We just noticed these new advertisements for Spread, a new movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche, going up around NYC. The sound waves looked all too familiar and upon further digging, we’ve confirmed that Dave Ellis was commissioned to design a set of three promotional posters for the film. If you aren’t already familiar with Ellis’ work, stop what you are doing and go here.

The international advertising campaign takes quite a different approach. Unfortunately, judging by the trailer, it seems a bit closer to what the movie really is – a rip off of 80s comedy Loverboy. For your amusement, we share it with you below.

Image: Filmofilia

Original Post:
To coincide with Takashi Murakami’s new Multicolore Spring Pallette Collection for Louis Vuitton, the luxury brand has rebranded its flagship Tokyo store with the artist’s designs.  Murakami’s Kaiai Kiki studio has also created a new animated short, entitled Superflat First Love (a sequel to the previously released Superflat Mongram, which can be seen in its entirety here), now available for download  on Louis Vuitton’s Japanese mobile phone site.

It is doubtful the new looks will make their way onto any fine art editions edition, as they did during Murakami’s 2008 retrospective at the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art. A lawsuit against Louis Vuitton claims the company committed fraud by violating California’s Fine Prints Act when it sold signed “prints” made from leftover handbag and accessory material during Murakami’s museum retrospective at LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

Tetsuya Suzuki at Honeyee

On a personal note, we here at TAC, along with several collector friends, remember quickly disregarding these shlock pieces at the museum. Some of us instead opted for the numerous lithographs on sale – which, coincidentally have been selling at auction ever since.  Long story short, anyone spending money on art, no matter how cheap or expensive, should do their due diligence and know what they are buying. An artist or dealer can pass off anything they want as art – that’s the nature of contemporary art. It’s not their fault when someone chooses to buy a piece of crap and speculates its future value. The LA Times has the full story here and here.

Japanese pop icon Keiichi Tanaami and UK artist Pete Fowler (known for his Monsterism creations) have produced a series of exciting collaborative images. Sorry collectors – there are no originals to be had here. Rather, the art was commissioned by  pyschedelic Welsh rockers, Super Furry Animals, for their latest album, Dark Days/Light Years, released stateside by Warner Bros. this past week.  While the album marks the first time the two have worked together, DD/LY does not represent the first time SFA have worked with either of these notable artists. Fowler lent his designs to six of the band’s previous LPs, and Tannami’s art has graced the cover of their last two albums. 

Click images for larger views or download the entire Dark Days/Light Years album art for free here. 

Love Monster, Aiko‘s new solo exhibit with Joshua Liner Gallery is nothing short of a stand out hit in the otherwise far too saturated and grossly speculated environment of street art. The show is primarily comprised of several ambitious large scale mixed media works on canvas that serve as metaphorical self portraits for the artist, which contemplate gender, cultural, and artistic identity. In My Fortune Cookie Says the Secret to Success is to Go Your Own Way, a voluptuous woman strips along the edge of a boat, spray can in hand, revealing herself to the New York skyline. The watchful eye of the city, disguised here as a playful panda, stands close by, while law enforcement reward posters collage the background. With Love Monster, it is abundantly clear that Lady Aiko has moved beyond her roots as a founding member of the FAILE collective, establishing an identity and presence uniquely her own. – Read on for our extensive photo recap and click images for larger views.

Aiko - Love Monster
April 18 – May 16
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 W. 28 Street, 3rd Floor
NY, NY 10001
info@joshualinergallery.com

Aiko and DB

After much media and law enforcement attention, Poster Boy opens Adbooster this Friday, April 3rd at Eastern District in Brooklyn, NY. 

RSVP: info@eastern-district.com

Just a few weeks after Poster Boy made headlines after being arrested, the subway ad slasher slices again, this time targeting the Museum of Modern Art, who recently launched a major ad campaign, dominating the Atlantic-Pacific subway station in Brooklyn. What is most peculiar is the accomplice who helped Poster Boy pull of the ambitious stunt.  New York Magazine reports that Doug Jaeger, the Happy Corp. marketing executive hired to create the advertisments, aided the illusive artist in accomplishing his 2am advertising remix. The pair entered the station in seemingly official MoMA jackets, along with hired models, professional lighting and a photographer, convincing MTA police of their official status.

In an interview with New York, Jaeger shared his reasoning:

“Early on we saw Poster Boy’s work, and we realized it was inevitable that if we did this project, his crew would likely see it as an opportunity….”I don’t know if [MoMA] like for me to be saluting it…but if someone who is getting acclaim as an artist does something to your campaign, does it make it less valuable or more valuable?”

Along with the cynically media-savvy, CBS Outdoor, the ad firm who installed the original campaign, were quick to accuse MoMA of corroboration – a claim the museum is firmly denying.  

Images: Doug Jaeger

This weekend brings yet another round of 2009′s first gallery openings. Here’s a few we’ve got our sights on:

CRASH (John Matos) – Unfinished Business / Oliver Vernon – Unexpected Occurrences, Joshua Liner Gallery, opening reception 7-9pm, Jan. 17 – Feb.

Cleon Peterson – The Occupation, New Image Art, opening reception 7-10pm, Jan. 17 – Feb. 14

Jim Houser, Doze Green, Adam Wallacavage + Tara McPherson – Americana 2009 – Choque Cultural, Jan. 17 – Feb. 27.

Mark Mothersbaugh – Andenken Gallery, opening reception 7pm, Jan. 16 – Jan. 31.

Aaron Rose – Born to Cry, Hope Gallery, Jan. 17 – Feb. 11.

Andy Warhol – Warhol from the Sonnabend Collection, Gagosian Gallery, opening reception 6-8pm, Jan. 20 – Feb. 28.

Wang Zhijie,  Zhang Hui, Fan Xiaoyan and others - 14 Chinese Contemporary Artists – Eli Klein Fine Art, Jan. 15 – March 2.

Robert Williams, Robert Crumb, Rick Griffin + S. Clay Wilson - Zap Masters, Copro Nason, opening reception Jan. 17 8-11:30pm – Jan. 31.

The Art Collectors put on our best tourist face and made a quick trip to Times Square to snap a few pics in the snow of KAWS’ new billboard for Kanye West. Click images for larger views.