All posts tagged: Retna

Elisa and Seth: The Dynamic Duo “Books” You at Carmichael Gallery (CA)

Hands up, the new sheriffs of Culver City saw you lustily ruffling those pages with your flirting fingers!

Opening Saturday night, “Booked” at Carmichael Gallery

An unusual confluence of art and artists and the books that love them, this show satisfies your yearning for adventure and mystery, and more conventional pursuits like oggling and drooling. The art of reading tactile 3-D books has not completely been supplanted by glowing rectangles that are poked and prodded – much like the art of photography and painting, we were all silly to think they ever could have been replaced.

Dave Kinsey (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
Dave Kinsey (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)

There’s nothing like pouring over a big fat book, page after page, staring and stalling, drifting and imagining expansive vistas on an overstuffed couch on a Sunday afternoon, or even Saturday night after many cocktails at a kitchen table, bleary and carnivorous for images.

But I gush.

Martha Cooper (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
Martha Cooper (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)

If Street Art has stars (an idea anathema to many), this event will bring many under one roof:

Aiko, Dan Baldwin, Banksy, Beejoir, Blek le Rat, Boxi, Bumblebee, C215, Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, D*Face, Brad Downey, Eine, Ericailcane, Escif, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Stelios Faitakis, Gaia, Hush, Mark Jenkins, Dave Kinsey, Know Hope, Labrona, Anthony Lister, Lucy McLauchlan, Aakash Nihalani, Walter Nomura (a.k.a. Tinho), Other, Steve Powers (a.k.a. ESPO), Lucas Price (a.k.a. Cyclops), Retna, Saber, Sam3, Sixeart, Slinkachu, SpY, Judith Supine, Titi Freak, Nick Walker, Dan Witz and WK Interact

Anthony Lister (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)
Anthony Lister (Image Courtesy of Carmichael Gallery)

With a large selection of books and magazines from: Drago, Gingko Press, Murphy Design, Prestel, Rojo, SCB Distributors, Studiocromie, Very Nearly Almost, Zupi and more.

If you had plans you can go ahead and change them, call your friends go and enjoy fine art and the hospitality of Elisa and Seth Carmichel. They’ll quickly have you “Booked”

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Carmichael Gallery
5795 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
June 5 – July 3, 2010

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 5, 2010, 6-8pm

(Exhibition will open for view from 12pm on Saturday to coincide with Culver City Art Walk)

www.carmichaelgallery.com

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Carmichael Gallery Presents: “Booked” ( Culver City L.A.)

Carmichael Gallery

Nick Walker Photo Courtesy Carmichael Gallery

Nick Walker Photo Courtesy Carmichael Gallery

For Immediate Release-

Carmichael Gallery is proud to present “Booked”, a group exhibition featuring over 35 of the  leading figures in contemporary art.
The gallery’s rooms will showcase a wide selection of original works from artists including:
Aiko, Banksy, Beejoir, Blek le Rat, Boxi, Bumblebee, 215, Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper
C, D*Face, Brad Downey, Eine, Ericailcane, Escif, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Stelios Faitakis, Gaia, Hush,  Mark Jenkins, Dave Kinsey, Know Hope, Labrona,
Anthony Lister, Lucy McLauchlan, Aakash Nihalani, Walter Nomura (a.k.a. Tinho), Other
Steve Powers (a.k.a. ESPO), Lucas Price (a.k.a. Cyclops), Retna, Saber,
Sam3, Sixeart, Slinkachu, SpY, Judith Supine, Titi Freak, Nick Walker,
Dan Witz, and WK Interact.

Books and magazines will be available from a range of publishers,
including Drago, Gestalten,
Gingko Press, Murphy Design, Prestel, Rojo, SCB Distributors,
Studiocromie, Very Nearly Almost,
Zupi and more.

There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday,
June 5th from 6 to 8pm. The
gallery will be open for viewing from 12pm that day to coincide with
Culver City Art Walk. The
exhibition will run through July 3rd.

Carmichael Gallery
5795 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
June 5 – July 3, 2010

Additional and/or high resolution preview images available, please do
not hesitate to contact me!

