First let’s get this out of the way; Exit Through The Gift Shop is not a movie about Banksy (and no you don’t get to see his face), it’s a tale of media hype Vs talent, how guerrilla marketing can make you a million pounds in one night and most importantly of all, “Exit” is the perfect example of just how self aware and mature the street art movement has become.

Featuring a stellar cast of artistic talent including; Sweet Toof, Shepard Fairy, Swoon and Invader to name a few, the film follows the story of French film maker turned chancer street artist; Mr Brain Wash, from his early years of film making and peeking at his mega hyped solo show in LA.

The film is charming, funny and intelligent. It is not a promotion tool for the street art movement and i was highly impressed with it’s honesty by showing the ugly side of modern day graffiti. Whether you’ve been into street art for year or just want to see a good movie, I couldn’t recommend more. 10 out of 10, 5 stars, go see it now!

Daniel Brereton (AKA Dan has Potential) is a London based artist turned video director known for his raw style, use of bright colours, Aztec themes and geometric shapes.

Most of you will recognise Daniel’s work as a music video director, producing modern classics such as Radio Ladio by Metronomy , True Romance by Golden Slivers, Bathroom Gurgle by Late Of The Pier and Dream Off by Best Fwends amongst others.

Dan was recently kind enough to take some time out of his work schedule for a brief telephone chat, here’s what he had to say:

Where do you go in search of art?

I’m always on flickr looking up crass images, recently I’ve enjoyed the work of M Bomba and Mattew Lock from ww.puffandmagic.com his work is amazingly intricate.

You mentioned on your Flickr page that you draw inspiration from Outsider artists such as Joseph E. Yoakum. What styles really get you going?

I love Outsider art or folk art, basically anything that is figurative. I think the best art is from the imagination when you can’t see clearly in a piece that forms have been studied.

I think that a lot of my best work comes from being spontaneous; I’ll produce my best drawings with little preparation as it doesn’t help to think about ground rules.

In your self portrait you’ve made your self look very in-human, almost robotic. Has this come from your love of triangles?

With my self portrait I was experimenting with lines and shapes, building up a picture. I love looking at drawings and deconstructing them.

When directing and producing music video’s how much creative control will you have in comparison to what the record label and artists want?

I have to approach work very differently when it’s for a client, which is probably why I don’t do a lot of commercial work.

When producing music videos my level of creative input will varies on the artist and record label I’m working for. Late Of The Pier, for example had a lot of input where as someone like Metronomy had less so.

The music videos you direct can have a very strong personality, for example the video you directed for Best Fwends features your original Onionhead character and many other themes we see regularly reoccurring in your artwork. Has there ever been problems with creative differences, e.g your ideas not meeting the bands image?

It’s a strange thing, the music industry, as image is a very important thing. I understand how some of my ideas my not match the bands ideas.

The Cribs were a difficult band to produce for at first, they have such a strong image that the record label clearly wanted to preserve. When working on that project my approach was very different, I had to adapt my ideas to what would work with them.

Are there any videos are you working on at the moment?

January is a pretty dead time for the music industry so nothing going on at the moment, however I’ll soon be working on a new music video for Your Twenties, who are Gabriel Stebbing’s (From Metronomy) new band.

Do you listen to music while working, say if your thinking up ideas for a specific music video will you listen to the track in question over and over again?

When working i like listening  bands like Metronomy… ect. At the moment I’m really into Neil Young and Cat Stevens

You’ve been off the exhibition circuit for quite some time; do you have any shows lined up in the near future?

Aside from my video work, I draw every single day so I’m always working. The next show I’m involved in is called “The Art of Conversation”. The idea of the show is basically like a visual game of Chinese Whispers which each artist creating a piece in response to the one before.

The show will feature a tone of artists and will stretch from London to Berlin.

Dan’s brand spanking new handmade zine  is available now from the Chapter One gallery, a steal at only £4.00. Limited edition of 20.

Director Stéphanie Di Gusto has produced this beautiful video for the launch of Vanessa Bruno’s Spring 2010 collection. It features model/actress Lou Doillon in a dreamy reality where three differing emotive scenes are accompanied by their own delightful piece of music. Stephanie’s photography is also worth checking out.

Thanks to everyone who came to Pejhy’s live drawing event with Ian Stevenson at Bungalows and Bears last month.

If you missed it then don’t worry, Ian’s creations will be on permanent display behind the bar and the graffiti he drew in the Gents is’nt going anywhere either.

