All posts tagged: CA

Fun Friday 11.25.11

November 25, 2011 ,

Today is traditionally a day of shopping here in New York but we don’t have much coin to spare, so what’s next on the agenda? It is sunny and fresh outside right now so we’re thinking of going to take a walking tour of the neighborhood – if only to process yesterdays Thanksgiving feast and the 2 pieces of pumpkin pie and whipped cream that were piled on in a Jack Daniels-induced stupor deep in the night. You could go to MoMA to see the DeKooning retrospective and at the same time the murals Diego Rivera made for the museum in the early ’30s, but that will cost you an entrance fee unless today is one of their Free Friday nights. Sometimes it is just as fun to hit the gallery of the streets, to stretch you legs and employ a bemused attitude as busy shoppers are buzzing in and out of stores keeping the economy going.

Here’s some cool stuff you may also be interested in:

1. LUDO in a Solo Show at The Garage “Super Discount” (Amsterdam)
2. “East West Connection”, curated by Arrested Motion (Hong Kong)
3. Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda Solo Show Now Open (Barcelona)
4. Cryptic Solo on Saturday Night at Hold Up (LA)
5. David Walker “Brides on Fire”
6. “Contemporary Istanbul” An Urban and Contemporary Art Fair
7. “Surface Tension” at Ambush Gallery in Sydney
8. “Peeled, Pasted and Posted” at Gift to Gab Gallery
9. The Bishop, Augustine Kofie and Remi/Rough by Agents of Change (VIDEO)
10. “Outside In” Movie Trailer: The Story Of Arts In The Streets (VIDEO)
11. Blek le Rat 30 Years Later By Spencer Keeton Cunningham (VIDEO)

LUDO in a Solo Show at The Garage “Super Discount” (Amsterdam)

French Street Artist LUDO is having a solo show in this cool private space in Amsterdam, opening today.

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

“East West Connection”, curated by Arrested Motion (Hong Kong)

Tanley Wong tells us about this curatorial project for an art show that he and Arrested Motion are throwing in Hong Kong. Featured in the show at Above Second Gallery is a lineup of fresh artwork from artists such as Shepard Fairey, Faile, Tomokazu “Matsu” Matsuyama, Akino Kondoh, Nick Walker and more.

Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Participating Artists: Luke Chueh, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Evah Fan, Stella Im Hultberg, Tat Ito, Akino Kondoh, Travis Louie, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Brendon Monroe, Edwin Ushiro, Nick Walker, and Yoskay Yamamoto.

For further information regarding this show click here

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda Solo Show Now Open (Barcelona)

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda Solo Show at the Galeria Ignacio De-Lassaletta in Barcelona, Spain opens today to the public after the official opening last night. “Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada is a founder of the New York Culture Jamming movement and an innovator in the international urban art scene. Since the late 90´s he has been replacing the faces of cultural icons chosen by advertisers with the faces of anonymous people to question the controls imposed on public space.”

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda (image © courtesy of the gallery)

For further information regarding this show click here

You can also check out a fine interview on Fecal Face with Mr. Rodriguez-Gerada.

Cryptic Solo on Saturday Night at Hold Up (LA)

Street Art collective Cryptic is having a solo show in Little Tokyo tomorrow night,  “Sacred Syllables” at Hold Up Art.

Cryptik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

Also happening this weekend:

David Walker “Brides on Fire” opens today to the public at the Rook and Raven Gallery in London. Click here for more information.

“Contemporary Istanbul” An Urban and Contemporary Art Fair taking place this weekend in Instanbul, Turkey.  Click here for more information.

“Surface Tension” at Ambush Gallery in Sydney, Australia. Click here for more information.

“Peeled, Pasted and Posted” at Gift to Gab Gallery in San Jose, CA. Click here for more information.

