August/September 20131

Contents

Months in reviewPhotos from our latest events and launch parties, including ‘The Inner Outsider’ and ‘Human Relations’...................................... 2Art & designFashion designer Julien MacDonald describes the artistic inspiration behind his collections ................................................. 6Art gives backRich Simmons founded Art is the Cure to encourage art therapy and create a community for the creative industry ..................................... 8$UW��÷QDQFHCompare The Financial Markets unveil the undermined value of investing in contemporary art ....................................... 11Artist at workCurrent exhibitor at Imitate, Luc Waring, discusses his influences and creative process in this exclusive interview .............. 12Up & comingsA guide to bridging the gap between graduate artists and art collectors, by DegreeArt.com ...................................... 15 Top 5 ArtworksOur Top 5 picks, showcasing artists who are hot right now ............................... 18

Editor’s LetterFALLON KHAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Contributors

The long awaited arrival of IMpressions is finally here! I’m proud to be introducing you to the very first issue of our bi-monthly web magazine – one filled with exclusive interviews and editorials, that I hope will become the go-to guide for contemporary collectors and artists alike.

As a gallery director, a favourite part of my job is championing new talent; and here at Imitate Modern we try to be at the forefront of emerging and avant-garde artistry; pushing boundaries and breaking down walls. IMpressions will be a platform for you to learn about which artists to watch and upcoming trends in the art market; helping you make your choice when it comes to investing and proving the power art can have in our lives.

Along with the ever-changing industry, I am still constantly learning and seeking to inject innovative ideas into our every changing exhibitions, and roster of artists. A recent revelation has been the work of Art Is The Cure, and similar charities, who deserve more public recognition for their efforts in encouraging art therapy. Although the gallery frequently donates and supports various charities, I learnt this month that art therapy is an area woefully underfunded and under appreciated, despite being such an effective method to help a wide range of difficulties. Rich Simmons tells us more about his motivation to set up his foundation in the Art Gives Back section.

Similarly, to see how art can be inspirational for those in other industries, such as it is for fashion designer Julien Macdonald, only enhances the importance of following contemporary trends and always discovering new talent.

I’d like to thank the different contributors who have made this first issue possible, and I hope that you will enjoy this and our future issues as much as my team and myself have had in making it. As usual, we look forward to hearing from you–Twitter, Facebook, Email or Phone, we await your response and any enquiries that you may have!

image from magazine to go here

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27a Devonshire StreetLondonW1G 6PNT: 020 7486 9927W: www.imitatemodern.com

1. Julien Macdonald – Designer and founder of luxury fashion house Julien Macdonald2. Elinor Olisa – Co-founder of online art gallery Degree Art3. Michael Angel Plaza – CEO at Compare The Financial Markets4. Rich Simmons - Artist and founder of Art Is The Cure5. Lara Turner Tompkins – Co-founder of 13 London PR6. Riia Carnegie – Gallery Manager at Imitate Modern

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Months

Reviewin

2

June at Imitate Modern was a huge success, particularly the second solo show from

our resident artist Rich Simmons, which opened to a wonderful response from both

fans and critics alike.

The launch party took place on Thursday 13th June at the gallery and attracted quite

a crowd! Art collectors, journalists, fanatic fans and friends of Rich all joined together

in appreciation of the bold artwork displayed. Notable attendees included fashion

designer Karen Millen and Eastenders star Michelle Collins, as well as ‘Fonejacker’

Kayvan Novak and pop singer Gabriella Cilmi - all keen to show their support for the

launch of Rich’s latest collection and his creative community, Art Is The Cure.

As the DJs kept the party going, BEAT kept the bar flowing, and a steady line of guests

kept turning up to enjoy the atmosphere long past the end of the event. Everyone was

keen to know the story behind the artwork, and Rich was in high demand to disclose

his inspirations as he chatted his way around the room.

The vibrant new collection was so much admired, that most of it was bought on the spot!

With striking pieces, such as ‘Vanities Death Grip’ depicting a skeletal hand holding

Chanel no.5, this comes as no surprise; especially following Rich’s fantastic debut

show ‘Just Be You ’Tiful’ from last year. He has now established himself as a highly

collectable artist, and imaginative innovator, one with a loyal following of collectors

and admirers, and the opening night was certainly a reflection of this.

Months

Reviewin

3

Looking BackWe’ve packed more into this spring and summer than usual with a whole variety of parties and pop-up shows. Here’s a sneak peak at what went on and who made an appearance, including the cast of Made in Chelsea, David Bailey, Jessica Lowndes and Amber Le Bon.

HUMAN RELATIONS The debut exhibition from a talented trio: Sascha Bailey, Fenton Bailey and Mairi-Luise Tabbakh, caused quite a stir, resulting in a fantastic turnout on the opening night as guests and journalists queued up outside to get a glimpse of the seductive collection. The photographs by Fenton and Mairi, exhibited for the first time, produced an elegant exhibition and garnered plenty of praise and attention from the press - especially for the Bailey brothers as they follow in their father’s footsteps, but also for Mairi, whose work was highly admired and her talent appreciated.

Human Relations

What: Human Relations Opening NightWhere: Imitate ModernWhen: Wednesday 1st MayWho: David Bailey, Jessica Lowndes and Thom Evans, Kimberley Garner

Months

Reviewin

4

Looking Back

RICH SIMMONS AT BAKUIn the run up to his second solo show, Rich Simmons was invited to exhibit his work at Baku restaurant in London, displaying a variety of pieces from his last and latest collections. The event and exhibition was organised by Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, as she is an avid art collector and admirer of Rich’s artwork, as well as owner of Baku.

The launch night was a very cool and sophisticated affair, down in Cellar 164 of Baku in Knightsbridge, served up with chilled cocktails, a fiery flame juggler and not forgetting the magician! The select guest list drew in a crowd of art lovers and collectors, amongst businessmen and celebrities, with special guest Amber Le bon on decks for the night.

Rich Simmons at Baku

WHAT: Rich Simmons pop-up showWHERE: Cellar 164, Baku LondonWHEN: Wednesday 24th AprilWHO: Art lovers and celebrities including Amber Le Bon and

Months

Reviewin

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Looking Back

PROUDLOCK’S CARNIVAL ‘78April started with a bang and something of a diversion for the gallery with its first ever entrée into the world of the pop up shop. Collaborating with Oliver Proudlock - Made in Chelsea star and founder of the very cool Serge Denimes clothing brand - we opened Proudlock’s Carnival “78.

The exhibition brought Oliver together with his mother, talented designer and photographer Lena Proudlock, as it was photographs taken by Lena and her ex husband Douglas Villiers during the ‘78 Rio carnival that were the inspiration for the designs on Oliver’s Serge Denimes T-shirts.

The launch night brought out the great and good from the BAFTA winning Made in Chelsea show including Rosie Fortescue, Jamie Laing, Francis Boulle and new cast member Phoebe-Lettice Thompson.

Proudlock’s Carnival ‘78

What: Proudlock’s Carnival Launch PartyWhere: Imitate ModernWhen: Wednesday 10th AprilWho: Fashion bloggers and the cast of Made in Chelsea including Rosie Fortescue, Jamie Lang and Francis Boulle

Art

Design&

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We are always interested in learning about the inspirations behind creative

designs, in any and every medium, so for our very first issue we have called upon Julien

Macdonald to shed light on the art that sparks his imagination and goes onto be the

cornerstone for his designer collections.

Influences between art and fashion have always existed, so designers always source

art as inspiration for collections - whether it be the influence of a certain art movement,

such as the renaissance, or simply as a source of textile design.

A favourite artist of mine is Gustav Klimt, mainly due to the baroque-like decorative

qualities in his paintings; they have always inspired my work. My last collection

especially, drew inspiration from Klimt’s work. I was incredibly inspired by the Adele

Bouer painting - it was the source of ideas for my AW13 shimmer dress with the

metallic coating of the sequins. Beyonce appreciated this inspiration so much that she

chose this piece for the cover shoot of her 2013 world tour: The Mrs Carter Show!

