Exit through the auction
March 10, 2023

Band selling the painting Banksy gave them for their name

London rock band Brace Yourself! is putting their Banksy painting up for auction because “people should be able to see it”, Guardian reports. The band was formerly known as Exit Through the Gift Shop, and they were asked by Banksy more than a decade ago to choose a new name owing to copyright issues with his Oscar-nominated 2010 documentary of the same name. The band indeed changed their name, and got a Banksy in return. The painting, also named 'Brace Yourself! - features Death driving a bumper car - is on show in London before sale where it has estimate of $600,000-$800,000.

Artists circle
May 16, 2021

Art & music - artists paint vinyl

A beautiful collection of colored vinyl presented in the Guardian. 33 artists were given 33 test pressings of vinyl, who used it as a canvas to paint them however they liked. An auction of their work will be launched on May 20 at HeliumLondon.com, and all proceeds will go to mental health charity Music Support.

The electronic art-pop duo The KLF are a subject of a new documentary 'Welcome To The Dark Ages', which shows them in the midst of their current project - 'The People’s Pyramid’, a monument built out of 34,952 bricks forged from the ashes of the dead. Filmmaker Paul Duane made a documentary about the project, and shared his thoughts about it with the Quietus: "It struck me as the most remarkable thing an ageing pop group could do. A lot of the things Bill and Jimmy do are incredibly funny. The idea of monetising their ageing fanbase by selling them a memorial of their own deaths is kind of hilarious. Their fans are all in their 50s now, so you’re thinking about death and the disposal of your remains. So building a pyramid and selling them a brick for £99 each that they will be memorialised in in the people’s pyramid, on one level is a hilarious ploy on an ageing fanbase". The KLF are no strangers to excess - they became the top-selling singles act in the world ('America: What Time Is Love', 'Justified & Ancient') and then left the music business, burned £1 million of their own money and signed a contract agreeing to a 23-year silence.

Jazzy graffiti
January 26, 2021

Video: How jazz influenced painter Basquiat?

Producer Terrace Martin narrates a video about how jazz influenced New York graffiti artist Basquiat. Martin delves into how the genre, and especially artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, played a role in his artistic vision.

A lovely story in Brooklyn Vegan about New York bassist Philippe Arman from metal and rock bands SOMNURI and The Advertisers, who became a subject of a viral video. He was waiting for the subway in Brooklyn, and while he was sitting on a bench, 24-year-old Bronx artist Devon Rodriguez made a portrait of him. Rodriguez then posted a video of his sketches in progress on his Instagram which ended up getting over five million views after being featured on Instagram REELS. Philippe reached out to Devon and asked to purchase the original drawing. The pair met on Bleecker St. in Manhattan where Devon gifted him the artwork (watch that video here).

“Britain produces so much interesting, creative stuff, but it has become a nation where any kind of gathering together seems terrifying to the authorities" - Vinca Peterson tells Guardian in an article about artists who depict clubs. It connects escapism of dancing with social commentary of arts - "From pagan festivals that have been taken […]