The Bishop, Augustine Kofie and Remi/Rough by Agents of Change (VIDEO)

 

“Outside In” Movie Trailer: The Story Of Arts In The Streets (VIDEO)

 

Blek le Rat 30 Years Later By Spencer Keeton Cunningham (VIDEO)

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Shooting Gallery Presents: C215 Solo Show “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (San Francisco, CA)

November 23, 2011 , , , , ,

C215

C215. (Image © courtesy of C215)

Shooting Gallery is pleased to present Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Recent Works by C215 the new collection of work by Parisian street artist C215. This will be C215’s first solo show with White Walls, with the opening reception on Saturday, December 10th, from 7-11 pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through January 7th.
Christian Guémy, also known as C215, is a Parisian street artist known for his intensely emotive stencil portraits. C215 began painting six years ago, and has since brought his work all over the world, from New Dehli to Istanbul. His expansive career in public art
has made him renowned in more than just the usual circles of stencil-based art fans and collectors. With two masters in history and art, C215 is well-versed in how art impacts society. By integrating layers of found objects in the backgrounds, and focusing on portraits of everyday people, C215 captures snapshots of the streets he walks and the lives that inhabit them. Simple detailing lends an honest aesthetic to the always changing facial expressions in C215’s portraits, almost all of which present us with the feeling of looking beyond mere visage into each person’s true character. The concept of revealing the things most often kept unseen is one that reoccurs throughout the works, often drawing attention to the harsh sides of poverty. This study of hidden elements also shapes the body of work presented in “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” investigating the motives of Cigarette ads and the iconology of smoking.

With a minimum of pieces to be included in the show, most of the artists stencils focus on old ads, images of friends smoking, the hands of smokers, and a few portraits of smoking artists (Painters George Braque and David Hockney, street artist Indigo, and photographers Jeremy Gibbs and Jon Cartwright). The works will be on recycled objects including cardboard, vintage advertising papers, and antique burned canvases. Through a look at the humor and irony in tobacco ad campaigns of the past, C215 asks us to question how modern advertising sells the idea and image of smoking to us now. The works highlight the perversion of smokers’ imagery, the manipulations of marketing and how thoroughly advertising can shape the public mind.
From the Artist:

“By smoking, teenagers think they will look classy, as one 70’s advertising ironically said: “Smokers are somebody special”.

I personally think nobody should begin. I, myself, had been a cigarette smoker for 20 years; I finally got rid of it in 2009 so I am now really happy to explore the social and psychological impact of smoking. This show will mainly deal with old cigarettes ads in order to show how crazy tobacco advertisings could have been in the past. Cigarette lobbyists have always tried to persuade ordinary people that, by smoking, they can get the style and attitude of dominant social groups: intellectual white men. The tricks used to persuade the smoker of the benefit of smoking show how cigarette brands use the psychological weakness of smokers to sell them an illusory dream. The ordinary targets of these ads are minorities and dominated social groups: woman looking for self-confidence, lonely mums and housewives looking for a relaxing moment, immigrants trying to look like western people, workers getting bored of a harassing daily life etc. And most of these ads try to persuade people that smoking their brand is not so dangerous…the show looks at how
we can sell death to people and make them feel safe and happy with it at the same time. This show could be another modest attempt to show what everybody should know- that any kind of advertising is always lying.”

Christian Guémy, also known as C215 is a street artist known for his revered stencil graffiti. Born in Paris in 1973, C215 has spread his art around the globe with a public art career that began in 2005 and quickly established him as a man meant to be a legend.

The Shooting Gallery opened its doors in 2003 to the historic Tenderloin district of San Francisco; known for its lively street culture. Growing up in Southern California gave owner and curator, Justin Giarla, a love for everything lowbrow: pop art, street art, outsider art, punk rock album art, comic book art, surf/skate art and hot rod culture. Giarla recognizes how important it is to provide lowbrow artists with a platform for their work, which is exactly what Shooting Gallery has done for nearly a decade.

