Openings: “Facemaker” @ Royal/T

Facemaker opened at Royal/T last Wednesday, curated by Kathy Grayson, director of The Hole NYC and former director of the Deitch Projects. Just in time for Art in the Streets, the eclectic Culver City art space has teamed up with the New York gallery to put on a street-pop frenzy, displaying a playful amalgam of colorful imagery centered on different interpretations of the face.

With street artists Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, Kenny Scharf, KAWS, and SWOON on the roster, alongside Clare Rojas, FriendsWithYou, Ben Jones, and others, the show provides an excellent pop-art compliment to Deitch’s more street-focused MOCA show. 8-bit video animations, screen prints and cutouts, minimal blocks of color, and multi-media are the themes of this show, highlighting new directions in contemporary art. Royal/T fans have long been anticipating a show like this, as owner Susan Hancock has been an avid collector of many of the artists in the show. The shop has even gotten a “face”lift for the season, updating their usual mix of art books and vinyl toys with tons of street art books and a pop-art vending machine.