Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City kicked off the ‘09 art season Saturday evening (1.3.09) with three openings by Erik Alos, Lauren Bergman, and James Naccarato.  Quite a few people turned out for the opening which was attended by all three artists.  The turnout was impressive given that this was essentially a holiday weekend.

Erik Alos’s Infexus Lumen offered a varied yet teasingly small number of new original works that ranged from fairly subdued to the over-the-top Spherical Purgation featuring a stylized gumby-esque feature.  In my opinion he’s at his best when he lets his lowbrow leanings loose.

Spherical Purgation. Erik Alos.

On the opposite wall, James Naccarato offered an expanded glimpse into his otherworldly universe with The Other Side of Madness.  He’s perhaps best known for is almost metaphysical pieces featuring floating monks and levitating robotic eyes.  So it’s with some surprise that I was particularly impressed with ‘A River Flows On’ featuring an intrepid and perhaps somewhat down-on-his-luck traveller.  The piece presents a very familiar world and does so with a welcome subtlety.

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Shepard Fairey will release a limited number of his George Orwell book cover print set on December 31st sometime between noon and 3 PM PST @ ObeyGiant.com.  The print set was initially released in the UK by Penguin Books UK as part of a special promotion for the re-release of two Orwell classics – 1984 and Animal Farm, featuring Fairey’s interpretation of the cover art.  The set features two offset A2 Size (17” x 24”) prints, is an edition of 200 signed and numbered pieces, and will be available for $140.  The set is limited to 1 per person/household.

I Pledge Allegiance. Derek Albeck. Graphite and color pencil on paper. 24 x 24 inches.

Derek Albeck opens his It’s Just a Ride solo on Saturday, January 10th 2009 @ POVevolving in Los Angeles (Chinatown).  We’re pleased to bring you a nice little preview of four pieces from the new show.  Enjoy and be sure to check out the opening if you’re in the area.

POVevolving Gallery
939 Chung King Road
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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Building on the tremendous success and energy of the initial Mainfest Hope gallery in Denver during the DNC, gallery co-creator Shepard Fairey and partners will open Manifest Hope:DC in the nation’s capitol from Friday January 16th through the 19th.  This show will mark the successful grassroots campaign for Barack Obama and to celebrate his inauguration on the 19th. The gallery will feature work some of today’s most celebrated contemporary artists including Shepard Fairey, David Choe, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Thunderdog Studios and many more.

To continue the grassroots support for change and to acknowledge the power of art to do so, Manifest Hope has announced an expanded online art contest for the opportunity to show work at Manifest Hope:DC.  Artists can submit work to one or more of three categories – Manifest Change-Health Care Reform, Manifest Unity – Worker’s Rights, and Manifest Opportunity – The Green Economy.   15 pieces will be selected for inclusion in the DC gallery.  The deadline for entry is Friday January 9th, 2009 @ 11:59 AM EDT.  Entries will be judged by a distinguished panel including Anne Ellegood (curator of Contemporary Art, Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum), David Rolf (President, SEIU Healthcare 775NW), Eric Hilton (Thievery Corporation) , Laura Dawn (Creative and Cultural Director for MoveON), Shepard Fairey, Spike Lee and Van Jones (Founder of Green for All).

Presented by gallery partners MoveOn PAC, the Service Employees International Union, and Obey Giant, the Manifest Hope:DC gallery and contest, produced by the Evolutionary Media Group,  promise to be amazing and vitally important events. .  Without being overly political, here’s to real change that we can all use.

Manifest Hope: DC
3333 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20007

The Contemplation of the Uga. Gary Baseman.

LA painter Gary Baseman will open, The Sacrificing of the Cake, his first solo in Israel  on January, 8th 2009 [8 PM] @ Urbanix Gallery in Tel-Aviv. Baseman will present a new body of work focusing on self-reflection on the past and subsequent correction and change.  A new dragon character, “Uga” (cake in Hebrew), is victimized by erotic girls and nymphs across a series of acrylic paintings and ephemera pieces done in color pencil on pages of a vintage phys. ed book.  These images are an allegory to the artist’s struggle with demons from the past.  The slaying of the dragon represents a release from his parent’s heritage and steadfast focus on the “American Dream”.

In addition to the solo opening, Gary has a full schedule for his visit to Israel which includes an open lectures  at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem on Tuesday, January 13th @ 12:30 PM as well as a student-only workshop at the academy from the 12th through the 15th.  Finally, Baseman will put on a public live painting session at the Ozen Bar in Tel Aviv on Saturday, January 17th @ 9 PM.

Urbanix Gallery
45 Sheinkin St. (Gallery Floor)
Tel-Aviv, Israel
972-3-5250601

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The prolific Popagandist Ron English explores a wide range of myths for his Mythographic Vicissitudes Solo opening on Thursday  January 8th, 2009 [7-9 PM] @ Upperplayground’s Fifty24SF gallery.  From Religion, to Bigfoot, to Expressionism, nothing is left untouched.   The combination of English’s social wit and seemingly flawless oil painting technique fuel his deeply moving work. Def one to watch for January.

Fifty24SF
252 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.252.9114

The wildly imaginative and witty UK artist  Wilfrid Wood has done his part to lighten people’s spirits with two large sculptures in Melbourne and Sydney dedicated to victims of “summer madness”.  Apparently commissioned by Nestle’s Frosty Fruits, the two send-ups of summer sun rituals were designed by Wood and sculpted by Josh Young.  Yes, it’s a commercial tie-in, but Wilfrid Wood’s art on public display is a good thing in our book.

[Seen over at Hi-Fructose’s blog]

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Corey Helford Gallery will kick off ‘09 with dual solo openings from  LA painters James Nacarrato (left)and Erik Alos (right) on January 3rd, 2009. Nacarrato will continue to expand his sublime universe filled meditating buddhas and tranquil lands for The Other Side of Madness.  Rising artist Erik Alos continues to cultivate his contributions to the lowbrow genre with work infused with copious pop culture references as well as inventive original character designs.   We’ve enjoyed Erik’s previous work and  are looking  forward to Inflexus Lumen.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

Fresh off blockbuster exhibitions in Los Angeles and Brooklyn, the incomparable Takashi Murakami has opened his traveling explosion of color in Frankfurt, Germany @ Museum für Moderne Kunst.  For this European stop, Murakami has added several pieces – both 2D and 3D.  We’re enjoying the new sculptural elements – especially the white flower bearers as well as the monstrous inflated balloon head.

[Source: Supertouch]

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Just in case you’re looking for some LAST-minute Xmas gifts, you might want to check out the Post-It Show 3 @ Giant Robot 2 on Sawtelle. Affordable art that’s conveniently sized for almost any space.  We’re not sure what’s left, but here’s guessing at least a few sweet pieces are still up for grabs as mentioned by GR fearless leader Eric Nakamura a few days ago.  The show runs through January 14th, 2009.

GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.445.9276

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