Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, Graffiti, Street Art + Culture

It’s that time of year again when art on yellow stickies is all the rage. Ok so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but each December Giant Robot hosts their annual Post-it Show.  The massive group show is pretty much exactly what the title suggests – hand-drawn art on yellow post-it’s for very reasonable prices.  This year’s show opens on Saturday (12.8) and will feature 2000+ post-it pieces from 260+ artists at just $25 each.  If history is any guide and it is here,  interest is very high which means you’ll want to arrive at the gallery early so as to get an early slot to select pieces to purchase.  Also, the show is cash and carry, making it the perfect last-minute holiday gift buying opportunity. Just in case you can’t read  the artist roster rendered in micro-fine print on the flier image above, head on over to GR’s official announcement.

Giant Robot’s Post-it Show #8
Saturday, December 8th (6 to 10 PM)

GR2
2062 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90025

Exquisite Corpse Gallery in Kalamazoo, MI will be showing pages from Nick Pope: A Graphic Diary this Friday, Dec. 7 from 5-8 pm. I wrote the diary manuscript, which traces the life of a troubled high school sophomore for three months in the fall of 1987. Christopher Darling designed and illustrated the diary, and we’ve created a very special story that I think everyone will really respond to.

Check out sample pages from the diary here, and see more of Christopher Darling’s beautiful work here.

We are publishing a limited first edition run of Nick Pope, and copies will be available for sale soon!

Exquisite Corpse Gallery: Park Trades Center/Studio 301/326 W. Kalamazoo Ave/Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Brian Viveros is headed to Miami for the opening of his ‘War of the Roses’ solo exhibition in the Thinkspace booth @ Scope Miami (12.4).  His new body of work features a dozen of his signature ‘dirty’ portraits.  Collectors will be pleased with the wide variety of Viveros’  featured archetypes including Dirtyland soldiers, Viva La Muerte women, and his iconic boxers.  Viveros’ work challenges simplistic definitions of femininity and female beauty with portrayals showcasing gorgeous women that are to use his terminology, unafraid of being ‘dirty’ – bold, assertive, and no-nonsense. War of the Roses will be shown alongside Amy Sol’s ‘Someday Garden’ in booth D14 @ Scope Miami beginning with Tuesday evening’s preview

Brian M. Viveros || ‘War of the Roses’
First View: Tuesday, December 4th (3-9 PM)

Scope Miami :: Thinkspace (D14)
110 NE 36th St at Midtown Blvd.
Miami, Florida 33138

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CYRCLE opened their 2nd solo, 'Organized Chaos!', with a private preview here in Hollywood on Thursday(11.29). Here are some images of the impressive exhibition shot earlier tonight. Offering their signature blend of art and design, the collective has created a tight, coherent body of work exploring the duality between Chaos and Organization. Cleverly, many of the pieces directly embody this duality by offering the viewer the opportunity to rearrange or reorder the elements of the work from turning rotating levels of a stacked tower, to rearranging the cubes in a wall piece, featuring 8 separate overall images. This interactivity immerses the viewer/collector in the never ending cycle of creation, refinement and evolution of ideas and concepts. While this writeup is a bit on the minimalist side, we thought we'd get you the images ASAP. Enjoy. The public opening is tomorrow, Friday (11.30).

CYRCLE || Organized Chaos!
Opening: Friday, November 30th 2012 (7-11 PM)
6608 Lexington Ave.Los Angeles, CA

Made on iPad

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Brooklyn artist David Cook recently sent me some pics of his new Robo-Deck Playing Card set, manufactured by Bicycle. Each limited Robo-Deck contains  standard 52  card deck with 2 Jokers, each featuring his artwork.  The decks are limited so make sure you pre-order at friendofafriend.us!

LOS ANGELES, CA: On Saturday, December 8th, Bitchcraft Trading Post is having their annual Winter Bazaar! Bring in the winter cheer with art, vintage, handmade goods, music, records, food and spirits! Over 30 LA vendors, including artists Angelina Elise, Scott McPherson, Farron Loathing, Common Genus, Fight To The Death (Pearl and Michael C. Hsiung), Human Pyramids, Jacknife Records, Goldenbones, Pizza Monster, The Cheesecake Dude, Bitter Tears, and Dark & Somber Greetings.  Come by for this fun and unique event!

