Mosaic Tetris by PosterLad

Mosaic Tetris by PosterLad

Above: “data privacy” by stockcatalog licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4 years ago

Editorial is open for submissions: [email protected]

Vratislav Pecka (aka PosterLad) has been making posters almost daily for almost five years now. Here he explains how couple of years ago it occurred to him to try to design a poster with Maiolica style.

I remember it like today when I sat in a restaurant in Madrid in winter 2017 and I was enthralled by the beautiful interior, its picturesque and originality. I was most intrigued by the layout and graphics of the tiles on the floor. Each tile was completely different from the others, but on all of them the same colors were used, so as a whole the floor acted uniformly and coherently. Today I know that these tiles are called Maiolica. I immediately fell in love with this design and started making posters with a similar idea: different-looking tiles with repeating colors.

In that year, most of his work was inspired by the very style of Maiolica. Since then, several years have passed and he no longer has his work built on a system of diverse tiles, but he still considers it an absolutely essential basis of his work. Once in a while, though, the designer will not resist and try to create a new work of art with this style.

This NFT, which he called Mosaic Tetris, is his return to Maiolica. This is the first time he got these tiles animated. Each individual tile plays its important role in this theatre of colors and shapes and maintains balance in the image, which is Pecka‘s main goal in creating any artwork. The movement of individual tiles resembles some kind of game. Remotely Tetris. All pieces move in different directions and always fit into a new position, as if it was intended. These puzzle pieces are not tasked with expressing anything specific, or perhaps concealing any hidden message. All elements of this work are assembled so that overall the artwork is balanced, both in terms of colors or layout, and possibly appealing to viewer’s eye.

About PosterLad

PosterLad is an art project by Czech designer Vratislav Pecka. Born in 1988, he likes to go back in his memories to his childhood in 90s, and so a kind of 90s nostalgia is one of the main elements of his work. Pecka likes to keep things simple. Simplicity, vivid colors, that mentioned 90s nostalgia and strong influence of the Bauhaus school, these are common features of this artist’s work. The PosterLad project was awarded two major design awards: the 2020 German Design Award and the 2019 Silver A’Design Award. Pecka sells his prints worldwide both online and in physical shops.

Pecka is a newcomer to the NFT world and is grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the SuperRare family.

PosterLad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/posterlad/

PosterLad Twitter: https://twitter.com/posterlad

21

Paloma

Curator | Art Advisor at SuperRare

Art

Tech

Curators' Choice

Thinking About Getting Into 3D: A virtual performance by Sam Cannon

Thinking About Getting Into 3D: A virtual performance by Sam Cannon

Above: “data privacy” by stockcatalog licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4 years ago

Editorial is open for submissions: [email protected]

Virtual Performance on Instagram [04/05/21 – 04/10/21]

Resulting figures on SuperRare  [4/10/21]

Curator’s note by Alex Czetwertynski

At first glance, Sam Cannon’s latest project seems to be a commentary on the female figure, the contrast between real and idealized, a reckoning between physical flesh and digital skin. It certainly is that, and Sam is no stranger to developing poetic narratives that bite away at the cliché’s around the “perfect” female figure, often making herself subject and object, observer and observed. But there are more layers to Thinking About Getting Into 3D, layers that relate directly to our last year in isolation, and the recent crypto frenzy around “digital” art pieces that seem to come straight out of YouTube 3d software tutorials.

As artists struggled to make ends meet during the last 12 months, Sam would hear friends tell her that they were seriously considering “getting into 3d”, the final frontier of worldmaking. But as they probably soon discovered, 3d is hard, and using prebuilt assets, like ready-made, pre-posed female figures, makes things easier. The result of this is a certain uniformity, a repetition of similar forms, and an entrenchment of the figure designed to follow golden ratio type proportions. As we started seeing more and more of these silhouettes (previously relegated to attention economy worker’s Instagram accounts) in the last few weeks, even when our screen-ridden eyes did their best to avoid the NFT focus grab, we started realizing that the distinction between anything genuine and carbon copies was going to be harder to make, as everything is now a copy or a reference to something else.

Sam’s position articulates itself around this loopy concept. We start with a 3d model from a widely used 3d package, Sam then slowly becomes this figure, but without any digital surgery, re-introducing the real into the digital. What good will it do? We can only hope that it will open her audience’s eyes to the interlocked phenomena of digital ideals and digital copy machines, and help those who are “thinking of getting into 3d” to diversify their gaze, and their output.

