Gallery

Fifty24SF Gallery Presents: Erica-il-Cane Solo Show “We Were Living In The Woods” (San Francisco, CA)

November 2, 2010 , , , ,

Erica-il-Cane

Erica-Il-Cane (Photo courtesy of the gallery)

Erica-il-Cane (Photo courtesy of the gallery)

FIFTY24SF Gallery presents We Were Living in the Woods
New Work by Erica il Cane

FIFTY24SF Gallery, in association with Upper Playground, is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Italian street muralist and fine artist, Erica il Cane, entitled, We Were Living in the Woods. The exhibition will be the second solo show that Erica has held in the United States.

As a major contributor to an increasingly progressive and elaborate street art and mural movement occurring in Europe over the past 5 years, Erica il Cane (translating to “Eric the Dog”) gained international recognition for his anthropomorphic building-sized animal murals throughout Italy and the continent. With fellow contemporaries Blu, Sam3, Escif, and San, Erica’s large-scale murals have been viewed as fine art done within the public’s view. We Were Living in the Woods will feature works on paper and on-site installations.

Born and studied in Bologna, Italy, Erica’s evolution to gallery work has seen depictions of animals in unique, human situations rendered in Victorian-like style illustrations, etchings, and short animated films. The art is often described as imagery from a dark fairy tale, in which animals are shown within the darkness of human nature, focusing on themes of alienation, satire, existentialism. Both gallery and mural work has also been hailed as influential works advocating vegetarianism and animal rights.

Erica il Cane has shown throughout Europe, including Lazarides Gallery, Banksy’s Santa’s Ghetto, the Fame Festival, and gallery shows in Milan, Rome, London, and Barcelona. He has also shown in Los Angeles and Chicago. 

 “We Were Living in the Woods” will run from November 11th – December 30th, with an opening reception on Thursday, November 11th, from 7:30PM – 10:00PM.

Relevant Links:
FIFTY24SF Gallery: http://www.fifty24sf.com/
Erica Il Cane: http://www.ericailcane.org

brooklyn-street-art-erica-il-cane-flier-fifty24sf-gallery

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Bose Pacia Gallery Presents: Aakash Nihalani “Overlap” (Brooklyn, NY)

November 2, 2010 , , ,

“Overlap”

Aakash Nihalani "Play Ground" 2010 (Image Courtesy of the Gallery)

Aakash Nihalani "Play Ground" 2010 (Image Courtesy of the Gallery)

Aakash Nihalani’s Overlap brings the possibilities of public space indoors and turns discrete linear square forms into active and organic compositions. Well-known for his frequent and impromptu public interventions of tape installation, Nihalani addresses the interconnected parts of the whole, both literally and metaphorically, in his newest exhibition. The show, which includes photography, sculpture, tape installation, painting, and interactive digital imagery, can be seen as a more permanent investigation into his existing conceptual framework.

In 2007, Nihalani began what has become an ongoing project of tape installation throughout New York City. He has since applied his artwork on urban landscapes throughout the country, as well as abroad, including Austria, India, and most recently, France. With the aid of fluorescent tape, the artist highlights and emphasizes elements of layering and depth already present in the urban environment. By drawing on points of urban design and architecture (bricks, grates, doorways, sidewalks, scaffolding, etc.) endemic to that setting, Nihalani creates playful opportunities for passersby to interact with the often ignored environment and to find intrigue in mundane spaces. Just as he sets the stage for creative trompe l’oeil possibilities outdoors through permutations of isometric shapes, so too does he allow for physical and philosophical points of perceptual slippage in his more permanent works.

The common denominator of all works in the exhibition is the overlapping of isometric square shapes to create new forms that move towards figurative representation. This exploration of multiplicity produces increasingly elaborate compositions that thoughtfully and innovatively manipulate positive and negative space. The artist has used metal to create works that integrate the ephemeral energy of his outdoor works into the more static and permanent space of an extended gallery exhibition, while several other works continue to use tape and cardboard as the basic medium. Also included within this new body of work are photographic documentations. Such documentation typically accompanies Nihalani’s outdoor works as these fleeting installations exist predominantly through digital reiteration in online public spaces.

