Art as Authority

Video by Lynn Susholtz, montage by Katherine Sweetman





For those of you who may have missed last Saturday's panel discussion, here's one of 12 video's covering the evening's entire talk. Many thanks to Lynn Susholtz for the video and Katherine Sweetman for getting it all online. So go make some popcorn, find a confortable chair, sit back, relax, and enjoy. Did I mention you might even learn something about the San Diego art scene? It does exist you know. Find all the videos here.

Spun by Art as Authority at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by Richard Gleaves

On May 22 the Las Vegas Art Museum will present Selections from The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States. The members opening preview will be on Thursday, May 21, from 5-7 PM.

On February 28 the Las Vegas Art Museum will close permanently.

Spun by Richard Gleaves at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

by Kevin Freitas



Snapshots Panel Discussion (lft. to rt.) Philly Joe Swendoza, Robert Pincus, Katherine Sweetman, Patricia Frischer, David White - Art Produce Gallery, Sat. February 21, 2009 - photo: courtesy SDVAN - click for larger image


With standing room only and new faces crowding into the back of Lynn Susholtz's studio (director of Art Produce Gallery North Park), all ears were tuned in to listen to a panel discussion led by Katherine Sweetman (arts writer and Director, Lui Velazquez Gallery, Tijuana). The Panel members included Philly Joe Swendoza (Art Rocks! radio), Robert Pincus (San Diego Union Tribune), Patricia Frischer (San Diego Visual Arts Network), and David White (Director, Agitprop Gallery North Park). The theme: offer a broader perspective on the San Diego art scene from the points of view of several of its actors. The idea grew out of a discussion with Philly Joe Swendoza, David White, and myself and later included an ongoing discussion with Robert Pincus. It germinated from a response left by White on Art as Authority, questioning the semantics and selection process of a recent exhibition entitled Movers and Shakers organized by the San Diego Visual Arts Network.

It seemed obvious that if we wanted to address some of these issues and enlarge the discussion beyond a few individuals, we needed the help of Patricia Frischer as well as Robert Pincus, to put White's comments into a larger context but also to address San Diego's developing artistic community. This led to a series of 5 questions for the panel and audience members to contemplate and answer. And while these questions do not directly respond to a specific concern, they allowed for a very diverse and enriching commentary by all who attended.

1) - In your opinion what are the problems with the San Diego Art Scene?

2) - Why do we stay in San Diego?

3) - How do we get more/better/diverse art coverage from the media? What should the arts be asking of our writers?

4) - What sells in SD? How does market affect what is made here?

5) - What can we do to make the art scene better?


Patricia Frischer has written her own responses to these questions on her new A+ Art Blog. Check it out and be so kind as to leave a comment.

In other news, Kim MacConnel has chosen emerging artist Brian Dick as his exhibiting partner for a two-person exposition at L Street Gallery on April 25th, 2009. Dick is one of two artists selected as recipients of this year's San Diego Art Prize. The second artist recipient of the Art Prize will be chosen by Richard Allen Morris - and will be announced. I hope Morris does not make the same error by choosing outside the 13 nominated artists.

Dick was selected from last year's "New Contemporaries" exhibit and was recently seen exhibiting in a solo show at Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects.

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Emerging Artists nominated for the 2009 SD Art Prize
David Adey, Tania Alcala, Michele Guieu, Keikichi Honna, Omar Pimienta, Daniel Ruanova, Marisol Rendon, Tara Smith, Matt Stallings, K.V. Tomney, Jen Trute, Gustabo Velasquez, Yuransky

NOMINATING COMMITTEE 2009
SD Art Prize Artists 2007-08: Lael Corbin, Allison Weise, Pamela Jaegar, Eleanor Antin, Marcos Ramiriz (Erre), Roman de Slavo
Art Notes Contributors 2007-08: Alice Diamond, Kevin Freitas, Mark Murphy, Betti-Sue Hertz, Lucia Sanroman, Erika Torri, Doug Simay, Larry Poteet
SD Art Prize honorary Chairpersons 2007-08: Vivian Lim and Joe Wong, Patti and Coop Cooprider, Cap and Julie Pinney
SD Art Prize Committee: Patricia Frischer, Ann Berchtold

Award Recipients for 2009:
Kim MacConnel with emerging artist TBD
Richard Allen Morris with emerging artist TBD

CATALOG OF 2009 SD Art Prize: New Contemporaries II

Noel-Baza Fine Art
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 – Sat. March 21, 2009
Public opening Kettner Night, Friday, March 13, 6 to 9 pm
2165 India Street - San Diego, CA 92101
Gallery Hours: 11-6 Tuesday-Thursday, 11-8 Friday and Sat. closed Sun, Mon
Info: Patricia Frischer 760.943.0148
or noel-baza@cox.net
619.876.4160

The SD ART PRIZE is dedicated to the idea that the visual arts are a necessary and rewarding ingredient of any world-class city and a building block of the lifestyle of its residents. Conceived to promote and encourage dialogue, reflection and social interaction about San Diego’s artistic and cultural life, this annual award honors artistic expression. The SD ART PRIZE, a cash prize with exhibition opportunities, spotlights established San Diego artists and pairs them with emerging artists each season whose outstanding achievements in the field of Visual Arts merit the recognition.

Over the course of the year, a series of exhibits featuring the recipients will run simultaneously at the
L Street Gallery at the Omni Hotel, and on the websites: SanDiegoArtist.com and SDVisualArts.net (SDVAN). Each exhibition will pair an established artist with an emerging artist. The final exhibition features work by all recognized recipients of the SD ART PRIZE for that season.

SD Art Prize Mission: Fusing Energy for San Diego Visual Arts: Mentorship, Education, Recognition, Collaboration
THE Goals of the SD ART PRIZE, as presented by the San Diego Visual Arts Network, are to:

*Recognize and celebrate existing visual art accomplishments by spotlighting local artists.
*Create an exciting event that facilitates cross-pollination between cultural organizations and strengthens and invigorates the San Diego Visual Art Scene.
*Broaden the audience of the visual arts in San Diego by gaining national attention to the competition through a dedicated media campaign.
*Promote the vision of the future role that the visual arts will play in the San Diego community as lively, thriving, positive and empowering.
*Expand the infrastructure of spokespeople/art celebrities who can bring awareness to San Diego and perform as role models for our student artists.

Spun by Art as Authority at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Julien C
25 février au 28 mars 2009



"Silence of the logs" 2008 - acrylique sur papier découpé, 140 x 180 cm


VERNISSAGE/OPENING LE JEUDI/THURSDAY 5 MARS/MARCH, À PARTIR DE 18H/6pm

On se souvient du vertige dans lequel nous aimions à tomber lorsque répétant pendant de longues minutes, un mot au hasard, nous en perdions peu à peu le sens...

Les éléments (trompettes, bûches, vagues...) choisis et multipliés par Julien Colombier tendent à voir leur sens premier se dissiper pour se fossiliser dans l'existence d'un ensemble plus vaste à la signification autre.

Chez Julien C, ce n'est pas le sujet peint qui a une forme d'existence. Ses oeuvres ne sont pas des «fenêtres sur un autre monde ». En lévitation au-dessus de la réalité basique qui les compose, elles sont, elles-mêmes, les parties flottantes et constituantes d'un autre monde. Ludiques, expérimentales, vertigineuses, elles semblent en migration vers un monde de poésie toute picturale.

