All posts tagged Art

THECUBE Workspace Says Goodbye To Artist Benjamin Buckley

It is time to bid Farewell to Benjamin Buckley’s colourful paintings that have graced our walls and kept us motivated throughout the winter months. They have uplifted spirits on the grey-est and coldest of days and encouraged imagination with their intricate, brassy, and vibrant displays of reality co-existing in utopia.

Benjamin’s paintings have not only created a brighter atmosphere but have also stimulated discussions, such at neurology and creativity, the power art has in a co-working space, and art’s reflection of ourselves. They have not just been a joy to look at but have been a lovely way to bring  newly stimulated and refreshed minds into the new year.

It will be sad to see the end of the “Projective Drawings” exhibit but we are also excited to see what the future holds for art at THECUBE workspace.

Innovation in Art

Art by Benjamin Buckley

Being creative is using imagination. Being creative is about trial and error. Being creative is noticing an issue and taking the initiative and courage to address it, voice it, change it or fight against it. Innovation is the carrying out of combined ideas. It is the process and the result, the production line that assembles ideas and ensures they are successfully intertwined to make something new, relevant and working. The results of innovation are not final nor is it the end. The result remains open for innovation to happen again.

Being open, is a valuable trait when generating ideas. Openness allows the unusual and the unconventional to intrude on the thought process, for influences to travel to and come from all areas of the globe. Openness allows you to contemplate on a range of choices whilst it gets you to break away from pattern and to embrace all forms of collaboration.

With art, the initial thought process starts with ideas that stem from emotion, opinion, situation and expression. These headings will produce an idea which will be unique to each artist, but sometimes projecting that idea in a visual way, and needing it to appeal to others may not represent or express individuality. This is where innovation is needed. The artist combines influences and ideas to make themselves and their visual voice stand as a unique one.

In my personal opinion I believe the process of innovation has to be a genuine one for it to be successful. There are artists who lack sincerity in their work and it shows. In a previous article What Should Art Do? I briefly touched upon on the thought that of late there had been a lot of art that was being produced for the reason of attention and not because it delivered a message, emotion or opinion. It is a though only half of the innovation production line is being used, the first half: The Idea. Art which has been designed with intent to exist for the sake of being new isn’t genuine art. Innovation should be the process of creativity and a result that works, not an idea that stands alone.

Our resident artist Benjamin Buckley’s has worked against conventional painting. He has chosen to paint without the physical brush. The technique he uses is one which involves drawing the images on a graphic tablet and is then printed off onto canvas using the Giclée fine art printing method. The images are then stretched and are followed by coats of Ketone resin and acrylic. Benjamin’s uses this technique so that he can make the images more intricate when looked at, and turns the digital process into a more delicate one. It means the images can be blown up to an incredible scale. He uses this labour intensive method as it uncovers the intricacy and detail in his “daydreams”. Ben’s intentions were to create a utopia formed from his imagination and dreams that doesn’t fit within reality but appeals and can be understood and rebuilt by the viewers imagination. Through his work you can see the evolution of several ideas. It has purpose,  it makes the viewer drift away into their imagination.

What is amazing about innovation is that it will constantly remain an ongoing process. We will see inventions go through transformation and evolution to become a product of someone’s creativity.

By Gabrielle Cooper

ABOUT THECUBE Gallery

THECUBE Coworking space acts as a platform for emerging artists. We showcase an artist on a monthly basis both to help young talent and to give the workspace a sense of change. We choose the artists based on their innovation and creativity rather than shock or monetary status.

During the day people are welcome to view the art and see it within the context of an office space or during a private view where they can interact with the artist. It is important for art to stimulate our members and be part of the space.

Art & Economy

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Art is the product of the opinions and a reflection of personality. Where we live and what we are surrounded by builds who we are so therefore Art must be a product of our Economy, right?

The most well known example of this is the Great Depression, where much of the art produced were ridden with politics, and expression-less or saddened faces.

The economy not only plays a part in the context and subject of the Art piece but in how it is actually formed and created. The economy forces an artist to either think outside the box or take their ideas back to the very basics, simplifying them. It can limit, and create controlled brackets in which the work must abide by of is forced to fit within.

For Artists it is easy to become frustrated at what you can not do due to our economic climate, but it is a contribution to our art that should be accepted more. It should be embraced as it is what makes the Art resident to the moment, and expressive not just of the artist but of what surrounds the artist.

Our resident Artist Benjamin Buckley’s paintings describe thoughts of a dream world, a way of escape. It is almost as though he constructs each scene in his head cautiously as to not overload the images. They remind us of objects in our reality as well as letting us (its viewers) to slip into their own perception of its represented ideas. It is as though Benjamin is allowing us to escape the reality of the economy through the lavish and beautiful architecture within the images. His painting Slum-dog Tapestry appears slightly different from his other paintings as its a lot more chaotic and busy but in the middle stands a large grand figure, that almost stands as a means of escape. It resides in the middle of painting pulling us in, distracting us from the chaos.

There is also comfort in knowing that in each of his painting’s there is a finite world, one that we can control, which is soothing and releaving in these types. All of THECUBE members have spent a many a time contemplating and enjoying the work as the tinker away at their laptops.

In our current economic climate with much of the Art funds being cut and many protests currently taking place it will be exciting to see the work that it will inspire and restrict. We may see a new genre of art emerging.

