Print Temple

nice background primer and stencil hit by CodeFC: codefc light #codefc | Myspace Video

just a quick clip from CODEFC's visit to the roof tops above Cordy House......enjoy

London has plenty of hidden gems – and this is possibly one of the most well hidden. Everyone knows about the heavily graff’d up Leake Street tunnel, but tucked away behind it is the random, derelict looking space that is The Old Vic Tunnels. Occupying this space for the last week was an art show to top any of Londons major showcases. Right – Artwork, this truly is a display of “anything goes” there are a few floor to ceiling projections of snarling dogs going mental with deafening barks being played, that sets the tone straight away – thankfully the main rooms are a little calmer, almost too calm on the high seas – Conor Harrington has hung scores of gold galleons leading to his epic quintet of huge canvases Some of the odder pieces start with Paul Insect, never afraid to try something different, and from a distance it appears a green deathstar is hanging in one of the arches, on closer inspection I realise I have 2000 loaded syringes pointing at me, this was aptly named Object Des...

Ian Francis is my hero, he just does exactly what I want, the eerie thing is, he does it before I know I want it. I have no idea how he does it, but time after time he comes up with the goods, the first time I saw his work was at the old Lazarides Gallery on Charring Cross Road – it was a group show with all the “Outsider” artists Mr Lazarides had assembled as a group under that moniker – all the names were there, Banksy, Insect, Micallef, Mode2, Faile etc, these guys are all superstars in the world of modern (street scented) art. But, somehow Ian Francis managed to stand out, he wasn’t as (pointedly) obvious as Banksy, or (brilliantly) deliberate as Paul Insect and certainly not as (expertly) immersed in a particular genre as the Faile guys. The only other artist that almost didn’t belong was Antony Micallef, the two painters have very different influences at times, but both are on an crucial artistic journey, but, alas, Micallef’s work is like a fine aged rum and should never to...

Ok, you know when you see something around and go “cool” but didn’t take the time to really check it out? Maybe it’s a tune you hear, or something in a shop window, and you forget to go back and check it? Well Usugrow has unknowingly fallen in to that category too many times for me to ignore. I have seen his work on limited edition vans shoes and shirts – plus on skateboards by Consolidated. So when the more observant people at the Stolen Space put on a solo show for Usugrow, the time has come to sit up, take notes and pay attention! Usugrow has a darkside, well, perhaps not dark in a sinister sense, but you know those places where we lose ourselves in thought late night? Imagine that drifting feeling allowing the rise to a productive, creative, alter ego, in this case, it has a name, Hasadhu. This spirit could best be described as the manifestation of Usogrows influences forcing their way out, evident in his work is a disciplined love of calligraphy, japan, travelling, cholo tat...

2010 has been a crappy year for art shows in London so far, Ive seen about a dozen shows, but nothing has made me feel good about "art" until Eelus booked the plush Blackhall gallery space in Shoreditch. Eelus has been blessing us with quality prints and pieces for a few years now, and his piece at Mutate Britains "One foot in the Grove" show for me was one of the standouts. Colour dominates this show as you would expect, and the next few print drops are going to be stunning and definitely one for the walls and not the ebay flips.

Mr Lazarides put on a follow up to last years excellent "Lost in the Glimmering Shadows" show to showcase a decade of Failes work - The Greek Street gallery was transformed in to an arcade, while the plsuher Rathbone Gallery had some of the highlights from their older shows........