Event Information: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Recent Works by C215
Opening Reception – December 10, 2011, 7-11 pm
On View Through January 7, 2012,
@ Shooting Gallery (www.shootinggallerysf.com)
83 Larkin St,
San Francisco, CA

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Hold Up Arts Presents: Cryptik “Sacred Syllables” (Los Angeles, CA)

November 23, 2011 , , , , , , ,

Cryptik

Cryptik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CRYPTIK

SACRED SYLLABLES

With Live Screen Printing

by the Hit + Run Crew

OPENING RECEPTION ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011

From 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

at

Hold Up Art

358 E. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Exhibition will run through December 14, 2011.

 

Hold Up Art presents a new exhibition, Sacred Syllables, by Cryptik, whose bold calligraphy style and eastern-influenced graphics have become a Los Angeles street art staple. Inspired by the philosophies of the far-east and the historical importance placed on the written word, Cryptik’s wheat paste posters, stickers, and t-shirts, which feature traditional mantras and poetry, have become an artistic movement.

“The Cryptik Movement is a public art campaign dedicated to helping humanity evolve towards greater awareness and understanding through the use of compelling, iconic imagery that demands both scrutiny and reverie,” writes Cryptik in his manifesto. “The purpose of this organization is to facilitate the development of a deeper, more meaningful philosophy of life. Our main objective is to challenge people to think of other possibilities and to see a different reality; one that encompasses many ideologies, philosophies, and belief systems in order to help us better understand our place in the universe.”

Free of religious or political messages, Cryptik’s art is meant to provoke contemplation and act as a catalyst for a shift in consciousness. With an interest in concepts that don’t necessarily fit into any scientific paradigms, Cryptik plans to expand his exploration of words and imagery to include more esoteric and occult philosophies.

“If Art is a reflection of the artist’s soul, it is up to the artist to understand themselves before the audience can,” says Hold Up Art’s curator Brian Lee. “Cryptik is one of the very few artists in the street art scene who truly understands who he is, and how to visually communicate his message to an audience.”

Cryptik will be joined at the opening of Sacred Syllables by the Hit + Run Crew, who will be custom screen-printing throughout the event. Early arrival is suggested to guarantee custom printed shirt availability.

 

For more information about this and other exhibits,

please visit www.holdupart.com.

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Known Gallery Presents: POSE – KC Ortiz “White Wash” (Los Angeles, CA)

November 17, 2011 , , , , , ,

White Wash

POSE & KC Ortiz | Whitewash

Opening Reception Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 8‑11pm
On View November 19 – December 10, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
T: 310-860-6263

On Saturday, November 19, graffiti artist POSE and photojournalist KC Ortiz will unveil Whitewash, their second exhibition at Known Gallery, and their most cohesive to date.

For POSE, Whitewash references society’s attempt to eradicate graffiti and stifle human expression. “Shortly after I started writing graffiti, Chicago took an extremely hard-line stance on its eradication, outlawing the sale of spraypaint and implementing Mayor Dayley’s Graffiti Blasters program,” POSE explains.

With this exhibition, POSE will recall a time before the buff. “I am digging into my fondest childhood memories of riding the train and seeing all the colors, letters and cartoon characters along the lines. Making these paintings has been an incredibly rich process, and it makes me thankful that no city official can eradicate my memories.”

POSE will show 15 new works in the main gallery. The work is rendered in his signature style—aggressive, hand-painted collages of pop-culture icons and ephemera—but feature deeper abstractions and new mediums. “I have six paintings on Plexiglass that were kind of an experiment,” POSE explains. “I wanted to be challenged by a new medium and process.”

For KC, Whitewash is about the people and places he photographs. “Much of the work I do covers those who have been ‘whitewashed,’ so to speak, by history and policy,” KC notes. “Specifically, the work I will be exhibiting is from West Papua and Burma. You won’t find either of those ‘nations’ on the map, as both have been essentially ‘whitewashed’ away. Burma has been renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta in order to establish the fantasy of a unified nation, and West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia since 1963 after a very controversial handover from the Dutch that was orchestrated by the United States.”

In the project room, KC will show 12 photographs of West Papua and Burma’s armed struggles. “The struggles are unified in their nature under the theme of resistance, the victimhood of whitewashing by the world at large, the beauty of their people, and the strength of the human spirit and dignity,” KC notes.

About the artists:

POSE
Hailing from The Windy City, POSE has made an indelible mark on a multitude of cities around the globe. Best known for his progressive letter style and technical precision, POSE is an influential contributor to the contemporary graffiti movement, and his work has appeared in numerous magazines, books and films. POSE grew up a half block from the CTA’s elevated train line, and started sneaking out to practice graffiti there in 1992. Coming of age during the golden era of Chicago graffiti, POSE put in endless work on the streets. His prolific output led him to become a local legend, and the city’s most internationally recognized graffiti artist. In addition to his achievements in graffiti, POSE set out to conquer every medium visual art has to offer—both on and off the streets. His artistic exploration led him to become a jack of all creative trades, with successful endeavors in the commercial and fine art worlds. POSE currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the acclaimed West Coast artist collective The Seventh Letter, as well as a founder of his own Chicago based design and art firm We Are Supervision. He has traveled internationally on his own and with The Seventh Letter, specifically to showcase his skills as one of the best graffiti artists out there. Almost two decades into his artistic career, POSE shows no signs of slowing down.

KC Ortiz
KC Ortiz is an award-winning, self taught photojournalist with a split base between his hometown of Chicago, Illinois and Western Thailand. Ortiz’s work focuses on the world’s forgotten and overlooked people and issues. He has covered conflict throughout Southeast Asia, focusing on the human suffering and the policies that enable conflict, as well as humanitarian issues throughout the world. The aim of his photography is to bring awareness to the masses of those that are suffering most, often times completely unseen by the majority. His work has appeared in A-Magasinet, Global Post, Juxtapoz, Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications across the globe. Ortiz’s work has been exhibited in a number of museums and galleries including The Newseum, The Corcoran, The Frontline Club, Known Gallery, Rivera and Rivera Gallery, Guerrero Gallery, and others. In 2011, Ortiz’s work was recognized with a first place award from the prestigious Pictures of The Year International.

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Fun Friday 11.11.11

Fun Friday 11.11.11

November 11, 2011 , , , , , , , , , , ,

I think I missed the morning rush today because I hit the street earlier than usual… and got a seat on the subway (!) because I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking about Papandreou, Berlusconi, Merkel, Obama, and the 3 ring circus shaping up as the 2012 election. The great thing about worldwide impending calamity is, political hypocrisy and economic depression makes artists dig deeper for ways to portray both. That’s why we’re starting today’s Fun Friday with hi-larious satire by the number 16 puncher of all time, Mike Tyson. Always look at the sunny side peepul!

1. CAIN! Mike Tyson for Herman Cain 2012
2. K-Guy’s solo show “Iconic Irrigation”
3. TEEBS at Pawn Works (Chicago)
4. Gregory Siff’s solo “G” at The Site Unscene (LA)
5. Poster Boy in Brooklyn at Might Tanaka Saturday
6. Augustin Kofie “Circulatory System” at White Walls (SF)
7. “Art As A Weapon” (VIDEO)
8. “Luck Be A Lady” – a Frank Sinatra 1965 performance

CAIN! Mike Tyson for Herman Cain 2012

Give it up for Mike Ya’ll! He don’t know karate but he knows KaRazy… just like in the Matrix!

K-Guy’s solo show “Iconic Irrigation”

Opening today to the public at the London West Bank Gallery, a solo show by Street Artist K-Guy, who’s political and social indictments range from Catholic Church hypocrisy to international banking scams portrayed as “crisis”.

K-Guy’s commentary outside the tent village at Occupy London. (photo courtesy of Graffoto)

For further information on this show click here

TEEBS at Pawn Works (Chicago)

A multi-talented California based artist and musician, Mr Teebs’ solo show is called “Lady Luck” opening today in Chicago at Pawn Works Gallery.

