AOI Illustration Awards 2013 Shortlist

Good news! My work in Mark Magazine has been shortlisted for the 2013 AOI Illustration Awards in the Editorial – New Talent category. Luckily the creature didn't set his paw on Somerset House!

Title - The Circle!

Client - Frame Publishers

Published in Mark Magazine #39 

Mark Magazine #39

I am happy to have been featured in the Cross Section of the August/September issue of Mark Magazine. The article includes a short interview by Silvie Schaefer together with images of the illustrations inspired by the Barbican Estate and Guy's Hospital in London Bridge, which has been recently dwarfed by the Shard. I have taken a few photos of the magazine against the weathered wooden floor of our flat in East London. This issue has a strong focus on the future plans for the Olympic park. I found particularly interesting the article on architects firm Cadaval & Solà-Morales.

A Catalan Weekend in London – Aftermath

It's been already a week since the Catalan weekend happened at Rich Mix. There was some delicious food and drinks that livened up the opening party and in turn made me feel homesick. But also, some interesting screenings like cinematographer Xavi Amoros's music video for Fyfe Dangerfield.

I very much enjoyed Mireia Ros's documentary 'Barcelona, abans que el temps ho esborri', about the golden age of Catalan bourgeoisie through the rise and fall of the Baladia family, the first to introduce the locomotive in Spain in mid XIX century. It helped me understand the past and in some ways the present of Barcelona and the Costa Brava, the coastal region of the North East of Catalonia.

Photos by Sin Fin Cinema. Artwork by Pau Ros and Lidia Casas.

A CATALAN WEEKEND IN LONDON

Here's the flyer of A CATALAN WEEKEND IN LONDON, the first instalment of a series of events exploring Spanish cultural identity and linguistic diversity curated by Sin Fin Cinema.

I am lucky to have been selected to represent Catalan new tendencies this weekend at Rich Mix. I will be exhibiting some of my architecture illustration and animation work together with established artists in the fields of photography, video and music, among others.

Catalonia is an autonomous region in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, roughly outlined by the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean Sea, and the regions of Aragon and Valencia which formerly were part of the Kingdom of Aragon. Its capital is Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain after Madrid and my hometown.

But that's in a very tiny nutshell. Come down to Rich Mix on the 1st and 2nd of June if you want to get a glimpse of the past, present and future of Catalonia. There's so much to know!

Check out the programme here.

The Circle's on Fire!

Last entry about the Barbican inspired works. This time it's the Circle, and he's hot! Yeah, because he's eaten a very spicy chilli and needs to drink water from the Thames to cool himself down. People at the Southbank must be freaking out to see such a massive creature looming over right across Waterloo bridge. Let's hope he won't have a nap anywhere near!

This set of works are done by combining photos and digital drawing.

The Isokon

In 1934 the Isokon is what came out from Canadian architect Wells Coates when he set out to design Modernist houses and flats with his Constructivist-friendly company Isometric Unit Construction (ISOKON). Once more the building is not related directly to Bauhaus. However, there are a few Bauhaus artists that lived in the Isokon at some point when working in Coates company, Walter Gropius being the most representative.

The story of this building is one of epic rise and fall. Originally designed as an experiment in communal living (with some flats sharing facilities), it was the finest example of Modernist architecture in the UK. It still is, but at some point after being a major cultural hub with some artists of the likes of Agatha Christie and Henry Moore hanging around, it was abandoned and forgotten for several years. Finally an architects firm refurbished it in 2003 and brought the building back to its old glory.

The building is tucked away in nice Hampstead, North London, in stark contrast with the surrounding Victorian houses. It’s a Modernist building in England so it makes perfect sense it's wearing a bowler hat, winkle pickers and has a nice redhead hair.

Find out more about the building here.

Isokon is postcard four of the six designed for Bauhaus: Art as Life competition at the Barbican.

Unité d'Habitation Marseille

Wow! A year off blogging. Oh well... I’ve been busy, I swear. Working on my first graphic novel which will be published this year! So hopefully now will have more time to upload stuff that is long overdue.

Let’s start with something I did last week! This illustration is part of a series of 6 postcards I submitted to Bauhaus: Art as Life, a competition at the Barbican. This one is inspired by the Unité d’Habitation Marseille by Le Corbusier. It is not really a Bauhaus architect, but his work pushes forward the Bauhaus principles of Modernist architecture and links it to Brutalism.

Christened as ‘Cité Radieuse’ this one is the first of a series of residential housing developments that he designed to ‘improve the living conditions for the residents of crowded cities’. This one in Marseille is a more realistic outcome to the urban megalomania of the ‘Ville Contemproraine’ planned for Central Paris. It comprises 337 apartments arranged over 12 stories and it is informally referred as ‘La Maison du Fada’. The madhouse.

Le Corbusier didn’t know that this ‘unité’ likes eating cars!

See the original building here.

After Life

Well, one post a month is better than none. Isn't it?

I wanted to upload one of the last illustrations I did for the After Life project that due to work overload issues wasn't shown on the Barbican's website.

After Life was a very fresh and original combination between opera, documentary and stage design; amazing work by Michel van der Aa. Also I had my first chance to see the Barbican's concert hall, I'm so grateful!


Here's the memory this illustration is based on; by Magda.

"I was trying to think of a memory and suddenly came across this one. I haven't thought about it for so long and that's why I'd like to take it with me - not to forget about it anymore.

I was 8 or 9, it was summer holidays. As usual me, my mum and her partner went on a road trip to some place in Europe, might've been Austria or Germany, somewhere in the lake district. At some point we found ourselves at some camping site overlooking the lake, rented a bungalow and went to the rocky beach. It reminded me of another summer holidays when my grandma took me to the lake and crayfishes were creeping all around. I started to talk to my mun how I want to tell my grandma all about this trip when we come back, especially as I knew she was unwell when we were leaving. And then my mum told me that I won't be able to tell my grandma anything because she passed away the same day we started our journey and she didn't want to tell me not to ruin my holidays. "

http://www.barbican.org.uk/afterlife/

Does karma exist?

I don't know. I am actually quite skeptic but I'm about to become a believer. On the same day my bike was nicked I got a commission from The Barbican. Both things happened completely out of nowhere.

After having failed chasing the hoodie that grabbed my bike while I was sketching in Victoria Park I promised myself I'd leave London soon. However, shortly after I got home I saw the email from The Barbican. Why? They said it was the illustration about my dog they liked. Was it one last gift from Gomez? I don't know, but I'm immensely grateful.

My job is for Barbican website. I am illustrating memories posted by anonymous people for the promotion of an upcoming opera called After Life by Michel van der Aa. This one on the other hand, is actually my flatmate Yuki's memory. Hope you like it!

http://yukinishimura.com/