Michela Muserra is an artist who was born in Italy and now currently lives and works in New York City. She has presented her artwork in feature and group exhibitions internationally. Most recently, her work could be seen on display at the Venice Biennale (as seen in the last image below). In the midst of creating a new body of work, Muserra was kind enough to take a few moments to answer some questions about her life as an artist and the work she is driven to create.

Unconditional Love

Q: Before we talk about the content in your work, I would like to discuss technique. In the past, you have incorporated painting, drawing and collage (along with other elements) into your works. Is there one that you prefer? Do you see your future work moving towards one of these mediums, or will it continue to be a mix of mediums?

A: The basic technique I always use is drawing. I am not sure in which direction my work will move. I usually don’t question myself too much on this point. Especially, if we are only talking about technique. I enjoy exploring different mediums. This usually happens when I am bothered by something I am doing and I suddenly feel the urge to play with something else. These, however, are just temporary breaks from my true love, which will always be drawing. Lately, I had a lot of fun with stickers. But they are too cold, inanimate, and without energy to carry an entire piece of my work.

Saint Sebastian and Kakura

Q: How do you feel about putting oil on canvas?

A: Well, oil is a medium that never truly conquered my heart. For two reasons, it smells bad and it takes forever to dry. I am unfortunately not that patient when it comes to making art. When the idea of a new work arises in my mind, I feel the need to put it down on paper right away, and hopefully see the final result within a very short period of time. Some people may view this as an immature aspect of my work. I see this, instead, as a way of retaining the idea’s original energy. Also, I like the idea of finding non-traditional mediums. Sometimes even a dry marker can give unexpected and exciting results!

Pink Diamond

Q: I see issues of sexuality mixed with absurd fairytale-esque, pop culture elements populating the landscapes of your work. Is this correct, and if so, what drives you to speak about these topics so often in your work? What other issues and/or ideas are important elements in your work?

A: Correct. When I start a new work I usually have couple of concepts in my mind. However, it is never well defined from the beginning, and usually even the message I am trying to send out will take shape while the work is in progress and will become clear to me only at the end. What I am trying to say is that all these ideas or issues that people may see are usually not intentional. But I admit that those themes you mentioned are usually present in my work. Mostly, I just try to let myself be. Therefore, I think that these elements are somehow part of my inner visions. I never plan all this. I see all that when the work is done. It’s like understanding the meaning to a dream you had the night before.

Omens

Q: You have told me before that you were born and raised in Italy. What role, if any, does that fact play in your art making? Also, what impact did moving to the United States have on you as an artist?

A: Moving to United States was definitely essential to my work. I grew up in a small town in the south of Italy and there is usually not too much going on down there. My eyes were always looking outward. Here in the States, I am constantly able to quench my thirst. Though, I should mention that my background affected my work, in terms of symbology and allegory, which are constantly present in my art. I am still carrying with pleasure the ‘heavy bag’ of my native culture.

LOL

Q: There is a clear use of what could be interpreted as commercial illustration in most of your work. What do you enjoy most about walking that fine line which currently exists between commercial and fine art?

A: It’s funny I had never questioned myself about this in the past. I was doing illustration but in fact I thought I was doing art. Then things slowly changed in the art world and I found myself showing my work in galleries and finally enjoyed the ego-bursting satisfaction of people taking me ’seriously’. Even though I am still just having fun and nothing has really changed for me since the time I was 5 and had a pencil in my hand for the first time.

Light Formula

Q: Have there been any teachers, curators, critics, family or friends who have helped you or influenced the way you make art?

A: My family, or mostly my mom, who never truly believed in a successful economic outcome of this “profession”, definitely helped my determination to grow drastically . As children, I feel we always want to get the approval of people we love. This ‘disapproval’ gave me the strength to keep doing what I wanted to do and show myself and others that it is possible to live a dream or just even give it a chance. Another person who influenced my work is one of my teachers that I studied with while still in Italy. He introduced me to some Eastern philosophies, symbologies and mysticism that definitely pushed my work in the direction which it is now going. Recently, Italian critic Ivan Quaroni and a well know gallerist in New York, made me seriously reflect on several aspects of my work and on myself as an artist. I am still working on this.

