Stick Together was honored to work with the Emmy-award winning film team from CBS Sunday Morning to help create this incredibly stunning artist feature profile on Max Zorn for their Amsterdam edition. Thanks to The Original Dampkring Gallery for the last-minute film set, and to Max for putting himself in front of the camera and telling million of Americans his story.
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A sparkling success as Max Zorn completes a New York City commission and five-panel polyptych
A stunning success at a large five-panel polyptych commission of brown, sapphire and white packing tape on acrylic glass. Each panel about 1.5ft x 5ft in size for the 7.5 x 5ft work.
Always up for new challenges and visions, Max Zorn recently finished a five-panel polyptych artwork commission for a New York City collector stretching nearly 8ft x 6ft in size. The artwork mimics a spectacular Brooklyn Bridge view from the collector’s home that’s always been hidden by a wall, until now. Max Zorn used a combination of brown packing tape for the cityscape detail, a light sapphire blue tape for the Hudson River, and white tape for the clouds and moody sky. Each panel was customized by the artist and framed into a LED lightbox. The entire system to illuminate the artwork together was a feat accomplished by Max and also the collector, an engineer. Now all he has to do is say “Alexa, turn on artwork”, and his panoramic view of NYC is alive.
Finished artwork installed with a voice recognition switch and hung in the collector’s Manhattan home, created to imitate the view from behind his living room wall.
Selling work before it’s finished opening night at Aqua Art Miami, photo by Zachary Clark
Well that was a whirlwind. Stick Together Gallery grounded itself on South Beach for the Art Basel Miami Week 2017 within the dapper, art deco deluxe setting of Aqua Art Miami. Max Zorn was the solo showcase, premiering an entire exhibition of new work ranging from cigar box wonders to large unique collector’s items.
And sold out by Saturday. Works were selling before we could put them out. They were selling before they were even complete. They were selling even when they were already sold!? A huge thanks to an incredible vision set out by director Katelijne de Backer, (Art New York & Aqua Art Miami), an on-point exhibitor team, and an enthusiastic crowd of fans, first-time buyers and new and old collectors. Amazing help from our photographer and gallery staff Zach Clark, thanks again for bringing the coffees when we couldn’t leave the floor. And well done Max — those secret naps in “the office” really paid off.
Max Zorn creating live on opening night at Aqua Art Miami, photo by Zachary Clark
Case Maclaim (DE) paint at Eneida M Hartner Elementary a portrait of two students who attend this Wynwood school as part of The RAW Project.
It was pretty much a no brainer to hop on board The RAW Project to help better learning environments for schools and kids that are in need. RAW (Re-imagining the Arts Worldwide) began in 2014 in the heart of Wynwood, Miami, at Jose de Diego Middle School — a school without an arts class, after school arts programs, low attendance rates and enough violence to keep police officers patrolling campus.
Since then over 80 world-renown artists came to paint its white walls, and the results have led to higher class and school attendance, better test scores, funding for arts programs and a boost in school spirit that’s off the charts. The school graduated from an “F” to a “C’ school. How do we know? The principal says so:
“Jose de Diego MS credits a great percentage of change in their school culture, increase in students attending the school oppose to charter schools and students overall academic performance to the RAW project.” — Principal Dr. Williams.
This December Stick Together invited Shepard Fairey (US), CASE MaClaim (DE), ZED1 (IT), Pipsqueak Was Here! (NL), Inkie (UK) and INO (GR) to join RAW painting Eneida M Hartner Elementary School in Wynwood, Miami.
Here’s what NPR had to say:
“Art That Transformed A Miami Neighborhood Now Making Its Schools Cool”
Stick Together is exhibiting for Art Basel Miami weekend at none other than the classy art deco Aqua Art Miami fair from November 30 to December 4. Max Zorn will exhibit fresh new works more detailed, intricate and jaw-dropping than ever before seen… can you sense our excitement? Here’s the link to his winter catalog for a sneak peek at what will be on the walls.
The second time around at Cologne’s Art.Fair partner Blooom felt like home for Stick Together. Surrounded by familiar faces of artists and gallerists, Blooom was a well-curated mix of work impossible to ignore. Stick Together fused Max Zorn walls with a collection of prints by Shepard Fairey, Daniel Doebner, PLEASANT, Steve Locatelli, Eelco van den Berg, and Super A. The booth kept busy, with surrounding works by Fin DAC, Innerfields, Eliot The Super, Miss Van and more. Cologne has been a great experience, and the times spent with friends like GO Gallery exploring the city were fantastic. We found out that some tape adhesives have traces of dynamite in the glue — hence the security dog sniffing around. (And no, Max Zorn tape art does not explode like a wall bomb). Art.Fair moves to a new market in Dusseldorf next year November, let’s see what Stick Together can do to make a memorable entrance!