Teebs. Still from the video “The Art of Teebs” by Theo Jemison.

To see the video click here

For further information regarding this show click here

Gregory Siff’s solo “G” at The Site Unscene (LA)

Brooklyn born actor, film maker, Street Artist, fine artist Gregory Siff has his solo show “G” today in Los Angeles.

Gregory Siff across a Wall (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

For further information on this show click here

See Greg hitting up a wall on BSA from this week.

Poster Boy in Brooklyn at Might Tanaka Saturday

There is only one, or maybe there are many, Poster Boy/s. The subterranean subway poster slicing hasn’t been so apparent for a minute, but maybe it’s because PB has been slicing at the old kitchen table in preparation for a proper show. “Not for Prophet” is the title, summoning up the Pharisees, the tax man, and the folks down on Wall Street. Let’s see who and what gets cut.

Poster Boy. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Image by Poster Boy. For further information regarding this show click here

Augustin Kofie “Circulatory System” at White Walls (SF)

Augustin Kofie solo show “Circulatory System” opens tomorrow at the White Walls Gallery in San Francisco.  Graffiti writer and fine artist. Old Skool Bomber. Wildstyle. Mid-Century Abstractionism. American Modernism. Choose One and Stick with it, right? Read our interview with him – Augustine Kofie in Studio

For further information regarding this show click here

“Art As A Weapon” (VIDEO)

Jeff Durkin documentary “Art As A Weapon” explores the intersection of Street Art, Democracy and Buddhisim. View the film’s teaser here.

Jeff’s film is currently in production please help him complete his film with your generous contribution by clicking on the Kickstarter link below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artasaweapon/art-as-a-weapon

“Luck Be A Lady” – a Frank Sinatra 1965 performance

Stick with me baby I’m the guy you came in with.

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Fun Friday 11.04.11

November 4, 2011 , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1. Checking in on the GAIA tour – Haarlem, NL
2. Faile “Fragments of Faile” at Lazarides in London
3. Anthony Lister in Sydney “Bogan Paradise”
4. “Thinkers of This” – “Other” and Stinkfish at Brooklynite Saturday
5. Jef Aerosol “Walking Shadows”
6. Lady Pink at Woodward Gallery Tonight “Evolution”
7. EL ORDEN IS INTANGIBLE BY BOAMISTURA (VIDEO)
8. MIKE SHINE. OUTSIDE LANDS BY JUXTAPOZ (VIDEO)

Checking in on the GAIA tour – Haarlem, NL

New York Street Artist GAIA is sending missives from the road as he travels – Here’s a piece employing one of his new techniques of overlaying historical portraits on architecture evocative of their time and geography.  This one of W.E.B. Dubois creates the connection between cities and peoples.

“A simple portrait of WEB Dubois juxtaposed with three brownstones from Harlem, in Haarlem, NL. the village from which the name of the New York neighborhood is derived,” says Gaia.

Image of Gaia © Nicole Blommers

Faile “Fragments of Faile” at Lazarides in London

The Brooklyn Collective Faile new solo show “Fragments of Faile” opens to the general public today at Lazarides Gallery in London.

Faile. Studio process shot. (photo © courtesy of Faile)

For further information regarding this show please click on the link below:

http://www.lazinc.com/

Anthony Lister in Sydney “Bogan Paradise”

In connection with the big “Outpost” festival on Cockatoo Island in Sydney’s harbor this weekend, Anthony Lister’s show “Bogan Paradise” ppens today at the Gallery A.S.

Anthony Lister. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2011/10/24/gallery-a-s-presents-anthony-lister-bogan-paradise-sydney-australia/

“Thinkers of This” – “Other” and Stinkfish at Brooklynite Saturday

These two talents are putting together a full installation at Brooklynite in Bed Stuy right now. The full story for you tomorrow here on BSA. Check it.

Troy Lovegates AKA Other. Backyard Installation at Brooklynite. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stinkfish. Backyard Installation at Brooklynite. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2011/10/24/brooklynite-gallery-presents-stinkfish-and-other-thinkers-of-this-brooklyn-ny/

Jef Aerosol “Walking Shadows”

French Stencil Artist Icon Jef Aerosol solo show “Walking Shadows” opens on Saturday in Rouens, France:

 

Jef Aerosol (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information reagarding this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2011/11/01/jef-aerosol-presents-walking-shadows-at-le-106-rouen-france/

Lady Pink at Woodward Gallery Tonight “Evolution”

The American Graffiti Legend Lady Pink show “Evolution” opens today at Woodward Gallery:

Lady Pink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2011/11/01/woodward-gallery-presents-lady-pink-evolution-manhattan-ny/

Also happening this weekend:

PONGTOPIA! Curated by Billi Kid at The Winter Garden. Click here for details.

Paul Insect show “Triptease Revue” at Post no Bills in Venice Beach, CA. Click here for details.

Guerrilla Garden’s “Blacklisted” at Black Book Gallery in Denver, CO. Click here for details.

Emotional Branding Screening of the film “This Space Available” at IFC Center in Manhattan. Click here for details.

SEE ONE “Technicolor Daydreams” At Brooklyn Oenology. Click here for details.

EL ORDEN IS INTANGIBLE BY BOAMISTURA

MIKE SHINE. OUTSIDE LANDS BY JUXTAPOZ

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Paul Insect is Attracted to Light at the Barracuda Wall

November 1, 2011 , , , , , ,

The Barracuda Wall in Los Angeles is a safe outlet for Street Artists and graffiti artists to try out ideas without worrying that they have to look over their shoulder.  The boxing club inside is owned by Miguel De La Barracuda, thus it’s name and it’s a good spot to get seen, if only for minute before it’s replaced.

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

What this fight club gives the lie to is that Street and graff artists are somehow at odds with one another, a mythology propagated by young hot heads sometimes. In fact, this high profile wall in LA shows that most peeps are big enough to allow everybody to get a chance to express the creative spirit, and often they collaborate. A quick bit of Googling will show you a diverse list of work on the Barracuda wall over the last couple of years, including people like Ron English, Gabe and OG. Defer, Prime, Gabe88, Anthony Lister, Escif, Sanir, Gregory Siff, Shepard Fairey and AWR MSK, Hush, Chad Muska, Cyrcle, Free Humanity, and David Flores. It’s a never ending reinvention for the never ending traffic on Melrose Avenue, a gift from a business owner to his community and the artists.

Photographer and BSA collaborator Carlos Gonzalez captured some excellent night shots of  Street Artist Paul Insect at work on the wall one night last week. Masking out the portions of the wall for painting with a roll of masking tape, alternating sharp lines with drippy, Insect put up a pair of eyes to keep track of a piece by Risk below.

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Paul Insect’s solo show “Triptease Revue” opens this Thursday at Post No Bills Gallery . For further information click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2011/10/24/post-no-bills-gallery-presents-paul-insect-triptease-revue-venice-beach-ca/

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White Walls Gallery Presents: Augustin Kofie “Circulatory System” (San Francisco, CA)

October 24, 2011 , , , , ,

Augustine Kofie

 

Circulatory System: Recent Works by Augustine Kofie

Opening Reception –

November 12th, 2011, 7-11 pm

On View Through December 3, 2011

White Walls is pleased to present Circulatory System, the new collection of work by Los Angeles-based artist Augustine Kofie. This will be Kofie’s second solo show with White Walls, and will include 30 recent works including smaller collage case studies on paper, hand painted multiple screen prints, assemblage on wood, paintings on canvas and wood and a large wall installation. The opening reception will be Saturday, November 12th, from 7-11 pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through December 3rd.

The works comprising Circulatory System feature a clean delineation of geometric forms and divisions of space with a technical precision that resembles architectural drafting. Kofie’s understanding of illustration and linework results in a style of meticulous rendering that never seems cold or sterile due to the delicate sense of balance maintained  within each composition. The muted palette softens the sharp lines, and imparts a simple  elegance to the complicated arrangements of shape.

