New Yorker Jennifer Rubell has recently gained a lot of well-deserved recognition for her food-related art installations exhibited at various renowned art institutions in the United States. The culmination of this was the smashing of a huge piñata in the shape of Andy Warhol’s head at the Brooklyn Museum’s gala.

Her ‘Engagement’ installation at London’s Steven Friedman Gallery in 2011 featured a life-sized figure of Prince William on a pedestal, allowing visitors to pose with him while slipping a finger into a replica of Kate Middleton’s engagement ring. This not only fulfilled every woman’s fantasy of marrying the Prince, but was another stepping stone in Rubell’s career, dramatically increasing awareness of her work in the European media and art world. Continue reading →

One of my favorite recent artist discoveries is californian art professor Aaron Smith. His bold brush work is of sculptural quality. The thickness of paint that he applies adds a unique dimension to his interpretation of the – almost Edwardian – subjects in his portraits.

Aaron also runs an impressive array of blogs and tumblrs, sharing his sources of inspiration as well as giving the viewer an insight into his working process. A lot of his inspiration derives from the old masters. Besides the obvious, like Caravaggio, Aaron also regards Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler as a major influence on his work, which of course gives him some extra credits in my “patriotic” book.…

During a recent visit to the Berlin art fairs I discovered the work of Selene Kimball.

It was the beauty of her collage work that instantly caught my eye. Even though Selena is active in various genres of fine art, it is in my opinion that body of her work where she excels.

Her collage is based on archival documents, beautiful prints found in historic books which she cunningly cuts apart in order to reassemble and create her own interpretation of historical scenes or events. The craftsmanship of the original print, that special quality of aged paper and her skills of cutting and reassembling form a perfect union.

In her own voice:
“My work begins …

Since his childhood, Nicola‘s main fascination had been and remained with the baroque works of the old masters. In addition to the professors at the Accademia di Bologna, which he would attend for five years, they were the ones to teach him the finer secrets of sculpture and painting.

While Samorì‘s painting skills could easily compete with those of the old masters, it was the unique artistic violence he applied to his work, which was to earn him a spot at the Venice Biennale, as well as recognition and exhibitions all over Europe. Samorì overpaints, draws or scrapes what appears to you as a perfect baroque painting. He goes further and uses a scalpel to peel away layers of paint, granting you access to what lays beneath, offering …

Berlin based street artist Evol is best known for his recreation of streets and buildings on cardboard or electronic switch-boxes. He uses spray paint to recreate the “Plattenbau” aesthetic of urban Germany. Despite being a street artist most of his work today is done indoors and for the gallery market, following the likes of Banksy and the other household names of former street art you’ve all become very familiar with.

His latest project took him outdoors… not back to the street but to the countryside where he created an urban city within, or shall we say underneath, the endless meadows that are part of the MS Dockville festival outside of Hamburg. While Evol usually works …