Archive for September, 2008
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Blitz Bling
It’s good to be Pharrell – Kaws Diamond Blitz.
Source/Image: Billionaire Boys Club
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Preview of Futura’s Strategic Synchronicity
KRUNK will unveil a public preview of Futura’s Strategic Synchronicity this Thursday at LA’s Downtown Art Walk. Don’t be surprised to see red dots on large-scale paintings as the global art community is feverishly clamoring for the work. Some ink and marker drawings will be available in this one-night-only public preview prior to the VIP opening on September 18th.
Monday, September 8th, 2008
!!!Dzine and Swoon!!!
Last night, Deitch Studios, Long Island City, put the exclamation mark on the opening of the NYC art season with two truly spectacular shows. Dzine’s The Beautiful Struggle is an eye-popping display of intricately handcrafted bling, from bejeweled paintings to pimped-out cars and bikes to neon signs and mirrors. Swoon’s Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea is also meticulously hand-made, but uses more earthy and everyday materials such as paper, wood and rope to construct a grand installation that is the perfect counterpoint to Dzine’s glittery excess. To top off the event, after a three week voyage down the Hudson River, Swoon has docked her floating fleet outside the warehouse installation and will kick off three consecutive nights of music and performance on September 11th.
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Suzanne Sattler & Mel Kadel, Cinders Gallery
Although not able to make the opening Friday, The Art Collectors made sure not to miss Swirl of Swarm this weekend at perennial favorite Cinders Gallery in Williamsburg. The show features two illustrative artists, Suzanne Sattler and Mel Kadel. Sattler creates beautifully rendered pencil pieces that often depict ambiguously friendly/dangerous interactions between people and nature. Kadel’s colorful drawings on coffee stained paper focus on the relationships people have with each other and with themselves. Runs through Oct.5.
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
Greg Simkins and David Choong Lee at Joshua Liner Gallery
Chelsea’s Joshua Liner Gallery hosted the opening last night of two must-see shows by California artists Greg “Craola” Simkins and David Choong Lee. Simkins’ It Wanders East consists of a stunning new collection of paintings that combine a “Burtonesque” pop-surrealist style with a nod to classical European painting. Choong Lee’s Village of Wind is a fireworks display of colorfully painted cigar boxes and wine crates, incorporating organic shapes, geometric patterns and realistic portraits. Read on for more pics.
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
And Now…Lydia Fong
Barry McGee presents A Moment for Reflection, a fresh installation at Ratio 3 Gallery, in his hometown of San Francisco. For the exhibit, McGee adds to his catalog of aliases, employing the name Lydia Fong. The new moniker represents a stylistic progression the artist has been alluding to in multiple interviews over the past year. With his popular characters and floating heads on retreat, more abundant geometric tape paintings, and a new vocabulary of stymbols taking center stage, McGee’s art seems to be moving towards increased abstarction. Visit the Ratio 3′ site for more images and a full installation view. Exhibit runs Sept 6 – Oct 18.
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
A.J. Fosik, Paris
Galerie LJ Beaubourg welcomes A.J. Fosik today, for the opening of his first European solo show. The exhibit features the artist’s signature animal sculptures, intricately fashioned from hundreds of hand-cut pieces of wood. On view Sept 6 – Sept 29. Read the rest of this entry »
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Power and Currency at Factory Fresh
The inclement weather that caused the postponement of the Art Parade could not deter The Art Collectors from venturing out to Bushwick today to check out Power and Currency, which opened last night at Factory Fresh. The show, curated by collector and “Neo Grafitti” art consultant Natlie Kates, includes a diverse selection of works that examine the different meanings of the two concepts, by such notable artists as Aiko, D*Face, Tom Fruin, Gaia and Steve Powers.
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Jonathan LeVine’s Season Opener
Last night, The Art Collectors squeezed into the packed Jonathan LeVine Gallery for a not-so-private preview of the gallery’s two great new shows. Ambien Somnambulants is Camille Rose Garcia‘s second solo show for JLG, consisting of original paintings and drawings overflowing with the dark, Gothic fairytale imagery for which she is known. The Panorama Project 3 is a group exhibition curated by Jordin Isip and Rodger Stevens, featuring commissioned works by over one hundred artists, including such notables as the Clayton Brothers, Matt Leines, Jim Houser, Jonathan Viner, Taylor McKimens and Brendan Monroe. Each artist created a 5″x7″ piece containing a horizon line, which when combined, creates a single collective artwork and a site-specific installation.
Friday, September 5th, 2008
Chris Johanson “Totals” Deitch
The Art Collectors were on hand last night as Jeffrey Deitch kicked off the art season with Chris Johanson’s Totalities. The full gallery installation “totally” (sorry) transforms the space into a fun-house of drawings and paintings, using reclaimed wood taken from dumpsters near the artist’s Brooklyn studio and from discarded art shipping crates. The work is meant to represent Johanson’s take on the natural world and is something that should be experienced in person, but if you haven’t yet had the chance, the following pictures should give you an idea. Read the rest of this entry »