New Events / The sport of Extreme Ironing

November 20, 2009 | New Events | by The Uncool Hunter |

Extreme Ironing started in 1997 when a group of friends decided to iron in some rocks near their houses in the city of Leicester, Great Britain. The activity was risky because they were in danger of falling, which is why they thought to turn it into an extreme sport. Read more

New Events / Super Human exhibition at Melbourne’s RMIT Gallery

November 19, 2009 | New Events | by Lost At E Minor |

Showcasing works by leading Australasian artists, the Super Human exhibition re-frames the Cartesian body within contemporary culture. Focusing on Cognition and Neurology (Mind), Augmentation and Biological Manipulation (Body) and Nanoscale Interventions (the Soul, the ‘not visible’), the exhibition exposes aspirations and fears about our bodies and their extraordinary functions. The exhibition runs at the RMIT Gallery until December 5. Read more

New Events / Shag Brooklyn (metaphorically speaking)

November 16, 2009 | New Events | by Melissa Banigan |

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has plenty of music, art, gentrification, and hipsters, but it was missing one thing: a sex shop! I can’t wait to swing by the opening of Shag on November 20, for live music, art, and, yes, body painting! You just can’t beat sex in the city.

New Events / Say Anything, Miniature Tigers at Highline Ballroom

November 13, 2009 | New Events | by Eliza Czander |

Last week, the Highline Ballroom hosted a sold-out show filled with more teen angst than a vampire movie. Say Anything was headlining, which was clearly who the crowd was there for, as teenage girls ran rampant, trying to scam drinks at the bar and waiting impatiently for the opening acts to finish their sets. I was interested in seeing Miniature Tigers beforehand, so I made sure I got to the Ballroom in time to catch them at 7. The Tigers have a great sound, and they were fun and energetic on stage, although they certainly could’ve been tighter. Read more

New Events / Lubalin Now at New York’s Cooper Union

November 11, 2009 | New Events | by Chris Rubino |

Herb Lubalin’s influence as a graphic designer is undeniable, and now his name graces the side of the new building at Cooper Union. The inaugural exhibit of the Lubalin Center just opened with the beautiful Mike Essl-curated show, Lubalin Now. I’ve been noticing recently that design exhibitions have been blowing away more traditional fine art shows and this one is no exception. It’s quite exciting to see the influence this man has had on many of today’s young top designers. Standouts for me were the pieces by Deanne Cheuk, Alex Trochut, Justin Thomas Kay and Rick Valicenti. The show continues until Dec 8.

New Events / Piecebook Reloaded: Rare Graffiti Drawings

November 10, 2009 | New Events | by Zolton |

Featuring a selection of awesome graffiti from the black books of super-powered artists, the recently released Piecebook Reloaded: Rare Graffiti Drawings 1985–2005 — compiled by Sacha Jenkins and David Villorente — shows the work of more than fifty graffiti icons and is an eye-popping throwback to the days before everything offline was online and art was a statement rather than a dollar grabbing business.

New Events / Hanoch Piven at New York’s Society of Illustrators

November 5, 2009 | New Events | by Casper Johansson |

Hanoch Piven, multiple award-winning illustrator, will lead a hands-on collage workshop for professional illustrators who want to free their inner child. Piven’s workshop will focus on the idea of playing intuitively with objects, maximizing trial-and-error and taking advantage of serendipity, which are all very useful tools to explore any creative medium. Piven is known for using ordinary objects to create striking celebrity portraits for such clients as Time, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, The New York Times and Random House. The workshop takes place on Tuesday, November 10, between 6:30 – 8:30pm, and will be produced by Fernanda Cohen.

New Events / Kill Pixie’s Supreme Beings in Berlin

November 5, 2009 | New Events | by Michelle Wilding |

My fellow Germans — or anyone willing to fly to Berlin — should go check out the solo exhibition Supreme Beings by emerging Aussie artist Kill Pixie (aka Mark Whalen). His latest series of geometric paintings are on display at Berlin’s Merry Karnowsky Gallery until December 19. I’m particularly intrigued by Kill Pixie’s use of candy colours coupled with his depiction of masked puppet-like characters set in celestial and futuristic scenes. Supreme Beings meticulously ‘questions the games people are forced to play, reinterprets the universal human struggle and what will be necessary for survival in the future of our world’.