21

Paloma

Curator | Art Advisor at SuperRare

Art

Tech

Curators' Choice

Mark Titchner: We only need desire

Mark Titchner: We only need desire

Above: “data privacy” by stockcatalog licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4 years ago

Mark Titchner (b. 1973) is known for his text-based works that can be found in public spaces both in the UK and internationally. Through language and words, Titchner explores the tensions between the different belief systems that inform our society, be they religious, scientific or political. His work is held in many public collections including Tate, Arts Council, Government Art Collection, British Council, South London Gallery and Manchester Art Gallery. 

Mark Titchner created his inaugural NFT work, minted on April 12 in exclusive partnership with Verisart and SuperRare as part of 10×10: 10 inaugural NFTs by 10 major contemporary artists over 10 weeks. Bidding is open until 1pm EDT April 15. 

We only need desire

Mark Titchner’s inaugural NFT, We only need desire, is an exploration of desire, consumerism, and rapture. “I have a long-running interest in how you depict a moment of ecstasy or rapture. I was trying to think about a particular type of ecstasy which is the ecstasy of consumption and what it might look like.” 

Titchner’s work was also inspired by his reading of the last lectures of cultural theorist Mark Fisher. Of particular interest Titchner explains, “was how the book looks at the connection between class consciousness and libidinal desire and whether there is a way for them to co-exist productively”. 

The NFT video depicts the words exploding and dissipating only to come back again. This echoes consumerism’s need to endlessly keep going while at the same time being unsustainable on an environmental and human level. The repetitive cycle captured in the video would seem to imply that however damaging the need and want to consume might be, the system is inescapable as no clear alternative presents itself to us. 

Mark Titchner, We only need desire, still image from NFT, courtesy of the artist

The work grapples with these broad ideas and concepts. Mark Titchner says, “The driver for what I do is trying to understand something, what the world is, what I am, what we are and there are lots of different positions that co-exist which people believe at certain points in time. In a way, the piece is a voice or a conversation, which gives form to something which is unsaid.” 

The NFT work addresses a number of themes and raises more questions than it answers. Although the work emerges from the artist’s personal reflections, Titchner does not offer judgment. The element of ambiguity is key to his works. The phrases the artist captures hold different meanings for different people in different situations. The work is intended to be a starting point for conversations, “With a lot of my statements I want people to think “actually, that’s not the case”. It’s a sort of provocation”.

Art for the public

In thinking about how to start conversations, Titchner turned to creating much of his work in social spaces, where the art can reach a broader number of people in a wide variety of contexts. Titchner explains, “This could equally mean placing works in the streets, a public library, a secure psychiatric unit or in entirely virtual environments. What do the spaces that artworks inhabit tell us about what it is that art can or might do? What do these spaces do to art and what does art do to them?”

Mark Titchner, The world isn’t working. Berlin, 2008. Courtesy of the artist.

During the early stages of Lockdown, he produced the project ‘Please believe these days will pass’. Poster and billboard versions of this artwork appeared in hundreds of sites in cities around the UK. The work was widely shared on social media and utilized around the world for news editorial. The phrase has been translated into several languages including French, Polish, Greek and Spanish and can now be seen in cities across Europe. A version of the work will be presented in Southwark Cathedral in May.  

Mark Titchner, Please believe these days will pass. London, 2020. Courtesy of the artist 

As a digital work available online, the NFT is accessible to a global audience. Titchner explains that part of his interest in NFTs was “trying to understand it better as a social space and think about spaces outside of the traditional gallery and museum context”.

Mark Titchner, Where do you end and I begin? Manchester, 2021. Courtesy of the artist

Art for giving back 

Over the years, Mark Titchner has worked with a number of charities. His ongoing collaboration with Hospital Rooms has led to a series of mural-based works in secure psychiatric units. Titchner also runs workshops and group activities, in particular with young people and in these mental health settings. Many of his public works have been the result of these workshops and the reflections and discussions that take place. 

Mark Titchner, Eden. Hull 2017. Courtesy of the artist.

Through the sale of his NFT, Mark Titchner is taking the opportunity to support two charities focused on art and mental health, Bethlem Gallery and Hospital Rooms, with whom he has worked extensively. The artist will be donating 25% of his proceeds, to be split equally between the two charities. 

Mark Titchner’s NFT is certified with a Fair Trade Art Certificate from Verisart, an award-winning blockchain certification platform. Fair Trade Art is an initiative by Verisart designed to bring together artists and social impact organizations to do good. The certificate signals that funds from the sale of the artwork are benefiting a charitable cause. 

