Museum

Shea & Ziegler In Conjunction With The Warrington Museum Present: “International Woman” A Group Show (Warrington, WA1 1JB. UK)

International Woman

International Woman – Warrington
2012
Exhibition Design, Fine Arts, Painting
Following the success of ‘Gossip Well Told’ group exhibition that launched the first Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, Frankie Shea & Tina Ziegler return to Warrington Museum in March with an exhibition called ‘International Woman’. In conjunction with Moniker Projects, ‘International Woman’ brings together a stellar roster of more than 15 artists from 10 countries, being the first exhibition in the UK that highlights the cross-over of the Pop Surrealism and Urban fine art movements under one roof. Working in underground art movements these women have forged names for themselves by pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, experimenting with new mediums, ideas and visual concepts. Individually they have enhanced the overall direction of these underground movements, and as a collective they have changed the way women are viewed in urban culture today.Exhibiting artists: Catalina Estrada, Cheryl Dunn, Elizabeth Mcgrath, Faith 47, Hera, Kukula, Mel Kadel, Miss Van, Pam Glew, Sarah Joncas, Stella Im Hultberg, Swoon, Tara Mcpherson and Xue Wang.Curated by Frankie Shea and Tina Ziegler
Opening reception: March 29 th 2012. 6pm
On display until 7 July 2012
Museum Street, Warrington, WA1 1JB. United Kingdom
www.warrington.gov.uk/museum
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The Pima Air & Space Museum Presents: “Round Trip: Art From The Bone Yard Project” (Tucson, Arizona)

Art From The Bone Yard Project

The Retna Plane (photo courtesy of the curators)

THE BONE YARD PROJECT | PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM | JANUARY 28 – MAY 31

The Pima Air & Space Museum is pleased to announce the opening of Round Trip: Art From The Bone Yard Project on January 28 in Tucson. Conceived in Spring 2010 by Eric Firestone, and organized with curators Medvin Sobio & Carlo McCormick, The Bone Yard Project resurrects disused airplanes from America‟s military history through the creative intervention of contemporary artists, taking entire airplanes and their elements out of aeronautic resting spots in the desert, known as “bone yards,” and putting them into the hands of artists. Re-imagined by Brazilian graffiti artist Nunca, an abandoned DC3 comes to life with a striking picture of an eagle leading men through the skies, and the idealized dreams of flight are able to soar once again in our collective imagination. With a nod to the airplane graffiti and „nose art‟ that became popular during WWII, the project offers a vision of the wonder by which humanity takes to the air through some of the most prominent and acclaimed artists working today.

Round Trip: Selections from The Bone Yard Project, will include selections from the previous exhibition along with more than a dozen cones interpreted by artists new to this project. It will feature five monumental works created on military planes by a dynamic selection of popular graffiti and street artists from around the world. The curatorial team includes Medvin Sobio, an independent curator and consultant, and Lesley Oliver of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, a longstanding figure on the Arizona art scene.

More than 30 artists have participated in Round Trip including DC Super 3 planes painted by graffiti artists How & Nosm, Nunca, and Retna, and a C97 cockpit by Saner, and C45 planes by Faile and Andrew Schoultz. Additionally, Nose Job artists Aiko, Peter Dayton, Shepard Fairey, Futura, How and Nosm, Mare, Tara McPherson, Richard Prince, Lee Quinones, Saner, Kenny Scharf, and JJ Veronis will be on display, along with new nose cones by artists Colin Chillag, Crash, Daze, Daniel Marin Diaz, Tristan Eaton, Jameson Ellis, Ron English, Faile, Eric Foss, Mark Kostabi, Lisa Lebofsky, El Mac, Alex Markwith, Walter Robinson, Hector Ruiz, Randy Slack, Ryan Wallace, and Eric White, among others.

The Pima Air & Space Museum is the largest non-government funded aviation museum in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. It maintains a collection of more than 300 aircraft and spacecraft from around the globe and more than 125,000 artifacts. The museum is located at 6000 E. Valencia Rd. , Tucson, and is open 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily. Round Trip is open to the public from January 28 through the end of May 2012. Further details may be found at www.pimaair.org.

