Bodhi
bar // cafe
Bodhi Gallery
art // retail
214 Brick Lane
London
E1 6SA
United Kingdom
(map)
tel: 020 7749 0750
About Bodhi
Welcome to East London's cultural center. Bodhi incorporates a gallery space, a sushi and Japanese cuisine cafe bar, the UK's first ever manga library and a brand new retail space.
Please feel free to visit us during our regular opening hours, or contact us at info@bodhi-uk.com
B2 Retail
In November 2007, we opened our retail space. The select store will carry the best of Asian subculture brands, from toys, clothing, books, magazines as well as a special selection of international independent brands.
B2 Online MiniMart
Manga at B2
The B2 manga library is now closed. Many thanks to our many customers over the past 12 months. We hope to bring the manga library back to life sometime in the future.
Bodhi Gallery presents
Sparks Show
A visual retrospective of Sparks
May 19th - May 27th 2008
Across May and June 2008, legendary pop innovators Sparks will attempt the unprecedented: playing each and every one of their 21 albums live. The concerts at the Carling Academy Islington will culminate in the performance of their new album ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’ at Shepherds Bush Empire. Few artists have such an extensive and consistently groundbreaking back catalogue, never mind the gall to play it live in its entirety.
To coincide with the series of concerts and the release of the new album, Bodhi Gallery is hosting an exhibition highlighting the visual legacy of the Mael brothers. Comprising record artwork, rare memorabilia, unseen photographs, videos and a few big surprises, the Sparks Museum will provide a fitting accompaniment to the band’s London residency.
In keeping with Sparks’ tradition of self-mythologising and story-telling, the Museum will take a playful, meandering journey through Sparks history. As an alternative retrospective with exclusive insight into their past, it will be a space where the existing fanbase and new audiences can come together to explore and indulge in the most extraordinary pop band of the last forty years.
Bodhi Gallery is located in the heart of Brick Lane, the epicentre of London’s creative East End.
Specialising in Japanese and European contemporary art, design and illustration, it is relaunching as a café bar and gallery in May 2008.
www.allsparks.com
214 Brick Lane, London E1 6SA • 0207 749 0750
Gallery open daily from 11am - 5pm
http://www.bodhi-uk.com
For further information contact: 07779 644 653
Upcoming exhibitors Tim Tsui and Alice Chan both make appearances in the soon to be released issue 12 of
Clutter Magazine.
We are really looking forward to welcoming Tim and Alice to Bodhi and to the UK as they are both traveling from Hong Kong especially for the shows. The two shows, one venue event takes place from the 29th February 2008, with the opening event on that evening from 7PM. Tim is a legend in the art toy world, and Alice is renowned for her immaculate illustration work for companies such as Levi’s.
Clutter Magazine is in stock at B2, with issue 12 coming soon!
In a new year recap we just wanted to fill in Bodhi fans on what happened at last month’s launch for the vinyl art toy S.L.M.
Back on January 11th, a great turnout to support the product launch and our event partners
SlamXHype (go check out the best Street Culture blog) saw a world record level of beer drinking. The party of course carried on into the very early hours! Thanks to Will at Second Son for all the help (and a killer design for the SlamXHype version of S.L.M.) and Luke for the DJ skills!
If you have no idea what the S.L.M. art toy looks like, drop by the shop - it’s a statement maker for sure. The design is by Bodhi resident artist/store manager Sichi and the product is produced by
adFunture.
Japan’s
Mad Barbarians have worked with
Kidrobot to create Capee. He comes flocked in white or pink versions, both available now at B2 for just £25.
Charting the progress of some of the hottest toy designers around the world with an emphasis on its roots in punk,
Toypunks is a great documentary featuring Bounty Hunter, Frank Kozik, Balzac, Gargamel, Secret base and tonnes of information and moving images about the rarest and craziest toys out there.
Now available at B2 for
£15
Toypunks is a documentary film series covering the converging worlds of Japanese toys, fashion and punk rock. Via location shooting around the globe, toypunks spotlights several top Japanese fashion designers, toy makers and artists illuminating the fact that most of these influential creators find deep roots in DIY, punk and outsider attitudes. Several top US artists and toy makers are included in the discussion, revealing profound parallels between their lives and those of their Japanese contemporaries.
For one week only Blind Arcade are exhibiting at the Bodhi Gallery.
Drop by to see their art!
The B2 retail space has launched a very tiny
online store, stocking some of our most in-demand products, opening up the store to a worldwide audience!
The realworld shop itself has much, much more in stock. So head down to the Bodhi basement to check out what is on offer!
Fresh from Kidrobot, comes the latest installment of their DIY vinyl toy - Mini Munny. He comes on 3 different colours with a random assorted accessory (shown above are examples of the windmill, punk hair and glasses). Included in each box is a pen and Munny sticker.
They will be available at B2 (in the Bodhi basement) from Thursday 24th January for £6 each!
Up next on the walls of Bodhi is the newest illustration work by Phil Corbett.
The private view is on Thursday 24th January 2008 from 7PM.
We invited the artist to answer a few questions about what this show will entail.
Bodhi: Tell us what the theme of the exhibition and the artwork is.
Phil: It’s entitled ‘
Erotic Terrors of the Deep’ but to be honest, the show isn’t really that erotic, I was just being provocative to get people in, because, as we all know, sex sells. That said, the show documents the extremely sexy denizens of the deep that live out their naughty lives deep under the sea, away from human eyes.
Bodhi: That all sounds a bit suggestive and naughty, is it likely to shock?
Phil: Like I say, you’re not likely to find this show that titillating. But if you’re into cute, very slightly suggestive animals with dark undertones and gaudy colours than this is the show for you.
To find out more about the artist visit
his website.
Head down to Bodhi on Thursday 10th January from 7PM for the S.L.M. product launch party. The new vinyl art toy product designed by
Sichi comes in 4 variants featuring collaborations with
Crazy Pig,
Devilock and
Slam X Hype.
The S.L.M. launch is Bodhi’s first event of 2008, with many more great shows lined up over the year.