Echolounge have selected work from a handful of national artists (of varying backgrounds and practices) to be used as cover artwork for a series of monthly downloadable singles. Each single will contain cover art from a different artist as a means of visually depicting the context / story of the song and best representing band’s complex ‘auditory force.’

I wish to express my thanks and gratitude to the band  for considering my work for the first single.

For more information about Echolounge and to check out their music, please visit: www.echolounge.co.uk

Blodeuwedd 3/95 on display at King Arthur’s Labyrinth, Corris Craft Centre in Corris, Near Machynlleth.

My submission was based upon the number 36. The work embraces the idea of universal community, communication, harmony and interconnectedness with all beings, elements, numbers and seasons as posited by the teaching of Pythagoras. The study of geometry, geometric solids, music and astronomy was key to understanding God, man and the forces of nature.

’36′ (Deus Absconditus – the Hidden God, Abraxas, symbolised by the Tetraktys). (2011)

‘Pop Goes the Easle!” By Arts Correspondent David Owens.

Pop Art first came to prominence in the ’60s but is now facing a colourful renaissance thanks to new breed of British artists. Dave Owens previews an exciting show that throws the spotlight on these emerging talents. THINK of pop art and what images does this conjure up for you? Sir Peter Blake’s iconic Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover maybe? Robert Lichtenstein’s much aped Whaam! fighter pilot painting possibly? Or at a guess, Andy Warhol’s legendary multi-coloured Marilyn Monroe portraits?

All three pioneering pop artists had their heyday in the Swinging Sixties, but now thanks to the high profile of British Pop Art svengali Damien Hirst, this most colourful of art forms is facing another upsurge in popularity. An exhibition that opens this week at the Off The Wall gallery in Cardiff aims to showcase the new generation of Brit pop artists. Art & Life – Exciting Pop Art Show opens tomorrow and showcases impressive work from the likes of Youngerman, Brian Weavers, Ed Chapman and former Welsh Student Artist of the Year Jason Davies.

The Private Show at the Off The Wall Gallery, Cardiff.

Also among the new breed that will be exhibiting is Welsh artist Glyn Bateman. The 33-year-old former web designer will be showing his striking, socially-aware form of Pop Art. The artist says his inspiration for his work came from an unlikely source.

“The ideas for my work developed during the start of the recession in 2008 when I had begun my MA,” explains the Cardiff Art School graduate. “I experienced the bleakness of the empty shop windows in my local village, which were full of whitewash and redundant window graphics and this gave me the idea to experiment with materials used in commercial signage such as vinyl, which became part of the visual language of the work.“Essentially, I wanted to create windows full of my own decals that would reflect upon the world and offer social commentary upon the human condition and living in 21st century contemporary society.“Despite the hardships of the recession, I also wanted to comment upon the corporations who were largely unscathed by it. “So I have also produced work using more expensive processes, whose features would become part of the work, such as developing large metallic photographic prints and mounting them between perspex and aluminium.“The end results give the work a pristine, high sheen and corporate aesthetic which also ties in to the idea of ‘boom-time’ excessive commodity culture, our emotional ties to products, brands and perfectly produced commodities.“The high sheen of the work points directly towards the shiny, superficial, pure surfaces we encounter in our shopping experiences.“I’d have to say that my work teeters more towards a kind of perverse pop because it endeavours to blur the lines between enflaming consumer desire while simultaneously offering a critique upon corporate consumer society and the saturation of globalised brands.”

Eye (Single Tile Edition)

The artist has firm views on what exactly Pop Art is.“For me it’s any work that affirms, celebrates or criticises popular culture,” he states. “It’s a popular art that isolates or re-appropriates objects, logos and materials used and found within mass media communications and popular consumer culture.”

As for his Pop Art heroes, the usual suspects loom large, as well as the ever present spectre of a certain British enfant terrible.“I love the work of Robert Rauschenburg, and also Roy Lichtenstein,” says Bateman. “Lichtenstein questioned the idea of the artist’s own individual style against the commercial trademark and the brushstroke verses the mechanised process.“I would say that my work aligns itself towards this idea too, as I endeavour to convey the idea of the individual consciousness versus overwhelming globalisation.“I would also say that love him or hate him, Damien Hirst has been clever in the way he has embraced using media spin and the spectacle.“I once met Hirst in 1997, aboard the Paddle Steamer Waverley. He was very much playing up to his bad boy celebrity persona and was quite obscene!“The celebrity persona was something that Andy Warhol ascribed to and Hirst has obviously carried it on from where Warhol left off.

Close Encounters of the Hirst Kind (1997)

“Hirst has cleverly harnessed the power of 21st century global media communications to market both his celebrity persona and his work to all corners of the world.“The Diamond Skull ‘For the Love of God’ (his 2007 work) is currently the most expensive piece of contemporary art ever produced by a living artist at £50m, the price alone became the work and attracted massive public attention. He himself is recognised as a brand.“Now that is pop – become a commodity yourself!”

Art & Life – Exciting Pop Art Show opens at the Off The Wall Gallery, The Old Probate Registry, Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff, tomorrow and runs until February 22

For more information about the exhibition please contact: art@galleryoffthewall.com or visit: www.galleryoffthewall.com

However, we deemed that the use of turkeys would  still be permissible as the majority of the masses are so unthinking, unquestioning, easily led by their governments and conditioned by the subliminal and subtextual persuasion of adverts – that they may as well be ‘Turkeys’ – after all, the ruling Elite view us all as  ”useless eaters’ or ‘expendable containers’.

