I am very pleased to be contributiong to another internationalGRAFFUTURISM project. Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus of GRAFFITI ART Magazine & OpenSpace Galeri reached out in early 2013 to begin talks on this extensive Graffuturism Paris exhibition, including 4 solo shows to follow the highly anticipated Group show in April. My inclusion marks my first true solo show outside of these United States as well as my first solo in Paris… A great personal accomplishment for me.
As most of my shows I do my best to solidify a theme and a fitting title that best describes the works as well as continues to highlight my style. California Soul came to me as a perfect direction. A great way of bringing some of this progressive West Coast aesthetic and a costal cool sunwashed color pallette to Paris.
A little over a dozen new works on paper, wood and canvas will be on display from May 25 - June 6th, just a bit shy of 2 weeks. With all new works created since February, I continue my theme of finding balance with shape and form in each of the pieces, whether big or small. Contrasting soft color fields and washes with grid work and linear forms that speak of transition and structure. Themes touch on a golden state of mind, overcast optimism, southlandishness and the complexities of the good life in the rural paradise that he saw bulldozed into urban submission.
Located in a popular and trendy area, close to Place de la Nation, Openspace is the new gallery of contemporary urban art in Paris. Founded in September 2012, this space aims to create a link between the artworks, artists and public. By inviting pioneer or rising artists of the graffiti and street art scene, the founders of Openspace, Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus – also respectively editor/founder and publication director of Graffiti Art magazine – are keen to share their discoveries and their extensive knowledge of this art form. Pro176, Tilt, Stéphane Moscato, Jana & Js, Smash 137 and Yaze are the artists represented by the gallery. Openspace has also opened its doors for events with artists such as Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Rero, Katre, Btoy and the crew of VMD.
This Group show will kick off 100 days of exhibitions, featuring work from the Graffuturist group including 4 solo exhibitions from Kofie, Rae Martini, Doze Green, and Pro 176. This is a huge event that will exhibit a Parisian survey of Graffuturism and its artists at Newly founded Openspace Gallery.
Graffuturism Paris will be another portion of the journey that the artists exhibiting as well as so many more have taken. Graffuturism continues to bring together like minded artists from around the world in a cohesive movement that is not defined by any theory only acts of action and moments. With past shows in Glasgow, London, Los Angeles and now Paris we stand appreciative of all the opportunities given to the artists.
Paris is an important city to the overall group as you can see in the amount of French artists in the exhibition. Paris seems to be a place for creative growth and emerging artists. Openspace has allowed us to be part of this scene with this exhibition and the others. By bringing in other artists from Poland, US, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands Openspace has allowed for dialogue and collaboration to take place during this event. 25 Artists will not only exhibit new work in the gallery but we will also do what we do best and that is leave murals and installations around Paris. Even if temporary these murals are key in the process of our art form. We hope anyone close enough to travel to Paris make the trip and see one of the shows.
A MOVEMENT OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Graffuturism is the term coined by the artist Poesia, founder of the eponymous website, in order to define sensitively the work of a group of artists from the graffiti world but using different techniques and mediums. A movement that is becoming increasingly important on the international scene. Since 2010, several events have already taken place between Glasgow, London, Miami and Los Angeles. From a discovery perspective, the Openspace gallery wants to enhance the richness of this movement, by showing a selection of artists that are rarely seen (if ever) in France.
THE ARTISTIC CYCLE OF OPENSPACE
Graffuturism-Paris is the first part of several exhibition cycles to come to Openspace looking at the different major movements inherent to contemporary urban art. From a historical perspective and in an educational format, Openspace presents its first collective exhibition showing the different aspects of the movement by highlighting 20 French and international artists. Following this, four solo exhibitions will show more deeply the relationship with this movement and explore the different stylistic issues. In this perspective, the gallery Openspace publishes the catalog of the exhbition introducing this selection of artists from Graffuturism introduced by an essay by Daniel Feral.
OPENSPACE GALLERY
Located in a popular and trendy area, close to Place de la Nation, Openspace is the new gallery of contemporary urban art in Paris. Founded in September 2012, this space aims to create a link between the artworks, artists and public. By inviting pioneer or rising artists of the graffiti and street art scene, the founders of Openspace, Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus – also respectively editor/founder and publication director of Graffiti Art magazine – are keen to share their discoveries and their extensive knowledge of this art form. Pro176, Tilt, Stéphane Moscato, Jana & Js, Smash 137 and Yaze are the artists represented by the gallery. Openspace has also opened its doors for events with artists such as Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Rero, Katre, Btoy and the crew of VMD.
Group exhibition with Robert Proch, Chazme, wants bar-races/Yuske Imai/Tilt/Dave Kinsey/Twoone/Stephen Tompkins/Kofie/Sitni/Ben Slow/Shaka/James Reka/Titifreak/Low Bros/Seacreative/Saddo
Paper the medium- a journey “back to the origins” ?
Which signification (what role) has analog working in a world full of digital networks, powerful computers, and smartphones? (What are the results) How does this development changes the ….creative work? Our life is accelerating increasingly and most people are used to switch pictures “on / off” in a fraction of a second, or rather simply click them away. In everyday life of „media overflow“, it seems, that pictures are loosing their value and get reduced to a commercial available mass product. This progress, certainly changes, how people look at the art behind the pictures.
With their new exhibition „Strictly Paper“ Munich gallery „Schwalbe & Schwalbe „ (former „Intoxcated Demons Gallery “) is taking a counter position. Instead of presenting perfect and elaborated works, this group exhibition will show the imperfect, the unfinished and the fugitive character of creative expression to point out that no other medium has managed to replace paper as base of creative work essence.
Different artists from Spain, Romania, Poland and the USA and many other countries will show delicate illustrations, sketches, detailed paintings, collages and high quality prints – but all on paper, the “ephemeral” medium, in our “high-secure-backup-saved” period.
[ This will mark my second showing with the Intoxicated Demons collective based in both Munich and Berlin, Germany. I have contributed 4 recent collage works on paper, all at 8 x 10.5 inches. All the works incorporate found paper ephemera, my line work as well as over sprays of spray paint and each is coated in an archival mate finish.]
Europäisches Zentrum für Kunst und Industriekultur
Generaldirektor Dr. Meinrad Maria Grewenig
66302 Völklingen / Saarbrücken, Germany
Since 2008 a new, young trend has splashed onto the international art scene: Urban Art. In the meantime Urban Art proponents have conquered museums and galleries commanding high prices for their works. In 2011 the World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks presented the internationally regarded exhibition “Urban Art – Graffiti 21”.
From 2013 the World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks is to provide a regular platform for Urban Art. Every two years, the European Centre for Art and Industry Culture, will display new and significant positions of art that has developed from graffiti. The first “Urban Art Biennial” is to begin on Sunday 24th March 2013, with stars from the scene in Europe and America.
[I was invited to participate in this biennial held in an old ironworks factory in west Germany. Circulatory System No. 24 was last on display in London for the FUTURISM 2.0 Exhibition at Blackall studios. Many thanks to and RESO and Frank Krämer for this invitation.]
White Walls is pleased to present the 10 Year Anniversary Show, an exhibition of artists that have provided the backbone of our success and artists we look forward to growing with. Selections from Curator Justin Giarla’s personal collection will be on display alongside new works. Join us for the opening reception Saturday, March 9, from 7- 11pm. The exhibit will be open to the public for viewing through April 6, 2013. Directly following the grand opening of our new building at 886 Geary, the 10 Year Anniversary Show will be an expansive group exhibition, filling both White Walls and Shooting Gallery with influential artists that have changed the face of urban contemporary art, a scene that White Walls was created to give a home to a full decade ago. What was once an underdeveloped and oft-ignored part of the art world has grown into an incredibly diversified cornerstone of the contemporary market. The 10 Year Anniversary Show will reflect the breadth of talent that made such a change possible with range of work that will include everything from Russel Young’s ‘diamond dust’ screen prints on linen to Gronquist’s sculptural take on taxidermy.
Artists featured will be Shepard Fairey, Mark Whalen, Herakut, Augustine Kofie, Jet Martinez, DAL East, Faith 47, Fahamu Pecou, Robert Williams, Niels Shoe Meulman, Greg Gossel, ROA, Apex, Ferris Plock, C215, Casey Gray, David Grant, Peter Gronquist, Miss Bugs, Shawn Barber, Russell Young, Logan Hicks, Helen Bayly, Lauren Napolitano, Rene Gagnon, Gregory Euclide, Robert Christian Malmberg and Sean Murdock.
White Walls Gallery has worked for a decade to exist as the premiere destination for urban art in the Bay Area. Combined with the Shooting Gallery and two project spaces, this 5,000 sq ft space is one of the largest galleries on the west coast. Justin Giarla founded the gallery with a commitment to furthering the urban art movement, drawing
directly from street art and graffiti culture. Named for its plain white walls, the gallery takes a backseat to the real focus: the work of our artists.
Opening reception: March 1, 2013 | 8 - 10pm
Show runs: March 1 - April 7, 2013
A celebration of Street Art curated by Casey Zoltan of Known Gallery, featuring gallery pieces & outdoor billboards from noted Los Angeles artists: Saber, Patrick Martinez, Rime, Victor Reyes, Pose, Sage Vaughn, Willie T, Shepard Fairey, Risk, Push, Revok, Zes, Sever, Augustine Kofie and Vizie.
The Qualities of Lightis a film project curated by my good friend and collaborator Shane Sakanoi of Draftsmen and Rich Hama.
I must say, after a number of years giving it up to cameras for interviews an the like, this is by far my most cherished contribution to a doc piece to date. Yes, I did have some say in the style for the film and a bit of direction and I’m sure that’s helping the sway of my judgement, but the guys went somewhere else with it and I’m happy for that.
2501, Aaron De La Cruz, Augustine Kofie, Boris “Delta” Tellegen, Carl Raushenbach, Carlos Mare, Clemens Behr, Derek Bruno, Doze Green, Duncan Jago, DVS 1, El Mac, Eric Haze, Erosie, Franco “Jaz” Fasoli, Futura, Gilbert 1, Greg “Sp One” Lamarche, Graphic Surgery, Hense, Hendrik “ECB” Beikirch, Jaybo Monk, Joker, Jurne, Kema, Kenor, Lek, Marco “Pho” Grassi, Matt W. Moore, Moneyless, O.Two, Part2ism, Poesia, Rae Martini, Remi Rough, Samuel Rodriguez, Sat One, Sever, Shok-1, Sowat, Steve More, West, Will Barras.
“Over the last year the Graffuturism blog has become a major player in the documentation of artists who share a Graffiti background/history but have taken their work to new heights, leaving the ‘rules’ of writing behind.
This December, in collaboration with Soze Gallery, the folks at Graffuturism are hosting a large group show featuring some of the major players in the genre. Obviously, this is not showing everyone who is doing amazing work work that falls into this category, but it is a great selection. Hopefully the show will become an annual event to give opportunities to more and more artists as the blog, and the genre, continue to grow.”