Stick Together showed its gallery side at Frieze London this fall within the Old Truman Brewery walls adorned by the creative curating from the seventh annual Moniker Art Fair. It was a packed weekend as we exhibited three of the most talented artists using tape as their medium: NO CURVES (IT), Benjamin Murphy (UK) and Max Zorn (NL). All artists sold to the thousands who visited, and Stick Together couldn’t be more impressed with the Moniker team putting on a great exhibit. Some of the highlights included live screenprinting and signing by Toasters, Josh Stika and Word To Mother at the Jealous Gallery next door. We loved the wall installation by Master Art, not to mention the daily glass of champagne for a pick-me-up when our levels needed an extra energy kick. We ran into good friends like London-based street artist Otto Schade, the owner of street art foundation Urban Art Now, and made new friends, clients and fans within the concrete jungle of London. Amazing time, see you next year!
The Stick Together Gallery booth boasted top names in artists who use tape as their medium: NO CURVES (IT) fusion of assorted colors and textures added stark contrast to Benjamin Murphy (UK) and his delicate use of black electrical tape. Max Zorn (NL) illuminated the walls with his use of light and sepia-tones and drew a crowd during his live work-in-progress presentation.
Opening night at Moniker Art Fair 2016 was buzzing within the walls of the Old Truman Brewery. London showed up by the thousands that weekend, and us here at Stick Together felt at home surrounded by some of the freshest contemporary and urban art around.
As an emerging gallery it’s important to test new markets, and a lot of curiosity lands on Switzerland. It has Art Basel, a thriving banking sector, the world’s finest watches and precious jewelry… and chocolate.
With the third highest per capita GDP in the world, Stick Together finally made an appearance at Art International Zurich and premiered Max Zorn for his first Swiss show alongside the Zurich Film Festival. It was the first stop on a triad tour of art shows, and us here at Stick Together couldn’t have started less classy.
We found the Swiss to be quite curious about Max Zorn’s technique and use of light illuminating his medium. Many we’re impressed with the fact that these works are made freehand without any photo or sketch to start from.
MEDIA: It’s not often that behind-the-sceners are in the spotlight. Anabel Roque Rodríguez, art historian, curator and educator for high-brow events like Art Basel and Art Karhlsrule, interviewed Stick Together Gallery and Project owner Audrey Sykes as part of a profile series on working across cultures in the art world of Europe.
READ HERE: Being a cross-cultural worker: Experiences, Lessons, Strategies. Interviews – Part I.
Sykes has lived abroad since 2005, and started Stick Together with Max Zorn in 2012 with a background in media and a passion for the future of urban and contemporary art. Here’s her take on succeeding with selling art on a global scale, failing to learn Dutch on an embarrassing scale, and building a pretty decent record collection despite the nomadic life. (Dive into the mind of Anabel Roque Rodríguez at www.anabelroro.com for a healthy dose in art strategy, story-telling and clever speculation.)
COLLECTION: Stick Together met Mr. Brainwash one breezy December night in 2014 on Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami weekend. His work was being shown with at the Delano, and we were in talks about Max Zorn’s solo show on Fisher Island the following week. Brainwash looked as if he had just walked out from an Exit Through The Gift Shop scene, with the classic fedora hat and that energetic buzz. His plan for the weekend was to install a few hundred Star Wars storm troopers around Miami. (And Stick Together loves storm troopers.)
Despite the controversy and opinion that bubbles up from the art world, Brainwash remains a blue chip for collectors worldwide because of his story, his identity, and his artistic vision. His “Legend Forever” collection sold-out in seconds, on sale less than a week after Muhammad Ali died June 3.
Below is No. 4 of 16 variant works of black and multi-color gradient screen-print on hand torn archival art paper, hand finished by Mr. Brainwash. The print is signed on the front and back, (with COA). Print size: 22.5in x 30in. No. 4 was specifically chosen for its primary colored finish of red, yellow and blue accents and warm gradients.
COLLECTION: Stick Together first saw Shepard at Wynwood Walls in 2013 when he was working on his feature mural during Art Basel Miami weekend. With a clipboard in one hand and a composed and confident stance, he oversaw the progress in a calm and observant manner under the shade of a baseball cap. It was special to see this well-known artist smile and make time for fans while keeping an eye always on the developing work. Andre The Giant still has a posse with Stick Together.
As a big fan of Shepard Fairey we are very excited to acquire a slice of his “Earth Crisis” series with this outstanding, powerful print. Read more about Fairey’s Earth Crisis exhibition here at Galerie Itinerrance in Paris until July 30, 2016.
We know Fairey is not about buyers reselling his work, and Stick Together is proud to exhibit a series of Fairey prints to fans as part of our private collection for the time being at our upcoming exhibitions.
This print, “Earth Crisis Drop” sold out in seconds, it’s signed by the artist and numbered 405 of 450, 18in x 24in.
MEDIA: Say what you want about the state of our modern media, but it was pretty gratifying to have a news leader like BBC come by the Stick Together Gallery booth for an exclusive interview with Max Zorn at the Affordable Art Fair Singapore. With lights, camera, action in tow, BBC journalists had an hour-long Q&A session with Max about his inspiration behind his works, how the idea began, and how Singaporeans are reacting to his solo showcase as a featured artist of the art fair.
