Atomica Gallery | London

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Atomica Gallery and Things&Ink present 'Under Her Skin'

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Atomica Gallery Now Open!

Atomica Gallery & Shop is now officially open in Hackney! We opened the doors to our amazing permanent space on April 18th, kicking off with a launch party to celebrate our new digs as well the opening of Hackney's brand new independent shopping hang out (and our new home!) - The Village Green at Hackney Downs Studios.

The launch was huge. Loads of new faces, friends and family came to celebrate and check out our new space in full flight. Paskal from Rough & Tough crew had the the big boss tunes coming all night and our resident sailor girl kept all glasses charged in style with rum punch from our launch-night boat bar! We love our new home and are so excited about our future here. Come down and check us out if you haven't already.

Atomica Gallery & Shop The Village Green / Hackney Downs Studios Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT, London, UK Tuesday - Friday 12-7pm Saturday 11-7 Sunday 11-5pm

In addition to our current selection of underexposed contemporary art, illustration and lowbrow weirdness we have also added four new artists to our roster: internationally acclaimed painter and Art Nouveau addict Audrey Kawasaki, influential American cartoonist Adrian Tomine, British tattoo artist Cassandra Frances and American artist and illustrator Luke Thomas, whose offbeat artwork appears on several Sub Pop and Burger Records releases. We’ve also increased our collectables range to include mid-century inspired ceramics from Jonathan Adler and decorative Vitra Wooden Dolls, originally designed in 1963 by Alexander Girard. Plus, brand new for the new space is a carefully selected range of art and culture books from some of our favorite artists and publishers, displayed in a beautiful booknook custom designed and built for us by our friend and carpenter extraordinaire Matt.

Come grab a read, hang out, say hello and check it all out! And while you’re here, pop in to all of the other great shops down here at the Village Green - Portamento, Smoking Gun Vintage, Multemyr, The Hackney Peddler and not forgetting The Russet - who as well as hosting some great after hours gigs, serves up a seriously tasty breakfast/brunch/lunch.

Stay tuned! We will be launching our brand spanking new website in the coming months and are beginning to plot and plan lots of exciting events and exhibitions for the year ahead. We hope to see you down here soon and in the meantime check out more of our launch party pics on our Facebook page.

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Atomica Gallery Camden Pop Up

ATOMICA GALLERY CAMDEN POP UP 'COLLECTIVE' 69 CAMDEN HIGH ST, LONDON, NW1 7JL Watch out Camden, Atomica Gallery is coming your way! Atomica is thrilled to announce they’ve been selected as winners of the Collective Creative Pop-Up Competition! Organised by Camden Collective and We Are Pop Up, the competition offers London’s best independent creative businesses a rent-free temporary space on Camden’s bustling High Street. From Wednesday 5th to Wednesday 12th June, Atomica Gallery will head north from their home in Hackney to bring the best under-exposed contemporary artists, illustrators and lowbrow weirdness from around the world to this iconic part of town. We are open every day from 10-7pm. Find us at ATOMICA GALLERY CAMDEN POP UP 'COLLECTIVE' 69 CAMDEN HIGH ST, LONDON, NW1 7JL 5TH-12TH JUNE 10-7PM

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Atomica is Here to Stay!

The past few months have been exciting for Atomica and whilst it might seem like we’ve gone quiet, we’ve actually been busy working hard, plotting and planning the launch of our new space. Atomica Gallery & Shop will be opening in April 2013 as part of a brand new independent retail development: The Village Green at Hackney Downs Studios. We always wanted a permanent home for Atomica and following the success of our pop-up in December we were able to make it happen! Our new spot in Hackney is perfect, it’s been very exciting to see the building develop, see below for some pictures.

As well as offering our ever-changing range of affordable framed limited edition prints, collectable objects and magazines, we will be announcing details of forthcoming exhibitions and events in the coming months. We’ve recently added some amazing international artists to our roster as well as expanding our collection to include several new pieces from our current artists. Brand spanking new to Atomica will be a range of carefully selected art and culture books from some of our favorite publishers and artists. We can’t wait to get the keys and start moving in! The Village Green will also be home to some other amazing independent shops: Portamento, Smoking Gun Vintage, Multemyr and The Hackney Peddler. Bringing you the best in custom bikes, vintage clothing and homewares from around the world, stylish sustainable womenswear and handpicked designer clothing, accessories, photography, Italian food and more. We’ve met the neighbours and they are awesome! The Village Green is the latest project from the creative team who run Hackney Downs Studios which was once a redundant printwork factory and is now home to loads of interesting studios and small businesses. There is also a lovely cafe and venue, The Russet, and various other event spaces.

