California

White Walls Gallery Presents: New2 “In One Hand A Ghost, The Other An Atom” (San Francisco, CA)

New2

Complex Magazine‘s  Nick Schonberger got a sneak preview of Australian street artist New2‘s collage pieces that will compose his upcoming show at White Walls, “In One Hand a Ghost, the Other an Atom.” Each of New2′s collages is made of multiple layers of hand cut paper, the result being a super vivid and highly intricate take on the traditional style.

“[The collages] prove tremendous personal growth on the artist’s part since 941 Geary’s pioneering show. New2 is obsessed with traditional lettering, though in his technique allows himself freedom to explore more progressive forms.”

Come check out New2′s rad new work when the show opens December 15th from 7-11 pm, and don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook! If you’re not able to make it to the opening reception, the show will be on display until January 5th, 2013.

In One Hand a Ghost, the Other an Atom
A Solo Show by New2
Opening Reception – Saturday, December 15th, 7-11pm
On View Through January 5th, 2013
@ White Walls (www.whitewallssf.com)
835 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA

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Soze Gallery Presents: “Graffuturism” A Group Exhibition (Los Angeles, CA)

Graffuturism

Graffuturism.com, opens in the new Soze Gallery location at 2020 E 7th St, Unit B, Los Angeles, CA, 90021.

Since Graffuturism’s inception as a public blog and private Facebook group in 2010, there have been two major group exhibitions that featured associated artists: “Rudimentary Perfection” in Glasgow and “Futurism 2.0″ in London. Both were successful in their curatorial intentions and created a sense of community and motion for the movement. Soze Gallery also has been an early advocate hosting solo exhibitions in 2012 by Jaybo Monk, Moneyless, Remi Rough, Dale Marshall, and a two-man show with Augustine Kofie

and Jaybo. Recognizing the significance of the Graffuturists, Soze Gallery also presented the opportunity for Poesia to curate this exhibition, which he chose to simply call ““Graffuturism.” This exhibition has been eagerly anticipated as the first group show to be curated by Poesia, because he is the founder of Graffuturism.com and also a well-respected graffiti artist with a twenty-year history. Ending up in this unique dual position as artist and commentator, it has fallen on him to be the cultural instigator and diplomatic facilitator of this renewed interest, practice and discourse surrounding what he calls “Progressive Graffiti,” which has also previously been called “Abstract Graffiti.” At this juncture in the three-year history of the website, as well as in the thirty-year history of this over-looked aesthetic trajectory within the Graffiti movement, Graffuturism.com has become a hub and Poesia the dedicated and consistent chronicler and theoretician. With the internet as his podium and round table, he has been historicizing and canonizing these artists, young and old, who have been creating art outside the norms of traditional graffiti, esoteric forms of painting and sculpture that veer outside of the proscribed boundaries into the experimental, the abstract, the poetic, and the hybrid.Artists that fall under the term Progressive Graffiti are generally innately gifted draftsmen, who aspire to a Master’s Level at their craft. Overall this movement could be classified as a “High Style New Millennial Aesthetic.” The art they produce is derived from a dialogue that ricochets around within a pin-ball matrix constructed of coordinates lying between the historical and the contemporary, including high and low influences, fine art and graffiti studies, scholarly and street pursuits, intellectual and visceral marks. Whether the resulting output is graffiti, painting, murals, design, sculpture or installations, the pictorial elements are mutated and transformed through each artist’s unique vision into a personal vocabulary of cross-pollinated styles. Whereas the Street Art movement of the mid-2000s tended to focus on figurative stencils and wheat-pastes, this group of artists on the whole is more concerned with hands-on, singular creation, whether within an academic or street setting. Unlike Post-Modernism, the resultant overall aesthetic is a seamless personal statement, not a collaged juxtaposition of historic styles.

Because of Poesia’s dual roles within the movement, he as been in the unique position to attract this international line up of esteemed contemporary artists, which includes many of the significant forefathers from the seventies and eighties. As a result, by including so many of these original Masters, he has created a chronological continuum within the line up, which defines this historical thread from its earliest days. Therefore this group show has developed into a “survey” that historicizes and canonizes each artist within the Progressive Graffiti thread, as well as within the larger Graffiti movement. One of the earliest, and possibly the most influential to most these artists, is Futura. In the early eighties, after a ten-year career as one of the early seventies writers, he broke away from one of graffiti’s most sacred traditions, the letterform as subject matter. At that point he began to paint in what became known as an “Abstract Graffiti” style. With his groundbreaking subway whole-car “Break,” as well as on the canvasses he was painting at the time, he pushed an atmospheric geometric style to the forefront of his work and began to experiment with a wide array of experimental spray can techniques that had not been seen before.