Bitchcraft Trading Post’s Winter Bazaar
December 8th, 2012
12 pm – 5 pm
Bedrock Studios
1623 Allesandro Street
Echo Park, CA 90026
bitchcrafttradingpost.com

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The three member collective that is CYRCLE is about to unveil their 2nd ever solo — ‘Organized Chaos!’ with a public opening on the 30th in Hollywood.  Based around the mantra of ‘Without Order Nothing Can Exist. Without Chaos Nothing Can Evolve’,  the show’s imagery and concept seems to focus around Bees; likely because a hive achieves organized action from the sum of seemingly uncoordinated actions of individual bees.  From preview images posted on their blog and Facebook, it looks like the trio has pushed their multi-disciplinary investigation of form + function to new limits with the results including what appears to be a massive floor-to-ceiling ‘hive’.

CYRCLE || Organized Chaos!
Opening: Friday, November 30th 2012 (7-11 PM)

6608 Lexington Ave.
Los Angeles, CA

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Vanessa Prager creates elegant and introspective portraits using only red and blue ball point pens — and draws them on music paper! Richard Heller Gallery in Bergamot Station just opened a new show of her drawings, on display until Dec. 15. As a fellow portrait artist, I’m proud to draw attention to her outstanding work.

Check out high quality images here.

Richard Heller Gallery: 2525 Michigan Ave., B-5A/Santa Monica, CA 90404

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Celebrating the Branded Arts Mural Project as well as new contemporary art and independent design, the Branded Arts Block Party 2012 is underway in Culver City (Washington & National) and will run through 1 AM tonight (11.10). Surrounded by world-class street art murals, the largely outdoor event features live painting, live music and an exhibitor area including Static Medium w/featured artist Audrey Kawaski, SSUR, Daniel Rolnik & Friends and several more. Complimenting the outdoor art, the event also features an indoor gallery featuring a selection of original art and prints ranging from street art to new contemporary. Tickets for the event are $20 for adults and free for thos under 18.

Blogged on iPad.

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Know Hope returns to LA with ‘The Weight’, opening on Saturday @ Known Gallery.  His first LA solo since ‘09 explores the collective psychological and emotional burdens that constrain and encumber us. In addition to a new collection of original work, the show will feature a site-specific installation.

Through his current focus on the flag as a symbol of patriotism, the artist considers the role of unquestioned national identity and its real consequences on society.  In a sense, Know Hope’s work can perhaps be viewed as a way of understanding persistent, unrelenting generational conflict, not between individual personalities  but rather driven by ideologies and institutions.

Know Hope || ‘The Weight’
Opening: Saturday November 10th 2012 (8 – 11 PM)

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

For several years, Warren Brand has curated an impressive series of murals by some of the world’s most talented streets in a cluster of buildings in Culver City often referred to  as the Branded Arts Complex. The murals by  artists such as Dabs Myla, Herakut, Dave Flores, Andrew Hem,  Meggs, and  Anthony Lister are gifts to the community and echo the city’s arts heritage.    Saturday’s Branded Arts Block Party 2012 will celebrate and commemorate the numerous completed murals as well as showcase new contemporary art presented in an indoor gallery.   The all-day ticked  event (1 pm – 1am)  will feature live music, live art,  print releases from Static Medium and pop-up booths from SSUR, Pangeaseed, the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, multiple bars and more.  See the official announcement for full details.

Branded Arts Block Party 2012
Saturday, November 10th (1 PM – 1AM)
Tickets: $20

8810 Washington Blvd. (@ National)
Culver City, CA 90232

Beautiful work by artists Julie Heffernan and Jean-Pierre Roy went on display at Mark Moore Gallery in Culver City this past Saturday. “Terraformer” by Roy (image above) showcases the painter’s supreme technical gifts and boundless imagination. And “Sky’s Falling” by Heffernan furthers her autobiographical exploration via huge paintings that depict allegorical clashes between humans and the forces of nature. This is a really strong artist pairing that offers plenty for viewers to ponder and enjoy. Both shows are on display through Dec. 22.

Mark Moore Gallery: 5790 Washington Blvd/Culver City, CA 90232

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Kevin Peterson’s work is currently on display in “Amended,” a new show at Thinkspace in Culver City. All the paintings include graffiti as an integral element, but I particularly liked the works that feature animals. The confluence of urban environments with the “natural” world is fertile territory to explore, and Peterson does so with humor and skill. Check out more images from the show here. It runs through Nov. 24.

Thinkspace: 6009 Washington Blvd/Culver City, CA 90232