making ART, NOT ADS

Artsy has collaborated with public art platform W1 Curates London for a site-specific activation. As part of Black History Month in the U.K. and coinciding with Frieze London, Artsy and W1 Curates have transformed the exterior of Flannels London, on Oxford Street, into a public art exhibition in celebration of young Black British artists represented by London galleries.

To be Black and to be British is so often intertwined with complicated notions or projections of wrestling with identity. It is unsurprising that the great artists of our time look inwardly to form the core ideas of their artistic practice, but we must resist the monolithic idea that Black art must represent the inner reckonings of the artist. Artists are storytellers; they draw on the rich histories of themselves, those around them, and the world and refashion them with their own subjectivity to create an endearing view on the world. The visual approaches of Sahara Longe, Adébayo Bolaji, and Lee Simmonds are testament to this.

It began as London’s worst tourist attraction with plants dropping dead from its side within hours. But now the £6 million Marble Arch Mound could be joining the 02 Arena and London Eye as one of London’s underdog tourist spots that shakes its infamous image - thanks to a new light exhibition. While Londoners and tourists initially rushed to the Marble Arch Mound to mock it, the latest figures from Westminster City Council show 114,000 people had been up the mound as of Tuesday. The pop-up attraction has even become a viral sensation thanks to its spectacular art exhibition which has been compared to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s Tate exhibition.

W1 Curates and artist Anthony James’ light exhibition inside the Marble Arch Mound has opened to the public and is free for visitors to enjoy a unique and fully immersive experience. British sculptor, Anthony James, has installed the Lightfield art exhibition which will see light sculptures in three rooms within the Mound temporary exhibition space.

Experience a spectacular light exhibition at the Marble Arch Mound. The Marble Arch Mound, London’s newest outdoor attraction, will feature a, one-off light exhibition by W1 Curates when the 25m tall hill opens to members of the public on Monday July 26. This unique collaboration between Westminster City Council and W1 Curates, as announced today, will offer members of the public an opportunity to enjoy a special art exhibition called Lightfield, led by British/American artist, Anthony James.

The latest outdoor art show at Flannels on Oxford Street features contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey. He is a street artist, graphic designer, activist, and founder of OBEY Clothing and creative agency Studio Number One.

To celebrate the launch of London’s newest 25m-high Mound in Marble Arch, Westminster City Council and W1 Curates present a new fully immersive installation Lightfield by British sculptor Anthony James represented by Opera Gallery.

Angela Olsen has just finished her fashion degree at the University of Leeds and has since been featured by the Graduate Fashion Foundation and her work is now lighting up Oxford Street in London. The University of Leeds is a Graduate Fashion Week member, meaning students are allowed to take part int he GFW competition. Angela entered the competition GFW x W1 Curates and was one of the winners, leading to her work being displayed on Oxford Street on W1 Curates’ gigantic screens.

A fashion design student who went to school in Hertfordshire has had her work displayed on Oxford Street in London. Angela Olsen, 24, a fashion design graduate from the University of Leeds, entered two competitions to have her graduate work showcased, she won them both. Ms. Olsen is originally from South Africa but went to school in Hertfordshire, first at Loretto and then at West Herts College to do a fashion module.

The work of a graduate fashion designer from Hemel Hempstead is lighting up the Oxford Street. Angela Olsen describes seeing her designs on the exterior of Flannels London store as 'surreal'. The 24-year-old, a menswear graduate from the University of Leeds, entered two Graduate Fashion Week competitions to wards the end of her last semester.

How cool is this? This week, as we lead up to GFW21, 50 winning graduates of the W1 Curates Competition have had their work showcased in the heart of London, at the Flannels store on Oxford Street! Their work wraps around 6 huge screens that are three stories high. Couldn’t get a much bigger platform to showcase the graduate’s incredible work than that!

New York City based visual artist and creative director, Jonathan Rosen is collaborating with an art exhibition space this month. Known for his language-based and experiential art, Rosen is installing a dynamic show on W1 Curates state-of-the-art, 36 screen 3-story LED facade in the heart of London’s Oxford Street. From now until June 6th, his iconic pieces titled, I WANT, BIG, DROP and FAMOUS continue his career exploration of human possibility and desire, this time with an emphasis on our universal need to be seen, to be successful, and for many, to be a star.

The art world continues to emerge from the shadow of the pandemic. Helping paint the pathway to brighter days are individuals like New York City visual artist and creative director, Jonathan Rosen.

On Monday 12th April, to celebrate non-essential retail opening in the UK, London's iconic Oxford Street will be transformed into a futuristic work of art by world-renowned light sculptor Anthony James. James' brand-new mesmerizing LED artwork Constellations will be installed across 36 digital canvases over three stories, using 33 million LED lightbulbs that will wrap around the exterior of Flannels Flagship store on Oxford Street in a powerful light display.

From 12th – 26th April the world’s leading contemporary light artist Anthony James will be transforming London’s iconic Oxford Street with a powerful new public artwork Constellations which will be installed across 36 digital canvases over three stories, using 33 million LED lightbulbs, that will wrap around the exterior of Flannels Flagship store on Oxford Street in a powerful light display.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the start of the Clap For Our Carers campaign in the UK. Artist Ian Berry collaborated with Make it Blue along with David Bailey, Keira Knightly and Ringo Starr with art that was displayed on the 36 giant screens of the W1 Curates public art platform, a giant exhibition space covering the exterior of the Flannels fashion store on London’s Oxford Street.

Though the plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street were nixed by Westminster Council a few years ago, there are still plenty of plans to elevate London’s busiest shopping street to new heights. Handily, the street is getting a temporary glow-up this April, as a temporary artwork named ‘Constellations’ will use 33 million LED lightbulbs to illuminate the Flannels flagship store in a blaze of mesmerising light patterns. The change is planned for April 12, to coincide with the return of non-essential retail, and here’s what you can expect.

Andrea Tyrimos joined the #LightItBlue project, it is an initiative that is part of the wider #MakeItBlue campaign in the UK – the campaign encourages people everywhere to share their own messages of gratitude and solidarity to the NHS.

W1 Curates brings the art of PichiAvo to the famous Oxford Street in London. A selection of artworks will be in display over the facade of the new Flannels department store during the whole month of December, the busiest shopping period of the year.

Made You Look is a series of portraits curated by George alongside chef and culinary director Mike Reid.