The artists that curator, and prolific artist and designer Marka 27 has gathered from both coasts vary wildly: from passionate, feverish, athleticism to carefully structured graphics, these artists’ aesthetics are certainly varied, but not hard to associate. All 16 artists hint at a similar respect and nod to architecturally-influenced expression, vibrant, often-times grotesque design, and a no-holds-barred expanse of movement—all accompanied by a fierce, self-survivalist-immediacy.
While FEAR NO ART 4 is certainly not the first exhibition featuring street art, it is the first time these particular artists have been featured together on the same coast, in the same space, reacting and playing off of each other for the first time. Rather than showcase a singular artist, this exhibit is a representation of an amalgamation of cultures, identities, ideas, and personalities much like the cities that these artists use as their canvas.
The artists gathered in this collection range from legendary graffiti artists to up-and-coming graphic designers, to expressive pop-surrealist painters—but really, these labels do them a disservice. All of the artists represented in FEAR NO ART 4 are revolutionaries who use a variety of media to challenge the most complex ideals, which are, of course, wrapped in the simplest of questions: What is art? What is art if it is not for sale? What is art if it is impermanent, hidden, digital, wet, gross, or illegal? What is art if we do not call it art?
GATHER A two-man ‘Live open Studio’ show by Augustine Kofie and Paul Senyol
12 - 27 October, 2012
THE LOVELL GALLERY
139 Albert Road, Woodstock,
Cape Town South Africa
This October The Lovell Gallery in association with Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection presents GATHER an exhibition by visual artists Augustine Kofie and Paul Senyol, whose works grace the streets and galleries of Los Angeles and Cape Town, respectively. GATHER will include works by the individual artists in their signature styles, collaborative works by Kofie and Senyol, as well as a true pièce de résistance, a historic racing Porsche 911, which will be transformed into an object of art inside the gallery from the 16th to the 19th Oct as part of this exhibition. This Art Porsche will then race in the endurance challenges of the International Springbok Series in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth starting in November this year.
Augustine Kofie (born 1973) is a self-taught artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has exhibited extensively worldwide with seminal shows in California, Japan, London, Germany and Switzerland. The artist has been featured in Juxtapoz, The Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Project Room and Studio Voice Japan. Kofie is internationally renowned for his awe-inspiring technical skills, employed to create his unique abstract compositions, characterized by simple geometric shapes, exact lines and smooth colour – complex yet elegant and in a league of their own. He has just completed shows in London and Turin Italy, and is in Cape Town for three weeks only on a residency with The Lovell Gallery.
Paul Senyol (born 1980) has been drawing and painting since his early high school years, however never pursuing any form of artistic training. Graffiti and street artists such as Marc Gonzales, Ed Templeton, and Barry McGee have all been major influences in his work, and in later years, the artistic genius of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Cy Twombly. The absence of formal training has given the artist the freedom to break away from traditional notions of painting, to explore a variety of genres and styles, and to meld mediums, allowing him a creative freedom that flows so evidently through his works. Senyol’s art lingers gracefully and intentionally between beauty and honesty and brings a surreal, yet abstract world into being. Geometry, line, shape, composition, typography, abstraction and colour form the key elements in his work. Senyol has exhibited extensively throughout South Africa and has shown in a number of exhibitions in Europe. He currently works from a studio in Woodstock, Cape Town, and is represented by Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection.
Kofie and Senyol have both succeeded in developing their own unique abstract- and street- inspired artistic identities without any formal training. Process, balance, geometry, layering and typography are common elements, which link these artists’ works together. The pairing of Kofie and Senyol’s practice in GATHER results in a richly diverse visual dialogue and outcome, coexisting beautifully and harmoniously within the gallery space. GATHER further invites the viewer to be witness to the art-making process of two original contemporary street- and fine-artists in their own right. A world-class exhibition not to be missed!
GATHER will be celebrated with a wrap / closing event due to the live and evolutionary nature of the exhibition. Viewers will be able to observe the creative processes of the artists throughout the course of the exhibition by the day-to-day progress and happenings at the gallery.
The Lovell Gallery hours: Tue – Fri 10am - 6pm; Sat 10am – 2pm
Closed on Mondays
Contact: Brendon van Kraayenburg (Gallery Manager)
“We stand on the last promontory of the centuries! Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed.” – Marinetti, Futurist Manifesto, 1909.
SYMMETRY ACROSS CENTURIES
In 1912, just three years after the manifesto was published, the Futurists exhibited in London for the first time. A hundred years later on September 27th, 2012, just three years after the creation of Graffuturism.com, the Graffuturists will exhibit for the first time in London at Blackall Studios.
THE IDEALS OF DYNAMISM AND PROGRESSION
At the core of both movements are the parallel ideals of “dynamism” and “progression.” Both of these keywords conjure a sense of action, motion and movement, wavering disturbances of change pulsing forward, like an electrocardiogram, along a historical continuum into the future. Marinetti extolled the virtues of a dynamic art form that was alive and motivated; Poesia, the founder of Graffuturism.com, has stated that the word Graffuturism was inspired by the desire to articulate a progressive impetus for graffiti.
URBAN, ONLINE, GLOBAL
Uplifting arms together in spirit, both these movements revel in the urban environment as a petri dish for the advancements and inventions of their age. Just as Futurism embraced the Industrial Age and its recently mechanized urban centers, Graffuturism embraces the Digital Age and its recently wired urban-global community. For the Futurists, the ideals of dynamism were expressed in images of their century’s new inventions, such as the motor car, the steam engine, the airplane, the telephone; whereas for the Graffuturists, the icons of salvation are the subway car, electric/ diesel freight trains, markers, spray paint, rollers, fire extinguishers, and so on. A different set of symbols for this century, but still imbued with the same impetus.
GRAFFITI, PAINTING AND ABSTRACTION
Because of the global composition of the group, the Graffuturists consist of disparate backgrounds, professions, and locations. They create in different styles, but their unifying theme is abstraction, their medium is painting, and their influence is graffiti. In their work on the streets and on canvas, these painters aspire to a high level of proficiency at their craft, which creates a visual poetry of depth and complexity. The Graffuturists could be classified as a High Style New Millennium Painting movement, consisting of a long dialectic and cross-pollination between advanced graffiti and fine art painting techniques.
Wildstyle Graffiti is combined with Abstract Expressionism or Geometric Abstraction, then transposed through the artist’s unique vision into a personal vocabulary of hybrid techniques, an experimental mix of the high and low, the intellectual and visceral, the visionary and the primitive. Whereas the Street Art movement of the mid-2000s tended to focus on collaged and wheat-pasted illustrations and figurative stencils, this group of artists focuses on the act of Painting, whether on the street or off, whether with spray paint or oils, with a fat cap or a sable brush.
Just as Be-bop developed from jazz, Raw Magazine from Superman comics, and Wildstyle from Original Writing, Graffuturism progresses from graffiti, and then takes up the oily-rag torch to ignite the future.
As part of their Vandal or Visionary Series, where BSA selects one Street Artist to curate a show that follows their specific vision of the scene, BSA is proud to introduce Hellbent as curator of the inaugural show of the series titled “GEOMETRICKS” at new Gallery Brooklyn in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York City, opening September 22, 2012.
Participating artists:
Augustine Kofie, Chor Boogie, Drew Tyndell, Feral Child, Hellbent, Jaye Moon, Maya Hayuk, MOMO, OLEK, OverUnder, See One
GEOMETRICKS turns the spotlight on the movement on the streets that boasts bold color, wild patterning, sophisticated lineplay, and a modern approach to abstraction.
As the stylistic circle widens on the street, GEOMETRICKS grabs a razor-sharp cross section of the growing number of graffiti artists who depart from traditional forms of lettering, Street Artists who are not interested in Pop-inspired icons or irony, and fine artists who never considered the “rules” of the street to begin with.
GEOMETRICKS references modernists, tribalists, and the rhythmic symmetry of the natural world, with it’s hexagons and spirals and comforting repetitions. Old labels about Graffiti and Street Art mean little; this group takes the formalist clarity that references geometry, folk art, and science, and often smashes it with an abstract hammer.
Parallel, perpendicular, rigid, curvilinear; lines and shapes intersect and play off color-rich pattern - challenging the shape, form and expectations of many in the Street Art scene.
“I’m stoked to be able put together this GEOMETRICKS show with some artists who I’ve really admired for a long time as well as some of the new players on the scene. This show is a great opportunity for me to create a vision and really put a dream team of artists into one room and show people what I am diggin’ right now.” - Hellbent
The Vandal or Visionary Series calls into question the simplistic characterization of artists who work on the street as one dimensional vandals and it wonders aloud what a gallery show would look like if viewed through their eyes. Many artists have always had a better understanding of the scene than academics or experts who talk about it and this series allow us to see a show curated by someone with a direct view and a very unique perspective.
Update/ Post Show:
First we wanted to thank all the Street Art fans for your support for our really successful GEOMETRICKS show with 11 American Street Artists from 8 cities . With an 80% sold show and 400 guests on opening night in Red Hook, we felt lucky as hell to be working with some of the best Street Artists doing compelling work on the scene right now. Thanks to Gallery Brooklyn and our guest curator, Hellbent, for being great partners.
Space//Form centers around notions of the architectural landscape. Over 100 of the most relevant young contemporary artists were each given an identical 10×10 inch panel and invited to create a work depicting their interpretation of space and form within either the constructed or the natural environment. The exhibition will be accompanied by integral installations by Mark Dean Veca and Michael Murphy. Curator, Sven Davis, has worked in architecture for over 20 years and is the UK Director for the internationally staffed online arts magazine, Arrested Motion.
Participating artists:
Aakash Nihalani, Adam Normandin, Adam Wallacavage, Alex Lukas, Alicia Dubnyckyj, Amy Casey, Anthony Zinonos, Augustine Kofie, Ben Eine, Bill McRight, Blaine Fontana, Brendan Monroe, Brett Amory, Carl Cashman, Carl Riddle. Cheryl Molnar, Chloe Early, Chris Ballantyne, Chris Scarborough, Christian Mendoza, Christopher Derek Bruno, Clayton Brothers, Cleon Peterson, Dabs Myla, Dana Brown, Dave Kinsey, David Kassan, David O’Brien, Deedee Cheriel, Doze Green, Drew Tyndall, Eric Shaw, Eric White, Erik Mark Sandberg, Francesco Igory Deiana, Frank Gonzales, Gary Taxali, Geoff McFetridge, Ghostpatrol, Greg Eason, Greg Lamarche, Hamishi, Henry Gunderson, Ian Francis, Jacob Magraw Mickelson, James Marshall (Dalek), Jason Thielke, Jeff Depner, Jeff Soto, Jim Houser, Jordin Isip, Josh Keyes, Joshua Krause, Judith Supine, Kai & Sunny, Karin Krommes, Karl de Vroomen, Katrin Fridriks, Kenji Hirata, Kevin Cyr, Kevin Earl Taylor, Kevin Peterson, Kid Acne, Kozyndan, Kris Lewis, Kristen Schiele, Lex Thomas, Logan Hicks, Lola Dupré, Louis Reith, Lucas Price, LX One, Mario Wagner, Marissa Textor, Mark Dean Veca, Mark Schoening, Mark Warren Jacques, Mark Whalen, Mars-1, Martin Wittfooth, Mary Iverson, Matt Leines, Maya Hayuk, Michael Murphy, Mike Stilkey, Moneyless, Nick Walker, Pakayla Biehn, Paul Insect, Pete Watts, Reginald S. Aloysius, Remi Rough, Rich Jacobs, Richard Colman, Ricky Allman, Rostarr, Russell Leng, Ryan Shaffer, Ryan Stewart Nault, Sage Vaughn, Saner, Seonna Hong, She One, Sidney Pink, Sinc, Slinkachu, Stephanie Buer, Sweet Toof, Teresa Duck, Tim Biskup, Tom French, Tristram Lansdowne, Wayne White, Will Barras, Winston Smith
Curatorial statement:
Space//Form explores the constructed and natural environment while also serving as a comparative exercise in how different individuals respond to a single set of prescribed criteria. All of the participating artists were given the same commission guidelines and an identical surface material to work with. Each unique interpretation of the brief has led to the creation of a new artwork specifically for the show. The disciplines of art and architecture traditionally enjoy a symbiotic relationship, and the parallels run deep between the conception and realization of an architectural project and the Space//Form exhibition itself.
