June 11, 2011 | New Art | by Ben Keys |
There’s no question I’ve spent more time looking for waves than riding them. Apparently, that’s part of the fun. I’m not so sure, but it is pretty special stumbling onto a good one after driving half the day. Wolfgang Bloch also knows that moment, when you crest another dusty ridge and first glimpse distant, windswept perfection. His palette of rocky browns and stormy greys bookend perfect pointbreaks, reeling off unridden in some faraway place. It’s the sort of art that encourages you to get off the couch and hit the road. And that’s very cool. Read more
June 11, 2011 | New Photography | by Ben Keys |
Who needs a digital camera when you could be processing your portraits right there on the beach, with the subjects looking on? This is the approach taken by Joni Sternbach with her Surfland series, using a technique unchanged since the 19th century. Read more
May 28, 2011 | New Art | by Ben Keys |
A few years back, Matt Doust was completing portraits using Biro pens, each work a feverish mass of black and blue layered lines. Forward to 2011 and the Perth artist is now creating enormous hyper-realistic oil portraits and was recently named a finalist in the Archibald Prize. Read more
September 28, 2009 | New Illustration | by Ben Keys |
Dig, hepcats! If the art of Miles Thomson doesn’t transport you to a beachside speakeasy staffed by monkey waiters serving cocktails in tiki heads, well, something must be very wrong. The Californian effortlessly blends elements of surf art, jazz iconography, cowboys and injuns, vagabonds and drunks, life and death — all that good stuff. He’s also currently working on images of crime figures such as Al Capone, John Dillinger and Jesse James for Nickelodeon’s The Mighty B, so keep an eye out for his unmistakably groovy style on the box real soon. Read more
August 11, 2009 | New Illustration | by Ben Keys |
Unable to limit his art to the streets, Kid Zoom has happily defaced banknotes, vintage Playboys, and even his own studio with his brand of eye-catching artwork. A move from the sleepy suburbs of Perth, Australia, has seen Kid take on Sydney, so expect to see a lot more distorted cartoons and weepy skulls on the East coast from now on. Read more
August 8, 2009 | New Photography | by Ben Keys |
Photographer Haran Kumar has a special affinity with the street kids he shoots in New Delhi — not so long ago, he was right there amongst them. After fleeing an unhappy family situation in 1994, Haran joined the throngs of homeless children who live in and around New Dehli railway station. Eventually he was plucked from the tracks by aid organisation Salaam Balak Trust and given another chance at school before becoming part of Dutch photography project Home/Live — providing cameras and instruction to homeless kids in 11 cities around the world. Read more
August 6, 2009 | New Art | by Ben Keys |
At first glance, Scott Hove’s Cakeland seems impossibly lovely — a pink-frosted, sugary fairyland. Until you notice a bunch of his delicious creations have sprouted fangs. Then it’s kind of creepy. The walk-through installation contains multiple cakey hallways, mirrored passages and gently-lit examples of spongy goodness, the icing etched with tools like some tasty Neolithic cave-art. It’s a sugar-rush nightmare come to life. Yummy. Read more
August 1, 2009 | New Design | by Ben Keys |
If you were throwing down a couple of hundred million bucks to build your dream toy, you’d want it to stand out, right? Not so in the world of super yacht design, which for years has followed the same pattern of producing giant, shiny dreamboats, each indistinguishable from the next. But then along came E. Kevin Schöpfer. Read more
July 17, 2009 | New Art | by Ben Keys |
The creatures of Nicholas Di Genova’s imagination occupy a strange space between the petting zoo and the apocalypse. The Toronto illustrator develops entire structured communities of twisted beasts that often blur the lines between animal and machine, yet somehow even his hound of Hades ends up looking cuddly (possibly because it’s half chicken). Recent projects have included painstakingly detailed ballpoint studies of everything from tortoises to flowers to vampire bats. In an upcoming exhibition, another piece will feature a grid of 20,000 butterflies. Hey, the man likes details. Read more
July 15, 2009 | New Photography | by Ben Keys |
Colarado photographer Adrian Hanft creates images that are charmingly imperfect, employing a huge collection of vintage cameras that he modifies at home, or occasionally builds from scratch. He recently created a series of solargraphs — exposures that last from hours to months – using pinhole cameras, and in the past has fashioned his own equipment from Lego blocks, with startling results. Read more
These awesome ice moulds, designed by Atsuhiro Hayashi and available through monos, are also a bit depressing: one creates ice shaped like a polar bear on a melting ice cap, the other creates two penguins.
Growing up, my visits to Hong Kong as well as my parents’ description of Hong Kong culture reinforced my assumption that the former British colony was too money-driven to nurture any good art. Read more
Oh man! To be young enough to bop, groove and scratch like these kids. For Japanese superstars DJ Sara (8 years old) and DJ Ryusei (5 years old), there’s no such thing as tomorrow. Read more
Of all the weird places the world has to offer, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia has to be one of the coolest. Literally. At 3,700m above sea level, it’s the biggest and highest salt flat in the world, where after dark, temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees celsius. The best way to explore the salt flat is to hire a 4WD and driver from the Uyuni township. En route, you can even stay at a Salt Hotel, where everything is, quite literally, made from salt: the chairs, beds, tables and even the walls. There’s no heating and the beds aren’t exactly ‘plush’, but it’s worth every salty second. Read more
Because I don’t waste enough of my life on Facebook, I need some other sites to while away the time. I love Dear Blank Dear Blank. It’s a good laugh. Read more
Yellow Fever are a great duo from Austin that harkens back to the girl-fronted indie bands of the 90s. At times Breeders-ish, at others referencing garag-y sounds from other eras, their simple and heartfelt songs remind us of why we all thought mismatched Converse and unkempt androgyny was so cool in the first place.
Listen to the Yellow Fever song, Cats and Rats.
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The current economic crisis has got us missing our frivolous spending past. But we need to be strong and resist fashionable purchases, right? Wrong. We’ve just got to get a little more creative with our rationalisation. And that’s why we don’t just want a hand-made one of a kind silk scarf from label Trust Fun. We actually need it. Started by Sydney-based graphic designer, Jonathan Zawada, this label’s signature scarves support our justify-it-to-buy-it philosophy with their multi-purpose versatility. Soft sheer silk in amazing one-off colour combinations just don’t go out of style, and with more uses than we can list, they’re one piece you can validate. It’s the rescue purchase we’ve been waiting for.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Pencils made from recycled newspaper
The problem with awesome things like these pencils made out of recycled newspaper is that you almost don’t want to use them.
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Cookie Boy’s creative cookie designs
I don’t eat cookies, so good thing Cookie Boy’s cookies are little pieces of art too pretty and cute to eat. Read more
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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Honest Food Preparation Instructions
Yes, we’ve all been there: the chinese food from last week that still looks edible amongst the bare surrounds of an empty fridge. But really, we shouldn’t. Just let it be. Or College Humor will expose you! Read more
Now this is fun. This 3D watch dial actually jumps to life. The dial is a modern version of the 19th century art form of lithophanes: carved porcelain sheets that, when lit, deliver astoundingly detailed images. When the pusher is activated, the dial springs to life in 3D, with an LED light and afterglow effect. Read more
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