Around this same time, other early NYC writers, who had also started their careers in the seventies, began to experiment with new hybrid directions not based in pure graffiti traditions. In 1985, Carlos Mare began to combine abstraction and Wildstyle within the medium of sculpture, which over the past couple of decades has expanded to include other mediums under the term Urban Modernism. Haze also began to cross over into the fine art domain and over the years has created a body of work that might be referred to as Iconographic Minimalism. Doze Green was also a significant member of the early community of writers who crossed over with an experimental style that included the use of archetypal icons, poetic typography, figurative motifs and painterly styles. West was also another early intrepid explorer, adopting a gestural expressionist style, applying the muscle memory of train and wall painting to the canvas with his long whole-body marks and splashy, dripping strokes.

This exhibition has also united artists from the second generation who took off along the path forged by those early pioneers. These artists started to formulate their progressive aesthetics in the late eighties, such as Delta, the European three-dimensional geometric letterform pioneer turned pure abstractionist; New Yorker Greg Lamarche aka SpOne, who has been able to establish an abstract typographic collage aesthetic parallel to his foundation as a graffiti writer obsessed with the hand-written letterform; Part2ism was one of the earliest UK experimentalists in Hyperrealism, as well as co-founder of the Ikonoklast Movement in the UK with Juice126, which also came to include abstract colorist Remi Rough in the early-nineties.

Also beginning in the late eighties on the West Coast of the US, the Wildstyle-reductionist Joker was one of the first graffiti artists to paint purely geometric abstractions and pushed for its acceptance within the graffiti community by founding the Transcend Collective in 1991 with She1, who was an abstract writer in the UK. Poesia, became a key member of the collective in 1995, exploring a more hybrid, expressionistic approach to Wildstyle, as well as taking it into pure abstraction, which he is currently pushing in new directions, as well as reaching back to the Baroque painters and reinterpreting their masterpieces as graffiti-dissected new millennial re-paintings. Over in Europe, first in Paris then Italy during the same time period, Marco Pho Grassi started out as a wall and train painter but quickly started mixing in abstraction and more painterly expressionist techniques much like Poesia, yet totally unknown to each other. Then in the mid to late nineties, back in the US along the West Coast, other artists with alternative, experimental mind-sets, who were aware of recent developments, were coming out with brilliant, refined hybrid styles, such as Augustine Kofie and El Mac.

Artists such as these had been forced to skirt the edges of graffiti culture as well as the fine art world for the past ten to thirty years. Due to the esoteric nature and hybrid aesthetics of their graffiti-based paintings, and their disparate locations around the globe, they had no way to band together or find an audience to support them because of the lack of enough interest in their local communities for their esoteric and singular aesthetics. On the other side of the tracks, they were also ignored by the fine arts establishment because of their association with graffiti culture and for unabashedly continuing their gallery-related practices under the term Graffiti, which they still did not entirely leave behind. But, as the world population grows and becomes more connected through the internet, these geographically disparate artists have found it easier to come together, work together, and share global opportunities with each other, rather than being confined to tiny local communities.

Now, as this historical thread comes of age and recognizes itself in the mirror of history and on the faces of its youth, as the pioneers of the culture are canonized and the younger artists are united, there are many more opportunities afforded them within the design market, auction houses and fine art world, as these communities continue grow in their recognition of the cultural value and influence of Graffiti and Street Art, as the most prevalent styles and art movements in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This particular Graffuturist group exhibition, as well as the previous two, are significant steps in the growth of awareness and activity. This is a significant exhibition because it connects all the artists across the continuum of this overlooked historical trajectory back to these forefathers to finally make the connections and give the recognition due to Progressive Graffiti in all its current manifestations and their historical referents.

Across the board, 2012 has been an explosive year for Progressive Graffiti. The synchronicity of all these group exhibitions and solo shows can only emphasize that there is increased activity by the artists and an amplified interest in the audience. Futura had his first solo show in ten years, which attracted a massive turn out of the wealthy and the fashionable, as well as the highly-respected hardcore members of the graffiti community, which is a testament to his growing importance outside the culture, as well as cementing his stature within it. Following on the heels of the success of his solo show, Futura exhibited with two other crucial esoteric Old School Masters, Rammellzee and Phase2, in conjunction with the Modernist Master Matta in the exhibition “Deep Space” in NYC. This exhibit was particular significant because it canonized these three graffiti artists within the fine art pantheon by successfully illustrating their undeniable aesthetic accomplishments in relation to Matta’s masterworks. Rammellzee also had a banner year, being included in the “Vocabularies Revitalized” exhibition at the MoMA, as well as being given a complete retrospective at the Children’s Museum, both of which were in NYC, not even to mention his solo show at the Suzanne Geiss gallery in 2011 called “The Equation.”

