Low Brow & Pop Surrealism « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Low Brow & Pop Surrealism

Openings: “Summer Group Show” @ Spoke Art

Posted by rhinomilk, August 9, 2012

Last Thursday, Spoke Art opened its first annual Summer Group Show featuring a selection of up & coming local and international talent. For many of the artists, this show marks one of their first group shows with some looking forward to their debut solo shows in the near future. Released at the show was a giclee from San Francisco-based artist Xiau-Fong Wee (seen above) featuring one of her seemingly innocent animals wielding a contrasting violent weapon. Also featured in the show were original works by […]

Preview: “Lush Life Four” @ Roq La Rue

Posted by sleepboy, August 9, 2012

Tomorrow night at Roq La Rue, the fourth rendition of their Lush Life group show will open with a diverse mix of artists including Camille Rose Garcia, Chris Berens (above), Madeline Von Foerster, Travis Louie, Glenn Barr, Ti Kunkit, Seamus Conley, Annie Owens, Sam Wolfe Connolley, Laurie Lee Brom, Lindsey Carr, Jessica Joslin, Michael Alm, Handiedan, Peter Ferguson, Zoe Williams, and Eric Fortune (seen directly below). The exhibition features work from artists with imagery that shows a sense of opulence, decadence, or lushness. Discuss this show here.

Studio Visits / Videos: Nicola Verlato – “Zero Gravity” @ Merry Karnowsky

Posted by sleepboy, August 9, 2012

We were first introduced to the work of Italian-born, Los Angeles-based artist Nicola Verlato’s imagery back in April at a showing (covered) with Jonathan LeVine in New York. Since then, the painter has been compiling a series of work for his latest solo, Zero Gravity, that opens at Merry Karnowsky this Saturday, August 11th. His cinematic visions of suspended moments in time are mixed in with the impending possibility of the future crash of the social economical system. Take a look inside his studio in the photo set as he […]

Openings: “Oakland NOW” @ Spoke Art (Oakland)

Posted by rhinomilk, August 9, 2012

San Francisco’s Spoke Art Gallery recently teamed with East Bay Express, fiftyseven-thirtythree and the city of Oakland to set up an exhibition that opened in conjunction with the 12th Annual Art and Soul Festival. The show features a wide selection of East Bay artists and was hosted at a pop up gallery space in downtown Oakland that was the previous home of a Far East National Bank branch. The show includes original artwork from Brendan Monroe (shown above), Lucien Shapiro (just below), Deth P. Sun, Aaron […]

Publications: Andrew Hem – “Dreams Towards Reality” Book

Posted by sleepboy, August 8, 2012

Andrew Hem (interviewed), who we last saw a year ago during his solo in Los Angeles (covered), has something new for his fans. The new book, Dreams Towards Reality, is a survey of Hem’s recent paintings but also includes “selections from his early work, graffiti, sketches, murals, sculptures and collages, as well as photographs from the extensive travel in Southeast Asia and South America that has informed his vision.” Also included is an in-depth essay by Amanda Erlanson. It is now available for preorder from Zero+ Publishing at a […]

Releases: Nathan Spoor – “Rites of Passage”

Posted by sleepboy, August 7, 2012

The folks at 1xRUN just released a new print from Nathan Spoor entitled Rites of Passage in a time-released run of 40 for the next 7 days. The limited edition (priced at $65 and sized at 13 x 22 inches) combines his mix of surrealism and architectural elements and shows “shows a moment of transition – a leap of faith.” The image details a world that has been built up around one of the main characters in the work, and her jump from the stable […]

Openings: “Summer Group Exhibition” @ Joshua Liner Gallery

Posted by juggernut3, August 7, 2012

Last week, Joshua Liner Gallery held its annual Summer Group Exhibition. We were excited about the diverse showcase of talent as this has been a perennial preview of the talent which will be gracing the walls of the gallery for this upcoming art season. We saw faces old and new to the Liner’s diverse and talented stable of artists. It seemed like Alfred Steiner (seen above), Clayton Brothers, Cleon Peterson, Damon Soule, Daniel Rich, David Ellis, Ian Francis (seen above), Jean-Pierre Roy, Kris Kuksi, Mars-1, Oliver Vernon, Pema […]

Upcoming: Audrey Kawasaki @ Jonathan LeVine

Posted by sleepboy, August 6, 2012

Coming up on September 8th, Audrey Kawasaki (interviewed) will be opening her latest exhibition at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, site of her big solo in New York at the end of 2009. As a teaser, here is a photo she posted to her Instagram showing some glimpses of her now completed new body of work. If this is not enough to add this show to your calendar, consider for a moment that Jeff Soto and Judith Supine are also opening new shows at the gallery on the […]

Openings: “MiXTAPE LA” @ Lebasse Projects (Chinatown)

Posted by sleepboy, August 5, 2012

Last night, the Chinatown location of LeBasse Projects hosted Mixtape Los Angeles, a group show curated by by Jessicka Adams and Brian Wakil of Dark Dark Science with part of the proceeds going to Downtown Dog Rescue and Stray Cat Alliance. Twenty four artists created pieces that explored “the effect of music on the process of creation” including Camille Rose Garcia, Elizabeth McGrath, Gary Baseman, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Matthew Bone, Melissa Haslam, Tara McPherson, Tim Biskup and more. Check out this sweet dissected Abe Lincoln piece from Ryden […]

Overtime: July 30 – Aug 5

Posted by Khoi, August 5, 2012

Stories of the week: A look at Babara Kruger’s new Belief + Doubt installation at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. RIP – Wael Issa Kaston, who died at the age of 46 due to torture. Four plead guilty to stealing 18 ancient Chinese artifacts from the Fitzwilliam Museum’s permanent collection. MOCA Mobilization petition builds support worldwide, including from some big art world names. The Atlantic profiles Jeffrey Deitch’s tenure at MOCA. LA Downtown News imagines Seven Groundbreaking Exhibits From Jeffrey Deitch. Jeffrey Deitch defends seriousness […]