Solid As A Rock – Concrete Hermit
admin 
T-Shirt Reviews 
British fashion, Concrete Hermit, UK art, UK t-shirts, art t-shirts, concretehermit.com, illustration tees, urban art
First off if you’ve already discovered the visual exuberance and style of Concrete Hermit then head on over to www.ConcreteHermit.com where they’re offering a 10% discount – just enter HERMITCHRISTMAS at the checkout – it applies to all their products in the run up to Christmas. If not, read on. I’ve only just discovered Concrete Hermit myself after receiving a friendly email from Charlie Hood who works at their East End London shop and gallery regarding the pre-Xmas sale and a forthcoming new season of tees for 2010. However let’s begin at the beginning, CH are all about the art, that’s a fact, if you’re like me and like your art with an urban slant then you’re in luck. CH’s store offers a salubrious feast for the eyes including t-shirts, sweatshirts, screen prints, posters, original art, books and even vinyl toys. There’s also limited edition CDs and postcards on offer, plus regular exhibitions at their gallery in Club Row that have featured such luminaries of the graphic design, illustration, fashion, and urban arts scene as Anthony Burrill, Lazy Oaf, Jeremyville and Eskimopush.
There are t-shirts on offer by many of Concrete Hermit’s past exhibitors as well as their Tate Modern series, and all I can say is expect eclectic, the styles vary from artist to artist, and every one of them shines with that street savvy East End style you’d expect from the British urban arts scene. Time and time again I come across street, graffiti and urban artists and galleries online, people I can visually and creatively connect with on so many levels, and more and more I am convinced I am seriously missing out on what maybe the most exciting explosion in visual arts in London for quite some time now. It’s difficult for me being based way out here on the coast to really keep up with all the goings on there, but thankfully sites like Concrete Hermit keep me up-to-date and I’m grateful for it. Who knows, if my proverbial ticket ever crops up perhaps I can one day afford to relocate to the heart of the street art community, but for now, as I say, it’s good to know that sites like this can provide me and many others in my position with the cultural lifeline we so desperately need!
So, let’s get back to the point of this post, the t-shirts, and here we go with a few of my favourite picks at Concrete Hermit:-
High Art Tees At OtherCriteria.com
admin T-Shirt Reviews British Art, Damien Hirst, For The Love Of God, Michael Joo, Other Criteria, Skull, UK art, White Cube, art, art t-shirts, art tees, othercriteria.com
Founded in London in 2005 Other Criteria was conceived primarily as a publishing company by Damien Hirst, Hugh Allan and Frank Dunphy, with creative directorship from Jason Beard. They work directly with Damien Hirst and a number of established and emerging artists to make limited editions and multiples, clothing, jewellery, photographs, posters, prints and books. I was recently approached by OC to review their unique collection of art tees, and I have to say it’s my pleasure to, being an artist myself I can fully appreciate the direction this company has taken, crossing the boundaries between art, design, fashion, and in particular their decision to market themselves to a new breed of discerning consumer, bypassing the need for the gallery or dealer, and offering something of true artistic value to suit every budget.
OtherCriteria.com, their online presence for the vision of an eleven strong team of designers, production managers and assistants, is supported by the off-line exposure of their merchandise at their two London stores, 36 New Bond Street, and 14 Hinde Street, London. I personally feel that this review represents a validation of my own beliefs that the humble t-shirt has until very recently been a neglected medium in the world of the arts and that perhaps now at long last both artist and collector can truly engage in a whole new field of creative consumerism unseen in retail history. From the likes of Damien Hirst to Banksy, a more general public have at long last been able to engage on a deeper level with every echelon of the artistic community, conceptually and emotionally helping to support their practice, forming their own base of opinion and venturing forth where no consumer has ventured before.
My own experiences of the British arts education system have left me somewhat jaded, with tutors and galleries alike assuming that only the elite can appraise, criticise or even purchase art. This seemed an outdated premise even then, some 20 years ago, but at long last with the progressive attitude of companies such as Other Criteria, the urban art movement, the rise of the global Internet community, and a general awareness by all of the context both sociopolitical and historical that we find ourselves in today, we can expect this to be but the beginning of a far more self-aware consumer revolution. The art market is also shifting in a new direction, unaffected by the establishment’s world weary view of what should constitute creativity. Art for the people = power to the people. Mass consumption has led to many problems in our age, yet now at long last the individual seeks more than an aggregation of the familiar, they crave the unique, the fundamentally altered, a higher perspective of both their own existence and the world we live in.
The contemplative, inspirational and highly acute products of OC are one example of a progressive wave of entrepreneurs and creative collectives aiming to offer an alternative vision, one that suffices more than mere need or want, supplanting the desire for the object with a heightened sense of realism, a proposal for a new and deeper relationship between consumer and producer. In this context, at this time of political, social and economic turbulence, quality of life, quality of experience, and quality of the product are at the forefront of public expectation. Now is the time to consider Other Criteria, and of course in particular their own fine range of art tees. read more
Follow us on Twitter!Featured Websites
T-Shirt Discounts
Blogroll
- Annie Spandex
- Beautiful Decay
- Color Overload
- Defunkd
- Fat Seagull
- Graffiti Art
- Links
- Pop Culture Tees
- RedBubble.com
- Retro God
- Shred News
- Smart Geezer
- Technocrati
- Thunderfrogs
- Urban Art
- Watchteev
Archives
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