Due to the success of our first drawing event we’ve been given the go ahead to bring you a series of Pejhy nights throughout 2010.

Our next FREE event will be in February and as always they’ll be live drawing, free cake, sweeties, Art materials for you to get messy with, DJ’s playing some great music and some very special guests… We’ll keep you posted!

Here’s what happened in December:

KID ACNE taking some snaps

Ian Stevenson's live drawing

Your Creations

Your Submissions

If your at all intrested in getting involved in our next event (e.g. live drawing, DJing, marketing… ect) then all you need to do is pop into bungalows and ask for Ste or drop Pejhy an email on our contact link.

PEJHY thanks: Jennifer Peters for her fantastic photography, all the DJ’s who travelled from Norwich, London and Nottingham to be there, Ste for all his organisation and effort, Kid Acne, Lucy and the archipelago works for all their support, everyone who came out after and got messy and Ian for his great great work.

Being influenced by the everyday strangeness of the world around him, Ian’s signature combination of odd words and distorted characters make his style one of the most recognisable in the world of illustration.

I’m not really sure what it is about Ian Stevenson’s work that makes you so emotionally attached to his characters, or if any love you gave to them would even be appreciated. Some of the creations that dwell in his universe would appreciate a cuddle I’m sure, others would  be just as likely to cut you up in to little pieces and bury you in their garden.  No matter you get from Ian’s work one thing is clear, once you let your self be immersed in his world, there’s no going back!

A lot of readers may recognise Ian’s work from his commercial projects, having worked for a number of A-list clients including Microsoft, Perrier, E4, MTV and Paul Smith to name a few. If you’ve been reading our posts for any amount of time then you’ll know what huge Ian Stevenson fans we are here at Pejhy, so it is with great pleasure we give you our exclusive interview with the man behind the pen:

What’s your favourite website at the moment?
Here is an amazing website that reveals the people who copy and plagiarize. Brilliant, just brilliant! get your digital pitchforks at the ready for some good old fashioned justice… www.youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com

Any superpower, what would it be?
My super power would be Sarcasm, I’d join a gang of superheroes and they would call me ‘Sarcasma’. I would be the first person to appear at the crime scene and I’d use my sarcasm skills to annoy and wrong foot the enemy, possibly I would mock the villains outfit or mimic their voice. When they are suitably annoyed the other members of the team would arrive to defeat them properly.

If you could banish any three things from the universe what would they be?
I’ve thought about this one a lot and although I would like to change many many things I have started to think that if I did have the power to remove things I don’t like, then life might be too good and I would have nothing to moan about. I’ve managed to think of a few that would make my world a better place. The first would be working for free unless it’s for charity. There could be a law to protect artists and maybe it could be called Stevenson’s law or something and would mean that all jobs had to paid for properly. I’d also have to get rid of some of the trumpet based free jazz music as it seems to make me feel uneasy. Finally I would remove some of the talentless and useless celebrities, they deserve nothing more than to be constantly ignored.

What’s the best computer game ever made?
Commuting is like game, I weave in and out of the pre-programmed human like objects in my walking space ship.

If you dug a hole through the earth from one end to the other, lets say from the North Pole right down too the South Pole, and then you jumped down that hole, what would happen?
I imagine it would be fun for a few seconds, then you’d probably black out and eventually die either by being unable to breath or by your body being shredded to bits as it bounces off the sides like a rag doll.

When will we see your “Rubbish” book?
Soon… hopefully soon, oh I do hope it is soon. I have all the photos collated and now it just needs to be made into a book.

To see more of Ians work you can vist his brand spanking new website at www.ianstevenson.co.uk

For those of you new to his work I highly recomend you check out his new group show athe the Archipelago Works in Sheffield, and be sure to pick up a copy of his “Best Wishes, Get Well Soon” book, it’s basicaly his “best of ” collection and a steal at £10.

French is a London based illustrator, known for his dark and often macabre drawings. Sourcing inspiration from his two greatest loves, Skateboarding and Death Metal, French’s work has taken him across the globe showcasing his talents in London, the USA, Denmark, France, Israel and Australia.

His Latest show “Blood Oath” at the Archipelago Works in Sheffield has so far received an overwhelming positive response, proving to the critics that he’s a talent to look out for in the future.

I recently met up with the man at his latest (and fantastic) show to talk about Skulls, Heavy Metal and London Pricks!