Galerie ESTACE
74 rue Charlot (premier étage)
75003 Paris, FRANCE
contact@estace.fr
www.estace.fr
tel. 011 33 (1) 42 71 31 40

Spun by Art as Authority at 05:00 PM | Permalink

by Kevin Freitas


Panel discussion with Philly Joe Swendoza (Art Rocks!), Robert Pincus (SD Union Tribune), Patricia Frischer (San Diego Visual Arts Network), and David White (Agitprop Gallery), Moderator: Katherine Sweetman (Director, Lui Velazquez)





Art Produce Gallery
3139 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Free to the public

More info: Kevin Freitas (Art as Authority) 619.337.4891

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by KAI ONE


No matter what you think about Obama, it is hard to deny his election to the presidency and meteoric rise to popular attention, was at least due in part to the oft bootlegged red white, and blue social realist style HOPE illustration. The original (and I use the term loosely) piece of art was created by Shepard Fairey the second or third week in January 2008, one year before Obama took office. Just recently, a large scale variant by Fairey has been inducted into the Smithsonian as the official presidential portrait: the cash cow has truly come home. Once just an innocuous hack poster adored by the nation of liberal automatons, the poster is starting to bring real money and accolades.

It’s obviously doing more for Fairey’s career than any advertisement, award, or show could and I’m sure he’s making money hand over fist even faster than before. The Associated Press is now suing Fairey because he allegedly traced the original portrait of Obama from a photograph taken by Manny Garcia. Supporters of Fairey like to point out he did nothing to stop the mass proliferation of bootleg posters, shirts and other merchandise based on the now iconic Obey poster. Fairey himself even recalls a run in with guy who had a sweatshirt with the same image that had been “Bedazzled, like made out of jewels and fake diamonds and shit”. When the bootlegger asked Fairey if his interpretation was cool with him, he replied in the affirmative. I’m sure that would not be the case if the young man’s rip-offs were outselling Fairey’s rip offs.



from Vectortuts


A full disclosure is in order by saying, I’m really not that fond of Shepard Fairey’s art and once while working for UPS, I tried to void out a bunch of his insurance claims on some damaged works. Although, I think he should go by the title of “studio tracer” rather than “street artist,” I let a copy of his Obama poster stay up on the façade of the building where I had my last exhibition because of my respect for Obama not Fairey. As a young kid, I was really into his stuff before realizing that his entire oeuvre is a rip-off of Soviet Propaganda posters. I remember how cheated I felt when I found a book of the real Soviet posters; I promptly traded my red, black, and gold Fairey print for a bag of weed. Even Fairey’s claim to fame (Andre the Giant) is a rip off. From his website: “In 1989 the Charleston, South Carolinian attended the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied illustration and discovered screen-printing. In that same year Shepard stumbled onto Andre the Giant’s image by chance in a newspaper.” Hack artist from the start and less than twenty years later the face gets cropped and advertised illegally for free by wanna-be radicals and street kids across the globe.

Graffiti and especially street art have a long history of image appropriation. While the letter styles used in graffiti have always been unique the characters which accompany the letters are often culled from comic book or other facets of pop culture. Even Fab Five Freddy famously painted an homage to Warhol’s soup cans on the side of a New York subway train in the eighties. Street artist “stencilers” often copy or transform pre-existing images for their own use. The enforcement of copyright infringement is trumped by the fact that these artists are illegally putting up these images with no financial gain in mind. Even if the original artists wanted to sue, they would have no recourse due to the anonymity of the street artists and lack of any legal financial gain.

You would have thought all this talk about appropriation and fair use in the art would have been settled a long time ago but perhaps it is now more important than ever. Andy Warhol (whose foundation hands out law suits for copyright infringement even now) was punked out of using found photographs when he was sued for his Flowers series, based on photos of hibiscus taken by Patricia Caulfield. He lost the lawsuit causing him to at least fully explore the possibilities silkscreen could bring to his own Polaroid pictures and I think he was a better artist for it. So was Warhol a rip off artist and if he wasn’t, then how can Fairey be? Their two styles are similar as well as their paths to fame. Both had other people do their leg work, Warhol had his mother doing his commercial blotted line illustrations and Fairey had a nation of toys put up his Andre the Giant has a posse stickers. They both made art with found images and painted them by means of a mechanical reproduction process (silkscreen), already two steps removed from any innovative creation. Do you think Warhol’s career would be quashed by Campbell’s Soup Co. if he was coming out as an artist today? Almost certainly so. Even as recently as 2001, the artist Damien Loeb (who unlike Fairey and Warhol is a technical painting virtuoso) was sued along with his dealer Mary Boone over his appropriation of found images in his paintings. But just like Fairey and Andy, he saw that there is no such thing as bad publicity and he quickly sold out his show.

A key difference in the plight of Fairey as opposed to Warhol, Loeb, Koons, or Salle is that Fairey came up as a self proclaimed street artist. This leads us to the question of what is fair use. Should it matter if you are ripping off an image for financial gain or not? Obviously if you are not making a cent off of the artwork in any fashion then there would be no point to try and sue you. In the world of tattoo, a hotspot for the use and reproduction of trademarked and public domain images, there appears to be a general unspoken rule: if you change at least five things about another artist’s drawing than it is yours.

So is Warhol a hack? Sure. Is Fairey a hack? Sure. Do I think that they should be sued for their appropriation of images? No. Do I respect them? Not really. Do I care if Fairey ripped off an AP photographer if it helps make the world a better place? No. Would I be irate if he had done the same thing to get McCain elected? Most likely. Would I do the same thing if I were in there shoes? Probably. In this postmodern age we seem to value the ideas over the craftsmanship. I think this is the number one fallacy in modern America and if things don’t change quickly we will soon be a society of helpless invalids with millions of ideas but no way to put them into action. This is not to say that I want vacuous paintings with technical proficiency. I want a firm middle ground. I want the brush skill of an old world master mixed with the explosive rhetoric of a meat and bomb adorned performance artist. I want style and substance. I want art that comes from the bowels by way of the brain. This isn’t too much to ask for, and it might be the only thing that can save painting.

More information about Fairey, and his battle with the AP can be found here and here or here.

Spun by Art as Authority at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

by Richard Gleaves

In 1970 a graffiti culture emerged in New York. Less than a decade later the cultural practice had become an urban fixture, public scourge, and (not least) a full-blown art movement which in its stylistic innovation rivaled anything in modern art history.

The rapid evolution of graffiti art followed from a specific set of circumstances:

• Ready access to the necessary technology
• A medium uniquely suited to reaching a large and diverse community
• A team of dedicated practitioners driven by social ambition
• A core set of aesthetic values shared by the practitioners

Such movements are easy to recognize in hindsight — but spotting them as they unfold can be a tricky proposition, for two reasons:

• The practice often remains hidden from or inaccessible to potential viewers.
• The esthetics employed are insufficiently mainstream to be acknowledged as art.

Fast-forward to 2009: graffiti is now a standard tool in the arsenal of corporate marketers. But what rough art lurks out there, waiting to be born?

The answer, it turns out, is on YouTube.

YouTube Poop

YouTube Poop (or YTP) is an underground community existing in the nether regions of YouTube space. The community is dedicated to — and based on the evidence, fanatical about — the production and consumption of Poops, YouTube-sized mashups of video clips obtained from a core set of abject pop material:

• CD-i versions of the video game The Legend of Zelda, which at the time of their release in the mid-1990's were widely acclaimed in the gaming community as some of the worst video games ever made.
• Hotel Mario, another CD-i video game from the 90's and similarly acclaimed by gaming conoisseurs as mediocre or worse.
• Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, an American animated television series derived from the similarly-named video game, and first broadcast in 1993.

