Last night, AM attended the early viewing of Brian Donnelly’s (a.k.a. KAWS) latest museum exhibition Downtime and artist talk at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The impressive multi-level showcase featured both old and new works from the Brooklyn based artist. Upon entering the piazza we were greeted by our old friend the Passing Through Companion in the atrium. Next up was a pavilion installation that housed an array of original drawings, vinyl works and a series of collaborative paintings on photographs with fashion photographer David Sims.
As mentioned in our preview, KAWS also painted a 22 foot tall site specific mural entitled The Nature of Need. The center of the museum over looking the entryway housed a familiar triptych painting (Silent City) that premiered at his recent solo at Honor Fraser. Also on display were a fresh series of works which included a grid of 27 large format tondos (Gone And Beyond), which were a major size upgrade from the previous series experienced at the Armory or in Los Angeles.
Many more photos after the jump…
At the Galleri Profilen in Denmark, Armsrock (interviewed) currently has a new body of work on display entitled Should The Light Not Take Us. Continuing to develop his gallery repertoire, the thoughtful street artist is working again in the same large-scale that impressed us during his showing at the Vejle Museum of Art back in November.
More photos after the jump…
Next Saturday, Feb 25th in Chelsea, the disturbing works of Victor Castillo will be on display at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The Jungle features the Chilean-born and Los Angeles-based artist’s series of paintings influenced by the preponderance of global protests and violence that has taken over the headlines in recent times. When told through the lens of spooky children’s tales and cartoon-like characters, the ideas of corrupted innocence form a striking metaphor for the socio-economic crisis and political turbulence seen around the world.
More preview images after the jump…
On February 17th and 18th, the street art duo known as Herakut will join forces with the incredible Lucent Dossier crew for a performance which will combine the talents of all the artists involved. Each of the performances will take place at the legendary Palace Theatre, which sits in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, and it will be filled with music, dancing, and circus-like performances. As part of the show, Lucent will use Herakut’s imagery and artwork as a starting point for the costumes, the settings, and the story. However, in addition to the incredible spectacle and well-trained performances, Herakut will be part of the action as they’ll be live painting right on the stage. We got a chance to be present for the rehearsal process leading up to the two shows and so far, it all looks very promising. We have some photos taken during rehearsals and if interested, don’t forget to buy tickets here or this one of a kind collaboration.
Check out more photos after the jump…
A unique and rare opportunity has come up in Los Angeles for fans of explosive Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The MOCA will be hosting his first solo exhibition soon on the West Coast and as part of the showing, Cai will be creating three new gunpowder drawings with assistance of local volunteers. They’ll only need 100 volunteers (March 3 to March 9, with ignitions on March 5, 7, and 9, at 7pm, with a mandatory training day for all volunteers on Saturday, March 3) so head here for more details and to sign up as soon as you can. Check the video above for those unfamiliar with his work.
Discuss Cai Guo-Qiang here.
Coming up this Saturday, February 18th, there will be an ebay charity auction started that might interest some of our readers. A group of artists including Audrey Kawasaki, Olly Moss, Ken Garduno, and more will be donating original works and limited editions in support of Jakarta Or Bust, one of the teams doing the Rickshaw Run, a race utilizing an auto rickshaw over 1800 miles of South East Asia organized by a group called The Adventurists with all proceeds going to Birdlife International and Action Against Hunger.
Look for more auction details to be released here, and you can directly donate to the cause here if you are so inclined. Audrey will be auctioning off three drawings where she uses vellum and a two-layer technique for the first time. More preview images of these after the jump…
Late last month, four members of the arts community came together at the Chateau Marmont for a special book signing event featuring 3D Art Book. Tristan Eaton, Shepard Fairey, James Jean, and Gary Baseman were in attendance to sign the book for both fans of the book and of their work. Curated by Eaton, the publication also includes work by other artists such as Mark Ryden, Stephen Bliss and Ron English. In addition to the signing, several art pieces were on display all done in 3D form.
Here are more photos from the event after the jump…
This year’s Pow Wow event aims to expand from its initial urban roots. Last year, the crew laid paint solely on buildings near the gallery property, but this time the surrounding industrial district of Kaka’ako was also the target of this artistic beautification campaign. After the kickoff ceremonies, it was time to get serious and the crew got straight to work. Artists such as Will Barras, Mr. Jago, Prime, Flying Fortress, 123Klan, Meggs, Angry Woebots, Aaron De La Cruz and many more took tours of the neighborhood to survey the walls that locals have been offering up for this event. Afterwards, the artists hit their sketchbooks and laptops to draw out their concepts.
Montana Colors sponsored this year’s Pow Wow and provided an arsenal of cans in the entire spectrum of the rainbow for our urban warriors. What’s interesting is that a draft system was implemented to see who got first choice in paint colors. When their turn comes, each artist got to select 10 cans per round. It’s a unique twist that will affect what will be created in the coming days.
Check out all the action after the jump.