Kissing goodbye before leaving this dimension

Q: Who are some of the artists working today that you admire?

A: Yoshitomo Nara is the first one that comes up into my mind. He goes straight to my heart every time I see his work. Also, I am lucky enough to have had the pleasure of working with some very good artists from Italy. There are also many other artists that I respect from all over the world. I recently bought, for a very reasonable price, a couple of original drawings. One is by Sidney Pink and the other by Sean Morris.

Thank God I got bandages

Q: Other than other artists, what inspires you to create?

A: Many of my works come directly from music. Also people, and whatever else I see and experience around me. A word or a phrase that I hear from a stranger passing by, can inspire a new work. More than anything, however, I would have to say myself. I am very introspective. Maybe too much at times. Thank God I can at least put everything down on paper.

Michela Muserra

Q: What did it feel like the first time you exhibited your work to the public? How do you see the art world today versus when you were just starting out? Also, what differences do you see between what is happening in Europe versus what you see happening here in New York City?

A: If I remember correctly, the first time I showed my artwork was in a gallery in Milan. I remember I was coming from New York, and I had landed the same day as the opening. Unfortunately, Fedex didn’t make it (even though my work was send 20 days before), so my work wasn’t there and the only thing anyone could see was a tag on the white wall with my name on it. I felt like a ghost, which was a weird but pleasant feeling for some one little and shy like me. As far as the art world, I see it as constantly changing. It goes so fast that you can barely realize when it reaches the next step. I see a lot of artists getting more aggressive, as some of them are only looking for fame. The New York City art world is a zoo. I have always seen Europe as keeping it’s artists on a tighter leash. I don’t really believe in national identities, and this is why I think artists should travel as much as possible to see that the outside world is not like the little nest they grew up in. This is of course based on personal experience, and is not a universal point of view. I am referring directly to my Italian situation.

Michela Muserra’s artwork on display (far right) at the 2011 Venice Biennial

Q: You have exhibited your work in some terrific galleries both here in the States and internationally. If the past is any indication, your future seems very bright. With interest in your work seriously growing, and your inclusion in the most recent Venice Biennial, things seem to be going very well for you. Do you have anything coming up that you are able to share with us?

A: I am superstitious, so I will pretend I didn’t hear that last question.

Cory Benhatzel’s philosophy on art centers around the basic concept of artistic freedom. Several years after having left college, where she felt they were force feeding theories which she did not connect with, Benhatzel finally found her way back to the themes and icons she had been drawn to since childhood. Transcending love, eternity and nature have become key elements of her current work. Benhatzel says that the images of skulls signify eternity and the interaction of skulls and animals represent the often beautiful, often brutal dance of nature; of life and death. Nature, more specifically flowers, also carry important messages throughout the surfaces of each painting. Benhatzel was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions about her work, the effect her life has had on it, and what the future might hold for this gifted young artist.

Q: You told me that you were originally from Amherst, NY. For those who don’t know, that is a place deep within Upstate New York. What was it like to leave your small town life for the bright lights of Los Angeles, and what effect did it have on you and your artwork?

A: Amherst is a very small town in Western New York, which I refer to as Upstate New York. Amherst is suburban, but the special thing about the street that we live on is that it’s not only suburban, it’s country-like. The property space for each home is large and fence-less and there is a lot of wildlife, which I love. You still have all the conveniences of living in the suburbs but you have a sense of privacy and quiet. Also, I think living in cities is highly overrated, and I hate it. I never plan on living in a city again. Now I get to live in my own house on my favorite street in the world; it’s the street I grew up on.

I guess the effect that Los Angeles had on my artwork was a smaller effect than it had on me, although the two can’t really be separated that much. I’ve always been making art that is as close to myself as possible, so I think being so far away from home only strengthened my artistic bond with myself.

“Die Traurigkeit (The Sadness)”
acrylic on wood panel
8 x 10 inches
2010

Q: Once arriving in Los Angeles, you attended Otis College of Art & Design. You have said before that you did not feel comfortable with what was being force fed to you while you where there. Do you feel this response to what was being taught has had any impact on your work?