In addition to these core elements, Poops encompass a wide range of secondary material, primarily SpongeBob, Batman, and anime, but extending to virtually anything on YouTube (notably including Bill Clinton, bagels, Toy Story, nuclear explosions, and Volvic bottled water).

Community

The YTP community appears to consist largely of adolescent males, based on the tenor of the comments left in the video comments section, and the prevailing esthetic in the vast majority of Poop (which like all other art forms is subject to Sturgeon's Law).

However, the work by the best Poop artists embodies not only serious artistry (by any standard), but also a degree of worldliness far beyond that of a typical adolescent male. This is perhaps best exemplified by SwishFilms, the Lubitsch of Poop, whose work reveals a sexual sensibility that ironically appeals to the YTP audience of young straight males obsessed with gay sex.

Talent-wise, the Poop creators can be categorized as follows:

• A small army of toys: unskilled amateurs who — enabled by the low barriers of entry to the production and distribution of Poops — have created the vast majority of the 80,000+ Poops currently on YouTube.
• A deep pool of mid-level talent which has authored Poops garnering thousands of views.
• A handful of superstars (WalrusGuy, Deepercutt, SwishFilms, KroboProductions, Boogidyboo).

It's impossible to accurately determine the size of the YTP community. However, the most highly-watched Poop to date (Toys Gone Wild) has 1.5 million views, and several others have surpassed 500,000. The two most famous Poop stars (WalrusGuy and Deepercutt) each have more than 20,000 subscribers.

Esthetic

Trangression in every possible dimension: sexual, racial, linguistic, and formal, as befits an audience of adolescent males.

The degree of transgression is tempered by YouTube's usage restrictions, which strengthen the art by forcing Poop creators to deploy formal devices — some traditional, some new — to allusively depict transgression.

Historically transgression has had limited success as an esthetic generator, with one crucial exception: formal transgression, which has been the driver for a century of innovation in the fine arts.

As in graffiti, so in YTP: the best way to approach Poops is to ignore the adolescent surface detail and focus instead on the formal innovations:

• Radical extensions of cartoon-world physics, far beyond anything seen in a golden-age Warner Brothers cartoon.
• Extreme use of cinema, best exemplified by the signature move of alternating high-speed blurs with extended freeze frames.

The best Poops include extensive references to dialog and images in the core YTP material — a full appreciation of such work requires a high degree of familiarity with the material. Serious Poopsters know their material forwards and backwards (in some cases literally).

The self-perception in the YTP community is that the sole esthetic goal is "humor"; however, the social pressure on Poop creators to innovate has pushed the artistic production far beyond this goal and into the realms of the surreal sublime. (In fact it is this formal push that created a rift in the community between the traditional humorists and the YTP avant-garde.)

YTP esthetic does have historical antecedents in the art world, but it's unclear to what degree such roots are mere comedies of similarity. The cinematic assemblage esthetic was pioneered by Bruce Conner in his film A Movie. A far more striking YTP antecedent is the artist known as Jess and his Tricky Cad series of altered Dick Tracy comic strips: to view a classic Poop is to see Tricky Cad come to life.

Process

For the most part the tools used to create Poops are near-punk in their minimalism:

• Windows MovieMaker (included free with Windows)
• YouTube video downloaders

Windows Movie Maker is the application of choice, and is indeed paid tribute to in various Poop metanarratives. MovieMaker supports basic editing and manipulation of sound, speed, and color; most Poops are thus wholly expressed in this limited vocabulary (which — along with the limited set of core material — contributes to YTP's coherency as a body of work).

But it is equally clear that the pressure for formal innovation has pushed the top Poop creators into using additional tools for more advanced special effects.

YouTube video downloaders are available both as stand-alone applications and as a free service on certain websites. The downloaders serve a crucial function in the YTP community by providing easy access not only to the universe of cultural material available on YouTube, but also to the Poops of other artists: many toys create their first Poops by downloading a favorite Poop and then modifying it. This ability to rapidly generate variants of a given Poop is the engine that powers YTP fads.

Group dynamics

The YTP community resembles a test-tube version of the art world:

• Inquiries and debate on community history
• Quests for fame (quantified by view counts)
• Profiles of the stars
• Public feuds between famous figures
• Social exclusions over perceived stylistic violations
• Stylistic trends (known as "fads")
• References to the classics
• Homages and tributes
• Legal entanglements
• Blatant ripoffs

That such goings-on are so similar to those in the art world is extraordinary, given that the vast majority of YTP participants has no discernible background in the fine arts. But even more extraordinary is the accelerated pace of YTP events, which is due entirely to the Internet's scope and speed. For this reason the YTP community may well serve as a model for future simulation-based education and research in the visual arts.

Anti-narratives

Robotnik Runs Out of Toilet Paper

What is Spaghetti?

Toys Gone Wild

Cringle Special

Mama Luigi?!

Vegeta is talking crap

Understaaaaaand?

Robotnik Says the N-Word

Robotnik Invents the Bagel

SHUT UP!!!!!

A Youtube Poop by WalrusGuy

Bread maker rapes a young girl with no teeth

Robotnik, She Wrote

Robotnik wants KFC

THIS VIDEO CONTAINS AUDIOSWAPPING (Note: turn off video annotations to remove the e-graffiti defacing the image)

Renarratives

Zelda: The King's Unreasonable Demands

Zelda: Link's First Date

Hyrule Dating Videos

Tomorrow I'll (Robotnik's Penis Song)

Link Gets Cancer

Buu's Chocolate fetish

Mickey Mouse takes Viagra

Mario and Luigi Travel Through Time

VEGETA FARTS IN FRONT OF CELL...

Nah-Roo-Toe paints on the faces of evil

Link Gets a Job at Gwonam's Restaurant...

Nuclear Launch Detected

Gwonam Gives Up

Metanarratives

Who Made The First YouTube Poop?

Grover teaches YTP

YouTube Poop Gives You Seizures

Widescreen Ruins Youtube Poop

The King on Jeopardy

Mario Denies Everything

Bigger WTF moment in Mario History

WalrusGuy Answers Your Questions!

NarutoForums had WalrusGuy Banned

Mr. Volcano's Toaster Causes an Avalanche

Mario Head Is a Nuclear Bomb!

Conceptual

ROBOTNIK HYPER RAVE

Hotel Mario with a layer added every second

HOTEL MARIO (NOUNS LEFT BEHIND)

Mama Luigi Falls for Hours

My Boy for 10 MINUTES, NO EDITS

The King's Ridiculous Laugh

Existing overviews

The low quality of the following articles underscores how far underground YTP currently is.

Urban Dictionary

Uncyclopedia

Encyclopedia Dramatica

Spun by Richard Gleaves at 02:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

by David White


Garage Sale:
Sat. January 31st 7am-2pm
Sun. February 1st 7am-2pm
Recap: Sat. February 7th 6-9pm

Agitprop
2837 University Ave.
San Diego, California
92104
619.384.7989

Participants:
Joy Boe
Judith Pedroza
Eddie Miramontes
Josh Bellfy
Joe Yorty
David White

The organizing structure behind ‘Garage Sale’ is that of a group of individuals who all have an interest in objects with histories. Some of us are attracted to the seductive qualities of these objects for use in daily life, others for use in art practice, and some in both. The concept of this event began as conversation between Joy and myself as a way to fundraise for the space. This conversation grew to include other people and eventually it was decided that a ‘garage sale’ fits the informality of the space better than other economic and/or commercial forms that could engage the neighborhood. It was also an interesting way to approach ‘everyday objects’ in relationship to ‘art objects’. What is the difference? Is there a difference?

