Wednesday, February 29, 2012


"Behold and Believe"  exhibition @ The Vyner Studio review by Hackney Hive.


Behold and Believe; bold, moving and inspirational exhibition at Hackney’s The Vyner Studio


"Urban, gritty and daring, Behold and Believe perfectly reflects the contemporary metropolitan landscape that it both depicts and takes place in the midst of. On display at minimalistic east London gallery The Vyner Studio between Saturday February 25th and Thursday March 1st, the exhibition, showcasing a mixed media fusion of photography, video art and installation work by Hackney based artists Leo Yinka Briggs and Barnabe FrEaKsHoW (real name Barnabe Freixo) demonstrates exactly why the east has over the past few years become the confident and vibrant creative hub of the capital.
Set against the backdrop of the clean, white and almost industrial walls of the warehouse-style Vyner Studio, Briggs and Barnabe’s challenging and intelligent pieces grab, and hold, your attention as soon as you walk through the door. Dominating an entire section of gallery wall, the vast, sprawling, collage that is Briggs’ A Cornucopia of Crime and Punishment is undoubtedly one of the exhibition conversation pieces. An intense, swirling, blend of photography, many containing partial nudity, money and other strong imagery, it tackles the interdependent relationship between crime and the capitalist system. A fascinating visual assault on the senses, it is an intriguing artwork that is impossible to forget.
A resident of Hackney’s often embattled Pembury Estate, Briggs’ photography portrays the complex layers of everyday life in the urban reality in which he lives and works. From the deliberately grainy, CCTV footage style pieces that are La, La and Woo, Woo – a world inhabited by police officers and police vans – to honest and exquisitely shot portraits of friends and family, his is a photographic universe that is both real and relevant. Fresh and original, it is a welcome addition to the capital’s creative scene, giving a voice to a section of the London community that otherwise rarely has the chance to speak in the halls and rooms of its museums and art galleries.

Jehovas Witness Photo: Leo Yinka Briggs
Something of an artistic vagabond, Barnabe’s exhibition pieces speak to the diverse cultural reference points that infuse the work of the photographer, digital artist and musician. Featuring an eclectic and wide-ranging series of photographs from India, Mexico and Brazil, countries that the artist – born in Paris to Portuguese parents – explains have influenced his work, images are pinned to noticed boards and freestanding props in a purposefully causal, even haphazard, fashion. Capturing the pain, beauty, sorrow, joy and simple ordinariness of life in his three chosen nations, Barnabe turns his camera on the world in the vein of the great photojournalists; at times almost brutally authentic but always with something important, something valuable, to say. Something we want to know about.
Interspersing his photographic work with captivating installations pieces, a clothed replica skeleton entitled Self-portrait has a photo album dangling from one of its arms. The sepia coloured photographs may be of the artist’s family but could, in their universal relatability, be of all and any of our families; the eyes of dreams and decades past gazing straight into the camera. Occupying another corner of the room, Oppressed is an installation pièce de résistance.  Carrying the explanatory note of addressing “how corporate social labelling inhibits our capacity to express a natural identity,” the bright blue and yellow box functions as an interactive art piece, inviting exhibition goers toto step inside to try it on for size. While perhaps not for the claustrophobically inclined, it is otherwise a must-do, an experience to round off the fascinating, thought-provoking and inspiring show that is Behold and Believe.
Concluding with March 1st First Thursdays event, the once-monthly arts and culture night at which the galleries and museums of east London collectively, and for free, throw their doors open to the public, this is an exhibition not to be missed."

LA LA Photo@ Leo Yinka Briggs
Behold and Believe, Saturday February 25th – Thursday March 1st. The Vyner Studio, 1-5 Vyner Street, London E2 9DG. Open: 10am until late. FREE.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Robert Seidel @ The Vyner Sessions

The Vyner Studio enjoyed a great screening by German artist Robert Seidel on two different dates:

For the  opening on 3rd Saturday  Seidel  attended the event.
A quieter date than the usual busy First Thursday (second and last screening) allowed me to have a chance to talk to the artist about his work, his references and the intense  process of work that results on what we us, the spectators contemplate in calm, almost effortlessly.

Robert likes to call his work moving paintings rather than video. Looking at the selection of works by Seidel  we screened at The Vyner Studio, I did actually wonder what type of work would have certain past painters develop with the technology that surrounds us nowadays...

Here´s  a selection of pictures by Fran Hales  that capture The Vyner Session by
Robert Seidel.

See more on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150186833966531.311609.707301530&type=3

http://www.robertseidel.com/
http://www.vimeo.com/robertseidel

Next artist for The Vyner Sessions: Davide Quayola
Dates: 3rd Saturday November 19th 12-6 pm.  + Firts Thursday December 1st 6- 930 pm.
http://www.quayola.com

FREE EVENT

The Vyner Sessions are curated by César Pesquera for The Vyner Studio.










Monday, September 19, 2011

"Barcelona Design meets London" @ The Vyner Studio

Come and join us at The Vyner Studio´s opening tomorrow from 630 to 930!



Barcelona's design showcased in an exhibition in London


From 20 September to 6 October the Barcelona brand will be the subject of an exhibition organised by The Vyner Studio, Barcelona Design Centre and GR Industrial Design.

From 20 September to 6 October Barcelona's design scene will be showcased in London. To coincide with the London Design Festivaland the 100% Design 2011 fair, the contemporary art gallery The Vyner Studio is hosting the exhibition “Barcelona Design meets London Design”, featuring 4 professional studios from Barcelona and 2 studios based in London: AloyMas, Causas Externas, GR Design, Tomás Alonso, Oscar Diaz and OutOfStock.

The main aim of this exhibition, organised in conjunction with Barcelona Design Centre (BCD) and GR Industrial Design, is to promote the Barcelona brand and identify it with the international design world. The initiative similarly seeks to support the internationalisation of the Catalan companies that will be present in London during the week in question and raise the profile of Barcelona's design industry amongst British studios.

The United Kingdom is currently one of the key markets for Catalonia-based design services firms. London has long been regarded as one of the design capitals of the world, and is home to prestigious institutions such as the Design Council, the Design Museum and the Royal College of Art. Featuring more than 200 activities organised by almost 160 organisations and companies, the London Design Festival 2011 is one of the top events in the sector.