KAWS – YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK

Posted on 2016-02-12

The exhibition, in the expansive Longside Gallery and open air, features over 20 works: commanding sculptures in bronze, fibreglass, aluminium and wood alongside large, bright canvases immaculately rendered in acrylic paint – some created especially for the exhibition. The Park’s historically designed landscape becomes home to a series of monumental and imposing sculptures, including a new six-metre-tall work, which take KAWS’s idiosyncratic form of almost-recognisable characters in the process of growing up.

Brooklyn-based KAWS is considered one of the most relevant artists of his generation. His influential work engages people across the generations with contemporary art and especially opens popular culture to young and diverse audiences. A dynamic cultural force across art, music and fashion, KAWS’s work possesses a wry humour with a singular vernacular marked by bold gestures and fastidious production.

In the 1990s, KAWS conceived the soft skull with crossbones and crossed-out eyes which would become his signature iconography, subverting and abstracting cartoon figures. He stands within an art historical trajectory that includes artists such as Claes Oldenburg and Jeff Koons, developing a practice that merges fine art and merchandising with a desire to communicate within the public realm. Initially through collaborations with global brands, and then in his own right, KAWS has moved beyond the sphere of the art market to occupy a unique position of international appeal.

Photography – Jonty Wilde

Exhibition runs through to June 12th, 2016

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton
Wakefield
WF4 4LG

www.ysp.co.uk

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ABSOLUT ART BAR

Posted on 2016-02-10

Inspired by the capital of the Mexican Empire in the 15th century – the Art Bar is the artists’ literal and conceptual representation of the ancient city. The island on which Tenochtitlan was built is recreated in the centre of the Art Bar, featuring large-scale columns in the style of ancient Aztec architecture. Strands of LED lighting winding across the platform represents the water that once flowed through the city’s canals, and reflective flooring around the structure gives the illusion that the island is floating.

SANGREE’s practice, which explores historical elements in a contemporary context, continues throughout the Art Bar, with assorted sculptures and relics presented as archaeological artefacts in displays and mounted on the walls. A canvas light-box featuring a relief mural of the Valley of Mexico – symbolising Tenochtitlan’s original location – spans the length of one wall. The lights behind the mural continuously rise and fade over time, giving the impression of the passing of time from dawn until dusk.

SANGREE have worked with an Absolut mixologist to create a series of unique Artist Cocktails, inspired by the fruits and spices historically used by the Aztecs and incorporating the tastes and smells of their culture, including hibiscus, chili, and cacao. The Artist Cocktails are also part of a larger game referencing the economic and social systems of ancient Tenochtitlan. Guests will be given tokens – mimicking cocoa beans, Tenochtitlan’s ancient currency – to trade for drinks. The four districts in Tenochtitlan, comprising ‘the religious’, ‘the warriors’, ‘the urban’, and ‘the agricultural ghettos’, are each represented by one side of the main bar, and each side serve different cocktails. Every hour, the ‘district’ which has the most popular Artist Cocktail wins.

The installation features a changing nightly program of live music, DJ sets, and performances curated by the artist duo including NAAFI, a DJ collective from Mexico City.

Photography – Omar Rood

Exhibition runs through February 4th-6th, 2016

Expo Reforma
Calle Morelos 67
Col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc
Mexico City, D.F. 06600
Mexico

www.halcyongallery.com

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