As May makes way for the Summer, we bring you another serving of some of the best stories to hit AM this month. Check out this month’s edition of Second Helpings. Get served after the jump…


Sleepboy recommends:

1) José Parlá – “Reading Through Seeing” @ Ooi Botos Gallery (Hong Kong)

We had the pleasure of attending the opening of “Reading Through Seeing” show in Hong Kong. Although seemingly impossible, Parlá has increased the detail in this body of work especially in his watercolors. Make sure you check out the photos.

2) Jeff Soto – “Inland Empire” Coverage @ StolenSpace (London)

For his first solo exhibition internationally, Soto chose to show at D*Face’s gallery – StolenSpace. Not only did he produce a compelling new body of work, he also reached back into his graffiti roots and produced some stunning work on the streets for the first time in 10 years, leaving fans and in the U.K. and U.S. begging for more.

3) Brendan Monroe Studio Visit

This was definitely one of the highlights of our month. We visited the studio of one of our original loves from the early days of collecting, Brendan Monroe. He took us through his studio showing us his early prep work for his upcoming show at Richard Heller as well as touring us around his wood workshop.

Stephen recommends:

1) “Get Rich Quick!” @ Carmichael Gallery

With so many strong street and urban art pieces under one roof, gallery patrons who were in attendance really lucked out. This was a rare chance to see and purchase work from the gamut of artists that make up this genre, including some rare originals from Banksy and KAWS.

2) Gary Baseman – “La Noche de la Fusion” @ Corey Helford Gallery

Baseman really went all out for his solo return to Los Angeles, with a strong new body of work and an amazing night of festivities where his world and the characters that inhabit it literally came to life. It was also great to catch up with Gary at his studio prior to the opening.

3) Allison Sommers – “A Brief History” & Joao Ruas – “Inner Myth” @ Thinkspace Gallery

Detailed and intricate are the best words to describe the work from these two shows. Let’s put it this way – see the guy in the photo above? Yes, he’s using a magnifying glass to examine the work! You should do the same. Click through, enlarge all the photos and enjoy.

Juggernut3 recommends:

1) Studio Visit: Ron English @ Popaganda Headquarters

Ron really brought his A-Game when it came to his latest show at Elms Lester in London. With a great showing of extrodinary paintings for his first ever UK solo, it was even better for the readers of AM as Ron gave us an exclusive studio visit of the whole show the week before it was shipped to the U.K.!

2) Openings: Audrey Kawasaki “Kageboushi” @ Space Yui (Japan)

It was worth waiting all of 2009 for Audrey’s latest show. This time it was in her homeland of Japan where she stunned the land of the rising sun with a scorching body of work and the release of two new prints. Also, be sure to check out the interview she gave AM right before she flew over for the show.

3) Openings: Yoskay Yamanoto “Hello and Goodbye” @ LeBasses Projects

May was a busy month for Yoskay. A year removed from his last solo show, Yoskay returned with another amazing solo show to fill the newly christened LeBasse Projects. With a special dinner for collectors and also a release party for his latest Koibito figure, it isn’t hard to see why we’re expecting the sky being the limit for this rising star.