When people talk about art, whether it is the public or an art professional, they often talk about anecdotes and histories more readily than they talk about content. “ This piece is about the affair (said artist) had with so and so”, or “the artist lost two fingers making this piece.” Etc. Like any object found at any one of the millions of garage sales across the United States, every work of art has a history not directly connected to content. Damien Hirst’s work sells because of the mythology of Damien Hirst, not because of its use or intrinsic qualities (or even that it is a good work of art). Curatorial practices encourage this type thinking even when pieces are exceptional. For example, the Eleanor Antin exhibition of photographs at the San Diego Museum of Art this past fall “Historical Takes” was accompanied by ‘making-of’ videos. The inclusion of these videos seemed to imply that the photographs are more significant when placed in an art historical context through the legitimization that the documentation (and presentation) of their coming-into-being invokes. The photographs are treated as relics of art-historical study before they are given a chance to exist as the living works of art that they are. Does the audience need this legitimization to see these as great works of art? Maybe, maybe not.

Our event has it’s own back-story. When just beginning to talk about doing this, I came across an interview of *Martha Rosler about her well-known exhibition that originated at UCSD in 1973 also titled “Garage Sale”. In the interview she said:

“[…] Garage sales are vernacular forms in which suburbanites, primarily, set a number of cast off items in or in front of their garages, put up signs, and hope that people will browse and buy… I saw it as an art form of contemporary American society and determined to create such a sale in an art gallery.”

“My sale included unlikely items, such as empty boxes and welfare commodity containers, private letters and photos, cast-off underwear, girlie magazines, dead landscaping materials, broken household items and a notebook listing the names of men. The gallery was arranged so that the brightest lighting and the best items were at the front, and the questionable, less saleable, more personal, and even salacious items were located further back as the lighting progressively diminished, leading finally to the empty containers and other abject items. A tape recorder played a ‘meditation’ by the garage sale ‘persona’ I had adopted- dressed in a long-skirted hippie costume – wondering aloud what the garage sale represents and quoting Marx on the commodity form. A projector showed images of blonde middle-class families, at home and on trips, on slides bought at a local garage sale of the effects of a dead man. A blackboard bore the phrase, ‘Maybe the garage sale is a metaphor for the mind.’”

Ours was a reciprocal process.





From the beginning, the intention of Agitprop was to be an integrated part of the neighborhood, like a shoe store, a telephone pole, gum on a bench, or a post office. Conceptually, the idea was to bring the ‘gallery’ into the neighborhood and the neighborhood into the ‘gallery’. Much of the interior of the space was left as it was found allowing physical traces of its previous use to remain. Its last use being storage for the corner store that it is adjacent to. Alterations were kept to a minimum. We only added or changed the space as much as we needed to accommodate use. Nothing more. We allotted space for exhibition and space for work that were porous in terms of physical definition: the studio spills into the exhibition space and the exhibition space spills onto the street and, in turn, the street influences what happens in the studios. In this sense Agitprop is not a Gallery. In this sense it also not a Studio. It is a place where art and neighborhood overlap. Agitprop temporarily opens up to the street, allowing people to participate with what is happening inside, and then closes again to blend back into the neighborhood aggregate. It is a semi-invisible force influenced by the preconditions of its material and social surroundings. The people involved disperse after an event, going back to their usual routines, only to return again with more material with which to work. Agitprop is a space where ideas, often drawn from the neighborhood, are presented in flexible units that people are encouraged to take or leave, accept or reject, admire or criticize. It is a micro-recycling center of cultural production. A beverage store of ideas.





Maintaining a space like this is hard work that requires the dedication and contribution of a large number of individuals. Some are artists or have an art background, and some do not. Ideas for projects are taken from feedback given by visitors/contributors to the space or individuals in the neighborhood. The input of these collaborators is not ancillary. It is fundamental. It is this collaboration of individuals that was the pretext for “Garage Sale”, and is why “Garage Sale” is emblematic of what Agitprop is.

More than anybody involved with this event Joy Boe acted as curator. Joy has a background in merchandising and currently manages a gift shop at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, as well as conducting job training there. I also spent two years working at this same day program as an art instructor, which is how I know Joy. Other than a high school art course, Joy does not have an art background. This is why I asked her to collaborate on an event. We talked about many different approaches and settled on the idea of some sort of “blow out” sale. At about this same time, I met Judith Pedroza, a recent transplant from Mexico City. She is an artist and had also experimented with garage sales as a form of cultural distribution. She approached homeowners whose garage sales she had attended and asked if she could sell her drawings from their garages at another time. She said this was an effective approach and that she sold many drawings. Joy and I talked with Judith about contributing to the event and she agreed, helping with organizational aspects and donating drawings.





Joe Yorty is an artist and often works with images of objects or material that has been cast aside: a pile of discarded branches, an unmade bunk in a military ship, or 500 photos of free couches downloaded from Craigslist. He is also an avid flea market and rummage sale attendee. Joe has been involved with several Agitprop events including “Art TapOut”.

Josh Bellfy and Eddie Miramontes are fixtures in the space. Both are artists. Josh has been a part of Agitprop from the beginning and has contributed to multiple events and in multiple ways. His work ranges from collage to drawing to painting to performance. He also runs the day-to-day operations of a gallery in Kensington. Eddie is a painter and screen-printer whose work manifests itself in the form of unique multiple drawings and paintings of a repetitive subject that he refers to as prints. He works at the Ken Theater…

GARAGE SALE:

The American Garage Sale establishes itself like an open retreat and social detachment: “I invite you to my home to buy my second hand objects”. It puts to sale personal and private objects, which are not of use and consequently, have a second possibility at being discovered and recycled. However, the essence of this project is found in the possibility of interaction between two otherwise strangers.

The guests can buy and are also invited to take part in an exercise of connection: getting to know a small part of this discarded privacy through the simple act of attending, browsing, and choosing. Whether its an object of necessity or an art piece that a guest finds, this exercise becomes a reflexive act of “Prying”: Looking through the things that others have in their homes as a communicative practice between guest and seller: A meeting through objects.

In the end, it is quite possible that the task of getting rid of a part of ones privacy through the exchange of cash will not have been completed. However, interaction and communication will be evident through the movements of guests and objects alike.
-- Judith Pedroza

In the midst of our dissolving economy there is a death at Wal-Mart, a
worker trampled to the end of his life by shoppers so ready to spend
money, so anxious to get to the BIG DEAL first, nothing could stop them.
In every state, Teachers and care providers are losing their jobs, and yet
Christmas was still here. As bright and overpriced as ever.
I wonder what it may take to end this epidemic, to put a stop or even a
skip in this contagious influenza that is crippling our country. Ironically, in this time of change and nationwide renewal, I found myself organizing a Garage Sale!
Moving through the remnants of my rubbish I could remember what
originally brought me to keep these now useless items...
A 13 inch black and white TV and one eyed yellow bear
A pair of electric scissors from Montgomery ward, circa 1960
Portable typewriter, needing ink
Pair of brown wedges, size 8 1/2
Orange hard case suitcase and slip dress
An oval mirror with pink rosettes
Framed waterfall scene with 2 horses, that lights up with scenic noises
Retro inspired media player, with irremovable cd
4 borderless clip frames, in assorted sizes
A set of 5 steak knives, wood handle and Beaches on VHS
A Vintage TV tray...
and piles and piles more of irrelevant objects.
The appeal of maintaining these things was once enough to preserve their place in my life.
Yet even in their boxed grave, their presence alone
irritates me and I want them GONE, immediately! Like an urgent bowel
movement, flushed, good-bye! So long to the living memoirs,
I’d rather have 50 cents.
Even more so, I have found each article a gaping mouth begging to be fed, hungry with neglect, living in their hope of a second or 75th life, still useful to someone who does not mind dusting it, or ideally, to someone who can USE it!
Our GARAGE SALE features these items as a tribute to my wasted youth,
as a source of fundraising to keep our space alive, and as a challenge to all of you.
What do the items you keep, say about you? What about the ones you are willing to waste? What is sacred, and how is that kept? In storage, under a bed, outside? And what are you worth, anyway?
-- Joy Boe

