Happenstance Art and Framing have donated 30 artworks to help raise funds for release of this new documentary play, recalling the events that led up to the Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017.
Using contemporary blog posts, email correspondence and council reports, it tells the story of the refurbishment of the tower and of residents’ attempts to hold the contractors and local council to account. At the same time, it places this conflict in the wider context of the redevelopment of North Kensington, relating it to local people’s efforts to resist the privatisation of their public spaces and the dispersal of their community.
Playwright and author Nathaniel McBride and director Ryan Kiggell with their amazing team have already made an enormous effort to create this play to raise awareness about the events that led up to the Grenfell tragedy. All they need now is a little bit of support from everyone of us so that they can deliver this play to wider audience. That is why we are giving away 30 artworks to those generous of you who’d like to donate and support.
View donated artworks below. Each artwork has description with suggested donation in it. You can view the actual artworks at Happenstance framing studio (by appointment) or just browse below, donate and let us know which artwork you like, and we’ll give it to you as a thank you for your donation.
23. Artist – TAZ, Artwork – Mother, 40x50cm, watercolour on paper. Suggested donation: £70. Estimated value: £180
4. Artist – Natalia Taranukha, Artwork – Untitled People, 70x70cm, acrylic on canvas. Suggested donation: £150. Estimated value: £450.
27. Artist – TAZ, Artwork – Silk, 21x30cm, biro on paper. Suggested donation: £65. Estimated value: £130.
12. Artist – Natalia Milovidova, Artwork – Choice Mandala, 30x30cm, print on canvas. Suggested donation: £30. Estimated value: £60.
22. Artist – TAZ, Artwork – Cocoon, 50x60cm, watercolour on paper. Suggested donation: £80. Estimated value: £210.
26. Artists – drawing by Marla Born, text by Trevor Lock. Artwork – Your Heart, like an egg, sometimes has to break. To let the goodness out, to set the little bird free. So you can find out what’s hidden inside. 21x30cm, ink on paper. Suggested donation: £60. Estimated value: £150.
29. Artist – Jennifer Hedley, Artwork – Dancer, 20x25cm, mixed media on paper. Suggested donation: £45. Estimated value: £90.
8. Artist – Ivan Polischuk, Artwork – Winter Landscape, 60x50cm, oil on canvas. Suggested donation: £70. Estimated value: £160.
25. Artists – drawing by Marla Born, text by Trevor Lock. Artwork – Loneliness isn’t cured by making friends with other people. It’s cured by making friends with yourself. 21x30cm, ink on paper. Suggested donation: £60. Estimated value: £150.
When we caught wind of a new East London street art commission – Happenstance Gallery’s home territory – we got excited about the opportunity to cast light on some of the local talent embedded in the North/East warehouse scene. In the end, the project went to a corporate outfit but we had such a great response to our call out that we decided to honour the street artists of our realm recommended by the good people of Fountayne Road, Manor House and Hackney Wick.
First mention may not yet go by ‘His Majesty’, although he can’t be that far away from inheriting some sort of lavish throne… Itaewon’s bright and dramatic paintings bash together familiar architectural references whilst the striking geometrical patterns serve to slice and pull out abstract forms. At first glance these images describe a surrealist landscape, a far away kingdom in an alternate universe. But then we become flooded with a sense of nostalgia and familiarity as we move to recognise the places within the pictorial fragments – patches and echoes of our East London neighbourhoods.
From Itaewon’s jaunts to Blackall Street we are transported from the eerily familiar to a psychedelic cosmic landscape; check out this collaboration between Itaewon and Joey Baker.
Joey Baker’s collaboration with Itaewon lands as the perfect match, with the pair intertwining their futuristic worlds. Climbing inside this work we get a taste for Baker’s interest in ancient philosophy, as indicated by the worlds’ patterned inhabitants. To get a clearer vision of Bakers style check out his illustrative works.
From a future world to the end of the world: Ali Campbell’s illustrative works speak of ecological disaster. The Mural above reminds me of Ali’s Iconic work: The Great Flood (see below). Ali’s earlier personal work is prescient, warning us of the threatening but not impossible disastrous times to come.
A more detailed account of these fascinating narratives can be heard on request, contact Ali through his website. Before moving on let’s have a look at one of Ali’s commercial works:
Boom.
Ali’s dynamism has lead him to work across surfaces from paper, brick walls and human skin (that’s right, he’s a trained tattoo artist too). Ali, a man of many talents has just completed his MA in Scene Art and Illustration at the Old Vic, Bristol. So, if lockdown has got your creative juices flowing and your planning your next script, be sure to hit Ali up.
