STREET LEGENDS
This April, Soho Contemporary Art is pleased to present works by photographer Carinthia West in her exclusive New York debut. Carinthia has exhibited her photos in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, The Channel Islands and Marrakech. Her black and white stills of Pink Floyd’s inflatable pig (‘Animals’ album 1977) are currently featured in Pink Floyd’s touring exhibition, ‘Their Mortal Remains’, and her work has appeared in documentaries such as Robin Williams ‘Come Inside My Mind’ and the Rolling Stones’ ‘Crossfire Hurricane’.
‘Hanging Out’ celebrates Carinthia West’s youthful exploits with the Rock ‘n’ Roll legends of the 70’s and 80’s. Documenting her friendships and travels with her trusty Canon, long before the age of digital, West captured the essence of those decades with lightheartedness and honesty. As a writer, journalist, model, and actress, Carinthia drew on her upbringing and social connections to inspire every facet of her work. Thanks to her father, Sir Michael or “The Dancing General” as he was known during his NATO tenure in Washington, D.C., she developed a love of art and music, which she carried with her throughout her professional endeavors.
In this exhibition, she strips back the glamour of makeup and magazines, photographing stars with rare intimacy. One gets to know the landscape of London, France, and L.A. as she experienced it alongside the revolutionary artists of the day. Through Carinthia’s photography, the viewer becomes friends with Mick Jagger, Carly Simon, Helen Mirren, Anjelica Huston, Eric Idle, Ronnie Wood, Cissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall, all the while growing familiar with West’s own life and passions. Her own documentary, also titled ‘Hanging Out’, is currently in production and will chronicle her time as photographer and friend to the stars of the 1970’s. As Ronnie Wood says, “Carinthia was taking pictures while we were getting on with life.”
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NEW YORK, NY, October 20, 2015 – Pop artist Burton Morris is one of the most recognizable names in the world of pop culture. His iconic artworks have graced galleries and museums worldwide. From signature artworks for the Academy Awards, The Summer Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup Soccer to The United Nations and The White House, Burton’s signature energetic pop art style has been ingrained in our culture for over the last 25 years.
His most recent series of 100 unique Coca-Cola inspired paintings, in honor of the 100 year celebration of the Iconic Coca-Cola bottle, will debut at the Soho Contemporary Art gallery in New York City.
Burton Morris » Coke 100 | Press Release
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After his extremely successful show last year at Soho Contemporary Art located at 259 Bowery (at the corner of Houston), ownerRick Rounick has invited award-winning artist Rich Simmons back for a second show entitled, “Misfits”. The exhibition is open to the public October 2 through October 18, 2015.
Simmons became a star on the international art scene after successful solo shows in the United Kingdom. His work exploded onto the commercial art scene when his street art piece celebrating the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton entitled “Future ***King” depicting the royal couple as Sid and Nancy of the Sex Pistols went global within hours of its release! His previous show at Soho Contemporary Art included the well-known controversial portrait of Batman and Superman kissing.
In “Misfits”, Simmons brings his latest works to The Bowery, which includes pop culture imagery such as iconic super-heroes, projecting his opinions and sense of humor on these familiar images. The artist expressed his idea behind the show’s title, “Because this show is a mix of several of my styles and themes, and it is a little bit edgier with pin-up girls with tattoos, DJing in rock shirts, being sexy with American flags, and the sexy Batgirl — while still being my alternative/outsider approach to street/pop/contemporary art — I thought the perfect word to describe all of this is ‘Misfits’.”
Simmons is enthusiastic about returning to The Bowery, “New York is such an exciting city culturally and a lot of artists and art movements that originated in the city have played a huge role in shaping the art I love and the style that inspires me — my style is really inspired by street art, graffiti, pop art and comic books, and New York has been the epicenter for the most iconic artists in these genres.”
The self-taught artist has trail-blazed a whole new genre of street and pop art often inspired by retro, vintage-style 50s imagery using pin-ups and silver-era comic books having a prominent role in his work. Ripping down billboard posters, soaking the layers, pulling them apart and seeing the beauty that lies within creates a form of street-art archaeology and gives posters that were destined to never see the light of day again, a new lease of life. Simmons pastes them onto canvas and creates an urban decay style backdrop for the visuals that deliver a unique texture and result.
The Bowery has been associated with street-art since artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat called the street home. “Rich Simmons’ art is an opportunity for experienced collectors to invest in a painting by a rising star,” states Rounick confidently.
Fans and collectors of Simmons’ work include royalty, celebrities, and musicians — as far as Singapore, Baku, Paris, Dubai, Monaco, London and Miami.
PRESS | Time Out NY |The Knockturnal
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