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Boston Street Art, and Swoon’s “Anthropocene” at ICA

Her name is unpronounceable, so people just call her Mrs. Bennett. One of the last aboriginal people in Australia, she sits atop a rolling line of four-eyed Tibetan demons with human faces who are sucking species into their mouths on this wall installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA). Traditionally these demons would be protective, but “Swoon really sees these as a representation of humanity’s need to devour, and in excess, to destroy“ explains Pedro Alonzo, curator of the show, as he gives guests a tour of “Anthropocene”, the two part installation by the Brooklyn Street Artist. The shows’ name refers to the current era, and according to Wikipedia, “The Anthropocene is a recent and informal geologic chronological term that serves to mark the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact on the Earth’s ecosystems.”

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Part two of the installation at this modern museum overlooking the Boston waterfront is the mini temple suspended from the ceiling in the entry hall to the galleries, best viewed from the glass central elevator that carries you from floor to floor. With joints hand-tied in a manner Swoon learned from Chinese scaffolding architecture, the 400 pound structure is made of bamboo, copper, and multiples of hand cut paper animals, species endangered or soon to be in this era of human destruction on Earth. “She built the structure in four parts, we assembled it and installed it (over 6 days), and she draped it with these materials, ” said Alonzo.

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

During the installation the main hall was reserved for work tables and a temporary print shop, where many assistants spent hours hand cutting the animals and shapes that adorn the works and the parade that swings from the ceiling connecting the two areas. Seahorses, frogs, beetles, and butterfies all create the chain of life in this intuitive biologic story of connective species and collective endangerment. Disappearing before they can become fossils, the animal world is memorialized in this most ephemeral of materials, an exhibition that will similarly be destroyed when the wall is sanded and painted. In this impermanent way, it best mimics the installations Swoon does on the street.

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Then out to the streets of Boston we went, hitting a number of spots with the guidance of photographer, artist, and Street Art expert Geoff Hargadon, who began one of the city’s only organic walls for Street Art and graffiti art in 2007. A natural magnet for painters and wheat-pasters, the ever-changing dialogue of “The Wall” on display is periodically wiped clean for a new group installation. The outdoor gallery has provided an outlet for hundreds of local and visiting artists as well as a providing a backdrop to photo shoots, video, and television programs. On the day we were there, a dancer was set to perform her moves under bright lights in the alleyway. Below are images from that days tour.

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Swoon on the streets of Boston (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon on the streets of Boston (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon on The Wall at Central Square in Cambridge (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Alphonse (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Darkcloud, Mise. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Obey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Syms (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Brian Butler. The Upperhandart on The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Darkcloud on The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mancini and friends on The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mark Carvalho on The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mer One on The Wall at Central Square (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With special thanks to Swoon, Pedro Alonzo, the ICA, and sincere gratitude to Geoff Hargadon.

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M.City in M. City : Polish Stencillist in Mexico

MAMUTT Arte and the Antique Toy Museum of Mexico (MUJAM) are continuing in their quest to invite the emerging slate of Street Art talents of today to bomb big time in their beloved Mexico City (D.F.). Last month Polish Street Artist M-City did 6 pieces to accompany the existing pieces by ROA, Liqen, Broken Crow, Koko, and Dronz among others.

Invited by Gonzalo Alvarez of MAMUUT, here are exclusive images of the creation of M-City working on his piece in Mexico City, where the large scale stencillist shared sketches of his work in progress with some local fans of his work.

Read our interview with M-City when he was in frozen New York in January 2010 here.

brooklyn-street-art-mcity-mujam-mexico-city-gonzalo-alvarez-15-webM-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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The orange scaffolding is a great contrast to the graphic new piece going up by M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City has a stylized stencil tag. (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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A broken skate deck becomes a perfect canvas for M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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Afloat in the wheels and cogs of industry. M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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Evidently, the feeling is mutual. M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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New M-City pieces proudly displayed. (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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The finished collaged stencil piece by M-City (photo © Gonzalo Alvarez)

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The Warrington Museum and Gallery Presents: “Gossip Well Told” (Warrington, UK)

“Gossip Well Told”

brooklyn-street-art-cheryl-dunn-gossip-well-told-warrington-mueum-ukImage courtesy of the Museum © Cheryl Dunn

Shea and Ziegler present GOSSIP WELL TOLD supported by Moniker Projects

24 September – 29 October 2011|Large Art Gallery|Free

Following its success in London this exhibition moves to Warrington Museum & Art Gallery. As well as showcasing artworks emanating from the street art scene, Moniker will be widening its scope of reference with the inclusion of artists such as Anthony Lister from London, Pop surrealist Luke Chueh from California, and acclaimed New York photographer Cheryl Dunn. Moniker attracts some of the most renowned and talked-about artists, galleries and curators to highlight the trend in which they are spearheading; art with its roots firmly embedded in urban culture.

