Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, Graffiti, Street Art + Culture

Craig Stecyk, "Lost and Found", 2010 mixed media installation

This Saturday night is a rare opportunity to see the art work of Craig Stecyk, the surf & skate legend whose life was portrayed in the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and in the film Lords of Dogtown.  Taking its cues from the game commonly called Telephone or Stille Post, this exhibition asked each curator to choose an artist who then chose a curator who chose an artist in succession until 7 artists and 7 curators were selected.  Stille Post features (in the order they were selected): Whitney Carter > Christopher Russell > Darin Klein > Kate Barclay > Brian Bress > Peter Harkawik > Jan Tumlir > Craig Stecyk > Cindy Ojeda > Laurie Steelink > Doug Harvey > Scott Marvel Casssidy > Daniel Mendel-Black > Alex Sanchez.

Stille Post at Kinkead Contemporary runs July 31 – August 21.

59 pieces from one of the country’s leading collections of contemporary art are currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago’s Abbott Galleries and Stone Film, Video and New Media Gallery. Contemporary Collecting: Selections from the Donna and Howard Stone Collection is the first public exhibition of work owned by the Stones, after whom the Institute’s media gallery is named.

Featuring the art of figures ranging from Gerhard Richter and Sol LeWitt to Rosemarie Trockel and Lawrence Weiner, the collection encompasses multiple generations, from the Minimalist and Conceptual Schools of the 1960s and 1970s to those influenced thereafter. The Stones visually discuss “high” modernism and the gamut of reactions to it over several decades, asserting the importance of radical thought and form.

Find more at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Contemporary Collecting: Selections from the Donna and Howard Stone Collection
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603

PRISM gallery in West Hollywood, CA is opening a show titled “Come As You Are” on Friday, July 29, 2010.  It promises to be an exciting exhibit featuring artists such as Os Gemeos, Kelsey Brookes, Clare Rojas, Clayton Brothers, Cleon Peterson, Susanne Melanie Berry, Richard Colman, Cheryl Dunn, Dennis Hopper, Craig Steeyk, Deanna Templeton and Ed Templeton.

Located on Sunset Boulevard, PRISM is housed in a three story architectural space on the western end of the Sunset Strip. The mission of the project space is to become a cornerstone of artistic experimentation, carving a new niche for the arts here in Southern California. The long-term exhibition program, featuring national and international artists, promises to be vibrant and thought-provoking as it works with creative minds to cultivate a challenging and diverse aesthetic experience for the public. The space will also look to integrate lectures and film viewings to create a well-rounded multidisciplinary venue. Alongside the exhibition space, the project space will also house a bookshop with a curated selection of texts and products.

To learn more about the gallery visit the PRISM website.

PRISM–Come As You Are

PRISM
8746 W. Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.289.1301

Artist James Marshall — known more commonly as Dalek — will showcase his 37-foot continuous canvas wall mural in a solo exhibition at the Hurley )( Space Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA on Wednesday, August 4th. The mural, which features his signature multicolored and geometric shapes, will be offered for sale at the opening, and will be cut and framed by the foot. Patrons will be able to work with the staff to decide which portion of the painting they can cut out and purchase. Each patron will be photographed with their chosen piece and be interviewed on video as to why they chose that particular portion of the painting. Also, a smaller painting and four limited edition works on paper will accompany the mural in this exhibition.

Dalek is an accomplished artist recognized for his paintings that consist of an abundance of different colors and planes of space. He has made significant contributions to the skate-surf brand Hurley; his artworks and designs can be seen throughout apparel and board designs of the brand.

James Marshall aka Dalek at The Hurley )( Space Gallery
1945 Placentia Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Opening Reception: Wednesday, August 4th, 7-10pm
The exhibition will run from August 4h to August 27th.

Amber B. Dianda’s SUMMERWINTER was born after her Autumn inspired show at colette in Paris, the natural progression was to explore other seasons. She started to observe the dance between the northern and southern hemispheres, and how opposites attract. She loved the idea that one can not exist without the other. So in the end…

Bill McRight’s currently running show with AJ Fossik displays a collection of primitive looking weapons made mostly from wood and found objects. These shivs and other weapons evoke that sense of primitiveness, but also that of a modern society… to the dark corners of the world where weapons such as these are made not through choice but by the sparsity of the given surroundings. Ironically placed into the world of fine art, the pieces can evoke feelings of an artistic body both expressively and instinctually.

Bill McRight and AJ Fossik’s work will be on display at the David B Smith Gallery in Denver, Co through August 14th.

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“Happy Endings”
A midsummer union between Art and Play

This Friday, July 30th The Bacchus opens its doors, reinstating the location as a site to celebrate the intersection between art and joyful madness. The inaugural exhibition, Happy Endings, serves as a “coming out” party for this former room salon. Decked out in the finest of faux renaissance gild, the venue is the archetype of a tumultuous marriage between kitsch, wealth, and abscondence

Happy Endings will consist of live performances, video art, installations, and artist boudoirs, which will be interspersed among the different rooms. With this first event, The Bacchus aspires to become a destination location for an area that is more typically defined by bodegas by day, and a grimy, still uncertainty by night.

The new management consists of a team of local artists: Catherine Lee, Jessica Kao, Amanda Alfieri, Tanya Bernard and Juli Lindsey. Along with these artists, Happy Endings will include new work by Chris O’Hurley, Devina M. and Patrisse Cullors.

Doors will be open at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 30th. RSVP at iamthebacchus@gmail.com

For more information:
W: http://iamthebacchus.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/iamthebacchus

The Bacchus
4159 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Grove will be showcasing laser engraved bamboo art pieces on last thursday at Together Gallery on Alberta. There will be pieces by 18 different artists from around the world. Stop by and say hi if you happen to be in NE Portland tomorrow night!

Featuring work by:

Alisha Wessler
Christopher Bettig aka The Mountain Label
Cole Gerst aka Option-g
Dan Funderburgh
Diogo Machado aka Add Fuel to the Fire
Jacob Escobedo
Jonathan Calugi aka Happy Lovers Town
Jolby
Jonny Wan
Junichi Tsuneoko aka Stubborn Sideburn
Leandro Castelao
Michael Hsiung
Paulo Arraiano aka YUP
Ryan Bubnis
Sven Palmowski aka a.mar.illo
Timothy Karpinski
Mark Warren Jacques

I’ll be participating in an upcoming art show in Vancouver called Holy Chromoly Bicycle Art Show.  Check out the www.artsydartsy.com for more info.

Me and Rachel just got back from a week vacation in Seattle, WA where we stayed with friends Brian and Kate.  During that time we did some drinking, zoo visiting, lots of records and clothes shopping, but also managed to stop by and check out Jeremy Fish’s The Road Less Traveled show, which opened July 17th at the  Upper Playground store in the University district.  The show featured works on wood and prints as well.

The Road Less Traveled
Jeremy Fish @ Upper Playground
4730 University Way Northeast
Seattle, WA 98105

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