The photograph by Daido Moriyama depicting legs in fishnet tights is a piece I particularly

admire and became a key inspiration for my AW12 season, specifically for my signature

knitwear pieces. The place and pattern of the holes in the tights, and where they sit on

the body, encouraged me to carefully arrange the placement of holes in my designs

and play around with them within my knitwear.

JULIEN MACDONALD

Art

Design&

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When it comes to art, I appreciate and hold opinion on a wide variety of styles and am

fond of many different mediums and genres, ranging from the turn of the century to

more contemporary artists.

I particularly like the work of Francis Bacon, especially his triptychs collection. I find

his work to be so forward thinking and I love the outrage of his pieces in their time.

They have transferred into the modern day seamlessly, and even to this day remain

fresh and contemporary. Damien Hirst is perhaps my favourite contemporary artist.

His butterfly prints are beautiful, and the kaleidoscopic colours they create provide a

great resource to designers when it comes to selecting colours and print design!

JULIEN MACDONALD

,�÷QG�)UDQFLV�%DFRQÙV�work to be so forward

thinking and I love the

outrage of his pieces in

their time.”“

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Art

backgives

RICH SIMMONS

A lot of people dream of getting to do what

they love for a living, I’m lucky enough to have two

dream careers. Aside from my work as an artist

represented by Imitate Modern, I have been running

an art organisation called Art Is The Cure for over

five years now, promoting and raising awareness for

art therapy.

It started with my story about dealing with problems

by using art as my own personal release and it

began to spiral with people being inspired to share

their own stories. It soon took on a life of its own on

a life of its own, with other people learning about

art therapy and realising they were doing the same

thing as me: using creativity to overcome problems.

As people began to learn more about how creative

therapy works and how they could harness it and

inspire friends to do the same, people all around the

world were becoming inspired by my story to go on

and become inspirational for other people.

Artist and founder, Rich Simmons,

tells us about Art is the Cure and

where it is headed.

Created to encourage people to

÷QG�VWUHQJWK�DQG�VXSSRUW�LQ�D�creative community, it inspires

artists to turn troubles into

expressive pieces of art.

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As the movement grew, I spent more time trying to figure out what I wanted Art Is The

Cure to become in the future. I knew I wanted to make art therapy more of a mainstream

idea and an accessible release for people, as well as creating a global community of

people who could share their stories, artwork and ideas with other people.

I debated so many different ideas and paths to go down but I always seemed to come to

the same end result, I needed to find a way to create an online platform where people

from all over the world could come and share content and network and shape the

future of the movement organically by listening to the community and developing tools

and features to allow them to share their stories and art in new ways.

RICH SIMMONS

Art

backgives

People all around the

world were becoming

inspired by my story

to go on and become

inspirational for other

people.”“

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For the last two years, I have been working with my team at AITC to research, develop,

design and build our own innovative social networking platform; designed by artists,

for artists.

Working with Imitate Modern has allowed me to develop and grow my art career in my

own way by giving me the freedom to develop and evolve my art without the pressure of

controlling what my style should be. Having the opportunity to have my own solo gallery

shows is a dream I have had since I was a kid and was the art nerd in school and my

latest show ‘The Inner Outsider’ is the most personal body of work I have ever produced.

The fact that these shows allow me to make a living and fund my other passion with Art

Is The Cure and allow me opportunities to go to schools, run workshops with charities,

develop and build new ways to promote art therapy and hire a team of people to help

me achieve my other dreams makes the gallery shows that much more special for me.

This summer marks the next big chapter in my life, with both the launch of my new

solo show at Imitate Modern and the launch of the social networking platform www.

artisthecure.com. I have put so much of myself into both projects and the work in the

show and the website represent my continued realisation of dreams coming true.