A: When I first started at Otis, I didn’t know what major I was going to go into, even though I had been drawing and painting my whole life. I guess I had assumed that I was going to be able to do a little of everything, but that was really only the first year. When it came time to make the decision of what to major in, I remember getting a lecture from one of my freshman teachers about the evils of graphic design and how it was basically selling your soul for shit. So, I assumed that graphic design and illustration were the absolute wrong direction to go in, not knowing a whole lot more than that. So, it seemed logical to go into Fine Arts, because it seemed to be the program where I could be truest to myself.

Most of the fine arts program was reading about theories that, for the most part, my eighteen/nineteen year old brain could not process. I’m not saying I didn’t get anything out of it because I certainly did, but basically the fine art program taught me what I should hate, and why I should hate it. In terms of art and culture, that is. What it did to me, was that after I graduated school, I couldn’t make art the same way I was making it there, I was dried up. I couldn’t make art that I felt would be deemed only “Fine Art”. It took about two years before I decided to simply paint what I wanted, the way I wanted it. The result was 2007’s “The Crowing”.

“Clowndeth”
acrylic on wood panel
14 x 17 inches, including frame
2010

Q: Regardless of the classes and lesson plans, did you meet anyone while you were there, teacher or student, who changed the way you look at life and/or art?

A: Well, obviously the best person that I met and the person who made my time in Los Angeles and at Otis feel completely worth it was my now-husband, Justin Kalmen, who is also a painter and an amazing musician. Besides Justin, I had a few teachers that I liked, but I can’t say that they really changed the way I look at art, but maybe made me feel more confident about my own preferences. These teachers were Lisa Adams, Larry Johnson, Meg Cranston and Ann Summa.

Student-wise, no. In fact, I wish I could go back in time and tell them what I really thought of their work. I’d like to be even more truthful than I was the first time.

“Regnet er Livet (The Rain is The Life)”
acrylic on wood panel
8 x 10 inches, framed
2011

Q: Some of the things you told me you like seem to be of a more ‘Gothic’ nature. I also see some of this in your artwork. Would you agree with this? If so, what do these ‘Gothic’ things or ideas mean to you?

A: I think that I’m a Goth on the inside. I just don’t adhere to many Gothic stereotypes because I simply make what I want, to look the way that I want. And what I want, I haven’t seen before, so that’s what I strive to perfect. Basically I’m making art to make myself happy, and what makes me happy can I guess be described in some ways as Gothic.

I think that typically “Gothic” just means being obsessed with death, which I’m not. I love life, but death is an unavoidable part of life, and I don’t think that it’s something that should be ignored. I think acknowledging death makes me even more excited about my own life.
In other words, I don’t make artwork that I want to be Goth for Goth’s sake, I just think that Gothic is one way that my work can be described, but it’s obviously not as simple as that.

“Tårer Som Regn (Tears Like Rain)”
acrylic on wood panel
8 x 10 inches, framed
2011

Q: Taking a closer look at your work. There are a few elements I thought we should discuss. One item that truly stands out in your work is the use of skulls. You say this represents eternity and you also mention transcendental love being an important theme in your artwork. Is there a connection between love and the use of skulls?

A: I think that the similarity between skulls and love in my mind is that they can go beyond the present, hence the theme of transcendence. I am a little wary of that word because of the religious connotations that can come with it, but from my point of view, it is secularized.

They are both literally and figuratively our most basic common denominators as humans; they represent that which we all have and cannot live without.
So I guess, in those weird ways, the two are similar to me.

“Anden Beskyddare (The Spirit Protectors)”
acrylic on wood panel
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010

Q: You say that when you pair the skulls with animals it speaks to ideas of life and death. I was hoping you could elaborate on this idea.

A: Well, like I said before, death is an inevitable part of life. Our culture- meaning our Western culture- likes to pretend like death doesn’t happen. But at certain points in our lives, we simply cannot ignore the inevitability of death when we are confronted by it.

Moments like that happen to me when I see- and this is going to sound stupid- road kill or dead animals outside. It’s never easy, and I had to find a way to make this make sense to me.
That’s why I began believing that animals have a power that can’t be extinguished when they die.
The juxtaposition of skulls and animals means that life and death are always close to each other, and that’s simply the law of nature.