Ali’s Mural work at Upfest 2019
Now this next chap’s giants will certainly give you a Run for your money:
You usually have to travel to get your eyes a glimpse of the above masterpiece, however we’re in luck, Run has kindly given us local treats to feast our eyes upon too (so we won’t have to break travel restrictions any time soon.) His powerfully poetic works bring a colourful and vitalising breath of life onto the streets of East London, and for this reason his work has a special place in our hearts.
Hackney heart, buffed by the council three days later, Feb’12
Next up and this artist causes quite the Riot with social issues and politics on the agenda. Frank Riot’s bold works have a huge impact, delivering a frank conversation (pun intended) on social justice issues to the streets.
In this Shoreditch, Frank highlights the increasing need for foodbanks.
This girl has some serious style – this piece was designed and painted after reading about the colossal fires devouring the Amazon.
With outstanding work and a fiercely quick response, Frank Riot is definitely one to watch.
Smiling faces. Masked Faces. Sometimes… Many Faces is a master and that is the undisputed truth! Don’t believe us? Check out his Instagram and you shall see the many faces of Many Faces all over the Instagram and all over our streets!
(Now I know these faces are everywhere, there really are Many faces but the important thing is do not panic.)
So, I told you not to Panik and you go and do the opposite.
This great artist sensed the times-a-coming and he’s giving us a stark message:
Glacier Melting
Whilst we all go about our daily lives adjusting to the new normal, his titles remind us of looming problems elsewhere. See more of his works here
I know it’s scary,
And it seems like its the end of the world (hmm I can sense a theme amongst our talented artists) but there is no point in hiding
Thanks Roots Graf Iti,
Instead…
Its time we take a leaf out of this artist’s book and be Brave ….Brave like Scotty Brave and brave like this guy:
I heard being brave is what adulthood is all about; it’s a well-known, best kept secret.
Not so secret: Tizer is one of East London’s Graffiti legends!
(I fancy myself a dip in that waterfall.)
From London Legend to World Nomad, meet Luke Grey.
This man, born colour blind, uses a weave of black and white patterns and textures within his drawings rather than tonal layering. His style is inspired by the complex and intricate drawings found in South East Asia. Inspired by his expansive travelling this artist is drawn to themes of religious ritual, occult mysticism and hallucinogenic visions.
Speaking of visions, catching a glimpse of Rae Smith. Her work is a fantastic sight and catching her down the Skatepark won’t go amiss too!
A skating enthusiast, you can catch Rae at the local park, that’s right Rae – you’ve been spotted!!
Now check out this fantastic portrait of Little Simz by MrOliverSwitch
Impressive! Although I can’t imagine how intense it would be to have a portrait so big staring at me.
Staying with the female theme, Hazard sprays a range of beauties:
With the street name as Hazard, Harriette Wood has been voted by the Guardian as one of the top 5 graffiti artists in the UK!
From the women on the street to woman on the street, Pixie London dedicates this one to her dad:
And this one to Karma Cola:
We have by no means provided an exhaustive list of street artists, but supplied a few choice names on our radar. Here’s a few more to watch out for:
Sam Porter
Ed Worley known for his works that celebrate pop references; think bugs bunny’s gang meets snoopys. His illustrative style has bold bright colours and line.
Whereas Jonny Ashmore uses stunning dreamy colours that swirl us back to the eternal stretching summers of childhood and balmy nights spent at teenage raves.
In the tradition of the 19th century Parisian Salon des Refusés, Happenstance Art & Framing Gallery presented the 7th Salon des Refusés: Exhibition of Artworks Refused from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
Our annual extravaganza of artworks missed, unappreciated, misunderstood or sacrificed at the last minute by the Royal Academy Selection Commitee this year featured over 100 UK and international creators across a range of art forms. This was a unique chance to appreciate non-establishment and democratic art.
Exhibition open to the public:
7 June – 6pm-9pm – RSVP
8 June – 10am-9pm*
9 June – 10am-9pm
10 June – 10am-5pm
7th of June is the First Thursdays event with live DJs.
The evening of Friday the 8th of June was for the Opening Reception with complimentary drinks and late opening.
*Ticket only 6pm-9pm
This is our annual extravaganza of artworks missed, unappreciated, misunderstood or sacrificed at the last minute by the Royal Academy Selection Commitee. Once again we invited the public to vote for their favourite artworks and be part of the Art Democracy.
For the sixth year, over one hundred artists joined the illustrious company of artists going back to Monet, Manet, Whistler who were initially rejected by the art establishment. Art for the people!
