'Maria I Still Love You' Vasmoulakis and collaborator Paris Koutsikos

LeBasse Projects is excited to present, ‘Is Everybody Happy?,’ the first US solo exhibition from Greek artist Alexandros Vasmoulakis. In this anticipated solo project, Vasmoulakis brings his first major body of work to the US after becoming recognized across Europe for his work both on the streets and in galleries.

Vasmoulakis is mostly known by his work in the streets of Athens, Greece as he has painted on and embellished various buildings across the city and is expected to do the same here in Los Angeles. While recognized for his street work, Vasmoulakis’ paintings are beginning to reflect the maturity of his work as an artist.

His works’ main theme is the psychology of his figures – the struggle and the element of conflict dominates in the pairs of his figures as well as in each character separately. With the perceptive analysis of his characters Vasmoulakis achieves through his work he persuades us that he has penetrated into their mentality by holding a role of a competent and gifted anatomist and of an expressive soul searcher.

‘Is Everybody Happy’ will be Vasmoulakis’ first US solo exhibition.

Alexandros Vasmoulakis :: Is Everybody Happy?
LeBasse Projects
March 20th through April 17th
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 20th, 7-10pm

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Tonight, New York’s Joshua Liner Gallery introduces a new exhibition from The Barnstormers, a group of twenty-five improvisational artists that formed in 1999. The group’s body of work consists so far of such large-scale projects as time-lapse videos of the creation of murals and the disassembly/relocation/reassembly of a barn.

In this exhibition, the Barnstormers will present works by the group’s individual artists, all of whom have drawn acclaim in their own right and individual careers. As the unofficial founder of the Barnstormers (which rejects any form of organizational hierarchy), North Carolina native David Ellis is nonetheless the driving force who first drew this intrepid band of artists South. In his own practice, Ellis has received acclaim for freestylin’ installations inspired by popular music and DJ-ing, specifically the ways that image, sound, materials, and technology interconnect in contemporary culture.

To highlight the Barnstormers’ no-holds-barred sense of improvisation and internationalism, the exhibition will include Confessional Booth, a live, transatlantic project by Greater New York alum Ryan McGinness. While currently in Madrid executing his solo show Studio Franchise at La Casa Encendida, McGinness will host one-to-one conversations via Skype videoconferencing throughout the run of the Barnstormers show. Open to all visitors, the “confessionals” will be conducted during set hours from inside a draped cubicle, complementing the artist’s collaborative studio-cum-showroom project occurring simultaneously in the Spanish exhibition.

Visit Joshua Liner for more info on the group and its individual members.

The Barnstormers
Opening reception: 6-9 p.m.
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 West 28th Street 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10001

(212) 244-7415

This Saturday DIY Gallery launches their brand new space in Echo Park with collaborations by Aaron Williams and Zach Taylor.  The new venue has an incredible out door space for sculpture and they will be hosting a ton of bands in the near future as well – so stay on their radar!

Details:

DIY Gallery. 1549 Sunset Blvd. LA 90026

Echo Park Inaugural Reception: Saturday, March 20 7pm

Be there or be square!

Copro presented the Hi-Fructose 5th Anniversary group show to a packed house on Saturday evening (3.13).   Given Hi-Fructose’s position as one of the leading pop surrealism magazines, it’s not surprising that their anniversary shows are always eagerly anticipated and have over the years delivered.  Maybe it’s because the show is fresh in our minds, but this latest installment feels like one of the strongest yet.

Headlined by a bumper crop of excellent paintings from some of the scene’s top painters including Ron English, Craola, Audrey Kawasaki, Amy Sol, Martin Wittfooth as well as in-your-face sculptures by Colin Christian, Scott Musgrove, Harma Heikens, and Kris Kuksi,  standout pieces seemed to be the norm.  We’re also happy to report that the show seems to have sold quite well.

Speaking of sculptures, Scott Musgrove’s large  5-foot Prairie Boxer bronze sculpture is a highlight piece  made all that more impressive by the fact that it was sculpted by Scott himself.  The large/short pair of creatures have an undeniable life and presence.  So it’s a shame that very few show goers were able to appreciate the piece due to the poor viewing conditions.  There was no direct light on the piece and as a result it languished in relative darkness (the pictures after the jump were shot with  high iso or flash).  Disappointing.

Make no mistake though, Hi-Fructose’s 5th Anniversary exhibition is an excellent group show with very strong work.  If you missed it, definitely set some time aside to drop by Copro to check it out before it closes on April 3rd.  For artwork availability, please check the official show preview.

Copro Gallery
Bergamot Station
7525 Michigan Ave T5
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.829.2156

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This March LeBasse Projects opens a solo show for Greek artist Alexandros Vasmoulakis but that’s not the only thing keeping us busy. The LBP artists are keeping busy worldwide…

Edwin Ushiro (pictured) opens his first NY solo show with Sloan Fine Art on the 24th. Nate Frizzell also has a solo show, his debut in the UK at Bo.Lee Gallery in Bath. From what I hear, both are already selling their shows on preview so better reach out to the galleries now. Eric Fortune just sold out his mini-show at the High Fructose curated exhibit as well…so better get on the list for his next show with us in October.