In London, also significant in its curatorial aims to canonize and historicize, as well as it’s grand scope, was “Futurism 2.0,” which compared and contrasted the Futurists and the Graffuturists in an exhibition, book and documentary. Another group show of significance was BrooklynStreetArt.com’s exhibition “Geometricks” which held high the torch of Abstract Graffiti in it’s title and Progressive Graffiti in its roster, which included Hellbent (the curator), Augustine Kofie, Drew Tyndell, Momo, OverUnder and SeeOne. One of the most significant of the many murals and “in situ” collaborations painted this year by Graffuturist-related artists was the abstract mural painted on the Megaro Hotel by Agents of Change members Remi Rough, Augustine Kofie, Lx.One, and Steve More, which is currently the largest mural ever painted in London. Also, a slew of solo and duo exhibitions opened every month around the world by many of the artists associated with Graffuturism and Progressive Graffiti: Poesia, Dale Marshal, Part2ism, Remi Rough, Augustine Kofie, Jaybo Monk, Mark Lyken, Moneyless, Carlos Mare, She One, Matt W. Moore, Jurne, Greg Lamarche, Delta, Hense, Rae Martini, Marco Pho Grassi, and Graphic Surgery. In order to see the full scope of activities though, one would have to go back through Graffuturism.com for a complete review.

Above and beyond the growing interest in Progressive Graffiti is the expanding interest in the over-all culture as well during these first two decades of the new millennium. Massive museum exhibitions encompassing the full spectrum of subcultures and historical threads within the Graffiti and Street Art cultures have also opened to wide acclaim. The success of ticket sales for “Street Art” in 2008 at the Tate Modern in London and “Art in the Streets” in 2011 at the MOCA in Los Angeles revealed the mass cultural interest of these art movements and all the art forms that are connected to them. The fact that these two exhibitions happened at all signifies the growing acceptance by the fine art community as well.

These museum exhibitions, as well as the trend towards many other smaller historical exhibitions, such as “Deep Space” and “Futurism 2.0” at the end of 2012, and “Pantheon: A history of Art from the Streets of NYC” in 2011, indicate a new interest in the study of the history and cultural significance of these movements. Other indicators are the release of high quality scholarly books, articles and movies, such as “Abstract Graffiti” by Cedar Lewisohn in 2011; “Beyond Graffiti” published in ArtNews in 2011 by Carolina Miranda; the 2005 documentary “Next: A Primer on Urban Painting” by Pablo Aravena; and “The Feral Diagram 2.0: Graffiti and Street Art” published in 2012 by Daniel Feral. These are all testament to the growing enthusiasm of scholars, historians, and theoreticians to examine, define and record the fifty year history of graffiti and street art, and recently in particular the Progressive Graffiti thread. Like any misunderstood movement before these, such as rock’n’roll, comic books, and cinema, eventually the art forms, the audiences and the scholars united to finally recognize the movement’s undeniable cultural value, relevance and resonance in all their forms from the simple and visceral to the esoteric and intellectual.

Text by Daniel Feral

On Friday, Dec 14, 2012, the eponymously-titled “Graffuturism” exhibition curated by Poesia, the founder of Graffuturism.com, opens in the new Soze Gallery location at 2020 E 7th St, Unit B, Los Angeles, CA, 90021.

The complete artist list in alphabetical order by first name is as follows: 2501, Aaron De La Cruz, Augustine Kofie, Boris “Delta” Tellegen, Carl Raushenbach, Carlos Mare, Clemens Behr, Derek Bruno, Doze Green, Duncan Jago, DVS 1, El Mac, Eric Haze, Erosie, Franco “Jaz” Fasoli, Futura, Gilbert 1, Greg “Sp One” Lamarche, Graphic Surgery, Hense, Hendrik “ECB” Beikirch, Jaybo Monk, Joker, Jurne, Kema, Kenor, Lek, Marco “Pho” Grassi, Matt W. Moore, Moneyless, O.Two, Part2ism, Poesia, Rae Martini, Remi Rough, Samuel Rodriguez, Sat One, Sever, Shok-1, Sowat, Steve More, West, Will Barras.