The vintage-toned color scheme- the pale seafoam and mint greens of the sixties and the varying beige shades of worn paper- fit perfectly with the collage aspect of the work. Found imagery and ephemera are interwoven into many of the paintings, constructing a new way of looking upon fragments of the past. 

Kofie uses a similar approach of artful combination, rearrangement and layering to create  a soundtrack that will accompany the exhibition, reflecting the theme as well as setting  the tone for the collection. The 40 minute soundtrack is not an itunes mix but what Kofie calls a true mix, meaning a well- collaged assemblage of original beats, pulled dialogue from various films and re-edited songs.

 

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Post No Bills Gallery Presents: Paul Insect “Triptease Revue” (Venice Beach, CA)

October 24, 2011 , , , ,

Paul Insect

 

Post No Bills Announces

Paul Insect Triptease Revue

November 3rd – December 1st, 2011

 In celebration of the show, the gallery will host

 An Opening Reception on Thursday, November 3rd from 7-10 PM

Venice Beach, CA (October 2011) – Post No Bills proudly announces Paul Insect’s first major US solo exhibition.  The show will feature an ambitious breadth of original works on paper, from one of street arts seminal figures.

TRIPTEASE REVUE will feature unique originals, exclusive limited edition prints and hand-finished works in Insect’s visceral style, mixing bright colors and arresting imagery – blending sex, politics, death and pop culture themes with a satirical edge.

The show will introduce a new body of work featuring masked voyeurs, explicit thematic paintings, plus signature babyheads, and a wide array of other sensory surprises.  TRIPTEASE REVUE represents a new stage in the evolution of Insect’s art.

Paul started the renowned design collective “Insect” in 1995.  He quickly found himself outgrowing the design industry and began placing his work on the streets. 2003 saw his first show “The Hills Have Eyes”, and in 2007, Paul exhibited at the famed Pictures On Walls (POW) Christmas show “Santa’s Ghetto” in Bethlehem, which saw him paint alongside Banksy and other POW artists on the separation wall in Palestine.  Insect also gained notoriety for creating definitive album artwork for San Francisco hip-hop producer DJ Shadow.

“Bullion”, Paul’s first major solo show in 2007 at the Lazarides Gallery, saw him inconspicuously place real gold bars with bite marks on the streets of London. Before the show opened, Damien Hirst reportedly spent £500,000 buying up the entire show. His breakout follow-up show, “Poison” with Lazarides in 2008, took place in an abandoned sex shop in London’s Kings Cross and featured his iconic bronze Playboy Bunny skulls and his beloved babyheads – which have become some of the most recognisable images on the streets today.

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Homo Riot Presents: “Fist Pump” at Hold Up Art Gallery (Los Angeles, CA)

October 19, 2011 , , , , , , ,

brooklyn-street-art-homo-riot-hold-up-art-gallery

What: Hold Up Art and Work Magazine present Fist Pump, a exhibition of new work from internationally recognized, Los Angeles-based activist and street artist Homo Riot, whose highly charged, and sometimes sexually explicit imagery have became part of the city’s socio-political and physical landscape. Homo Riot’s message started out as a “fuck you” to the supporters of Prop 8, but has morphed into something larger and more profound; seen now as an emblem of pride and strength to the gay community. With drag queens, performance artists, and more eye-candy than a Weho Wednesday, this is the art event of the month and should not be missed.

When:  Saturday, October 22, 2011

Arrivals 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Reception ends at 11:00 PM

Where: Hold Up Art

Little Tokyo District of Downtown

358 E. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Convenient Parking Structure Next Door

Who: Music by club favorite DJ Chris Bowen.

Live Performance Art Installations by Rafa Esparza and Trenton Szewczyk. Special appearance by Lady Bear (wearing a Homo Riot-designed ensemble).

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