Working with Imitate

Modern has allowed me

to develop and grow my

art career, giving me the

freedom to develop and

evolve.”“

RICH SIMMONS

Art

backgives

Art

)LQDQFH&

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Seasoned art enthusiasts, art dealers, and auction houses have, on occasion, made mistakes and lost on paintings/art they thought were investment grade. This is where we come in…Utilising our years of experience, and a global network of art experts and contacts, we have compiled seven essential tips to consider when taking the plunge in contemporary art investment:

1. Value – or perceived valueValue is not only found in the artist, but in the quality of a given work. Always buy the best you can afford. This requires understanding and a certain amount of expertise in the artist’s repertoire.2. Go for QualityIt may sound obvious but go for quality. Choose a piece by an artist you believe truly represents their best style and execution. With this in mind always aim towards the top end of your budget – essentially, the best you can afford.3. Do your researchLeave nothing to chance. Thoroughly investigate previous auction prices, current gallery prices and visit art fairs where the artist is displaying their work. Artists can be represented by several galleries and a simple internet search will identify those holding stock of the artist you wish to invest in.4. TrendsIt pays to keep your finger on the pulse – what’s hot, and what’s not. Understand what is fashionable and keep up-to-date with the latest blogs, journals and magazines.5. Avoid bargainsIf a work fails to sell at auction (or at successive art fairs), the market will consider it ‘burned’ and in layman’s terms – not worth much. It can then be purchase at a reduced price – but be prepared to hold it for a while before returning it to the market. Even then, most collectorswill have access to its online sales history, making it tricky to earn a significant profit should you try to sell it within ten years.

6. ProvenanceEnsure you research the work’s history; where and when it was painted, and insist on a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) with your purchase, which is often produced by either the gallery or the artist. If purchasing printsopt for limited editions – signed and numbered by the artist – if possible.7. FramingA good quality frame will not only protect the work, but can also transform it and increase its value. Contact a framer to ascertain what will work for you and go for top-end.

As with all financial outlays, there are many factors to consider if you decide contemporary art is a suitable investment for you.

For a free consultation contact:michael@comparethefinancialmarkets.com

www.comparethefinancialmarkets.com

The comparatively poor performance of traditional asset classes in recent years – stocks, shares, bonds, property and precious metals – has driven the search for greater returns via alternative investments. At Compare The Financial Markets we understand every investment carries an element of risk.This may appear as if we are stating the obvious but it’s a vital consideration when weighing up your investment options.In the last five years – the most turbulent, financially, in a century – traditional investment options have been out-performed by a stylish new kid on the block… contemporary art.According to Bloomberg, sales of Impressionist, Modern, Post-war and Contemporary Art in London and New York amounted to $3.8 billion in 2012, up from $3 billion the previous year.Of course, everyone’s taste is different – the world would be a boring place otherwise – but a canny investment could literally be worth its weight in gold.With links at some of the world’s most prestigious galleries, CTFM is able to bring you invaluable insight and knowledge into a complex investment sector where knowing the idiosyncrasies will help you make an informed decision on an art purchase.

The 60 x 40 inches edition Birkin series from Tyler Shields sold for £60,000, a huge increase in value since his first show at Imitate Modern three years ago where the same size was originally priced at £4,000.

��([SHUW�7LSV�)RU�$Q\�3RWHQWLDO�&RQWHPSRUDU\�$UW�,QYHVWRU

Top ten art sales in 2012.

1. Munch’s ‘The Scream’ ($119.9 million)2. Mark Rothko’s fiery ‘Orange, Red, Yellow’ ($86.9 million) 3. Rothko’s ‘No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)’ ($75.1 million)4. A Raphael drawing ($47.8 million)5. A Li Keran watercolour landscape by the

20th-century Chinese ($46 million)6. Roy Lichtenstein’s 1964 painting ‘Sleeping Girl’

($44.9 million)7. Francis Bacon’s ‘Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror’

tied with the Lichtenstein ($44.9 million) 8. Andy Warhol’s 1962 ‘Statue of Liberty’ ($43.8 million)9. A Claude Monet painting of water lilies tied with

the Warhol ($43.8 million)10. Picasso’s 1932 painting of his young mistress

Marie-Therese Walter ($41.5 million)

workatArtist

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LUC WARING

1 Your art work is heavy with irony. Where do you get your inspiration from?

During the last couple of years my work has been inspired by advertising and its relationship with our ideologies and beliefs, which of course permeates into our everyday lives, identity and behaviour.