Garage sales can illustrate the principles of visual marketing and generate
questions about the nature of objects. I have worked in various jobs that
have stressed the importance of visual displays and the idea of silent
selling. The goal of which is to construct displays in such a way that
makes a customer feel like the objects are unique and/or special and are
there solely for their needs. A boutique clothing store, of which there are plenty in North Park, has a greater understanding of this concept then, lets say, CVS or Walgreen's, which has the convenience of stacked full displays, but lacks the faked uniqueness of the boutiques objects. It is the moral of the fable “Emperor's New Clothes” that interests me.

Can objects be arranged in such a way that it would make a solid contribution to the amount of sales?
Does the installation of the garage sale within a gallery setting contribute/detract from the value of the objects and authenticity of said installation?
Do the objects and sale seem more important in the gallery than they do in a real life garage sale?
What would make one garage sale, (this one hopefully), more successful than another?

For this event I have donated valuables in the form of effort (help) and
time. I have nothing to donate or art with which to sell to buyers. I do
however have my precious time and my ability to help in some capacity,
which will hopefully contribute to the aesthetics of the event.
-- Josh Bellfy

Swap meets and flea markets, yard sales, garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, dumpster diving, even craigslist . . . the treasure hunt never ends. As one who makes art and has a slightly unhealthy obsession with shopping for used junk, when I was asked to be part of Agitprop’s rummage sale I couldn’t imagine a better fit. While the pursuit of the killer bargain is my main motivation for spending so much time second-hand shopping I am interested also in what this never-ending flow of stuff might imply. I am attracted to how the thrift store or rummage sale can incidentally become a place of sociological critique and how, often times, more is revealed about culture in these places than in galleries and museums. I’m looking forward to seeing what we might discover when art gallery is transformed into rummage sale. But if nothing is learned at least I walked away with the Wonder Woman travel coffee mug that I couldn’t live without – and I only paid a dollar for it.
-- Joe Yorty

sometimes you find
something grand
in places you did not
think to look.

And as often as it does,
our minds follow too close a
line, and prevents
us from being able to see

we create art everywhere
the other day i found
something simple
something grand
and bought it for almost
nothing:
a little mark rothko postcard,
it was framed.

it made me think of this idea
of having art in a gallery
and art to be found in a
yard sale.
-- Eddie Miramontes

*Martha Rosler, excerpts from ‘The Garage Sale is a Metaphor for the Mind: A Conversation between Martha Rosler and Jens Hoffmann’, in Stephen Johnstone, ed., The everyday ( Cambridge, MA: Whitechapel &The MIT Press, 2008), 222-223.

Spun by Art as Authority at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

by Richard Gleaves

The San Diego Museum of Art is laying off 23 people across all departments.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has already laid off 13 people.

Wishing those affected the best of fortune, and a return to their place in our houses of art.

Link

Spun by Richard Gleaves at 11:31 AM | Permalink

by Kevin Freitas


Annuals when referring to plants, typically start from seed and grow to maturity, flower, than produce more seeds in the space of one year. Biennials on the other hand, take two growing seasons to complete the same task. Can we draw an analogy between plants, artists and their longevity? Do the artists in the exhibit need another year to bloom? - Perhaps. The Cannon Art Gallery’s 2009 Juried Biennial on view through February 7 might give us some answers. The word Biennial with its origins dating from the 16th century has, other than describing plant growth and a myriad of other every 2-year events, infiltrated the Contemporary art world’s vernacular for decades. Used to denote such prestigious events as the Venice Biennial, the Whitney Biennial and a host of other contemporary art fairs, it appears every major city across the globe has one. This years Cannon Biennial in Carlsbad is its ninth.



Adam Belt

Stephen Hepworth, Curator of UCSD’s University Art Gallery and Sue Greenwood, Director of Greenwood Fine Art in Laguna Beach had the daunting task of selecting “46 works of art by 26 artists from over 1100 images submitted by 272 artists”. These raw data points come from the gallery’s handout which is made available to all visitors. Difficult to understand why this bit of information is important; feeling strangely euphoric from a job well done, but also slightly apologetic for the results turned in. 272 artists that “represent” San Diego County’s depth and diversity of artistic talent are not many nor are the 26 deemed “representative.”



Ariel Diaz


This is troubling I believe, since Biennials are supposed to be at the forefront of greatness, highlighting artistic vision with the expectation of discovering a yet unknown talent. The jury in a perfect world, selects the best of the best based on a certain level of criteria and quality of the candidate’s production. In doing so, the juror makes a commitment to the work she believes is an accurate and relevant statement about the exhibit and its artists for the public’s comprehension. A jury should maintain a rigorous selection process, be prestigious, and offer a glimpse into the art world’s future. It is unclear whether the Cannon’s Biennial has achieved this.

“From figurative portraits to brightly hued abstractions, from color photography to delicate wall hangings, from conceptual assemblages to finely hewn furniture, this exhibition is certain to have something to stimulate everyone’s interest, fire their imagination and satisfy their spirit,” so says the gallery’s brochure. In essence, this translates into something for everyone, a panoply of expressions and tastes, satisfyingly unsatisfying, or in truth, a survey of “multidimensionality,” a “variety of themes” with rare occasions of brilliance and panache from a handful of artists.



Michelle Montjoy


Better to label it survey show that does not elucidate any direction of the arts in San Diego. Pleasing to the eye perhaps, but is this enough? Why weren’t the best of the best picked? The answer lies in the quality of the work selected and in the balance and cohesion of its presentation. The public will for the most part and in good faith, refrain from questioning a show’s intent or purpose or an artist’s work, believing of course these types of decisions about quality and merit have already been made. An exhibit’s organizer on the other hand, should not take advantage of the public’s trust or lack of accountability. I am in no way accusing the Cannon Gallery of being dishonest, it is however, easier to put on a good show that will challenge the public’s intelligence and sensibility than opting for universal themes and multidimensionality. If there is no direction to be found then look deeper.



Tara Smith


The point is it’s difficult to tell if we have the best work in front of us, the mix is so varied and diverse, there is no way of making any comparisons between them or similar genres. We are unable to tell if these artists are “experts” in their choice of medium. I would have reduced the number of artists, allowing for an even greater number of works, concentrating on the few who were pushing their craft and the boundaries of their imagination. When there was an attempt to do just that, say for example the paintings by Gerrit Greve - large scale close-up portraits of women’s faces – the “extra” pieces did not give us any further details or insights, rather they relied on very loose and somewhat formulaic brush work, taking up more canvas than our interest. Feeling a little disappointed that Greve’s work in the Movers and Shakers exhibit, albeit similar, was much stronger. It seemed there, he had allowed himself the time, leisure and energy to really look into his subject’s faces. Adding more work can only help if the work is of equal or better quality.