In a move towards permanency, the artist has engaged in the rather timely challenge of navigating current modes of artistic production with the recent decline in the contemporary art market. Nihalani’s works explore the trajectory of such practices for the newest guard of young artists, while the elaborate tendencies of recent “big production” art icons have come into question. Between the push and pull of do-it-yourself techniques and outsourced production, the artist was able to negotiate the demands of today’s art market and perceptions of value in relation to scale and material. Play Ground can be seen as one such example where a common image takes on multiple forms for the sake of production exploration. The central image, a big pink dog, exists simultaneously as a cardboard and tape construction, as an image in a photograph, and as a smaller, commercially produced, metal sculpture. In this way, Nihalani has taken the iconic balloon animal from the realm of bankruptcy-inducing exclusivity and returned it to the space of attainability. Through the development of these works the artist not only brings to discussion the nature of production, but also authorship, finance, and the unavoidable realities of artistic production for the future generation of artists.

Aakash Nihalani’s practice is an active dialogue between the many forms of public space (literal and virtual) and the conceptual notions of multiplicity and replication in visual art. Please join us for this unique installation of both permanent and temporary works as the artist fills the gallery with solid objects and the neighborhood with ephemeral installations. Immediately following the opening reception will be an after party at 17 Frost with performances by Das Racist and other special guests.

Born in Queens, NY in 1986, Aakash Nihalani studied at New York University and obtained a BFA from the Steinhardt School of Culture. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally. Overlap marks the artist’s first solo exhibition with Bose Pacia. Nihalani lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

BOSE PACIA

163 Plymouth Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
USA
P 212 989 7074
F 212 989 6982
mail@bosepacia.com
Tuesday – Saturday
11.00 am – 6.00 pm

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Carmichael Gallery Presents: “Block Party” A Group Show And A Showcase of New Works by Sixeart (Culver City , CA)

November 2, 2010 , , , ,

Carmichael Gallery

brooklyn-street-art-charmichel-gallery

Sixart "Turkey in Motion" Image courtesy of the Gallery

Sixart "Turkey in Motion" Image courtesy of the Gallery

Four brand new works on paper from Sixeart will be on display in the gallery showcase room from November 13 to December 11.

Carmichael Gallery Invites You to Attend

Block Party

Boxi, Krystian Truth Czaplicki, Gregor Gaida, Simon Haas, Dan Witz

&

A Showcase of New Works by Sixeart

5795 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

November 13 – December 11, 2010

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 13, 2010, 6-8pm

please RSVP by email rsvp at carmichaelgallery dot com

Carmichael Gallery is pleased to present Block Party, a group exhibition featuring Boxi, Krystian Truth Czaplicki, Gregor Gaida, Simon Haas and Dan Witz. Block Party aligns the disparate creative practices of five internationally-based contemporary artists. In doing so, the shared intrinsic presence of themes of isolation, beauty and reflection upon self and surroundings in their works are augmented, inviting new dialectical dialogues and considerations.

Artworks included in the exhibition range from works on canvas, wood, MDF and paper to mixed media sculpture, a large site-specific mural installation and a video presentation.

A showcase of new works on paper by Sixeart will be displayed concurrently in the gallery’s largest project room.

There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday, November 13 from 6 to 8pm with Boxi and Simon Haas in attendance. The exhibition will run through December 11, 2010.

Boxi (b. 1974 Kent, England) A dark, disillusioned romanticism pervades Boxi’s work; material boundaries are dissolved and perceptions are altered by means of hand cut, multi-layered, often life-sized stencils that offer a comforting solidity within the smoky abstraction of his grey-scale landscapes. In addition to new works on canvas and MDF, he will create an elaborate site-specific installation on the gallery’s main wall.

Recent solo and group shows include Between a Dream and an Excuse, Kunstverein Buchholz, Nordheide (2010), Remap, Ad Gallery, Athens (2009), Urban Art – Collection Reinking, Weserburg Museum for Modern Art, Bremen (2009) and Grey Area, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles (2009). He lives and works in Berlin.

Krystian Truth Czaplicki (b. 1984 Wroclaw, Poland) Krystian Truth Czaplicki combines found materials with existing objects large and small to create simple but effective abstract artworks that reveal an astute understanding of architectural and natural structures. He will present a series of new mixed media works on canvas and a slide compilation of the urban installations that have informed his gallery practice.

Recent solo and group shows include Young Creative Poland, London (2009), Experimenta Design, Urban Play, Amsterdam (2008), The 5th Young Triennial, Centre of Poish Sculpture, Oronsko (2008), Truth, BWA Gallery, Sanok (2007), Urban Irony, BWA Gallery, Wroclaw (2007), Transformation, CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw (2006) and Simplicity, Entropia Gallery, Wroclaw (2006). He lives and works in Wroclaw.

Gregor Gaida (b. 1976 Chorzów, Poland) Gregor Gaida merges timelessly classic ideals with an unquestionably contemporary sensitivity. Characterized by a muted palette and meticulous employment of texture, both his figurative and more abstract expressions feel all but alive. He will present sculptural works from several new series, including Fragments, Kingdom, Drummer and Pissing.

Recent solo and group shows include Summe der Geschichten, Galerie Adler, Frankfurt (2010), Gregor Gaida – Kunst im Foyer, Nolde Stiftung Seebüll Dependance, Berlin (2010), HangART-7, Edition 14 Mal was Deutsches, Hangar-7, Salzburg (2009) and Gaida-Schiela-Kim, Galerie Epikur, Wuppertal (2009). He lives and works in Bremen.

Simon Haas (b. 1984 Los Angeles, USA) Simon Haas’ elegantly executed, subtly hued portraits of himself and others transit to viewers an intensely emotive perspective of various psychological states of being. He will present new oils on canvas and works on paper.

Recent solo and group shows include Instant LA Summer, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles (2010), Volume, AT1 Projects, Los Angeles (2010), Manifest Equality (2010) and Solo Show, Untitled Gallery, Los Angeles (2007). He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Dan Witz (b. 1957 Chicago, USA) Dan Witz employs light and darkness to supreme effect in his oil and mixed media works. A glowing warmth pervades each canvas, fashioning a haunting atmosphere that feels at once lonely and comforting. He will present several works from his Nightscapes and Bar Shrines series.

Recent solo shows include New Night Paintings, DFN Gallery, New York (2010), Dark Doings, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles (2009), New Street Works, Sid Lee Collective, Amsterdam (2009) and Night Paintings, Stolenspace, London (2008). He lives and works in Brooklyn.

Sixeart (b. 1975 Barcelona, Spain) Sixeart combines psychedelic abstraction and mysterious coded formulas with vividly rendered figuration to produce a highly personal visual language. The childlike innocence and almost hallucinogenic sense of second sight of his work has a dreamlike quality that shows an affinity with Surrealist artists such as Joan Miró, another native of Barcelona. He will present four new works on paper.

Recent solo and group shows include Mundo Animal – Transmutation Intercontinental, A.L.I.C.E. Gallery, Brussels (2010), Booked, Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles (2010), De Chillida a Sixeart, Galeria Mayoral. Barcelona (2009), Guerreros, N2 Galeria, Barcelona (2009) and Street Art, Tate Modern, London (2008). He lives and works in Barcelona.

About Carmichael Gallery:

Founded in 2007 by husband and wife team Seth and Elisa Carmichael, Carmichael Gallery focuses on a select group of artists breaking ground in painting, mixed media, photography and sculpture. Their annual program consists of a series of solo and group exhibitions that document the progress of these artists.

For information on current, past and upcoming shows, visit www.carmichaelgallery.com. For additional information and press materials on this show, please contact the gallery by email art at carmichaelgallery dot com or call +1 323 939 0600.

