Art Lover Archives – URBAN-ADVENTURER

September 10 2024

The Closer You Look; the More You See – New Exhibition at Halcyon Gallery

Urban Adventurer Exhibition, Experience on the go, Gallery, Instagrammable Places, Things to Do, Unique Experience Art Lover, British Artist, Contemporary Art, Exhibition London, Free Exhibition, Halcyon Gallery, London Gallery, Paintings 0

British female artist, Graceland London, has launched her first solo exhibition at Halcyon Gallery. The artworks are vivid and playful cartoon-like creations, but if you take a close look, you’ll discover elements revealing the darker side of human ego.

@urbanadventurerldn

⚠️ Free exhibition alert ⚠️ [BLOG POST IN BIO] ‘Graceland London: Spotlight on the Shadows’ at @Halcyon Gallery British female artist unveiled her first solo exhibition at Halcyon Gallery featuring a collection of 30 artworks, including paintings, a nearly life-size polar bear and giant chess pieces 🐻‍❄️♟️ At first glance, Graceland London’s paintings may look like happy, vibrant comic-style artworks, but if you stop for a moment and take a closer look, you’ll discover surprising details 👀 Would dare go down the rabbit hole to discover the dark side of human ego? 🕳️ #contemporaryart #halcyongallery #artexhibition #gracelandlondon #contemporaryartist

♬ Alice in Wonderland – Blasterjaxx & Hard Lights & DJ SODA

Graceland London: Spotlight on the Shadows

Graceland London- Spotlight on the Shadows at Halcyon Gallery

Photo: Urban Adventurer

British female artist unveiled her first solo exhibition at Halcyon Gallery on the 30^th August.

‘Graceland London: Spotlight on the Shadows’ is featuring a collection of 30 artworks that have been created in the past two years, including paintings, a nearly life-size polar bear and giant chess pieces.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Graceland London is using bold bright colours and cartoon-like features in her artworks while blending tradition and innovation to create a dynamic visual experience.

In her paintings, she uses both acrylic and oil. She applies acrylic paint on the canvas to create a single untextured surface and then she chooses one element to be painted in oil.

In this way, she adds another dimension and depth to the artwork.

The Closer You Look; the More You See

Photo: Urban Adventurer

At first glance, Graceland London’s paintings may look like happy, vibrant comic-style artworks, but if you stop for a moment and take a closer look, you’ll discover surprising details.

Graceland’s artworks address mental health, addiction, the human ego, conspiracy theories, and mass consumption, all showcased with equal measure of pessimism and humour.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Make sure you allow time for yourself to observe each of the artworks because the closer you look, the more you see.

Notice the disturbing presence of the Ghostface in a window in one of her paintings, a man falling out from an airplane in another, and a ‘scary lady’ in a child’s drawing in a third.

Graceland London’s artworks explore the façade we build for the world to see and what’s really behind it.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

The artworks are loaded with symbols. One of which is the egg, which frequently appears in Graceland’s paintings.

Originally, egg is a symbol of new life, un-hatched potentials and renewal. If you take a closer look, however, you realise that the egg is hatched and fried. This means, the potential has been tainted and will never be able to reveal its full potential because of the cruel and evil environment.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Graceland London’s is heavily influenced by historical religious symbolism present in Italian Renaissance, and Flemish art. She also takes inspiration from her frequent trips to the US. She considers those trips as an important influence to her artworks’ aesthetic.

Graceland London exhibited at Art Basel for Miami Art Week in 2019, where she created a 10ft x 10ft interactive room. She contributed to the Best Buddies Charity Organisation, and also has designed artwork for well-known American DJ and music producer DIPLO.

Practical Info

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Address

Halcyon Gallery | 29 New Bond Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 2RL

Opening Times

30^th August – 6 October 2024

Monday – Friday: 10am – 6pm

Saturday: 10am – 6pm

Sunday: 11am – 5pm

Tickets

FREE | NO booking required

Ready for your next adventure? Last chance to visit NOW Gallery’s colourful and interactive exhibition, ‘Up in Smoke’. The exhibition is celebrating London’s industrial history with vibrant chimney installations you can peer through, climb and go inside.