There are other painters in the show of course, as varied as their imagery and curiously out of place in the context of the exhibit, functioning if you will like occasional blips on a radar screen. The successful works were those that weren’t trying to be more than they proclaimed. I felt a certain “plasir” when looking at them, recognizing a certain naiveté and joyous exploration of the materials with no desire by the artist to make it “Art” with a capital A or for that matter, contemporary. Jonathan Wiltshire’s “The City on the Hill,” a futurist and utopian vision of a civilization on a hill is an example of this, or Elizabeth Washburn’s encaustic and oil entitled “Habitat Tree #3” is another – a beautifully executed patchwork of bright colors, texture, layers and creamy surface that depicts a large tree in Autumn. Other works by Duke Windsor of cityscapes and alleys or Al Felman’s “plein air” landscapes, though commonplace, were deftly executed raising them above the din of similar schools of thought. On the other hand, works by Judy Pike “Sisters and the Rift between Them,” the rift represented by the separation of the two panels it is painted on, and Tara Smith’s “Cover Your Neighbor 2,” remain bland and too stylistically contrived.



David Fobes



David Fobes


David Fobes was a refreshing addition to the show however. His “Chromantic” paintings function as paintings until you come closer and discover they have been made using different colors of common household duct tape. Fobes work was also seen this past October in the Simayspace Gallery downtown, one of the few last shows organized in that space before it recently closed. A quick visit to Mister Fobes.com and you’ll discover an artist and a designer of both furniture and architectural projects, who has a witty but clever sense of humor and a love of color that permeates his work. Chromantic is a word Fobes made up meaning – chrome (color) and mantic (ability to see or be prophetic) that are “like the visions elucidated by a clairvoyant, they are not whole, they are missing bits of information, or the information itself may be ambiguous.” This could be read as the brightly multi-colored bands of duct tape that appear in Fobes work of similar length and width, like code bars on a can of soup, which once scanned, gives the price of the product but doesn’t necessairly tell you what that product is made of.

Fobes Chromantic series are often minimal-esque architectural interiors “missing” information like a third wall, a door, or support for the ceiling. They are stark, colorful, a bit hypnotic, playful, and unintentionally poke fun at the Color Field painters of the 70’s with the same rigor and execution of Stella’s Hard-Edge works. The two works on display in the Cannon exhibit are a welcome relief to the stuffiness of the rest of the show, leaving me to wonder what the show might of looked like “installed” in one of Fobes interiors. It seems rather appropriate to ponder this as I imagine myself an avatar in some Second Life online adventure, enjoying the art and the comforts of Fobes home sweet home.



Will Gibson


There is very little photography in this exhibit; I was drawn in particular to Will Gibson’s “The Ore Loader” (Marquette, Michigan) a beautiful B&W photograph of an abandoned ore loader, depositing ore on to ships that would carry the precious cargo across the great lakes. The frankness, simplicity and compositional allure of this photo is in large part, due to Mother Nature’s ability to render most of man’s blemishes beautiful once again, as well as, Gibson’s eye which is much more precise than in his other photos. Landscape is also prevalent in the work of James Soe Nyun and “The Yellowstone Burnscapes,” documentary homage to pioneering photographers like William Henry Jackson and his “great geographical surveys of the American West”. Nyun contemporizes the work by photographing the Yellowstone landscape some twenty years later after the park suffered major firestorm damage in 1988.



James Soe Nyun


Art’s ability and an artist’s desire as Gesa Cowell puts it, “to create images that are able to evoke emotions,” I believe, is the most difficult task to accomplish in any art making process. The unending bombardment of imagery across our television or computer screens, YouTube videos and I Reporters has only made matters worse, concretizing photography’s somewhat undisputed chronicler of all things, people, and events as truth – as reality. That reality, especially today, compressed into .jpegs and sent world wide with a touch of a button, can overwhelm and even undermine the work of Cowell, no matter how “personally symbolic.” Therein lies the difficulty, how does an artist translate emotion onto a pellicle of film and make it convincing, when in Cowell’s case, clichéd images of a toy polar bear, an alarm clock or candlestick, even her Mother’s slippers (according to the title of the piece) are so unconvincing?



Joseph Bennett


The sculptors and installation artists in this exhibit, with few exceptions, did not fare well either. Joseph Bennett’s pieces had the unfortunate experience of being bookends to Shawn Goodell’s untitled cut-out paper submarine, though I’m not sure their placement somewhere else would have made much of a difference. Goodell’s is a delicate and intricate work weaved together by crisscrossing strands exposed by the removal of the paper’s surface, exposing the submarine’s exoskeleton in a spider web motif of positive and negative shapes that make up the whole. Goodell’s work is an anomaly, a specimen in a cabinet of curiosities, strangely out of place yet perfectly in step with contemporary times and art making practices. Bennett’s work, typically assemblages of found objects, their surfaces covered in spraycan white, resemble a beginning drawing class still-life, more than the carefully composed and vastly more compelling constructions he is known for. Placement was also an issue for Kathy Miller’s mixed media installation entitled, “Contemplation”. Stuck in one of the gallery’s corners, it did not help its heavy handed execution of portraying/questioning society’s idea of the female body and the anxiety it can elicit according to Miller. While certainly detrimental and abusive to a majority of women, Miller’s selection of materials to convey this anxiety – a 19th century inspired padded girdle constricted at the waist, flowing robe made up of cloth measuring tapes weighted down by iron rings, and a broken mirror fastened to the wall – does not liberate the viewer’s awareness and manages at best, a stereotypical response from the artist.



Shawn Goodell - click for larger image



Shawn Goodell



Shawn Goodell


In the end, other than Fobes’s duct tape paintings, three artists, Kelly Schnorr, Lee Puffer, and Paul Henry, stand up the best in the context of this show. You can loosely find similarities between all three: women’s roles within the society and family, domesticity, elders, family secrets, home and how it is presented through objects, keepsakes, furniture or a family’s memorabilia - a chipped mug, music box, grandma’s afghan rug etc. What do we hold dear or precious? What do we notice or remember about our past? What or who have we forgotten? Each artist seems to grapple with these issues in their own unique and powerful way.



Kelly Schnorr


Kelly Schnorr presents a piece entitled, “Aunt Pearl, Uncle Frank,” represented by small ceramic houses sitting on shelves one above the other, with a series of flowery coffee cups both store bought and their ceramic copies, hanging on hooks next to the houses. There are black charcoal outlines of these cups on the wall insuring their proper placement and hanging, much like any car mechanic’s tool blackboard – orderliness is next to godliness. However, some cups have been removed or are missing, even on of the houses. But there is more trouble brewing underneath, coming to the surface, fading at times, scrubbed away, tarnished like the cups and houses themselves, faint words appear over and over on their surface – “Dirty” “Ugly” – are these words referring to Aunt Pearl, Uncle Frank or what went on in these houses? We don’t know. Careful observation reveals a metallic screw head protruding from where the house’s chimney should be, a quick turn of the screw sets in motion a hidden music box, as music gently wafts through the gallery, covering up once again a less than idyllic situation. The family that keep secrets together stays together.



