Sorry for the lack of posts last week but for once there’s a good reason. I spent all last week mooching around NYC, checking out art shows, catching up with friends, getting sunburned and generally sussing the place out ready for my return visit in September. Here are some photos.
View the full set at my Flickr page.
Another new little feature to the blog, Past Blasts, memories of good times gone by. To start, a few photos from a trip I took to Japan back in 2008.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some bad news. The details are still unclear but around 3am this morning a large explosion lit up the sky above the Large Hadron Collider that circles the Swiss French boarders. Witnesses say what appeared to be a porthole appeared above the CERN compound, and from out of this porthole, ‘they’ appeared.
An army of gargantuan demons crawled through this hell hole and have begun to obliterate the surrounding areas. Creatures born in a dimension so unlike our own that their hideous forms, constructed in a way that no sane human mind could ever dream of, are literally scaring people to death. Those who are surviving the site of these beasts are being driven insane, totally incapable to comprehend the scenes around them.
There is 1 human however who DID dream of this most hellish of places, and these creatures are pouring through the porthole speaking his name, his name is Skinner and he’s been painting these ‘things’ for years.
Skinner’s friends and family have reported that he was taken away by government officials early this morning, against his will and to an unknown location. The only clue is a discarded document found in Skinner’s bedroom that is titled ‘The Bunker’. This is what it said.
We have learned of a threat that will almost certainly end the world as we know it. Luckily for you, we have saved you a room in a top secret underground facility known as The Bunker.
Space inside The Bunker is limited, but you’re allowed 10 items to hopefully ease the pain of the apocalypse and keep you comfortable in your underground abode, while life on the surface is almost certainly wiped out by a catastrophic event. Please complete the form below and return it as soon as possible.
TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
S: Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
(Because we’ve already shown Thriller thanks to Mysterious Al’s Bunker entry, I’ll upload this version. Thriller as performed by inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines. Which is way more scary than the original in my opinion).
TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
This is probably the only situation that I would request a landscape in my life but something by one of those Hawaiian artists that paint realistic waves crashing in the moonlight.
Something like this then?
TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
S: The biggest goddamn choose your own adventure book I could find.
TB: You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
S: Point break.
TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
S: My sweet baby Kristie can have one of the bunks or she can sleep in mine with me and Rasheed Wallace can have the other one.
TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
S: A glass pipe forged by Zeus himself.
TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
S: The heavy newer mix of dopesmoker by Sleep.
TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
S: A big ass Vegan Indian food buffet! Get to work!
TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?
S: Of my mom taking me to see the Hulk at Toy’s R’ Us when I was 5.
TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
S: Some rats fuckin’.
TB: Thank you for your co-operation. We will do our best to satisfy your needs and we wish you a pleasant stay in The Bunker.
S: No problem and don’t forget the weed!
Skinner is exhibiting work at Okay Mountain in Austin Texas until May 29th. A big group show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome in July will be graced with more of his darkness as will a group show in NYC at Bold Hype Gallery on June 3rd. A giant solo show at White Walls, San Francisco in August is also on the cards. For those of us who can’t quite stretch to an original piece of work, Skinner’s website will soon be updated with a new Shop section where us mere mortals can purchase affordable prints and t-shirts, sweet!
Good morning freaks. Tuesday is upon us once more, and you know what that means, TRAILER TRASH. Some beauties today, please enjoy, comment, feedback, suggest, discuss, you get the idea.
A shocking trailer but amazing movie. THE childhood fantasy classic in my opinion.
Everything a trailer should be. Great editing, brilliant soundtrack and more interestingly, no dialogue. By the time you get to the end not only are you sucked in and on edge, your new number 1 priority in life is to see this movie.
I opted for the Blu-ray trailer here over the original Japanese, it just flows better and shows more of the footage you really wanna see, like Tetsuo’s transformation.
More next week!
The postcard packs I had printed featuring work from my last show The Colour Out Of Space are finally online and available to buy in the ‘Prints’ section of my website eelus.com
8 lovely litho postcards per pack for only £6 + postage. Here’s a few of my favorites from the pack.