Ampersand Art Supply are the leading manufacturers of archival painting panels in the United States. Their signature museum series panels include Claybord™, Aquabord™, Gessobord™, Encausticbord™, Scratchbord™ and Pastelbord™, each featuring Ampersand’s patented Archiva-Seal™ barrier technology. As one of the key sponsors of Space//Form , Ampersand provided a custom made panel for each of the artists to produce their own unique art piece for the show. Ampersand’s unique surface coatings allow each artist to experiment and further their creative expression beyond what can be done on an ordinary stretched canvas.
[ I will be in attendance for this great project givint a talk to students at the Universty about my artworks with emphasis on my mix media collage. There are laso exhibitions planned as well as plans to paint at the University during my stay. Updates to follow]
Featuring 16×20” works from: 123 Klan Aaron, De La Cruz, Askew, Augustine Kofie, Axis, Cat Cult, Dabs Myla, Dscreet, Dvate, EINE, Elliot Francis Stewart, Ephameron, Greg Lamarche, Honkey Kong (aka Adam Hathorn), Johnny ‘KMNDZ’ Rodriguez, KC Ortiz, KEM5, Logan Hicks, Luke Chueh, Mark Mulroney, Meggs, Misery, NEW2, Pose, Remi Rough, Revok, Rime, Stormie Mills, Tatiana Suarez, Tom Gerrard, Tristan Eaton, Witnes and The Yok
Thinkspace is pleased to present the highly anticipated Marvelous Expeditions by Dabs Myla and Friends. In the spirit of travel and all things wonderfully itinerant, acclaimed duo Dabs Myla will take over the gallery space and will feature new work and an installation alongside curated selections from 32 of their closest and most inspiring artist friends. The gallery will in effect become a locus of meeting and communal exchange, as artists from all over the world are brought together by Dabs Myla to share their experiences of traveling through its landscapes.
Dabs Myla’s meticulously executed work combines narrative illustration, photorealistic drawing, and architectural rendering with a playful bawdiness and irreverence. Cast frequently as themselves in their imagery and host of characters, the artist pair create worlds of contentious and playful encounters against the seductive chaos of the urbanscape. The city features prominently in their work as the stomping ground for their numerous adventures. When looking at their pieces one has the impression of aesthetic confluence and fluidity, of two minds toiling together as one. The viewing experience is the keen pleasure of looking into another world and enjoying a story, and just as it is with the unrelenting freneticism of the city, there is always a new discovery to punctuate every observation right around every corner – and we’d be remiss to exclude mention of the donuts and street meat.
As artists and urban enthusiasts Dabs Myla translate their experience of the world through a distinctly collaborative amalgamation of their styles and rendering strengths. Their work conveys a synchronicity of vision and aesthetic uncommonly allied and collusive. It is constituted by their shared love of travel, food, graffiti, illustration, and urbanity. Just as all productive chaos emerges from unlikely places, the momentum of travel fosters unexpected discoveries and collisions of worlds. Dabs and Myla, originally from Melbourne Australia and now currently based in LA, are no strangers to this productive geographic disruption, and this project seeks to celebrate the unexpected encounters and inspirations catalyzed by travel. They have invited each of their featured friends to produce a piece for the exhibition on a 16” x 20” wood panel, and with these set material parameters each artist will work their magic. The series is loosely meant to invoke exploration and travel, and each participating artist will metabolize their impressions of the theme differently through their respective styles, voices, and memories.
Marvelous Expeditions showcases the duo’s love of friends, collegiality, exchange, and the proliferation of vision and variety that thrives alongside constant movement and displacement. These are the exploratory impulses of travel that lead to constant revisions, reconstitutions, influences, and to the indelible encounters that change everything.
I was invited by CHAS of Love Letters Crew to paint on one of the best walls at this years international Graffiti festival STEP IN THE ARENA in the city of Eindhoven, the Netherlands this past June, 2012
This year more than 250 local and international graffiti gladiators showed their skills in the weekend of 23 and 24 June in Eindhoven. Some names of the participating artists were:
Acrylic, screen print and incising on masonite panel.
Finished in matte satin varnish.
Framed in found yardstick & mahogany lattice.
WEST COAST ARTISTS Crew
Group Exhibition
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Public opening at 6:00pm - 11pm
Show runs till July 10th.
One of Los Angeles’ first, most well known, and most well respected crews. Founded in 1985, and consisting of some of the biggest names in the graffiti art community for almost 3 decades.
Many members have grown to become the worlds foremost tattooists, gallery artists, graphic designers and many members own some of the worlds best known graphic design firms and clothing companies. What started as a group of young kids in Los Angeles, with a mutual love of a new artistic art form, has grown to become a legacy of creativity, originality and respect worldwide.
ACE • ALIAS • ASH • BATES • BAZAR • BRAIL • CARTOON • CAZAR• CLAE
COOL BOY • COOZ • CRE8 • D-ROCK • DASH • DEN • DESIGN9 • DYE5
EDIT • EVOLVE • GASO • GIGS • HASLER • KOFIE • MAKE • MINER • MEAR
MUNK • OG ABEL • PJAY • PENO • PONY BOY • POWER • PRYER • PYRO
RAK • RAKUS • REMI ROUGH • RESEK • RETNA • RIVAL • RISK • SED • SEL
SER • SEVERE • SHADOW • SINER • SKILL • SKIT • STORMIE • STYLIE3
SWAN • TRIXTER • TYER • VEX • VISION • WISK • ZANE
Mirror Gallery in historic China Town
963 Chung King Rd.
LA, CA. 90012
Working An Angle is a recent collection of work by Los Angeles-based artist Augustine Kofie. This will be Kofie’s first solo show with Known Gallery and will include 40 recent works including hand painted multiple screen prints, collage on wood as well as paintings on canvas and wood.
The works comprising Working An Angle feature found paper collage, clean line work, delineation of geometric forms and divisions of space with a technical precision that resembles a modernist like archtectype drafting. Kofie’s unique understanding of placement and line work results in a style of meticulous rendering that never seems cold or sterile due to the delicate sense of balance maintained within each drafted creation. Compositions incorporating found papers and ephemera from various hunts for the refuse of the past tend to help give these recent works an ‘old soul’ type vintage mood, while still holding a structural heart. Dusty pinks, mauves and mint greens compliment a muted palette to soften the sharp streaks of line work, and imparts a simple elegance to the complicated arrangements of each circular form and shape.
Half a dozen larger works will be on display as well as a number of pieces from the artists ‘Incising’ series where acrylic paintings on clayboard are lightly carved to exposing the underlining color forms, continuation in the artists curiosity with layering, movement and linear connections.
Opens: May 26, 2012 | 8-11pm
Runs: May 26 - June 9, 2012
Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
For the first time, Opera Gallery will be uniting forty of the most important contemporary artists to emerge from the Street Art Movement. These artists span the globe, including the United States, Brazil, France, Ukraine, Poland, Belgium, Israel, Spain and China, proving that the Street Art Movement has no borders.
Found paper, acrylic, ball point pen & xerographic transfer on wood panel.
Finished in matte varnish. Framed in mahogany lattice & found vintage yardsticks.
CREWEST Gallery presents
“Mission Accomplished”
Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 7-10pm.
Exhibits close on May 27, 2012
Artwalk event takes place Thursday, May 10, 2012
Crewest Gallery
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA
90013
213-627-8272
Artists that will show at MISSION ACCOMPLISHED in May include:
AISE, ALEX “DEFER” KIZU, BRANDED, BRON THERON, CAB, CHAZ BOJORQUEZ, DAVE KAWANO, DCYPHER, EDGAR HOILL, ERIBERTO ORIOL, EVAN ESK, EYE ONE, FLYCAT, GEORGE CLINTON, GEORGE YEPES, GONZO247, GREGG STONE, GUSTAVO ALBERTO GARCIA VACA, HASTE, HECTOR “HEX TGO” RIOS, HUIT, JOHN CARR, JUAN CARLOS “HEAVEN” MUNOZ, KOFIE, MARIA KANE, MAX NEUTRA, MEAR ONE, MICHAEL PIZARRO, MR. PUPPET, MR.WANY, OSCAR MAGALLANES, OVERTON LOYD, PABLO CRISTI, RAPTUZ, RITZY PERIWINKLE, ROME, SAHL, SAND ONE, SCOTCH, SHERM, SKET, SLOKE, CRISTIAN “SMEAR” GHEORGHIU, STEVE GRODY, STEVE MARTINEZ, STREET PHANTOM, SYNDROME, VYAL ONE, AND MORE…
I had the honor of having my Circulatory System installation and a mural in SF documented by Colin M Day
during my stay in SF last year. Due to Colin documenting 2011’s Art Basel projects, this one got bumped back, so it was a treat to see it finally posted.
Im really pleased with the piece and it covers some particular bits I dont speak on that often + the inclusion of my re-edit looping of Silver Apples’ “Oscillations” gives the vid a steady smashing.
Most recently I was included in the the French urban contemporary art publication ‘Graffiti Art’ magazine’s
LE GUIDE DE L’ART CONTEMPORAIN URBAIN 2012. The beautiful 300 page issue brings together a selection of more than a hundred artists from both Street and Graffiti arts of today who had an important place on the art market in 2011. The guide is directed to the art lovers and the curious. A catalogue to learn all about this important movement of the twenty-first century.
Many thanks to Sophie & Samantha of Graffiti Art magazine for the support!