“Huginn and Muninn Atop the Oracle”
11 x 14 inches, framed
acrylic on wood panel
2011

Q: The use of flowers in your paintings is just as prevalent, if not more so, than skulls. I wonder if you could explain more about the Victorian-era method of communication known as floriography, and how it relates to your work.

A: The language of flowers, or floriography, was a coded way that people of that era communicated their feelings toward each other, which could otherwise not be expressed. It was a very uptight time, and it was inappropriate to say too much aloud, so this more subtle way was utilized. Apparently, floriography was very complicated and there are many meanings for many flowers, and many meanings that can come from pairing different flowers together.

Personally, I hate knowing too much about people, especially those in the public spotlight. I think less is definitely more in these situations. I couldn’t care less about what someone is eating at the moment, or what songs are on his or her iPod. I think people who share less about themselves, or at least share in a more creative, subtle way, are much more interesting.
(Ironic that I’m saying this in an interview!)

“Duell Av Svik (Duel of Deceit)”
acrylic on wood panel
11 x 14 inches, framed
2011
for Swoon Gallery’s Skeleton Key show

Q: Beyond the use of floriography, there seems to be a very strong Victoria-era influence in all of your work. What is it about that period which excites and/or inspires you so strongly?

A: Well, I think that I’m mostly attracted to the aesthetics of Victorian era design, besides the language of flowers. I just think that the look of the era was very beautiful and restrictive at the same time, which is an intriguing combination to me.

It is also interesting though that natural history, such as the studies of birds and wildflowers was becoming an increasingly popular hobby at this time. Natural history is obviously a huge influence on me, particularly taxidermied birds, and I like the animals in my paintings to have that kind of look of being artificially frozen in time. So I guess that was a subconscious parallel.

“The Broken”
acrylic on wood panel
8 x 10 inches, framed
2010

Q: I find it interesting that you have experienced people telling you that your work needs to be immediately understood. Why do you think there is no room for subtlety anymore?

A: I think that subtlety has almost become extinct because it’s the natural progression of time. Things get faster and faster and less and less is shocking, so more needs to be done to draw attention. People’s attention spans get shorter, and it becomes harder for them to think. People don’t read or go outside like they used to, and appreciate what the natural world has to offer.
I think that people aren’t used to being asked to think. They don’t even know how to make their own opinions about things unless they are told what to think. I say that’s really sad.

I think there is room left for subtlety in the world, but those who seek it really have to look for it. And if they do, they will be rewarded.

“Den Brutale Dans (The Brutal Dance)”
acrylic on wooden dolls
2011
for Doll Haus, Rothick Art Haus

Q: After college you returned to your home town in Upstate New York. You are married and also have a daughter. What effect has ‘going home’ had on your work? What does being married and having a child mean to the creative process?

A: Going home has had a lot of influence on my work in a really positive way. I just couldn’t handle being in LA anymore; eight years of missing my parents was more than enough and I was totally miserable there.

I love being able to experience the seasons again and to simply look out my window and see deer, birds, rabbits, squirrels and hawks. I love the privacy of having our own home with my wonderful husband and daughter-cat, Moogle. Moogle is my baby, she’s also my cat. We won’t be having any human babies because I don’t feel the closeness to children the way I do with animals.

Cory Benhatzel

Q: With a handful of shows already under your belt, it seems you are destined to break out to a larger audience very soon. What future plans do you have for your work and where do you see yourself five or ten years down the road?

A: Well, I just really hope to be successful on my own terms. For me that means not doing a project that I don’t feel comfortable with just because it would benefit my career. I’ve seen a lot of artists produce some really lame work just to become more popular and I think that is so pathetic.

I hope to be successful in the future, no matter how I define success at that point, and above all, be happy!

Installation 7 – Scion Art Tour: Video
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 26, 7-10pm
EVENT IS FREE WITH RSVP AT WWW.SCIONAV.COM/INSTALLATION

Scion’s illustrious national art tour, Installation, returns for its 7th year. Installation 7 launches February 19th at Scion’s own 4,200 square foot Installation L.A. gallery space in Culver City, Los Angeles. This year’s tour will visit: Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Minneapolis, Austin, and Wichita.

The featured artists are: Franki Chan, David Choe, Cheryl Dunn, Gluekit, Matt Goldman, Cody Hudson & Jared Eberhardt, The London Police, Mackie Osborne, Souther Salazar, and SSUR©.

