Kerli: More Than Just Alternative Music

The long awaited album by Estonian artist Kerli is finally out this week. It includes previously released songs Love is Dead and Walking on Air.

As Rick Florino reviews on Artist Direct; “Love is Dead is more than just “alternative music;” it’s alternative art. Kerli’s vision extends far beyond the notes recorded on her CD, and that’s instantly apparent from her twisted fairytale aesthetic…Kerli doesn’t fit in any kind of box. There are flourishes of alt rock, industrial, electronica, metal and trip hop throughout the record. The one thing she does adhere to is the hook. These songs aren’t easily forgotten, because Kerli can carry a melody to oblivion and back. Ultimately, Kerli’s onto something that could be very significant for the disenfranchised, disillusioned 21st century youth.

Love may not be dead after all.”

Banksy Exceeding Expectations, Again

Not surprisingly, Banksy works exceed expectations at London urban art auctions. Two spray paintings by Banksy were sold for an above-estimate 120,000 pounds ($234,000) each in a London sale of urban art recently.

Two pieces of artwork, including the one on the left, had been expected to fetch up to 50,000 pounds and 80,000 pounds each. Both were bought by telephone bidders. The 146-lot sale in an industrial space in Shoreditch, east London, the first of its type ever organized by a regional auction house, totaled 801,204 pounds with fees against an estimate of 672,000 pounds to 977,000 pounds, with 89 percent of the lots sold during the three-hour event, the company said.

Read the full article at Bloomberg

Michael Stipe’s Sculptures and Rogan’s Clothes

Two great events in one post? Fashion designer Rogan is opening a new boutique in New York, and New York magazine reports that R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe will be having an art show there, exhibiting some bronze sculptures he did of cameras and music devices. Said Stipe:

“The radio alarm clock … changed forever the fragile state between sleeping and waking, allowing you to wake to your favorite radio station … The polaroid revolutionized photography by providing instant images available to anyone … Cassettes provided portable, compact music, altering forever the influence of radio as the individual became their own disc jockey.”

The items are not for sale but if you show up on the 27th you can pick up a Rogan Stipe T-shirt.

Read the full article here

Para/site

Have you ever heard of Para/site? No, I’m not talking about lices, fleas or other nasty bugs but about one of Hong Kong’s most progressive contemporary art gallery. Para/Site Art Space is a non-profit art organization in the centre of Hong Kong. We produce, exhibit and communicate local and international contemporary art. Their main activities include presenting an ambitious year programme comprising 10 exhibitions, publications of catalogues and PS magazine, Hong Kong’s only bilingual visual arts publication. To compliment their year programme, seminars, talks and workshops are regularly organised. They also manage another exhibition space – Para/Site Central, the smallest exhibition venue in Hong Kong, which is hosted by Hanart TZ Gallery in Central.

The video above is the interview clip by SO-U.TV with Tobias Berger, the curator.

Viva La Embassy

Embassy is one of the most interesting of new galleries to open in Hong Kong. It is a incubator for new and emerging artists. Meet the founder, Gary Kramer and take a close look at this fascinating new creative space.

“The Embassy is a fully operating art/design house which will open it’s doors to the public for specific events in order to share various types of art in it’s exhibition space. The exhibition space includes a 2,000 sq. ft. balcony which provides unique and exciting possibilities for a variety of events.”

Recent exhibitions include “Inside Whisper” by SAUQUET.

We Will Rock You: The Musical

We Will Rock You, the musical by Queen and Ben Elton is an electrifying show that’s guaranteed to blow your mind. Now is its 6th year on London’s West End, where it continues to play to packed houses. Thas captivated 6 million theatre goers around the world form London to Las Vegas, Toronto to Tokyo and beyond.

We Will Rock You is a futurist adventure set in the year of 2350, a time when live music is banned on earth, but the kids are rebellion, fighting against the all powerful Globalsoft Corporation which controls their lives and feeds them a diet of synthesized pop. The show features 26 of Queen’s legendary hits ncluding Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, Radio GaGa, Another One Bites The Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Tour details for Hong Kong:

Venue	Lyric Theatre
Address	Hong Kong Academy of Performance Arts in Wan Chai
Tel	+852 8203 0299
Price	HK$350 – 895