Brigitte Polemis | Just a Number
13 Jun - 29 Jun 2013
 
Urban spaces inhabited by faceless men in suits arranged in rows, circular formations, spirals, or overlapping layers as repeated motifs: these are the key features in the new group of works presented by Brigitte Polemis under the title “Just a Number”. Yet, although specified by their general title as works commenting on the dehumanisation of man in western industrialised societies, they seem however to strangely defy their ‘inhuman’ message, engaging the viewer in what one increasingly understands to be the imagery of the poetics of a world where man and machine have long been reconciled.

Artists John Lawrence and Roy Voss have conceived the exhibition ‘For What It Is’ for ANDOR. Developed through collaborative processes, the exhibition features new works by both artists including sculptural installations and gallery texts informed and influenced by ANDOR‘s invitation, and by the specific architecture of the gallery spaces.
 
John Lawrence lives and works in London. He graduated from the Royal Academy Schools in 2010. Selected recent exhibitions include Original Carbon Copy, FOLD Gallery, London, and SCREENING, Standpoint Gallery, London. In 2012 Lawrence also curated the video exhibition AFTER/HOURS/DROP/BOX at ANDOR.
 
Roy Voss lives and works in London and is represented by Matt’s Gallery, London. Recent exhibitions include Cast Matt‘s Gallery & Dilston Grove, London; The London Open, Whitechapel Gallery; Switch at Baltic 39, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
 
The exhibition ’For What It Is' is kindly supported by Arts Council England as part of a series of gallery projects supporting artistic collaboration and the production of new artwork at ANDOR.

“Global STYLE Battles” WITH DANIELE TAMAGNI
 
PRIVATE VIEW THURSDAY 23rd of May
6:30 - 9:00PM
 
24th of May – 22nd of June
 
A handsome Congolese man in a Pepto-Bismol pink suit strides towards the camera, fat cigar clenched casually between his teeth. His red bowler hat sits in stark contrast to the fades beige of the buildings behind him, and the dusty asphalt beneath his feet, yet sits in perfect harmony with his brightly polished red shoes. Elsewhere, two Bolivian women in long flowing skirts of blue and green are caught mid-fight, as one launches a side kick at the other in a makeshift boxing ring in an old, faded courtyard, their long traditional, black braids dishevelled, lace petticoats flying, as crowds cheer them on.
 
These are just two of a diverse series of works exploring music and fashion and marking a mid-career retrospective of the works of Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni, spanning works from 2007 to date. Running from 24 May–22 June 2013 at ArtEco Gallery, in ‘Global Style Battles’, we enter the colourful and achingly hip world that includes ‘The Flying Cholitas’, ‘Playboys of Bacongo’, ‘Havana Glam’, ‘Afrometal’ and the original Django, spanning African hell riders and duelling Bolivian women.
 
How then, does an Italian street photographer end up in locations as exotic as Africa and Cuba? “I am interested in urban style worldwide,” explains Tamagni. “Not just in exotic locales, but also within my own country. However, I try to avoid the label ‘exoticism and ethnographic pictures’.” Enthralled by the light and colours of the South, Tamagni’s projects have taken him to cities such as Brazzaville, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Dakar, Havana and La Paz. “Moreover, I have a lot of African and Caribbean friends,” he explains. “Although I am Italian, I have always been open-minded about learning about and understanding different cultures. The last few years in particular have influenced my style and subject choices, producing portfolios which might generate a critical reflection on the identity of these people who consider elegance their main reason for existence inside a social reality so very different and so distant from that of our own.” Tamagni’s iconic photographs are a mixture of the staged and the in situ, depending on what occurs within a specific moment. The costumes and dress, however, are all real, although Tamagni smiles and says “if they appear to be constructed, then that is good, for I want to leave the viewer questioning what they see.”
 
With a background in art history, Tamagni is influenced by photographers such as Cartier Bresson and Alex Webb, who “prefer to capture and freeze the instant magic moment in aesthetically beautiful pictures.” In this vein, the Italian photographer seeks to explore the street style of subcultures in contemporary society, presenting them in different contexts, rather akin to Malick Sidibè or James Barnor, who documented street life in African communities in the 1960s and 70s.
 
While some works feature effortless chic, others (such as a group of young Smaartez from South African wearing pith helmets and short pants) hark to Colonialist images of the continent, steeped in irony and a keen questioning of the stereotypical imagery of culture and locations. “I’ve always been interested in the relationship between Africa, its colonial past, and its relationship to the West,” Tamagni admits. “There are always reminders – these icons are so strong that the urban landscape might even remind one of Berlin, yet is actually Johannesburg.”
 