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1:AM Gallery Presents: MadC “Over The Edge” (San Francisco, CA)

MadC

OVER THE EDGE

OPENING RECEPTION: December 7th, 2012, 6:30 – 9:30pm
ON VIEW THROUGH: January 5th, 2012

1AM is pleased to present, “Over The Edge”, a solo exhibition featuring new works from German artist, MadC aka Claudia Walde. Arguably the top aerosol artist in the world, she is renowned for her talent, tenacity, and ambition. Opening December 7th, 6:30-9:30pm, “Over The Edge” will showcase a collection of mixed media paintings on canvas and paper that will highlight her 1AM gallery space inspired installation.

MadC’s work is inspired by graffiti and the perfect connection of letters, foreground, and background. With the constant evolution and argument of graffiti as an art form, the show aims to keep the energy of this art form alive on canvas without taking it directly from the street. While using spray paint, acrylic paint, watercolors and ink, she hopes to push the boundaries of what graffiti is conceived as and inspire future generations to take new approaches to the art form.

Claudia Walde aka ”MadC”, was born in 1980 in Germany and studied at the University of Art and Design Burg Giebichenstein in Halle, Germany, as well as the world-renowned Central Saint Martins College in London. In 1998, Claudia started spray-painting the walls of her hometown and in a few short years, her murals have spanned Lebanon, Mexico, Colombia, Russia, USA, Hawaii, South Africa and most of Europe. In 2007, Claudia Walde also authored a successful book, “Street Fonts – Graffiti Alphabets from Around the World“ which was published in 6 different languages.

FIRST AMENDMENT GALLERY
1000 HOWARD STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103

415.861.5089

Join us December 7th, 6:30-9:30pm for the opening of MadC’s first solo show in the US!

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Fatima Robinson and Rhea Scott Present: Cyrcle “Organized Chaos!” (Los Angeles, CA)

CYRCLE

 

WITHOUT ORDER NOTHING CAN EXIST!
WITHOUT CHAOS NOTHING CAN EVOLVE!

This eponymous mantra resounds throughout the incredible breadth of work in CYRCLE.’s second solo show, opening to the public on November 30th at 6608 Lexington Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90038.  The “ORGANIZED CHAOS!” theme binds the entirety of the show and defines the creative process that brought the art collective to their philosophy, relying on the metaphor of intertwined relation between bee and flower to illuminate the symbiosis between art and society. 

It is interactive.
It defies the boundaries of the archetypical gallery show.
It showcases a tactile experience and encourages participation.

The “ORGANIZED CHAOS!” show is the embodiment of what CYRCLE. has come to represent in the Los Angeles art community.  Refusing to constrain themselves to a particular definition, as street artists, graphic designers, or traditional fine artists, the collective is interested in what the function and form of the work itself demands.  

Artist Shepard Fairey, best known for his work on the 2008 Obama Hope campaign and his Andre the Giant OBEY propaganda, says: 

“People frequently ask me who the new upstarts are in street art… I’d say CYRCLE., but that would be underselling the diversity of their talents and the depth of their conceptual process. CYRCLE. work in many mediums and techniques, utilizing whatever approach most powerfully delivers the concept and aesthetic. CYRCLE. are surprisingly focused and rigorous for some young punks.”

JR, a 2011 TED Prize winner, who is currently expanding his Inside Out Project in Japan states, “CYRCLE. bring back the Power of working as a colléctive.”

In a physical manifestation of CYRCLE.’s signature brand of chaos, the viewer will be encouraged to become the bee and to initiate order within the chaos of the human movement occurring within the show, therefore creating a type of performance art within the actual pieces of the show itself.

The show is produced by Fatima Robinson and Rhea Scott, in association with Black Dog Films.
Check out all of their work at www.cyrcle.com

Public Opening- 11/30 7pm-11pm

Operating Hours 12/1 through 12/16
11-6pm T, W, Th, and Sunday
11-9pm Friday and Saturday
Closed Mondays

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Known Gallery Presents: Know Hope “The Weight” (Los Angeles, CA)

Know Hope

For his first solo show in Los Angeles since 2009, Know Hope continues his research and narrative, this time focusing on the notion of ‘The Weight’.

Portraying ‘The Weight’ in both a visual and symbolical nature, this exhibition observes on the various interpretations of what weighs down on us, collectively speaking.

Know Hope has recently been using the image of the flag in his work, attempting to look into the idea of patriotism-not necessarily from the directly-political aspect, but by focusing on the minor human situations that compose this larger issue.

