So let’s go back about 2 years…. My studio mate Ken Harman of Spoke Art gets an unsolicited email from an oil painting factory in China. The email explains how the factory is excellent in making reproductions of great works of art as well as portraits, landscapes, nudes etc. All at very reasonable prices. 
I thought “shit, that would be a great show”. The idea was to have inexpensive copies of emerging contemporary artists and display them side by side. It calls into question so many things about our culture of individuality, the art world, marketplace and value. We had to do it. But we never did, UNTIL NOW!!!!
Our preoccupation with originality is filled with nuances and paradox. We assign market value to original art pieces for their scarcity, driven by the singular vision of the artist, yet we readily consume designer knock-offs from stores like Forever 21 and H&M, which make their profits from directly imitating the runway collections of Marc Jacobs, Donatella Versace and Alexander Wang. Is fine art something that, too, can be imitated? The rising popularity of giclees, art toys and limited edition sculptures seems to say that the answer is yes for many consumers.
My Gallery, loakal in Oakland teamed up with Ian Ross Gallery in San Francisco to bring you “Made in China”. Artists included in the exhibition are D Young V, Shark Toof, Zoltron, Ernesto Yerena, Akira beard, Peter Adamyan, Jessica Hess, C Kirk, Ian Ross, Eddie Colla, Nite Owl And Robert Bowen. Each artist submitted a piece for the exhibit and photos of those pieces were sent to Shenzhen China to be copied.
The pieces will be displayed side by side at the exhibition 
What place do imitations hold in the art market? How do we measure the value of creativity? Viewers are invited to ask themselves these questions when viewing the original works and their imitations in “Made in China.
Come see for yourself Nov. 8th 7-10 pm at Ian Ross Gallery 466 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA
facebook event page is HERE
Eddie 