Other highlights include ‘Gentlemen of Bacongo’, one of Tamagni’s most iconic and best-known projects. Set in Congo’s Brazzaville, the series explores the social and urban context of ‘Sapeurs’ – which the photographer considers “a revolutionary movement, because dressing up is a way to escape and forget poverty. Sapeurs in most cases are humble people and have come from low classes and have a dream to escape from Africa and have a better life.” These are juxtaposed by the Sapeurs of ‘Afrometal’. In their black leather pants and studded belts, boots and cowboy hats, they could not be further removed from the brightly coloured suits of their counterparts in Brazzaville, yet, for all their heavy metal references, these Botswana meatheads share with other Sapeurs around the country a passion to express themselves. While their clothes may have originated in the West, each iconic style has been re-adapted with African iconography.
 
There is much to see and explore in the works of Tamagni, and he currently seeks to expand his portfolio to re-explore his roots in Italy as well as return to the Soweto neighbourhood in South Africa’s Johannesburg. “I find that area so inspiring, I need to go back and finish a project,” he says. “Similarly, I would also like to document street life in South Italy, in Naples or Palermo. Coming from Milan, I’ve always had a passion for the former, and the latter has the special Mediterranean light; the people remind also to some extend of those in Havana.” Currently focusing on research and exploring other street-style related issues, Tamagni is also working on a book project; ‘Global Street Battles’ will feature all his works to date in different chapters organised by the specific subcultures related to them.
 
‘Global STYLE Battles’ runs from 24th May–22nd June 2013 at ArtEco Gallery, London, UK.
 
Information for journalists:
 
About Daniele Tamagni
Daniele Tamagni is a freelance photographer from Italy. In 2007 he won the Canon Young Photographer Award with a project on Congolese ‘Dandys’; Sapeurs of Brazzaville. This was followed by the publication of a book in 2009 entitled, Gentlemen of Bacongo. This book went on to influence designer Paul Smith, who wrote the preface, and who found inspiration in Tamagni’s works for his S/S 2010 collection. In 2010, Tamagni won the ICP INFINITY AWARD in the fashion category. He then travelled to Bolivia for a project on women wrestlers, winning the World Press Photo in Arts & Entertainment category in 2011. Currently, Afrometals is shortlisted for the Sony World professional Award in the art and culture category. Between 2001 and 2012 Tamagni has continued to explore street style trends and the aesthetics of transformation in cities that include Havana, Dakar, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, with the aim to publish a book on global street life that will include all these projects. Tamagni is an art historian who digs into marginal street cultures, seeking to connect with drop outs, lost kids and the poor in a search for identity and respect. And he finds them all over the world. www.photodantam.com
 
About ArtEco Gallery
ArtEco Gallery is the conceptual brainchild of Kristin Hjellegjerde, serving as a creative outlet following the success of her art blog of the same name, established in 2010. After moving from New York to London, Hjellegjerde decided to establish the gallery in south west London in order to offer a fresh outlook for Contemporary art in this part of the city. Based in Old York Road, the gallery seeks to showcase both emerging and established Contemporary artists from a range of backgrounds in an intimate and personal environment. Previous exhibitions include the inaugural After Munch, as well as Manmadegod. For more information, visit www.artecogallery.com
 
For further information and high-resolution images, please contact Kristin Hjellegjerde on khjellegjerde@mac.com

Bodil Furu’s (NO) accomplished screen works reflect on the social and environmental dynamics that shape change.The work draws on closely documented encounters with people living in vastly different situations – as far apart as an excessively polluted and overpopulated city in Peoples Republic of China and the remote region of northern Norway where an island might have a population of one.

Chelsea Futurespace proudly presents Four Decades an exhibition of prints by Sir Peter Blake, selected by the artist. Blake’s work takes its influence from the realms of pop culture, literature, music and contemporary art. The suites of prints in the exhibition include his series of Appropriated Alphabets, Alice in Wonderland, The Butterfly Man (Homage to Damien Hirst) and Homage to Schwitters. Other highlights include prints from the Found Art series, screenprints from collage and portraits of musicians including Chuck Berry, Brian Wilson, Ian Dury, The Everly Brothers and The Clash. The show covers the diversity and dexterity of Blake’s practice as an artist working in print across the last four decades.
Sir Peter Blake is renowned for his influence on Pop Art and culture and is frequently referred to as the ‘Godfather of British Pop Art’. He has worked with bands and musicians including The Beatles, Oasis and Paul Weller, designing the iconic cover for The Beatles’ ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. Blake’s work transcends the divisions between high art and pop culture, with visual influences from artists such as Kurt Schwitters to music icon Frank Sinatra.
An internationally acclaimed artist, Sir Peter Blake (born 1932) studied at Gravesend Technical College before attending the Royal College of Art. He subsequently taught there and at other institutions including St Martin’s College. A major retrospective of his work Now We Are 64 took place at the National Gallery in 1996 and at Tate Liverpool in 2007. Sir Peter Blake was knighted in 2002, for services to art.
Exhibition in association with CCA Galleries and Paul Stolper Gallery.

Tommaso Corvi-Mora is proud to present a group exhibition including work by Dee Ferris, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Adam Buick, Noor Ali Chagani and David Jones.
The aim of the exhibition is to present different ways of addressing an extended notion of landscape: landscape as the spirit of a place, touching both space and time.