The artist conducts this research from a standing point of aiming to understand how patriotism works; as an emotional mechanism, hoping to show the indifference between the personal and the political

Another primary concept portrayed in Know Hope’s work is the idea of ‘The Missings’, the empty spaces which he sees as a common denominator. The artist believes that there is a collective longing that exists in subjective manners (i.e. ‘a missing’, or an empty space) that we seek to fill, more specifically in this case by patriotism.

There is an emphasis on the process of adopting these ‘truisms’-being born into a charged reality and embracing these values without questioning; such as we do the flag and it’s role in our lives.

By creating a new body of work and a site-specific installation, all while keeping these things in mind, Know Hope presents ‘The Weight’, an observation on where we are now, how we got to being there, and how we manage the burdens that we bear.

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Maximillian Gallery Presents: “Once Upon A Time In The West” A Group Exhibition. (West Hollywood, CA)

Rene Gagnon

Rene Gagnon on the streets of Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

Maximillian Gallery  

presents   

 

Once Upon a Time in the West  

 

Featuring: Andy Appleton, Mauro Caputo, John Carr, COL, COPE2, DD$, DeeKay, Dog Byte, Richard Duardo, Rene Gagnon, Gregos, Listak, Devin Liston, Septerhed, Smear, Steven Swimmer and Tazroc

 

OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY November 10, 2012, 6PM – 8PM

Exhibition: Every Day, 1PM – 8PM, and by appointment
Maximillian Gallery, the award-winning street art gallery in West Hollywood, unveils its newest exhibit, Once Upon a Time in the West, with an artists’ reception on Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  The exhibit features top street and urban art by a talented roster of artists: Andy AppletonMauro CaputoJohn CarrCOLCOPE2,DD$DeeKayDog ByteRichard DuardoRene GagnonGregosListakDevin ListonSepterhedSmearSteven Swimmer andTazroc.  Once Upon a Time in the West runs through Thursday, December 20, 2012.  Also, Maximillian Gallery is pleased to now feature a selection of unique Rene Gagnon Abraham Obama lenticular prints reworked from Ron English originals.  Maximillian Gallery is open daily from 1:00pm to 8:00pm, except major holidays, as well as by appointment, inside the Sunset Marquis Hotel (1200 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069; 323-546-9615).  Maximillian Gallery is also often open late on Fridays and Saturdays.  For more information, please see http://maximilliangallery.com.“We are thrilled to showcase the exciting collection of cutting-edge works in the new exhibit,” says Caradoc, Maximillian Gallery’s owner and director, “The show brings together a fresh selection of work from emerging as well as established artists.”Once Upon a Time in the West -

Curated by third-generation art connoisseur and entrepreneur Caradoc, Maximillian Gallery is dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, featuring dozens of emerging as well as established artists, with an emphasis on urban, graffiti, and street art.  The gallery’s upcoming exhibition, Once Upon a Time in the West, features works by some of the most provocative and prolific artists working today.

WHAT:  Once Upon a Time in the West Art Exhibition

WHO:  Andy Appleton, Mauro Caputo, John Carr, COL, COPE2, DD$, DeeKay, Dog Byte, Richard Duardo, Rene Gagnon, Gregos, Listak, Devin Liston, Septerhed, Smear, Steven Swimmer & Tazroc

WHEN:  Opening reception Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (with some featured artists in attendance), as well as daily through Thursday, December 20, 2012 from 1:00pm to 8:00pm, and by appointment

WHERE:  Maximillian Gallery, 1200 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood, CA 90069

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Fabien Castanier Gallery Presents: JonOne “A Beautiful Madness” (Studio City, CA)

JonOne

Photo © Guillaume Zuili

Fabien Castanier Gallery is proud to present A Beautiful Madness, the first solo exhibition in the USA by JonOne. Though raised in New York, JonOne has lived in Paris since the mid 1980’s where he has established himself as an artist, building a career that has spanned over 20 years.

From his early days as a youth, tagging the streets of Harlem, JonOne has always emphasized a painterly approach, bringing brushes instead of spray cans to tag subway trains. Drawing from the energy and freedom of painting in an urban landscape, he translates his roots as a graffiti artist into paintings that are a completely unique form of abstract expressionism. Akin to Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, JonOne’s pieces exhibit an enormous sense of movement and color. His compositions combine freestyle, precise strokes, repetition and texture for a uniquely balanced yet dynamic visual experience.