Lee Puffer



Lee Puffer


Lee Puffer’s “Trophy Rack” is just as poignant. A woman’s head (the artist’s) made from terra cotta complete with antlers sticking out of her forehead, is presented like a trophy within a gilded thrift store frame that hangs on the wall. Confronting similar issues to those of Miller’s “Contemplation,” Puffer expands these notions into what she calls the “vanishing woman.” Trophies are for the most part prizes, compensation for the taking and domination of an opponent, animal or human spirit. It is vanity at its purest form and stupidity at its basest manifestation. Puffer believes, “some women disappear into motherhood, careers, and marriages… their identity as individuals is subjugated by their roles as mother, wife, and employee.” In other words, they are models to be put on display as examples of accepted behaviour or risk the possibility of extinction and indifference. The power of Puffer’s work and its desire to “honor everyday women and validate their experiences,” effectively circumvents traditional notions of recognition via an inanimate award or effigy, by calling our attention first to what women do as individuals before they are glorified mistakenly, as someone else’s treasure or property.



Paul Henry



Paul Henry



Paul Henry



Paul Henry


Lastly, Paul Henry’s exquisite furniture pieces or parts there of, are refreshingly beautiful, stunning to look at, witty and downright sensual – or what he would shyly call, “leg fetishes”. Indeed they are, but only one leg, a table leg carved from poplar or basswood and then fitted with tiny little drawers not much bigger than a jewel box’s. These are wonderful playful works that recall mythical castles in the sky, tree houses, Frank Gehry-esque architecture and Brancusi’s Endless Columns and Bird in Space sculptures.

The Cannon Art Gallery’s 2009 Juried Biennial, suffering from a somewhat un-inspired selection of works is not helped by the overcrowding of its installation (Henry’s leg sculptures also became bookends for Maria De Castro’s ceramic muses) and too much diversity that dilutes any distinctive movement or trend. It is rather, hegemony of presubscribed aesthetic taste wholly predictable and lacking innovation. A disappointment that does not I’m sure, represent accurately neither what exists in San Diego nor what the city is capable of demonstrating in the art it produces. We can do better.

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

from the press release





Art @ the Core is a community movement in North Park and City Heights that utilizes art as a catalyzing force for positive change. Our goal is to increase access, engagement and participation in the civic process through cultural development. www.artcoresd.org

Welcome to Art @ the Core!

Thank you for your interest in this new North Park and City Heights neighborhood initiative in which we are committeed to ... Seeing, Engaging, and Envisioning!

How can YOU see, engage, and envision?

Beginning in February, we invite you to participate in Voices and Mapping the Hood. 2 projects that create a visual, verbal, and movement based dialogue about community, and our role and responsibilities in it. We will physically and artfully chart, document and reflect our collective Interests, Ideas, and Concerns in a theatrical, multi-media production and a visual art installation. Join us for the first community gathering to find your niche in an Art @ the Core Leadership Team.

February 14, 2009 / 2-5pm
At the City Heights studio of transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project.
4634 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105

Art @ the Core Programs
Free Community Classes

Intergenerational Dance Class in City Heights!

Presented by: transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project
Every Monday ~ 6:45-7:45pm (Begins January 26th)

4634 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Call 619.255.3812
info@tdarts.org

Hip Hop Dance Class in North Park!

Presented by: Eveoke Dance Theatre
Every Wednesday ~ 4:30-5:30pm (Begins February 4th)

2811-A University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Call 619.238.1153 or e-mail
melanie@eveoke.org

Visual Arts Class in North Park!

Presented by: Stone Paper Scissors
Every Thursday ~ 4:00-5:00pm

North Park Recreation Center
4044 Idaho St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Call 619.584.4448
lynn@stonepaperscissors.com

Art @ the Core Partners

Thank you to:

The San Diego Foundation's Arts & Culture Working Group for developing the Art Works for San Diego initiative!

Art @ the Core is generously funded by:
The James Irvine Foundation Cultural Arts and Humanities Fund
Ariel W. Coggeshall Fund

Spun by Art as Authority at 03:15 PM | Permalink

by Kevin Freitas


One of the more innovative and spectacular shows that I've seen in San Diego was Christine Lee's installation at Art Produce Gallery entitled, "Shims: Thousands of Uses - Use #3". It was an amazing show by an amazing artist. More recently, Lee was invited by SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc. to create a public artwork and an installation using 100% reclaimed wood and concrete. The result was an exhibit of these works in January. Images of the work can be seen here.



click for larger image

click for larger image

Spun by Art as Authority at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

from the press release





HEALTH SHOW
Presenting “HEALTH,” a collaborative show featuring the works of seven San Diego based artists:
Adam Hathorn, Chandu Reading, Die Kuts, Monica Hoover, NEKO, thatkidpeep and SURGE.

Opening Reception: Friday February 6th 2009 7pm – 10pm
Gorilla! Gallery
3013 N.Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714.547.5451
www.gorillagozilla.com
Exhibition 2/6/09 – 3/27/09

PRESS RELEASE:
The term “health” has invariably been applied to society as a term used to describe soundness of one's body or mind, the freedom from disease or ailments, one’s vitality, economic health or simply a polite wish for individual happiness. While these topics can be found within the artwork created, the artists in this show have either chosen to take the term literally and create a visual interpretation based on their instincts, defining health as a lifestyle choice and a means beyond one’s control or, they chose to create less literally, creating a piece instead for their individual soundness of mind. Perhaps this is rooted in their own recovery, serenity, all around – doing what they love for their mental health and for the viewers' appreciation.

“HEALTH” showcases painting, stenciling, drawings and photography from the genre of the low bro, or “SABI” street - art - brought - indoors movement. A significant collaborative artwork addition to the show includes seven, 4’x6’ panels. Additionally, each artist will showcase his or her individual work collectively – intermingled and salon style – so as to keep the eye moving and intrigued as one peruses the gallery.

Each of the seven 4’x6’ panels feature a photograph of an abandoned trailer photographed in 2007 by Monica Hoover with every artist contributing a painted element in their style to one of the panels. The show flyer features the HEALTH trailer which serves as the centerpiece and inspiration of the show. The HEALTH trailer belongs to one of the show’s artist, Chandu Reading. In 2006, Reading painted the words "HEALTH" on the trailer and said, “ I wanted to quit smoking so I painted the words 'health' on the trailer so that when I would wake up every morning I could look across my property, see the word 'health' and be reminded of why I needed to stay strong.” Hoover had photographed the trailer in 2007 and a year later, living in Jamul, California, Hoover stumbled across a trailer graveyard that she instantly felt the need to capture. With a portfolio of trailer photographs, Hoover presented the idea of a collaborative show to the other artists, and thus " HEALTH" was born.

The aim of all seven artists is to promote innovative fine art and to represent the burgeoning San Diego arts community. Observing many of their successful contemporaries come and go through San Diego, these artists have stuck it out in a city more noted for its weather than its emerging art scene.

The future for the "HEALTH" show is a national touring plan to include cities where the art scene is living and breathing.

Adam Hathorn

Adam Hathorn was born in New York in 1977. After bouncing around the tristate area a bit, he and his family settled down in Boston, Massachusetts.. An above average intellect and way above average Attention Deficit Disorder led him to turn his notebooks into sketchbooks, his social studies class to art class and gym to nap time. Besides skateboarding, and lighting things on fire, drawing evil shit was all he really cared about. From old Pushead skate graphics to underground comics, anything gross or funny was what made the cut on his trapper keeper. In 8th grade, Hathorn was supposed to do a report on something that he planned spending a lot of money on, so he chose tattooing. Instead of spending a lot of money on it, he turned it into a career, and has used it to fund numerous adventures, rent, and a gang of stuff he does not need from the swap meet. After high school, Adam attended the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia where he also did a tattoo apprenticeship. After doing his time in the south, notably Savannah and Atlanta, he moved west to find gold. He now resides in sunny San Diego where he can be found slingin' and stingin' tats with the Guru Tattoo wrecking crew, and keepin' it real on the regular with the rest of the folks in this show.

