Alias Arts

I don’t know what it is about my luck and the Lazarides gallery. The last three times I’ve been the gallery has been 1). closed (website opening times now amended), 2). first floor closed on a two floor exhibition and 3). on this, my most recent visit, the top two floors were closed on a four floor exhibition. Lesson learnt – call before I visit!

So I’d like to show you some photos of the Grifter’s exhibition (especially as the street work accompanying the show has been excellent) but pretty much all I took was this one of Invader’s excellent neon installation. 

Invader at the Lazarides gallery

All is not lost, however, as the ever magnificent Wallkandy has captured all the main action inside and out.

In other news Art Of The State is up from last months number 10 to number 4 in the ‘Top 25 UK Arts & Culture Blogs’ list compiled by Manchester’s Museums consortium’s creativetourist.com site. Which is nice. The calculations involved sound very scientific – using Google’s InLinks and Postrank amongst other measures. The Guardian’s Jonathan Jones now occupies my previous number 10 spot. Eat my dust Mr Jones.

Rest assured when I’m at number 39 next month you won’t hear a thing about it!

Following on from his recent curation of the ‘Other Side’ show at the Mile End Arts Pavilion Stik has a solo show in the same venue. Featuring multiple instances of his trademark Stik figure he takes its very basic form and uses it to create a variety of situations. In fact as the majority of the Stik figures are held along a wire that runs the length of the building the figures can be moved along to create new interractions as the exhibition progresses. Outside look out for a further figure on the top of the hill and another in the middle of the lake.

Solo show by Stik at the Mile End Art Pavilion, Clinton Road (off Grove Road), E35bh (near Mile End tube on the Central line).
Open 12-6pm December 5th to to December 20th (except Mondays) 2009

In some ways the Mutate Britain show ‘One Foot In The Grove’ resembles a twisted offspring of the main room of the Imperial War Museum. Recent additions since it re-opened last week include a customised full size plane to sit alongside the already installed helicopter and a mechanised triceratops courtesy of Wreckage. Mutate have added to their extensive rosta of some of the best artists out there, had some of the walls reworked and added masses of new works to create an extensive and thought provoking show. Here’s some of the new pieces – just a selection mind – to whet your appetite. It’s a great place to visit too if you’re looking to buy some original art or a limited edition print in time for Christmas.    

Mutate Britain ‘One Foot In The Grove’. Open from December 4th every Fri, Sat and Sun until December 20th. Also open every Wednesday in December from 6pm. Check here for the most up to date opening times.

Cot bed by Pete Dunne and Giles Walker

‘Boys Stab Vest, Age 14, Walworth Academy’. This chilling piece is by War Boutique

‘In Dog We Trust’ by Jolly Good (those are real dollar bills)

Tristan Schoonraad ’7′

Dotmasters go to town decorating the newly installed ‘jaguar’ plane by Same Heggerty

Triceratops by Wreckage

Larry by Lyle Doghead makes a reappearance in front of new work by Elate

Chopper paint job by Bleach

Sweaty Paul (Rust Inc)