“…my life is very fast-moving and intense, and I hope I convey that energy through my work. [My paintings] represent me but in a different dynamic from when they were linked to a street context.  The way I present my work has changed but I can’t deny my roots or my schooling. Even so, I don’t see myself as a street artist because I don’t feel that need to go out and do stuff. I’m not committed to a cause. I’m someone who’s converted the negative to positive and today my work is done in the studio.”    – JonOne, Transformations
(Interview with Marie Maertens, March 16, 2012)

JonOne’s paintings represent a new era of contemporary artists who have moved beyond their roots as graffiti writers to establish themselves as painters. Recognized internationally for his urban contemporary paintings, JonOne has stayed true to his artistic vision. From Paris to Shanghai, Casablanca to Hong-Kong, he has exhibited in galleries and art fairs around the world, resulting in a tremendous response from both the public and collectors as well as at auction.

Opening Reception will be Saturday, November 3rd, 7-10pm.
A Special Preview will take place on November 1st, 7-9pm.

Both are open to the public.

Fabien Castanier Gallery

12196 Ventura Blvd

Studio City, CA 91604

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Gallery for the People Presents: Fall 2012 Pop-Up Exhibition. (Los Altos Hill, CA)

Gallery Brown

Curtis Kulig AKA Love Me. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gallery For The People

_________________________________________________

Fall 2012 Pop-Up Exhibition 

Evan Pricco and Marisa Tomei Host New Works by

Sage Vaughn, Deedee Cheriel, and Curtis Kulig

October 18th, 2012 | Stonebrook Court Estate, Los Altos Hills, CA

Gallery for the People is pleased to announce that its Fall 2012 pop-up exhibition, featuring exclusive new works by artists Sage VaughnDeedee Cheriel and Curtis Kulig, will take place Thursday, October 18th at the Stonebook Court Estate, in Los Altos Hills, CA. Hosted by Juxtapoz Magazine Editor-In-Chief, Evan Pricco, and actress, Marisa Tomei, the Fall exhibition is the first Bay Area pop-up for the migrating gallery, founded by Eva Maria Daniels and Ally Canosa.

“We are thrilled to show new works for the first time in the Bay Area and of course to partner with the PAIFF,” says gallerist and co-founder, film-producer, Eva Maria Daniels, who is located part-time in Palo Alto. “Our mission is to celebrate the cultures of film and art, and we are privileged to bring our vision to Silicon Valley, where these platforms can thrive amidst the foreground of technology.

Devyani Kamdar, Executive Director of the Palo Alto International Film Festival states: “Moving or still, every stunning image distills a narrative. We’re honored to be included in this inspirational gallery pop-up bringing together the art, film and tech communities.”

“With a commitment to distinctive, enlightened, and pioneering artists, we are incredibly grateful to showcase three of the top contemporary artists in the country,” says Ally Canosa, co-founder of GFTP. “Their unique and influential ties to pop-culture radiate through their deeply innovative works.”

As a painter and illustrator, Sage Vaughn is best recognized for his ‘Wildlife’ series depicting vibrant butterflies, owls and sparrows, in otherwise melancholic, city scenes. Vaughn is interested in the interface between man’s wild side and animals’ civilized qualities, proposing a heavy dichotomy of beauty, violence and urban melancholy, packaged in a technicolor, sugary surface. His work includes illustrations for multiple music videos including N.A.S.A’s “Way Down,”and an exhibit at MOCA, curated by Mike D of the Beastie Boys. His art has been shown and collected internationally for over a decade.

With influences derived from such opposites as East Indian temple imagery and punk rock,Deedee Cheriel‘s images are indications of how we try to link ourselves to others and how these satirical and heroic efforts are episodes of both compassion and discomfort. Bold elements drawn from urban and natural landscapes as well as pop culture suggest the ability to find commonalities and relationships between ourselves and our surroundings that inevitably confirm our greater humanity and quest towards love

Curtis Kulig is presenting a new collection from his acclaimed series Love Me, a mixed-media message that can not only be found on his canvases, but also amongst street corners and rooftops of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. His iconic style has been featured in branding campaigns with Vans and Smashbox to the walls of Paris’ paragon of fashion, Colette.

Work will be showcased in the Ballroom of the Stonebrook Court Estate for one night only before becoming available to collectors via the gallery website on October 19th, 2012. A percentage of the proceeds from the opening will directly benefit The Palo Alto International Film Festival. For more information, please visit www.paiff.net.

