If you need some convincing.. which you shouldn't.... please watch the following time lapse video. And for those of us who already know why we love David Choe. Wow, just another reason.
check out more pics from Choe at the Nuart Festival in Norway, here
Quite sometime ago we discovered a picture of this rad little snail that had been tagged. I believe the image was... twitpic'd. Exhibit A
While checking the progress of the Fame Festival, I was greeted by images of the tiniest of the tiny tiny. (Please note, these images were borrowed from FameFestival.it )
Intrigued, I dug around and found a link to the artist's website...
Presenting Exhibit B:
Caught red handed! Turns out, more than one snail had been the victim of such vandalism as part of the " Inner City Snail Project" by the artist known as Slinkachu.
Check out the Little People blog spot here .
It is quite obvious that Redd Walitzki, , takes pride in feminine indulgences and intricacies . The color pink unabashedly dominates her work while the delicate, vitorian-esk patterns of the background keep the energy light. Check out Redd's new collection of mixed media paintings, "Decadent Decay" opening at FIFTY24SEA this Friday.
Join FIFT24SEA and Upper Playground for the opening reception of
"Decadent Decay" new works by Redd Walitzki
Friday Sept. 18th, 2009 from 5-9pm
For more information, please contact:
Jen Vertz at Fifty 24SEA Gallery, upperplaygroundjen@gmail.com,
Awoken by some seriously, ominous sounding thunder claps at 5am on Saturday morning, a single thought was shared by most ( if not all) participants for this years Power to The Peaceful event in Golden Gate park; what happened to the sunshine?! Well, we all forged ahead, braved the rain and lightening to bring the Sam Flores live painting experience to the people.
And for those of you who stayed in your beds on that rainy, gloomy Saturday you missed out. But as always, we won't leave you hanging...
After, rocking out on canvas, Sam sat down for a few to sign autographs and doodle in some black books. He was probably approached over a hundred times for an autograph while painting and being the gracious guy he is, he greeted each person and was happy to indulge.
Thanks to everyone who came out. and An enormous thanks to Sam who, like a rock star, braved the rain to paint for us.
This serendipitous collaboration we know as The Date Farmers, moves on a higher plane than most. Their work has enough personality to make the gallery bounce with energy. That, combined with the bright yellow walls and a bad-ass Video Arcade machine, set the scene for what some opening reception attendees called a "Delicious" show. As a finishing touch, the boys super glued a quarter to the gallery floor... mischief makers.
The work keeps you on your toes, they beguile you with bright colors and familiar icons, while smacking you lightly across the face with some honest social commentary. A moral behind the story, if you will . It's always fresh and gets the message across ... and we love it.
A Date Farmer's hand drawn map required for deciphering the price list.
They are a seriously ingenious duo.
Thank you to everybody who made it out last night!
As well as many thanks to DJ Alf Alpha for the tunes and Marsea from New Image Art Gallery for coming out to support.
More shots for you tomorrow.
We been absent for a few days in order to help set up for the Date Farmers show which opens tonight. After spending some time with both Armando and Carlos (The Date Farmers) i can see how their humor is thoroughly embedded in their art work.
Here are some shots from the chaos....
Join us tonight for the Opening Reception Tonight to see how it's all come together.
248 Fillmore St, Sf,
Ca, 94117
And the best part is -
He's giving the gallery side door a major facelift...
We will document accordingly...
see you tomorrow at 5!
Sharing is caring. I will now share with you this...
It's not much but I do what I can.
Let's review:
THE DATE FARMERS ARE COMING.
Sept 3rd.
write it down. fold it up. And keep it in your pocket to remind you.
Well, we will anyway...
FIFTY24SF Gallery Presents “Strange Fruit” New Works by The Date Farmers
Fifty24SF is proud to host “Strange Fruit”- a solo exhibition by The Date Farmers.
Returning to Fifty24SF Gallery, the Date Farmers is a collaborative work between artists Carlos Ramirez and Armando Lerma. Originally from Indios, California, the two attribute their paintings, collages, and three-dimensional pieces to inspiration from Mexican-American traditional values and contemporary west coast culture. The artists look to graffiti, Mexican street murals, traditional revolutionary posters, sign painting, prison art and tattoos for their influence.
The Date Farmers prefer to use scavenged materials, often found near their desert homes in southern California and nearby Mexico. “Using stuff that was thrown away is Mexican ingenuity. People’s idea of art is that it’s really expensive and [made of] nice materials, but found objects are so abundant, they’re much easier and freeing for us.”
Exploring a range of emotions, from humorous to disturbing, “Strange Fruit” is influenced by “the everyday stories, social politics and myths that take place and unfold around us on a daily.” The show represents the wide spectrum from which they draw inspiration, and the duo uses materials that allow them to be resourceful, yet abundant with character.
The Date Farmers have had International gallery exhibitions in Tokyo, London and Stockholm. They appeared at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado for the Manifest Hope Gallery.
“Strange Fruit” features new works on display at FIFTY24SF Gallery from September 3 – September 24, 2009.
It took us a while to get these uploaded for your viewing pleasure... but for those of you who wonder how El Mac gets it done we present to you the following videos.
Enjoy!
Sitting in the gallery with one of my interns working out our plan for the day, a familiar face made an appearance in our doorway. Vogue, one of the forefathers of Bay area graffiti, stepped in to get a better look at Mac's new show. Shrugging his shoulders sheepishly he says, " Well it was a bit difficult to get a really good look at the show during the opening so I thought I'd swing by when it was less crowded." Now residing outside of the city, he doesn't often make the trek over the bridge. As with all artists, their humble beginnings are (to me) the most fascinating. So, of course, I asked Vogue how and why he began painting graffiti...
He simply responded, " PBS. Style Wars man."
You could see on his face that he was immediately transported back to a time when hitting up walls was very underground, very exhilarating, and a unifying endeavor. In the very beginning the concepts of turf and crews were more innocent. He described it more like boys joining a secret tree-house club in a neighbors backyard...just less legal.
Curious as to how someone became involved in a crew, if it was only a budding movement back then in SF, I asked him what a crew consisted of.
" Well, back then (1983-84) it was more of a secret thing...you would have your secret spots, you would eyeball other guys and wonder if they too were hitting up walls around the city. Since there weren't many of us out there we naturally gravitated towards each other." He describes that time period as the "golden age", a time when supplies were scarce and he and his friends would wander into hardware stores to ehm... 'borrow' the necessary tools.
Laughingly, he recounts a time when he and his friend needed caps and had no money. His friend, who was planning on becoming a pilot (at the time), refused to help him ' borrow' supplies for fear of consequence so Vogue went in for a solo mission. With a sparkle in his eye he tells us how he used to un-cap the can, bite off the cap, and store the tips in his cheeks. Like a chipmunk ready for winter he would walk out a happy man.
Not being very well versed in the art of 'borrowing' supplies I asked him why he would bite the tips off and keep them in his mouth? Laughing he says, " Well, it's the fastest way- pop the top, bite and store- pop the cap back on and you move on to the next can. It's not like now when you can walk into a store and ask for whichever tip you need. We had to learn it all on our own.We had to learn which tips could produce what and how to find and acquire those tips."
Now running a successful company out in San Leandro, Vogue doesn't paint as often as he would like, "too much at risk..." he says, "... and besides, my lady can't stand it when I go out to paint." (he shrugs charmingly).
"So, does that mean you no longer paint , apart from your job?" I asked, astonished that after 25 years on the scene someone could get that out of their blood.
He laughed and shook his head. " Naw, I still get up."
As promised, some progress shots of the mural...
and then...
If you were able to make it out for the Lower Haight Artwalk on Friday you may have noticed Mac working on a mural on the side the gallery. As always, he stopped to sign his new book "Alianza" and fan's sketch books with a smile. A few pics of the process:
Though we were sad to see the classic Craola piece go, we knew it was time for somethin' fresh.
Check back for the finished product tomorrow!
Wow, What a show! Thank you to everybody who came out to the show on Thursday . And a huge THANK YOU to Paperworks Laboratories for their absolutely stunning print "Song of Songs" For those of you that were not able to score a print at the opening there are still a few available at Paperworkslab.com.
As for the opening Reception- the show of support was amazing. 7 o'clock rolled around and a crowd was already forming in front of the gallery doors. By 8 the place was packed to the brim! Fans flocked from far and wide to give props and take in the sights. Friends flew in from Mac's hometown Phoenix, drove up from La, San Jose, Seattle, and every major graf artist in the city stopped by to say what's up to the man of the hour El Mac.
Visitors had to maneuver their way through the massive crowd swarming Mac to say 'hello' and have their advanced copies of Mac and Retna's new book "Alianza" signed. Mac patiently signed autographs for close to two hours straight. His patience and humility won the crowd over and everybody left more enamored than ever.
Shots from the madness for your enjoyment:
A very special thanks to Juxtapoz Magazine for providing copies of the subscriber issue # 103 for fans
Upper Playground for releasing advanced copies of "Alianza" ( now available online at Upperplayground.com)
Thomas at Paperworks for his generosity
Alex at Montana Paints for hooking up the supplies
Dan at 1AM gallery for saving the day with the last two cans of black Montana in the entire city!
And everybody who came out to make the show a great success.
Check back for pics of Mac's new mural going up on the side of FIFTY24SF Gallery.
