Made in China Exhibition

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

Oakland Local

Got some love from Oakland Local…

Last weekend I visited Baxter and Cook in San Francisco to attend the opening debut of an Oakland street artist.  “Eddie Colla” is his name and though as a name it might not ring any bells, visually speaking anyone who pays attention to the abundance of street art in Oakland, on the Bay Bridge or graffiti hot spots like Linden Alley in San Francisco will know who I’m talking about.

Eddie first made a splash on the political street art scene during the Obama Presidential Campaign.  After the election, Eddie continued his street level activism with imagery calling for the overturning of Prop 8 as well as justice for Oscar Grant.  With his debut gallery show, Eddie Colla has managed to bring elements of his dynamic street pieces into the gallery setting… which is as close as you’re going to get to seeing his work in person, unless you’re willing to climb some walls, jump some fences, and occasionally, run from the police.”

Check out Oakland Local Here

Filling Space @ Baxter and Cook

My show Filling Space opened at Baxter and Cook last week in SF and the opening was a good time.  There were a lot of people there and a good number of friends. My friend Judy (who modeled for several of the pieces) agreed to show up with her friend Amanda dressed in character. It was a blast chatting with everyone. Mad thanks to everyone who came and made it a good time.

More photos after the jump

Some Love from Mayka….

Mayka did a nice write up on Maykazine. http://themaykazine.com

…judging by her photo clearly we are kindred spirits.

The Art of Speed

There are many criteria in which art can be judged. Color, composition, texture, content, flow, proportions etc. Street Art has an additional and crucial component, speed. When all goes well you can sneak a 10 ft chinese girl on a bike past caltrans and commuters in an efficient 6 minutes.

AIR

Fremont Street Off Ramp, San Francisco.

People always say we are destroying the environment. That seems funny to me. We are altering the environment. If we alter it enough, the environment will destroy us, thus eliminating the problem, and begin to heal itself. I object to altruistic language such as “save the planet”. Seriously, the planet isn’t going anywhere. It will be here long after we’re gone. Save the Planet? We need to save ourselves. We need to realize we’re not the ones running shit on this rock, but merely guests. We best behave ourselves, the planet doesn’t need us, we need it.