For more more information about this show and related events click on the link below:

http://www.warringtonartsfestival.co.uk/

Warrington Museum & Art Gallery
Museum Street, Cultural Quarter, Warrington, WA1 1JB
Tel. No. 01925 442733

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Living Walls : Albany Presents: Keynote Lecture by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo “Street Art Stories: A New Direction on the Street” (Albany, New York)

Living Walls Albany
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Saturday, September 17th
Located in the Clark Auditorium of the New York State Museum

3:30-4:45PM
KEYNOTE LECTURE
“Street Art Stories: A New Direction on the Street”

Presented by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, founders of Brooklyn Street Art

In Street Arts’ latest chapter, the storytellers are hitting up walls with all manner of influences and methods. More than ever before, formally trained and self taught fine artists are skipping the gallery route and taking their work directly to the public, creating cultural mash-ups and highly personal stories of their own, altering the character of this scene once again. Eclectic, individual, and as D.I.Y. as you can imagine, these Street Artists may have knowledge of who came before them or not, but they are determined to be a part of one art scene that is perceived as authentic, relevant, and alive.

Join Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, authors (“Brooklyn Street Art”, and “Street Art New York”, published by Prestel/Random House) and founders of Brooklyn Street Art (BrooklynStreetArt.com) and contributing Street Art writers for The Huffington Post ARTS, as they show and compare examples of work from New York’s streets today. Then join a lively discussion in a Q&A session to help explore this storytelling practice and discuss how it may be evolving what we have been calling “Street Art” for the last decade.

Hosted by “Living Walls : Albany”, Samson Contompasis, Director,  and Grand Street Community Arts, James Shultis, Executive Director.

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Chris Stain in Church, Museum : 9/11 Mural With “Living Walls: Albany”

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The Street Artist Creates 40 Foot Mural Marking 10th Anniversary

brooklyn-street-art-chris-stain-andrew-franciosa-living-walls-albany-09-11-web-4Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Living Walls with Chris Stain

Words by KC Orcutt
with photos from Andrew Franciosa, Frank Whitney, and Ken Jacobie

Working in the monumental landmark of St. Joseph’s church, the focal point marking Albany’s Ten Broeck Historical District, everything echoed. The shake of the spray paint can, Chris Stain’s soft but direct voice, friends casually eating out of take-out containers and the sliding of a huge ladder against the wooden floor echoed against the high, detailed ceilings of the church, breaking the silence in what felt like both a privileged and private setting to be working in.

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Samson prepares the wall at St Joseph’s church for Chris Stain (photo © Ken Jacobie)

This portion of the “Living Walls: Albany” project directly faced the challenge all artists face: make something out of nothing. For the organizer, Samson Contompasis, that challenge was making a 40 by 16 foot wall out of 20 wooden pieces for Chris Stain to create his contribution to the project. Challenge met. Next.

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

As Chris Stain humored me in talking about Albany, the culture of zines and independent art books, doing his art homework on the train up here and how the quietness of the church was peaceful, he worked very swiftly. With one can of spray paint on deck in his back pocket and one in his hand, he got to work on his installation piece, depicting a scene of firefighters, an American flag and slanted city buildings, working with the ‘perfect’ red and an assortment of spray paint cans aligned like soldiers ready to go.

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

The finished piece alongside the ornate details of the church allowed for a natural moment of silence, soaking in what Stain sprayed before us, ready to be taken apart and installed in the setting of the New York State Museum the next day as a part of the new exhibit, “Reflecting on September 11, 2001.”

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Chris Stain’s mural being installed at the New York State Museum (photo © Frank Whitney)

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Chris Stain’s mural being installed at the New York State Museum (photo © Frank Whitney)

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“Reflecting on September 11, 2001” opens at the New York State Museum Friday 10.9.11. Please click here for more information.