2 Do you need to be in a certain frame of mind to work?

During the last couple of years my work has been inspired by advertising and its relationship with our ideologies and beliefs, which of course permeates into our everyday lives, identity and behaviour.

3 Music being important to you, what music do you listen to you while you’re creating?

Although I have all types of music on my iPod, without exception, when you see me with my headphones on I’ll be listening to house music mixed by a couple of very good friends of mine. They’re actually a married couple who together make up one artist called Maxology – Maxine usually chooses the music and Olly will mix it in.. They play the best house music by far; I’ve searched literally everywhere for someone else to listen to but no one has lived up to them - it’s a real shame as I’ve listened to their mixes an unhealthy amount of times.

)RU�PH��DUW���HVSHFLDOO\�RI�D�VRFLR�SROLWLFDO�QDWXUH���LV�WKH�ODVW�KRSH�IRU�D�world which I believe is

at a critical crossroad in

human history. ”“

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4 What materials do you use to create your work? Why do you choose these mediums over others?

This year has been particularly exciting in terms of medium. The mediums I’ve been working closely with are photo etch, collage, screen-printing, lithography, aerosol and stencil, and self initiated essays on subjects that I have a passion for. I’ve also been experimenting with dark room developing, cloths, video and music. In all of these I like to integrate materials from popular culture, most commonly magazine adverts and newspaper articles – to me these are the internationally relevant ‘ready mades’ of today.

One of the reasons I work in so many different mediums is that I know I am young and I still need to build my visual and artistic vocabulary. I also just love playing with them. One of the reasons for my recent exploration into video and music is to reach people who may not regularly attend art galleries.

Commercially, people will recognise my spray paint and stencil work, taught to me over an intense, incredible two year period with Maximilian Wiedmann.

5 How long does it take you to create a piece of work?

In most cases several months to a year.

From my solo show in August onwards, any pieces seen outside of the studio will have had a long history of development, built up of extensive trial and error and changes of mediums – not to mention the research from books, lectures and essays done beforehand. All of my new work is comprised of this ever growing journey of different elements of research and processes.

As mentioned earlier concept is everything to me, and this takes up just as much time as the visual aspect of my work. Sometimes I won’t go into the studio for months. This year especially I have been sneaking into a lot of lectures to fuel and consolidate my concepts, as well as spending a lot of time in the library. During my research periods I write papers, usually linking these concepts and my own thoughts to art and society. For now I will be keeping this part of my practice under the table, but not for too long - the one thing I have publicly released was a paper on ‘The role of Sociopolotical art in the 21st century’s mass media fuelled culture’ – even this is not finished, but I felt it was important for people to be able to contribute to.

Academic writing playing such a crucial role in my practice I can definitively see myself combining the two in due time.

LUC WARINGworkatArtist

6 Do you have any famous fans of your work?

Every now and then I’m told that someone interesting has bought my work but I hardly ever find out who. There are a few famous people who have said they liked my work, Kate Moss, Jasper Conran and Hugo Taylor to name three.

7 When did you know that you wanted to be an artist?

As far as I can remember I have always loved art. I grew up in the art world, my mother went to Saint Martins, my father was an architect, my grandfather, great grandfather and so on were all artists. Art is scattered everywhere at my childhood home and runs through nearly every aspect of my life. 14

8 What artists inspire you?

I have been incredibly lucky that most of the artists who inspire me and resonate with me artistically are actually alive today, and I have taken full advantage of that fact. Kristian Von Hornsleth and Maximilian Wiedemann are currently my two favourite living artists. I have been unbelievably lucky to have been taken under the wing of these two incredible figures, they do a great job at mentoring me and they both mean a lot to me personally. Both are socio-political artists and both are masters of their two completely different styles.

Nevertheless some artists do mainly inspire me aesthetically, such as Warhol and Lichtenstein, although of course they both have a strong conceptual element to their work. Duchamp, Victor Burgin and Rembrandt are also names that I just have to mention although there is still a huge portion of inspiration that I get from figures outside of the art world.