Forget the 25th December being the supposed birthday of Christ and other solar Messiahs such as: Mithra, Horus and Dionysus who all link to the celebration of the Pagan Winter solstice, (where the sun reaches its lowest southern point upon the 22nd December and remains there until the 25th December where it rises upwards 1° North and is ‘reborn’ - hence, the “Birth of God’s Sun”) Christmas has become more about the celebration of the Economy and Excess.

Yuletide is being used  as a rather convenient device to help boost spending under one big theological guise. It is crass and hypocritical that in such severe times of austerity, the mass are STILL expected to spend vast amounts of hard earned money upon commodities whilst being subject to harsh financial conditions and pernicious unrelenting and unescapable advertising forces that smugly depict ‘perfect’ fairy tail lifestyles that do not represent reality.  In the 1950s, the corporate branding of Coca cola infiltrated the colours of the traditional character of St. Nicholas and turned him from green to red to help boost their sales in Europe after WWII. Its all about taking your money off you! Wake up!

The Cover image bends towards the ‘reality’ of the ever widening and unbreachable chasm between the rich and poor. Hence, the picture’s analogue is that of a horizontal line that divides the page with deliberate sparse and empty depth in the centre. The Image depicts how the Banking cartels have gambled away all our money and are on course to deliberately crash all economies, taking away Sovereignty in order to own countries, whilst Governments are subservient and obey their financial masters. It is the Youth who need the most hope for the future.

Giggle Issue 6, December 2010 / January 2011

Introducing the ‘Cleggicopter’

It was great fun creating the Blue ‘Cleggicopter’ – This Craft makes it easy for Clegg to ‘hover’ above, whilst he chooses which political ideological platform to land himself upon. In the context of the image, it is left rather ambiguous – is the Cleggicopter fleeing the scene here? Or have the turbines of his ambition finally failed and he is about to plumit to the ground?

‘Skulduggery with Orchids’ (A/P)

My work was installed alongside other anarchic exhibits and artworks of an explicit nature. Initially, artists had been asked to submit a written proposal of their intended works to The Big Fuss Arts Directory and all works were required to engage with themes concerning the themes of Sex, Wales and Anarchy. The work Ooh La La focuses upon the Cardiff Capital becoming overwhelmed by unstoppable forces of globalisation, standardisation and the creolization of its cultural identity.

As I had produced the work as a banner, I was delighted to have been able to suspend it on the main stage. Originally, the banner had been placed so that it covered the Coal Exhange’s grand clock face in an anarchic gesture as if to ‘suspend time and place’. I had also experimented in having the banner positioned so that the fabulous wooden dragons (that are placed either side of the Clock) looked as if they held the banner in their mouths.  As Lighting was being used upon the stage area it was decided  that the work would be more visible when lowered down beneath the Clock.

Picture of Ooh La La in Situ.

Gareth David-Lloyd (right) Interviews Dr Who/Torchwood/Spooks Writer James Moran (Left)

Folk Singer Maddie Jones.

]]> http://glynbateman.co.uk/?feed=rss2&p=1830 0 http://glynbateman.co.uk/?p=1574 http://glynbateman.co.uk/?p=1574#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:00:18 +0000 GlynBateman http://glynbateman.co.uk/?p=1574 Gubernare and both the Artist proof and main edition version of Eye have been exhibited as part of the Dairy’s Virtual Room Exhibits. The work was displayed in time for the Official Launch of the Dairy which took place on the evening of Friday the 6th August 2010. The  launch event also featured fantastic selection of fashion, photography, music and dance from a range of artists including Robert Geary, Maria Farrelly and Burlesque Cardiff’s Foo Foo La Belle.

Eye  (Single Tile Edition) 2 of 12

Giggle Magazine Editor Jess Dando (centre) and Performance Artist Franco Bassetti (right)

“Giggle magazine is a platform publication which seeks to provide a voice to young artists, writers, photographers and poets who want to get their work out there and promote themselves and their talent. We are diverse and publish many types of artists and writers, we love a Giggle so a lot of the stuff you will read will have a funny edge to it but we dont want to leave anyone out so we have serious art, journalism, photography…Giggle is like something you have never seen before, because of our inclusiveness there is something for everyone…” (Giggle Website)

Giggle Magazine is constantly on the look out for those wishing to express their creativity – If you have a talent, wish to express it and would like to contribute to Giggle – please contact Jessdando@giggle-magazine.co.uk

My image is entitled Short Power. I was inspired to produce the piece after reading Adam Henderson’s hilarious article “Indoctrination of Bigotry Starts In Children” (published in Giggle Issue 3) which satirized the Walt Disney brand and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Issue 4 is currently available from Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, and from vendors in Cardiff City Centre, Abergavenny, Swansea, Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Swindon, Gloucester and Oxford. Help the magazine grow – grab yourself one, they are £2!  The current Issue, plus back issues, can also be purchased from the Giggle Website, please check out www.giggle-magazine.co.uk

I would like to express my thanks and best wishes to Giggle Magazine and The Big Fuss for their help and support and for considering to use my work.

Giggle Showcase 12th August 2010. Gwdihw Cafe Bar, Cardiff.

Giggle Magazine celebrated having its first ever showcase event which was situated in Cardiff’s funky Gwdihw Cafe bar in Cardiff. The event featured a selection of Comedy acts including Gaz Brand and Adam Henderson, Open Mic, Spoken Word, Fantastic Music by the extremely talented NEON aka New Exhibition of Noise and DJ The Infamous Len, Artwork by the gifted Surrealist Artist Kate Evans and I was thrilled to display the original Artist Proof of the image used on the Giggle Magazine front cover.