By Gabrielle Cooper resident curator

What Should Art Do?

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Art is the visual representation of our thoughts, opinions and emotive responses to our surroundings. It is a container for psychological processes and skills. Art has power. It heals, comforts, amuses and enrages us. It encourages debates, discussion, thoughts and the desire to express opinion. We fall in love with art for many reasons, some because we can relate to them emotively or visually, some because we admire the technical skill or the bravery in the artists exploiting themselves, and in others we respond to the art that takes us out of our comfort zone, and is out of the norm, shocking us.

Of late there have been many Artists who create work in the desire to be different, to stand out and make a statement without any statement actually being made; other than the crave for attention. It is easy to want to be the creator of something that sweeps its viewers off into discourse. However one must not loose themselves; as Art is an expression of being human and having your personality laid bare whether it be for a large audience or oneself. It is admiration of honesty expressed within art that often heightens its value and number of appreciators. It is a tool to connect one individual to another.

When consciously aware of these factors it has become easy for me to see why I fell in love with Benjamin Buckley’s work. It is because it allowed me to reach into my imagination and draw from images of my familiar to create the unfamiliar. To create an escape, another world that my mind and Ben’s genius allowed me to go. With every painting, my mind had built stories behind them, finding reasoning behind each line, building or object in the images. These stories then become a collaboration between Ben and I. I also have admiration for his skill used to create the images and the weeks it takes him just to create a quarter of an image. My mind associates pieces of his images with that of memories, dreams, or things that I have seen and done. I relate to him as a person through his work as I can see ways in which he felt or craved to express through each canvas; through the colours and shapes.

Art should be a collaboration between its viewer and the artist.

Ben's Show 006 [800x600]

You can still catch Benjamin’s paintings at THECUBE until February ’11.

Also have a look at his site: www.artbyben.co.uk

Words by Gabrielle Cooper

Private View Ben Buckley 14th October

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Another of Ben’s creations, the full collection is now up!

What makes him so unique is his ability to combine innovation and aesthetic value with commercial sensibility.

Whether you are captivated by the detail in his work or the digital intelligence used to create his paintings you can tell there is something really special about his work.

The private view will be a an opening to his residency at THECUBE and we invite you to come see his painting and have a conversation with Ben about his work.

14th October 2010

@ 1830-2100

155 Commercial Street, E1 6BJ

Private View: Projective Drawings by Benjamin Buckley

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Date & Time:
October 14, 2010, 18.30-21.30

Benjamin Buckley, a London based Artist and a recent graduate from Camberwell College of Art will be flaunting his bold, vibrant and intricate canvas based images at THECUBE London in his first solo show.

The subject matter within Benjamin’s images are those that have evolved from his imagination, his “embedded daydreams”. They are fantasy based scenes constructed for the reasons that they do not exist in reality but appears real through his artistic process. The images stand as a symbol of Benjamin’s imagination and ability to compare it to his reality, and is expressed in ways viewers can read into similarly, these are his Projective Drawings.

We invite the public to bring a WHITE t-shirt of their choosing for Benjamin to Manipulate and which you are allowed to keep.

THECUBE has chosen to sponsor Benjamin as he embodies the combination of artistic integrity and commercial intelligence. He uses innovative digital technology to make his work unique, interesting and visually stimulating. He understands and articulates a visual aesthetic that is unlike many of his contemporaries. His work exudes bold imagination through visual symbolism such as with his use of colour and he shares his opinion on urban living and architecture through repetitive linear imagery.

THECUBE sponsors graduate artists on their first professional Private View. They do this as part of their social enterprise aim to help local artists be more commercially savvy and gain exposure.

 

for a sneak preview visit: www.artbyben.co.uk

Josephine Chime Gets a great Review in Vogue Italy

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THECUBE London’s artist in residence Josephine Chime got a great review in Vogue Italy, please check out her exhibit until the end of the summer.

Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street

THECUBE
155 Commercial Street
EC1 6BJ

02073779279

Josephine Chime

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Last Wednesday, THECUBE hosted Hackney artist Josephine Chime. The art has been well received and provoked humour and thought.

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Her beautiful and well rounded ladies have a sense of confidence, humour, and colour. The incredible detail in the pieces adds abstract perfection and has a mesmerising quality that leaves viewers transfixed.

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We would like to thank The Firm and Josephine Chime for putting up such a successful private view.

The pieces will be on display until August by appointment only

THECUBE
155 Commercial Street, E1

Tube: Liverpool Street Station

Contact: Araceli info@thecubelondon.com /02073779279

Photography Provided by: www.aperture.ventfury.com

THECUBE Hearts Pretty Rough

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We are just discovering the amazingness that is facebook, I know this should be a give, however I am a bit of a donkey when it comes to accepting new communication lines.

Last week whilst on Facebook we got to chatting to Andrew, who writes a blog about all the things that he loves and influences him. The blog covers art, music, architecture, design, etc. the entries are short and sweet, so makes for great info scanning.

Check it out Pretty Rough

CUBE PARTNERSHIP: Glimpse Online

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THECUBE has partnered with Glimpse Online to help young designers create successful enterprises. There will be series of events, workshops, and special offers on both sides.

For more information on Glimpse Online, please visit their website www.glimpseonline.com