Best,
Lauren Licata
PR Associate
Carmichael Gallery
www.carmichaelgallery.com

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RETNA “Desaturated” at New Image Art (LA)

“DESATURATED”


new works by


RETNA

Retna preparations

Retna preparations

Retna was born in Los Angeles, California in 1979. Since first creating a name for himself in the early 1990s, Retna has become an “eternal broadcaster” of sorts, shining a light to the kinetic urban soul of Los Angeles. The name RETNA itself evokes the timeless power, movement and visual vibrancy behind the artist’s acclaimed work. His work merges photography with graffiti style and paint, time with color, couture with street culture, the spiritual with the sensual, and fluidity with grit. Whether his paintings hang in a gallery or wall on the streets of Los Angeles, they serve as a retina through which we view the urban journal of contemporary art.

At an early age, Retna was introduced to L.A.’s mural culture. While still in high school, he led one of the largest and most innovative graffiti art collectives the city has witnessed. He is perhaps best known for appropriating fashion advertisements and amplifying them with his unique layering, intricate line work, text-based style and incandescent color palette reflecting an eclectic artistic tradition. RETNA became just as notorious for his ornate painting technique as his timeless style: he used paintbrushes mixed with the traditional spray can. Many of his pieces synthesize the line between fine art and graffiti, between power and opposition, between tradition and advancement.

Today, Retna traverses between the galleries and streets with ease. Retna is a member of the Art Work Rebels and Mad Society Kings Art Groups. In December 2007, he contributed to a large-scale mural project with El Mac and Reyes called “La Reina del Sur” at Miami’s Primary Flight during Art Basel. His most recent projects include an exhibition titled “Vagos Y Reinas” at Robert Berman Gallery and a mural called “Seeing Signs” at the Margulies Warehouse for Primary Flight

New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 654-2192
www.newimageartgallery.com

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Images of Week 01.03.10

Images of Week 01.03.10

BSA: Miami

BSA-Sand-banner-ani-part1

We start 2010 with a bag of sea-shells and this bounty of inspiring Street Art images from warm sunny Miami – which was a break from the bitter coldness of BK for a bit.  Heartfelt gratitude to Typoe for showing us what’s up and who, together with a dude named Books, has built the one-of-a-kind Primary Flight show on the streets of Miami’s Wynwood District over the past three years during Art Basel.

With a vision that speaks to the next decade of public art, these guys have coordinated with local businesses, galleries, graff/street artists, and the City of Miami to clear the way for what is turning into a global gallery on the street. Without self-aggrandizing rhetoric, these peeps are developing a model for building an art scene while keeping the edge and encouraging experimentation. So far the “collection” doesn’t risk the blanding that can happen when bureaucrats, committees, or self-appointed art critics insert themselves, or when corporate sponsors commodify the spirit.

It’s worth mentioning that this is just one more case of artists revitalizing abandoned blighted areas of the urban landscape, of their own volition, with grit, determination, and vision.

During a whirlwind tour last week of Primary Flight sites (and many others who have jumped into the game) we witnessed a diverse, energetic mix of graff, old-school, art school, graphic design, sculpture, illustration, surrealism… all part of the developing Street Art vocabulary that we’re witnessing in Brooklyn and NYC at large.  Thanks to Typoe and Giovana for their kind hospitality and insight.

We hope you enjoy the Dade County Bounty: a past and present explosion of art on the streets of Miami.

JRobles
One stunning example of what’s happening – this female form is answered with a male counterpart further down the street (J. Robles) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JRobles (detail)
Yes, it’s all aerosol, friends.  (J. Robles) (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Evils
Evils does a Medusa on an 3 sided block-long wall completely covered with new pieces (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Retna and Mac
Retna and Mac’s ’08 entry still stands on a massive wall – using a self-developed symbol library that functions as an alphabet. Typoe says certain people can read it. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Retna and Mac (detail)
Retna and Mac (detail) – the circular fine line patterning on the boy in this piece was accomplished by keeping the cans in an ice cooler – and fine can control of course. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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