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Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani present: “Richard Hambleton New York – The Godfather of street art” (London, UK)

November 1, 2010 , , , , ,

Richard Hambleton

brooklyn-street-art-Richard-Hambleton-The-Dairy-Gallery

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani present “Richard Hambleton New York –  The Godfather of street art”, an exhibition of works by Richard Hambleton

London, November 2010 – Elusive New York artist Richard Hambleton will be the subject of an exhibition at The Dairy in London, following  highly successful exhibitions in New York, Milan, and Cannes. The exhibition, opening on 18th November, will be curated by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani.

Richard Hambleton rose to fame in the early 1980’s when like his contemporaries, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, he used the streets of New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Paris, London and Japan as his canvas for visually arresting public art, most notably his “Shadowman” and “Crime Scene” series. Hambleton has now been labelled ‘The Godfather of Street Art’, influencing artists such as Paris based street artist Blek le Rat and English street artist Banksy.

The last influential surviving member of the East Village Art Movement, Hambleton saw what fame and drug use did to his close friends, and for the last 20 years has led a relatively reclusive life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Despite a low public profile, Hambleton has continued to create and his works can be found in the permanent collections of The MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, The Houston Museum of Fine Art, The Check Point Charlie Museum and The Zellermeyer in Berlin; the Andy Warhol Museum, the Austin Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Queens Museum, and Harvard University. He was chosen for the Venice Biennale in 1984.

Giorgio Armani says: “I have long been a fan of Richard Hambleton. Richard’s work is of the streets, and for me stands as a reminder that art in all its forms is first and foremost driven by individual passion and creativity”

Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida say: “Richard Hambleton’s brush stroke as an artist is genius and is in a league of its own. Most significantly, he is the most important and influential living street artist in the world today, with a story and career that is unparalleled. It is also a privilege for us to collaborate again with Giorgio Armani and we’re pleased to present it in such a prestigious space.”

The Richard Hambleton Exhibition will be open to the public from November 19th to December 3rd. During that time the pop-up gallery at the Dairy, at 7 Wakefield St in London will be open Monday to Friday from 10am to 7pm. Of the 45 pieces, 30 works (including 25 never before seen works) will be for sale.

Moreover, eight custom made light-boxes with photography of Richard Hambleton’s original street art from the early 80’s will be presented.

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Mr. Hush NYC Solo Show “Found” At The Angel Orensanz Foundation (Manhattan, NY)

October 29, 2010 , , , ,

HUSH

Image Courtesy of the Artist

Image Courtesy of the Artist

HUSH’ Solo Show NYC “Found”

Reception: Friday Nov. 19 7 pm 10 pm

Gallery open Nov 20 and 21 from 12 pm to 5 pm

Presented by White Walls San Francisco

Angel Orensanz Foundation For Contemporary Art

172 Norfolk St. New York, NY 10002

For guests list please email:

info@argotandochre.com

Hush’s work has been described as a sensory assault of shape, color, and character. Inspired by the portrayal of the female form in art, the artist builds up and tears down layers of paint and images as he works, “letting the canvas and marks take their own path.” The result is an enigmatic synthesis of anime, pop-infused imagery and graffiti that exposes the conflict between power and decay, innocence and sexuality, and the fusion of Eastern and Western culture. Hush continues to evolve his style with this latest batch of pieces, which merges his early anime and pop-art influenced graffiti technique with an exploration of Romanesque iconographic imagery. The new works are bigger, deeper and richer than anything he has produced to date. About the Artist: Hush is stimulated, influenced and driven by his cross cultural experiences. Having originally trained as a graphic designer and illustrator at Newcastle School of Art and Design, his work has taken him across Asia and Europe, whilst simultaneously developing his prominence as a contemporary artist. Hush now resides in the UK painting in his studio daily. EMAIL: mail@studio-hush.com

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Vincent Michael Gallery Presents: Jordan Seiler Solo Show “Taking From The Tip Jar” (Philadelphia PA)