Artist Reception and Gallery Preview will begin promptly at 6:00p . RSVP for this event is required

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Gallery Brown Presents: Gregory Siff “Matter of Time” (Los Angeles, CA)

Gregory Siff

Gallery Brown is thrilled to announce Matter of Time, an exhibition of new paintings, works on paper and sculpture from artist Gregory Siff. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Gregory officially made Los Angeles home in 2009 where he has since established himself as a recognizable cultural influence.

Gregory’s distinct handmade style merges unique elements of abstraction, street, and fine art; his technique coalesces the voice of a fearless child with the wisdom of a seasoned warrior. His influences include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, RETNA, Ray Johnson, RISK, David Shillinglaw, Louis XXX and his father.

Matter of Time is an examination of fame, idolatry, memory, determination, kingship and heart. Gregory’s half-whispered thoughts are painted out in full roars on found material, handmade panel and canvas.

Gregory’s first solo show in 2011, G, at La Fonderie in Los Angeles was quickly followed by There & Back at Siren Studio’s Rooftop Sessions to much acclaim. Commissions include The Standard Hotel and De La Barracuda Wall. In New York, his work was featured in The Deitch Projects Art Parades. His work has also been exhibited in London, Dublin, Italy and Vancouver, and has appeared in Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, Paper Mag, The LA Times, Complex and Glamour. Most recently, Gregory won the 2012 Los Angeles Red Bull Curates: The Road to Art Basel, Miami where his work will be featured.

“I make paintings to hang on your wall, I play characters you meet in your dreams, and I write stories you heard when you were falling asleep as a kid.” – Gregory Siff

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C.A.V.E. Gallery Presents: Shark Toof “Ping Pong Show” (Venice Beach, CA)

Shark Toof

Please join us for the opening reception
Saturday, October 20,  7 – 10pm
   

On view thru November 10

SHARK TOOF’s new book will also be available at the reception.

Artist will be in attendance to sign copies.

Ping Pong Show is the spectacle of romance and nature.  Nature and romance are adversaries in a constant battle akin to the idea of predator versus prey.  Core belief systems are challenged.  These uncomfortable proximities provoke questions and leave the viewer reflecting about the complexity of social interaction.

Shark Toof has taken an ambitious parallel path to his iconic street work and created a spectacular new series of paintings that express a bold conceptual vision and the technical merit of his multi media skills. The exhibition will showcase original paintings in which the artist skillfully juxtaposes textures, employs precise lines and traditional rendering, in dynamic and complex compositions saturated with of color – and with meaning.

About Shark Toof

Shark Toof currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He graduated from Pasadena Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration in 1998. Solo and group shows include Dreams Deferred, Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles; Duality, CB Gallery; Marxist Glue, Hold Up Art; Small Gift Sanrio 50th Anniversary, Barker Hanger; Sugi Pop, Portsmouth Museum of Art, New Hampshire; Unfaithful Forever, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery; Dead Letter Playground, Leo Kesting Gallery, New York; Viva Lost Wages, Joseph Watson Collection, Las Vegas; Crazy 4 Cult, Gallery 1988; MAYDAY, Barracuda and Baker’s Dozen, Fountain Art Fair, Miami.

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Lab Art Gallery Presents: “Babes & Bears” Becca and Philip Lumbang. (Los Angeles, CA)

Babes and Bears

DATE:
OCTOBER 18TH – NOVEMBER 15TH .2012

ADDRESS:
LAB ART GALLERY, 217 S. LA BREA AVE. LOS ANGELES CA 90036

LAB ART Gallery hosts a collaborative show by renowned street artists, Becca and Philip Lumbang titled, ‘Babes and Bears’ which opens its doors to the public on October 18th and runs until November 15th.

Taking her work to the streets since the late 80’s, Becca is considered pivotal in pioneering the street art movement’s transition from graffiti to art status. Her work has been exhibited across the country over the last two decades, and her ubiquitous, carefree images of women, girls and animals, which decorate our urban landscape, have attracted fans and notable art collectors alike and added a feminine touch to a primarily male dominated art form.

“ I try to bring my characters to life, I like to have company and that’s what my paintings are, they’re tangible. It hurts when pieces have a short shelf life on the streets, especially since they’re one-of-a-kind. That’s the gamble I take going in and every time I go out. It’s definitely worth it”. Becca

Philip Lumbang’s humorous bears have become a frequent sight on the streets of LA; grinning back at passers-by and generating “good vibes” as is the intention the artist ‘sates’. Lumbang is heavily influenced by his childhood days of watching TV and illustrated cartoons, which now manifest through his art. The craftsmanship and subtlety of his style has garnered much attention amongst collectors and his peers.