Featuring: Aaron De La Cruz, Amanda Lynn, Anthony Lister, Askew, Augustine Kofie, Axis, Carlos Donjuan, Dabs & Myla, Dame, Danny D, Ewok, Franco Vescovi, Jaime Oliver, Jasper Wong, Jeff McMillan, Joe King, Kelsey Brookes, Leo Eguiarte, Madsteez, Mambo, Mark Dean Veca, Matt Nichols, Mr. Cartoon, Munk One, Nate Van Dyke, OG Abel, Patrick Martinez, Persue, Pose, Revok, Rime aka Jersey Joe, Samuel Rodriguez, Sage Vaughn, Sever, Slick, Stash, Steel, Todd Bratrud, Trevelen, Victor Reyes
Show runs Saturday, April 28 to Sunday, April 29, 2012
Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Patrick Thompson (TO), Recka (TO), Other (aka Troy Lovegates) (TO)
Commerce Court West Lobby
199 Bay Street King & Bay, Toronto, ON
The exhibit is open daily.
M-F 10am - 6pm
S-S 12pm - 5pm
Discovery Exhibition runs from April 23rd through May 5th, 2012, open to public April 24th onwards.
New artwork by street artists from Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be showcased and available for sale with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Dixon Hall Mill Centre, a centre that offers carpentry training programs to women overcoming the effects of violence and abuse, aboriginal communities, deaf and hard of hearing and at-risk youth.
Who: Well and Good, Toronto’s premiere alternative creative collective specializing in street art in collaboration with Dixon Hall, a social
service agency serving Regent Park and surrounding communities since 1929.
Dixon Hall is a multi-service community agency that provides programs and services to downtown east Toronto since 1929. Programs include employment services and training programs, senior services, health and wellness programs, a homeless shelter, at-risk youth programs, day camp, music school, and more.
About Well and Good: Well and Good has gained recognition as Toronto’s premiere alternative creative collective specializing in street art. They also provide artist management and development services.
Special thanks to Barefoot Wines and Steam Whistle Brewing for their contributions of good cheer.
Found paper, acrylic, ball point pen & xerographic transfer on wood panel.
Finished in matte varnish. Framed in mahogany lattice & found vintage yardsticks.
“We are incredibly proud to announce the opening of LALA Galleryon Saturday, April 21, 2012 where we will be presenting LA Freewalls Inside. LA Freewalls Inside is a group show featuring over 40 artists who have helped make Downtown Los Angeles one of the biggest and most recognizable public art spaces in the world, including Shepard Fairey, SWOON, HOW and NOSM. Keep a lookout as we unveil the final line-up over the next two weeks.
So spread the word, bring a friend and help us break-in the space for the first of what will be many, many, more events.” - Daniel Lahoda, LALA Gallery
LALA Arts
1335 Willow Street
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013
White Walls is proud to present the White Walls Winter Group Show opening February 11th, 2012. White Walls is celebrating years of continued success with a showcase of artists that represent the art we have long supported and always loved. The commitment to showing incredible artists is evidenced by the lineup of talent, featuring artists that we are honored to have shown many times in the past alongside artists we are excited to see more of in the coming years! An expansive collection of work will be brought together in one space, opening Saturday from 7—11pm, February 11th.
The exhibition will be free and open to the public and will run until March 3rd, 2012.
Flavorful music selection provided by DJ Jun & Josh One
[This will mark my first official showing for the new year. A choice selection of works from 2011 as well as some recent paintings fresh from the studio.]
01. The point here was to reproduce the energy and direction of some of my recent studio paintings in a large scale format.
02. The ‘teeter effect’ or ’tilt’ of the overall composition leads to an off-centering that gives the idea of movement.
03. The earth tone palette is not a new concept for me, but due to the bright and vibrant murals throughout the compound, it makes the subtleness of this piece shine in contrast.
04. Both assisted straight lines ( straight edge and/or masking tape) and traditional manuel lines are executed in order to keep balance. The larger circles were assisted with the help of a center point. The smaller arch and circles were completed manually.
05. The majority of the left side of the mural was completed before I finalized the right side.
06. The majority of the mural was painted in one day. The following 4 days consisted of clean up, fine tuning and adjustments.
The installation titled “In Situ” will took place in the Wynwood Art District at the Kohn Compound during Art Basel|Miami 2011
With mural installation by:
Eric Haze, Mare 139, West One, Poesia, Aaron De la Cruz,
Kema, Jurne, Sueme, Remi Rough, Greg Lamarche, Rae Martini,
LX One, Matt W. Moore, and Augustine Kofie.
“The title “In Situ” is a reference to the Mural installations that in the definition of the term will be made and created for the site specific to this event. Permanent Murals that will be placed in a unique and contrary to traditional compositions. As graffiti enters its place among the art world as legitimate art form, we have put together this lineup with the intention of showcasing some of our cultures important figures. With most, if not all the artists having an extensive background in traditional graffiti we have tried to bring many aspects of our current culture. From Legends Like Mare 139 & Eric Haze to emerging stars like Sueme and Jurne. We have picked a wide spectrum of talent. International additions like Remi Rough and She One will also contribute, reminding us of how far our culture has reached. We offer a different vision, modernist at times to street art and traditional graffiti. The great part of the Art Basel event that spreads into the streets of the Wynwood arts district, is that all angles are represented. We now add our version this year with In Situ. We hope you stop by and say hello. The graffiti Avante Garde as some have called it is here and we hope you enjoy what we will be bringing to the table this year.”
Special thanks to MTN Colors for being the paint sponsor for this event.”
ball point pen, white-out, rub on Letraset, gel image transfer
& acrylic ink on wood panel. Finished in matte gel medium.
Framed in mahogany lattice & found vintage yardsticks
White Walls is pleased to announce its participation in SCOPE Miami, one of the leading art fairs known for curating some of the most innovative contemporary art being made. Running from November 29–December 4, 2011, SCOPE will present the highest level of gallery shows, collector tours, film screenings, special events and performances.
White Walls will be hosting four booths at SCOPE, situated in the center of Miami’s Wynwood Gallery Arts District, featuring a MTN Colors Group show with APEX, Neon, Estria, Vogue, Blek le Rat, HUSH, Kofie and Chor Boogie, a White Walls Group show with Casey Gray, Ben Eine and Greg Gossel, and solo shows for both ABOVE and ROA. White Walls will be showing with SCOPE for the full duration of the fair as well as leading multiple projects throughout the city of Miami, bringing the work of our renowned participating artists to the streets of Miami.
APEX, Eine, Kofie, ABOVE, ROA and Chor Boogie will also be painting at the Kohn compound on 24th street, where MTN Colors is hosting projects by 20+ top shelf graffiti and street artists, making the compound home to the largest street level mural installation in the world and an Art Basel satellite event. The compound is 30,000 square feet at 219 NW 24th street and almost 10,000 sq. feet on 25th street, with a passage connecting the two streets, two bars and music performed Dec 1st through to Dec 4th.
White Walls is pleased to present Circulatory System, the new collection of work by Los Angeles-based artist Augustine Kofie. This will be Kofie’s second solo show with White Walls, and will include 30 recent works including smaller collage case studies on paper, hand painted multiple screen prints, assemblage on wood, paintings on canvas and wood and a large wall installation. The opening reception will be Saturday, November
12th, from 7-11 pm, and the exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing through December 3rd.
The works comprising Circulatory System feature a clean delineation of geometric forms and divisions of space with a technical precision that resembles architectural drafting. Kofie’s understanding of illustration and linework results in a style of meticulous rendering that never seems cold or sterile due to the delicate sense of balance maintained within each composition. The muted palette softens the sharp lines, and imparts a simple elegance to the complicated arrangements of shape.
The vintage-toned color scheme- the pale seafoam and mint greens of the sixties and the varying beige shades of worn paper- fit perfectly with the collage aspect of the work. Found imagery and ephemera are interwoven into many of the paintings, constructing a new way of looking upon fragments of the past.
Kofie uses a similar approach of artful combination, rearrangement and layering to create a soundtrack that will accompany the exhibition, reflecting the theme as well as setting the tone for the collection. The 40 minute soundtrack is not an itunes mix but what Kofie calls a true mix, meaning a well- collaged assemblage of original beats, pulled dialogue from various films and re-edited songs.
Susie Lee did me a solid and posted this comprehensive studio visit ad article for Arrested Motion the weep of my solo at White Walls gallery in SF. Carlos Gonzales on the photos.
20 years later is a large-scale group exhibition curated by none other than Los Angeles and Mexico’s pioneering graffiti artist, Galo “Make” Canote, also known as LoveGalo and by associated curator and legendary graffiti artist, Oscar “BeskUno” Rivera.
August 27th, 2011 from 7:00pm to 11:00pm
KGB LA Gallery
1640 North Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90012
The ROCKIN’ 91 piece was a memorable graffiti piece executed by legendary graffiti artists, Besk and Make, at the historic Belmont Tunnel Yard. The piece paid homage to all the pioneers of the graffiti art movement, honored those that paved the way and mindfully respected those that have also passed away. In 2001, Besk and Make teamed up once again at the Belmont Yard to execute their ROCKIN’ 01 piece which possessed the same theme and concept, and celebrated another 10 years of continual and significant contribution to the movement.
2011 marks their 20th year anniversary and ROCKIN’ 2011 will be an art exhibit that continues the same tradition as the first piece. It will also have a special emphasis on the vacant location, The Belmont Tunnel Yard, that served as a public street art gallery space where local graffiti artists, from throughout the U.S. and the world would gather and express themselves artistically - The Historic Belmont Tunnel.
ROCKIN’ 2011 will showcase art by legendary, pioneering and well-respected graffiti artists. In addition, photographers who have documented the graffiti art, lifestyle and history of the Belmont Tunnel will share the spotlight. A video ephemera by Mr RTD1, will also be provided for further historical context and information surrounding The Pacific Electric Railway’s Belmont Tunnel and its monumental contribution to the graffiti movement.
There will be an altar installation depicting the graffiti artist’s lifestyle by Ofelia Esparza & ZANlovesEastLA. Ofelia Esparza & ZANlovesEastLA are an esteemed team of artists highly noted for their stunningly beautiful and elaborate Dia de los Muertos and traditional altars.
Artists participating are:
Anger - Arco - Baba - Bash - BenBaller - Ben Esparza - Besk - Cale - Chubbs - Cre8 - David “Some” Arquette - EarnOne - Eriberto Oriol - Fear - OG Graff - Hex - Just195 - Augustine Kofie – Mear - Mosh - Mr RTD1 - Ofelia Esparza & ZANlovesEastLA - Pyro - Relic - Risky – Sergio “Doc” Rueda - Shandu - Size - Skan - Skept - Spurn - Steve Grody - Trina Calderon - Unit - Volt - Vyal - Wisk - YemOne - Zuco - and many more plus special guests.
On Friday, August 19 I will be showing some smaller works on paper in a crew show at the Lunch Money shop off Melrose. TYER has been holding down the shop for close to a year now and it was time for a family show. There is also going to be a black & white coloring book with the whole crews letter styles available at the opening for an undisclosed amount as of yet. Def a lil collectors item with letter ways from all of the above mentioned.
On Saturday, July 23, 2011 I painte on stage with Build An Ark and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and Voice of U.G.M.A.A at Grand Performances in Downtown Los Angeles, curated and Hosted by Carlos Niño. Carlos inspired me to paint a portrait of Sun-Ra during the event event to signify the idea of free jazz and to resect to termanology of Arkestry.