October 29, 2010 , , , ,

Jordan Seiler
brooklyn-street-art-jordan-seiler-vincent-michael-gallery

After a few years of large scale organizational projects and other collaborative efforts, I am happy to announce I will be opening up my first solo show in 5 years at the Vincent Michael Gallery on November 5th in Philadelphia. New works will include 16 multimedia drawings, a small video installation, and a few street pieces. Anyone familiar with my work knows that some sort of outdoor advertising has to be challenged with anything I do and this show is no exception. All of the drawings are framed in phonebooth advertising structures procured from the streets of NY over the past few months. While I know many of you will not be able to make it down to Philadelphia, the entire catalogue will be available online in the next few days and any inquiries can be directed to the Vincent Michael Gallery.

Thank you kindly for your support and I hope to see some of you in Philadelphia.

Event Details
What: Taking From The Tip Jar: A Solo Exhibition Featuring New Works From Jordan Seiler
Where: Vincent Michael Gallery
1050 N. Hancock St. Suite #63 Philadelphia, PA 19123
When: Exhibition runs November 5th – December 3rd
Opening Reception Friday, November 5th 7PM – 10PM
More information 215.399.1580 x. 704 / International – 1.877.291.1138 or press@vincentmichael.com

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Black Rat Projects Presents: “Small Acts Of Resistance” A Group Show With Works By Peter Kennard, Dotmasters, Matt Small, Know Hope, Armsrock and Swoon (London, UK)

October 27, 2010 , , , , ,

Black Rat Projects

Swoon. Detail. (© Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. Detail. (© Jaime Rojo)

Black Rat Projects is delighted to invite you to our forthcoming show ‘Small Acts of Resistance’.

In ‘Small Acts of Resistance’ Black Rat Projects brings together six international contemporary artists whosework bears the stamp of both the artist’s aesthetic vision and the activist’s world changing ambition. Works by Peter Kennard, Dotmasters, Matt Small, Know Hope, and Armsrock will be on display from Thursday 4th November – Tuesday 30th November 2010. In addition to this, there will be a large-scale site specific installation created by Swoon.

Armsrock indoor installation. Brooklyn 2009. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Armsrock indoor installation. Brooklyn 2009. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Occupying public space – whether it is within the realms of media and advertising or the architectural surface of the cities in which they work and live – has become a core characteristic of the way these five artists work. They have had their work published in books and magazines, shown in galleries, pasted in the streets and have performed in front of audiences. Between them they disrupt the smooth image that corporate capitalism seeks to spread at once highlighting its repressive character. An interventionist spirit informs their artistic practices and they are constantly engaged in a process of understanding how their work might function in the world, in a way that supports, and not conflicts with their ideals. For the first time Black Rat Projects brings this group of likeminded artists together under one roof to explore common threads in their work and world views.

Know Hope. (Photo © Know Hope)

Know Hope. (Photo © Know Hope)

This exhibition references in title a recently published collection of stories collated by advocacy director of Amnesty International Steve Crawshaw and Human Rights activist Jon Jackson. The preface to their book was written by Czech writer and dissident Vaclav Haval who explains the misnomer in the title: ‘Today, millions around the world live in circumstances where it might seem that nothing will ever change. But they must remember that the rebellions that took place all across Eastern Europe in 1989 were the result of a series of individual actions by ordinary people which together made change inevitable. Small Acts of Resistance pays tribute to those who have sought to live in truth, and the impact that can have. In my lifetime, I have repeatedly seen that small acts of resistance have had incomparably greater impact than anybody could have predicted at the time. Small acts of resistance are not just about the present and the past. I believe they are about the future, too.’

For biogs of the artists or a pdf or available works please email in to info@blackratpress.com

A preview evening for the exhibition will be held on Thursday 4th November from 6pm – 9pm. Invites will be sent out via email. We hope to see you there.

