Fabien Castanier Gallery is proud to present IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE , the first solo exhibition in the USA by French artist RERO.For the past 3 years, RERO has established his work through his innovative approach to street art. First introduced to the street as a teenage graffiti writer, he eventually felt limited by a spray can and began exploring imagery through the use of typography. His work retains those values of graffiti- which remains at the very core- the confrontation, the aesthetics of destruction and the idea of appropriation. The forms of his letters, always in Verdana font, become the image. With his distinct visual style, RERO often inhabits disused and dilapidated spaces to explore the concept of “negation of the image”, presenting minimalist statements that combat our modern overdose on images and messages.
RERO challenges our understanding of intellectual property, images and computer terminology, through the use of words and phrases with a stark black line crossing them out. Using expressions such as “Trade My Mark”, “Error 404” and “This Image is Free Copyright”, the artist seeks to provoke questions from the viewer to establish their own positions as to their meaning. The use of the strike-through furthers his exploration of negation, as it suggests a notion of denial or censorship.
RERO’s site-specific works enter the gallery space through a variety of media. His works on canvas emulate the abandoned walls where he often intervenes, where there is no distinctive brushstroke or human trace, instead marked by time and by texture. Similarly, he encases vintage leather bound books in resin, his way of making them “fossils” of the 21st century. For IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE , RERO will be exhibiting works on canvas, sculptures, works on paper and resin books alongside several installations.
RERO was born in 1983 and studied graphic design at London College of Communication. He has shown his work in numerous exhibitions and art fairs across Europe. He lives and works in Paris.
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our second show, PUBLIC WORKS, at LALA Gallery on Friday, August 3, at 7:00 pm.
This groundbreaking two-part exhibit, a collaboration with LA Freewalls and MacDonald Media to benefit Art Share LA, features murals by renowned contemporary artists in one of public media’s most controversial spaces – the billboard. Contributing artists include How & Nosm, Insa, Push, Revok, Risk, Ron English, Seen, Shepard Fairey, Trustocorp, WCA Crew, Uglar, and Zes.
The first part of the exhibit will feature the murals up-close-and-personal at LALA Gallery from August 3 to 17. The murals will then be on display on billboards throughout Los Angeles on a rotating basis during the next year.
SABER / BEAUTIFICATION
Opens: July 28, 2012 | 8-11pm
Runs: July 28 – August 11, 2012
Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com
Among the thousands of people who make up the graffiti community around the world, there are few names that carry the same legendary quality as SABER. Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, SABER was raised by creative parents and discovered his passion for art at an early age. At 13, his cousins introduced him to graffiti when they took him to see the spray paint-covered Belmont Tunnel. From that moment on, he was hooked. After honing his skills on local walls, SABER joined MSK, and was later inducted into legendary piecing crew AWR.
SABER was already a fixture in the Los Angeles graffiti scene by 1997 when he completed the largest graffiti piece ever created. His piece on the sloping cement bank of the Los Angeles River was nearly the size of a professional football field, and took 97 gallons of paint and 35 nights to complete. In a famous photograph—taken by his father just after it was finished—SABER stands on the piece and appears as a tiny speck amid a giant blaze of color. It catapulted SABER to legend status in the graffiti world.
SABER began exhibiting in his fine art in 2002. His monograph, SABER: MAD SOCIETY, complete with stories of his graffiti misadventures, was released by Gingko Press in 2007 and is now in its second printing. In October 2010, SABER released a video in which the year’s heated debate about health care was spray painted over the American flag. While some saw it as desecration, SABER advocated for health care reform in the video, revealing that he had epilepsy and was un-insurable. This work led SABER to create a large group of American flag paintings called the Tarnished series.
Known Gallery presents REVOK Gilgamesh July 28-August 11, 2012
Known Gallery is pleased to present Gilgamesh, a new body of work by REVOKopening on Saturday July 28 and on view through August 11. This exhibition will mark REVOK’s second show with the gallery.
With Gilgamesh, the artist has refined his technique of cutting up and reassembling found objects that once had a life of their own. All materials are scavenged from abandoned homes, churches, businesses and buildings in Detroit, Michigan, the city where REVOK has taken refuge. The artist extracts the beauty in urban decay, from dilapidated buildings and rubble of the past. An integral part of the process of acquiring his materials is exploring the neighborhoods, going into abandoned buildings, investigating forgotten places and sometimes in the course, encountering the people who once lived there. The artworks are then named after the street addresses from which he excavates his materials, leaving the stories embedded in the assemblage.
A modern approach to Americana, REVOK creates geometric collages from these recovered relics, forming patterns, shapes and textures that are a direct result of years of wear and tear. REVOK finds inspiration in what others might deem as useless. As a fearless graffiti artist who has largely mapped and plotted the world, he turned his focus to the ruins of the Motor City, a vacant playground of beautiful architecture. REVOK’s experiences as a graffiti artist have fostered an appreciation for the things that surround us everyday, but for most, would go unnoticed.
“I’ve always struggled with permanence. Out of twenty-two years as a graffiti writer, from my entire body of work, less than 1% exists, and the permanence of graffiti, particularly in Los Angeles, is more temporary than most places in the world. It has always been one of the main motivations of graffiti writers to create work that’s going to last. We want to create work that’s going to live for a long time.”
REVOK recently shared his artistic ambitions on a larger scale by creating the Detroit Beautification Project, inviting 25 artists from around the world to revive the forsaken city and provide encouragement for the community.
Garnering inspiration from the four thousand year old poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which recounts the Sumerian king’s quest for eternal life, REVOK has resurrected a city’s past using its disregarded remains. The flotsam and jetsam have now become memorialized artifacts through REVOK’s meticulously crafted handwork, giving new meaning and immortality to what were once ordinary objects.
REVOK constantly struggles to overcome the connotations associated with the type of artist he is, which in the past, has been met with overwhelming opposition and with the intent to eradicate his life’s work. REVOK’s work reflects not only his story as an artist, but also the story of a civilization and its people.
Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
1. Dscreet is on “The Other Side Show” (London)
2. Neck Face is “Simply The Worst” Tonight in LA
3. Stormie Mills “Dark Lights” Friday (Perth, AU)
4. “Welcome to the Neighborhood” Low Brow Artique Grand Opening Saturday (Bushwick, BK)
5. MEGGS at White Walls (San Francisco)
6. VINZ Solo in 3 Places Saturday (Netherlands)
7. Cassius Fouler Now Open in Brooklyn
8. “Summer Selections” Group Show at Woodward (LES)
9. Morley “I Don’t Make Sense Without You”at Outsiders Gallery in Newcastle, UK
10. David Ellis and Kris Kuksi “Go West” to LA
11. Jeremy Fish at Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco
12. BASK One Stand in Detroit (VIDEO)
13. Snyder in Los Angeles (VIDEO)
Dscreet is on “The Other Side Show” (London)
“It will be my first solo show in four years and centers around the theme of duality – light and dark and black and white,” says Dscreet, the London based Street Artist of Burning Candy fame and infamy as he returns to the gallery with a solo show titled “The Other Side Show” at the Roktic Gallery in London. This show is now open.
For further information regarding this show click here.
Neck Face is “Simply The Worst” Tonight in LA
Neck Face returns to New Image Art Gallery in West Hollywood, CA to state why he is “Simply The Worst”. This show opens today and you are encouraged to wear something that it is not you.
For further information regarding this show click here.
“Welcome to the Neighborhood” Low Brow Artique Grand Opening Saturday (Bushwick, BK)
Uh-Oh, there goes the neighborhood. Tomorrow Street Artist Bishop 203 invites you to the grand opening of his gallery and art shop Low Brow Artique in Bushwick.
The opening will be celebrated with a group exhibition of Brooklyn based Street Artists including Cern, Clown Soldier, Elle, ENX, See One, Sheryo, Willow and Yok. Come wish this impresario good luck. An art supply spot in the front and a gallery in the back, “Low Brow” hopes to raise some eyebrows tomorrow night.
For further information regarding this show click here.
MEGGS at White Walls (San Francisco)
“Mythology tells the stories of gods, heroes, humans and supernatural beings as the personification of natural phenomena and more importantly the human condition… ” Saturday Meggs delves deeper into the subject of fantasy in San Francisco for his new solo show “Truth in Myth” opening tomorrow at the White Walls Gallery.
Meggs Red Skull. Detail. (image courtesy of the gallery)
For further information regarding this show click here.
VINZ Solo in 3 Places Saturday (Netherlands)
Spanish Street Artist VINZ has invaded Amsterdam with “Rules of Etiquette” his first solo show in The Netherlands opening tomorrow on three different locations: The Garage, Andenken Gallery and Battalion.
For further information regarding this show click here.
Cassius Fouler Now Open in Brooklyn
Opened last night at Weldon Arts Gallery, “Four Borough” is a cool collection from Cassius as he continues to merge symbols and irony and inside jokes with a deceptively simple and friendly hand delivery.
Woodward Gallery has put together “Summer Selections” an eclectic show of dead and alive artists, with some modern and contemporary masters mixed in with a select group of Street Artists that might or might not be the masters of tomorrow. Come in, cool off and judge for yourself.
Artists included are : Jean Michel Basquiat • Rick Begneaud • Susan Breen • Thomas Buildmore • Alexander Calder • Celso • Deborah Claxton • Darkcloud • Paul Gauguin • Sybil Gibson • Richard Hambleton • Curt Hoppe • Infinity • Jasper Johns • Russell King • Kosbe • LAII • Moody • Margaret Morrison • Mel Ramos • Robert Rauschenberg • Matt Siren • stikman • Jeremy Szopinski • Francesco Tumbiolo • Jo Ellen Van Ouwerkerk • Andy Warhol.
This show is now open to the general public. Click here for more details on this show.
Also happening this weekend:
The Outsiders Gallery in Newcastle, UK new show featuring Morley and entitled “I Don’t Make Sense Without You” is now open to the general public. Click here for more details on this show.
The Joshua Liner Gallery new show in Los Angeles at the Mark Moore Gallery pairs David Ellis and Kris Kuksi for “Go West”. This show is opens tomorrow in Culver City, CA. Click here for more details on this show.
Jeremy Fish is at the Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco with the opening tomorrow of his new show “Where Hearts Get Left”. Click here for more details about this show.
BASK One Stand in Detroit (VIDEO)
A quick look at how BASK did his recent piece in Detroit.
Snyder in Los Angeles (VIDEO)
For Street Art that verges on handmade crafting and display work, here’s a homey installation from Snyder.
FIFTY24SF Gallery, in association with Upper Playground, is pleased to announce a new exhibition by San Francisco-based fine artist,Jeremy Fish. Where Hearts Get Leftis Fishs first gallery show with Upper Playground in 5 years, featuring 60 new works inspired by and created as a visual love letter to the city of San Francisco. The exhibition will open on July 14, 2012 with a special afterparty at Milk Bar in Haight Ashbury, featuring a set by hip-hop artist, Edison. The exhibition runs through September 14, 2012.
For Where Hearts Get Left, Fish has prepared six paintings, four statues, fifty drawings, six screen prints, and an installation specifically created for FIFTY24SF Gallery. As well as the original artwork presented in Where Hearts Get Left, Fish has created 6 screen prints for the show, each in edition of 100 only available through FIFTY24SF Gallery. There will also be a limited edition, hand bound book featuring 50 black and white drawings, printed in an edition of 100 in a wood and leather cover, printed by Edition One Books in Berkeley, California. FIFTY24SF Gallery 218 Fillmore Street San Francisco, California 94117
Opening Saturday, July 14th at Mark Moore Gallery,Go West will feature concurrent solo exhibits by David Ellis and Kris Kuksi. David Ellis will present a recent kinetic sound installation, Busted Plume(shown above), which was previously exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. Ellis will also be exhibiting sculpture, paintings, and his “motion painting” video works. Kris Kuksi will debut new mixed media assemblage works, including The Arousal of De-evolution (shown below) as well as the Churchtank Type 9 bronze.