Andres Renteria - Percussion, Baba Craig Ramos - Vocals, Damon Aaron - Vocals, Guitar, Dexter Story - Drums, Electric Piano and Vocals, Dwight Trible - Lead Vocals, Gaby Hernandez - Vocals, Garret Lang - Bass, Jim Lang - Organ, Joey Dosik - Electric and Acoustic Piano, Mark Maxwell - Vocals, Radha Botofasina - Harp, Ralph “Buzzy” Jones - Reeds, Sheila Govindarajan - Vocals, Tara Speiser - Bassoon, Tony Austin - Drums, Tracy Wannomae - Reeds, Waberi Jordan - Vocals,
with Derf Reklaw - Congas, Double G - Baritone Sax, Emile Poree - Guitar, James Richards - Gong, Michael White & Leisei Chen - Violin and Vocals, Peter Harris - Poetry, Phil Ranelin - Trombone
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Violin, Viola, Music Director
Carlos Niño - Producer and Special Effects
………………………………………………….
Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra:
Amos Delon - Baritone Sax, Azar Lawrence - Tenor Sax, Derf Reklaw - Congas, Fundi Legohn - French Horn, Issaac Smith - Trombone, Kaki Roberts - Flute, Kamau Daaood - Poetry, Mahesh Balasooriya - Piano, Maia - Flute, Mekala Session - Drums, Randal Fisher - Tenor Sax, Rembert James - Trombone, Richard Grant - Trumpet, Roberto Miranda - Bass, Steve Smith - Trumpet, Tracy Caldwell - Alto Sax
with Voice of U.G.M.A.A.: Dante Chambers - Vocals, Denise Groce - Vocals, Dwight Trible - Lead Vocals, Elesia Session -Vocals, Nikia Billingslea - Vocals, Renee Fisher - Vocals, Waberi Jordan - Vocals, and JJ & Kabsa Afrikan Drum and Dance Ensemble
Michael Session - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Music Director
Enamel, acrylic and bitumen on primed brick [2011]
Glasgow, UK
During the Rudimentary Perfection exhibition at Recoat Gallery each of the artists that made it out to the show painted walls throughout Glasgow thanks to the efforts of Amy and Ali of Recoat. My wall above as well as Jaybo Monks wall ended up being the closest to the gallery, literally along the side of the building.
Found paper, ball point pen, ink, acrylic & spray paint on wood panel.
Framed in vintage yardsticks.Finished in matte gel medium.
SOLD
Triangulations circa 1952 [2011]
10 3/8 x 10 3/8 x 1 inches
26.4 x 26.4 x 2.5 cm
Found paper, ball point pen, ink, acrylic & spray paint on wood panel.
Framed in vintage yardsticks.Finished in matte gel medium.
SOLD
Rudimentary triangulations, perfected [2011]
10 3/8 x 10 3/8 x 1 inches
26.4 x 26.4 x 2.5 cm
Found paper, ball point pen, ink, acrylic & spray paint on wood panel.
Framed in vintage yardsticks.Finished in matte gel medium.
SOLD
3 assemblage works on display for the month of July during the
Recoat Gallery group show Rudimentary Perfection
Recoat Gallery
323 North Woodside Road
G20 6ND Glasgow
United Kingdom
Opening on 1st of July 2011, 7-10pm, Scotland’s Recoat Gallery will host the UK’s first comprehensive Graffuturism Exhibition titled “Rudimentary Perfection“. The exhibition pulls together an impressive group of notable international artists linked by their innovative spirit & shared graffiti heritage. The project has been heralded as one of the finest of its kind to take place anywhere in the world this year.
Each of these artists has ventured down unique paths in their post graffiti output & each offers a radical take on expressive, figurative & letter-based abstraction. These works, while differing in approach & execution retain the sense of movement, assured marks & imperfect beauty of graffiti itself.
Acrylic, enamel spray paint, screenprint & bitumen on canvas.
Recoat Gallery Presents:
Rudimentary Perfection
Proudly showcasing recent work by:
-SheOne
-Duncan Jago
-Jaybo Monk
-Matt W. Moore
-Augustine Kofie
-Poesia
-Nawer
-Derm
-Morten Andersen
-Mark Lyken
Recoat Gallery
323 North Woodside Road
G20 6ND Glasgow
United Kingdom
Opening on 1st of July 2011, 7-10pm, Scotland’s Recoat Gallery will host the UK’s first comprehensive Graffuturism Exhibition titled “Rudimentary Perfection“. The exhibition pulls together an impressive group of notable international artists linked by their innovative spirit & shared graffiti heritage. The project has been heralded as one of the finest of its kind to take place anywhere in the world this year.
Each of these artists has ventured down unique paths in their post graffiti output & each offers a radical take on expressive, figurative & letter-based abstraction. These works, while differing in approach & execution retain the sense of movement, assured marks & imperfect beauty of graffiti itself.
About Recoat:
Recoat is an exhibition space in Glasgow, Scotland. We exhibit illustration, graphic art, photography, street art and graffiti, showcasing Scottish talent alongside artwork from all over the world.
[Mark Lyken is paying attention. Not only can he hold his own style wise he also has a creative space that caters to the culture with a broad stoke. I’m very excited to be apart of this progressive lineup as well as have the opportunity to show my works in the United Kingdom, let alone Scotland. Im planning on making the trip to catch up with some good mates and make some new ones. It’s sad to say that I have never been to the UK in all these years of traveling, but I’m quite looking forward to it.]
Most featured artists are from street art culture, the variety of content put forward the richness of this artistic movement in its own right with a central and recurring theme: life.
The exhibition will present new works of resident artists and you will have the opportinity to
discover the works of five newcomers artists who join the David Bloch Gallery:
PASADENA, CA - The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) announces the first museum exhibition that joins the work created by Los Angeles graffiti artists for a fine art context with their graffiti art made in the streets. Internationally renowned as one of the most fertile grounds for graffiti art, the City of Angels has its own idiosyncratic graffiti styles created from the innovative New York “wildstyle” that heralded the birth of graffiti as it is seen today, filtered through local influences such as gang writing styles that greatly predate the modern movement.
The artists for the exhibition have been consistently making influential public work, but their practice has expanded into work that is viewed in galleries and museums. Street Cred was first conceived in 2008 by PMCA Exhibition Manager Shirlae Cheng-Lifshin, who subsequently brought on Los Angeles graffiti historian Steve Grody as co-curator. Grody, who is the author of Graffiti LA, has been documenting high-quality work in the streets of Los Angeles since 1990. The exhibition will include his photographs from the crucial years of the graffiti scene, providing key insights into the visual “language” of graffiti, its development in Los Angeles, and the ways in which the street work informs the canvas work in the exhibition.
Ironically, the fine art production of these artists are meant for wider audiences than their graffiti works, so the artists incorporate a more universal pictorial language than the specialized typography evident in graffiti in situ, usually readable only to other graffiti artists. Yet the artistic skill and dialogue with modernism displayed by many of these artists demonstrates that their place in the continuum of art history is well deserved. Works in the exhibition will also be grouped according to style, further underscoring both the breadth and depth of this contemporary art movement. Taken as a whole, Street Cred will show how a genre born on concrete translates into canvas, and how the two worlds interact.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Michael Alvarez, ANGST, AXIS, Chaz Bojórquez, CODAK, CRAOLA, DASH 2000, Ekundayo, EYEONE, HASTE, Paul SKEPT Kanemitsu, Alex Kizu, KOFIE ONE, MAN ONE, MEAR ONE, Juan Carlos Muñoz Hernandez, Jose Lopez, Erick Montenegro, Nicnak, PUSH, RISK, Jeff Soto, Evan Skrederstu, RETNA, REVOK, SABER, SHANDU, Jesse Simon, SINER, and ZES.
Made possible in part by the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division.
Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA)
490 E. Union Street
Pasadena CA 91101
OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, May 14, 2011
7:00 – 10:00 pm
$5 admission
Free for PMCA Members
About the PMCA:
The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is dedicated to the exhibition of California art, architecture, and design from 1850 to the present. Informed by the state’s rich mixture of cultures and inspired by its impressive geography, California art has long been defined by a spirit of freedom and experimentation. PMCA exhibitions and educational programs explore the cultural dynamics and influences unique to California that have shaped and defined art in all media.
Hours:
Wednesday – Sunday, 12:00 - 5:00 pm. The Museum is closed July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Admission:
$7 for Adults, $5 for Seniors (65+) and Students with valid ID; free to PMCA Members and children under 12. Access for people with disabilities is provided.
Location/Parking:
The Museum is located at 490 East Union Street. From the 210 Freeway, take the Lake Avenue exit. Go south and take a right on Union Street. From the 110 Freeway/Downtown Los Angeles, follow the freeway until its end, then take Arroyo Parkway and turn right at Colorado, then left at Oakland to get to Union Street. Parking is available at the Museum.
In February of 2011, just after completing the massive MODA Murals in Vancouver, I shot over to SF to drop in my contribution for the Indoor Mural Project at Justin’s massive gallery space. I wanted to drop in a piece that reflected my dustier approach to my constructive direction, relative to a piece I would execute outside of a studio space. I incorporated hand styles, line work and my traditional rusted/ distresses finishings. It was even lovelier to have the lady at foot documenting the session on her old trusty Yashica, shot in 120 film.
The Indoor Mural Project: A Living Survey of Contemporary Street Art
941 Geary is proud to present the Indoor Mural Project featuring murals by Chor Boogie, Eine, ApexOne, Neon, Augustine Kofie, Damon Soule, Skinner, Roa,Sheppard Fairy, Hush, Damon Soule, Blek le Rat, Casey Gray and many more, filling the 3,000 sq. foot converted warehouse!
The doors are open to the public starting April 1st, 12-5 until the closing party on April 23rd, 6-9pm.
Join us at 941 Geary on Saturday, April 23rd from 6-9 p.m. as we unveil the entire giant, colorful, collaborative masterpiece!
Augustine Kofie | Jerry Inscoe | Remi/Rough | Scott Sueme
Becker Galleries
Pier 32, Granville Island
Suite 210-1333 Johnson St
Vancouver, B.C.
Moda Hotel/Red Card
900 Seymor St
Vancouver B.C.
March 4-26, 2011
Curated by Indigo, Unintended Calculations brings together a group of internationally renowned artists – Augustine Kofie (LA), Jerry Inscoe (PDX), Remi/Rough (LDN) and Scott Sueme (VAN) - in an exhibition exploring four very different approaches to abstraction. Working in a variety of mediums, these artists have evolved the letterform building blocks of their shared graffiti background, deconstructing and rebuilding them as compositions of colour, line, shape and movement.
The project begins with two collaborative mural installations at Moda Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. A VIP invite-only reception will take place at Becker Galleries on March 4th. The exhibit opens to the public on March 5th followed by an afterparty at Moda Hotel’s Red Card Sports Bar.
