Tuesday 11 September 2012

Religionis Violenta Private View Launch Party 2012

RELIGIONIS VIOLENTA

PRIVATE VIEW LAUNCH PARTY  -  6 SEPTEMBER 2012  -  LONDON WEST BANK GALLERY


“Those who believe in absurdities end up committing atrocities” [Voltaire, 1694-1778]

 
On Thursday 6th September London West Bank Gallery opened its doors to the Private View Launch Party of KGB-Projects' 1st Annual exhibition Religionis Violenta and drew in a large crowd of people with many of the featured artists present.

The exhibition showcases artworks by 31 artists from Malta and the UK, focusing on dark humour, irony and obscenity, revealing the artists’ taste for a bittersweet use of blasphemy, a snigger at and caustic provocation, including: paintings, drawings, limited edition prints, artistic photography, inventive mixed media, sculptures and decorative art.


Photos by: Emerson Soriano


THE ARTISTS:

BART JANSEN // BEATRIZ BARBA CALLEJA // BEN OAKLEY // CHRIS ALLAN // CLAIRE LEVINSON-GENDLER COSMO SARSON // DARREN WEST // DOMINIC NEGUS // EVERETT JAIME // GARY BETTS 
GLENN FITZPATRICK // GONNYGLASS // HELEN GORRILL // HENRY HATE // ILUÁ HAUCK DA SILVA // IVY VAN HULST KANE CALÌ // MAGNUS GJOEN // MARIO ABELA // MARK PERRONET // MASON STORM 
MAXINE ATTARD // NIC JOLY // NICKY STORM // PAULA CHAMBERS // RICHARD KOLKER // RITTY TACSUM  ROBERTO LANDIN THE DnA FACTORY // UMBERTO BUTTIGIEG // YVONNE WAYLING


PRIZE WINNERS OF THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS  ON THE EVENING OF THE PRIVATE VIEW LAUNCH PARTY

 

The guests were invited to 'confess' for their favourite artwork in the confession booth and with an overwhelming amount of votes received it was a neck-on-neck race between Magnus Gjoen and Mario Abela, but with 4 votes more it was Magnus who won the Best-in-Show Award. 
 

The People's Choice Awards was sponsored by Religion Clothing UK

 

BEST-IN-SHOW  //  RUNNER-UP

BEST-IN-SHOW // BREAK GLASS FOR SECOND COMING by MAGNUS GJOEN



 Magnus Gjoen was born in London to Norwegian parents. He studied design in London and Milan and works currently as a designer/graphic designer for Vivienne Westwood. His artwork won the Best-in-Show Prize of the People's Choice Awards at the Religionis Violenta Exhibition and has sold. 

Magnus' prints examines how to change peoples relationship and preconceived notions of objects. Something which is potentially extremely destructive can be made into beautiful yet fragile objects of art. It is this misconception of beauty which Magnus wants us to see in a different light, being it weapons, animals or the human race itself. The latter which is capable of creating immense beauty but also capable of destroying it all.

Taking inspiration from street and pop art and juxtaposing it with fine art, he creates new and modern takes on old masterpieces or manipulates something powerful and strong into something fragile but beautiful. He often questions the correlation between religion, war, beauty & destruction in his art.


RUNNER-UP // COUNTER-COUNTER-REFORMATION by MARIO ABELA
Mario Abela is a Graphic Artist & Illustrator from Malta. His artwork won the Runner-Up Prize of the People's Choice Awards at the Religionis Violenta Exhibition and has sold. 

He stated:  “Counter-Counter Reformation” represents the overlapping of the sacred and the profane, the triumph of the human urge over the will of God. The subtlety of the boy’s depiction is a reflection on the conspiracy of secrets maintained by the Church in an attempt to keep the scandal from going public. The dispersal of crosses is a comment on the presence of God in the priest being dirtied and, in the end, ejected through the priest’s actions."


Photos by Barros Devilion

The drinks were sponsored by the lovely people from Moncada Brewery.


Photos by: Reme Campos

 

Saturday 1 September 2012

SIGNATURE ART PRIZE 2012 // VOTE FOR "FRIEND OF DOROTHY"

 SIGNATURE ART PRIZE 2012 OPENING GALA

Join us in celebrating this years Signature Art Prize 2012 Opening Gala!!
The winners of this year's Prize will be announced on the night, and your chance to vote for the People's Choice Award will open until the First Thursday of October.
The opening exihbition, constructed for one night only in the historical Spitalfields Market, London’s Square Mile, will showcase all forty finalists and their remarkable signature pieces.

Strictly R.S.V.P. asari@DegreeArt.com or by attending through Facebook
TUESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2012 // 18:00 - 21:00



DegreeArt.com proudly announces The Signature Art Prize 2012, Peoples’ Choice Award.

Following the announcement of our 40 Gala Finalists, chosen from hundreds of entries by our esteemed panel of judges, we now give you the opportunity to judge yourself.

WHAT IS IT?
Open to everyone and incredibly simple, the Peoples’ Choice Award asks you to have your say on the amazing collection of entrants to this year’s prize, as well as create yet another prize winner.

WHAT DOES THE WINNER RECEIVE?
The Peoples’ Choice winner will receive representation by DegreeArt, a £1,000 cash prize and art prizes from our competition sponsors Thames & Hudson, Cowling & Wilcox and Artfund.

HOW DO I VOTE?
To place your vote you simply need to visit and ‘Like’ our Facebook page, browse through some stunning pieces of art and click the ‘Vote’ button under the entrants you believe deserve to be in with a chance of being crowned this year’s winner.

You may vote for as many entrants as you deem fit, however you can only vote once for each image. Voting closes on the 29th October at 12pm.

 

VOTE FOR MY PIECE: "FRIEND OF DOROTHY' BY GONNY VAN HULST AKA GONNYGLASS

Tuesday 31 July 2012

OH WELL! SHIT HAPPENS!

"Shit happens" is a common slang phrase, used as a simple existential observation that life is full of imperfections, either "Así es la vida" or "C'est la vie". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people for no particular reason.
Or as we say:
"Stercus Accidit"

 

Saturday 28 July 2012

KGB-PROJECTS ANNOUNCES ARTISTS - RELIGIONIS VIOLENTA

PROVOKE, SHOCK AND AMEN TO THAT! 

KGB-Projects announces its artists for their upcoming exhibition Religionis Violenta. Showcasing artworks by 29 artists focusing on irony and obscenity, revealing the artists' taste for a bittersweet use of blasphemy, a snigger at and caustic provocation...get ready for confession!