IM // UR | Artist // Danny Sangra

BEFORE TODAY by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

It doesn’t take much to make me feel stupid. Trying to find the words to describe the debut album of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at 4AD is just one of many examples I could give you. To me, ‘Before Today’ sounds like an album that Kevin Barnes could be recording if he loved goth bands more than funk ones. Or like the cold wave genre entering a multicoloured psychedelic stage instead of glazing at it's own depression. Don’t mind my threadbare examples; this is the album that will make it onto every interesting top 10 of the year and you don’t wanna miss it.

WE // R \\ WEARING

I can't resist (probably overpriced) basics-with-a-twist. My wardrobe, full of T by Wang, Oak, Bassike and yes, American Apparel is proof of this; and since in Australia, a new favourite has emerged in the form of Nathan Smith. His selection of supersoft tees, tanks and dresses have sucked me into buying multiples of a number of styles in different colourways. You just can't go wrong with these though! Addictively and endlessly wearable - and not in actual fact, overpriced in the slightlest - Nathan Smith is the way forward for your wardrobe.

WE // R \\ WATCHING

I don’t think any series will treat teenagers the same way that Freaks and Geeks did almost 10 years ago. Although relying on every teen American cliché they could, this series was the closest thing to reality you could get whilst still being something fun and interesting to watch – cause, you know, life is boring. With bands like The Who, The Clash and XTC being either part of episodes or the soundtrack, this 80’s based cult show was short-lived (only 18 episodes), but long enough to enrich the careers of some young actors (i.e. James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and, erm, Linda Cardellini) and is greatly missed. Can we have a movie about them meeting again in the 00’s?

WE // R \\ GOING

Once, a friend of mine wanted to take me to this 'cheap Chinese restaurant', situated in the heart of Liberdade, a Japanese neighborhood in São Paulo. When we got there the place was packed, but because it looked cheesy and kinda poor, I didn't want to wait it out. It took another friend for me to go back there and fall in love with it. Now, every time the mood for some freshly made noodles (you can watch the chief making the noodle dough through a window) framed in some horribly painted pink walls takes me, I go for Rong He. Did I mention the food is also incredibly generous and cheap?

WE // R \\ READING

The ultimate in peeping tom into other, cooler, more fashionable, richer, quirkier and more-hipster-than-thou lives is Todd Selby's The Selby. Having previously been an internet only voyeur's dream, Todd has just last month released The Selby Is In Your Place, a book the coffee table tome full of twee drawings, colourful interiors and people showering. Half of the images in the books are favourites from the website and the other is stuff he hasn't published online yet. So go check it out, maybe buy it if you can to make your crappy coffee table in your crappy apartment that little bit cooler with pictures of someone else's cool stuff.

Artist // Danny Sangra

Monday // February 08, 2010 at 14:33 // filed under Art

Danny Sangra

The scope of Danny Sangra's mad skillz is seriously enviable. Truly of the multi-media, multi-talented breed, Danny Sangra's work spans everything from film, illustration, collage to knitwear and all in between. Further more, he's not just a dabbler, or even a jack of all trades; London based Danny in fact excels at all the mediums he manipulates and embodies the ultimate in a modern, multifaceted young artist.

From videos for Metronomy to designing prints for Louis Vuitton Homme and tees for Uniqlo in Japan as well as others he's not even allowed to mention yet, he is also responsible for the infamous I Hope You Die Soon print which the most excellent Fanny and Jessy (FAJ) turned into a tee. Danny has also worked with another talent; IM//UR alumni Gabriella Marina Gonzalez, who along with FAJ, has Danny directed short films about. And in a sweet bit of cross-creative-pollination, Danny has also used the super hot Fanny and Jessy to model his latest project, clothing label AMS (or A Minute's Silence) with Lynnda Needles (I'll be posting their lookbook this week...wait for it, their stuff is GENIUS).

Stills from the shoot for the AMS lookbook

So. Danny works with a huge variety of people. And in a huge variety of creative mediums. And he does it supremely well. All evident in the crazy wicked background he's done for us this month. "I know you have the 'I Hope You Die Soon' t-shirt, so I kept the type as my own hand drawn type. The image is a collage image of my illustration work. I make images with multiple meanings and idea. One image doesn't necessarily mean it's one idea." (Images in this post are collated).

How and when did you know you were going to be an illustrator?

I never thought of being an illustrator...I mean, I don't consider that as what I am now. It's one thing I do and can do fairly easy but it's not the only thing I do. I grew up just wanting to make things. Be it drawn, photographed, filmed or glued together. I still pretty much work in the same way I did when I was 8 years old. I just start something and see what happens with it. However, I am slightly smarter than when I was 8. Only slightly though.

Danny Sangra for Louis Vuitton

What have been are your biggest influences?

Growing up I had artistic influences like most people, but when I left college I was lucky to meet people that had been in the industry for many years and had a profound way of looking at it. Namely Camilla Lowther (CLM UK) and Johnny Chatters (owner of Double Identity); these were people who had faith in me at a young age and guided my approach into what I should be trying to achieve.

Film stills

Who (else) would you love to work for or collaborate with?

It's weird as I have have pretty much worked with almost everyone I have wanted to work with, however the one person/label I have always wanted to work with is Vivienne Westwood. It can seem like an obvious choice for most people, I know. I would usually give a stupid answer to that question.