Following GO EAST – the first incarnation in a two-part “gallery swap” project with Joshua Liner Gallery (NY) – Mark Moore Gallery is pleased to announce GO WEST: David Ellis and Kris Kuksi, featuring two concurrent solo exhibitions curated by Joshua Liner. While the show makes for Ellis’ third solo exhibition in Los Angeles, it will be Kuksi’s first local solo presentation of new work.
Drawing upon a formative childhood in a musical household, David Ellis composes syncopated rhythms, playful scores, and intricate beats with the most homespun of resources. Trash bags, empty paint pans, and crumpled papers shudder, crunch, and rustle in a meticulously programmed arrangement that emulates Ellis’ fondness for the authenticity of hip hop and improvisation of jazz. Showcasing his belief in the musical “flow” present in all aspects of daily life, 2011’s “Busted Plume” (previously exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego) stages an audible but unassuming performance born of painstakingly placed springs, wires, and solenoids within a standard municipal trash can. Similarly, Ellis’ large-scale paintings feature the reoccurring presence of uninhibited motion as black swaths of paint bob and weave their way through an amalgamation of quotidian images, objects, and colors; elegantly forging a cadence analogous to the artist’s aural compositions. Kris Kuksi, featured in the Project Room, is also heralded for his scrupulous craftsmanship. Rife with the chaos of man’s struggle for survival and power, Kuksi’s sculptural wall works portray apocalyptic dioramas. Elaborate scenes of industrial-meets-Old-World pandemonium present miniature soldiers, skeletons, animals, factories, and military structures wreaking havoc in otherworldly ruins. Ornate in his depiction of “the fallacies of Man,” Kuksi’s three-dimensional works are not simply replicas of fantasy, but rather shape a macabre likeness to our ultimately futile quest for accumulation.
White Walls Presents: “Truth in Myth,” New Work by Meggs
White Walls is pleased to present “Truth in Myth,” a solo exhibition from Australian artist Meggs. The opening reception will be Saturday, July 14th, from 7-11pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through August 4th, 2012. Mythology tells the stories of gods, heroes, humans and supernatural beings as the personification of natural phenomena and more importantly the human condition. In traditional folklore, a myth tells a story that is designed to explain certain ideals, practices and behaviors within society. Following from his interest in superheroes and
comic book narratives, Meggs delves deeper into the subject of fantasy to explore characters and stories from older mythological tales through the morals, dualities and emotions that these superhuman characters represent. Fusing elements of contemporary superheroes to ancient mythological beings, “Truth in Myth” is a collection of new paintings, collage, sculpture and mixed media artworks that expressively reference classic renaissance composition and contemporary pop culture. The layered and detailed works of “Truth in Myth” serve as a continuation of the artist’s search for balance in the understanding of physical and ideological duality of self. “We live in the stories we tell ourselves. In a secular, scientific rational culture lacking in any convincing spiritual leadership, superhero stories speak loudly and boldly to our greatest fears, deepest longings and highest aspirations… the best superhero stories deal directly with mythic elements of the human condition… they help us confront and resolve even the deepest existential crisis. We should listen to what they have to tell us.” – Grant Morrison, Supergods, 2011
Event Information: “Truth in Myth” by Meggs Opening Reception – July 14th, 2012, 7-11 pm On View Through August 4th, 2012 @ White Walls (www.whitewallssf.com) 835 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, Summer. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… green grass, rolling sideways down a hill in Prospect Park and feeling dizzy at the bottom, park benches and a book, 55 city swimming pools, rooftop parties and films, flip flops, rose bushes, beer from the Turkey’s Nest in a big styrofoam cup, softball games, free out door concerts (hip-hop, merengue, rock, and the philharmonic), bike riding, the Cyclone roller coaster on Coney Island, a nap under a tree, stoop sales, 5 packs of tube socks on sale at street festivals, free Shakespeare in Central Park, Dominican card games on folding tables on the sidewalk, a whole day of aerosol spraying on a huge wall, every body-type on Brighton Beach, grilled notdogs, frisbees, the smell of coconut oil, the sound of birds, kids, and the icecream truck jingle.
