Urban Curations
www.urbancurations.com
By A. Loftin
Infinity Bunce founded Urban Curations. As an artist herself, she has been curating for many years around London, so she decided she needed a base and set up Urban Curationsm which is a showcase for street urban and fine artists, photographers and Installation artists. The artists have been carefully selected and present contemporary art practice. All works for sale and artists will feature in forthcoming events.
The artists have been carefully selected, not through a CV, but a gut feeling in the work. If the work is goof it goes on the site, simple as that. From trawling the galleries private views for years, there seemed to be a new breed of artists in town - the street artists, now echoing the adopted walls of the galleries olucked from the streets. This new sensation, or missing link, was like a breathe of fresh air into the often stuffy galleries. However what was missing was that Urban artists were showing with Urban Artists. So Infinity decided to engage in shows that merged the two worlds of fine art and urban art, and find artists that crossed both boundaries so that these boundaries did not exist anymore. It's hard to defin which artists belong to which camp on this site, and that's what I like about it.
Infinity started setting up this mix of urban and fine artists from an exhibition in Cordy House, in conjnction with Who's Jack Magazine with Jason Atomic who captured his audience with his on the spot portraits of the viewer, this then lead onto two curated shows, which Infinity curated with the East End Arts Club. These shows ecompassed curating artwork on vinyls in Redchurch street to Shoreditch Town Hall with a sixteen-room mix Urban, Fine Art and Installation artists. All merged under one large Town Hall. The works living in an harmonious marriage next to each other from Urban Artist Schoony's green boy soldier whipered to be the cast of the granson of one of the Cray twins stood comfortable amongst the painters from Central St. Martins.
Infinity then went on to curate in East Gallery, Brick Lane where there was a fusion between Urban and Fine Art titled 11:11 where artists like Snub and David Bray monochrome figure paintings screamed comfortably next ro rhw Little artists Haunted House of Lego. She curated this show with russell Charter and Richard Stone fellow art students who she met in the late 90's at Central St. Martins. The show was about practising artists curating a show and merging urban with fine artists - so the marriage continued.
Next came www.urbancurations.com" - a place where all these shows coulf come to light in one space. The site shows James R. Myline's meticulous ball point pen drawings to Taiwanese Ting Ting Cheng's carved Louis Vuitton bananas, to II Sun Maeng's burnt canvas animals in a spiritual state that crawls across the web towards Jane Grosvenor's dog searching for a way out. Maybe Jane's dog ran passed Mike Newton's student taking a gap year. Maybe the stdent had caught a pill in his mouth from Charlie McFarley's paintin of the pill-dropping Alien. Quiet please - take me to the Middle East, stop off Iran. CKI has been found and brought to the UK through this site. A real Middle eastern treasure, with poetic urban imagery of a young boy that maybe crying after seeing Dan Proop's soldier pixelated.
An organic and evolving space sure to be watched.
// Featured Magazine Article: January 24, 2011
When Art Meets Fashion
Interview with Jun Cha @ Syndicated Clothing
By Stroydnaire
Since the Neolithic Age, clothing has been a form of expression and a representation of the person wearing it. Clothing has been used as a symbol of status, a representation of mood, and a display of culture. The same can be said about art. Edvard Munch painted "The Scream" to express a feeling. Vincent Van Gogh's "Potato eaters" embodied a specific class, and Justin Bua's "Guitarista" reflected a culture.
Clothing and art have always gone hand in hand and this is most apparent at Syndicated Clothing. Syndicated is a boutique style store that specializes in the art of urban expression. Carrying brands such as Crooks & Castles, 10 Deep, and The Hundreds; Syndicated epitomzies the combination of art and style. A perfect example of art meeting fashion would be The Hundreds. This brand represents the skater, surfer, punk, and hip-hop cultures. They created a line of t-shirts and hoodies in collaboration with artist Jun Cha. Jun wanted to represent urban life and decided on using clothing instead of canvas.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jun Cha on a recent visit to Syndicated Clothing.
Jun, who/what inspired you to be an artist?