Best wishes, BRP.

www.blackratprojects.co.uk

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Ad Hoc Art And Chashama Present: “Unified Love Moment” (Manhattan, NY)

October 26, 2010 , , , , , ,

Ad Hoc Art
brooklyn-street-art-ad-hoc-gallery-web

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

On October 29th, 2010 from 6-8pm, Garrison and Alison Buxton invite you to come celebrate the unveiling of their Unified Love Movement installation across from the MoMA at 20 West 53rd St. The Buxtons are honored to manifest their latest vision on Halloween weekend via chashama’s “Windows at Donnell” program. The exhibition runs October 29th – November 28th, 2010 and is viewable 24/7. This visual fruit is timely and ripe for viewing.
ABOUT THE INSTALLATION:

As our modern world goes totally bananas, Unified Love Movement is all about increasing unity, positivity, acceptance, growth, and, yes, love. For this installation, the Buxtons invited two of NYC’s artistic gems on board to help blow the doors off the outdated religious school bus. Leo Villareal, brilliant blinkity-blink LED maverick, and Scott Draves, creator of the mesmerizing Electric Sheep entities, lend their brilliance to the mix.

Unified Love Movement portrays four figures from four of the world’s faiths – Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Each is transmitting their love, energy, and prayer to their respective godheads. Though superficial differences do exist, these religions share profound similarities at their cores, including messages of tolerance, sharing, compassion, forgiveness, and infinite love. To depict the infinite openness of the divine without overusing conventional religious references, the Buxtons chose to represent Metatron, the celestial scribe and messenger of the divine, in its sacred geometric form. Emanating from the center of the exhibit, the geometric LED array of Villareal subtly pulses cool white light while Draves’ vivid, bleeding-edge Electric Sheep projections undulate infinitely colored waves over all who choose to engage.

Unified Love Movement is the Buxtons’ foremost project to date, inviting the viewer to participate and contribute to its spiritual expansiveness by realizing the innate commonality of our human experience and then caring enough to do something about it. Perhaps we can then put our minds and hearts together to create a better world.

Garrison and Alison extend a special, huge thank you to chashama and MMT for their very generous support of this project, which would not have happened without them. The contributions of many keep the world lively.
{http://chashama.org / http://mmt.com}

An injustice to anyone is an injustice to everyone. As above, so below. Love eternal.

Many thanks and our best to you.

The Buxtons

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Upper Playground And Good Smile Co. Present: David Choe and James Jean “LA Secret Studio” (Tokyo, Japan)

October 20, 2010 , , , , , , ,

David Choe
brooklyn-street-art-david-choe-upper-playgorund

Good Smile Co. and Upper Playground Present:
“LA SECRET STUDIO”
Works by David Choe and James Jean

Tokyo, Japan [10/17/10] — Good Smile Co. with support from Upper Playground are pleased to present the work of two of contemporary art’s finest talents, David Choe and James Jean in Tokyo, Japan. The show gets the name ‘LA Secret Studio’ from the large warehouse studio set up in Los Angeles by David Choe, James Jean and Good Smile Co. – under the idea that the artists would be able to create in the large studio without the constraints of space and distractions of the public. The show will feature a display of some of David and James’ most famous works, clips from a documentary film, limited edition prints of their work, and a display of new pieces created in the LA Secret Studio which have never been publicly seen before.

The respective careers and backgrounds of David Choe and James Jean mirror the differences and similarities between their artist styles with an uncanny ability. Where David dropped out of art school at early age and fueled his artwork by the experiences he picked up as nomadic traveller, James worked diligently at the theory behind his craft to become known for his exquisite illustrations and won a multitude of awards for his commercial work. Artistically, Jean takes deliberate and almost ornate strokes in his work and creates with a refined intricacy, where Choe paints with violently wild lines of vivid colors which portray immediate emotions. But both paths and styles have led to very similar success with each of them becoming staples in the fine art world – and although each artist possesses a unique and immediately recognizable style, the undeniable genius behind both of their work has become inherently similar.

The exhibition will occur at Parco Factory (Shibuya Parco, Part 1, 6th Floor) in Tokyo, Japan on October 29th, 2010 and runs daily until November 14th, 2010.

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