Salon des Refusés 2017 – Annual Exhibition of Artworks Rejected by the RA Summer Exhibition http://salonexhibition.com/
1-4 June 2017
Opening Reception: Thursday 1st June at 6pm-9pm (RSVP required)
at Candid Arts Trust, 3-5 Torrens Street, Islington, London EC1V 1NQ
In its 6th year Salon des Refusés Summer Exhibition is a collection of various genres and directions in international art of today.
Organized by Happenstance Art & Framing Gallery it shows paintings, graphic and mixed media works, photographs, sculptures, prints, installations and video artworks rejected by the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London. It is following in the tradition of the 19th century Parisian Salon des Refusés (more on Wikipedia), when Napoleon let rejected works be exhibited alongside those accepted ones after artists protested the Salon jury’s rejection of 3000 works.
It’s hard to believe, but Édouard Manet, Whistler and other artists whose works are worth millions now, were actually not accepted for the great Salon exhibition in their times in Paris. This is why we think that it’s very important to exhibit the artworks which were not accepted by the Royal Academicians, and invite the public to cast their votes for best artworks in the show. TOP-12 Artworks will be announced at the end of the exhibition.
at Flaxon Ptootch, 237 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2 JT
Sign up for event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1620633421562733/
Admission: free
“Look on light and consider its beauty. Shut your eyes, and look again: that which you see was not there before, and that which was, no longer is. Who is he who remakes it if the producer is continually dying?” – Leonardo da Vinci
Human activities have had a permanent global impact on planet Earth’s geology and ecosystems. The rocks under our feet have changed. ‘Enter the Anthropocene’, featuring Pablo A. Padilla Jargstorf, Sophie O’Leary, Blanca Regina and TAZ, is an art and sound exhibition curated for a post- climate, post-truth world. Fractal and sonic architecture emits the emotions humans used to have. Nature is an endangered species guarded by an esoteric ecology in a… world where botanical gardens have the serenity of sacred graveyards. Multimedia interruptions reconstruct and repackage the previous epoch as sound and TV for the remnants of society; the planet is populated by figurine shadows daydreaming the highlights of a fantasy life while their DNA reorganises.
The Private View will include live performance by Blanca Regina (voice and electronics ) and Steve Beresford (electronics and objects).
Art Woo: ‘Enter the Anthropocene’ artists:
Pablo A. Padilla Jargstorf, born in Madrid in1975, is an architect, visual/sound artist and composer. After starting his formal music education at a very young age, with piano as his primary instrument, towards the end of the 1990s he began to experiment with sound art and composition, while completing his architecture studies. He is currently continuing to develop his work on soundscapes, video / sound installations, researching the relationship between the different stimuli of our senses and their interaction, with a focus on spatial perception through sound and synaesthesia. www.jargstorf.com
Sophie O’Leary creates charismatic, intensely hued and emotive paintings, using collage, oils, pastels and watercolours. Sophie’s sensitively harmonic, abstract compositions are inspired by her esoteric experiences of nature and music. Early Theosophist artists such as Kandinsky, Klee and Af Klint are also a source of insight. Her interest in transcendent energy and spirit over the mundane, has a resonance which reaches beyond the conscious mind and gives form to her work. https://www.facebook.com/Sophie-OLeary-Art-1623040251246279/
TAZ. After a degree in fine arts and various experiments in different techniques (graffiti, comics, street art, fine painting etc.) TAZ settled on drawings and watercolours. His characters, created by a deep imagination and very often wearing bird heads mosquito noses, have attracted loads of attention among art lovers across Europe.
Blanca Regina is an artist, teacher and curator based in London. Her research and practice are heterogeneous and encompass expanded cinema, free improvisation, graphic and moving image, photography and performance art. She has performed with various artists, including Terry Day, Leafcutter John, Beresford and Matthias Kispert and curated a number of events and installations in London and internationally. www.whiteemotion.com
Organised and framed by Happenstance Art & Framing Gallery
Save the date in your diary – Thursday the 1st of December – Opening Night. The exhibition will then last till the end of December.
There are various glazing options. For collectible and valuable artworks like the above we recommend using 3mm cast UV acrylic which gives UV protection to your artwork and won’t break.
For your Ben Eine print we offer a selection of deep rebate wooden frames in three colours – white, limed (light natural wood colour) and black. The artwork can go straight behind glass with a frame around it or it can float in a box frame with space between the artwork and the frame. The latter allows you to enjoy the deckle edges of the print and creates more significance for the artwork.
Take a look at the photographs above with captions below each one, and feel free to contact us to discuss the framing options which suit you most.
Contact art.happenstance@gmail.com or 07587-229-448.
Happenstance Art & Framing Gallery 