Our friends at SOUR HARVEST have provided this weekend’s lineup of must-see shows in the Southland:

Sat, Feb. 6th 8-11PM
Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 South La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles / 323.933.4408
‘She Wolves’ featuring new works from Miss Van + ‘Strange Fruit’ featuring new works from Victor Castillo
(On view through March 6th)
www.mkgallery.com

Sat, Feb. 6th 8-11PM
Subliminal Projects
1331 W. Sunset Blvd in the EchoPark region of Los Angeles
New works from Albert Reyes & Andres Guerrero at Shepard Fairey’s personal gallery
(On view through March 6th)
www.subliminalprojects.com

Sat, Feb. 6th 6-10PM
Copro Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave, Space T5 in Bergamot Station in Santa Monica
Closing reception for ‘Desensitized’ featuring new works from Brian Viveros and Dan Quintana with a live performance from The Billy Bones
www.coprogallery.com

Sat, Feb. 6th 7-11PM (with a special Zombie walk at 6:20PM)
Gallery Nucleus
210 E. Main St., Alhambra / 626.458.7482
‘Zombies In Love’ group show featuring works from Yoko d’Holbachie, Junko Mizuno, Jonathan Wayshak, Scott C., Mindy Lee, Kevin Dart, Ippei Gyoubu, Edith Abeyata, Anna Chambers, and many more + tons of Zombie goodness going off throughout the evening including a Zombie walk near the gallery before the event kicks off, signings, contests, and more – check their site for full details and lineup
(On view through Feb. 22nd)
www.gallerynucleus.com

Sat, Feb. 6th 8PM-12:30AM ($8 at the door)
Hive Gallery
729 S. Spring St in downtown Los Angeles
Monthly group show with featured artists Eric Vasquez, Michael Pukac, Andrea Shear, Jessica Ward and Mikolaj Wyszynski with performances from live acts and resident DJs and more
www.thehivegallery.com

ST buddy SHEPARD FAIREY has teamed up with his STUDIO NUMBER ONE (creaters of the “Hope For Haiti” CD cover) designers CLEON PETERSON and CASEY RYDER to create a new poster for HAITI relief based on a photo by TAO RUSPOLI. The $50 signed and numbered edition goes on sale at an unannounced time on Friday, February 5th at Obeygiant.com, with all proceeds from the sales going to ARTISTS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE:

“Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), established in early 2009, is a fundraising effort founded by Paul Haggis and friends that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. Over the past year, APJ has directed its efforts to raising enough funds to fully sponsor three schools in Haiti in support of the initiatives of Father Rick Frechette and his team. These schools aren’t just a place to learn but provide for a hot meal, clean water and a chance at the future to children who desperately need it. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, APJ has focused its efforts on raising much needed dollars for emergency aid in the ravaged country that is only a few hours from our shores.”

John Baldessari’s 9/11 musing is a show highlight…

Despite MOCA’s financial woes of late and near collapse last year amid the chaos of the economic holocaust, the veritable Southland institution seems on to a bright future now, having secured ST buddy JEFFREY DEITCH as its new director (starting June 1) and financial security (for the moment). If ever there was a time to celebrate, it is now.

“Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years” does just that, simultaneously paying homage to the museum’s storied history while looking ahead towards what seems like a newly bright horizon (thanks to Eli Broad there might just be another 30 years in store). Spread evenly across the Grand Avenue and Geffen locations, the true depth and brilliance of MOCA’s holdings is laid out chronologically, to staggering effect in this must-see two part exhibit.

Beginning at the Grand Ave space, curator PAUL SCHIMMEL traces the years 1939 to 1979, juxtaposing works by Barnett Newman and Mondrian with pieces by Ruscha, Billy Al Bengston, and Johns, among others. The pace picks up quickly beginning in 1980 at the Little Tokyo Geffen Contemporary wing where Chris Burden’s massive motorcycle sculpture decidedly sets the tone. Prime offerings by Raymond Pettibon, Wangechi Mutu, Catherine Opie, and Neo Rauch vie for attention amid the visual overload.

It’s been a long time since the LA area has seen a survey so comprehensive and overwhelming and this show should be considered essential viewing for all but the most sight-deprived public. If ever there was an exhibit worty of busing every grade school in the region to, it is this. Luckily, the show is also viewable online with interesting text accompanying every image, providing a bit of art history 101 for the uninitiated. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Shep needs love, and pays graphic homage to one of downtown NYC’s foremost artistic forebears…

