Contemporary Art « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Rolling Stone’s Obama Cover by Shepard Fairey

Posted by juggernut3, August 5, 2009

The August 20th issue of Rolling Stone will feature a cover with a new image of Barack Obama by Shepard Fairey.Â Unlike the idealistic iconic image that a nation of Obama supporters fell in love with, the latest by Fairey incorporates elements that show the situation that the President is currently in. As the artist puts it: “it’s one thing to be running for president and it’s another to be President, and I think this new illustration that I did hopefully captures the complexity and […]

Teaser: Brendan Monroe @ Richard Heller Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, August 5, 2009

Brendan Monroe (interviewed) will be exhibiting some new works in October at the Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica. We were able to get a glimpse of some of the things he was working on when we went by for a studio visit a couple months ago, but here is a new image of one of the sculptural elements in this new body of work.Â More to follow as the show draws nearer… Discuss Brendan Monroe here.

Teaser: Edwin Ushiro – “Softly Encompassing the Womb”

Posted by sleepboy, August 5, 2009

Here’s a pretty sweet piece from Hawaii native Edwin Ushiro’s upcoming show opening September 12th at LeBasse Projects. Two things that stand out about Ushiro’s work are the special “look” he has to his work that is a result of a special process he uses (more on this at a later time) and his talent of storytelling – something he talks about in this a thousand stories interview. We are looking forward to seeing more “island” infused imagery and are planning more coverage of this […]

Openings: Gilbert & George – “Jack Freak Pictures” @ White Cube

Posted by juggernut3, August 5, 2009

London duo Gilbert & George has returned to White Cube to show in their home town for the first time since their 2007 retrospective at the Tate Modern. The show, “Jack Freak Pictures” focuses on the Union Jack flag of Great Britain and G&G’s signature psychedelic photo transformation process. The body of work is very large in size and takes place at both the Mason’s Yard and Hoxton gallery space. AM had a chance to stop by and check out this crazy show.Â Enjoy the pics […]

Preview: Josh Keyes – â€œNatural Selectionâ€ @ Swarm Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, August 5, 2009

We found a couple more images from Josh Keyes‘ upcoming show to share with you since our first teaser article. Opening along with Vaughn Bell in a show entitled â€œNatural Selectionâ€ at the Swarm Gallery this Friday (Aug 7th), Josh should only have four pieces.Â Keyes’ fans will treat this as an appetizer to his big show atÂ Jonathan Levine coming up in Dec/Jan in New York. More images after the jump.

Showing: Steinbrener & Dempf – “Trouble in Paradise” @ SchÃ¶nbrunn Zoo (Austria)

Posted by sleepboy, August 3, 2009

An interesting exhibition opened in June at the SchÃ¶nbrunn Zoo in Austria entitled “Trouble in Paradise.” Artist duo Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf created a series of six artistic interventions dealing with the idea of nature versus civilization, themes we know well from following artists such as Banksy, Josh Keyes, and Shepard Fairey, to name a few. However, to bring the art directly into a controlled “natural” environment like the zoo is pretty genius. Examples include railroad tracks in the bison pen, a sunken car […]

Openings: Kokeshi Show @ Japanese American National Museum

Posted by sleepboy, August 3, 2009

The Japanese American National Museum is holding an exhibition (previewed) until October 4th about all things “Kokeshi.”Â However, the highlight of the show were the custom kokeshi’s created by many of the artists that we at AM enjoy.Â It’s not often we see such an extensive list of quality artists in a group show, let alone a customs show. Take a look at all the pics after the jump.

Interviews: Know Hope

Posted by Elisa Carmichael, August 3, 2009

When we were passed this fantastic interview between our friend Thomas Dunlap and Know Hope, we couldnâ€™t resist sharing it with you. The conversation took place during Know Hopeâ€™s recent LA solo show at Carmichael Gallery, “the times wonâ€™t save you (this rain smells of memory)“ (covered) and provides some insight into the artist’s creative process and the symbolism in his work.

Second Helpings: July 2009

Posted by juggernut3, August 2, 2009

July was a very busy month with numerous headlines making their way around the world of art. Here is another edition of Second Helpings to remind you of the juicy stories that we covered here on AM. Get served after the jump.

Showing: Victor Castillo @ Merry Karnowsky Gallery

Posted by Andrew Hosner, August 2, 2009

AM recently swung through the Merry Karnowsky Gallery to take in “Gameland,” the debut Los Angeles solo show from Chilean artist Victor Castillo. Castillo was in town from Barcelona (where he now lives) for the opening, and he filled all the rooms of Karnowsky’s beautiful space, really showcasing the various characters all have come to love in his work. Children are often the main characters cast in his work, and they are often portrayed in scenes that don’t offer much hope, where weapons replace toys […]