Tell us about you current show “Blood Oath” at the Archipelago Works?
The theme for this show is skulls, we’ve produced 12 different screen prints all of which are skull related and will be available exclusively through the gallery.

How have you managed to make each piece in this show feel unique despite the very specific theme?
I’m total fascinated by skulls. Their are so many different variations you can do on  one subject that will stop an exhibition from being repetitive. So even though the theme is specific I’m only limited by my imagination.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
People like to fit me into the whole “Street Art/Skate Art” thing because i design skate decks but I’m an illustrator, that’s how i make a living. I don’t really know anything about street art or graffiti and am not particularly interested in whats going on today, i do however like all the old Santa-Cruz graff from like 20 years ago.

How would you normally start a new piece, would you approach a logo different to how you would a sketch or drawing?
I treat every piece i do as a sketch or a drawing, no matter who or what the piece is for. If, for example, i was asked to produce a logo, i would treat the letters as an illustration so the end result will look like a picture rather then a logo or a load of letters.

Did you study illustration at collage of university?
I have a degree in fine art, not illustration. That’s something I’ve taught myself, drawing and learning how to use computers to produce pieces.

Do you listen to music while you work, if so who are your favorites?
Oh so many, i grew up listening to Death Metal, in fact I’ve just got back from a metal festival in Helsinki. My favorite bands of all time would be Revenge, Bolt thrower, Blasphemy and Ozzy to name a few.

Who are you favorite artists?
I’m really into Derrick D’Beck and Murdock Stafford, his work is all skulls and stuff. As for more “classical art” i really like the work of Goya. I recently bought a book by an artist called “Bruegel” which is full of pictures of Hell and people being eaten by demons.

Would you say you were more influenced by the classic stuff?
Yeah, defiantly. I’m heavily influenced by dark religious art. I like pieces to have a lot going on in them.

Is their any kind of art you really dislike?
I can’t stand bland art, shit that looks like it could be selling in Ikea you know. It’s so non-offensive it’s offensive!

You’ve done a fair bit of commissioned work for Modular Records and other advertising agencies, how is the work process for a client different from private work?
The first time you work for someone it can be difficult, but once you’ve built-up a relationship both parties will know what works and what doesn’t work.

Would you let someone change your work if they were dissatisfied?
It would really depend on how big the change is, for example i recently designed a T-Shirt for the band WolfMother which had a crow sitting on a skull. the record label suggested that i changed the crow to a hawk to make the piece seem more 70’s looking. Small changes like that I’m fine with but you should be careful because whoever pays for a commission can have a huge influence on how a piece turns out.

Have you ever worked in 3D?
No, I’ve never made sculptures or anything like that. I’ve got a friend whose a fashion designer, he owns a little shop on Carnaby Street in London. I’m gonna be designing some belt buckles with him. My first design is a gas mask with horns coming out of it.

Are you living in London at the moment?
Yeah, with my girlfriend.

What do you both think about the illustration and art scene down their?
(French) I’ve done stuff with Stolen Space Gallery and have friends who exhibit in the capitol frequently, i always go to their shows but i feel separate from the London thing, East London especially is full of “Jazzy Cunts”

(Frenches Girlfriend) To be honest sometimes people can take themselves to seriously but their is a great art scene in  i can’t lie. East London can be very pretentious, French will go to his friends show but can’t stand the whole “trend” thing, he doesn’t suck up to anyone. If what the London galleries wanted matched what French wanted then he would do more shows there.

The prints featured in this interview are exclusively available through The Archipelago Works, there are twelve prints in total, six single colour and six multi-colour, all in an edition of six (666)!

To see more work by French (including his skate videos) you can follow his blog here.

Conrad Shawcross has been one of my favorite artists ever since I first came across him whilst studying at university. Although he is fairly famous for his light machines, I remember looking at a piece of work called ‘The Nervous System’ which was being shown at the Saatchi Gallery and i was massively bowled over. It was a large contraption weaving coloured rope into a double helix (the shape of DNA), and it produced something like 20,000 metres of this a week. It was just super.

The Nervous System

I was amazed at an artist fusing together these wonderful mechanical contraptions with science, something i wanted to achieve, but didnt quite have the knowledge to do!!

I then went to go and see his work ‘The Steady States’ at the Victoria Miro gallery, and it was even more fantastic than just seeing the images and reading the fluff about it. So since then i have been waiting eagerly for his next piece of work and finally its here!! But unfortunately i found out abit too late to see it (you needed to book tickets) and it finished yesterday! RUBBISH!!!!