By now it’s no secret that JEFFREY DEITCH is closing shop in downtown NYC to head West for the sunnier confines of the MoCA Director’s office, starting June 1st. That leaves SHEPARD FAIREY’s upcoming portrait show as the farewell exhibition at one of the city’s most legendary and influential commercial art institutions in the city’s history. And that’s saying a lot, given SoHo’s storied art legacy. As Shepard toils away in his LA painting studio logging long hours behind the spray can and paintbrush, DEITCH PROJECTS ST’s own Jamie O’Shea dropped by the spot for an exclusive look at the work in progress (portraits of artists, musicians, gurus, and politicians), easily some of his finest to date. Since we couldn’t reveal most of the new works in full, cropped eye shots of the large canvases will have to do for now. Stay tuned to ST for a comprehensive first look as May draws near. Meanwhile, HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Supertouch buddy and STAGES NYC co-conspirator JEFFREY DEITCH has announced today that he will accept MoCA’s invitation to serve as the museum’s director after the LA institution nearly went extinct due to grave financial woes in recent years (board member for life Eli Broad bailed them out, luckily). Even more shocking than that bombshell is the atomic bomb blast of a newsbreak that Jeffrey will be closing down his entire DEITCH GALLERY empire that currently ties together and dominates the entire downtown NYC art scene. “I’m just going to stop all commercial activity. The gallery will be over,” he told the LA Times.

The home to vital young talents like Aurel Schmidt, Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey, Rosson Crow, and Chris Johanson, the loss of the gallery will be an enormous blow to the downtown art world, a large part of which currently orbits around Deitch’s sun. Rumor has it, however, that JD is seriously considering transferring parts of the business to some of his partners & employees.

The biggest source of contention over Deitch’s appointment, however, lies with the fact that he is an art dealer (with a large personal art collection) running an art museum who could conceivably use his position to better his own financial standings. Deitch told the LA Times, “Lots of people are going to be concerned and looking, and all their comments are important. What I hope is I’ll eventually be seen as an actual individual, not as some abstraction — an art dealer running a museum … I have to exercise good judgment and be appropriate,” he said. “Would I arrange an exhibition that features a major work I’m thinking of selling? Absolutely not, because that’s not appropriate.”

Listen to Jeffrey Deitch’s NPR interview HERE.

Read the entire LA Times article HERE.

We recently paid sincere homage to our dearly departed amigo SHAWN MORTENSEN in the pages of ST, and Hollywood institution UNDFTD has just unveiled a fitting tribute in the Hollywood skyline with this image of Shawn on one of his many trips to Africa. Rest in peace homie. You are gone, but not forgotten…

Photo by Jupiter

It is truly with a heavy heart that we must break the news that one of Supertouch’s dear friends, photographer SHAWN MORTENSEN, passed away last nite. A kinetic force of optimism and seemingly limitless positive energy, Shawn’s hearty career as a photojournalist and artist took him around the world several times over, unselfishly spreading his endless supply of good vibes as he went. Particularly renowned for his portraits of musicians, artists, and entertainers, Shawn photographed a stunning array of pop culture demigods in his 20+ year career including Keith Haring, Tupac, Henry Rollins, James Brown, The Notorious BIG, Bjork, Jun Takahashi, Leo Fitzpatrick, Christopher Wool, Mark Gonzales, Ed Ruscha, Vivienne Westwood, The Bad Brains, Dash Snow, Grandmaster Flash, Neil Young, MIA, John Lee Hooker, Nigo, Sofia Coppola, Agnes B., Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, Keith Richards, Chloe Sevigny, The Foo Fighters, Everlast, Kraftwerk, Wu Tang Clan, and The Sex Pistols, to name but a few. Shawn was also a successful commercial photographer who worked with clients like SUPREME and NIKE, and publications like VIBE, and I-D Magazine, where his streetwise eye was a highly prized commodity. Within the artistic community of his homeland of Los Angeles, Mortensen was a local legend whose constant presence at weekly art openings was a staple of the scene, his favorite Polaroid camera always in hand. At the time of his death, 43-year-old Mortensen was working on a series of new artwork titled “M.O.R.= Monsters!, Outlaws, & Renegades” set to debut at SPACE15TWENTY in Los Angeles in June of this year, and a collaborative photo-based T-Shirt line with Hollywood fashion brand BARRACUDA. Our hearts go out to Shawn’s family during this difficult time. Needless to say, Shawn may be gone, but he will not be forgotten. For newcomers to Shawn’s work, his excellent book, “Out of Mind” is a must-have reference. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Beijing-born and Queens, NY-based Chinese artist YI CHEN is a rising force in the world of modern figurative painting. His newest show “Beaut-Esque” that opened its doors at Culver City hotspot HONOR FRASER GALLERY this Saturday nite was full of gorgeous, color-dense examples of his playful and expert signature style full of playful references the modern masters (Picasso and Hockney spring immediately to mind), and loads of painting chops to spare. The artist uses culturally mediated images from advertisements and fashion magazines as inspiration for his work and sees his paintings and collages as metaphors for hybrid, mutated concepts of beauty borne from a global popular culture. This concept of hybridization and mutation formulate a tense balance in his work, combining enticing beauty and repelling grotesqueries that result in magnetic paintings. Chen begins his creative process by assembling collages of human (and sometimes mammalian) facial features cut out from popular fashion magazines. These collages of perfect/imperfect specimens are the foundation of his work. Like an artistic scientist, he disregards race, gender and age and selects individual characteristics and reconstructs them to form a new human species. These collages then become the figurative models for his lushly rendered oil paintings. All art-crawling denizens of the Southland should consider this essential viewing. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »