Monday 23 April 2018

Debut solo single by Gon Von Zola


Gon Von Zola shares the video for his debut solo single 'Blue Is...' ahead of a date at Hackney's Paper Dress tomorrow night (April 24).

Penned in collaboration with Sue Denim of 'Mighty Boosh' favourites Robots In Disguise, the track is lively and sun-kissed but there are darker undertones at work beneath the surface

Gon von Zola is based in North London but his heritage is an intriguing mix of Swedish, Indian, Estonian and German genes, arriving in London from his native Leipzig a few years back with a fiver in his pocket and a burning desire to throw himself into the capital's gig scene.

Formerly the mastermind behind band The Budda Cakes, he's played everything on 'Blue Is.,..' himself aside form the backing vocals, which come courtesy of Mia Unklar.

'Blue Is, ' is out on Before Sunrise Records on May 25.


LIVE DATES

Tuesday April 24 – Paper Dress, Hackney
Wednesday June 13 – Mark Beaumont presents… Camden Monarch





Text by John Robbins 2018

Wednesday 4 April 2018

Push The Boat Out

Push The Boat Out is a group show curated by
 James F. Johnston and Harry Pye with guidance from Amelie Lindsey
The exhibition takes place in the last week of July at The Art Academy Newington.
The 8 artists in the show are; James F Johnston, Gordon Beswick, Morrissey Hancock, Kate Murdoch, Cedar Lewisohn, Corin Johnson, Nicola Hicks, and Harry Pye

Please Note: The images you are about to see probably wont be in the exhibition they are just here as a very rough guide / introduction

ARTIST # 1  James F. Johnston
Image above: Mad Sky Over London by James F. Johnston 2018
Image above: Red Bird by James F. Johnston 2018
Image above: Age of Cruelty by James F. Johnston 2018
Image above: The Moon by James F. Johnston
James has exhibited prints based on his paintings in two recent shows at Gallery 64a in Whitstable.
In Jan 2015 he was part of PJ Harvey's Artangel project that took place in Somerset House.
To read James Johnston's profile on Wikipeda click on here

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ARTIST # 2 Gordon Beswick
Image Above: Magic Mountain by Gordon Beswick 2017
Image Above: (Left to right: Gordon Beswick, Jonas Ranson, Harry Pye holding screen print of Elephant & Castle by Gordon Beswick and Harry Pye)
Image Above: Horizon by Gordon Beswick 2017
Gordon Beswick was educated at Newcastle Under Lyme and Brighton College of Art. Gordon Beswick's films have been shown at Tate Britain, The South London Gallery and The Institute of Contemporary Art. . Collaborative paintings by Gordon and Harry Pye have appeared in celebrated shows at Sartorial Contemporary Art in Kings Cross and Galeria Thomas Cohn in Sao Paulo. In May 2010 Beswick & Pye were invited to take part in Tate Modern's Souls For Sale extravaganza and had their work exhibited in the Turbine Hall. In December 2010 Gordon and Harry's painting “Stacie of Preston” was sold at a charity auction held at The Victoria & Albert Museum. Money raised went to the Breakthrough cancer charity. In April 2012 Team Beswick & Pye took part in "Secret 7" at the Idea Generation gallery in Shoreditch. Their design for a seven Inch single by The Cure was sold in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. In the same month a compilation of their films were screened at Tate Britain's Manton Studios as part of Late at the Tate. In October 2012 Team Beswick & Pye's painting of Martin Luther King was featured in part of Art Below's Peace Project. The painting was exhibited at Gallery Different and a poster of it was displayed in Regent's Park Tube Station. In November 2012 Beswick & Pye were featured in The Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Gallery. 
 In 2013 Team Beswick and Pye painting The Beatles on a gigantic egg that was sold at an auction at The ICA for over £4,000. The money went to The Action For Children Charity. In the same year Team Beswick & Pye’s painting of Lady Thatcher appeared in both The London Evening Standard and on the BBC news. In 2015 their paintings of Elephants and tigers were included in the “Let’s Make A Better World” show at The Cello Factory in Waterloo. 
In 2016 Team Beswick and Pye made a portrait of Chris Packham (“A Starry Starry Night in Southampton”) which was turned into a 225cm wide billboard poster by Southampton School of Art.

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ARTIST # 3 Morrissey Hancock
Image Above: Chromatic version 1 by Morissey Hancock 2016
Image Above: Chromatic version 2 by Morissey & Hancock 2016
Find out more about Patrick Morrissey and Hanz Hancock's collaborations by visiting here

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ARTIST # 4 Kate Murdoch
Image Above: 10 times 10 by Kate Murdoch


Image above: 30 Pieces of Silver by Kate Murdoch
Kate Murdoch is an artist whose work reflects a fascination with the passage of time, the permanence of objects and the fragility of existence. It is human nature to surround ourselves with objects; they provide us with a sense of self and reveal our connections to the wider world. Often loaded with meaning, objects reflect both our internal emotional world and the external image we present to others. From the mundane to the meaningful, they are steeped in social and political history and part of our identity.

Murdoch works with found objects, images or materials taken from the everyday and mostly dating from the last century. These elements are modified, transformed or placed together so that they retain a sense of their original function, but also assume new meaning. Murdoch’s work employs an economy of means, a process of reduction that results in a restrained, formal aesthetic. Implied narratives are never fixed and allow for audience (re)interpretation. Often interactive in its display, Kate's work invites viewers to form their own associative memories, attachments and responses to her assemblages and installations, in some cases encouraging the handling of some of the actual objects presented.

Kate Murdoch lives and works in South London. She has exhibited as part of the Whitstable Biennale, Deptford X, Frieze Art Fair, and at galleries including Transition, Firstsite, WW and APT.
For more info/C.V. click here

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ARTIST #  4 Cedar Lewisohn


Above image by Cedar Lewisohn


Above image by Cedar Lewisohn

Cedar Lewisohn is an artist, writer and curator. His interested in various forms of exhibition platform, as well as experimental forms of writing. For more info visit here

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ARTIST # 6 Corin Johnson


Image above marble sculpture by Corin Johnson


Corin trained as a stone carver before completing his BA in fine art at City in Guilds. He regularly executes monuments for churches and stately homes as well as sculpting marble for contemporary artists in Cararra, Italy. His ‘own work’, not that he doesn’t commit himself to his craft, is given freer reign and a lighter subject – more often than not it is polychrome wood carving." - Marcus Harvey
For more info on Corin visit: http://www.corinjohnson.co.uk

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ARTIST # 7 Nicola Hicks
Image above: drawing by Nicola Hicks


Image above: print by Nicola Hicks


Image above: life study by Nicola Hicks

Nicola Hicks was born in London in 1960 and studied at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art. In 1995 Hicks was awarded an MBE for her contribution to the visual arts.
For more info on Nicola visit: here
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ARTIST # 8 Harry Pye
Image Above: Life Drawing by Harry Pye 1992
Image Above: Tin Tin in Deptford by Harry Pye 


Image Above: Portrait of Kenneth Williams by Harry Pye 2018

Image Above: Weird Nightmare by Harry Pye in collaboration with Rowland Smith 2017
Harry Pye has curated shows for both Elefest and Deptford X. He was recently part of the team that organised the "Inside Job" exhibition at Tate Modern
For more info click here