Archive for April, 2009
Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Supine, NeckFace, Bast + more Opening at New Image
From left: Judith Supine, Neck Face, Cleon Peterson, Ben Jones, Bäst.
Octo Pusses, a group show featuring Antonio Trecel Diaz, Aaron Johnson, Judith Supine, Gino Perez, Cleon Peterson, Neck Face, and Ben Jones, opens this Saturday, May 2, at New Image Art in Los Angeles. Also on view in the project room will be Horse Radish, a small exhibit by Brooklyn based artist, Bäst. Show runs till May 23.
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Steve Powers Gets Drunk on the Lord
Just in are these new images from 2 Fists of Iron and a Bottle of Beer, Steve Powers’ current exhibit at White Flag Projects (previewed here) in St. Louis. Along with his crew of “Studio Gangsters,” Powers has constructed The Church of the Open Tab -part chapel, part bar – where the church altar is replaced by a jukebox and stained glass-like panels of troubled, iconic sinners from the world of music serve as saints and our connection to the divine. More to come (we hope).
Click through for more images.
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Handbags and Lawsuits – More from Murakami + Louis Vuitton
Images: Jessica Michibata at Honeyee
UPDATE: 1/2 Murakami Vuitton Lawsuit Dismissed
A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has thrown out one of Clint Arthur’s two opportunistic claims against Louis Vuitton and Los Angeles MOCA. The dismissed class action suit concerned lithographic prints by Takashi Murakami, bought at the the museum’s store during the exhibit ©Murakami. Arthur alleged violation of California’s Fine Prints Act, which requires dealers to certify authenticity and provide information concerning how works are produced and how rare they are. Judge William Highberger said Arthur had no standing to sue the museum because he didn’t accept MOCA’s offer to refund the $2,655 he paid for three prints.
The second federal lawsuit is still pending, and concerns “print editions made from the same material as Murakami’s handbag and accessory collection for Louis Vuitton, sold at the their special pop-up shop set up in MOCA. Arthur says that Louis Vuitton committed fraud by passing off left over production material as fine art editions.
Read more in the LA Times
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.
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Clemente at Deitch
Taking a momentary break from its increasingly young and hip(ster) roster of artists, Deitch Projects presents a new installation of works by Francesco Clemente. The exhibit opens this Saturday, May 2, 6-9pm.
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
On View :: Dalek + Mike Giant at Galerie Magna Danysz
Parisian gallery, Magna Danysz, sent over some images from their current exhibit (previewed here) with Dalek and Mike Giant. We applaud Dalek for his increasingly abstract imagery, which breaks away from the character driven icons he has become so identified with. While he has been moving in this direction since his 2007 exhibit with Jonathan LeVine, which saw Dalek’s characters abstracted into more subtle references, some of the works on display here take the next logical step, with absolutely zero reference to his well-known Space Monkeys.
Dalek + Mike Giant is open now till May 23. Read on for more images from the show. Read the rest of this entry »
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
At Last…KAWS’ 4 Foot Dissected Companion
It was only a matter of time…KAWS drops word in Warp Magazine Japan of the upcoming release of the 4 Foot Dissected Companion. The brown version is bound to be the first of three color releases and has a price tag of $3,914 (378,000 Yen)
News Source: Guillotine via Medisneism / Image: Warp Magazine Japan
UPDATE: OriginalFake has just updated their website with a closer view of this stunning new sculpture. Have a Look.
Monday, April 27th, 2009
Shepard Fairey for Arkitip
The Summer 09 issue of Arkitip will feature a collaboration with Shepard Fairy. As always, expect stellar packaging and a unique limited edition supplement to complement the issue. Lock in a one year, 4 issue subscription for $85 before May 5th to guarantee you don’t miss it (only 2000 available) and avoid the inevitable higher news-stand price.
Word is Arkitip will present a Shepard Fairey exhibition in Los Angeles to commemorate the issue. More info to come….
Monday, April 27th, 2009
Tanaami + Fowler SFA Collaboration
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.
Friday, April 24th, 2009
First Look :: Richard Colman at Cinders
Tonight, Cinders presents the opening of C.H.U.D.Z., a new group show featuring Richard Colman along with friends Alex Barry and Josh Slater. While Colman’s presence is strongest, all three artists successfully create a cohesive exhibit, with overlapping themes and imagery. The large scale wall installation (also exhibited last month at Phaiz in Chicago) executed by Colman serves as a focal point, alongside small ink drawings and newer, more abstract pieces. While similarities to the work of Dalek are apparent (more on that over on Dalek’s own blog), Colman is growing in voice and increasingly presenting a tableau of icons and symbolism unmistakably his own.
Read on for our early photo recap of the exhibit – click pics for larger views.
C.H.U.D.Z. featuring Richard Colman, Alex Barry, Josh Slater
April 24 – May 24
Opening Reception: April 24, 7-10pm
Cinders Gallery
103 Havemeyer St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211 Read the rest of this entry »
Friday, April 24th, 2009
TACfocus :: FAUST at Grand Palais Tag Exhibit
Our friend FAUST sent over this image of his contribution to T.A.G., on view through April 26 at the Grand Palais, Paris (yes, the same venue for Christie’s recent Yves St. Laurent auction). For the exhibit, 150 internationally know graffiti artists were commissioned to create dyptichs depicting their tag name and their interpretation of “love”. Here’s what FAUST had to say about his piece. “I depicted a classic redbird train overlooking the city skyline to represent my love for the city but also a nostalgia for the New York that no longer exists.” Nice job FAUST – its a pleasure to see such heavy graf skills combined with fine art training. Click image for a larger view. A few more pics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »