EASYRIDER. Goup show. Newcastle

EASYRIDER, 29th October, Hangar 51, Newcastle upon Tyne

The first test of a graduate artist is if they are going to carry on with art after uni. Tom and I decided to leap into our next show, EASYRIDER. The original plan was to show with Lindsay Best and get a shop in the city centre. However the circumstances changed so we decided to return to Hangar, one more time...

The result was EASYRIDER a 1 hour performance involving: an 8 piece motorbike gang, a car we smashed up, and a film I made and Tom's Riot Police film.

Neither of us had managed to get the papers or even local culture mags like The Crack. To our dismay it was Front page of the Sunday Sun, nationwide Metro, Auto Trader Magazine, FORUM Magazine, covered through the week in The Chronicle and Journal. All of this publicity had positive sides; sales and attention but these benefits were far outweighed by the downsides!

Press links: Metro, Sunday Sun 1 and 2, AutoTrader

The video of the show is below:

My artwork in the show:

My print artworks in the show were based on a visit I paid to a militaria store with my imac and my scanner, I scanned half his store; guns, belts, helmets, anything. It took me a long time to settle on a final style but the three 200x40cm banners were as meaningless as I could ever have hoped. Guns 1, Guns 2, and God 1 - which was based on scans of notes I'd taken whilst discussing post modernism with a vicar. What I like about them the most is that you don't get any sign of the process from just looking at them, and I doubt people would remember them now.

SEX AND VIOLENCE

E20 E59 is a reference to Duchamp and this photo is inspired by Valerie Solanas shooting Andy Warhol who for a while I was really into. I think there's a big hang up about Warhol that needs to be overcome.

Joseph Steele @ Newcastle University Fine Art Degree Show 2009

Newcastle University Fine Art Degree Show 2009

For my degree show I decided to create an installation, a slick gallery space with my best artwork on display. You know writing this I can't help but feel like one of those people wallowing in their work, I never liked that. Anyway I got a JCB barrell, three mega posters in their steel frames, an office space on a mezzanine level and the standard promotional materials. On the opening night I played the Rolling Stones a lot, really loud and this brought lots of people into the space and created the pop-fad atmosphere I was after. Unsurprisingly, I got a first.

Joseph Steele's 'Pillow Talk' @ Spectacles and Carpets

I think it was the 20th May. I'm not sure. Anyway this stray bullet of a show in my 5 a month marathon was by far the most gruelling for me in that I had a stinking hangover and was getting the sinking feeling of about to leave uni.

I sat in bed for 6 hours and spoke to anyone about myself who came in.

Art I guess

Material World @ Cobalt Studios

COBALT STUDIOS PRESENT:

Material World.

This show which opened on the 15th May 2009 was (again) another knock out success. A very different show from Mayday or Proud of our Roots this saw me exhibit alongside some established and starting out artists in the North East: Glass artists Gavin Marshall, Effie Burns and Kathryn Hodgkinson, painter Paul merrick and retired architect turned photographer David Whitton.

The show was more commercially minded with an emphasis on making the work look absolutely stunning, which it did. I exhibited three megaposters; military hardware identification chart #2 weapons of world war 2, and two prints based on the monument and millenium bridge. My theme? Sex and violence of course. The show attracted some 150 people over the weekend and is ongoing. And I sold some!

Proud of our Roots

6th May 2009. Lamplight arts centre, Stanley.

This show saw me exhibit alongside emerging photographers, mainly from the Stanley area. Debbie Todd was instrumental in pulling the show together which was a great success, the opening was packed and had a speech from the Councillor and... me, I don't know why but they asked me to say something and I ummed and erred my way around the subject of art and culture coming to the conclusion that the Northern drive for supporting and promoting art and culture, to raise the profile of the region only means something if people put on shows like this. It brought together different people from different worlds and gave visitors an insight into something beyond the every day.

Chris Moon, Anthony Gardiner, Andy Singe Thompson, Lorna Christie, Liam Mcgough, Sara Coulson, Debbie Todd Photos, Sarah Lockey

MAYDAY and Operation #6

Operation #6 was an initiative launched by getonthewall.com to further the development of art and culture in the North East and raise the profile of Joseph Steele the artist with some 5 seperate exhibitions including this one, MAYDAY.....

This show blew my head off. On May 1st 2009 my business getonthewall.com hosted my work as an artist (Joseph Steele) to deliver MAYDAY an art happening at Hanger 51 Ouseburn Valley.

The art happening involved a JCB 3cx Backhoe Loader, a Harley Davidson Rocker FX a mini bmw and my latest work in print and performance. The show was another knock out success and clearly defined me as being 'better than Tom Whitty'. Watch the video here click on either of the 'Joseph Steele' videos.

I was exhausted by the time of the show and messed the performance up a bit (it went on and on) but there were some great moments. Again Tom and I opened the space up at night and we had chavs etc come in and buy cheap booze off us and look at the art, wide eyed. The Sunday after the show I put a sign up outside saying 'Parking' £1 / day. and had one customer. I was most pleased with the fact that the show cost me about £20 to put on but looked like it cost about £500k I guess that was the point.

On reflection I wish I'd called the show 'Sex Symbol' like I was originally going to, I think in future I'm going to sideline my pursuit of political comment and narrative in favour of smut.

Style over substance right?

Tom Whitty vs Joseph Steele

I'm playing catch up with this blog:

Feb 27 2009. Hanger 51. Ouseburn Valley.

Tom and I teamed up to deliver a show that kicked the crap out of everything else either of us had seen in newcastle . (apart from the stuff at the Baltic but they've got glass elevators.)

Over 200 people saw it in two and a half days. I showed (what was then) a new range of work: Megaposters, in big steel frames. Tom parried with 35 seconds worth of painting. My favourite part of the show was at night, when the people we knew weren't there and we'd get passers by, drunks, chavs coming in and looking at the work. That was the most interesting for reactions and insight into how the show had worked and the answer is it looked awesome, strong, big. I was worried my work would get dwarfed by Tom's 4-5 metre paintings but, it didnt', because it's so damn good!

The dream is over, art begins now

Hello

The dream of university is over, life begins now. So I'm sat in my shoebox room in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, surrounded by all of my crap; JCB posters, rolled up art, cheap computer equipment, 3.5 million candle builders torches and a cup of tea. This blog is so I can stop rambling when I talk to people.

Intro:

Joseph Steele is an artist based in Newcastle upon Tyne. He works primarily in digital print and performance. Apparently he is (I am) a work of art in my own right, so I guess that's what you should think too.

Getonthewall.com is a multi award winning graphic art promotion and design business operating in newcastle. getonthewall went operational in September 2008 and since then has delivered high quality design, high impact art/music events and promoting the artist Joseph Steele to the world.

Outro:

I've got to get on with some work now, but hopefully in 2 weeks I'll be writing this on my new macbook pro as I say goodbye to Microsoft, long nights of type rendering and hello to my iLife. I think I need to get out less.