Wednesday, August 10, 2011

BROT UND WURST

Kati Heck (German - living and working in Antwerp, Belgium) concentrates mostly on painting, but sculpture and installation art are also part of her work. In both the same techniques are used: skilled collages seemingly dealing with the absurdity of daily life.

Food and eating is a reoccurring theme in Heck's work, just like drinking, sex, banality and cruelty.

Her paintings are a fluent combination of keen photorealism and chaotic expressionist brush strokes, not unlike the combination of the Franfurter's firm geometry and it's sloppy dollop of mustard.


Kati Heck, 'That’s Not How We Do Things Around Here' (2007)


Kati Heck, 'Dabeisein Ist Alles' (2006)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

PROTEIN

Heavy metal enthusiast and graphic artist Štěpán Adámek from Prague preferably sees himself in a healthy manly profession: the butcher.
Meat proteins are badly needed when practising sports.
Sports seem to be another of Adámek's healthy interests
... although
.


Štěpán Adámek, 'Self Portrait'

Štěpán Adámek, 'Untitled'

Štěpán Adámek, 'Kozel' (trans. 'Billy Goat')

Štěpán Adámek, 'Babice' (trans. 'Old Woman')

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

BBQ

'Dumpster- and Recycling-artist' Ron van der Ende makes realistic bas-reliefs from salvaged wood, recycling timber from torn down houses.

His beautifully marbled steak combines nicely with his woodstack and charcoaled piece of firewood: an instant recycled art barbeque!

By the way. Ron also runs a blog called artbbq listing fellow artist's studio playlists. Can't be a coincidence.


Ron van der Ende, 'Still Life', 2010


Ron van der Ende, 'On Re-Entry (Burning Log)', 2010


Ron van der Ende, 's.t. (Wood Stack)', 2011

Also see here.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

CONSUME TO FURNISH

Waste, especially synthetic waste, is of increasing interest to artist and designer as resource.

Renowned conceptual artist Dan Peterman is a pioneer in this field. The staple of his work consists of furniture in multi-colored grey tones created from recycled "consumed" plastic. For instance 'Running Table' is a public picnic table created from the equivalent of two million plastic milk bottles. Other furniture is created from the anual plastic waste of a certain number of people.

In 'Store (Cheese)' Dan Peterman came up with a solution to dumping DDT-contaminated milk by turning it into cheese as a modulatory minimalistic work of art.

In 'Bottle Cap Pasta' Peterman makes Pasta using a utensil with a used bottle cap to shape the dough. The installation further contains recycled plastic floor, pallets and tables and refrigerators.


Dan Peterman, 'Running Table' (1997)


Dan Peterman, 'Store (Cheese)' (1991-1993)


Dan Peterman, 'Bottle Cap Pasta' (2001)


Dan Peterman, 'Bottle Cap Pasta (detail)' (2001)


Dan Peterman, 'Accessories to an Event (Ahlen)' (2003)