Chord

But still Shawcross has excelled himself whilst creating ‘Chord’. ‘Chord’ has been comissioned by Measure and is situated in Holborn. Its actually been built in Kingsway tram subway on Southampton Row, an underground tunnel which has been disused and closed to the public since 1952. He has completely utilised this space by building two machines that run up and down the tracks of the old tube station. As they go up and down the tracks, they are weaving a mass of chord, hence the name. Because of the location of the work, only 20 people are allowed to go view it at any one time, and they  go for an hour tour along the tracks. It almost like going to see a wild beast in its natural habitat.

Chord

Hopefully some art god like Saatchi will buy the machines so I can get the chance to see them. If you want a bit more of Shawcross you can head to the Victoria Miro website who represent him.

Have a good evening.

Sink or Swim

Julian Callos is a Los Angeles based artist who creates beautiful dreamy water coloured illustrations full of flexible limbed humans and water washed backgrounds. His unique style has led him to exhibit widely across the globe from San Francisco to London, building an  impressive and consistantly brilliant portfolio of sculptures and paintings.

Julian is one of those artists who never produces a bland piece of work, I absolutely love everything he’s done so far and cannot wait for his next show over here in the UK. Julian recently took time out from his extremly busy scedual to answer our questions, heres what the talented young artist had to say:

You regularly blog ideas and early sketches of your work; how close do your finished pieces match what you aimed to achieve in you mind?

It really depends on the project…sometimes my final piece, after various stages of sketches and revisions, is completely different from what I had originally conceived in my mind. Other times I’ll come up with an idea that I’m happy with from the very beginning and just stick with it through the entire process. I just try to make sure that my final sketch is something that I would enjoy turning into a finished painting, regardless of whether or not that sketch was exactly what I had in mind in the beginning.

How long has it taken you to develop your style to where it is today?

Well I’ve been drawing ever since I was about three years old, and my style has evolved throughout the years along with changes in what inspires me, what interests me, etc. I guess what you see now has mostly been developed in the past couple years in college. I’ve really tried to take all the inspirations I’ve had in the past and the present — cartoons, comics, pop culture — and mash them up into my own thing. I’m still learning new things all the time, though; my tastes are changing, different things are starting to inspire me…I think these changes will certainly influence my work, as change has always done.

What is your typical work process and what conditions do you work under? Do you like to draw and paint to music for example?

I love to work while music is playing. Sometimes I’ll work with the TV on in the background, or with a movie playing. Other times I’ll work in complete silence. It really just depends on my mood.

Looking on inprint.com i noticed that you will sell any one print in a varity of sizes and prices. How important do you think it is to make your art accessible and affordable to everyone?

I think accessibility and affordability, especially in this economy, is very important. And it seems like art prints are a good market these days…It’s nice to own something by an artist, but not everyone can afford an original, so it’s pretty cool when you can buy a print.

What has had the biggest influence on your work recently?

Recently I’ve been looking to a lot of indie comics for inspiration. Pen/brush and ink stuff. You can create such beautiful lines with a brush; combine that with bold colors and lots of contrast and you’ve got a stunning piece of art to look at.

One thing i’ve noticed from reading comments on blogs and various sites is how impressed the audiance is with your ability to create soft movement in your pieces. Do you have any plans of creating an amimation?

Actually when I was younger I wanted to be an animator because I love cartoons, but I never really pursued developing that particular set of skills. I’d love to see my characters in motion, though!

Do you have any exhibitions planned for the near future, either as a group show or on your own?

I’m in a few shows in different galleries coming up before the end of the year. Off the top of my head there’s a group show with Black Maria Gallery in Los Angeles called “Skip the Mall,” as well as “Paper Pushers” at Gallery 1988 San Francisco. If you follow my blog (http://juliancallos.blogspot.com/) I’ll keep you updated on any and all shows I’ll be participating in. And I’m hoping to have my own website up soon, so look out for that as well.

What Develops

You can check out more of Julians work at: http://www.society6.com/studio/juliancallos/

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve seen this before or not, its easily repeatable and will bring some joy to any day. An aural and visual treat in one!

Felix’s Machines are music making sculptures. They exist to facilitate music by translating rhythmic audio structures into a three-dimensional visual show. Felix aims to exploit the complexity found behind the workings of most digital music and present it as a more accessible equivalent. These Machines do not intend to match human potential. Instead they exist to test the advantages of mechanical instruments alone.