WATCH BBC INTERVIEW HERE:
Tape artist Max Zorn ‘unbound by time and place’
FAIRS:Stick Together arrived in Singapore for the Affordable Art Fair spring edition at the Formula One Pit Building in downtown Singapore. We brought a full show of Max Zorn’s latest work, including Max Zorn himself, who created live and was interviewed by BBC and Channel News Asia. Attendees were curious and enthusiastic, and sales were huge.
Congrats to Max Zorn and his sold-out exhibition. Things never got boring in our booth, and the crowds never stopped showing up, asking questions, and admiring work. It was am honor to meet so many new faces, new cultures, and brilliant new clients. The fair had a flawless staff who showed a beautiful balance between professionalism, casual and class.
It was Stick Together’s first time showing in Singapore, working with some of the best art fair staff we’ve encounter. Founded by Will Ramsay (founder of PULSE) the Affordable Art Fair was organized as an alternative to the traditional gallery scene, with a price ceiling of £5,000/€6,000/$10,000 for 75% of exhibited work. From Stick Together’s personal experience, exhibiting in Hong Kong 2015 brought over 30,000 pairs of eyeballs, and 2016’s experience in Singapore showed us that Asia is ready to buy art. Our first-hand experience has shown us that both collectors and newcomers buzz around, and turnouts have been massive for this global art fair franchise. Art at an art fair is never “cheap”, and “affordability” is in the eye of its beholder, but these guys are on to something. We’re so thankful to be a part of it.
(View from the booth at the Formula 1 building. Now imagine 18 Ferraris flying by. We did.)
The global community giant of TED Talks approached Stick Together to present its story and in-house artist Max Zorn to a 400-plus audience at the Technical University of Munich in the name of art and its future. It took hours of practice to get this 15-minute speech down to a tee, memorize it and keep it captivating. Special thanks to the cameraman who refrained from too many close ups — after three back-to-back fairs and little sleep it’s better to get that wide, all-encompassing angle anyway.
Award-winning booth at Spectrum Art Fair for Art Basel Miami weekend 2015.
FAIRS: Ask anyone in the industry and they’ll say Art Basel Miami is beautiful, but bananas… a weekend of sleek, shiny, dressed to the 9s Warhol style bananas. The exhibitors, artists, collectors, fair directors, the street artists in Wynwood, the Miami beach hotels, the bars and clubs throughout – it’s about being something everyone is talking about, it’s visual overkill in the most wonderful way, and it’s inspiration, exposure, hand-shaking havoc and artfully adventurous. We at Stick Together just love it.
It’s a positive problem to work with an artist in high enough demand suffering the beauty of always being sold out (Max Zorn is sold out, honestly, all the time). But wow were we thankful to show up fashionably late to Miami with a new collection of Max Zorn in tow. Stick Together rocked and rattled the Miami mainland this year at Spectrum Art Fair with a nearly sold-out booth and accolades aplenty. The booth looked leaner than last year’s break-out Breeder booth at SCOPE (thanks again for the write up Widewalls.ch), and Stick Together won the fair’s Best New Exhibitor award for it.
“Ivory Sky” was featured in the Wall Street Journal as a full-page SPECTRUM Art Fair ad for Art Basel Miami weekend. Brown, red and white packing tape on acrylic glass illuminated with LED custom lightbox. ArtistL Max Zorn. Year: 2015. SOLD
Plus, Max flexed his brain muscle to fill up the booth with fresh work during an already-packed fall of exhibiting and selling, and won Best Artist at the fair for it. And thanks again to Widewalls.ch for ranking Stick Together in the top 10 booths to see at Spectrum out of over 100+.
And to top it off, Spectrum Art air used Max Zorn’s artist “Ivory Sky” as a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal to promote their fair. (And in Stick Together’s opinion, this shows that Max Zorn’s talent and skill at detail and motif can outshine his material of tape on an international audience level…but we knew that already, Max.)
Golden Haze unique work of brown packing tape with hints of red packing tape on acrylic glass illuminated by a custom-framed LED lightbox. Artist: Max Zorn. Year: 2015. SOLD
Stick Together left speechless, again. It wasn’t long ago we were hoisting a DIY exhibition at Wood Tavern and taking sales calls from partygoers at 2am inspired to buy in a late-night gotta-have-it haze in 2013. We tested the waters at SCOPE in 2014, selling to celebrity clients and getting flown to New York for further collector collaborations. And wow, Spectrum Art Fair 2015, you exceeded our expectations on all levels. We will never forget the flurry of buyers, media attention and positive atmosphere. It was an honor to work with you.
Let’s see what 2016 brings Miami!
Click on image to view works available from each artists
Kevin Ledo
Max Zorn
Dean ZEUS Colman
Shepard Fairey
Jack Brando
Banksy
ZED1