Augustine Kofie’ssignature style “Vintage Futurism” layers tightly controlled linework and complex structures against a palette of heavy distressed earth tones. His architecturally inspired paintings, collages and assemblages incorporate found imagery and objects into a crafted world of process, organization and draftsmanship.
Heavily influenced by Deconstructivist architecture, Jerry Inscoedissects and reassembles three-dimensional space within an elegant framework of smooth lines, soaring arcs and sharp angles. Tone-on-tone colors and neutrals exist in crisp definition, often set against a background of smooth wood grain.
Best described as “antiform”, Remi/Rough’swork is the product of a skilled balance of freedom and restraint, with references to Kandinsky, Kline and the Bauhaus and Dadaist movements. The negative space in his paintings speaks volumes, juxtaposed against gestural brushstrokes, skewed lines, strong shapes and angular configurations.
Scott Sueme’s mixed-media paintings are an exploration of spontaneity and intuition; a departure from his critically structured and designed graffiti pieces. Favouring improvisation over strategy, he layers dense lines and bold colors against subtle tones and textures to create a strong, energetic sense of movement.
In recent years abstraction has been rapidly gaining momentum within the graffiti community, with many artists around the world pushing the composition and construction of letters to more conceptual levels. Collectively and individually, these
four artists showcase the wide range of techniques and aesthetics that exist within this genre, and are as intriguing in their similarities as they are in their differences.
SF Based documentarian Scott La RockMade it out to the White Walls Gallery opening of Linear Empires and captured these detail shots of my works. Many thanks fam, your doing big things.
Found paper, ball point pen, acrylic, white-out, xerographic gel transfer & acrylic ink on wood panel.
Finished in matte gel medium.
Framed in mahogany lattice.
She’s open minded [2011]
18 x 30 x 1 5/5 inches
Found paper, product packaging and chipboard,
ball point pen, xerographic gel transfer & acrylic ink on wood panel.
Finished in matte gel medium.
Framed in mahogany lattice.
Linear Empires
A group exhibition addressing the convergence of fine art and design
White Walls Gallery
835 LARKIN ST.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. 94109
Phone: 415.931.1500
Opening reception:
Saturday, Feb 12, 2011- March 5, 2011
White Walls is pleased to announce Linear Empires, a group exhibition addressing the convergence of fine art and design. Linear Empires will showcase artists working across various mediums, yet united in their pursuit of organizing “visual concepts” such as delineation, color blocking, texture, contrast, geometry and line. Featured artists include Augustine Kofie, Geoff Campen, Diana Campen, Mary Iverson, Richard Pearse, Monelyess, Brendan Monroe and Gregory Ito. The opening reception for Linear Empires will be held at White Walls on Saturday, February 12 from 7-11pm.
[I will have 4 works on display at this amazing group effort highlighting fine art and design. Im pretty excited to be showing with EVERY artist on this lineup. Each of them hold a unique approach to their craft as well as an appreciation of the creative process.]
Singha Beer has revealed its next artist for the latest stop of the global Singha TransPortraits campaign. On Saturday February 12, 2011, artist Augustine Kofie, aka Kofie, will create the next Singha TransPortrait at Harlot in San Francisco.
“Kofie’s designs have been featured everywhere from murals to music videos & game console designs. We can’t wait to see how he brings his signature style to Singha Beer and we’re excited to add another incredibly talented artist to the Singha TransPortraits campaign,”
-Boon Rawd Trading International Co., Ltd. Senior Branding and Event Officer, Theerathip Mahaguna.
[I was personally recommended for this project by my contemporary and friend Retna, which he participated in for the Los Angeles edition. For this San Francisco edition I will be doing some live finishing touches to a 15′ x 8′ Lucious Hudson designed canvas live during the event.]
community mural projects aimed at curbing the crisis
of violence plaguing youth of color.
In honor of African History Month The Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society is proud to present the second AeroSoul event “AeroSoul 2011” which will kick off on February 4th at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Downtown Oakland, CA, and be followed by a month-long series of events including an artist panel, slide show lectures, youth art workshops, live painting, and educational seminars.
With over 40 well-known Muralists from around the globe, this artistic consciousness-uplifting endeavor is advancing to bring forward a movement dedicated to fostering peace, mutual love and healing. A movement that will enlighten the minds and spirits of the community at large, sending shock waves of change to a society in desperate need of social face-lift.
AeroSoul 2 will showcase some of the most cutting-edge, dynamic Black Urban Calligraphers in the world, featuring artists from Writing’s east coast origins to the new lettering stylists of the day. Participating and invited artists include: Case 2, Pose 2, Mode2, Mad Hatter, Refa 1, CRE8, Toons, and Many More. Participating artists will demonstrate the creative benefits of the art form, and promote the essence of Writing culture, including how it is a means to address many of the social ills facing the black/brown community today, as well as a tool for collective empowerment and cultural liberation. This historical event strives to give recognition to the visionary creators of this urban craft. The fact that these contributions are rarely shown in their proper historical context if acknowledged at all has also been a driving force to bring these gems to light.
Oakland Youth, as well as youth across the nation, are facing critical times and taking responsibility as a community is vital if positive energy and peace are to become the new driving force in our city streets.
The Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society actively promotes non-violence and youth empowerment through Art and Hip Hop culture. BAAHS, founded in 1999, is an organization created to foster community enlightenment in the city of Oakland. Their mission is to promote positive youth development and knowledge of culture and the arts with an emphasis on Bay Area Spray-Can History.
Curated by Shervin Shahbazi and featuring an evolving installation by Mike Russek, Augustine Kofie, John Carr, Favianna Rodriguez and Yuri Shimojo.
The exhibition will run from January 18 to February 19, 2011. The first of four receptions for the artists will be held on Saturday January 22, from 6-9 pm.
The concept of Edifice Cache is based on the idea of Exquisite Corpse whereby a work of art is created through the collaboration of a group of artists who sequencially add their work to components of, in this case, a single installation. Mike Russek, an L.A. based artist and designer will provide the foundation of the exhibit in the form of an evolving installation. Over the course of four weeks, Augustine Kofie, John Carr, Favianna Rodriguez and Yuri Shimojo will each proceed to create their own works, which will be inlayed into Russek’s original creation.
As the artists work on creating the installation “the Edifice”, their processes will be recorded on timelapse video and will be on display as the memory component, “the Cache”, of the exhibit. Sketches and pieces of the process from all involved will also be on display.
Starting on January 18, 2011 the public is invited to come and witness artists at work during gallery’s regular business hours. At the end of each week on the corresponding Saturday there will be a reception for the finishing team and the following component will be in place for the next team.
Edifice Cache will be created from January 18 - February 19, 2011
Opening reception for each artist team will be held on:
Saturday Jan 22, 2011 6-9 pm - Augustine Kofie
Saturday Jan 29, 2011 6-9 pm - John Carr
Saturday Feb 5, 2011 6-9 pm - Favianna Rodriguez
Saturday Feb 12, 2011 6-9 pm - Yuri Shimojo
About Morono Kiang Gallery
Morono Kiang Gallery is Downtown Los Angeles’s premier collector’s gallery promoting cutting edge contemporary art from around the globe. Exhibiting work by both recognized and emerging artists, the gallery occupies over 3,000 square feet of exhibition space and is located on the ground floor of the historic Bradbury Building.
Acrylic washes & fluorescent spray paint on acid-free and lignin-free Crescent mounting board.
Finished in 2 layers of acrylic matte varnish.
Subdue your enthusiasm
32 x 40 inches [2010]
Acrylic washes & fluorescent spray paint on acid-free and lignin-free Crescent mounting board.
Finished in 2 layers of acrylic matte varnish.
Dreams Deferred: Artists Respond to Immigration
Dec. 10, 2010 – May 22, 2011
425 North Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2939
(213) 485-8567
The Chinese American Museum (CAM) and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is proud to present Dreams Deferred: Artists Respond to Immigration Reform opening on December 10, 2010. This exhibition will showcase local artists exploring the tensions, repercussions, hopes, and dreams of immigrant communities in the face of new immigration legislation, through a broad spectrum of art including street art, graffiti art, sculptures, painting and multimedia installations.U.S. immigration laws have long reflected a lasting legacy of racial exclusion starting with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the first legislation to restrict immigration based on race and ethnicity. This legacy of immigration legislation targeting immigrant communities has since reemerged in the recent decades with California’s Proposition 187,and Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, as attempts at inhibiting the livelihoods of undocumented immigrants.Dreams Deferred continues the current national dialogue about immigration, kicked-off by the recent opening of CAM’s Remembering Angel Island, an exhibition commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the opening of the West Coast’s first immigration station. Both exhibitions will serve to shed light on the parallels of past and current immigration policies and reform, and how Los Angeles’ diverse immigrant communities collectively share not only their immigrant histories, but also many of the challenges facing new immigrant communities today.
Artists participating in this exhibit include:
Augustine Kofie, Cache, Eriberto Oriol, Ernesto Yerena Montejano, Eyeone, K. Lovich, Jesus Barraza of Dignidad Rebelde, Joel “rage.one” Garcia, John Carlos De Luna, LeHumanBeing, Oscar Magallanes, Patrick Martinez, Sand One, Shark Toof, Shepard Fairey, O.G. Slick, Swank, Tempt.
Sponsors:Chinese American Citizens Alliance | Grand LodgeCommunity Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los AngelesFriends of the Chinese American Museum
Co-Sponsors:Asian Pacific American Legal CenterMid-City ArtsSelf Help GraphicsThe UCLA Labor Center
Wynwood Arts DistrictMiami, FL 33127btwn NW 2nd ave & N. Miami Ave in the Wynwood Arts District
Graffiti Gone Global (GGG) launches its fourth consecutive year with an exhibition of street and graffiti art running parallel to Art Basel Miami Beach. Entitled Fresh Produce, GGG’s installation explores the gray area between the street and the gallery, while adopting the quintessential farmers’ market mantra of “fresh.” Powered by SUSHISAMBA Fresh Produce is curated by Christina Gonzalez — aka She Kills He — and will feature work from today’s top street and graffiti artists, as well as a collaboration with Operation Design and a new large-scale installation by Dutch artists Haas & Hahn. Fresh Produce is produced in collaboration with Primary Flight and will be housed in a 7,000-square-foot venue in the Wynwood Arts District and will open to the public on December 1.
GGG’s Fresh Produce will feature a roster of international artists, including:
The London Police, Revok, Erik Otto, Skewville, Pepa Prieto, Augustine Kofie, Alëxone, Kenton Parker, Tes One, BASK, Dolla, Jim Darling, Dabs & Myla, Stormie Mills, Michael De Feo, Andrew Holder, Jack Hudson, Tristan Eaton, Tatiana Suarez, Surge, Jersey Joe, Remed, Parskid, Logan Hicks, Escif, Depoe, Remi/Rough, Ryan Bubnis, Mike Perry, Reyes and from the Family Baglione: Flip, Sesper, Thais Beltrame and Herbert Baglione and others.
A fresh, gallery-inspired collection of custom design furnishings, unique home fashions and accessories, hand-crafted objects, and original works of art from the region’s most progressive interior product designers, artists and craftsmen emerging on the cutting-edge of California design.