August 10 2024

The “Terrible Artist”, SaiakuNana is Back in London with Her Solo Exhibition

Urban Adventurer Exhibition, Experience on the go, Gallery, Instagrammable Places, Pop Up, Summer, Things to Do Art Lover, Contemporary Art, Exhibition London, Japanese Art, Japanese Artist, Japanese Contemporary Art, Paintings, Pop Up Exhibition, SaiakuNana 0

SaiakuNana is a Japanese contemporary artist who has held solo exhibitions in New York, Tokyo and – in this year – Hong Kong, has returned in London.

@urbanadventurerldn

🩷💚🩷💚 [BLOG POST IN BIO] Japanese contemporary artist, @SAIAKUNANA has returned in London with her solo exhibition: DOKIDOKI 🩷🎸 She is famous for her paintings featuring a subject with seemingly child-like innocence, hiding rebellious soul underneath 📆 Until 2 Sept 2024 Wednesday – Sunday 1pm – 7pm until (the last day open from 1pm – 6pm) 📍7 Kensington Mall, London W8 4EB #saiakunana #japaneseartist #contemporaryart #japaneseculture #artexhibiton #kensington #exhibition #art #artistsoftiktok #artwork #popup #CapCut

♬ Show Me the Good Stuff – Becca Lynn

About SaiakuNana

Photo: Urban Adventurer

SaikauNana was born and raised in Japan and her career as an artist had a bumpy beginning. She studied graphic design, but at that time she didn’t think she had talent. She chose graphic design because she thought she could get a job easier at a design agency once graduated but she didn’t really see a career path in front of herself.

Once her painting teacher told her that art and painting was not about being perfect, instead, its purpose was to express the personality, emotions and thoughts freely. This changed Nana’s life and helped her finding her own unique style.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Her artworks, however, were harshly criticised and labelled as terrible at her workplace later.

The word ‘terrible’ is ‘saiaku’ in Japanese, and Nana, instead of letting the criticism break her, she decided to add the term to her name.

SaiakuNana won the grand prize at the 21^st Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art in 2018 and she used the money she’d got with the prize to hold her first solo exhibition in New York.

Today her artworks are often seen in music collaborations and publications. She also published her first art book ‘Art Rock Manifesto’ in 2019.

DOKIDOKI

7 Kensington Mall, London W8 4EB

Photo: Urban Adventurer

SaiakuNana is famous for her paintings featuring a subject with seemingly child-like innocence, hiding rebellious soul underneath. Now she is back in London for another solo exhibition in Kensington.

As a painter she deeply appreciate the way Hayao Miyazaki directs his films (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle..)

Photo: Urban Adventurer

She is also known for her unique music, heavily influenced by Japanese rock band, Elephant Kashimashi and the Oasis.

She has never joined any gallery. Instead, she decided to set up her own gallery to showcase her unique works in her own way.

Every time she opens a new exhibition, she decorates her exhibition space by herself by painting and decorating all the walls inside and outside of the venue. She pains for days before the grand opening.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Her solo exhibition, DOKIDOKI opened in London on 10^th August and is free to visit Wednesday – Sunday 1pm – 7pm until 2^nd September 2024 (the last day open from 1pm – 6pm)

‘DokiDoki’ is a Japanese word for pounding heartbeat.

In terms of the exhibition ‘DokiDoki’ refers to the excitement and the joy SaiakuNana feels that she finally has had the opportunity to come back to London.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

“DOKIDOKI rhythms beating throughout my body – that’s something which can’t be bought with money. I would always choose the wild path. I trust and walk the path which makes my heart beat DOKIDOKI.” – she says in her Instagram post on how it feels returning to London.

Ready for your next adventure? Free Taylor Swift exhibition opened at V&A South Kensington the celebrate her iconic look on stage by showcasing costumes, accessories and instruments Taylor wore and played on during her concerts.