For collectors, Verisart’s patent-pending Certificates of Authenticity (COA) form an integral part of collecting NFTs. They provide confidence in the identity of the artist and the verified history of the artwork. Designed to empower artists to tell the story of their work, the digital certificates include additional images, videos and documents. Titchner’s certificate includes an exclusive collector reward. The owner of the certificate of the work will gain exclusive access to a clip of the NFT video with sound. 

Mark Titchner, The sun rises bright. London, 2020.  Courtesy of the artist.

Art the Artist

Mark Titchner’s (b. 1973, Luton, UK) work involves an exploration of the tensions between the different belief systems that inform our society, be they religious, scientific or political. Focusing on an exploration of words and language, in recent years much of his production has been based in the public realm both in the UK and internationally. These public works have often been created from extended group activities, working particularly with young people and in mental health settings. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006, participated in the Venice Biennale in 2007 and was Artist in Residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto in 2012. In 2018 he completed a major new permanent public work, ‘Me, Here Now’ which is installed at London Bridge Station. His work is held in many public collections including Tate, Arts Council, Government Art Collection, British Council, South London Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Bidding for Mark Titchner’s inaugural NFT, We only need desire, closes at 1pm EDT on April 15.

Join Mark Titchner1 on ART TALKS WITH VERISART to hear him discuss life, art and tech with Robert Norton, CEO and co-founder of Verisart. Tuesday, April 13 at 3pm EDT/8pm BST on Clubhouse. 

21

Paloma

Curator | Art Advisor at SuperRare

Art

Tech

Curators' Choice

Divine Desire: Alphachanneling’s Ecstatic Sexual Playground

Divine Desire: Alphachanneling’s Ecstatic Sexual Playground

Above: “data privacy” by stockcatalog licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4 years ago

Editorial is open for submissions: [email protected]

Anonymous artist Alphachanneling has created a body of work that confronts cultural taboo in its unapologetic, raw celebration of sexuality. The artwork exists in a dreamy utopia where the carnal and spiritual merge into scenes that are both reverent and unrestrained — each piece is a visual love letter to desire, pleasure, and human connection that illuminates the intersection between the playful and the holy. The artwork feels kinetic, like a living prayer to the erotic divine; rapturous renderings of the fundamental spirit that compels and drives us toward life.

Alphachanneling, Expanding Universe, 2017

Alphachanneling (both the artist and the work itself) reflects a practice of elevating sublime experience over ego — which is to say, the artist’s personal identity remains a secret. “It’s not that I choose to be anonymous so people think I’m mysterious and interesting,” the artist explained when speaking to SuperRare, “I just think when you know anything about the identity of the person who’s telling the story, it inevitably changes how you perceive the work. The subject of eroticism and sexuality is universally relatable, but we actually relate to it so personally…putting my identity as a person into the mix feels like it would inescapably dilute and muddy how people intimately connect to the work. Each person has their own inner landscape of love and desire, I hope my art can encourage the honoring and celebration of that space. ”

It’s an approach that doesn’t seem to have mitigated Alphachanneling’s ability to forge a community and a following around their work and its ever-captivating subject matter. With a fanatical social media audience of nearly 1.5 million followers, the elusive artist manages to be both invisible and massively present at the same time. 

Alphachanneling, Church 2016

But Alphachanneling’s creative ecosystem of ecstatic meditations extends far beyond social media. 

In the way that only the most astutely paradoxical art can, Alphachanneling’s work has found a strong foothold in a wide range of spaces. From rappers to yoga influencers, sex workers to art critics, these artworks have been tattooed onto bodies and reproduced onto protest signs. The wide-reaching enthusiasm for Alphachanneling’s art and the endlessly diverse composition of their fanbase are expressions of the essential truth at the core of this work: there is immense profundity in the profane, and when art brings this to the surface, everyone in the room feels it.

Alphachanneling, Peach Tree, 2017

Alphachanneling was featured as one of Vogue’s Top 100 Creative Influencers, had original art published in Playboy, and had work reviewed by art critic Jerry Saltz in Vulture. Alphachanneling has been profiled in Vice, Juxtapoz, Paper Magazine, The Washington Post, HuffPost, and more. Gallery exhibition locations have included New York City, Los Angeles, Sydney, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Mykonos, among others. 