ART INSTALLATION
Curated by the L.A. ART MACHINE, this inaugural installation focuses on the contemporary urban experience with a carefully curated exhibition of original sculpture, paintings and prints by legendary West Coast street artists, sculptors, and printmakers. Featured artists include MEAR ONE, Augustine Kofie, Retna, HACER, Becca, The Date Farmers, Sonia Romero, Cryptic, Absnt, and others.
Since the rise of urban art in the U.S. in the 1970’s, California artists have been at the vanguard of a new visual language that both defines and describes the contemporary urban experience and the environs of the West Coast metropolis. All self-taught, these artists elevate the subversive arts from the streets to established fine art venues, further challenging gallery and museum paradigms and establishing a new artistic vocabulary that is fresh, compelling, and unpredictable.
CURATED BY: Matt Locke
ART INSTALLATION: Bryson Strauss, Curator L.A. Art Machine
PRODUCT DESIGNERS : Aprro, Brooke Woosley, BugHouse, Cerno, Cliff Spencer, David Brotman, Jared Rusten, Javier Palomares, JustNotNormal, Level Design, Mark & Anita Mothersbaugh, Nick Petronzio, Nolen Niu, Tanya Aguiniga
ARTISTS: Augustine Kofie, Becca, Hacer, John Van Hammersveld, Mear One, Retna, Richard Duardo, Shepard Fairey, Sonia Romero
SOURCELA
L.A. Mart® Design Center
1933 S. Broadway, Space 1240
Los Angeles, CA 90007
lamartdesign.com/sourcela
PRODUCED by L.A. MART
L.A. Magazine, Bryson Strauss, L.A. ART MACHINE, Matt Locke, Jennifer Dyer, Jeneration Interiors
Reaching back to his roots, Hacer has invited both established and emerging graffiti artist contemporaries Retna, Kofie, Saber, Tanner, Sharktoof, Eyeone to engage in a dialogue about the duality inherent in “public” art by making their mark on the inner panels of red-orange [Hacer’s signature color] 1/8 scale, origami-inspired, abstract forms; the full scale versions of which will be publicly installed as a multi-dimensional, Richard Serra-scale wall.
Once installed, the outwardly facing red-orange panels [signifying traditional notions of public art] will stand on the flipside of their inner graffiti-covered equivalents [signifying an equal but yet-to-be embraced form of public art]; creating a legitimate place for the duality of sculpture and graffiti to co-exist .
”(It is necessary for artists) to create work on the most visible sides of high modern buildings, in the most artistically strategic places in working-class districts, in Union halls, in public squares, in sports stadia, in open air theaters.” [1](Siqueiros’ 1933 A Call to the Artists of Argentina)
In the very same manner that Siqueiros madea call to artists in Argentina in 1933 to create a mural, Gerardo Hacer reachesback to his graffiti roots and calls established and emerging graffiti artiststo join him in the creation of, “Duality”.
Duality is Hacer’s response to inquiriesinto his “ability to protect the sculpture from graffiti” from local and stategovernment organizations while trying to secure right of entry for installationof his public works.
A former graffiti artist who credits theartform for his development, he responded by inviting graffiti artist s to maketheir mark on the inner panels of one-eighth-scale, red-orange,origami-inspired, abstract forms; the full scale versions of which will bepublicly installed as a multi-dimensional, Richard Serra-scale wall.
Once installed, the outwardly facingred-orange panels [signifying traditional notions of public art] will stand onthe flipside of their inner graffiti-covered equivalents [signifying an equalbut yet-to-be embraced form of public art]; creating a legitimate place for theduality of sculpture and graffiti to co-exist .
Hacer’s choice to embrace graffiti and combine this ancient form of expression with his sculptures, an equally ancientmode, is reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf’s (sculpture, circa22,000 B.C.E.) co-existence with the Upper Paleolithic cave paintings (theoldest form of graffiti[2]) in the Lascaux and Altamira caves.
[2] Graffiti (Italian plural of graffito/graffio, scratch or scribble), derived from “graph” is based onthe Greek graphein, or “to write,”[2]hence Graffiti’s scratching on walls is not much different from ancientwritings on the walls of sepulchers in the catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii.Graffiti. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti
[ Circulations Progress To The North West & The Circulations of An Olive File Format will be on display the month of October along with a few other works for the L’ART URBAIN group show at Addict Gallery in Paris, France. It will be an honor to have work in the same building as Herakut, NYC Graffiti legend Lady Pink and my friends Jaybo & PHO. Unfortunetly I will not be able to attend the opening on October 16 due to prior engagements.]
Addict Gallery Presents: L’ART URBAINGroup Show | Paris, France
Opening on Saturday the 16th, October 2010 18:00 - 21:00
Exhibition from October 16th to December 4th 2010
Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 - 19:00
Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Dan Baldwin, Eelus, Gérard Zlotykamien, Herakut, Imminent Disaster, Jazi, Jaybo, Jean Faucheur, John Fekner et Don Leicht, Augustine Kofie, Lady Pink, L’ATLAS, Marco Pho Grassi, Nick Walker, Thomas Fiebig, TRYONE, Victor Ash, 108 & 36recyclab.
Amsterdam - Willem Kerseboom Gallery, in collaboration with the L.A. ART MACHINE, is proud to announce the opening of OP STRAAT, an exhibition of original artwork by legendary Los Angeles street & mixed media artists, Mear One, Retna, and Kofie.
This landmark exhibition marks the first time that these celebrated contemporary artists have exhibited together in Holland, bringing the unique and diverse visual language of California street art to Northern Europe.All self-taught, these three artists elevate the subversive arts from the streets to established fine art venues, further challenging gallery and museum paradigms and establishing a new artistic vocabulary that is fresh, compelling, and unpredictable.
Op Straat, opens at Willem Kerseboom Gallery on October 16, 2010 and runs through November 13, 2010. Please join us for this exciting moment in contemporary art history.Includes a special viewing of the monumental murals created during the Vox Humana live art installation at VOLTA 6 in Basel 2010, as featured on the Huffington Post, Juxtapoz, and Arrested Motion.
White Walls is pleased to present Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, a solo exhibition by Los Angeles based artist, Augustine Kofie.
The artist examines the dynamics that emerge when new elements or techniques are built upon existing material. The exhibition will include a series of wood triangle collages, medium-sized assemblages on wood, acrylic paintings and an installation. The opening reception for Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, will be held at White Walls on Saturday, October 09, 2010 from 7-11 pm. The exhibit will be on display through November 06, 2010 and is free and open to the public.
With a deep interest in process and structure, Augustine Kofie creates works of intense detail centered around the order of balance. The precision of Kofie’s “drafted” art is strongly inspired by modern architecture as well as the form and shape of typography. In his quest for balance, Kofie harmonizes opposing and contradictory dynamics in his work by setting futuristic compositions against vintage earth-toned palettes, and creating organically complex formations through meticulously structured line-work and layering. Active in the Los Angeles graffiti scene since the mid-nineties, the artist’s work reflects his ever growing influence of street culture, the craft of deconstructing lettering, contemporary music as well as 1960’s-70’s iconography.
Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, Kofie’s debut solo exhibition with White Walls, continues his exploration of the process of organization, deconstruction and form while adhering to a controlled and tuned uniformity. In this collection the artist poses a broader range of color set against his signature earth-toned palette. The works conveys a ”push and pull” movement through the composition of the shapes and through the enhancement of classic or found material treated with newer counterparts. The works for the exhibition are comprised of acrylic and spray paint on canvas, found paper and mixed media on wood, and found-wood sculptures and installations.
Kofie is a self-taught artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has shown extensively worldwide with highlighted shows in California, New York, Basel Miami, Japan, The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The artist has been featured in Juxtapoz, The Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Project Room and Studio Voice.
The idea came from us wanting to collaborate in a way that incorporated the Engine screen and my work. The end result is replaceable 4 x 8 foot plexi glass sheets mounted to a scaffold placed between the Engine and a digital projector. I then paint my designs in white onto the plexi and it shows at a shadow onto the Engine screen, but the white paint on the plexi still captures the colorful, visual collage that is projected. It’s a strange trip to see it develop live in a freestyle form.
Designed to provide beautifully packaged and produced art and photography at prices within reach, Edition One Hundred is a gallery without walls, open twenty-four hours a day in any time zone around the globe. The gallery is located at Editiononehundred
Edition One Hundred launched on June 30, 2010, with I LOVE LA, a six week exhibition curated by founder Cat Jimenez celebrating the influence of the Los Angeles art scene on its denizens, and its impact around the globe. Fusing high and low, young and old, independent and commercial cultures, I LOVE LA features local artists, from the famous to the unknown including B+, Augustine Kofie, Estevan Oriol, Miles Regis, Katie Shapiro, and Tasya van Ree. Ms. Jimenez brings them together to reveal the power of their imagination as it is made manifest for the pleasure of art collecting.
Each artist’s work is printed in an exclusive edition of 100, and each print sells for $100. All prints are signed by the artist, come with a certificate of authenticity, and are made exclusively on Mohawk papers unless otherwise indicated.
LA can be anything you want it to be. Precisely because LA is so sprawling makes it natural for clusters of communities and groups to organize and occur. From the Valley to Santa Monica and everywhere in between, there are thriving art scenes. People say that the geography divides us but I think it’s created this dynamic place of subcultures and communities where one can easily navigate within, or get to. That’s the undercurrent I get…you have to be pretty organized and determined here; there’s not much whimsy.
I LOVE LA is about the artists who chose LA, who create in LA and who help to inspire Los Angelenos and the world. These artists belong to their own respective communities. In bringing them together under Edition One Hundred, they get to belong to another community, or the first “class” of Edition One Hundred artists, if you will.
I selected artists that have inspired me, or inspired hundreds of individuals here in Los Angeles; artists that are total unknowns but are super-prolific; and artists whose fame has secured them legions of fans. The artists all have different end products, some will chose the digital path, and some will remain in the traditional photo printing technology. Some will chose to use serigraphs as their prints, and other digital reproductions, so it’s about what feels right to the artist themselves.
I am a lover of the arts, especially photography. For me, collecting is a luxury that I most often cannot afford. I, alongside many of my friends, follow many artists and hope to be able to afford their pieces in the future that are sold through galleries, but in the meantime, there is this great possibility where new technology can create a space for selling art more affordably. Every artist that I am inviting is an artist that I’d love to support and also to collect. It’s that simple.
My contribution to this series is available HERE to purchase.
+ remember, a percentage of the sales goes directly to the “InDuskWeTrust” charity, which was set up by his younger brother Rashad in 2008 to honor DJ Dusk a.k.a. Tarek Captan for three reasons: To keep him alive in our hearts and minds, to further his social activism by raising money for charities and scholarships, and finally to preserve one of his life’s works…his record collection.
