December 12th the two very anatomically conscious artists, Armsrock and Elbowtoe, will be opening their new duo-show at Thinkspace Gallery in LA. Their work is loose and figurative but because of its ephemeral nature and the subjects they portray much more abstract ideas come into play, such as our Memory. Mostly Memory will show each artist approaching a subject whose short-term cousin seems to get lost in the smoke all too often.

London's Sickboy has been killing it for years and is just about to open his first major solo show ever, the Stay Free exhibition. Fed up with corporate sponsorship of "street art" events and with the typical gallery system he's decided to create a massive show in a Victorian Grade II listed building in east London where visitors will be able to explore a 3D creative playground, with inspiration from the children’s story ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Packed with colour, humour and satire, the show is a culmination of the alternative reality Sickboy has created over the years.

It's time for Amilas Art to blow out their very first birthday candle and they decided to bring together a few of their favorite artists to celebrate with a show of new work at their Carnaby Street location. Peter Kennard, Solo One, Static, and DiRQuo will be exhibiting their newest works along with a few of Amilas' current print series. The show opens December 2nd and is only up for two weeks, make sure to make time.

Over the past 20 years Barcelona has had a city renovation program in effect called "Posa't Guapa" (Embellish Yourself). In theory it is in place to restore old buildings, apartments, plazas, and city neighborhoods to make them more comfortable and liveable for the people of the city. What Barcelona has seen over this time has been an enormous increase in loud, polluting, and ugly construction sites building up new commercial buildings and catering more and more to the hordes of tourists who invade the city. This construction and invasion have become an inevitable part of living in the city center. December 1st jordae, VADr, and RIPO quietly inaugurated a show of more than 100 paintings installed across 7 neighborhoods of the city, the show's title: "Posa't Guapa". A simple stab at the city to show them that we should all have a say in how our cities look and how we live within them.

This Thursday December 4th San Franciscans will get treated to not one but two killer shows under one roof. Jeremy Fish will present over 35 new works as a sort of love letter to San Francisco in "Ghosts of the Barbary Coast" while Miss Van continues to evolve her "poupees” and confront the world of theater, charade, and circus life in her show "Still a Little Magic." Both of their shows will open under one roof on one night, if you're in the SF area I wouldn't miss it.

The Italians have been making some serious visual noise these past few years both on their home turf and abroad. We just got word from our friends Sten & Lex that they along with 108, El Gato Chimney, Lucamaleonte, Orticanoodles, Ozmo, Pho, Santy, and Termine Growth will be taking over Bricklane Gallery in London starting December 12. Knowing how the Italians like the roll this show will be more exciting than a homecooked meal with any one of these guy's (or girl's) families.

While probably close to 95% of the artworld is schmoozing it up in Miami and the rest of us are freezing our asses off it seems the sun is also shining down in Sao Paulo, and for one sick artshow it's shining on longer than expected. Nunca, Herbert Baglione, Tinho, Alex Hornest (Onesto) Flip, Flavio Samelo, Bruno9Li and Sesper all are together in "Contra o Verso" (Against the Verse) at Galeria Bergamin. The show was supposed to come down last week but because the people spoke out it will remain up until January, hallelujah! Now that's something to feel warm about.

Our friends in Miami just sent the first clip...straight outta Miami. Bigups to Nhu!

You can watch this stuff everyday in our "Miami-Tales" here!

Those of you who haven't heard about Catfight yet, go check out their website right now. This all-female and free online graffiti magazine has been kicking ass since 2005, featuring the best of the best in feline can control.

Nhu sent the next "Miami Tales" clip straight outta Wynwood Art District....our friends started their walls.

Our friends Antisrot have been romping it up in Miami along with the rest of the global art crowd and they look to be having some beautiful fun. Aside from painting a nice sized mural at the Aqua Art Fair for Sara Tecchia Gallery they seem to also be enjoying Miami's moshpits and hot tubs.