Join us in LA this Saturday for:

Alexandros Vasmoulakis.
‘Is Everybody Happy?’
LeBasse Projects
Saturday March 20th, 7-10pm

Giant Robot 2 presented the opening of Patchwork, a group show with a crafty twist, on Saturday evening (3.13).  Each artist created their artwork on a uniform sized fabric square and collectively they formed a ‘quilt of sorts’.  While some artists produced sewn quilt-like patches, many focused on painted or drawn images while others pushed the sewing into 3d with plush-based pieces.  David Horvath’s Ugly square and Phil Lumbang’s oh-so-sweet four square caught our attention.  Patchwork runs through April 17th @ Giant Robot 2.

Giant Robot 2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

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Carmichael Gallery will present Nina Pandolfo’s “Life’s Flavor” on Saturday March 20th 2010 , the gallery’s first exhibition  since relocating to its new larger Culver City location.  Based in São Paulo, Pandolfo, one of Brazil’s  leading female graffiti artists, has cultivated a whimsical colorful style seen in her outdoor murals as well as her fine art created for several international exhibitions.  For Life’s Flavor, her first solo in the United States, Nina has created mixed-media sculptures, works on canvas, metal and glass, a featured piece featuring 30k Swarovski crystals as well as several site-specific installations (progress shot above).

Nina Pandolfo / “Life’s Flavor”
Carmichael Gallery
5795 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Opening: Saturday, March 20th 2010 (7-10 PM).  Artist in attendance.

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Tran Nguyen considers the psychological distress weighing down so many of us and seeks to alleviate it with her newest solo, Nurturing the Uneased Soul, which opened Friday evening (3.12) in Thinkspace’s Project room.  Her finely rendered fantastic and surreal paintings with a look towards the past are intended as a form of visual therapy meant to lend a sense of order and calm to the viewer.  Using a mix of colored pencils and acrylics, Nguyen creates an aesthetic that celebrates the beauty and foibles of humanity. Currently completing her BFA in illustration, Nguyen has just begun to share her vision.    Nurturing the Uneased Soul runs through April 2nd.  For artwork availability, check the official preview page.

Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

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On Friday (3.12), Danish artist Armsrock + NYC artist Imminent Disaster presented their perspectives on an increasingly common temporary living situation, Refuge, @ Thinkspace.   From the collaborative front room installation featuring an Imminent Disaster refugee nestled in a shelter to Armsrock’s large-scale drawings and Imminent Disaster’s Crossing the River sculpture (above) created with an intricate paper cut design, the viewer is surrounded by images of life lived as a last resort in stark conditions.   Both artists also offered smaller pieces including drawings on paper and paintings on found objects.   Refuge, an impactful final show at Thinkspace’s current location prior to the impending move to Culver City,  runs through April 2nd 2010.  For art availability, please check the official show preview.

Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

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here’s the magic.

Allister Lee, an Ontario-based illustrator and graphic designer for assorted athletic apparel brands, developed a conscious obsession with collecting black markers while gathering them for use as the medium for his drawings. With an aesthetic appreciation for each marker, the Black is Beautiful project was born.

Black is Beautiful (BIB) celebrates black markers and black ink culture. The project presents both a dialogue and catalogue which describes his collection. This is the first time the project’s entire series of work will be showcased.

Curated by San Francisco’s Guerrero Gallery, the show will be presented by Stussy.

Allister Lee / Black is Beautiful
Opening reception: Saturday, March 13, 8-11 p.m.
Stussy
email@guerrerogallery.com
415.724.0771

Tonight, “In the Back of Real (Never Hide the Madness),” a new collection from Jaybo, opens at London’s StolenSpace Gallery, set to run until March 28. The exhibition will include an outdoor mural, new paintings, and two new prints.

While viewing some of Jaybo’s often erratic and chaotic paintings, brushstrokes and figure characterizations are vaguely suggestive of Francis Bacon, Asian art, or the world of Walt Disney. Jaybo himself characterizes these sorts of stylistic quotes as “visual reflexes,” designed to involve the observer by using their high level of familiarity with the elements interacting within the picture.

Visit StolenSpace for more info.

Jaybo / “In the Back of Real (Never Hide the Madness)”

Opening reception: Tonight, March 11, 6-9 p.m.
StolenSpace Gallery
91 Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL
0207 247 2684
www.StolenSpace.com

Starting March 13, POVevolving Gallery will present an exhibition of hand cut collages by Alexis Mackenzie. The exhibition, titled “Dreaming is Easy,” will be the artist’s second solo exhibition at POVevolving.

“The phrases in these collages are multi-tiered and double-sided; intended to reflect a sort of personal and societal inertia of mind and lifestyle, both in the sense of being frozen, and moving too fast in a direction to change course. I wanted them to be about states of mind and being, in terms of personal and global events; things that happen on a day-to-day basis and things that happen over the courses of our lives. They’re about the decisions we make, and the twists of fate we encounter. They are intended to reflect the multifaceted moments of joy and anxiety, nostalgia and anticipation, which are part of being alive. I wanted them to be open to interpretation as either uplifting, or melancholy. Disguising these messages as strangely grafted, twisted plantlife works for me in the sense that, the themes I’m addressing are composed of so many different elements; moments, feelings, and phases of life will shift, grow, die, be confusing, complicated, intangible, and difficult to put into words, along with our memories of them and the events connected to them. Creating the phrases as landscapes, or specimens of wildlife, was sort of like isolating an aspect of our internal environments. I see them essentially as simulacrum of things that sometimes have no real shape. ”

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