When I was growing up in Lynn, Mass, the only link I had to the vibrant, angsty Los Angeles Punk scene was the photography of Ruby Ray in the seminal fanzine Search & Destroy. Her images of those bands (from The Dils to The Germs to X) were a window into a secret world that would became the soundtrack to my teenaged rebellion -about a decade later!

As I drifted from punk to post-punk and modern primitive industrial music, I came to realize that Ruby had beaten me to the finish line there, as well. When I moved here in 1991 and first stepped foot into the Melrose location of Soap Plant, I was greeted by a row of RE/Search publications, completely oblivious to the fact that Ruby Ray had co-founded the magazine that supplied the content for most of those books a little over a decade earlier.

That Ruby Ray has been influential to the counter-culture is indisputable, but the extent of her influence is criminally underrated. In the almost 25 years that La Luz de Jesus has been in existence, there have been about a handful of photography exhibitions. It’s not a medium that we dabble in lightly, so when we actually do decide to host a photography show, you can bet your bippy that that it’s going to be extraordinary. Convulsive Beauty: First Wave Punk Photography is that type of show, and Ruby Ray will be attending her opening reception, Friday, February 19th from 8-11 PM. To further cultivate the proper D.I.Y. spirit, we’ve got Drive-By Press in the back-lot doing custom woodblock printing on T-Shirts while their favorite mobile DJ goes full ninja on the wheels of steel.

Not enough for you? We’ve got a gourmet catering truck out front and two beverage sponsors! Sino Tequila and Nakhon Beer are providing a shot and a beer for select patrons of legal drinking age, too.

Still not enough? Ok…

On Saturday, we’ll be hosting Joey Ramone’s brother Mickey Leigh to read and sign his book I Slept With Joey Ramone, which is a compelling, behind-the-scenes biography of the punk rock life of the Ramones as told by someone who lived it. Mickey will be bringing along Rock n Roll High School alumni Alan Arkush and PJ Soles, as well as punk rock musician and disc jockey Howie Pyro. The event runs from 6-9 PM, so you can cruise in on your way out to the clubs!

PUNK IS NOT DEAD!

We’ve still got the Danni Shinya Luo, Kim Scott, Miran Kim and Transmission Atelier exhibitions hanging in the front gallery of La Luz de Jesus, so if you haven’t seen them yet, you’ve now got a great second reason to do so.

And lastly, if you missed the Dave McKean opening reception last Saturday, you missed an incredible discussion about the significance of art and humanity between Howard Hallis, Brendan McCarthy, Dave McKean, Grant Morrison, and Danni Shinya Luo as Century Guild curator Thomas Negovan, Gail Potocki, Kent Williams and I eavesdropped. It was magical! While you can’t see exactly that this weekend, you can see the video installation that Dave McKean assembled for his exhibit and the Century Guild poster collection that inspired his paintings. There are still one or two ink drawings available for purchase, too.

So from Punk to Steampunk, we’ve got all your bases covered. Check back here next week for the Everything But the Kitsch N Sync group show ACCEPTED list, and details about the Billy Shire Fine Arts closing party.

Mastodon Maze opened at the Pacific Design Center January 29th.  It featured a labyrinthine group showcasing pre-existing pieces from some of our favorite artists: Philip Cameron, Christian Cummings, Michael C. Hsiung, Daniel Ingroff, Alison O’Daniel, Paul Pescador, David Maupin, Mike Metzger, and Donnie Luu.

Mastodon Maze runs concurrent to the Art Los Angeles Contemporary at the Pacific Design Center. The show will be up from January 29 – February 11, with an opening event at 5:00pm on January 30th.

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Mastodon Maze is a labyrinthine group showcasing showcasing pre-existing pieces from some of our favorite artists: Philip Cameron, Christian Cummings, Michael C. Hsiung, Daniel Ingroff, Alison O’Daniel, Paul Pescador, David Maupin, Mike Metzger, and Donnie Luu.

Mastodon Maze runs concurrent to the Art Los Angeles Contemporary at the Pacific Design Center. The show will be up from January 29 – February 11, with an opening event at 5:00pm on January 30th.

We went over to check out I Am Animal (Friday January 15th) at Black Maria Gallery. This group show, guest curated by Aaron Smith, featured the works of some talented female artists whose “imagery that is beastly and beautiful, funny and ferocious,” including Sarah Williamson, Mashanda Scott, Nicole Adee Dreyfuss, Connie Wong, Grace Kim, Brianna Harden, Saejean Oh, Alisha Amirkhanian, Shannon Freshwater and Daniaelle Simonsen.  I’d highly recommend seeing this collection of female artists before the show ends.

January 15th through February 13, 2010

Black Maria Gallery
3137 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039

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As posted on an earlier preview, Morgan Slade is opening his solo exhibition in SF this weekend. Word from Slade is that there should actually be a handful of models in character during the opening so do not miss it if you are in the area.