Installation 7 continues with the popular all-video format that was introduced for Installation 6. The annual tour is designed to present established and emerging artists and their work to audiences across the country.

Eastern District
43 Bogart St.
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Morgan Stop on L Train
Hours: Thur-Fri 4pm-7pm / Sat-Sun 12pm-7pm
www.eastern-district.com

This Saturday, Kings County Bar in, well, Kings County (aka Brooklyn), will host their annual Day of the Dead art show. This show has been around for years and has developed quite a following. A large crowd is expected for what has become the biggest event of the year for Kings County Bar. The show consists of several incredible pieces of artwork with the theme of Day of the Dead (or Día de los Muertos). Along with this collection of great art expect great music, cheap drinks and of course go-go girls galore to entertain you. This show is an important tradition in Brooklyn and you definitely don’t want to miss it.

Participating artists include:

Benjamin Clarke
Alicia Papanek
Quel Beast
Justin Brooks
Marissa Olney
Jess Ruliffson
John McGarity
Diana Ho
Rachael Bridge

OPENS THIS SATURDAY @ 10PM

KINGS COUNTY BAR

286 SEIGEL STREET (corner of Bogart and Seigel)

BROOKLYN, NY 11211

(right off the Morgan Ave stop of the L train)

Voode Fe, a creative individual who truly seems to do it all, is about to have a very special night of art, music and moving image in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This Saturday, September 25, Voodo Fee will start off the evening with an exhibition of his fine art at 99% Gallery. He will then move on to Savalas Bar down the street for the premiere of his new new 9 minute long music video/mini-film. All the details and info are below. Should be a great night of art, music and moving image. Definitely worth checking out.

2 EVENTS, 2 LOCATIONS, 1 EVENT!!!

***FIRST***
VOODO FE’ ART @ 99% Gallery
99 North 10th
Btw Berry St. & Wythe Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L Train to Bedford Ave

SAT SEPT. 25TH
5pm to 8pm
FREE

***THEN***
Come to VOODO FE’S 3 Song, 9 Minute Mini-Movie Video premiere starring Williamburg’s Own JESSE!!!
VOODO FE’ VIDEO
Savalas 285 Bedford Ave
btw South 1st & Grand St. Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L Train to Bedford Ave / M-J to Marcy Ave

RSVP FOR VIP BOOTH AT info@voodofe.com
OPEN BAR FROM 9 – 10
VIDEO VIEWING 10pm SHARP

MUSIC BY: DJ PEACE

And check our new site:
www.voodofe.com

Street artist Quel Beast will have his first ever solo exhibition, entitled “Back That A$$ Up”, on Saturday, October 9th at Kings County Bar in Brooklyn, NY. Along with 12 life sized murals, the artist will have several all new originals and prints available before, during and after the show. Anyone interested in getting on the preview list should e-mail: amfquestions@gmail.com

Quel Beast solo exhibition

Saturday, October 9th – starts at 10pm

Kings County Bar
286 Seigel Street (near corner of Bogart and Seigel)
Brooklyn, NY

(take the L train to the Morgan Ave stop. Exit from the Bogart/Harrison exit)

presented by AMF
www.andrewmichaelford.com

Greetings!

99% has opened pre-sales for artist Benjamin Edmiston’s upcoming solo exhibition, which opens in our project room on September 17th, entitled “Slowly Born”. Below please find all info on available pieces. Images attached. You will also find info about the artist. Edmiston has recently been getting a lot of attention from places like Beautiful Decay, Fecalface, Juxtapoz and many more key art blogs and we are excited to be hosting his first ever NYC solo exhibition. Please contact us with any purchase inquiries. Thank you.

