Sadly, unless you live in, or have recently visit Brussels, you missed out on ‘The Sequence.’ The light and soundscape installation by Arne Quinze was situated in an area crossing the parliament with the house of representatives, the installation stretches 80 meters and stands at a height of 15 meters. It generated movement in the city and created a bridge between people…at least that’s what the one sheet said. In my opinion, the installation is looks really amazing, and I can only imagine what it would look like to have been there to see it up close and personal. If there are any big whigs out there looking to sponsor someone to cover these types of things, give us a shout. We’d love to jump on the opportunity to rack up the air miles, see the world, and of course, the art.

Supakitch and Koralie are two street artists from France who have joined together as a power duo in their craft. Both heavily influenced by Japanese art, their work showcases images of geishas, dragons and other elements of the culture. While much of their art is seen in a busy urban landscape, they’ve also brought their creations to the quiet walls of galleries. The duo, who have also been romantically linked for a few years made street art headlines just this spring when Supakitch popped the big question in the most unique and appropriate way possible: while doing a joint wheat paste project on a New York City wall. Koralie’s reply was pasted on the wall shortly afterwards in the form of a speech bubble with a simple, “oui.”

Regarding the Asian influences in their work, they state: “we grew up with French/Japanese shows like Goldorak, Candy, Albator and Lamu, so we are obviously influenced by that aesthetic. In a way, we are translating our fantasies where we can be those heroes: graphic robots, girls with long coloured hair and happy monsters. We are re-creating this universe and kawaï, sweet and colourful characters. Our biggest hero is definitely Hayao Miyazaki. We love this talented Japanese filmmaker for his sensitive, magical, sometimes grave, deep, smart and really personal universe.

Kapitza, the design studio of sisters Nicole and Petra Kapitza has just released a book for all you geometrophiles out there. Geometric: Graphic Art and Pattern is chock full of 264 coloured and black and white patterns with 100 pattern fonts on an accompanying CD. The disc apparently contains the most extensive pattern font collection available and includes a helpful font index and a series of tutorials so users can generate their own unique patterns. This is certainly a must have for any design studio worth their salt.

Geometric is also beautifully put together. The book is printed on heavy matte stock, with an embossed cover wrapped in an American-style poster (it’s very nice, see below). For a mere $55, you too can bask in the glory of a huge library of patterns, fonts, and inspiration. I can’t wait to get my hands on one and go to town with all the pattern-y goodness.

It’s true. Wallpaper went out with the likes of shag carpet, egg-shaped chairs, and neon. But because everything old is new again, with the current 80′s renaissance, wallpaper has been rebooted and is becoming cool once again. Now I don’t need to tell you that trends such as this are bound to phase out with the ebb and flow of the design world at large, but that shouldn’t stop you from ever considering wallpaper as a valid design element in your home. So long as you honestly like something, be it action figures, CRT televisions, or appliques, I say go with it. Screw what’s cool, hip, and in the now. Back to wallpaper, while there are many options to consider, perhaps custom ‘Colour Your Own‘ options might be right for your home or office. This alternative by Jon Burgerman is a pretty creative way to stand out, compliment any colour scheme or busy the kids on a snowy afternoon. Also available for greeting cards, and I suspect, only a matter of time until someone figures out that this would work with t-shirts.

‘Raking the Leaves in the Wind‘ is an exhibition by Berlin-based Canadian artists Julien Valléè,
Eve Duhamel and Brent Wadden. The exhibition features playful graphics, drawings, paintings,
animations and paper installations. Julien Valée works in a wide range of fields such as motion graphics, print design, art installations as well as film and design for the music industry. His style is both bright and fun. Earlier this year he created a video pitch in collaboration with Dixon-Baxi for MTV One consisting of paper installations.

Here at HC2, we’ve featured some pretty cool paper artists before, but none so grandiose and colourful. Jenn Stark was featured some time last year, and although her vibrant paper-based sculptures were the talk of our town for some time, this new exhibit is definitely a breathe of fresh air in the paper game. Regardless, both of these acts put my Kindergarten creations to bed and party the night away. Although beautiful, I bet they have a blast tearing these things up after an exhibit or run is over. Can you can’t spell horribly painful paper cut without shirtless belly flop.

Kelsey Brookes first us solo show began earlier this month, and comes to a close on December 3rd. The young artist is also trained as a scientist and previously tracked viruses for the us government before working as a painter. He currently lives in San Diego and exhibits in the us and in London through Lazarides Gallery. Brookes states that his “work draws influence from Hindu and Buddhist deities, exotic animals and sex, as well as rustic American quilts.” This plethora of reference points is usually executed with a central figure surrounded with an aura of objects, animals and plants. Personally if they were actual quilts, I would be scared to use them for fear that I might get eaten. On the other hand, they are so beautiful, I would never dream of using them for warmth, as I would be scared to get orange Cheeto dust all over them.

José Parlá is a Brooklyn based artist who was born in Miami Florida to Cuban exiles in the mid 70′s. His journey into urban landscapes began in his teen years while exploring Miami Beach with his brother Rey. Over the years, José Parlá has developed a look and feel to his art that is, unmistakably his own, yet still beyond classification. I suppose that’s a general theme of a few artists we’ve featured in the past, but even so, none of these people should be lumped together due to their ability to create work that transcends genres, mediums and the like.

Surely one could make comparisons to the likes of Jackson Pollack, but again, I would urge you to see the many elements that make Parlá’s work shine in a different light. Regarding his influences, specifically those that are rooted in east Asia, he says: “I have travelled to Asia at least twenty times, mostly to Japan and recently, Thailand and China. The influence I do receive from Asia is in terms of how I approach the work, and the way I let some things breath within the space. When one goes to a different culture, time after time, eventually that is going to influence the person. My script has been influenced by these experiences. Calligraphy and script are not the only focus of my work. They are elements and parts of my work that I use to draw with to show lines that carry meaning as symbols embedded with emotion.”

I have to be honest. On a scale of 1 to 10, the idea of folding little pieces of paper into fantastic shapes and figures falls into the negative. Although the act of engaging in origami is not appealing to me, I certainly have the utmost respect for the end result. Who wouldn’t! One of our loyal readers recently sent in a link to some pretty interesting constructs that were forged with dollar bills. From a Star Wars set to penguins and tanks, I think anyone can appreciate the craftsmanship, and intricate detail. I wonder how much you could sell these for. Perhaps double the amount of the paper money their created with? That would certainly make for some expensive miniature sculptures in your home or office.

Just the other day, we were reminiscing about some of our favorite old school cartoons. It brought back memories of being glued to the television, watching shows including Transformers, G.I. Joe, He-Man, Thundercats, and the list goes on. Then there are the timeless classics. The shows our parents watched, which were still decent enough to entertain the next generation. In that respect, things like the Flintstones, Jetsons, and Bug’s Bunny come to mind. With respect to the latter, a new exhibit has been unveiled that takes Bugs, Tweety, and the Road Runner to a gory, yet glorious new level.

The Splatter Exhibit at The Aquarium in London is a multi-media art show that focuses on “the plausible impossibility of death in the mind of cartoon characters.” Now death, blood and mayhem aren’t entirely new to the world of cartoons, it’s just that we’ve never been able to really see what it would look like if Bugs killed Daffy, or Sylvester ate Tweetee. Shows such as South Park have pushed the envelop of blood and gore beyond anything we could have imagined back in the good old days, so this attempt, albeit tame, is a tasteful example of how Warner Brothers could have incorporated such elements.

Upon entering Damon Soule’s painted wonderland, I feel compelled to linger, absorbing and identifying all the forms and characters. In this fantastical world, a multi-faced, half-organic robot commiserates with birds who wear their hearts on the outside. They are listening to the elegant, symphonic swoops of black ink, and meditating on whether the borrowed blueprints will unstick themselves from the walls and set out to find their lost structures. It’s as though someone had a Technicolor yawn in the porcelain thrown, and we’re looking at the most beautiful painting as we swirl down the drain during a violent flush.

Soule, who enjoys the rare luxury of life as a full-time artist, has completed an extensive project furnishing pieces for Luna Park in San Francisco and Los Angeles; he is currently creating art for the entire New York location. He was also commissioned to paint murals on the bedroom walls of Danielle Steele’s daughters. Absolutely none of these accomplishments have tarnished his humility – a quality that may spring from the fact that his father was a painter. Growing up with an artist-family member endowed Soule with the courage to pursue art as a kid while dissipating romantic notions of the artistic life. Soule says that he “has more freedom than most jobs. I have plenty of time to do what I want. It’s a job – a fun job. I’m really fortunate. A lot of people have jobs making bombs, for example. I could be doing that.”

Still young, only 23, PaperMonster is finding his niche in the art world. A certain part of that comes thanks to a short term mentorship under the famed Parisian stencil artist, Blek Le Rat who taught him to take his stencil work to the next level and incorporate more dimensions and eye-popping colours than he ever imagined. PaperMonster’s work is based around women in various states of shock, fear, or wonder. Every canvas is its own story. I see shades of Metroid, and classic Lolita-esque shots of ladies.

From a recent interview with Format, regarding his focus on women, PaperMonster says: “Women are the central focus of my work for many different reasons. The types of women that I choose to paint express a wide range of emotions that turn and change immediately through just the slightest shift in their eyes, lips, hair or face angle. A woman’s eyes and lips can completely change the feeling that you are trying to present. Each of these women has a story within themselves. I tell their story through the collage work inside of each of the main images. Like any woman, her facial expression can be a wall that she is putting up and it is only through time that you figure out her true intentions and what she is really thinking.”

Returning readers and patrons alike should know that we are slight Star Wars fans, but then again who isn’t. Personally, I just got married a few weeks back and had my best man, and groomsmen all decked out in Storm Trooper cufflinks. They were certainly nerdy by any standard, but provided acceptable flare or geek chic, which the Death Star cake I originally envisioned would have fulfilled. I knew I should have never shown my bride to be pictures, so I’ll know better when we have our 50th anniversary. Who knows, by then maybe we’ll be living on Death Stars.

It’s not as though I love everything Star Wars related, I mean the line has to be drawn at briefs. Recently I stumbled across an alphabetized set of Star Wars prints, that was truly something worth mention. Now, I can’t see my unborn/unconceived children ever using these to leave their ABC’s, but that said, I would not turn down the opportunity to instill the force in them at a young age.