From Shooting Gallery: “Slade alters his digital photographs of scantily clad women wearing high school mascot heads with paint, pen and pencil. He transforms straightforward images to chaotic madness. His pieces prey on primitive natural instincts with a youthful aesthetic appeal and bright, vibrant colors. By defacing exceptionally striking people, Slade aesthetically changes his figures to appear flawed in some manner. He creates visual critiques of consumerism, advertising and technology by inventing his own symbols or by reusing familiar icons and assigning them a different purpose.”

Morgan Slade: “Fist of Fear, Touch of Death”
The Shooting Gallery
839 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA
Opening: January 9, 2010

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This upcoming weekend you can expect most LA galleries to open big to start the year. Some open significant solo shows while others do the group thing. New Image Art opts for the group vibe, selecting a handful of female photographers to display their gelatin.

Photogrpahers in the show include:  Alex Prager, Alma Márquez, Amanda Marsalis, Ashira Siegel, Brandy Eve, Cheryl Dunn, Deanna Templeton, Jeaneen Lund, Kassia Meador, Laura Flippen, Lauren Dukoff, Rebecca Wright, Susanne Melanie Berry and Taylor Brittenham.

“Put Your Finger on the Button”
Saturday January 9th, 7-10pm
New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

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DD got a chance to stop by while Morgan Slade worked on a photo shoot for his upcoming show at San Francisco’s Shooting Gallery. Slade had a gaggle of models and props in his studio while creating the first layer of his multimedia pieces. The photo shoot used animal heads, football helmets and of course bikini’s.

Keep an eye out for Slade as he has several significant shows lined up in 2010 and looks to become a household name before this point next year.

Morgan Slade: “Fist of Fear, Touch of Death”
The Shooting Gallery
839 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA
Opening January 9, 2010

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SF Photographer Chris McCaw has released a new series of original work, based on paper negatives, long exposures, and the sun burning its way across the image.  His show titled P.O.P. features 14 limited pieces, made using an arcane photographic paper that was popular in the early 1900’s.   The paper’s common name- “Printing Out Paper”-produces beautiful, ethereal prints with a range of colors from deep magenta, violet or brownish tint.  Each piece is hand processed and toned in gold.

These are all one-of-a-kind and cannot be reproduced, just like Mr. McCaw.  Thanks for picking me up Chris.

The show runs from December 15th thru January 9, 2010.

Chris McCaw’s P.O.P
Duncan Miller Gallery
10959 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034

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Gifted LA photographer Estevan Oriol will be signing his new book “LA Woman” at Suru on Melrose tonight, Friday December 11th from 7 to 9 PM @ SURU on Melrose.  The volume provides a portrayal of women in LA from varied walks of life. Glamour, grit and everything in between.

SURU
7662 Melrose
Los Angeles, CA
323.655.0770

Cat Fish. Ron English. Giclee. 22" x 28"

Sanrio’s Three Apples exhibition heads into its second weekend with two print releases @ the Royal/T Venue in Culver City.   Kathie Olivas’s print will be available on Halloween, Saturday October 31st @ 10 AM.  Limited to 35 signed and numbered  pieces in honor of Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary, the giclee prints (17” x 22”)  will be available for $200.

Ron English’s ‘Cat Fish’ giclee will drop this Sunday (11.1) @ 10 AM.  Limited to 35 signed and numbered pieces, the giclee prints will be available for $300.

Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.559.6300

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Gallery Luisotti at Bergamot Station is currently exhibiting “Buffalo,” a beautiful show of photographs by 99 year-old social documentarian Milton Rogovin. These elegant yet hard-hitting images offer a glimpse into the lives of proud people who often live at the margins of society. Be sure to check out the show before it ends on Oct. 31– and visit Rogovin’s web site for a wealth of images of his work.

Additionally: check out this NY Times story on the man and his photographs.

Title Wall - Human Pyramid Opening

Visiting Human Pyramids artist Pacolli (Brazil) was recently in town and invited me to attend this opening.  It was a great show with lots of nice works from an international group of artists.  The show opened on Saturday September 26th at GhettoGloss – 6109 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA.

The Human Pyramids Artist Collective is an international group of friends with a shared impetus for art and design. The collective is comprised of painters, illustrators, designers, film makers, and photographers, from countries such as Switzerland, Japan, France, The United States, Brazil, Sweden, England, and Mexico. Members regularly collaborate on group shows and a multitude of creative endeavors which can result in scrupulous harmony or projected chaos. – Press Release.

Check out the artist page
Pacolli
Teddy Kelly
Hovin Wang
Tiffany Liu
The Love Movement
Claudia Marclay
Pjota
John Mitchell
Noel Ill
Mari Araki
Ana Bagayan
Philip Evans
Soy Panday
Steven Burke
Teri Hendrich
Ben Brough
Nick Jensen
Karen Jonz

Photographs provided by Taylor Brittenham, Pacolli, and my crappy iphone.

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“Ultrasonic IV: Fresh Perspectives” at the Mark Moore Gallery in Bergamot Station features a diverse look at up-and-coming artists working in a variety of mediums, including video, sculpture, and photography. Josh Azzarella, Mario Ybarra Jr., Tim Barber, Matthew McGuinness and Walter Martin & Paloma Munoz offer intriguing work.

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