LA based Street Artists Cycle have done tributes to winter and spring already here. Now photographer and BSA guest contributor Carlos Gonzalez brings you Summer from the Cyrcle crew at their spot in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. It’s part of the LA Freewalls Project, naturally, and we thank Carlos for sharing with BSA readers these images of the new installment.
C.A.V.E. Gallery is pleased to present “Stand & Deliver” – a solo exhibition by UK artist Kid Acne.
The exhibition will feature new monoprints, screenprints, drawings and paintings of a daring, fresh band of the legendary Stabby Women.
Kid Acne’s Stabby Women have been found watching over cities all over the world. These female warriors inhabit and peer out of unexpected public spaces, humanizing the urban edge with a sense that someone’s got your back.
Kid Acne has been painting graffiti, making fanzines, comics and hip-hop music since the early 90’s. His artwork has been exhibited in Beijing, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Finland, Brazil and Australia – and his signature style of illustrations have furnished designs for clients including Prada, Levis, Volkswagen, Elle, Kid Robot & Warp Records.
Kid Acne’s artwork has also been published in several books such as: GRAFFITI WORLD – Street Art From Five Continents / Thames & Hudson; ALL ALLURE / Gestalten; ART OF REBELLION 2 & 3 / Publikat; STREET ART NEW YORK / Prestel; NINJA TUNE – 20 Years of Beats & Pieces / Black Dog Publishing; I AM PLASTIC TOO / Kid Robot; BEHIND THE ZINES – Self-Publishing Culture / Gestalten; STREET ART – The Best Urban Art From Around The World / Michael O’Mara Books; WE OWN THE NIGHT / Rizzoli.
MAXIMILLIAN GALLERY AT THE SUNSET MARQUIS HOTEL LAUNCHES SUMMER IN THE STREET EXHIBITION, JUNE 30, 2012
Known for its roster of celebrated street artists, Maximillian Gallery at The Sunset Marquis Hotel kicks off thesummer with a hard hitting exhibition of talent, including: Richard Duardo, Desire Obtain Cherish, Cyrcle, Dog Byte, DD$, Free Humanity, Septerhed, John Carr, Smear, DeeKay, Andy Appleton, Random Act, Gregos & Emily Bradley. Maximillian Gallery at The Sunset Marquis Hotel presents a celebrated group of street artists for its Summer in the Street exhibition. Opening event is Saturday, June 30, from 6p to 8p, with some of the featured artists in attendance, and will exhibit daily from 1p to 8p and by appointment.
Granting asylum to the guerilla works that every day pounce, halt and inspire throughout the city, Summer in the Street will feature cutting edge works from several of urbanity’s most prolific street artists. With street works being removed and covered regularly, this is a rare chance to witness the street art unobstructed and undiluted.
“Maximillian Gallery’s commitment is to the art, to the urban art lovers and to the as-yet enthusiasts,” Maximillian Gallery’s founder and Director, Caradoc, explains. “Here, an ever-widening audience can experience what makes the city truly inspirational”
CALENDAR LISTING
WHO: Provocative street artists
WHAT: Summer in the Street Exhibit
WHEN: Opening reception Saturday, June 30 from 6p – 8p, with some featured artists in attendance,
and daily from 1p – 8p and by appointment
WHERE: Maximillian Gallery at The Sunset Marquis Hotel
1200 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069
About Maximillian Gallery
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