For the "HEALTH" show, “I'm doing a bunch of paint and ink drawings that don’t have to be done for other people since that’s what I do all day at work. It' s for my mental HEALTH.”

WWW.HONKEYKONG.COM
ACT LIKE YOU KNOW


Chandu Reading

San Diego native, Chandu Reading, credits his earliest interest in art from building forts as a child that were filled with anything in the neighborhood that wasn't nailed down.. “I was left alone with my creativity and a budget of zero.”

Reading is formally known for starting “Do The Math” in 2000, a poster and sticker campaign that has made its way from San Diego to Egypt and every place in between. His installation work has been featured in stencil books, magazines and on the San Diego news. Reading was also a featured artist in the hand - painted font book with Dave Kinsey and Tokeon Magazine with Shepard Fairey.

The "HEALTH" show will feature Chandu’s work of stencil and screen print on wood.

“I've always put my heart and soul into things that have no financial benefit or would ever be recognized by any establishments. I think that things are spoiled if they are taken too seriously. I do take the process of making art seriously but don't expect people to react to the work as anything more than fun to look at and throw me an A for effort.” Reading is currently working on "iseethateverywhere.com."


Die Kuts

A San Diegan of twenty-six years, Die Kuts was spawned in the imagination of a young graffiti writer years ago who was at the time attending the school of hard knocks. His caricatures began as stickers and posters, hence the name of "Die Kuts." His work is an eclectic mix of color and characters working spontaneously with a range of mediums consisting of mainly acrylic paint and india ink applied with brush. In addition to his street art Die Kuts' fine art has been shown in galleries across California.

“My goal is to open the eyes of people living monotonous lives, whether is be through legal or illegal means.”


Monica Hoover

Monica Hoover has been working as a freelance lifestyle and fashion photographer for the past decade.. Hoover was born in 1976 in Erie, PA., then later moved to Philadelphia where she attended Drexel University and received her BAS in Photography and Minor in Architecture.

Currently residing in San Diego since 1999, Hoover founded VOICE 1156 in July 2004, a gallery that co-existed as a photography / design studio and fine urban art gallery. VOICE is currently undergoing relocation to the East Village area of San Diego with an anticipated opening late 2009.

Hoover is exhibiting various 2’x2’ fine art photo panels for the "HEALTH" show. Her subject matter contains still lifes, portraits and scams, all which relay lifestyle choices that Hoover defines as health..

Hoover created her first image panels for an art exhibition in 2006. Inspired by the street artists she met through VOICE and, most reputably her former co-workers Shepard Fairey and Dave Kinsey of Blk Mrkt, Hoover savored years of friendship, mentorship and true artist kinship. Several "bombing" excursions later with Fairey, Kinsey and others, Hoover learned the true art of street postering. Through this technique, Hoover has taken the process to a new level by using her own photographs "bombed" on panels for clients to enjoy indoors. Hoover finishes each one-of-a-kind piece with a gloss coat, giving the familiar feel of framed art behind glass.

WWW.MONICAHOOVER.COM
PRACTICE CREATIVE ACTIVISM


Neko Burke

Since 1995, San Diego native Neko Burke has been a self taught Fine Artist. Neko’s paintings are larger than life. Even massive gallery spaces must compete with the grandeur of his pieces. Rich earth tones, roughly textured canvases and geometric shapes complement a dark mixture of abstract characters and temperamental lines. Neko’s aggravated passion for painting reveals his inner agitation that his surroundings have brought to him.

In 1997 Neko began working as a professional carpenter and general contracting Foreman, of which he is currently employed. In 2000, Neko began to curate art exhibitions for various artist groups and solo shows which lead to his involvement as one of the main curators at the VOICE Gallery in 2004. Neko was one of the founding rocks of the VOICE gallery and he plans to continue to curate exhibitions at the new VOICE gallery, anticipated to open late 2009.

Past Exhibitions: modest behavior 1,2; neko solo show; price center; neko peep show; understood sk8board show 1,2,3; circus punks toy show; secrets of society show; collabro 1,2,3; 2cent aristrocats project; speakeasy show; bluebottle show; subterfuge; exit6; sk8deck show; jedidiah show; gluenetwork; urban renewal project; thievery corp show; leftover show; below average show; beyond the schoolyard; life is hard but so am I; complaint box; statement 1,2,3; bears vs. bunnies 1,2,3; tou-ki show; coexist ; do the math show; wssa show; hit the deck show

The "HEALTH" show will feature Neko’s mixed media on wood as canvas. “My art for this show is about me and the struggles I have with my vices: afraid of being crazy, harboring loss of friends to suicide, addiction to drugs and booze, graffiti, and social anxiety.”

WWW.SLUTSONE.COM


SURGE

Sergio Hernandez (aka SURGE) was born and raised in San Diego, California. His parents have deep roots in the city of Tijuana, Mexico, so as a child he frequently visited the city. Surge has been involved in graffiti since his youth and has been held accountable for his actions by the city of San Diego on more than one occasion. In 2004, he received his bachelor's degree in Painting and Printmaking from San Diego State University.

Surge's paintings tell stories that he was told as a child, or experienced himself. His two children have motivated him to adopt a style that is playful and can be appreciated by kids as well as adults. The characters in his work reflect city life and people he has met.

Through painting, Surge has had the opportunity to exhibit his work in cities across the nation and also in other countries. He has created artwork for three solo shows and over 50 group shows.

The "HEALTH" show will feature Surge’s mixed media use of acrylic and spray paint on canvas.

Surge is currently a tattoo artist in San Diego and is also involved in the local music and martial arts scene.

WWW.SURGEMDR.COM


thatkidpeep

Nathaniel Pearce - “Peep” “thatkidpeep” is a self-taught artist who became interested in art as a young kid and a freelance illustration artist. Born and raised in North Carolina, he attributes his earliest artistic influences to family trips driving up and down the east coast, which exposed him to skateboarding and graffiti and provoked his curiosity. Meeting others that shared his new found interests, Peep soon found himself a new lifestyle that would serve as the foundation of his art career. “This was all we wanted to do. Ride around on skateboards, write on shit, take photos and stay up late listening to music.”

Eventually, a new area was needed to waste time in, so a move to San Diego, CA in 1999 was made and things ended up getting a bit more serious: Peep was introduced into a new world of the Finer Arts and has been involved ever since.

Peep has exhibited his artwork in various solo and group shows around the country, the Caribbean and was a part of establishing San Diego’s VOICE 1156 Gallery. “I can’t think of anything else in life that has provided me with such satisfaction and for that I’m grateful! Although the process may change, the product remains the same…happiness.”

The "HEALTH" show will feature Peep’s mixed media use of acrylic, spray paints, and inks. "I feel my art reflects more so how I would view the day - to - day. I like to find the humor in things. Although sometimes it proves harder than others, it's better than the alternative.. Making stuff is fun to me... I like to retain that aspect."

Past Exhibitions:
“Understood” 1, 2, & 3; “Neko & Peep”; “Sinner’s Ball”; “Collabro”; “Cream” grand opening; “Topsy Turvy” Chandu & thatkidpeep; “Statement” 1, 2, & 3 “Urban Renewal Project”; “Solo Show” in Winston-Salem, NC; “Beyond the Schoolyard” LA; “Secrets of Society” @ Studio Number One, LA; “Complaint Box”; “Life Is Hard, But So Am I”; “Co-Exist”; “Directing The Masses” @ Progression Gallery, Pomona.

Spun by Art as Authority at 07:56 AM | Permalink