For fifteen years, from its humble beginnings as a hand-made zine to today’s authority on Asian pop culture, Giant Robot has sought out, supported, and disseminated the work of promising, difference making artists.  Last Saturday’s (10.24.09) opening of the Giant Robot Biennale 2 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo celebrated  the magazine’s longstanding love affair with new art. The exhibition features new work from  thirteen celebrated artists who rose to prominence with the magazine as well as a large group show of 50+ rising and established talents.

The opening drew a large crowd with queues forming at both the downstairs gallery for the group show and the upstairs gallery featuring the work of James Jean, David Choe (above), Jeff Soto, Souther Salazar, Jack Long and Stella Lai.   Both galleries are filled with inspiring pieces – it’s a cliche but there’s something here for even the most jaded art lover.

The lower gallery honors the diversity of the evolving art scene.  In addition to numerous paintings by a wide selection of artists, the group show highlights the art toy movement with a  sprawling and colorful display of hand-painted  Ledavhara figures named after their three prominent creators – David Horvath, Le Merde and Dehara.

The upper gallery offers a breathtaking look at many of today’s top talents in the new art movement that is often described with the blanket label of ‘pop surrealism’.  Among the work presented, the paintings of James Jean, Jeff Soto, and David Choe stand out as clear highlights.  While we’ve done our best to capture the work in a series of photographs, viewing the art  on your pc pales in comparison to the joy and sense of wonder that comes with experiencing it in person.

While  David Choe’s new futuristic femme fatale paintings are breathtaking, his installation of personal artifacts and art packing crates forming an urban art hideaway of sorts is a testament to his appeal – mixing eye catching and imagination provoking graffiti with a no apologies life ethos.

From actor George Takei’s ( Sulu on Star Trek)  glowing introduction of Giant Robot co-founder Eric Nakamura to a surprise musical performance by David Choe and James Jean, the opening of Giant Robot Biennale 2 proved to be a rousing and significant celebration of the publication’s first fifteen years. The milestone exhibition elevates the stature and awareness of this evolving art scene with the gold standard of an extended presence in a public museum.   Giant Robot Biennale 2 runs through January 24th, 2009. Not to be missed.

Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles California 90012
213.625.0414

More Images + Info »

Giant Robot will celebrate 15 years of covering Asian Culture with Biennale 2 opening on October 24th, 2009 at the Japanese American National Museum. The impressive featured lineup includes David Choe, James Jean, Souther Salazar, Theo Ellsworth, kozyndan, Stella Lai, Jack Long, Albert Reyes, Jeff Soto, Deth P. Sun, Le Merde, David Horvath and Yukinori Dehara.  A second hall will feature work from 50 additional artists. If you have any interest in Pop Surrealist / New Contemporary art, this show is not to be missed.

By way of preview, check out the James Jean teaser video below created and posted by GR Co-Founder Eric Nakamura.  It shows glimpses of Jean’s new Chinnamasta piece which will be featured in the show as well as another painting which we presume will also be part of Giant Robot Biennale 2.

Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles California 90012
213.625.0414

More Images + Info »

Mike Shinoda opened his Glorious Excess (Dies) solo at the Japanese American National Museum on Friday to a staggering line waiting for the public reception opening at 8 PM.  Dailydujour was fortunate to make the VIP opening which featured several notable guests including Rob Dyrdek, Joe Hahn, Lisa Ling, James Jean, Roger Gastman, Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins, and more.

The show has been shrouded mostly in secrecy –preview pics have been few and far between.  This approach enhanced the impact of the opening.  There were quite a few impressive surprises in store for the crowd including a custom Honda motorcycle emblazoned with Shinoda’s GLXS art positioned just in front of the gallery entrance.

Featuring 17 new paintings, the new show follows up on last year’s Glorious Excess (born) show by detailing the sudden end of the fictional character who enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. The overarching effect is both an exploratory and cautionary tale of the cult of celebrity and the pitfalls of excess.

Careful observers will note a general narrative progression from the front of the gallery to the back.  The bright colorful pieces detail the imminent end while the softer, warm tone hued pieces chronicle the ‘after’.  It is in the latter that Shinoda broadens his scope explicitly with his ‘Seasons’ series featuring portraits of four celebrity martyrs – John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Kurt Cobain, and James Dean.  The mortal end of the GLXS character  is punctuated by an ornate funeral scene complete with a silver plated skeleton in an open casket – first class excess, even in death.

In addition to the funeral scene, Mike worked until the 11th hour (roughly 5 pm on Friday) to put the finishing touches on the other installation elements including the impressive large wall mural and the large collage of celebrity tabloid magazines.

Finally, the opening featured a screening of a short 12-minute documentary that focused on the theme of the show — celebrity and those obsessed with it. From footage of paparazzis to bus tours of stars’ homes, it’s a good watch and also features behind the scenes footage of Mike working on the show, some of which was seen in the preview video on his site.

The museum store offered quite a selection of show merch including the four skate decks and the Glorious Excess book.  If you’re not in LA, remaining inventory will be available at MikeShinoda.com this Monday.

Finally, if you haven’t seen it yet – be sure to check out our in-depth video interview with Mike about the themes and inspiration for Glorious Excess.

Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles California 90012
213.625.0414

More Images + Info »