Rise Japan: San Francisco

What could easily have been mistaken for a raging block party in the Tenderloin of San Francisco last Saturday night, was actually Vol. 1 of Rise Japan – a collaborative effort of galleries Heist, Kokoro Studio and Japanese art collective S.I.R.

The event raised money to provide aid for those affected by Japan’s earthquake and Tsunami.  100% of the proceeds of the 100+ artists who donated their work went to the Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund founded by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios and partnered with Give2Asia.

Live performances, Onigilly, and 2 dollar Sapporos all contributed to the sidewalk, nay, street spillage and enthusiastic atmosphere not present at all art openings.  Not to mention local bars Ambassador and Rye Bar offered special cocktails with partial proceeds being donated to the cause.  Throughout the night, over 900 guests made their way through the small spaces and an estimate of over 90 paintings were sold in a single night.

If you missed it, you have a second chance.  Rise Japan Vol. 2 will be held at Arc Studios & Gallery this coming Thursday, April 7^th from 7 pm -11 pm.  Or if you can’t make it to the event, you can donate to the cause here without  having to get out of bed.  But that’s just not as fun, now is it?

‘IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THE WHOLE BLOCK BEING UNITED FOR A CAUSE.’

- S.I.R.

Photos courtesy of SFStation.  To see more from Rise Japan Vol. 1, click here.

THE NIXON ART MOSH

The Nixon ART MOSH European tour landed in Munich for the first time on Sunday 6th and Monday 7th of February in partnership with ISPO and Factory Media.

This latest editon of Nixon ART MOSH took place in Munich Old Post Office a warehouse-style loft space, which was the perfect spot to discover some emerging talent from the German art scene and an eclectic mix of fine artists, graphic designers, photographers and illustrators.

Munich ART MOSH not only brought together artists from South Africa, Spain, Germany, USA, Italy, UK, Belgium and Denmark, it also transcended the traditional barriers between different media, by exhibiting photography, painting, design, illustration and prints in an eclectic exhibition.

pics : ©Danny Burrows / Pisa73

About Nixon: Founded in 1997 in Encinitas, CA, Nixon is the premium watch and accessories brand for the youth lifestyle market. Focused on making the little stu better, Nixon began with a small line of team-designed, custom-built watches sold exclusively in specialty boardsport and fashion retailers. Currently distributed in over 40 countries, Nixon’s product range has grown to include select men’s and women’s softgoods, leather goods and custom headphones.

For more information, please visit: nixonnow.com

Prix Fernand Baudin

De Fernand Baudin Prijs is een initiatief van een aantal leraren grafische vormgeving die actief zijn in de wereld van het boek. De eerste Brusselse edite wordt ondersteund door Brussel Export.

België en meer bepaald het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest heeft een indrukwekkende traditie wat ‘het boek’ betreft. Deze Belgische know-how wordt te weinig gewaardeerd in vergelijking met, bijvoorbeeld, de manier waarop Nederland, Duitsland of Zwitserland hun boekproductie ondersteunen. Door de creatieve en innoverende krachten achter de boekproductie te steunen zal deze prijs een aanzet zijn om deze Belgische know-how meer bekendheid te geven op een internationaal niveau.

www.prixfernandbaudinprijs.be

KIOSK OPENS A NEW VENUE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

From 2006 on, KIOSK has been organizing a changing exhibition program by both emerging and established artists. After 3 years, KIOSK is now leaving its temporary pavilion and is moving into its definite and larger gallery space. This venue is located in the former anatomical theatre of Cloquet Insitute, a renovated historical building on the well-known Bijloke site in Ghent.

MEKHITAR GARABEDIAN

Young Man Blues
20.02.2010 – 28.03.2010

SUSANNE KRIEMANN
Ashes and Broken Brickwork of a Logical Theory
20.02.2010 – 28.03.2010

Opening Friday February 19th, 8 PM

www.kioskgallery.be

WHAT HAPPENS HERE, STAYS HERE * Jean-Baptiste Bernadet

WHAT HAPPENS HERE STAYS HERE (12), 2009
Spray and lacquer on wood – 116 x 89 cm

Every Moment Is All Mine
Oil and lacquer on canvas – 146 x 114 cm, 2006
Trained as a painter, Jean-Baptiste Bernadet initially worked at the fringes of abstraction before introducing, in 2004, his first words in painting with the disillusioned sentence I have lost my Illusions. Drawing from the consciousness of loss, an extraordinary energy and creativity, this work inaugurates an extremely fertile series of painting of words. A pivotal painting, I have lost my Illusions, announces the prominent characteristics of Jean-Baptiste Bernadet’s recent work.
From the start, the choice of English language immediately raises doubts regarding the author’s sincerity. The meanings of Bernadet’s ready-made sentences oscillate between dramatic confidences and B-movie dialogues. This ambiguity between the touching authenticity of a personal revelation on the one hand, and the contempt for the commonplaces of communication and self-construction at the dawn of the twenty-first century, prevades the whole series of word paintings.
The French artist’s graphic style is more immediate and expressive, like the background on which words appear. Visible erasures, run-outs, garish colors, de-centered compositions or recycling of abandoned works which transparently appear under new creations, Bernadet’s painting expresses an extreme intensity, which I shall name, according to the artist’s own (painted) word of, “hhardor”.
Exhibition 22 January 2010 - 6 March 2010
More info and images:
www.jb-ba.com
www.maesmatthys.be

THE VANITY FAIR * PAUL CASAER

Solo Exhibition by Paul Casaer – still running till 06.03.10
Paul Casaer (°1967) lives and works in Belgium. He is represented by Koraalberg Gallery, Antwerp.
for more info and images check out:
www.paulcasaer.com
www.koraalberg.com