99%
99 N. 10th St.
Rm. 102
Brooklyn, NY 11211

info@ninetyninegallery.com
http://www.ninetyninegallery.com

1) History Antique (triangle), framed, mixed media, 11″ x 15″, $450 usd

2) History Antique (release), framed, mixed media, 11″ x 15″, $450 usd

3) In the Tanks, framed, mixed media, 19″ x 27″, $1000 usd

4) Well Dressed (blend), framed, mixed media, 11″ x 15″, $450 usd

5) ‘Untitled’, framed, mixed media, 19″ x 27″, $1000 usd

ABOUT BENJAMIN EDMISTON

Benjamin Edmiston’s paintings, illustrations and silk-screens often depict the floating heads of fellas that kind of resemble future cave-men. Rave party future cave-men. His psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. A little warped, a little wonky and pretty much awesome, the very 2D and almost unrefined seeming images are playful, colorful and joyous. In the artist’s own words, “My compositions feature unusual or fantastical settings inhabited by ominous characters depicted in a flat and decorative style. My bold, and often symmetrical, drawings offer a plane of floating heads, half-skinned snakes, and bodiless arms. Building a personal vocabulary with such imagery recalls for me the tension of an early, crude Mickey Mouse cartoon, or a misplaced folk sculpture standing eerily on a dusty shelf. The creation of a familiar but askew world — the sensation of the unheimlich is what fuels my work.”. Edmiston lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

ABOUT 99%

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. This old adage still makes sense in 2010. We at 99% produce the 99% perspiration, allowing the artists we work with to focus on the final 1% inspiration. We want to do the work to create a space which will be conducive to not only art exhibiting, but also art appreciating, art learning and in the end art creating. We believe in the artist and the artwork they produce. This is the reason why we, or any other art space for that matter, even exists. It’s about the artist and the inspiration and enlightenment their final art embodies.

99% is dedicated to doing everything in our power to support the artist and the work they create. We are also dedicated to art learning, through our upcoming series of lectures, classes, workshops and so much more. Of course we are also dedicated to working with the artists we believe in to produce a regular schedule of exhibitions throughout the year.

Lastly, 99% is dedicated to underdogs. We will exhibit artists who been inspired by the worlds of comic books, animation, pin-up, graffiti, tattoos, illustration, folk art and many other forms of pop, subversive and outsider imagery.

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. We like the way that sounds. We like the idea of working hard to create an environment for our artists to engage with comfortably, as they change the world one idea at a time!

P.S. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the number on our building is 99!

The 99% Art gallery is having a print sale party, come and join in the fun. Prints will be sold at the affordable price of $20! So if your are in NYC you have to stop by the 99% Gallery for our continued celebration of Brooklyn print masters Cannonball Press! The celebration will be from noon til 6 pm, its a B.Y.O.B Throw Down. This is gonna be a very fun time and we hope you can attend. Come through and enjoy some great artwork!

The collage artist Vahge just sent me her newest piece. Just wanted to share this with everyone. You can see more of her work here: www.vahge.com

Enjoy!

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Vahge grew up in the creepy suburbs of Maryland watching Sesame Street, making up stories, and slowly constructing a three-storied, twenty-five roomed Barbie house. She began making collages one summer during a bout of restless obsession in the company of a philosophical feline and a consortium of colorful characters. Her work is a melding of fairy tale, circus, and punk sensibilities. Vahge draws inspiration from the works of Tom Waits, Jan Svankmajer, Hieronymus Bosch, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charles Bukowski, and various things of creepy and dreamy origin.

Vahge’s collages are neither abstract nor digital. Painstakingly assembled by hand from small pieces of magazine, cut and adhered with glue, pieces of eye, cheek, and brick are layered into characters and scenes.

Vahge currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been shown in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe, NM. She has done album artwork for the punk-cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, flyers for LA based band HEALTH, and additional artwork for the soon to be internationally acclaimed Act IV.

London based, South Korean born painter Jaeran Won has been hard at work and has just sent me 3 new paintings. I have always been impressed with Won’s ability to express very deep, very emotional messages through such simple and straight-forward imagery. With these new pieces, I feel like she has taken her work to a whole new level. I couldn’t wait to share them with everyone. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

hit me up with any questions or thoughts on this artist: andrewmichaelford@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

99% Gallery presents…

Cannonball Press
“Born Under a Bad Sign”
A Coven of Black and White Friggatriskaidekaphemera

Opening reception: Friday, August 13th, 7pm—10pm

Neo-Pagan World Kings of scruffy pirate black and white hillbilly printmaking, New York’s legendary Cannonball Press hits Williamsburg’s 99% Gallery with a huge new pile of limited-edition prints, two massive Woodcut Collages of sordid debauchery, and huge new 4×8 foot woodcuts on canvas!!

