Category: Gallery/Museum Shows

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Faust, Fairey, Katsu and Skullphone at Mallick Williams

New York is (slowly) recovering from what one could call its monochromatic season. So as much as I’m ready for all the black and white and grey to be over with, I still ended up catching Mallick Williams‘ grayscale show Hueless a couple days ago before it closes on April 13th. Turns out, in some cases, lack of color isn’t so bad.

Opening just over a month ago, Hueless is a “monochromatic exhibition” with some paradoxical diversity. It’s got black and white and grey, but also silver, cream, brown-black and pretty much every non-pigmented hue in between. With work from Shephard Fairey, Faust, Katsu, Skullphone, and others, the work under color-constraints was (thankfully) more unified than most group shows, and showed off medium/form (there was sculpture, a neon sign, screenprint, paper cut and painting) and content in color’s absence.

There was a requisite Andre the Giant (not for sale, just for show), but the other two pieces from Fairey were among my favorites.

Fairey's "Glass Houses" and "Rise Above Control."
Katsu's "Self Portrait."

Also enjoyed Skullphone’s “Here’s Your Nightmare.” It’s enamel on aluminum, but in person looked sort of like a micro, non-electronic version of his billboards.

Skullphone's piece, photo via Arrested Motion.
"I Want to Go Home" by Distort.
"Tree" paper cut by Nathan Pickett.

Hueless runs through  April 13th, and the gallery opens the color-themed group show Spectrum on April 21st, with pieces from Word to Mother, Erik Otto, and others.

Skullphone photo by Arrested Motion, other photos by Frances Corry.

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Today’s Special – Skewville Flavor

Skewville’s first solo show in London, entitled Slow Your Roll, opened at High Roller Society on Friday 18th March. Setting out to reclaim the gallery in much the same way as the streets, the show is not only an exhibition of Skewville’s unique style, but is a fantastic experience and example of what can be achieved when street art meets a gallery setting. This is certainly my favourite show High Roller have hosted and is one that should certainly not be missed.  Here are some pictures of the opening night…

YO YO. Photo by S.Butterfly
No Sponsor. Photo by SeveredFrequencies
Slow your roll. Photo by SeveredFrequencies
Hype. Photo by ClutterGeoff
Today's Special, Brooklyn Flavor. Photo by ClutterGeoff
Hopes and Dreams. Photo by S.Butterfly
Love or Envy. Photo by S.Butterfly
Slow that beat. Photo by SeveredFrequencies

And before Ad left London he wrote a little message for RJ, who states that Skewville are “his second favourite street art twin duo” with Os Gemeos taking the cake in that category…

Yo Yo Yo... Suck it RJ! Photo by Shower

However after this show, Skewville take the biscuit for me… Suck it RJ!

For all those that could not make the opening night, Slow Your Roll runs until 24th April at High Roller Society.

Photos by Butterfly, ClutterGeoff, SeveredFrequencies and Shower

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Remix: Martha Cooper and friends at Carmichael Gallery

Martha Cooper is one of graffiti’s most influential photographers, particularly for being half of the duo (the other half being Henry Chalfant) who photographed and wrote Subway Art back in the 1980’s. For many street artists and graffiti writers, Martha is a large part of how they got started not just painting outside, but with art in general. Martha Cooper: Remix is the next show at Carmichael Gallery, and I just love the idea – Some of street art and graffiti’s greats from the 1980’s through today have reinterpreted Martha’s photographs in their own style and Remix will show the original photos alongside these reinterpretations. Remix opens April 9th and runs through May 7th, so it is timed to coincide with MOCA’s Art in the Streets show, which Martha Cooper is also included in.

Artists in Remix include Aeon, John Ahearn, Aiko, Bio, Nicer & B-Gee, Blade, Blanco, Mark Bode, Burning Candy, Victor Castillo, Cey, Cekis, Claw, Cosbe, Crash, Dabs & Myla, Anton van Dalen, Daze, Dearraindrop, Jane Dickson, Dr. Revolt, Shepard Fairey, Faust, Flying Fortress, Freedom, Fumakaka, Futura, Gaia, Grotesk, Logan Hicks, How & Nosm, LA II, Lady Pink, Anthony Lister, The London Police, Mare 139, Barry McGee, Nazza Stencil, Nunca, José Parlá, Quik, Lee Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Sharp, Skewville, Chris Stain, Subway Art History, Swoon, T-Kid, and Terror161. So yeah, this should be interesting.