9 Which figures outside of the art world inspire you?

My all time hero has to be Hegel, a German philosopher who’s ideas pretty much paved the way for modern European philosophy. His main point is his disposition that there is an inevitable ‘utopian destination’ in human history, the ‘condition of absolute knowing’ he calls it. I truly believe in what he is saying and feel making this idea a reality is a worth dedicating my life to.

10 What is your opinion on the current art market? Is it hard for an upcoming artist to get recognition?

On the bright side the art market is gaining a lot of new wealthy art collectors who were previously investing in the stock market and antiques, but have realised that the profit margins in art are now much higher. Unfortunately for up and coming artists, these collectors usually go for more established names, although of course there will always be the collectors who take the risk with up and coming artists like myself.

11 Finally what is your favourite piece of work by another artist?

It’s impossible to pin down just one piece out of so many. I love Duchamp’s Urinal, for it’s power, minimalism and brute revolutionary innovation. But for their unapologetic determination to paint what was needed at the time, Turner’s ‘The Slave Ship’ and Rembrandt’s ‘The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis’ have to be right up there.

I believe in making a mark on society not in society.

LUC WARINGworkatArtist

Untitled 000360by Peter Matyasi

ELINOR OLISA

I t has been 10 years since DegreeArt.com was

founded with the intention of bridging the gap

between student and graduate artists and the art

buying public online.

Established to combat the barriers faced by our then

contemporaries, as they emerged from university

and embarked on their careers as artists, we look

back at how the situation facing emerging artists,

what has changed and how buyers can start to

identify tomorrow’s talent.

Isobel and I were struck in 2003 by two main issues

that were barriers to entry of the Art World faced by

newly graduated artists:

1) A distinct lack of marketing and business training

within their degree.

2) The lack of preparation for the loss of community

that can occur when students graduate and leave

the University environment.

Up

Comings&

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So how are emerging contemporary artists being prepared for and navigating their

journey towards achieving successful, sustainable careers, in the sector they have

been formally trained, today?

It has always mystified us that all Fine Art courses do not include a regular and

compulsory module about marketing yourself as an artists. But they don’t. The need

to think commercially would only rarely be mentioned, in hushed tones reserved

otherwise for the uttering of terrible curses! However, all artists will essentially be

operating as a sole traders the moment they sell their first piece and there are legal

elements involved that must be abided by but, even more so, being an artist is akin to

running your own business. Understanding this is essential to success but does not

come naturally to many artists and so needs teaching. We are pleased (and relieved)

to report that more and more universities are now incorporating this fundamental

element into their teaching and that services, designed specifically for artists such

as Artquest and Jotta are doing a fantastic job of providing advice and information

to artists.

ELINOR OLISA

Up

Comings&

Wild Incantation by Louise McNaught

Woman With Hand Mirror by Louise Howard

Floating in Blue by Wendy Hyde

A Secret to Success: Set aside a specific amount of time to work on the admin and marketing side of yourself.

Down paintbrushes and spend an hour a day, a day a week telling the world about what you are doing and seek help with the business planning and running side of what you do if it does not come naturally.

Client Tip: Ensure that the gallery you are buying from provides you with a Certificate of Authenticity and that the work you are buying is signed by the artists and if buying a limited edition print that it is numbered.

Being alone is a well-documented affliction and almost a pre-requisite faced by artists. It can occur all a sudden, apparently without warning to the best of us at the end of a degree course. No matter how strong friendship are, when artists are asked to leave their campus studio space and their fellow students disband to their place of origin, their support community of three years instantly evaporates. This is a fact of university life that can’t be avoided and something that artists need to plan and prepare for.

A Secret to Success: Artist who secure a studio space to continue their work from, plan an exhibition and form or join a collective of artists to ensure they have a support network in the months following graduation.