To celebrate the opening of the new shop fronts there will a big launch party on Thursday 18th April from 6-9pm. Come on down and check out our brand new gallery and the other Village Green shops. There will be beer provided by our new neighbours Signature Brew and an afterparty at The Russet. Hope to see you all there!

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Atomica Launch Party

Back in December when we launched Atomica Gallery as a Pop-up in Shoreditch, we kicked off with an opening party to celebrate. For us it was a brilliant chance to enjoy all the months of hard work that had gone into pulling everything together!

It was a really great evening – our sponsors Barefoot Wine made sure the alcohol was flowing all night and the Pop-up was packed full of friends and family, pals of the gallery (including the crew from Things & Ink magazine and our UK artists Sophie Alda, James Clapham and Castro Smith), plus loads of new faces.

Our good friend Mike Prior was on hand to take photos and did an amazing job – massive thanks to Mike! It’s been a while since the launch, but we thought we’d share a few of his pics from the night here on the blog. For the full selection please see our Facebook album.

Thanks to everyone who came along and we look forward to throwing our next party in the new gallery...see you there!

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Matte Stephens

Matte Stephens is a Mid-Century enthusiast with an appreciation for anything Eames and Alexander Girard. He also loves his cat Simon, wife Vivienne and painting with gouache. Since we at Atomica are big fans of Matte and are Mid-Century enthusiasts ourselves, we thought he would be a perfect fit for Atomica!

Matte has a world full of playful recurring characters in his work including Monsieur Hulot, The Duke of NY (a sly fox) and the Cat Family. He also has a real knack for capturing some of the cityscapes we all know and love such as New York, San Francisco and of course London! We have some beautiful signed limited editions by Matte (including a London print!)

Matte also has a lovely book out, ‘Matte Stephens: Oeuvres Choisies | Selected Works’ published by Editions Alto in Quebec which we hope to be stocking in the permanent Atomica Gallery.

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Richie Fahey

We are delighted to be showing two prints by legendary New York photographer Richie Fahey at the Atomica Gallery Pop-up this Christmas. The master of old school atmosphere, Richie’s work evokes another time, full of romance, glamour, exotica and noir.

A student of both photography and painting, Richie combines these two practices to create his work. He uses vintage lighting techniques and convincing art direction to create his black and white photographs, then painstakingly paints on the images using oils until they’re transformed into glorious technicolour. Developing his technique after stumbling across an old hobby manual, ‘Photo Oil Colouring For Fun’, Richie has this practice down to a fine art and the results are stunning.

Richie’s inspirations are clear from looking at his work - old movie houses, detective pulps, wartime sailor stories, vintage photography magazines and of course, ‘beautiful women gone bad and the men who love them’. Two of his alluring tiki inspired works will be available at the Atomica Pop-up.  

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James Clapham

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of James Clapham! A massive fan of 90s cartoons, James is majorly influenced by this amazing era of progressive and freaky-ass animation. His illustrations feature trippy characters, tons of bright colour and are always bursting with wit. As soon as we saw his work, we knew it would fit right in here at Atomica and we’re excited to be showing his brilliant ‘Characters’ at the Pop-up this December.

A graduate of the Cambridge School of Art, James is currently studying for his MA in illustration at Camberwell. His recent project is also inspired by "Naked Lunch" by WIlliam S. Burroughs - “I'm a fan big fan of how extreme and uncomfortable the book is and I've enjoyed incorporating elements of this into my work.” James has already clocked up an impressive list of commissions and clients and his illustrations have been featured in lots of excellent publications. All this and he hasn’t even finished studying yet!

