Archive for February, 2009
Mario keeps the ladies entertained with his futuristic visions...
The undisputed master of Sci-Fi abstract psychedelia, San Francisco-based painter MARS-1 (aka: Mario Martinez) continues to amaze with a new series of kaleidoscopic paintings and bronze sculptures in his new "Nuclear Mystic" show that just opened at Chelsea art hotspot JONATHAN LEVINE GALLERY. Perhaps the most distinguishing aspect of Martinez' work is the painstaking detail that goes into each painting anchoring his seemingly abstract compositions with a seemingly incongruous dose of meticulous rendering. HAVE A LOOK: Read More
Wolverine should keep his dance routines to himself in the future. Too bad STILLER didn't win a statue for this performance...
Apparently, CBS SUNDAY MORNING is officially in the "Street Art" game now, following up their recent KAWS profile with a new segment this morning on SHEPARD FAIREY. Unfortunately the MILF-tastic Serena Altschul wasn't tapped to helm the piece, but the awesome animated spray paint can intro and robotic suburban housewife narration provide ample entertainment nonetheless. The most amazing revelation of the segment? Aside from the gray hair, Shepard still looks almost identical to his elementary school portrait...
Eric White's new works are a visual force to be reckoned with...
Superhuman painting talent ERIC WHITE brought his unique brand of cinematic surrealism to the sunny climes of Barcelona where his solo show of new work “Eclecticismo: Virtud o Defecto?” (Eclecticism: Virtue or Defect?) opened alongside a concurrent exhibition by art buddy Gomez Bueno at IGUAPOP GALLERY last weekend. Consisting of seven brand new 24" x 24" paintings (save for a lone 36" x 36" exception) and two recent large scale pieces, the majority of the show is divided between White's recent "windows" theme and his unique "photo negative" painting effect whereby the Michigan native painstakingly renders portraits in a film negative colorshceme that translate to perfectly accurate color versions when viewed as inversions. The unusual imagery is a true testament to Mr White's rendering prowess considering that the accuracy of his color positives is never tested until the last brushstroke on the negative has been laid (see below for an example). HAVE A LOOK: Read More
Gomez Bueno channels the spirit of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth...
Spanish born LA transplant GOMEZ BUENO is wild card artist extraordinaire whose Pop Cultural visual musings never cease to amuse. For his newest solo show, “Películas y Musicales de los Estudios Gómez Bueno” (Movies and Musicales from the Gomez Bueno Studios), at Barcelona’s IGUAPOP GALLERY finds the artist reimagining some familiar entertainment world iconography in his own inimitable style via a lengthy series of oil paintings and pen on paper drawings taking the piss out of everyone from Ed “Big Daddy” Roth to Johnny Ramone. Running alongside a concurrent exhibition by art buddy Eric White, the show is a testament to Bueno’s atypical thought process that one can only begin to understand through careful, up-close-and-personal study of the man/maniac himself. HAVE A LOOK: Read More
Unfortunately, the male cameltoe comes with the territory...
Back in the saddle for the TOUR OF CALIFORNIA that wraps its final stage today in San Diego, Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG not only made good time, but beat back a costumed attacker with one arm without missing a pedalstroke. Note to all future cosplay idiots, the disgruntled Israeli sniper squad joins the Lance crew beginning with the Giro in May and have orders to shoot first and ask questions never...
In what other professional sport does this nonsense happen?...
Putting syringe man on ice without missing a beat. Livestrong indeed...
KAWS' street hits were the freshest on the block back in '97 when an incredibly young-looking Brian Donnelley was getting busy on the billboards and bus stops of NYC and Tokyo on the regular. Here we see some rare footage of the youthful media manipulator on the go with commentary by fellow bomber RON ENGLISH...
KAWS' anxiously anticipated new show “The Long Way Home,” opened its doors to an absolutely massive crowd at HONOR FRASER gallery in LA last nite, with a queue that wrapped entirely around the block (and then some) for the duration of the frenzied two-hour opening. KAWS' incredibly well behaved legion of faithful followers did their best to make the Brooklyn-based artist feel welcome in his first west coast solo exhibition that featured new paintings (the largest of which went to collector and Supertouch buddy Lance Armstrong), sculptures, a 20" solid bronze Chum figure and a new series of "Kurfs" and Spongebob package paintings that were spoken for well before the opening festivities kicked off.
KAWS pictured with Lance Armstrong's latest acquisition...
TAG, THIS ARTIST IS DEFINITELY IT
KAWS becomes a brand name as his images appear on hip-hoppers' clothes and on gallery walls.
By Chris Lee
February 21, 2009, LATimes
Over the course of a career that has variously infuriated anti-graffiti task force officers and enthralled Japanese street couture collectors—meaning winning props from hip-hop superstars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams—the pop artist KAWS has carved a unique niche for himself. The soft-spoken 34-year-old Jersey City native, born Brian Donnelly, created a new business model that bridges the high-low culture divide in ways that would have made steam come out of Andy Warhol's ears.
By parlaying vandalism into a brand identity as a purveyor of mass-produced collectible toys, KAWS became a bona fide subculture celebrity with a recognizable presence in street fashion.
But now, KAWS is at a career turning point. In spite of his renown in subcultural circles (which galleristas and museum directors have historically snobbed), he is now being mentioned in the same breath as pop art luminaries, such as Takashi Murakami, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons. And while KAWS has proven himself perfectly capable of trafficking his own pop offerings—on skateboard decks, stickers, T-shirts and sneakers—KAWS has infiltrated the rarefied world of institutional art after being held at arm's distance from it for much of his career. Pretty fly for a graf guy.
"When I grew up, I never thought I could enter a gallery," KAWS said over lunch at Chateau Marmont this week. "I looked at them as these pretentious places that did not welcome me." Click HERE to continue reading...
Supertouch homies RVCA have teamed up with anti-supermodel ERIN WASSON to create a new line of womenswear that premiered at FASHION WEEK in NYC on February 18th at the Milk Studios Penthouse to critical acclaim. A native of Dallas, Texas, the 27-year-old has become the bad girl of fashion that Kate Moss wishes she actually was with her take-no-prisoners approach to style. The show attracted a crew of hipsters and tastemakers who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with fashionistas to catch sight of Wasson’s to-die-for frame as much as the new gear she and her cadre of drool-worthy models were wearing.
