One of the highlights of Berlin’s Gallery Weekend 2011 is for sure the showcase of Chinese artist Ai WeiWei. At the gallery space at neugerriemschneider in Berlin, the artist is showing this week two new pieces of works, entitled ‘Rock’ and ‘Tree’. While the artist is still being detained by Chinese authorities, this exhibition is even more relevant. Amnesty International supporters lined up in front of the gallery, which also put up a massive “Where Is Ai WeiWei” sign on their building.

His two works shown at the gallery were executed using ancient Chinese handcraft traditions. The porcelain stones were made in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, where porcelain production originates. They surround two trees that have been built from fallen trunks collected in the moutaineous regions of southern China. The tree fragments have been interlocked using a classic Chinese techniques. Together the installation of the works calls to mind a traditional Chinese garden.

The exhibition runs until June 4th, 2011.

Gallery Space at neugerriemschneider
Linienstrasse 155
Berlin
Germany

Photography: Curated Magazine

Many more images of the new Ai WeiWei works follow after the jump.

Japanese artist Haroshi recently opened his new “Future Primitive” exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York City.

” In Future Primitive, the artist will introduce subject matter inspired by the city of New York. Haroshi’s work reflects his unique perspective as a skate enthusiast with Japanese heritage, in that his technical approach to sculpture combines the influence of time-honored traditional methods of his homeland with the spirit of innovation and technology inherent in its contemporary culture.

Haroshi creates full-scale, three-dimensional, wooden sculptures with used skateboard decks. As a medium, skate decks differ from natural wood in that they are a processed material. Their size, shape and contours vary according to manufacturing brand and model. With his personal experience and vast knowledge, Haroshi is able to determine which skateboards fit together seamlessly. After a careful selection process, Haroshi stacks his chosen decks into layers, cuts mosaic pieces, assembles them into a desired shape and meticulously carves each form by hand with skilled precision. He achieves a colorful, striped pattern by stacking the boards with keen attention to the exposed rails (outer edges) rather than applying paint. Haroshi occasionally incorporates naturally broken boards in their original shattered form, creating textural contrast between smooth silhouette and splintered, raw edge. He also re-purposes discarded grip tape as a tool to sand and finish the surface before applying final seal.

Haroshi’s wooden mosaic technique is similar to the ancient Japanese tradition of building wooden Buddhas, in order to conserve materials and minimize the weight of the statue. Unkei, a master sculptor in 12th Century Japan, specialized in Buddha figures and used to place a crystal called Shin-gachi-rin (meaning new moon circle) in the position of the statue’s heart, to represent its soul. Haroshi takes a similar approach in his creative process, as many of his sculptures contain a metal object concealed within the shell of layered skateboards. This is sometimes a broken skateboard part from the artist’s collection or another object with personal significance. Haroshi describes this practice as “giving a soul” to the sculpture. Additionally, he produces X-rays of these works in order to reveal the objects hidden inside.”

The exhibition runs until May 14th, 2011, so make sure to pass by.

Photography by Jake Breinholt for CuratedMag.com.

Check out a complete recap of the exhibition after the jump.

American artist Mike Leavitt is known for his toy sculptures of other famous artists. The latest one that he finished is the above Takashi Murakami 10 inch action figure, fusing the artist with one of his iconic designs. The sculpture can be purchased through Jonathan Levine Gallery.

Robert Bradford has made a name for himself with his recycled toy sculptures. The idea of each toy having a history, a story to tell, is actually more important to the artist than the fact that they are being re-used rather than being thrown away. The outcome is at time beautiful and detailed, most of the time life size, sometimes even larger.

Take a look at his work after the jump.

Takashi Murakami, an artist that we have followed and admired for quite some time now, has recently opened his most comprehensive and complete exhibition to date at the MOCA in Los Angeles. The exhibition his showing works from the early days up until now and has a vibrant mix of paintings and sculptures. The ones among you that cannot make it to the exhibition have the chance to get an idea of what there is to see here thanks to the Hundreds.
The museum also worked with Louis Vuitton and set up a store selling collaborative items of the French luxury brand and the artist, a collaboration that has already been going on a couple of years.
Now have a look after the jump at one of moderns art most influential artists and enjoy.

Here are some pictures of the “Skate Life: Skateboard Inspired Sculptures and Paintings” by J. Shea and Freddi C. exhibition, that is currently going down at the Gallery 1988 in San Francisco.
The artworks and sculptures look great and the amount of detail is very impressive. Also these works are especially refreshing in comparison to all the vinyl toys and sculptures that we see these past years. Pics via Notcot.
Check out more pictures of the show after the jump.