It was kind of an obligation for me to draw and paint. I was influenced by Renaissance artists such as Leonardo Da vinci and Michael Angelo Their art was revolutionary and influenced me greatly.
You draw, tattoo, design graphics, and paint. Do you have a favorite outlet of expression?
I see them as different mediums but you're still visually communicating. I feel that painting brings the most freedom because there are no limitsas to what you can do. At the same time, that is what makes painting the most challenging. Tattooing is a totally different dynamic because you're dealing with a live person. If I had to select a favorite, I would choose all of them.
I have noticed the use of black and grey tones as well as realistic images in your paintings. Are these real people or are these images that you create in your mind?
A lot of themes, people, and characters are people in my life, my generation, and my environment. It is all about human connection and what it means in my generation in a place like Los Angeles or a place called America. It has to do with a contemporary struggle.
Okay Jun, I'm going to pick your brain with some Hip-Hop/Art related questions. If you could choose any landmark in the world to use as a canvas, where would it be and why?
As a tattoo artist, I feel that the perfect landmark is the next person. One of the biggest things for me is that tattoos are eternal. It's a huge honor for me for someone to weat my art for life.
I was expecting something like the Brooklyn Bridge or Mt. Rushmore. That's an excellent answer though.
I know you're a fan of hip-hop. If you could recreate amy hip-hop album cover, what would it be and why?
I'm a youngster and there is a whole generation before me that I have to educate myself on. I'm a huge Tupac fan. I would say "Makaveli." I feel that one was a transitional album. I think the cover can be represented in a totally different trip.
If you could create your own super gourp consisting of M.C.'s and a producer. Who would be in it?
The producer would be Dr. Dre. The M.C.s would be Biggie, Nas, Tupac.
Classic west coast production!!!
I have one last question? Would it be possible to tattoo a six pack on my stomach?
Haha, with some shading!
Jun, Is there anything you would like to share with our readers? Especially those young and up and coming artists who are trying to do whatyou are doing?
The biggest thing I would like to emphasize is the importance of education. Be focused and have a passion on what you want to do. Be inspired by what I do but don't forget that it takes a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of values that I feel my generation are missing.
I would like to thank Jun Cha and the staff of Syndicated Clothing for taking time out to make this interview happen. Make sure you check out Juncha's website at www.juncha.net. He truly is a genius.
Syndicated Clothing
1767 Route 22 West
Union, NJ 07083
Gone, But Not Forgotten
A Tribute to "Big Pun"
Words by Double A
Big Pun, short for Big Punisher, was born Christopher Rios on November 10, 1971 in the Bronx. Tragically he died of a heart attack and respiratory failure on February 7, 2000. The Grammy- nominated artist had a tremendous impact on the hip-hop community and is widely considered as one of the all-time greats. Big Pun's solo debut "Capital Punishment", which mixed hints of salsa and a few Spanish lyrics with smooth rhythm-and-blues tracks was and still is a hip-hop classic.
The trademark of his style was to take a deep breath and pour out rhyme after quick-talking rhyme. Big Pun rose to the top of the hip-hop music scene as a gifted lyricist with a flow that blew the minds of his fans and other hip-hop artists. His incredible delivery and intricate wordplay helped secure him a spot as one of hip-hop's greatest emcees.
On September 15, 2009, a tribute documentary called "Big Pun: The Legacy" was released. The documentary which was directed by Vlad Yudin, shows Big Pun not only as an artist but also as a family man, as told through interviews with many who knew him best. A special collector's edition was also released this past October. The film gives a intimate look at Big Pun, focusing on the man more than his music and the great legacy he left in hip-hop.
Big Pun's story and career are told through interviews with numerous hip-hop stars such as Snoop Dogg, DMX, Method Man, Xzibit, Ghostface KIllah, Chuck D, Redman and other members of the hip-hop community and industry. His wife, childhood friends and those who worked closely with him offer personal stories about the artist. The film also features rare exclusive performances and scene interviews with Big Pun himself.
Big Pun may be gone but his lyrics and music will live on forever.
Rest in Peace Big Pun.