The Warmongery by Lucy Sparrow At BoxPark London

The Warmongery is the second in a series of large installations by Lucy Sparrow, the textile artist who brought the outstandingly successful Cornershop to East London in the summer of 2014. This is the artist’s fourth solo show and her third major installation in East London.

Visitors walking into The Warmongery will be entering an armoury where the walls are lined with an arsenal of felt guns, knives, pistols and explosives. Purchasers of weapons will receive a felt firearm licence while behind the counter there will be a range of biological and chemical weapons, dispensed from sweetshop jars. Shop assistants in full biohazard suits will be checking visitors to The Warmongery for traces of radiation and bacteria while the more discerning arms shopper will be able to discuss a range of bespoke felt nuclear devices with the artist.

Sparrow comments, “The aim of The Warmongery is to draw people’s attention to what drives a few individuals to stockpile weapons and to ask why people are growing up in a world where a tiny minority feel so stressed and frustrated that they want to kill people. Although the exhibition isn't intended to be a glorification of guns, what is clear is that obesity, alcohol, tobacco and drugs claim far more lives than firearms do in our high-stress society. Rather than banning guns we should look at better mental health treatment because if people are stressed they will always find a way to unleash their distress. The Warmongery hopes to decouple the subject of guns from mental illness.”

Despite the serious subject matter, The Warmongery promises to be an ingenious installation and is open for just a very short time. Visitors will judge for themselves what the artist is saying and engage with weapons in a way that will completely disarm the viewer.

Lucy Sparrow’s Warmongery is open to the public from Tuesday, 12th May and runs until the 17th May 2015.
BOXPARK, 2 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6GY. All work will be available at www.sewyoursoul.co.uk from 2 May 2015.

Beautiful Crime & Microsoft 'The Art of Doing More' Exhibition

To celebrate the launch of the new Surface 3, available from 7 May – Microsoft has teamed up with modern art company Beautiful Crime and 11 contemporary artists to create The Art of Doing More, a pop-up exhibition in London’s Finsbury Avenue Square.

The free, four-day exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 7 May and will feature 101 original pieces created using the Surface 3 from the likes of Carne Griffiths, Saroj Patel, D*Face, Chuck Elliott, Pascal Barker, Pam Glew.

The first eligible 100 people to purchase a Surface 3 at The Art of Doing More will be gifted one of the exclusive artworks and will also be in with a chance of winning a unique piece of work by street artist D*Face.

Ruthie Holloway, creative director at Beautiful Crime said: “As the art world increasingly intersects with digital technology, artists are exploring the possibilities of meshing art with technology more and more. The Surface project has given the artists we work with a fantastic opportunity to combine creativity, art and technology in ways they hadn't done before.”

Surface 3 is available to purchase in the UK from 7 May starting at £419.00

Exhibition opening times:
- Thursday 7 May – 8am-8pm (drinks served from 5pm-8pm)
- Friday 8 May – 8am-8pm (drinks served from 5pm-8pm)
- Monday 11 May – 8am-8pm
- Tuesday 12 May – 8am-8pm

Broadgate Welcome Centre, 1-2 Exchange Arcade, Finsbury Avenue Square EC2M 3WA

Eduardo Kobra's new piece in Dubai – UAE

Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra has just finished a new painting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The painting, entitled as “The Bedouin”,  is 26 meters high by 11 meters wide." The artist has shared some images of this impressive work with us.

MauMau Power To The Sheeple London Exhibition

Oh the General Election...the baying of MPs and party leaders, the bleating of party slogans, the shepherding of voter loyalties... you could be forgiven for thinking the whole thing's a bit of a farmyard ruckus.

One of the UK's best known satirical street artists, Mau Mau, returns to London's Westbank Gallery with new show Power To The Sheeple on May 7th - the day the country goes to the polls. Taking an Animal Farm theme this 3 day pop up show takes a cheeky swipe at the process of politics. As ever, political commentary comes with a healthy sense of humour, with the gallery playing host to a cast of Mau characters on canvas and in installation - from ballot box battery hens and sheep as they haven't been seen before to porcine forces of order and Mau fox deviancy.

Mau Mau is an artist who continues to walk the line between the street and the gallery. His prints, featuring iconic characters and commentary that reflects the times, sell out within minutes. Sell out shows in Tokyo (where he has exhibited 5 times) and London confirm the collectability of his work.

Exhibition opens 7th May with a private view 6 — 9pm
West Bank London Art, 133-137 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2RS.