Lung Mixture
Firestarter
Not Everything is so Black & White
Icarus
In an unknown location, an underground facility of unknown size, situated an unknown distance below the surface of the Earth is being readied to house the world’s elite when the shit hits the fan. Some say it’s the size of London, the only access is a secret hatch in the back room of a Wigan pie shop. Others whisper it’s merely the size of a small petting zoo, situated a mile below an allotment in Margate; the only access through a fake potting shed.
This underground facility is known simply as The Bunker, and the people behind (or rather, inside), The Bunker are making a list. A list of people they want inside and safe for when the milk turns sour and this little planet of ours decides to rid itself of the human race. Much like a dog shaking itself of fleas.
On the list this week is non other than the incredible artist and master craftsman, Kris Kuksi. Spending much of his youth in seclusion, isolated in rural Kansas, his imagination would become his savior from the trials of what seems like a difficult home environment. An introverted individual, Kris breathes life into the darkest, yet most beautiful of arts.
Recurring themes of death, war, gods and monsters are constant in his sculptures, which to me have become much more than pieces of art. Each sculpture is alive, dust and damnation rattling around the ancient lungs hidden behind the breathtaking detail.
Like many of the other artists that have inspired me for years, Kris is a nonconformist. He stays true to himself and true to his vision, no matter how grotesque that vision may appear to others. And I’m sure it’s this lack of fear to walk his own path that has granted him access into The Bunker.
You know the drill folks. Kris has been allowed 10 items, space inside The Bunker is limited. Here’s what he requested.
TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
KK: Beck’s New Pollution.
TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
KK: Bouguereau’s Evening Mood.
TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
KK: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
KK: THX 1138
TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
KK: The one on the bottom for me.
TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
KK: A bird fetus I have in a small jar since I was 17.
TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
KK: Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring
TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
KK: Grilled Salmon with a side of fresh vegetables and creamed corn. And some modest red wine.
TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?
KK: When I was 9 and my grandmother would take me for walks along the Arkansas river.
TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
KK: Japanese snow monkeys relaxing in a hot spring.
Thank you for your co-operation. We will do our best to satisfy your needs and we wish you a pleasant stay in The Bunker.
The Bunker Administration Team.
You can check out all of Kris’s work at http://kuksi.com and you can pre-order his new book Divination And Delusion by clicking HERE. It’s certainly going to be a welcomed addition to my already freakishly dark bookshelf.
Check back next Friday when we’ll have news of another brand new Bunker applicant.
I made this illustration today, based on ancient Sumerian statues of the the Mesopotamian Goddess Ereshkigal. She was the ruler of the Underworld, Queen of the dead and obviously right up my street.
She’ll eventually be a central part to a larger piece that will be used in a future project, but I’ll tell you more about that later 
Here’s an actual relief of Erishkigal that I used as reference. I decided to ditch her 2 owls for the moment, but will hopefully be able to squeeze them into the final piece, simply because owls rule.
I’ve always loved the statue of Pazuzu, the Babylonian King of the Demons of the Wind; more famously known from the The Exorcist movies as the demon who crawled into Regan, making her get personally aquainted with a crucifix and vomit pea soup.
I used his upper wings as reference instead of the wings on the original relief. Having them raised seems more confrontational as well as increasing her overall size and making more impact.
To celebrate the 1st birthday of the awesome Breaks Of 10 website, they agreed to curate this weeks Trailer Trash. Unlike a typical 1 year old, this charming baby of a site decided that crawling was for…well…babies, and so decided to skip that stage of it’s development to give running a go. It’s been running at full speed since day one and hasn’t banged it’s head yet.
Going from strength to strength, Breaks Of 10 showcase inspirational talent from across the globe, whether it be art, music, fashion or photography. Offering exclusive mixtapes by guest DJ’s, interviews and other downloadable content, the site is definitely one to bookmark. The effort put into the photography throughout the site is a personal highlight.
So without further ado, here’s this weeks TRAILER TRASH courtesy of Breaks Of 10.
‘Tarantino’s testament to the martial arts genre that captured my imagination through my early teens. Lovely references to some of my favourite kung fu movies, amazing soundtrack, and cast to match. Not to mention this was hyped as the 4th film from the man himself. Couldn’t wait to catch the flick at the cinema. Awesome popcorn movie start to finish, and what makes it all the better… there was vol.2.’
‘And then simply because its an amazing trailer…’
‘How can you not want to see this movie after this trailer. Job done!’
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