Low Brow & Pop Surrealism « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Low Brow & Pop Surrealism

Previews: “ELYSIUM” @ Thinkspace Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, November 7, 2018

This Saturday evening (November 10th), Thinkspace Gallery will be opening a group show featuring Audrey Kawasaki, Atsuko Goto, Fuco Ueda, (seen above), Jolene Lai, and Stella Im Hultberg. Following in the vein of previous all women exhibitions (see 2007 & 2011) at the Los Angeles showspace, ELYSIUM will highlight the talents of the five artists, who all share a penchant for paintings strong female protagonists as well as an Asian background which informs their work. Take a look at more preview images below… Discuss this show here. […]

Recap: ComplexCon 2018

Posted by sleepboy, November 7, 2018

Last weekend in Long Beach, the third edition of ComplexCon (also see 2016 & 2017) welcomed in sneakerheads, art enthusiasts, creatives, and tastemakers to an event billed to bring together “pop culture, music, art, food, style, sports, innovation, activism, and education.” Dominating the event was Takashi Murakami, who once again helped design the brand identity and released some of the most sought after collectibles for this year’s festival. Aside from the Japanese artist’s obvious presence, there were plenty of other art-related drops to get art fans excited – take […]

Showing: Todd Schorr – “Atomic Cocktail” @ Virginia MOCA

Posted by sleepboy, November 7, 2018

Showing through the end of the year at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Atomic Cocktail from Todd Schorr (featured) is an expansive new exhibition featuring iconic paintings pulled from various collections, new works that have never been shown to the public, sculpture, and preparatory studies. Drawing from influences ranging from artists Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, and Salvador Dali, as well as the early animated cartoons of Walt Disney and Max Fleischer, underground comics best exemplified by Zap, and classic films from the 1930’s such as King Kong […]

Previews: Travis Louie – “Curious Organisms” @ KP Projects

Posted by sleepboy, November 3, 2018

Tonight in Los Angeles, Travis Louie (interviewed) will be returning to KP Projects for a solo show featuring his distinctive surreal take on vintage photography. Entitled Curious Organisms, the new exhibition sees the New York-based artist continue his unique portraiture of anthropomorphic characters, real world creatures or of the more imaginary sort, oftentimes posing them in Victorian style garb. Giving his strange subjects an unexpected air of dignity, Louie is able to recreate the gelatin-silver feel of early daguerreotype photographs by painstakingly applying acrylic paint in transparent layers like watercolors. […]

Previews: Mark Drew // Spoke Art @ ComplexCon ’18

Posted by sleepboy, November 3, 2018

Starting tomorrow, ComplexCon in Long Beach will have much in store for art fans amongst the music, fashion, and sneakers on display. One of the artists to be featured in Spoke Art’s booth will be Mark Drew, who will be presenting some of the Peanuts comics and 90s rap lyric mashups that he has become known for. Combining pop culture and hip hop, the Tokyo-based artist’s work certainly seems tailor-made of the event. Take a look at more preview images below… Discuss Mark Drew here.

Previews: Super A – “Domestication” @ The Brand Library and Arts Center

Posted by sleepboy, November 2, 2018

Tomorrow (November 3rd), as part of a series of solos and group shows put on by Thinkspace at Glendale’s Brand Library & Arts Center, Stefan Thelen aka Super A will be presenting a selection of new paintings from his Trapped series. Entitled Domestication, the new body of work sees the Dutch artist continue to deconstruct cartoon, fairytale, or pop cultural archetypes by cleverly peeling away the surface while revealing the realistic version of the character inside. Discuss Super A here.

Previews: Brian Viveros – “The Good, The Bad & The DIRTY” @ Spoke Art (NYC)

Posted by sleepboy, October 30, 2018

On November 3rd, Brian Viveros (featured) will be opening a solo show at Spoke Art’s New York location. Entitled The Good, The Bad & The DIRTY, the new body of work continues the Southern California-based artist’s rendering of his signature warrior women. Featuring cosplay influenced by Lucha Libre, Dia de los Muertos, and rife with boxing and military references, the new work is Viveros’ most meaningful and personal to date. Viveros furthers explains – “It’s been some time since I’ve had a show in New York, but I’m very excited […]

Showing: Martin Wittfooth – “Domestic Katabasis” @ Corey Helford Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, October 27, 2018

Last weekend in Los Angeles, Corey Helford Gallery opened their third showing with Martin Wittfooth (interviewed) entitled Domestic Katabasis. Featuring 19 oil paintings on canvas, linen, and wood panels, some of his largest to date, the new exhibition from the New York-based artist posits that perhaps the relentless progress of the human race is actually a decline or deterioration when viewed from a different prospective. Wittfooth further explains – “Katabasis is an ancient Greek term that refers to a descent of some type in mythology, usually into the underworld, out of which […]

Previews: Sandra Chevrier – “Cages and the Allure of Freedom” @ Lancaster MOAH

Posted by sleepboy, October 19, 2018

Tomorrow night (October 21st) at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Sandra Chevrier (interviewed) will be presenting a new body of work featuring her masks made of comic book imagery. Cages and the Allure of Freedom from Canadian-born artist the will be part of a series of shows curated by Los Angeles’ Thinkspace Gallery, and will include large sculptural works from her for the first time. Chevrier further explains – “A man can believe until his last breath that he is different from a Caged animal in a Zoo. But through all […]

Showing: Paco Pomet – “Melancholia” @ Richard Heller Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, October 18, 2018

Showing though this weekend at Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles, Paco Pomet’s solo entitled Melancholia explores different states of light and their affect on the human psyche. Taking inspiration from vintage photos as a starting point, the Spanish artist has added his own surreal twist like what looks to be slow burning lava, strange auras, or the sun and the moon, changing the atmosphere of the scene completely. Take a look at more photos from the exhibition below… Discuss Paco Pomet here.