HOKUSAI ON ROIDS.

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DISCLAIMER: This photographic image of the “Foretoken” must not be mistaken for Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa. It’s almost better. Ikeda Manabu, is a Tokyo based artist armed with an imagination and talent for crafting details and prowess, bestowed from the art gods themselves. Within the tight confinement of his canvases, each square inch of space tells unique miniature narratives weaved together for a much broader epic story. To get a better idea of these fabled details, make the jump for close ups of this awe-inspiring piece.

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JUST CALL ME LEIF.

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The thing about people who are only referred to by a singlular name – like Elvis, Prince, Coolio or Sinbad – is they are either the most poignant person in the realm of culture or the complete demise of good taste in society. Leif, artist and designer from Melbourne, Australia, may not be either, but his cosmic art collages will get him a hall pass for the unaccompanied surname reference. Click “read more” for some well served spacey designs.

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SPENCER TUNICK COMMANDS NAKED CROWD.

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Spencer Tunick has seen more nipples in a day than the boom mic guy at Jenna Jameson’s record breaking serial bangathon. His work captures the abstractions of the human form in massive structures to create a new organic view of life and the environment. These installations are voluntary based with his biggest one yet in Mexico city, with about 18,000 naked people free ballin’ it. Make the jump to see more nudies in mass.

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SAM JINKS GETS DOWN AND MORBID.

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Sam Jinks is into freaky deeky shit, and not the “lets get nasty with our bad selves,” rather, “I wanna make a replica of your carcass as if you were possessed by the undead.” Unlike most kids, the Australian sculptural artist grew up consumed with comics and horror leading to a “how can I freak you out?”-kinda-future. These haunting pieces of hyper-real sculptures are detailed views of a fascination with life, death and the ugly struggles in between. Get a taste of the surreal after the jump.

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TAKASHI MURAKAMI WORD JUMBLE.

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The next time you see your art snob friends ask them to say ” ‘A Picture of the Blessed Lion Who Stares at Death” will be at “Picture of Fate: I Am But a Fisherman Who Angles in the Darkness of His Mind’ show”, five times fast. The word jumbled title is the one-piece art exhibit by famed Louis Vuitton supported artist, Takashi Murakami. His stuff is so good, words can’t describe this singular work. Check out the art behemoth before it leaves the island on the 24th of this month at the Gagosian Gallery.

STONER MOMENTS AT THE LASER BAY.

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It’s one thing to stare at a sheet of paper or an image on a screen and let the optical illusion wig you out and give you your stoner moments, but it’s another thing to walk into a room looking like you just entered the ENCOM laser bay of Tron. Esther Stocker, the artist/illusionist from Italy, has created some of these amazing installations armed with only black gaffer tape and emulsion paint to emulate spaces with perceived depth. Thus, giving us visual mind-effs we’ll never get sick of.

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GIANT CHESS GAME SANS EXPLOSION.

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Remember that scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, when Harry decides to crush his opponent in an epic match of chess?! And shit is exploding and the chess pieces were large enough for Harry to piggyback them? Well, at Trafalgar Square in London, there’s an even craftier looking giant chess set sans the explosion and threat of death.  Artist-designer Jaime (pronounced Hi-may) Hayón was commissioned by the London Design Festival to create an interactive art piece at the square. Crafted in ceramic and on-top of a mosaic glass chess board, “The Tournament” is almost better than the Elixir of Life.

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MUD AND MILK.

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Francine Spiegel’s syrup covered pornography will have it’s first solo show at Deitch Projects beginning on October 1st. In addition to unveiling a bunch of new work, Francine will also perform one of her fabled art pieces in the Deitch window. Stand on the street and you’ll be protected from the explosive burst of chocolate sauce and confetti but if you walk into Dietch you’d better prepare for the fine art equivalent of a Gwar concert.

READING IS SO OVERRATED.

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Sam Winston is an English bloke who probably grew up eating Alpha-bits cereal for breakfast, tea-time, lunch and dinner. He’s also your new favorite writer for those who “read” picture books. Obsessed over the language and the syntax of storytelling, he’ll sculpt the words of a book into a visual story you’ll never have to skim through again.

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GODZILLA-SIZED GARBAGE PILES.

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Brandon Blommaert is amazingly adept at conjuring up piles of garbage into godzilla-sized monsters who knock over volcanoes while tenderly caring for their fallen brethren. Check out more HERE.