“TV is like my homie. I loved cartoons; I still love watching cartoons to this day. I still buy toys. I’m just a big kid that really never grew up; just one who now has to pay bills.” Philip Lumbang

“Babes and Bears is a fusion of Becca’s whimsical style with Philip’s playful bears. We are elated that these two artists will be sharing the primary presentation space of LAB ART to create a burst of magic.” Rachel Joelson, Co-Founder LAB ART

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New Image Art Gallery Presents: Saner “Catharsis” Curated by Medvin Sobio (West Hollywood, CA)

SANER

“A tragedy, then, is the imitation of an action … with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions.”
– Aristotle

Opening Saturday October 27, 2012, with a body of new work, New Image Art is pleased to present “Catharsis,” a new solo exhibition by Mexico City artist SANER, Curated by Medvin Sobio of 33third Los Angeles/Mid-City Arts.

Catharsis in the Poetics of Aristotle is defined as an emotional, corporal, mental & spiritual purification.  Through the experience of compassion and fear, the spectators of the tragedy experience a purgation of emotion, a purification of the soul, a reconfiguration of desires and passions; a new revolutionary formation of desire.
Catharsis represents the final act in a cycle of solo exhibitions Saner has been developing, where each one has looked to generate an emotional change over the spectator, guiding the viewer towards a path of rebirth, freedom & purification.
In this, the final act, the viewer is the element that gives life to the exhibition.  Catharsis will be a space that will remain wrapped in a psycho magical act of healing.  With an installation, performance piece, paintings, & works on paper; this collective act of creation, of encounter & confrontation is what will generate the liberation of the spectator.ABOUT SANER

Edgar “Saner” Flores is an urban artist, muralist, professor, illustrator & graphic designer.  Raised by his parents in Mexico City and surrounded by rich color and tradition, Saner developed an interest in drawing and Mexican Muralism early on.  “I visited Oaxaca a lot when I was growing up because my mother is from there, and certain traditions which they carried out there really caught my attention.”  He began expressing himself on paper and through graffiti art, later going on to earn a degree in graphic design from the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico.
His lively & humorous images of masked characters on public walls, found objects and other canvases are influenced by Mexican custom and folklore, color, mysticism, masks, and skulls.  A mix of these lifelong interests and passions has led him to become the artist he is today.  “The masks that I use are traditional masks from Mexico.”  The jaguars, coyotes, skulls, and other recurrent characters appear in my work because that parallel world is the real self, the real face. “
Saner’s work has been featured in galleries in Mexico, the United States, London, Berlin and Barcelona.  Recent projects & exhibitions include “Kidnap Express,” Mid-City Arts Los Angeles, “Nose Job,” Eric Firestone Gallery East Hamptons NY, “The Bone yard Project,” Tucson Arizona, “The Bone yard: Return Trip,” Pima Space & Air Museum, “The Wynwood Walls,” Miami/Art Basel.  He has collaborated with Kidrobot, Vans, G-Shock, HQTR Canada, Pineda Covalin, Persigna Store, Bacardi, Adidas Mexico, Televisa, and many others.

ABOUT NEW IMAGE ART

Marsea Goldberg, founder and director of New Image Art in Los Angeles, started the gallery in 1994 at her 10×10 design studio. Since then, the gallery has grown to attract a global cult following, grabbing the interest of art lovers and collectors worldwide. Renowned for it’s discriminating eye and solid curatorial skills, New Image Art Gallery continues to show the works of established and emerging artists coming out of the street, skate, fine art, and surf scenes. Over the years, the gallery has launched or mobilized the careers of Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Rebecca Westcott, Retna, Neck Face, Cleon Peterson, Faile, Tauba Auerbach, The Date Farmers, and Bäst just to name a few.

ABOUT MEDVIN SOBIO

 

One half of the visual arts collective, Viejas Del Mercado, Medvin Sobio has Curated, produced, and consulted on various large scale mural & public art projects.  He currently serves as Art Director at Mid-City Arts Gallery & 33third Los Angeles, the largest street art supply retailer in the United States.  In 2011, he was selected as Co-Curator of Wynwood Walls, the outdoor street art museum founded by Tony Goldman & Jeffrey Deitch.  Was Co-Producer & Co-Curator for The Boneyard Project & brought on as a Consulting Producer on the HERE COMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD Docuseries which explores the power of public art.  A significant component of his advocacy is dedicated to multi-dimensional cultural awareness via art exhibitions and events.  He strives to encourage awareness of the culture that the artists have emerged from and their relevance to various stratums of American culture.
7920 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood CA 90046   P 323 654 2192
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