Chic Art Fair Paris and PvonK Berlin have been working in collaboration to organize a URBAN SCREENING on an outside concrete wall, longing the River Seine in Paris.

The Screening “SET IN CONCRETE” will take place every evening during the Chic Art Fair: OCTOBER, 20th-24th 2011. Among the works shown, will be FocusPocus-videoparadox.

‘Set in Concrete’ will be hosted by Chic Art Fair Paris :
Thursday October, the 20th – Opening : Projection from 7pm to 9 pm (twice)
Friday/Saturday/Sunday October 21st to 23d : Projection from 7pm to 8 pm

More details about Set in Concrete will be published at the end of September at http://pvonk.com

For a complete list of participating artists have a look here.

BTW, it’s the first time my work has been exhibited with Damien Hirst, Banksy & Shepard Fairy (to name a few).

It seems to have an effect in many cultures. Maybe because (whilst doing it) I ended up dealing with the general questions of humanity that are common to us all, regarldess of culture and political country.

That who seeks, shall find…

Housemortage hidden influence-trap.

Between 1997 – 1999 in my teens, I spent a considerable amount of time doing small psychological portraits.
I had a perfectionist obsession with an 0.3 mm mechanical pencil with HB softness leads.

That was before I learned the digital medium. Even before I learned to illustrate with an airbrush.

I did some pretty amazing stuff with my trusty old 0.3 mm back then It was the tool of my choice!

Usually i took a sheet of A4 photocopy paper, with a fine grain (to give the HB leads a little something to bite in to).

With such a fine tip, I developed a technique to lighten the strokes to a minimum. I lifted the paper off the table to apply the lightest pencil strokes possible. I did not use an eraser or smudge the paper with anything. I wanted it to be clean. To me, Cleanliness was next to Godliness!

As I was zoning out and shading an area, pass by pass darkening it, impurities such as a dust speckle, or the grain of the paper caused slightly darker details. I took these “errors” as sort of hints, and started to plot what they represented to me. I started to see shapes of immense detail… I managed to tap in to my creative subconsciousness. I started to refine those details and instinctively rotated the pen between my fingers to find the sharpest edge of the 0.3 mm tip. That way I could reach dents in the paper grain, and make areas darker, where need to be.

As I continued finishing the piece, the complex shapes started to connect, creating dynamics and content.
It seemed that the grain of the paper continued the shapes to an immense level of detail. Some people (with sharp eyesight) have experienced that mesmerizing effect.

I did this piece yesterday, with the very same exact 0.3 mm mechanical pencil I’m happy I still have the precision, patience and light touch to create with this challenging style! Spending some 15 hours with an area of 115 mm x 125 mm may sound crazy to some, but hey, Art is! I’ts quite beautiful original IRL (In Real Life).

One might say that the face is realistic, and the “hair” is abstract, even tough I see it the other way around. I see the face as simplified to very few contours of flowing shape, and the shading in the face is a subtle hint to it’s form. To me, the hair is the “tangible” part It took most of my time creating it.

This kind of a piece has some timeless feeling to it. A hybrid of some Art Nouveau, Classical, Cartoon and Graffiti style… Somehow, I see it alive and breathing. The present, without abandoning the past…

Maybe someone would like to plot the hidden message in the graffiti style lettering from the abstraction?

Voting Is Good!

Sharing Is Caring!

I’ll be at Berlin during June 2nd to 5th with our installation FocusPocus-videoparadox, so feel free to grab my sleeve and share thoughts!
EMERGEANDSEE Festival 2011

Peace.

So if you are at the neighborhood, check it out!

The results of the competition will be announced in late August.

And now a painting from the installation, for your pleasure

It’s the part of our installation, that revolves around the subjects of self-accusation, and some dynamics of social pressure.

Clicking the image brings a bit larger view of the piece.

Doing this, I ended up thinking about stereotypes, responsibility and social pressure, but it has elements and room for interpretation.
It took some 10 intense painting sessions to get it where it is.

It’s available in (insanely high resolution) physical format as well.

If you like it, feel free to share the link etc. I like to hear what people think, feel & see in this stuff.

I have projects where I’m using this piece, so stay tuned!

It’s an awesome setting for the piece. I recommend you to see it and the other great stuff there, if you can.

http://www.digitalgraffiti.com/2011finalists/

As usual, click the image for a larger view.

And remember: Sharing Is Caring!

Back then (spring 2010), there was an option to send it to Idoodles online Gallery, witch I did.

I named it “The Portable Knot”.

What do you see in it?

The developer of the app contacted me via email, and asked “how did you achieve that effect?”.

I explained my traditional technique;

-From dark to light, loose to tight, some elbow grease and intuition… That’s about it!

He also gave me the full version of the app. Thanks!

I made a new pic with it. I’ll upload the pic, and a video of the creative process later.

Just like openCanvas on PC,  iDoodle saves a “stroke-by-stroke animation” how the image was born.

Very cool. A fantastic way to document the creative process!

If you like it, please share & tweet etc!

You are welcome to see “FocusPocus-videoparadox” (and me)  in Berlin, Germany at  EMERGEANDSEE 2011 Media Art Festival (June 3rd – June the 5th).

This Painting revolves around understanding false authorities, and the institution of accusations.

Click the image for a larger view .

Cheers!

Ponders

The piece of stone (Russian marble)  is the same, its just missing material in certain places. In a way, I did not give the shape to it. I merely removed shapes from it. Consequently, the art is in the shape removed, leaving the stone in place. Say, a brick has little value, until labor refines it and brings in to context (a building or a sculpture).

Bringing the content out of the vague formal dynamics of the shape is a very calming process. It finds the meaning of something formerly undefined, and (in a way) gives elements to allow free interpretation. I think that art is something everyone has the right to understand from their own point of view. I love, when a piece of art speaks for itself, without the necessity of someone else’s interpretation.

What kind of emotions and  thoughts does it awaken in you?