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Derek Yaniger

Part beatnik, part hillbilly and all-round cool cat, Derek Yaniger is the absolute master of authentic looking retro illustration. His instantly recognizable loose-line style harks back to the the 1950s and 60s, golden eras that we here at Atomica also adore.  Born in the backwoods of Arkansas, Derek still lives and works in the South, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Beginning his career as an artist working for iconic companies such as Marvel Comics and Cartoon Network, Derek has since gone on to exhibit worldwide, has a cult following of devoted fans and in 2008 a beautiful retrospective of his work was published - Wildsville: The Art of Derek Yaniger.

Derek's colorful world revolves around hot rods, beatniks, tiki gods, swinging ladies, cocktails and the Las Vegas high life. His playful work makes us smile, as well as filling us with complete admiration for his precision as an artist.

We will have a selection of Derek’s bright and bold screen prints available at the Atomica Pop-up, all signed and numbered individually by the man himself. As well as some of his larger works, we have a whole range of his signed mini prints on sale too - come check 'em out! 

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Sophie Alda

Sophie Alda is another of our UK featured artists and we are very excited to be including a selection of her amazing giclee prints at the Atomica pop-up! A London based painter, illustrator, artist and prop maker, Sophie is one hell of a talented lady. Her work is about implied narrative, colour and small stories.

Sophie works in gouache using soft, delicate colours and dreamy contours. Cartoon-like characters, kaleidoscopic imagery and architecture are recurring motifs in her work and the shapes and grids she often uses to structure her paintings makes them instantly recognisable. Sophie has already started to get people talking and is one to watch for the future. We look forward to seeing what she will be working on next!

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Christopher Conn Askew

Christopher Conn Askew has been one of our favorite artists here at Atomica for a long while and we are truly honoured to have one of his beautiful prints - EQVVS - at our Pop-up exhibition. Christopher creates his stunning works by using a trademark combination of watercolor, ink graphite gouache and gold leaf.

Christopher was born and raised in Hollywood and has been drawing obsessively for as long as he can remember. Having no formal art training, he turned his interest to tattooing in 1990 and over 15 years became one of the most highly respected and sought after artists in the industry. He took some time out from tattooing to focus on his fine art practice, with his most recent exhibition held at the prestigious Merry Karnsowsky Gallery in LA.

Excitingly, Christopher recently returned to tattooing under a new guise, Sekret City International. The concept is a private and exclusive experience at Christopher’s private studio in LA where he also paints. Unsurprisingly the waiting list is huge and we are desperate to get our names on it! We can’t wait to work on future exhibitions with Christopher once the permanent Atomica gallery & shop opens in 2013.

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Tom Bagshaw

We are over the moon that internationally acclaimed digital painter Tom Bagshaw will be a part of the inaugural Atomica show. Tom has earned himself a well deserved reputation as one of the most exciting artists working within the new contemporary scene today, something we can fully endorse! We love his dreamy portraits of anti-heroines, set in mysterious and fantastical worlds.  Tom’s works are created using a highly rendered digital painting style that he has developed over the years. The fact that he is self-taught is astonishing! His figurative works are stunningly realistic, but also contain surprising subtle touches of surrealism and humour. Its clear when observing Tom’s work that he takes inspiration from from folklore, ghost stories, legends, Japanese culture and the darker side of life.

Based in the beautiful Georgian City of Bath, Tom is part of the international artist collective Prisma and his digital paintings have been shown in leading galleries around the world, including Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, Bold Hype in NYC and Strychnin Gallery in Berlin. There will be a choice of three of Tom’s pristine, pallid sorceresses available at the Atomica pop-up. Come along and witness the captivating beauties for yourself!

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Femke Hiemstra

Right from the get-go, we knew we wanted to show Femke’s work at Atomica. Each of her exquisitely rendered works is like a portal into a secret twisted, fairytale world, full of charming anthropomorphic characters and mysterious beings.

As a child growing up in The Netherlands, Femke loved 1960s comic magazines, Little Golden Books and running riot in the countryside. Her influences haven’t changed much over the years - she still finds inspiration from old encyclopedias, vintage toys, animations and hand-drawn typography. Currently working from her studio in Amsterdam, Femke creates her mixed media artwork using thin layers of acrylics, often topped off with coloured pencils or chalk.