“a mesmerizing dive into the ways we imagine and think about sex” – Vice Creators Project 

“a vision, a fecund sense of color and line, internal scale, odd order, and saucy subject matter.” – Jerry Saltz

“a dreamy world of soft psychedelic sexuality where brilliant lotus flowers burst from the tips of candy-colored penises” – The Washington Post 

Alphachanneling, Fellow Getting Radiated by Babe’s Orgasm, 2014

ARTIST STATEMENT 

The inspiration driving my art is the premise that desire is an expression of the divine, and therefore something to exalt and celebrate in all its forms. In the same way that a plant turns towards the sun, I believe my desire turns me on to that which nourishes me and makes me grow. 

The poetry of Rumi has been a big influence on me, it’s shown me that art can simply be praise and an expression of joy and love. One can repeat what’s already been said a thousand times, and the deeper and more sincerely it is expressed, the more its value increases. I draw my influences from a wide range of sources both high and low, from mysticism and the occult to folk art, outsider art and indigenous art, from kink and bdsm to yoga, tantra, and the healing arts. 

My work has a kind of double nature that makes it confusing to define. It is as delicate and innocent as it is dirty and confrontational. Rather than being modest and subtle, I am overt and explicit with the sexuality in my art, but I like to deliver that provocation in the most gentle, graceful and reverential way. 

I believe eroticism in art can help normalize the natural sexuality that we experience as humans, but yet struggle to find social and cultural acknowledgment of. Erotic art can allow us to explore sexuality and desire in a way that feels safe and approachable and exposes us to a spectrum that may be new and unknown in our experience of our lives. Erotic art expands the language of love and sexuality and reminds us of the beauty of being alive, the beauty of living as a sexual being. 

No one voice can represent the whole range of experience so my hope is that the more we individually embrace and express the desire which compels our lives, the richer and fuller our collective identity can become. My artwork is an invitation for each viewer to bring forth the dream of their own erotic worlds. 

Alphachanneling, Love Dance, 2018

21

Paloma

Curator | Art Advisor at SuperRare

Art

Tech

Curators' Choice

Jesse Kanda: Vulnerability is essential for connection and creativity

Jesse Kanda: Vulnerability is essential for connection and creativity

Above: “data privacy” by stockcatalog licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4 years ago

Editorial is open for submissions: [email protected]

Jesse Kanda is a visual artist and animator known for his paradigm-shifting creative partnerships with Arca, FKA Twigs, Björk, as well as his own musical work under his Doon Kanda moniker.

Back in 2013, then relatively unknown FKA twigs released a music video directed and animated by Jesse Kanda called “How’s That”. Headless floating bodies melted into each other to the pulse of the music, contorting and expanding into alien forms. At once erotic, heart-aching and sci-fi, this video and a long list of successive works by Kanda would inspire a new generation of young artists through his expression of raw vulnerability and ingenuity through digital art.

Being vulnerable can be scary. Sometimes it’s hard to even find the words to express how you’re feeling but there’s usually a piece of art or a song you can find to depict those emotions. Sometimes it might even feel like the piece is explaining it better to you than you ever could. Art transports you and can make you feel better for those few minutes that you are experiencing it. Knowing that another person has felt the same way you do is helpful to some because it helps put a description to those indescribable feelings. You may even find yourself reflecting and learning about your own feelings through them. The vulnerability that artists present in their art is a privilege we shouldn’t take for granted.

Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid being emotionally exposed, thanks to the belief that vulnerability equals weakness. Vulnerability equals uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. Vulnerability is like having a secret passageway into people’s inner worlds, into the complex parts of psychology and the truths we all try to hide from one another. Those areas often turn out to be the most creatively fertile and compelling.

Jesse Kanda’s modern surrealist works tap into this vulnerability deep in the subconscious. His body of work titled “Labyrinth” from 2019 included 13 pieces of music and 10 artworks – the title suggesting the inner-search for this raw vulnerability. His visual work is crystal-clear – nothing to hide – completely exposed. His music weaves through the surfaces of his sculptures, touching them with life and dance.

In his iconic video for FKA twigs ‘Water Me’ (2013), he depicts her as a bobbing head. She produces a single tear drop which falls on herself, making her grow. This visual poetry is evident throughout all of his work. In his video for Björk ‘Mouth Mantra‘, Kanda takes the viewer literally inside Björk’s mouth, showing one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body – only in a beautiful and tasteful way that doesn’t make you question it. Other works explore sexuality, trauma, shame, our relationships with each other, animals, the environment and so on.

Vulnerability is essential for connection and creativity. If we embrace it, the benefits will extend way beyond our careers. At this moment of the world’s environmental crisis, depleting natural resources and political uncertainty in our history we need creativity and innovation more than ever – vulnerability that exists beyond the individual.

21

Paloma

Curator | Art Advisor at SuperRare

Art

Tech

Curators' Choice