The All Blacks really are Super Heroes

HBTV: New Zealand All Blacks - all heroes from HBTV on Vimeo.

Pretty much every New Zealand kid knows that but kudos to adidas Originals and the Auckland-based creative team of artist Elliot F. Stewart, Qubic store's Frank Liew and Shaun Wallace of Eyeball Moving Image for turning that thought into a reality, or unreality as the case may be. This short film, directed by Liew and Wallace succinctly details the creative process of the talented artist as he interviews All Black greats Jonah Lomu and Dan Carter alongside rising colossus Sonny Bill Williams and Liam "Tatts my number" Messam about the type of super hero they might become. Stewart's interpretations are as masterful and skillful as great All "Heroes" would expect them and the accompanying limited edition Campus 80's sneaker created by adidas Originals couldn't be more apt, and desirable, than right now in the middle of our Rugby World Cup. Limited numbers of this awesome sneaker (below) available now at Qubic store.

Karen Walker's amazing Japanese fans

In this social network driven world of 'friends, likes and fans' it is both refreshing and endearing to discover the type of fans New Zealand designer Karen Walker has attracted in Japan in particular. So fervent are these followers that they regularly send Karen beautifully crafted hand-made presents as a token of their appreciation for her designs and the label in general. Some of the messages and images are impossibly cute, some detailed excursions into the active and creative minds of the fans, others personal travel stories - Karen Walker on tour. We asked Kate at Karen Walker to scan a few of these fabulously creative gifts so we could present them to you here on Blacklog. Enjoy...

Ben Webb Exhibition

Ben Webb is one of the most enigmatic and interesting New Zealand artists. His first exhibition in 1996 represented the youngest ever showing of a NZ artist in a public gallery and not long after he went on to become the youngest NZ artist to represent NZ overseas. Ben has spent half the year in Berlin for over ten years, lived and shown in Buenos Aries and had European-based residencies and fellowships. For a boy from Dunedin, that's an international schedule. Over the years Ben has crossed over as much, if not more, than any New Zealand artist with the fashion industry. His collaborations include; Blanchet, Nom D, Carlson and Wunderkammer among others and his current exhibition features Elza and Nellie Jenkins (above and below) the twins made famous after their sojourn on NZ's Next Top Model. It is unlikely though, that fans of that show will be familiar with Ben's work. We think he is a genius, an artist who thinks outside the square and isn't afraid to cross the line. Here is a selection of his work, some of which is on display at Wunderkammer this week...

Ben Webb exhibition
Wunderkammer Showroom
62 Ponsonby Road,
Ponsonby,
Auckland
Until this weekend

Toi Toi Design - Chris Traill exhibition

Tiki

New Zealand double master photographer Chris Traill contributed one of our most memorable Black features ever, "Sea of Brown Faces' - a photo essay of the South Auckland Polynesian Festival. From March 25 to May 2, 2011, he is exhibiting a beautiful collection of his work entitled Toi Toi Design at the Auckland Botanical Garens, Manurewa, Auckland. It is a "unique series of imagery capturing our natural fibres and foliage,  New Zealand's spirit, texture and light." The works are presented as montages of imagery woven together in a fusion between design and still life photography. All works in this must-see exhibition will be for sale.

Toi Toi Design by Chris Traill
The Huakaiwaka Visitor Centre Gallery
Auckland Botanical Gardens
Hill Road, Manurewa, South Auckland
Hours: 9am - 4.30pm, Mon - Sun
Ph: +64 9 267 1457 for more info

Fibre

Ink

Pearl

Stichbury in New York

 Estelle1_Stichbury studio

 Mr Phil McEwan

Zach Klein

If you are going to be in New York for New York Fashion Week, Sept 9-16, then we urge you to visit wonderful New Zealand artist Peter Stichbury's first solo exhibition in North America. The Proteus Effect, a series of paintings and prints that showcases Sitchbury's unerring penchant for hyper real portraiture, runs from September 10 to October 30 at Tracey Wiiliams Ltd gallery, 521 West 23 Street, New York, NY.

Seeing (Valentino) Red in Brizzy

In early August, Tourism Queensland are hosting Black Magazine in Brisbane for a weekend to attend the opening of the Valentino Retrospective Past/Present/Future exhibition at the city's classy GOMA gallery. The exhibition is a stunning display of many of the masterpieces created by the great Italian couturier Valentino Garavani and the House of Valentino. The exhibition runs from August 7 to November 14 and Brisbane is the only Australasian city to host the retrospective courtesy of the wonderful Les Arts Decoratifs, a private, non-profit museum of the decorative arts in Paris. Valentino is recognised for many things; from literally creating a colour to providing that most elegant of stateswoman, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with six black and white dresses to mourn the passing of her husband in 1964, and much in between.