For a sold decade, Martin Mazorra and Mike Houston have been publishing $20 high-quality limited-edition relief cuts and silkscreens, and are proud to represent the following wicken of grumpy, soulful, scabby, superstition charged printmakers: The Amazing Hancock Bros., Ms. Katy Seals, Joseph Velasquez, Prof. derrick riley, Bill Fick, Damara Kaminecki aka “Damara the Destroyer”, Meghan O’Conner, Bill “Creeper” McRight, Sean Star Wars, and many more!

99% Gallery
99 North 10th (between Berry and Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.ninetyninegallery.com
info@ninetyninegallery.com

ABOUT 99% GALLERY

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. This old adage still makes sense in 2010. We at 99% Art Space produce the 99% perspiration, allowing the artists we work with to focus on the final 1% inspiration. We want to do the work to create a space which will be conducive to not only art exhibiting, but also to art appreciating, art learning and in the end art creating. We believe in the artist and the artwork they produce. This is the reason we, or any other art space for that matter, even exists. It’s about the artist and the inspiration and enlightenment their final art embodies.

99% is dedicated to doing everything in our power to support the artist and the work they create. We are also dedicated to art learning, through our upcoming series of lectures, classes, workshops and so much more. Of course we also are dedicated to working with the artists we want believe in to produce a regular schedule of exhibitions throughout the year.

Lastly, 99% is dedicated to underdogs. We will exhibit artists who been inspired by the worlds of comic books, animation, new media, graffiti, tattoos, illustration, folk art and many other forms of pop, subversive and outsider imagery.

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration. We like the way that sounds. We like the idea of working hard to create an environment for our artists to engage with comfortably, as they change the world one idea at a time!

P.S. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the number on our building is 99!

This Friday, July 16th from 7 to 10pm, The New Order (in the main gallery) and Vahge (in the project room) open at 99% Gallery in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Below are several preview images from the show. Please contact the gallery with any questions. With artists such as Isabel Samaras, Van Arno, Camilla d’Errico, Amy Crehore, Mia, Anthony Ausgang, Lisa Petrucci and many more participating, The New Order is shaoing up to be one power-packed event. Rising star Vahge, who will be showing her collage works in the project room, has been steadily growing in popularity with the fans and collectors and her new show is not to be missed. Stop by 99% Gallery Friday and enjoy two incredible exhibitions.

Isabel Samaras

David MacDowell

Sarah Joncas

Jeremiah Ketner

Tony Philippou

Allison Sommers

Van Arno

Amy Crehore

Scott Altmann

Mia

Jennybird Alcantara

Camilla d’Errico

Lisa Petrucci

Vahge

Vahge

Vaghe

Vahge

This Friday, at 99% Gallery in heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the artist Vahge will have a solo exhibition of her beautiful collage works, a few samples of which can be seen below.

Vahge grew up in the creepy suburbs of Maryland watching Sesame Street, making up stories, and slowly constructing a three-storied, twenty-five roomed Barbie house. She began making collages one summer during a bout of restless obsession in the company of a philosophical feline and a consortium of colorful characters. Her work is a melding of fairy tale, circus, and punk sensibilities. Vahge draws inspiration from the works of Tom Waits, Jan Svankmajer, Hieronymus Bosch, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charles Bukowski, and various things of creepy and dreamy origin.

Vahge’s collages are neither abstract nor digital. Painstakingly assembled by hand from small pieces of magazine, cut and adhered with glue, pieces of eye, cheek, and brick are layered into characters and scenes.

Vahge currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been shown in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe, NM. She has done album artwork for the punk-cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, flyers for LA based band HEALTH, and additional artwork for the soon to be internationally acclaimed Act IV.

99% Gallery is proud to present the first ever NYC solo show for Vahge. Please join us this coming Friday, June 25th from 7-11pm for the opening reception. Also showing that night at 99% Gallery is a group show entitled Brooklyn Stand Up.

99% Gallery is located at:

99 N. 10th (between Berry & Wythe), in the heart of Williamsburg,Brooklyn.

www.ninetyninegallery.com