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The Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston Presents: Swoon “Anthropocene Extinction” (Boston, Mass)

Swoon
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brooklyn-street-art-swoon-geoff-hargadon-ica-boston-2-webSwoon at work installing  “Anthropocene Extinction”  (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

There’s a good chance you’ve encountered Swoon’s work before: her intricately cut, life-sized portraits have covered abandoned buildings and warehouses in cities around the world. Often found in beautiful states of decay, her wheat-pasted installations are populated by realistically rendered people going about everyday activities in a cityscape of her own invention.

In both her art and her own life, Swoon is deeply engaged with social and humanitarian projects. During the 2009 Venice Biennale, she and a crew of 30 other artists and friends sailed SWOON boats made of reclaimed materials through the canals of Venice—creating new purpose out of what was cast aside. Her latest endeavor, the Konbit Shelter Project, is a sustainable building project assisting Haitians who lost their homes in the devastating 2010 earthquake. Working alone or in collaboration, Swoon’s work is often about forming a community in order to practice what she refers to as a “real world” engagement.

For the ICA’s fifth installation of the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall, Swoon’s installation will extend from the elevator atrium to the lobby, soaring 40 feet up to the ceiling—the largest installation to occupy the Fineberg Art Wall. The work, titled Anthropocene Extinction, is composed of streams of intricately cut paper which connect key sculptural elements within the installation, including a 400-pound, suspended bamboo sculpture. The exhibition is accompanied by an ICA-produced video featuring installation footage and an interview with the artist.

To find out more about this exhibit, location, time, dates and directions visit ICA site at:

http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/swoon/

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Peek at Swoon’s “Anthropocene Extinction” Opening at Boston’s ICA

brooklyn-street-art-swoon-geoff-hargadon-ica-boston-2-webSwoon (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

Opening tonight at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, is an exhibition of new work by Brooklyn Street Artist SWOON, called Anthropocene Extinction.

“The title addresses humanity’s impact on the environment,” says Pedro Alonzo, the Adjunct Curator of the show and the guy who brought the very successful Street Art exhibition “Viva La Revolucion” to San Diego last year.

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Swoon (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

Kind hearted and focused powerhouse SWOON continues her efforts to engage viewers at ICA with her hand cut wheat pasted installations of real people and mythical ones, symbolically telling a tale that brings responsibility for the environment directly to our feet. Wholistic in many respects, we find familiar recurring themes in the subject matter, the construction techniques, even the manner of fruition of the installations; The localized environment in which Swoon’s work evolves mirrors the collaborative vision and processes that will be necessary to address the very real issue of sustainability and disaster more populations are facing.

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Swoon (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

For the politically charged time we’re in, a show like this could open itself to charges of smug liberal self satisfaction if the artists’ body of work and projects to create shelter from the storm were not so consistent and authentic. A person entirely engaged in every process, Swoon facilitates others’ stories and incorporates them along with more material considerations, like the 400-pound bamboo temple structure hanging from the ceiling here that uses traditional Chinese construction methods the artist has been studying (It’s excellent when viewed while riding the elevator). Balancing the durability of reinforced joints with the fragility of cut paper species floating through air, the exhibit calls to mind the range of responses we will need to employ if the march toward planetary destruction is to reverse, and if SWOON’s characters are going to survive.

Our thanks to photographer and BSA contributor Geoff Hargadon, who has been documenting Swoon’s installation for the show and who shares images with you here.

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Swoon and assistant Alyssa Dennis work on a linocut print (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

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An assistant helps Swoon with final touches on this wall. (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

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Swoon (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

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Swoon (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

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An assistant helps Swoon with this portion of the installation. (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

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An assistant helps Swoon with final touches on this wall. (photo © Geoff Hargadon)

Support for the Swoon installation is provided by Fotene Demoulas and Tom Coté, Geoff Hargadon and Patricia La Valley, Tim Phillips, and Connie Coburn and James Houghton.

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Learn more about the exhibition Anthropocene Extinction at the ICA website HERE:

Read BSA’s interview with Pedro Alonzo here about his curatorial experiences on Viva La Revolución at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego last year.

Listen to an interview with Swoon and Pedro Alonzo on Boston’s WBUR.

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Torrance Art Museum Presents: Baker’s Dozen III (Los Angeles,CA)

Chor Boogie

brooklyn-street-art-chor-boogie-la-art-machine-white-tigerChor Boogie “White Tiger” (image © courtesy L.A. Art Machine)

CHOR BOOGIE, MASTER SPRAY PAINT ARTIST, DEBUTS A TRANSFORMED 12’X12’ CANVAS IN TORRANCE ART MUSEUM’S EXHIBITION BAKERS DOZEN III.