Perhaps it is the recognition from the French government as the first official couture house outside of Paris, within the strict definition of haute couture, that says it all though. Curated by Pamela Gobin, curator-in-chief for the Fashion and Textiles collection of Les Arts Decoratifs, the weekend also features future directions of the house (since Valentino's retirement in 2007) with five recent creations by new creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli - who had already been working together designing accessories for the previous ten years. For lovers of great fashion the hop across the ditch for a weekend of Brisbane spring time has never looked more appealing, especially with some of the airfares on offer this morning. Thanks Tourism Queensland...

The Spark That Shines

Converse, that global purveyor of sneakers and all things sole-ful has launched a new online creative initiative called "Spark." Aimed at developing creative talent from rising artists and musicians around the world it is already taking shape as an interesting amalgam of artistic expression. Twenty-four global artists from a diverse range of places will feature their work on the Converse Spark site and many are experimental or just plain unique in nature. Of the five or six online so far we particularly like the mad Mexican muso Ulises (above). Most of the films are really well made, and going through them is like a wee trip around the globe - an insight into them and their culture. Keep an eye on them as they are posted here.

The Beautiful Darkness

Mika Going With The Flow

February/March has traditionally been a time to celebrate being LGBT in Aotearoa so it is good to see the addition of the Aroha Festival - between Sydney's Mardi Gras and Auckland's Pasifika Festival - filling in the gap on the bi-monthly calendar as it were.

Driven by legendary cabaret performer Mika, the festival will be launched at the ASB Theatre/Aotea Centre on Friday March 12 with Po | The Beautiful Darkness a 'tribal pop opera' starring Mika in partnership with composer Gareth Farr and the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductor Hamish McKeich. With Japanese dancer Shakti, Indonesian dancer Alfira, aerial artist Shayne Comino and a cast of contemporary and traditional Maori dancers including Nancy Wijohn, Mokoera Te Amo and Mika Haka Youth combining with director Mark James Hamilton - and additional musical director Penny Dodd - the evening looks well-priced and sounds spectacular.

Po | The Beautiful Darkness

ASB Theatre, The Edge

8pm, Friday March 12

The Excited Artist

As a child, artist Matt Campbell loved Ralph Bashki's Wizards, a lot. These days he is more likely to be "dazzled by the likes of Pixar and Studio Ghibli's Miyasaki" but the Auckland-based artist's illustrative style is still steeped in the back alley style of the classical American cartoon set of the Twentieth Century. After a long sojourn in New York - which included a stint as Design and Digital Director at NYC mega ad agency BBH NYC - Campbell has returned to Auckland and set up a loft-style studio in Auckland's Britomart district.

It is from this base he will continue his collaboration with Japanese fashion-art house Hysteric Glamour (he is responsible for the designs on the Hysteric Mini children's range above) and his "art & commerce" projects, most of which are US-based. One of the biggest of these can be seen at My Little Funny.com where Campbell is launching a series of animations based upon legendary cartoonist and illustrator Kaz's Underworld series.

Campbell recently exhibited Out Of The Black, a series of gluggy black (we love it) teddys (top) and stuffed animals that sit somewhere between eerily frightening and malleably cute. In April the artist, whom I first met when he was the in-house art director at Flying Nun records, intends to show Out Of The Black in New York. It's great to have an artist/illustrator of Matt's calibre back in town. We look forward to more prolific creative output from the Are You Excited/Matt Campbell studio as the year unfolds...

Picture This

Kia ora and Happy New Year! Just turned the computer on for the first time in ten days - the sun, surf, sea, family and friends were all more important. Thought I would cruise around some favourite sites and found this on COACD. Their top 25 intriguing faces of 2009 and a stunning interpretation of some of the world's top models by artist Jenny Mortsell at Jed Root. Love it!

Manukau's Fashion Fiesta

Next weekend, November 6 & 7, the 8th annual Villa Maria Cult Couture event will be held at the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau. Black fashion director Rachael Churchward is, for the third year running, judging the event alongside Adrian Hailwood. The third judge this year is Showroom 22's Murray Bevan, and if you have never been, we can't speak highly enough of Cult Couture as an event and a place where fashion meets art, culture and peformance. The show, put together by Chantelle Whaipu and her crew at Manukau City Council is as spectacular, in a true school Aotearoa way, as any event on the creative calendar. Every year Cult Couture is backed by the region's great winery, Villa Maria Estate, and the region's undoubted raw creativity, cultural interpretation and talent comes to the fore. The fact that the Villa Maria Cult Couture design awards are open to fashion students and graduates, emerging and established designers and artists of any age, from all around New Zealand, just exemplifies the spirit of the event itself. So step outside the square and take a trip down the Southern Motorway next weekend. You won't regret it...