As well as working on paper, Femke loves to paint on unusual found objects and interesting surfaces such as antique books or old wooden panels which adds another element of intrigue to her work. She has exhibited around the world several times over, including at Roq La Rue in Seattle, where her newest show with fellow Atomica artist Ryan Heshka opens December 7th. There will be a selection of seven of Femke’s otherworldly folklore prints available at the pop-up this December.

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CheekyTiki

CheekyTiki are without doubt one of the coolest independent creative companies in London right now. The only producers of Tiki mugs in the UK and award-winning bar designers to boot, these purveyors of South Seas style bring a touch of tropical paradise to everything they do. As fellow Tiki aficionados, we are very excited to be stocking a selection of their Polynesian Pop collectables at Atomica.

Polynesian pop culture really took off in 1950s when infamous bar owners such as Trader Vic and Don The Beachcomber provided an irresistible tropical gateway for post-war Americans. The desire for a slice of paradise persists; down-and-dirty Tiki bars across the States still serve up potent Zombie and Mai Tai cocktails and the scene is currently having a revival here in the UK. We recently took a trip over to CheekyTiki HQ in Hackney Wick and were totally blown away by what they get up to. Huge wooden Tiki carvings surround the warehouse and endless shelves of ceramic creations adorn the walls. Tiki heaven! There will be a range of lovingly designed and beautifully glazed CheekyTiki mugs and volcano bowls available to buy at the Atomica pop-up. Once you start drinking cocktails out of these, there ain’t no goin’ back! And failing that, they will look amazing on your mantlepiece.

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Eleonor Boström

When we first came across Eleonor’s work, we instantly fell in love with her well crafted, adorable and humorous ceramic objects. Like us here at Atomica, she is a lover of flea markets, vintage animal figurines and dogs of all kinds, all of which are an obvious influence on her work.

Hailing from Sweden, but currently residing in Berlin, Eleonor holds a BA in Fine Arts from Konstfack in Stockholm and also spent time studying at Rhode Island School of Design. Since finishing her degree she has been working non-stop as a ceramicist and been involved in lots of great projects including the cooperative gallery Blås & Knåda and a ceramic studio in her hometown of Stockholm. Everything that emerges from Eleonor’s kiln is a joy to behold. Her work often features a surprise twist, as she likes to design with functionality in mind. Who wouldn’t want to see a demented-but-cute poodle sticking it’s head out of their morning cup of tea? Eleonor’s dog cups, salt and pepper shakers and sewing dogs, will be available for sale during our December pop-up.

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APAK

APAK are Aaron and Ayumi Piland, a husband and wife duo from Portland, Oregon. Each a solo artist in their own right, wonderful things happen when they combine forces! Using colorful gouache and acrylic paintings on wood, their work features the utopian lives and adventures of cute and curious beings living in magical environments. APAK have shown their work in galleries around the world including Australia, LA, Portland, San Francisco and New York. Their aim is simple - to bring something fresh and joyful into the world through their captivating paintings, 3D artworks, masks, felted sculptures, wooden characters and plush toys.

APAK really hit the spot with us here at Atomica and we can’t help but want to dive right into their sweet little land of nod and enchantment. We are delighted to have four beautiful limited edition prints in the Atomica pop-up. Come along to witness the magic! We hope to feature lots more of their wonderful art when we move into our permanent space in 2013.

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Niagara Detroit

Lowbrow goddess Niagara Detroit holds a special place in our hearts here at Atomica. As well as being an incredible artist who creates striking femme fatales with tons of attitude and a wicked sense of humour, Niagara is a total punk legend and a true underground icon. Forming Destroy All Monsters with former members of The Stooges and the MC5 in the 1970s, Niagara went on to front the Dark Carnival and currently continues to strut her stuff with her band The Hitmen, miraculously seeming to have not aged one second since 1974!

Suitably labelled “The Queen of Detroit” by influential art magazine Juxtapoz, we are ecstatic to have Niagara’s tough talking pin-up’s on the Atomica walls this December. With a choice of six bold, colourful giclee prints, we predict you will find her impossible to resist. We hope that Niagara will fly over from her beloved hometown to hang out with us at Atomica one day. Expect to see lots more from her in our new gallery next year and who knows, maybe a solo show could even be on the cards...Niagara rules!