Tupac, Osama bin Laden as well as sweet Charlie Brown painting), has a new magazine cover out. The new painting that ended up being on the front of Discover Magazine’s new issue about the aging world was an older version of Davinci’s muse – Mona Lisa. Head over to to O’Brien’s blog to hear more on his creative process. Discuss Tim O’Brien here.

Openings: “Space//Form” @ Breeze Block Gallery (Part 2)

Posted by sleepboy, September 24, 2012

Following directly on from Part 1 of our coverage of the busy Space//Form opening, AM now delves a little deeper pictorially into the artwork created for this huge group exhibition of 110 artists with a series of pictures where the art is more viewable (like the Mark Dean Veca installation above). To recap, all of the participating artists were given an identical 10×10 inch cradled timber panel by exhibition sponsor Ampersand as the medium to work on. The exhibition curator, Arrested Motion’s Sven Davis chose a brief […]

Showing: Adam Neate – “Dimensional Paintings & Editions” @ Elms Lester

Posted by sleepboy, September 24, 2012

Over the weekend, Elms Lesters hosted the opening for another solo (see 2011) from Adam Neate (interviewed) entitled Dimensional Paintings & Editions. The new body of work consisted of exactly that – his signature three-dimensionaly and richly textured paintings that pop right out of the wall and limited edition offerings. The almost sculptural quality of his pieces really need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. In some of the them, he was even able to include the cardboard his earlier work was associated with. Photo credit: Smart Hype. […]

Eric Shaw & Henry Gunderson – “Glint” @ Fecal Face Dot Gallery

Posted by rhinomilk, September 24, 2012

The other weekend, Fecal Face Dot Gallery hosted the opening of a joint exhibition with local artist, Henry Gunderson (directly below) and Brooklyn-based Eric Shaw (above). The two artists’ work complimented the other nicely when displayed in the same venue. Each artist has their own style and take on using geometrical shapes and colors, creating images that were surreal and thought-provoking. Check out photos from the opening below.

Showing: Maya Hayuk – “Multi Versus” @ Cooper Cole Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, September 23, 2012

Earlier this month, Maya Hayuk made her return to Toronto (see 2011) for a showing at the Cooper Cole Gallery. Entiteld Multi Versus, the new body of work continues to explore the NY-based artist’s fascination with patterns, geometric shapes, and symmetry all rendered in a kaleidoscopic mix of colors. The exhibition will run through October 6th so head over for a look-see if you are in the area. Discuss this show here.