Philanthropy...

Salvador Dali's Instrument masochiste

...basically means "an altruistic concern for human welfare and development" so when New York art collectors and philanthropists Julian and Josie Robertson announced that they were gifting the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki fifteen works through its foundation there is no doubt that this was a philanthropic act at it's purest. Art is one of the greatest gifts, and art by masters such as Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Gaugin, Mondrian, Dali and more, to a city - and country - devoid of such masterpieces is a great gift indeed. The Robertsons announced their 'promised gift' to the gallery and the people of New Zealand in May 2009 and for one week in early November we will be able to see these masterpieces, for free, in the gallery's 5 Works In 7 Days exhibition. Picasso's Mere aux enfants a l'orange [1951], Braque's La tasse [1911], Matisse's Espagnole [1922], Derain's Paysage al Estaque and Salvador Dali's Instrument masochiste [1933-34] will form one third of the final exhibition in the newly refurbished gallery in 2011 but for one week you will be able to wander into the gallery and see them up close.

5 works in 7 Days
Sat 7 - Fri 13 November, 2009
Auckland Art Gallery, cnr Wellesley & Lorne Streets

War Of The Flowers

Shaun Pettigrew is one of New Zealand's great creative photographers. If you own a copy of Issue 9 of Black Magazine you may remember his 6 page editorial with designer Fletcher Vaughan entitled Rebuild. The story conceptualised materialism, and the human necessity for ownership and in turn, waste. Shaun is currently shooting a bunch of TV commercials as well as finalising his epic documentary on legendary goth rockers Killing Joke but he still finds time to concept and deliver amazing photographic art projects - just for the hell of it. So when he sent through these pics from his latest project Flower War we simply had to publish them here on Blacklog. So what is a Flower War? "The Aztec ruling elite invented the custom of the "Flower War" during a drought-induced famine and times of economic hardship. The death of warriors was described in terms of intoxicating beauty, the dying rain down like flowers" says Shaun. Beautiful...

Flying Finn

Some people hate pigeons. "Flying rats!" they say indignantly while shooshing them away from park benches, statues and river banks. Not so artist Finn Fair who rather charmingly describes them as "a proud, heroic icon of the downtrodden and disenfranchised" and has incorporated the winged creatures into his recent body of work Shine On Dirt. The artist sees a parallel between pigeons and the under class and says the work draws on this parallel and celebrates his "friends, the artists, musicians, labourers, workers, beneficiaries, the ill, the eccentrics and misfits." Shine On Dirt is "an obvious sign of adoration for the beautiful personalities I have surrounded myself with." As long time fans of the outsider, we can only agree.

Shine On Dirt opens at the COCA gallery in Christchurch on September 22.

Who is Maryann Forrester?

This post is unashamedly for fans of Alan Ball's addictive vampire series True Blood.

The blood lust continues unabated but season two's biggest question is perhaps "who, or what, exactly is Maryann Forrester?" The powerful, shimmering and highly-controlling new arrival in downtown Bon Temps? We know she has history of some sort with Sam Merlotte, the shape-changing bar owner and she can cast spells over people to do her bidding. She is extremely powerful and has an underlying dislike of Sookie. So what is she? Our best guess had been a Minotaur (below), although it appears the Charlene Harris book had her as a Maenad yet it is not clear how faithful to the book the TV versions will remain. Both are from Greek mythology and are somewhat fearsome, although it's pretty clear that whatever her true form, Maryann Forrester is an out-and-out evil bitch! And we love it...

Nice Artse!

It is no slight on New Zealand advertising creatives but sometimes sitting right behind a bus's back end can be gruelling for those of us who don't want bank interest rates or photo copier refill deals shoved in our faces. Great news then that Tiger Beer and the creative crew known as Cut Collective are offering an aesthetic alternative that will be considerably more pleasing on the eye.

The Cut Collective, comprised of five Auckland artists; the brilliantly-monikered "TrustMe", Component, Flox, Enforce 1 and Kool have spray-stencilled no less than 10 buses with their thought-provoking pieces, aimed at "people encountering art outside of the traditional context of the gallery or museum."

The buses are scheduled to hit Auckland streets from Sept 7 to November 22 but in the meantime you can check out more of the Cut Collective's work at Bungalow 8 in the Viaduct.

Pleasant Rebel

The Walls of the Well is the lovely laid-back new album by Phoenix Foundation drummer Richie Singleton aka Rebel Peasant that's more chilled than Dan Carter, which is saying something. Like just about everything that comes out of Welli's Pretty Foundation enclave, it is an accomplished package including a shoe-in, we think, for NZ album artwork of the year so far. The quality fashion photography by Amelia Handscombe (above) and final treatment (below) is good enough to hang on your wall.