Deck your halls and tape your bananas to the wall Addictees ‘cause ‘tis the season to hang your shiny balls, pull your crackers and say good-bye to another year - just like Cattelan bid(et) farewell to his golden crapper. Tommy could probably hunt that shit (pun intended) down, break Santa’s legs and still get his Gaga doll.
What a ride it’s been friends! It’s tradition for us to post a recap of our year so before you read this, empty your bladder - or challenge yourself and don’t (it could be a really long wait depending on how many links you click – not including going off tangent to online shopping sites).
Ready? Here we go, here we go, here we go with our 2019 highlights and a couple of our favourite things and no, you don’t get a car (thanks Oprah for ruining it for the rest of us).
JANUARY
Crickets... we sent out emails, sold some art, pondered our existence and stuff.
FEBRUARY
Paradise was found in the form of Fred Stichnoth’s stunning photography which was exhibited in Singapore and online across the universe.
"Young Woman with Owl Mask, Sunda Islands" by Fred Stichnoth, 2013
Arty-Fact: “The burning mountain, the lake, was the abode of their deities; and certain trees and birds were supposed to have influence over people’s actions and destiny. The locals held wild and exciting festivals to pacify these deities or demons and believed that they could be changed by them into animals – either during life or after death.” ~ Fred Stichnoth
We also welcomed LAKI 139 to the Addicted family. LAKI 139 (aka Simon Slater), is an artist with a passion for typography encompassing everything from graffiti writing and reclaimed metal, to collage and calligraphy in his art work. You would know this if you read our blog in February. New peeps, you're excused.
"L-AKIRA" by LAKI 139, 2017
Arty-Fact: The name LAKI 139 came from a music gig in 1991 when the artist went to see one of his favourite bands, Slowdive, tour their Souvlaki album. He noticed that the tour t-shirts were printed with the term ‘SOUVLAKI 139’, signifying the 139th album on the record label.
“I liked the look of the letters in LAKI and the 139 gave it a classic New York feel, so I changed my tag to LAKI 139.” ~ LAKI 139
MARCH
We did so much stuff. Also, we'd like to share one of our most favourite Facebook posts of the year (because our maturity level is questionable)…
Drawings By Kids ~ Click on "I Love the Bitch" to see more.
APRIL
10 seconds of our 15 minutes of fame was used up when we appeared in CNN’s ‘Iconic Singapore’ special.
Iconic Singapore: Chinese Calligraphy Meets Street Art, CNN
In other news, Whatshisname got his name on the Addicted website when he joined forces with us to launch “The Bear and the Pig” in a worldwide exclusive.
"The Bear and the Pig" by Whatshisname, 2019
Arty-Fact: “The main reason I create art is to celebrate an alternative to the ordinary. The second reason is I want to put smiles on people’s faces by creating joyful, fun pieces that collectors will enjoy for a lifetime. Thirdly, it is because making art is something that I cannot not do. Believe me, I tried…“ ~ Whatshisname
MAY
We got in ya face at #INYAFACE - an exhibition here in Singapore (and all over the world online) featuring pop and street art from local and international artists.
#INYAFACE (in your face): Blatantly aggressive or provocative; impossible to ignore or avoid, 30th May - 1st June 2019
JUNE
Singapore-based, New Zealand born Jennifer Chalken, a contemporary realist artist who is mostly self-taught, jumped on board the Addicted Express. Choo! Choo! We also used Jennifer as the guinea pig for our first ever virtual exhibition “Invisible Spaces”.
"Follow Me" by Jennifer Chalklen, 2018
Arty-Fact: “I find it intriguing to explore the female experience and the latent emotional strength present in facial contours and expressions, the way eyes can speak without words being spoken, how we can gather information without having to engage in conversation.” ~ Jennifer Chalklen
JULY
The wonderful world of Jeff Gillette merged with Addicted and together we celebrated slums and took aim at glass castles (or Disney if you prefer us to be more direct).
"Mickey Billboard Plastic Landfill" by Jeff Gillette, 2019
Arty-Fact: “Mickey Billboard Plastic Landfill” is from a theme of Billboard Landfill paintings. This one featuring an ecstatic Mickey Mouse on a deteriorating sign over an endless landscape of refuse and debris. What sets this painting apart from the other paintings in this series is the tactile nature of the application of the paint, very thickly applied creating realistic rolling waves of plastic, with added shading for enhancement of dimensional visual affect.
We also became an award-winning gallery. Our Oscar(t) was awarded by LUXLife Magazine for "Best Contemporary Art Gallery – Singapore". We thanked our parents, the academy, the dog groomer, the mailman... cue "Your Speech is Too Long" fanfare.
🎉🎉 Ta da! 🎉🎉
AUGUST
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days.
But also, The Battle of Starcourt. The Addicted winner of Best Scene in a Series goes to...
"NeverEnding Story" by Suzie Poo and Dusty Bun, Stranger Things S3
🏆🏆 BEST SCENE EVA! 🏆🏆
SEPTEMBER
Lights! Camera! Action! It was a day of searching for stars at Addicted Art Gallery when Mediacorp's "Star Search 2019" team popped over to do a spot of filming.
In da house was 2010's Top 5 Finalist Sora Ma mentoring Natasha Chandra, one of twenty-four contestants. She didn’t win 😢
Behind The Scenes, Star Search 2019
🎥 Lights, Camera Action ~ Natasha Chandra's Screen Debut - Ambition 🎥
OCTOBER
Pop art bandits, the Tinker Brothers launched their limited edition print series in Singapore at "Dinner Is Served". The exhibition was a visual feast which presented the bold, acerbic wit and mischief of the Tinker Brothers. Read: guns, raining dollar bills and shady deals, while wearing shades.
Subverting pop culture figures and throwing them into gangsta-land plots, where they look downright laconic is perverse work.
They’re big! They’re bold! They're the limited edition prints by pop art bandits Tinker Brothers!
NOVEMBER
We turned this many...
DECEMBER
Thank you!
Thank you for sticking with us; for your support; for your encouragement; for not unsubscribing if you have read this far; and thank you for the love. You guys rock!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2020.
With our deepest, heartfelt gratitude...
Suzie Poo and Dusty Bun xox
...because the Red Hot Chili Peppers don't need to sing along!
PS: If you're wondering exactly what sh*t is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S (refer email header), it's the title of a Gwen Stefani song but also, it's this ~
Buyers of Maurizio Cattelan’s $120,000 Banana Defend the Work as ‘the Unicorn of the Art World.’
A genius stunt? Definitely. Would you buy it if you could?
See yah in 2020! xoxo