Openings « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Openings

Openings: Souther Salazar & Tobias Fike – “Today is the Day” & “Then and Now and Then” @ David B. Smith Gallery

Posted by Scott Bailey, May 15, 2014

Forsaking his adopted hometown of Portland for several weeks, Souther Salazar traveled to Denver in order to bring a new installation to life at the David B. Smith Gallery. Working onsite, he created a snow covered landscape full of sloth like creatures ensnared in conflict with a thin tongued beast rising out of a colorful pool. Titled Today is the Day, it includes all of the signature Salazar elements including his color palate and the feeling of boundless imagination. Despite the violent motif, the piece […]

Openings: Nychos – “Street Anatomy” @ Fifty24SF

Posted by sleepboy, May 14, 2014

After painting several murals in the Bay Area (SF & Oakland), world traveller and muralist Nychos also opened a solo show at Fifty24SF last month. The exhibition entitled Street Anatomy featured works on canvas and paper highlighting the Austrian street artist’s distinctive cartoony dissections including a series of renderings of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Check out more photos below… Photo credit: Merlin Jackson (crowd shots) & Rachel Ralph (Fecal Face). Discuss Nychos here.

Openings: Miss Van & Olek – “Glamorous Darkness” & “Let’s Not Get Caught, Let’s Keep Going” @ Stolenspace

Posted by butterfly, May 13, 2014

Leading female street artists Miss Van and Olek recently opened their two-person show at StolenSpace Gallery in London (previewed here). Based on their strong friendship and artistic sisterhood, both show their mutual appreciation for each other work . Miss Van’s new body of work titled Glamorous Darkness features her signature ‘poupées’ (dolls) in a series of dreamlike landscapes and colours. Adorned with masquerade, animal-like masks, her sensual and erotic female characters evolve and interact with each other. In a tribute, Olek has recreated several of Miss Van’s favourite paintings in crochet form with intricate […]

Openings: Etam Cru – “Ugly Heroes” @ Montana Gallery, Barcelona

Posted by SAL, May 12, 2014

Montana Gallery Barcelona opened a solo show by Polish art duo Etam Cru on May 8, introducing a new body of work titled Ugly Heroes. Continuing their ongoing series of large scale murals that they’ve been creating all over the world, as well as on canvases, the pieces consist of a new series of paintings and drawings that balances on the border between surreal, figurative and realistic. With both Sainer and Bezt having a firm background in fine art, being graduates of Fine Arts in […]

Openings: Josh Keyes & Neil M. Perry – “Entwined” @ Antler Gallery

Posted by sleepboy, May 12, 2014

Last month, the the Antler Gallery in Portland opened a joint exhibition between Josh Keyes (interviewed) and Neil M. Perry entitled Entwined. The showing highlighted how both artists were in tune with nature with their work, focusing on the interplay between species and the surrounding environment, often rendered with surreal elements. The two locally-based painters also found time to collaborate on a piece together (seen above). Take a look at more photos from the opening below… Photos via the gallery. Discuss Josh Keyes here. Discuss this show here.

Openings: Martin Wittfooth & Jean Labourdette – “De Anima” @ Roq la Rue Gallery

Posted by x43x, May 9, 2014

In their second collaboration, artists Martin Wittfooth (interviewed) and Jean Labourdette have created captivating new works for De Amina, which opened at Roq la Rue on May 1st. Hidden meanings and symbolism are used heavily between the two works, with animals playing a heavy role in defusing the messages of consumerism and our culture’s constant need to upgrade. Visually less obvious is the commentary on our psyche. The show title itself lends us clues as De Anima translates to “the soul”, which also references writings by […]

Openings: Ai WeiWei – “According to What?” @ Brooklyn Museum

Posted by juggernut3, May 8, 2014

Continuing on its North American tour, Ai WeiWei’s traveling exhibition According to What? recently opened at the Brooklyn Museum. The show consists of more than 40 works, including large scale installations, photography and sculpture, which together portray Ai’s range as artist and activist. Several of the installations are created by collecting or assembling many of one type of object, such as backpacks, crabs, bicycles, pearls or rebar, to highlight the tension between an individual and a society, especially one as populous as China. And for […]

Recap: Todd James – “Supernatural” @ Sandra Gering

Posted by juggernut3, May 7, 2014

Earlier this spring New York artist Todd “REAS” James returned to Sandra Gering for his third showing with the gallery. Entitled Supernatural this fresh body of work sees the artist going in another direction, Todd features his women: a colorful cast of warriors, sunbathers, sorcerers and girlfriends that have populated his work from the earliest years. The compositions serve as emotional touchstones in a narrative with both comedy & tragedy. Check out a look below.

Openings: Zhang Huan – “Spring Poppy Fields” @ Pace Gallery (London)

Posted by butterfly, May 4, 2014

Having exhibited in Beijing, New York and LA (covered here), contemporary Chinese artist Zhang Huan opened his first UK solo show at Pace Gallery. Running until May 31, Spring Poppy Fields features fourteen new oil on linen paintings inspired by the artist’s travels to Buddhist sites in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India, between 2011 and 2014. Using a pointillist technique, his colorful and psychedelic paintings provide the viewer with some optical illusions. Looking closer skulls appear from their abstraction, while some grinning faces remind of the Cheshire Cat from Alice […]

Openings: “Landmark” by L’Art Projects

Posted by sleepboy, May 3, 2014

Several weeks ago, L’Art Projects held their inaugural group show in the unique setting of a private home in the Hollywood Hills. Entitled Landmark, the exhibition featured thirteen artists including Meryl Pataky, Chris Hanke, Michelle Blade, Sarah Jones, Pierre Auroux, Marissa Textor, Brian Rea, Elaine Asada, Thomas Doyle, Flora Kao, Briana Sophia Horne, Ching Ching Cheng, and Yoskay Yamamoto. Seeing the diverse selection of work spanning photography, painting, installations, sculpture, neon, light projection in this setting really gave attendees a good idea of how the art […]