With most other photographers, I might quickly right this idea off as gimmicky and I think artists might half-ass it, but there is so much respect for Martha Cooper, the line up is so strong (and varied) and the photos are so interesting that I think this has to be a success.

All the LA galleries are really pulling out all the stops for this April and Carmichael Gallery is no exception.

Photo courtesy of Carmichael Gallery

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Weekend link-o-rama

Galo, 2051 and Ottograph

So much going on behind the scenes this week for a couple of upcoming events. Can’t wait to say more. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to write about one of them. Here’s what I didn’t have a chance to post about this week:

Photo by Galo

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Eine in San Fransisco – “Greatest”

Ben Eine’s first major solo show since David Cameron gave President Obama an Eine artwork as a gift opened last week at White Walls Gallery in San Fransisco. While normally I would say that while I like an Eine canvases here or there and definitely love his murals, a solo show of 40-some pieces which get repetitive pretty quickly is not something I would enjoy, but with the tongue-in-cheek title of Greatest, I’ve come around to really liking this one. Is Eine the greatest artist or street artist or graffiti writer or screen printer or greatest anything of all time? Nah. He’s good. Few murals have had a stronger impact on me than his SCARY mural in Shoreditch. I’ve got a couple of prints from him. But I wouldn’t call him the greatest. And I don’t think he would call himself the greatest either. But David Cameron sure made him look like the greatest something. Especially when that gift to Obama was actually a trade for an Ed Ruscha print. Damn. Hype has been surrounding Eine for a year and people have been calling him the greatest, but he knows the hype won’t last forever and has even mentioned it in an interview or two, so why not play up the hype with a knowing smile? Well, that’s just what he’s done at White Walls. Check it out:

Hey, maybe, by being so clever, Eine is the greatest… Nah, just great.

Photos courtesy of White Walls Gallery

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Michael de Feo indoors and outdoors in London

Michael de Feo poster in London. Photo by HowAboutNo!

Michael de Feo‘s first solo show in London opened last week at Orange Dot Gallery, and while in town, he put up some posters around the city. I think Michael de Feo is one of those street artists whose street art best embodies the street art ethos of giving. What better to give to the residents of the city than a flower?

Regrettably, I’m way late with this post and the gallery part of this show has already closed, but the work is for sale on the gallery website and here are some photos of the installed show. And of course, his posters are still up on the street.

Photo by HowAboutNo!

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Resplendent Semblance At Maxwell Colette and Pawnworks

The press release:

Maxwell Colette Gallery and Pawn Works Present
GAIA: Resplendent Semblance
March 25th – May 7, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, March 25th 2011 / 6 – 9pm

Pawn Works and Maxwell Colette Gallery have joined forces to bring internationally lauded contemporary artists to Chicago, who are known for their involvement in the Street Art movement.  The first of these joint ventures, GAIA: Resplendent Semblance, launches this month with a series of projects showcasing the artist Gaia.  The events will include a show of new, large scale paintings and decollage on wood art works at Maxwell Colette Gallery, a site specific installation and show featuring additional pieces at the Pawn Works space and a massive window installation at State Street and Adams presented in conjunction with The Chicago Loop Alliance’s Pop Up Art Loop initiative.

Gaia’s art is best known for his large scale renderings of human and animal forms, often in states of hybridization.  Animals fuse with humans or other animals, blending visual characteristics and layers of spiritual and mythological relevance.  Reclaiming a long dormant visual iconography, Gaia’s images transcend cultural literacy, achieving significance on multiple levels.  As contemporary urban culture deemphasizes nature, Gaia invades the city of glass, steel and concrete with a breathtaking reminder of earth and life.  Functioning as a contemporary visual shaman, he facilitates uniquely urban interactions with postmodern spirit guides who in turn force us to acknowledge our lost connection with the natural and the mystical worlds.

Pawn Works and Maxwell Colette Gallery will co-host an opening reception for GAIA:Resplendent Semblance at Maxwell Colette Gallery on Friday, March 25th from 6 – 9 pm.  The artist will be in attendance.

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Installation by Hieronymus opens this Friday in LA

Installation in progress at Studio5216

Hieronymus has what I think is his first LA solo show opening this Friday. Tell All See All will be held at Studio5216 and is part installation and part an exhibition of hundreds of pages from his sketchbooks. Reminds me a bit of Escif last year at Pictures on Walls. So check out Hieronymus at Studio5216 in LA on Friday from 8-11pm, or during the day through March 28th.

Photo courtesy of Hieronymus