Elms Lester Painting Rooms is a gallery that has earned itself plenty of street cred and they did it like it should be done by putting in years of dedication and putting out consistent quality. They've been around before most of London's "street art" galleries were even a glimmer in anyone's imagination. Lucky for (some) of us they've also been working for nearly the past two years on their first retrospective publication simply titled Elms Lester Painting Rooms. Of course if you're not able to shell out the £175 to pick up your own copy of the book you can also check out the exhibition in celebration of it that will be open to the public from Dec. 5-20.

This December 12 check out the new mural from ROA and the local artist “braderie” featuring more than 2 dozen Belgian artists. Also, work from the LS crew on display in the NNE box + special gifts from the artists involved, the new NNE fanzine, live lightwriting and video projections from Lichtfaktor, music from Dark Matter and of course warm wine, bonfires and something to stuff in your belly while you ingest all the art. Outside and Inside … cuz who really cares as long we cuddle up and keep warm together. Mistletoe is a parasite. Go on and kiss me.

I asked Harlan what I should write about the White Hotel exhibition on Saturday and he replied "what's the difference in the 3 different types of X-boxes"

It's the holiday season and what better time to think of those less fortunate. Above has just released a new series of giclee prints with 100% of the profits going to support two separate home/less shelters in the San Francisco area. Read on to learn more about the shelters, the prints, and how to get your hands on one.

After spending over a month in NYC for the PLAF project with Momo and then down to Mexico for the Autotono project our good friend El Tono just wrote to let us know he's completely redone his website. It looks sharp and really well organized, just like Tono does so well! Check it out at: www.eltono.com

Check out this video of Faith 47 (with some local help) going massive deep inside the Hazendal community in Cape Town, South Africa. She poses as a question rather than a statement: "Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand." She has been incredibly active as a writer and working in the communities and her work continues to touch on serious political and social problems that entrench South Africa. She says "Like our brothers in the Zapatista National Liberation Army we believe our word is our weapon." I don't know about you but that makes me want to go write on things!

On Dec. 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations drafted and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Now 60 years on human rights violations are still a major problem across the globe and continue to be stepped on by some of the very countries proclaiming to protect others from these atrocities. The Human Rights Action Center commissioned the designer Seth Brau to create a flowing typographic video illustrating the Declaration. While the imagery and icons don't floor me the use of one single font and the simplicity of the animation of no less than 30 articles does. Enjoy and remember we've still got a long way to go towards acheiving these goals for all.

"This Saturday December 13 David Stoupakis will be opening his newest solo show at the Corey Helford Gallery in LA. 'These Predicaments' being his second solo exhibition at the gallery, Stoupakis parlays his talent for the supernatural and macabre into dramatic narratives that reveal symbolic turning points and unexpected dilemmas. A delicate balance of childhood innocence and haunting imagery, the series of oil-on-panel paintings and graphite drawings recounts grim fairytales of the decadent and demure." Sounds creepy and fun.

That's right, Kill Pixie went in and slaughtered the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Berlin with his new solo show "Super Systems" alongside Travis Louie's "Inhuman Oddities". We dropped the ball on the opening of this show but it's staying open until December 20th and if you're in Berlin you should make sure to check it out.

Moki opens her 2nd exhibition at heliumcowboy artspace in Hamburg tomorrow. Make sure to come by and see her amazing artworks live. Straight out of her dreamlike world in her very own, realistic technique.

moki: mume
Vernissage Saturday, Dec 13, 8 p.m. - midnight
Running time: Dec 13, 2008 - January 16, 2009
open wed - fri 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

The Piece Process will open this Wednesday Dec 17 at the Anonymous Gallery in NYC, and this will be a work-on-paper show to remember. The 30+ artist lineup includes the likes of Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Bast, Greg Lamarche, Erik Foss, Elbowtow, Maya Hayuk, Michael de Feo, MOMO, Ripo, and lots more. This is Anonymous Gallery's third official show since opening and judging from their first two with El Tono & Momo then Anthony Lister, Greg Lamarche, Monica Canilao, and Maya Hayuk, The Piece Process is gonna impress.

Wintertime means indoor skate sessions and making due with what you have where you can. We just got this nice video from Sesper down in Brasil. Even though he's actually enjoying summer right now this video, the music, and the style of it make me think of winter warehouse skate sessions, except that this one takes place in the beautifully painted Galeria Bergamin.

This here is the newest stop-motion madness from Sam3. Filmed during September and November of this year in Berlin. Enjoy. It's epic, playful, fun, and completely different from what you might expect.

The Book and DVD of last year’s Big Geezers Tour with Carhartt are finally back. Here’s a first look at the full length mini doc. Check it out here or in the Modart TV section of the site. Skin. Grin. Stutter? Will likes to get his oar in there and swirl it around a bit.

Tinhead is an English artist based in Brighton/Oxford. His illustrations are both eerie and beautiful as they tug at the strings of reality and remind, me at least, of a drugged up 1950's film star or a 1970's surfing holiday gone wrong, see what you think...

Hanukah might be called the Festival of Lights but I don't think they had this in mind when they started that party. The people at EasyWeb certainly know about lights and have created some amazing public projection designs. Take this as a visual gift to brighten up your day and light a candle a few days early.

It's that f-ing time of year again and the big crowded shopping centers are packed with people buying crap they don't need and their friends and families don't want. We at Modart are fortunate to hear about some of the more interesting products and possible-gifts-to-be from artists who are well worth supporting and whose creations you'd be more than elated to see come that fateful morning. "Gifts We Wouldn't Steal" will be coming to you soon with some damn good goodies for the holidays. We'll begin with these great Gelaskins designed by Lyle Owerko that continue to prove LL Cool J right after 20 years. You also won't believe who some of the other 80+ artists who contributed to this series are. (hint: some are killing it today while others were working it over 500 years ago)

For over 30 years Glen E. Friedman's photographs of have embodied what music and skateboarding is and the images have burned themselves into our collective consciousness. He managed to be at the forefront of so many great movements and some of his best known works has included the likes of Fugazi, Black Flag, Ice-T, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, The Misfits, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., KRS-One, and Public Enemy, and classic skaters such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Alan Gelfand, Duane Peters, and Stacy Peralta. On December 13 in Los Angeles, Shepard and Amanda Fairey hosted Glen E. Friedman's career retrospective, Idealist Propaganda, where celebrities poured out to show their support. This massive retrospective will be on view at Subliminal Projects in LA through January 9th. We've all got some free time this holiday season so make sure to use it wisely and get over to this show.

Next up in our new holiday season section of "Gifts we wouldn't Steal": charity one-shot art magazine Sarah. 100 artists from around the world contributed a piece to this A5, 96-page book - fullcolour cover and black/magenta/white insides, threadless bound - to help out raising money for Sarah's ear operation.

These past few years as we've seen the pricetags of works by "street artists" explode we've also seen a lot of artists team up with print houses as well as venture out solo into the world of screenprints, giclee prints, and other printed series with some great and affordable results. Here is the first of our heads-up guide directing you to where to get some of the finest quality ink on paper from some our favorite artists.

Merry Christmas (or should we say crisis?) to everyone! On this very nice and relxing day we are continuing our suggestions for you for where to get your hands on the nicest quality prints out there created at the hands of some of the nicest (and we also mean talent-wise) artists out there.

Traditionally Christmas is a family holiday and personally there are few things I love more than hand drawn type, so I'm real happy to show this video right now. Last year the Dutch artist Job Wouters (aka Letman) sat down with his 4 year old nephew, Gradus W. Wouters, and the two of them went to town illustrating each letter of the alphabet side by side. Sick calligraphhy and the kid rocks the "e." Check out more of Letman's work at www.letman.com.

Brilliant art book publisher Gestalten has done it again: their Winter 2009 collection is amazing. We read The Upset and were utterly impressed by the quality of the book, its selection of artworks featured and the sheer volume of the publication itself.

To finish up the print installments of the Gifts We Wouldn't Steal we're bringing you a couple of artists you will know and a few you might not. Throughout January (Happy almost New Year by the way) we're going to continue publishing about more gifts including books, artist products, and other things you're sure to find interesting, maybe even enough so for you get something for yourself or others. There is sure to be some crossover since print people are making books, book people are making products, and it's all art in our books.