Client Tip: Many collectives and artist studio spaces hold regular open days. Look up which studios are near you and pay them a visit. Artists Abigail Box, who is a member of Unit 3, Rebecca Molloy, Patrick Simkins an Jemma Grundon who are members of artist collective Repre are shining examples of how the solitary life of the artist can benefit from the support of a community.

We often have to tell clients that they don’t need a degree in art history, a subscription to an ‘arty’ magazine or recent ticket stub from a blockbuster exhibition in their pocket to be able to have an opinion on, purchase or collect art. Traditionally the Art World has functioned in a shroud of ‘mystery’ which has meant that art ownership has seemed beyond the reach of many but the Internet and savvy artists are changing this for the better. In this day and age it is becoming easier for talented, promising artists to have a fighting chance at success and it is easier than ever for clients to discover, purchase ad invest in the artists of the future. In conclusion, artists choosing Fine Art at university will have significant, financial hurdles to overcome when starting their degrees but we predict that the graduates, who desire a place in the commercial Art World, of today will be better equipped than ever to achieve success.

Advice for the graduates of 2013

manage your online reputation with great care. Be selective about where and how their work is represented online and offline.

relationships and give these relationships a chance to develop.

schemes aimed at exploiting artists but seek appropriate advice

in mutually beneficial collectives.

a brand. Market your brand at every opportunity.

ELINOR OLISA

Up

Comings&17 Bloom by Laura Fishman

Side Of The Track by Merlin Ramos

Top

Artworks518

With every issue, the Imitate Modern team will be bringing you our Top 5 picks,

showcasing artists who are hot right now, both from our collections and the wider

world of contemporary art.

1. VANITIES DEATH GRIP by Rich Simmons

In the top spot this issue, we have the signature piece from our last exhibition ‘The

Inner Outsider’ by Rich Simmons. We are mesmerized by the sheer boldness of the

work, and the power of the contrast between the dark skeleton hand against the

delicate bottle of Chanel no.5. It’s interesting to see the rough textures of the artist’s

innovative ‘reclaimed billboard’ technique fused together with with the clean graphic

stencil work. The series included numerous variations of this piece, in different colour

ways and sizes, which together made quite an impression in the exhibition but work

just as well as a stand alone piece!

2. LEANING by Tyler Shields

This image has us all obsessed with the whole collection! This ‘Suspense’ series sees

Tyler Shields step back from his usual shocking style in a move towards a more artistic

and technically astounding aesthetic. Though the shock comes when you consider

these scenes weren’t set up with props or stuntmen, but feature familiar faces such

as Emma Roberts, daringly leaping and falling through the air. We especially admire

how the form of the falling man visually continues the side-line of the shape he is

standing on, creating a diagonal that cuts through the composition and enlivens the

piece, offering a real sense of movement despite the stagnancy.

1

2

Top

Artworks5

19Design by: Lucy Yates www.lucyyates.biz 07961 857333

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5

3. UNTITLED (Blue) by Stik

Stik is always a hot topic at the gallery, especially recently with his incredibly successful

project with Big Issue earlier this year. The project saw poster prints of Stik’s iconic

figures released in each issue of the magazine with avid fans and art collectors

desperate to collect all four colours produced. This blue piece is the original canvas

which will be used to recreate the same project in Japan later this year. We all truly

admire how Stik is able to create such a visually simplistic yet bold image, that explains

a human feeling that is so complexed and intricate, creating a contrast between the

primitive five lines and a circle he uses, against the murky and complexed emotion that

he translates.

4. EROS by Mairi-Luise Tabbakh

This image screams sex, lust and promiscuity! We love how Mairi has managed to

capture such an overt sexual scene with a real feminity to it, that derives from the

delicate treatment of shadows and highlights that seem to blend over the skin in a

creamy and romantic manner. Mairi has a real talent to capture sexuality and beauty of

the female body, whilst retaining a sense of grace and admiration and celebrating the

beauty of the female form.

5. SWAGGER by FinDAC

FinDAC has a natural talent for creating stunning achromatic images, using splashes

of vivid colours as a focus point and physiological intensity within each image. What we

truly love is that each FinDAC work is hand finished and unique, each image bursting

with textures and tones.