Sodley-on-Sea Is Showing As Part Of This...........

Sodley-on-Sea has taken on a life of it's own. It's moved on from just being some daft c**t sticking bits of paper together in the back room of a semi in Salford, to being an Arts Council funded project. Funny how things happen.

So not only did it receive funding it's also going to be shown as part of Enlighten Manchester - Festival of Light and Sound Art 2015  at Central Library Manchester this coming December.

If you click on the link it tells you when and how you can book. Although it's free you still need to book. You can also book onto a couple of workshops that I'm doing starting this Saturday (14/11/15) They are not free. 

Stephen (C) Nuttall.

 

 

Stephen (C) Nuttall is a home grown satirist. This Manchester based illustrator has been taking folk to task using a pencil for donkey's years. He also makes pictures like the one below which is called Conway Line Painter. See more of his work HERE.

Robert Longo.

 

I've not posted for a while. I've been busy doing my own stuff. It's all well and good pointing out the work of others but at the end of the day? So I've decided the blog can take a back seat again. Who reads blogs anymore anyway? There's a good strong list to the right of loads of good photographers. I reckon it may even be the most comprehensive in photo blog land, and I'll keep updating that. When I have something to say or something grabs my eye I'll post it up. Which brings me to the work of Robert Longo.  He's not a photographer, I bet you thought these two images were photo's? I bet you had heard of him? I hadn't, I can't believe why not. I bet there's people going " I can't believe you've not heard of him OMG like he's really famous man" (that's me trying to be an American) and Robert Longo is a very American artist. You can hear an interview with him HERE (if you can stand it coz he does comes over as a bit of a dick, I'm sure he's no more of a dick than most successful artists but still) As photographers we should all love this artist, he makes work about photographs, his drawings/paintings are inspired by photographs.I think that's fucking bonkers. Artists are so full of shit, listen to him try and justify the fact that he can make drawings that look just like photo's....

 

 

 

he's a good draughtsman. I'd like him to make a picture of my pet cat. I'd then get it printed big like on canvas and hang it above the telly....

Erwin Wurm

I bet you've all heard of Erwin Wurm already haven't you? Well I've only just done so let me enjoy.

I'm not sure why they say the postman always rings twice. In my experience he 'knocks' once and fucks off before I get to the door...

I bet Artist and postman Kevin Boniface doesn't do that though. I bet he's too curious, looking for his next idea for a film or book or drawing or sculptor, no wonder my letters are always late. I love this fella's work have done since way back in 2008 when I saw THIS film and the book'Lost In The Post' which he made together with Manchester based photographers Shaw & Shaw. He's got THIS blog on the go as well. Art and humour for me a heady mix. And another book 'The Most difficult Thing Ever'. See more of Kevin and come to think of it his misses Georgia's work as well HERE.

Santiago Sierra.

Photographer. Artist. Agent provocateur. SANTIAGO SIERRA.

Hans Op de Beeck

Some really interesting sculpture, photography, installation, film making and even water colours can be seen on the 'packed if slightly annoying website of Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck.

Lucy Steggals

Mock curating and spoof collections is something that seems to be a pretty popular vehicle for artists and photographers at the moment. Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin's fig springs to mind along with THE INSTITUTE OF CRITICAL ZOOLOGISTS. Lucy Steggals work seems to fit in with this tendency. I'm not critising, I love this kind of stuff, I'm just fascinated with how an idea or concept can seem to engage so many artists at a similar time. I think Steggals work, work's so well because this kind of thing succeeds best when there is a healthy dose of humour and a light touch involved.

Gabriel Orozco.

A couple of films about Mexican Artist Gabriel Orozco. I am fascinated with his relationship with photography. He sometimes describes his photography as sculpture. In the second film you can hear him describe that relationship. Below he describes it as a shoebox. I sometimes personally describe it as "a bit of a bastard" Which is probably why I seldom get asked to descibe it at all...

"For me photography is like a shoebox. It is a container I use to transport what I pick up in my interactions....I value the plane of the photograph in its description of the three-dimensional and in its possible space for storing time. I turn to the photograph as a sculptural space, and at the same time I am drawn to any object that may make an appearance in a photograph." Gabriel Orozco.

Rachel Goodyear

Image copyright Rachel Goodyear

"Nightmares covered in sugar" that's what these are, I love em, If you don't know Manchester's own Rachel Goodyear take a look. I believe that one measure of good art is not being able to get it out of your head. I'm sat here with my head on one side banging the other side with the flat of my hand...... I'm going to bed and those images are still in there...........

One of the Best in Show for me at Urbis Best of Manchester Awards which is on till 20th September

Lernert Engelberts & Sander Plug

"Commit and dedicate yourself to even the most stupid ideas that come to mind"

With a philosophy like that it's no wonder that they make such compelling work. pure magic! Here for the brilliant Engelberts & Plug.

Nigel Grimmer.

Image copyright Nigel Grimmer

I've tagged up Nigel Grimmer under "Artists" rather than "Photographers" I couldn't decide. I almost put him down under "Photographers" coz he does take photo's clearly. Sometimes though he doesn't, he makes things, or arranges them. but then he photographs them. Sometimes he gets people to wear furry animal masks and directs them almost like performance, but then fuck, he photographs them.

Blurry boundaries, a look at popular culture and having some fun with Art/Photography smashing......

Limmy.

Limmy? Silly, Strange & strangely more-ish. Cheers to Adrian Tyler for the link.

Kelly Mark

Image from "Full Body Fun Fur Suit" by Kelly Mark

I have just spent a fun packed hour or so on the website of Kelly Mark an artist based in Canada. Her work is funny, clever obsessive etc, Take for instance the picture above, making a fun fur suit for her cat? She admits she doesn't know why. Or take "Smoke Break" a site specific piece from 2004. With this she spent 8 hours chain smoking outside a building with two 15 minute breaks and 1 hour for lunch where she didn't smoke! effing brilliant. Kelly Mark www.ireallyshould.com

David Shrigley

Animation & image copyright David Shrigley
I knew about David Shrigley's http://www.davidshrigley.com/ smart little drawing's and animations, but not about his photographs http://www.davidshrigley.com/list_photographs.html

Jai Redman

Top stuff by Jai Redman

Jai Redman is a founder member of UHC http://www.uhc.org.uk/index.php?entry_id=0 an artist, environmental & social justice campaigner and a maker of top stuff like the above stuff. http://www.jairedman.co.uk/ Oh yes and a blogger. http://jairedman.blogspot.com/