Color simulating movement can be a beautiful thing. Michael Alan and IBM, from separate planes of the universe, have done precisely that in their abstract depictions of the world. Using loose strokes of color, figure drawings, fiber optic moods and strong contrasts, both layouts relay thoughtful connectivity in the most delicate of ways.
It’s always a relief when tech brands move beyond the hardware and stock photography for their advertising campaigns. Both ATT and the anti-virus software giant, Eset have tapped a new (and unexpected) trend in their effort to convey usability for the masses. Using hands, the body part most closely associated with computers and phones, both creative teams have stepped outside the box, proving abstract interpretations can leave the most memorable impact. Be it painted hands simulating bamboo or digital pointers at a concert, the unified compositions remind us that small things in mass make the greatest impact, a reliable and age-old concept.
As digital media becomes increasingly prevalent, some fear it will wipe out the art of printing. Shepard Fairey aims to disprove this with his show, Printed Matters, which showcases a wide variety of Shepard’s prints, works on wood, metal, album covers, and fine art collage papers. In his eyes, while the field of digital art is growing, the medium of print changed the world and you can never replace the provocative, tactile experience of a print on the street or in a gallery. Fore more info, click here.
SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS GALLERY: 1331 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Ehren Reed‘s mixed media works have been making the internet rounds for a while now. Merging technology’s ethereal presence with the physicality of handmade craft, Reed stitches and embroiders maps, books and other found objects with the intent of solidifying pixelated media. Her upcoming show at the Edo Salon and Gallery in San Francisco investigates the interpersonal relationships society has with the internet and contemporary culture. For more info, click here.
Edo Salon & Gallery : 601 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Opening Reception: Sept 3, 8:30-11pm
There’s no question that the art of portraiture has changed immensely in recent times. First with the advent of the digital camera, then with the rise in popularity of the camera phone, it’s become much easier to take photos and pass them along to our networks. The modern “art” of self-portraiture is the subject of Columbian artist, Alejandro Ospina’s latest show, “fotolog/.”
Using found photographs of young people frequently posing naked or semi-naked for a camera, and in many cases shot as reflection in a mirror, Ospina paints the digital low-resolution amateur photographs. This method creates a thoughtful and provoking parallel between our modern pop-culture influenced method of self-exposure and the traditional concept of “the nude” throughout the whole of art’s history. The sexualization of the nude and the shifting relationship between artist and model evident in the paintings challenges the audience with debates concerning the body, image and ownership, as both our view and Ospina’s position fluctuates between viewer and voyeur. For more info, click here.
IMT
Unit2/210, Cambridge Heath Road,
London, E2 9NQ UK
Private View: Thursday 2nd September 6- 9pm
Nearly every designer is tasked with making a media cloud at least once their career. Today, as I was walking to Chelsea Market, I passed by this Blackberry bbm advert in the Meat Packing District. Using overlapping bubbles to simulate chatter and create a typographic headline, the casual language seemed to be the true draw. Everyone wants to feel like they’re peering into something secretive and this ad does a good job reminding us that only our bff’s deserve bbm. This ad draws a strong parallel to this music window in the Ginza district of Tokyo. While neither design is overly refined, it’s interesting to see the eastern and western approach is (unpredictably) in sync.