Modart » HLP

Help Kick Starting Superheroes

Maxi — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:19:49 +0000

Dear friends, members and art enthusiasts,

As you know we like giving; and we like it a lot. But today we are looking for your support for a very special project that we have often talked about.

Many of you have been watching Abner Preis’ wild ride over the last few months and saw the Superhero Project included in high profile art, fashion and design events while continuing to empower average (and not so average citizens) by transforming them into Superheroes.

The trip of Abner and Harlan Levey Projects to Miami last December was telling. It is not often that you find an activist piece of art (especially one based in performance), which is taken seriously by the contemporary market. Abner’s work has not only crossed the boundary between different creative industries, but has also demonstrated that acclaimed fine art can still be socially engaged.

At a time when public subsidies to the arts are diminishing and the world reads about crisis after crisis, it is not surprising that a project, which speaks of joy, empowerment and unlocking potential is successful as it hits the streets. It is a great testimony to Abner however, that the project has been so well received by the public at large as well as decision makers in a highly critical market.

Now HLP and Abner are going to put that to the test as they embark on an ambitious journey across the United States.

The relationships created in the last 6 months make us more than confident that they will reach agreements with a suitable publisher for the book, with film festivals and a production house for the short series of films and with reputable fairs and museums to deepen the reach and legacy of this bold initiative as the artwork created in the USA is displayed.

But before they get there, they need to get to the US, get on the road and start creating new heroes. For this they can use your support.

There are several ways you could help them out. They’ve launched a campaign on Kickstarter, which gives you all the details. While they’re looking for financial support to produce the project, they’d also appreciate any hand you want to lend in helping them establish new contacts in the cities they visit, arranging accommodation with friends or family and spreading the word about this project.

For more information regarding past Superhero performances of Abner Preis, media coverage and how you can help visit the website of HLP. Feel free to contact them with any inquiries.

Wayne Horse sees More Future

Maxi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:29:39 +0000

This Saturday is not only the grand opening of the brand new Harlan Levey Projects Showroom, but also the exhibition opening of More Future by Willehad Eilers, aka Wayne Horse. In the evening Wayne will also premier his new exciting film ‘The Ill Mannered Milkman’.

While we’re running around to help Wayne and Harlan set up the atmosphere for this eerie show we hope that you come to Brussels to enjoy an evening with the infamous Teddy Milks, rituals, orgies and of course price fighter Kent ‘The Norseman’ Hensley.

About Wayne Horse:
Willehad Eilers aka Wayne Horse (Peine, Germany 1981) is a graduate of the Gerrit Rietveld and Rijks Academy in Amsterdam. He first earned attention for street based character designs, which reflected the same sweet, caustic and sharp sense of humor he would become known for in his drawings, paintings, tags, videos, animations, installations, Internet-based works, and home videos. His work has been shown at the Venice Biennial as well as in group shows in Brussels, London, Rotterdam, Hong Kong and Amsterdam, where he has exhibited with artists such as the Chapman Brothers, Jeff Soto, and Abner Preis.

His latest project, ‘The Ill Mannered Milkman,’ is a film, which follows the infamous Teddy Milks and the ABC kids into the woods, as a fictional story is transformed into a real event through coincidence, ritual and the reflection of opening doors and dodgy decisions.

Mehr Future, ja!

Kate Moss and HLP Mousse

Maxi — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:00:17 +0000

Two weeks ago HLP protege Willehad Eilers, a.k.a. Wayne Horse, opened his group show at Paradise Row in London, alongside the likes of the Chapman Brothers. Wayne presented his “lighter-lit display of sub-cultural, cul-de-sacs articulated in a trash aesthetic”.

We know who Kate Moss turned up to see (even if she didn’t) and were proud of the HLP crew on hand and to know that they rapped the wine drinkers right out of the room and into the night …

See above some pictures of the show and more on No New Enemies. The show will be on until February 20.

Superheroes at SCOPE Art Miami

Maxi — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 11:28:18 +0000

While winter started torturing the northern hemispheres and people shuffled through a mix of mud, ice and snow, Lori Zimmer and Harlan Levey attended the SCOPE Art fair in sunny Miami, where Harlan Levey Projects (HLP) made its fair debut featuring The Superhero Project by Abner Preis.

Harlan gave his impressions: “Preis was on hand all 5 days and while no tight count was kept, it is safe to say he brought out the hero in no less than 300 fair guests. All in all I found the fair outstanding. It was the first fair I have ever been at where all the galleries seemed satisfied with visitor traffic, overall quality and even sales.

“Scope director Mollie White did a fantastic job and we met some very interesting artists like Marc Horowitz, who aside from Abner was the only artist we might have recognized as pure Mousse. Outside of the fair there was always too much to do (more then a dozen other fairs + parties), but the most fun I had was joining our friends from Berlin as they threw the sort of party that has made the Broken Hearts Club famous. Big thanks to Ingrid Junker, William J. Barras, Alex Barron and all the new HLP accomplices.” (Harlan Levey)

Here is a first glimpse of HLP at the SCOPE Art fair, where Abner Preis kept bringing the heroes out in smiles.