Our good friends over at Paperworks Laboratory have generously sent us a few advanced copies of Macs newest print "Songs of Songs" to be released at the Opening Reception...
A 7 color hand pulled serigraph edition of 50
Printed on black Stonehenge 310 gsm 100% cotton archival deckled edge paper
30"x40" inches.
Only five of these massive prints will be available at the opening reception this Thursday August 6th, 2009.
Check out these progress shots...
See you at the show!!
Please contact Lynzy@upperplayground.com for more information regarding El Mac's "Faces of Life"
August 6th will be a momentous day for street art. Legendary, international badass EL MAC celebrates the opening of "Faces of Life". Working late into the night in still sweltering temperatures, El Mac puts the finishing touches on one of the pieces for his upcoming show and answers a few questions for the curious…
I first remember drawing at about 3 or 4 I think... didn't start painting with spraypaint or acrylic until maybe around '94 or so...
A combination of friends in grade school that were painting graffiti, seeing the book Subway Art, and my obsession with the movie The Warriors.
From pretty early on I kind of felt that the more realistic or representational the work was, the better, which I guess is kind of a simplistic, classical way of approaching art. I think photorealistic/representational art is especially hard to pull off well, so I'm sure I've liked the challenge of it. It's only been slowly over time that I've opened up to more abstract elements. I don't think this stuff was ever deliberately thought out though...if I liked it and it spoke to me then that was enough. You just kind of know when some art has that "extra something".
I'm usually pretty happy with it. Sometimes I won't like my stuff, and it's usually when I'm rushed, but for the most part I do my best to take time & make sure I'm happy with my art. Da Vinci said "Art is never finished, only abandoned"...so even if I do have to abandon my pieces I try to hang in there and spend quality time with them whenever possible.
I just really love to make art...to create...it's very satisfying. Pushing around colors to make images that communicate something to other people. It feels like I'm doing something important, like I'm fulfilling some kind of duty. I feel like making art is some way of rising above basic instincts towards survival and reproduction, and trying to connect with the spiritual. even if it's just a nice tag or a doodle of a hot chick or something. I think music, dance and literature, etc are the same way. It's about growth...trying to make life better & more enjoyable and meaningful, I guess? I'm still trying to figure this out...
Yielding a spray can as masterfully as an oil painter with his brush, El Mac kills it.
"Faces of Life" opens August 6th, 2009
Opening Reception- 7- 9:30pm
FIFTY24SF Gallery
248 Fillmore St. SF
A once annual event that disappeared mysteriously, has been officially resurrected. Much like Jesus on easter morning. Hooray! We invite you to join the Lower Haight neighborhood in celebrating art in all its glory. Densely populated with galleries, hair salons, records stores and retail shops dedicated to the spreading the joy of art, this is an event not to be missed.
Check out the upcoming show at our gallery in Portland.
Upper Playground in Association with FIFTY 24PDX Gallery present: “Give and Take” by Marco Zamora
For the upcoming summer months FIFTY 24PDX Gallery gladly presents “Give and Take”, a collection of paintings, prints and a very special installation project by L.A. based artist Marco Zamora.
Born in 1981, in Pomona, CA, Zamora graduated from California Institute for the Arts in 2005. A painter by trade, his work can be seen mostly on the West Coast, but he has shown in New York, Miami, and Copenhagen. Zamora also works as an apparel designer for companies such as Vans.
His work is a direct product of his inspiration, which includes urban conditions, the chaos of city life, awkward moments, skateboarding and the working class. Using a pen and brushes to draw, his process begins by constructing an environment from photographs. Figures are then conceptualized and added to fit his vision. The result creates a beautiful and complex tension between humankind and the urban landscape.
For this show Zamora will be working on a community interactive installation project. An edition of 200 of Zamora’s screen-prints will be traded with the public for objects that will then be used to create a sculpture that is reflective of his recent paintings. In other words, Zamora gives participants a print and takes what they are willing to hand over, be it junk, or something of great use, hence the show’s title “Give and Take”. Objects of significant size will be greatly appreciated. This installation is intended to be about items we accumulate over time that are collected and experienced. The resulting collaborative sculpture will be unveiled at the opening of the show.
An opening reception for “Give and Take” will be held on August 6th from 6:00pm - 9:30pm. Beverages will be provided by Red Hook. Featuring music from DJ Ronin Roc. The artist will be in attendance.
An encore reception will be held on September 3rd, from 6:00pm – 9:30pm.
The show ends September 27th.
FIFTY 24PDX Gallery / Upper Playground 23 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 503.548.4835
Upperplayground.com Marcozamora.com
Word To Mother's show is closing on Tuesday July 28th. Come check out the show before it closes and see for yourself what's inside the box... for those who can't make it, stay tuned. Everyone else- you've got no excuse we will be open all weekend.