July 12, 2011 (Los Angeles, CA) – Opening Saturday, July 16th, is Torrance Art Museum’s (TAM) Baker’s Dozen III, their annual survey of “artists to watch.” This third iteration of the series continues the tradition of providing a snapshot of contemporary avenues of exploration seen in Los Angeles. Torrance Art Museum Curator, Max Presneill shares insight into his selection of Chor as the only urban artist in this exhibition: “When I saw Chor Boogie’s work at the L.A. Art Show, I felt it bridged the gap between the low brow street aesthetic and the contemporary art world, and created discourse within the two. It is bright, vibrant, physical, and powerful. I feel his work is one of the best things to be seen at this moment in time.” He goes on to describe the show as reflecting the zeitgeist of the times, and trends of artistic presence across the board.

Chor Boogie is recognized internationally for painting vibrant, masterpieces of color using aerosol spray paint on both walls and canvases, and is a pioneer of this medium and art movement. His trademark applications and techniques allow him to paint pieces that resonate on many levels with those who view them, evoking a powerful mix of emotions. His imagery is pulled from life experiences and are visual expressions of the surroundings, people and environments he has painted in around the world.

Two of Chor Boogie’s works have been selected for Baker’s Dozen III. The first is a progressive 12’x12’ canvas he began during the January ’11 L.A. Art Show, as part of L.A. ART MACHINE, prestigious Vox Humana Program. This piece, part of the Purgatory Series, is Chor Boogie’s depiction of balance as he sees it, examples being: right/wrong, heaven/hell, good/bad, and positive/negative.

The imagery challenges the perception of one’s individual mentality, and of how we look at a piece of art. It transcends memory and is mixed with elements of, landscape, realism, abstract expressionism, cubism, color, shape, form; paying reverence to his personal favorite influences including, Kandinsky, Klimt, Picasso, and Dali. “Mentally Challenged” was completed over this past week using a multitude of spray paint colors, and signature CB techniques. It is larger than life, vibrant, and has a very timeless feel to it.

The second selection is part one of a triptych. The piece chosen is entitled Silver Queens of the Romantic White Tiger, and is a testament to his artistic genius, and use of his famous spray paint methods. The silver queens are in simple relation to the strength of the white tiger, a more new age, or, renaissance/baroque style period.

Able to create various forms, even Chor Boogie’s signature inverted can technique is original. Painting dense, rich tones, allows him more room for perspective detail whether it be a wall, or small-scale canvas.

Chor Boogie’s dynamic range of artistic styles can manifest as soulful, deftly shaded portraits of color therapy, with geometric elements revealing half-hidden faces, and a minds eye or two to encourage you to see internally and externally.

He expresses his reverence for life, honesty, and art, in ways that create a lasting impression. Chor Boogie describes his work as: “Abstract expressionism with a little street romantic voodoo along with emotional landscapes of a melodic symphony through color therapy.” He has built a collector base around the world including international commissions by global institutions and cultural commemorations. This recognition allows him to inspire today’s youth with his personal story and transcendent life and style.

In addition to Bakers Dozen III, Chor Boogie’s upcoming schedule also includes Colorfornia: New Forms in West Coast Street Art – The Warehouse Gallery at the International Contemporary Art Center, Syracuse University, New York, September 15th – November 5th, 2011; followed by “Spray Paint the Movie…The Fine Art of Chor Boogie,” directed and produced by Sarah Fisher, whose credits include the documentary, Meditate and Destroy, the journey of Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx. Chor Boogie is also sponsored and endorsed by Spanish Montana – MTN 94 Spray Paint, and has a limited edition signature spray can slated for launch at Art Basel Miami Beach, Florida.

Baker’s Dozen III opens on Saturday, July 16th and runs through August 27th, and also features works by, Joshua Callaghan, Erin Cosgrove, Martin Durazo, Amir H Fallah, Alexandra Grant, Annie Lapin, Thomas Lawson, Nathan Mabry, John Millei, Robert Olsen, Britton Tolliver, and Peter Wu. For more information, please visit: www.torranceartmuseum.com.

Baker’s Dozen III
Opening reception
Saturday, July 16th
6 – 9pm
Torrance Art Museum
3320 Civic Center Drive
Torrance, CA 90503
www.torranceartmuseum.com

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