New Events / Typographic month in NYC

November 3, 2009 | New Events | by Deanne Cheuk |

November is shaping up to be Typographic month in New York. On November 5 there’s the official opening of Lubalin Now — the inaugural exhibition at the newly re-located Herb Lubalin Study Center at the Cooper Art Union, featuring beautiful typography from the likes of Alex Trochut, Huntergatherer and Non-Format [featured above]. Read more

New Events / William Powhida at LA’s Charlie James Gallery

November 2, 2009 | New Events | by Chris Rubino |

Fellow alumni William Powhida has a fantastic new exhibit up at Los Angeles’ Charlie James Gallery, No One Here Gets Out Alive. In this new Series Powhida’s aptly named fictional character, Powhida, flees the New York Art World for a stab at destroying LA, indulging in all of our favorite vices, booze, coke, sex and sometimes art. We read about this debauchery in Powhida’s trompe l’oeil notebook pages, newspaper articles and obsessive lists. I even found myself enjoying an issue of 944. Incredible! The show remains open until December 5. Read more

New Events / Sixth Pommery Exhibition Sons & Lumieres

October 30, 2009 | New Events | by Ilana Kohn |

How much better can it get than little dollops of contemporary art interspersed throughout the breathtaking setting of Champagne Pommery’s Domaine in Reims, France. The most interesting part here is that this is an ongoing tradition at Champagne Pommery, going all the way back to the 19th century ‘when Madame Pommery commissioned sculptor Gustav Navlet to carve four bas reliefs for the estate and later had the famous cabinet maker and glass artist Emile Gallé create a solid oak Pommery barrel that holds up to 19,816 gallons (100,000 bottles). This barrel was displayed at the 1904 Worlds’ Fair in St. Louis’. The upcoming Sixth Pommery Exhibition, Sons & Lumieres, will be curated by French artist Bertrand Lavier and will include ‘everyday objects often set in difficult spaces’. Read more

New Events / Whoop Dee Doo this Halloween in Kansas City

October 30, 2009 | New Events | by Alison Zavos |

Whoop Dee Doo is a performance art group based out of Kansas City, Missouri, and hosted by Jaimie Warren and Matt Roche, alongside fifteen or so other cast and crew members. They travel internationally to put on random shows that, visually at least, remind me of a G-Rated John Waters movie. The idea of Whoop Dee Doo shows is based upon kid-friendly faux public access TV programs (they are filmed but don’t actually air) that appear highly entertaining for adults as well. Last year, they performed at Deitch Projects’ holiday party, amongst other places. Read more

New Events / Robyn Sweaney at Sydney’s Iain Dawson Gallery

October 28, 2009 | New Events | by Casper Johansson |

Says curator and gallery owner Iain Dawson of Australian artist Robin Sweaney’s work: ‘I first saw Robyn Sweaney’s exquisite paintings when I was invited to a curatorial panel event by the Visual Arts Network and Arts Northern Rivers in 2006. What immediately enthralled me was Robyn’s attention to detail and obsessive capturing of the scene’s she surrounds herself with. The stillness of the works and the contemplation on these uniquely Australian dwellings work strongly on many levels. Firstly the paintings and drawings are aesthetically beautiful and incredibly evocative. Secondly, I’m increasingly fascinated by the subjects of these works, these wonderful houses, soon to be lost to the collective consciousness, superseded by the McMansions of the new millenia. Robyn’s works are a link to our heritage, our collective nostalgia for a simpler, less flashy world’. Her latest series, Home Beautiful, is showing at the Iain Dawson Gallery between 10-21 November. Read more

New Events / Bid on artistic Dosh Wallets

October 27, 2009 | New Events | by Michelle Wilding |

Australian company Dosh wallets turn the necessity of carrying money into a daily fashion parade thanks to their sleek extra thin designs. Even more intriguing is Dosh’s recent Wallets As Art project. Some of the world’s finest contemporary artists have teamed up with Dosh to splash their creative vision across blank wallets, which are now available exclusively to the public via auction. Bidding for individual wallets ends on the evening of November 2, so get in quick if you want a memorable chunk of Kill Pixie, French, Stefan Marx or Jonathan Zawanda adorning your Dosh wallet.

October 23, 2009 | New Events | by Melissa Banigan |

If you haven’t yet witnessed the genius that is The Mimi & Flo Show, catch them Thursday, November 10 at Comix Comedy Club. Joining them will be The Hazzards (New York’s most best ever ukulele band), as well as guest stars Becky Yamamoto and Michael Cyril Creighton.