During a recent trip to East Berlin, Germany I was invited by fellow artist Jaybo Monk to paint live at The ProjectRoom, an ever changing venue that supports art, then donates the work to worthy charities. Past live artists include Remi Rough & Marco PHO Grassi to name a few
El Mac and I were already in Basel, Switzerland for the Art Basel and since he had some time to kill before his trip to Dublin he came up with me to Berlin. Our primary goal was to lock down an exterior wall to leave a permanent and visible mural on. That was a bit more difficult a job then expected due to many unexpected roadblocks, but we didn’t manage to find a wall in the same location as ProjectRoom|Berlin.
Timid of Agents of Change documented teh whole session in both still as well as the video below.
Many thanks to out hosts and new friends we made along the way…
Los Angeles, Kalifornien – schon seit der High School bemalt der inzwischen 36-jährige Augustine Kofie als Street Artist dort Mauern und Wände. Doch handelt es sich um weit mehr als Graffiti-Kunst, die der Autodidakt Kofie produziert. Seine Bildsprache ist inspiriert vom Kubismus, Futurismus und der Pop Art der 1960er und 1970er Jahre.Seine erste große Liebe war das Illustrieren mit einem einfachen Kugelschreiber. Dann klebte Kofie Collagen aus zusammen gesammelten Fundstücken auf Holztafeln. „I love cutting and pasting“, sagt er. Klingt sympathisch und ehrlich. Später entwickelte er seinen geometrischen „drafting style“ – mit Lineal, Winkel und Schablonen.
Auf seinen großflächigen Wandgemälden verbinden sich Struktur und Bewegung, erwecken den Eindruck von Dreidimensionalität und erinnern gleichzeitig an technisches Zeichnen: Klare Linien und geometrische Formen nennt er „childhood shapes“, weil sie grundsätzlich simpel sind.
Kofies Zeichnungen werden auch animiert und in Musik-Videos platziert, mal ist er verantwortlich für das CD-Artwork von Remy LBO, ein anderes Mal gestaltet er Schaufenster von Hugo Boss in New York oder verschönert Skateboardrollen, Spielkonsolen und T-Shirts mit seinen Designs.
Los Angeles ist Augustine Kofie mittlerweile zu klein geworden, er tobt sich auf Mauern und Wänden in der ganzen Welt aus, zum Beispiel am kommenden Donnerstag in Berlin. Dann wird man ihn nämlich auf Einladung von Jaybo beim Live-Painting im projectroom zuschauen können. Wir freuen uns drauf!
„One Night One Piece“Live Painting mit Augustine KofieDonnerstag, 24. Juni 2010, 19 – 23 Uhrprojectroom, Schönhauser Allee 8, 10119 Berlin
L.A. ART MACHINE and Rivera & Rivera Gallery are proud to present, VOX HUMNANA at Volta6, Basel. Curated by Bryson Strauss, VOX HUMANA is a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac that will take place at VOLTA6 in Basel, Switzerland, June 16-20, 2010.Street artists work on the fly and in the open to create works of art that change the way we see, feel, and interact with our urban environments. The VOX HUMANA happening will provide an opportunity for VOLTA patrons to witness how street artists work and watch the live unfolding of “pieces” within the context of an international fine art fair.
For the five-day run of the fair, these four artists will create large-scale (up to 3.5 meters x 7 meters) pieces in their signature styles using acrylic and aerosol paints. VOLTA attendees are invited to witness the completion of these monumental works on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 2 PM, and participate in a closing celebration.
Pro Testing My Patience is one of 3 of my line art sketches and a refrence for one of three painting I will have on display at Mears CONTEMPORARY CORRUPTION REVISITED exhibition at Mid-City Arts Gallery this Saturday.
This will be a special exhibition during the STROKE.02 Urban Art Fair entitled Avantgarde Urban Art presented by the agency Avantgarde and curated by Marco Schwalbe. This show will be only displayed during the STROKE.02 Art fair in Munich, Germany from May 27-30, 2010.
New works by Herakut, Case, Roa, Stephen Tompkins, Ekundayo, Mr. Jago, Greg Simkins, Know Hope, Kofie One, José Parla and others.
Brandy Flower and I spent about a week in Melbourne, Australia in Mid April of 2010. We happened to come into some pretty perfect Autumn weather during the trip out to screen print t-shirts live as part of H+R.
The space was called 1000 £ Bend in what was call ‘The City”, but it’s their Downtown. The event, The closing reception for The Asahi SILVER & BLACK EXHIBITION. A Premium combination of art, photography, fashion & design culture. A wide range of work was displayed in an old automobile tire factory turned exhibition space/ hipster cafe. Eddie of T-Worldhad a large hand all of this going down with the guidance of Shane of Urchin Associates. We may have printed 300 shirts in 3 hours, I think it was more. Just an awesome, professional experience overall..
As many of you know the Manifest Equality Mural “JUSTICE” El Mac, Retna and myself painted was white washed over in the first week of April, 2010. My time lapse was the first official release of the process of the wall. Shig & Med of ‘Viejas del Mercado‘ & Mid City Arts just released their video of the wall, a homage and funeral doc of sorts. Deep and beautiful. They captured a certain tone in this one, as if they new the wall wasn’t going to last much longer….
Above is my exclusive design I submitted to be printed during the opening night of the event along with art by She One, Usugrow, Ryo Ono, Cryptik, Eli Sipsas & HIT+RUN CREW. More info and links below:
Silver & Black Is a premium retail & exhibition initiative that sells art, fashion & limited edition objects of desire. Its a space of cultural enrichment and inspiration. Visitors are presented with a curated selection of works that, when placed together acknowledge the wabi-sabi spirit of finding beauty in imperfect things.
T-World presents Hit + Run, the successful live screen-printing events that started in LA and are now renowned throughout the world. Hit + Run will be staged at Asahi Silver + Black for one night only in both Melbourne and Sydney. Open to the public, a limited number of guests will have the opportunity to create their own T-shirt to take home, choosing from exclusive designs from a range of international artists.
Join us in Melbourne on Friday night, April 16th at 1000 BEND for the opening party presented by T-WORLD. Choose from exclusive art by KOFIE, SHE ONE, USUGROW, RYO ONO, CRYPTIK, ELI SIPSAS and HIT+RUN CREW to create one of the 300 custom tees we’ll be printing in each city.
RIVERA & RIVERA requests the pleasure of your company at the closing reception for our exhibition Street Legal, featuring artwork by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, El Mac and Retna.
While wildly diverse in style, media and scale, this unique group has evolved their originally street-based work into a challenging and sophisticated contemporary art form.
Please join us in celebrating the success of this critically acclaimed exhibit featuring more than thirty original works of art.
We hope to see you Thursday.
Date: Thursday March 11, 2010
Time: 7:00PM-10:00PM
1100 S. Hope StreetLos Angeles, CA
RSVP*
rsvp@riveraandrivera.com
*Due to the concurrence of Art Walk, we kindly ask you to RSVP.
From February 26 to March 2 we painted day and night using imported spray paint and 3 scissor lifts to create the 20 x 100 foot semi-grayscale mural located in the parking lot of the former Pic-n-Save/Big Lots.
Retna’s type reads ‘JUSTICE’ from left to right. El Mac Painted the portrait of the woman, the sword as well as the scales, all created from his own photo reference. I painted the large circular frame caping each end as well as the halo’s behind each hand.
It was a pleasure working with both artists again and even more so together in a trifecta of sorts for Los Angeles.
Many thanks to Tom, the Sergants, Apple Via, FAIR & Mid-City Arts for the support.
Style master King Cre 8 RTN & Mark7 of Soul King Legends Curated a show @ Mid-City Arts Entitled URBAN Hieroglyphics 3 the weekend of February 20-21, 2010. The art exhibition/Live painting & Discussion covered Street based artwork from artists of color on the west coast dating back to the early 80’s.
I was blessed to be apart of the show and included my Phase2 portrait as well as 4 characters on the back wall production. I wasn’t able to attend the opening on Saturday, but did make it out on sunday to watch Cre8’s slideshow. I always hold Cre 8 in high regards as a true pioneer in the Graffiti Arts and an OG style master. He is part of a very limited number of street artists that came out of South Central Los Angeles with the original street art education. A true B-boy he is and continues to live and teach the arts like a true Jedi. Also was blessed to meet up with Rafa, a bay area legend.
Saturday, February 6th through February 27th, 2010
Open to the public.
[ This will mark my first time showing works at White Walls and I’m looking forward to this. I will have a number of recent works on display for the duration for the show as well as a wall painting that will merge with Remi Rough over the entrance way. This will be a classic.]
White Walls is proud to present Never a Dull Moment, a group show curated by iO Wright. Never a Dull Moment will transform the gallery into a cohesive environment that embraces all mediums of creativity from sixteen artists. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, February 6th, 2010, from 7-11pm.
Never a Dull Moment features Anthony Lister, Alessandro Zuek Simonetti, Jaybo Monk, Angela Boatwright, Augustine Kofie, Dave Potes, Jonathan Darby, Ray Potes, Remi Rough, iO Wright, Erik Otto, Cheryl Dunn, Armsrock, Dave Schubert, Sam Ash and Clayton Brothers.
iO Wright has chosen these artists for their “get your hands dirty” and “don’t worry just do” mentality. Without considering outside forces, they are urged to continuously create and express themselves. With shared roots in graffiti art, this group has a flare for action, immediacy, and unpredictability. Never a Dull Moment exposes viewers to the creative mind’s raw inner workings and draws distinct parallels between everyday immediate expression and fine art.
Never a Dull Moment will be a transformation of the gallery space into a chaotic, organic environment close to the heart of the artistic process. Film, sculpture, installation, and large-scale wheat paste can be expected from this multi media, multi talented group of artists. Embracing the connection between photography and fine art, Never a Dull Moment will meld the two together just as they are in everyday life. Several artists including Jaybo Monk, Remi Rough, Erik Otto, Augustine Kofie and Jonathan Darby plan to create a site-specific installation to accompany their works in the gallery. The installation will no doubt be interactive and multi sensory, with few white walls in sight.
iO Wright is a photography based artist, writer, and curator. Along with co-founding the street art quarterly, Overspray Magazine, iO curated Climb in the Back Window at Shadow’s Space Gallery in Philadelphia in 2009. Keeping close tabs on urban art, she has also interviewed such influential artists as Shepard Fairey and Erik Foss. This exhibition is curated by iO Wright and sponsored by White Walls, Hamburger Eyes, and New Order Magazine.
Pencil, acrylic ink, gel transfer and letraset type on masonite.
Finished in matte satin gel medium.
[Built and drafted at my Temple studio. December 2009]
This is one of 2 grayscale like pieces I will have on display at White Walls Gallery during the NEVER A DULL MOMENT Group Show. A series of gel transfered images of office/workspace/industrial like themes intermingled with my structurally bent line work and washes. I’m working on a light weight masonite like sheet of wood and premiering them with layers of flat house paint, basically making my own clay-boards. I then sand them down to a smooth surface and then proceed.
Acrylic & spray paint on primed cotton duck canvas.
Finished in matte satin gel medium.
50 x 49.5 x 1.5 inches
[Re-painted and stretched in the Temple studio. January 2010]
Originally this was painted back in september of 2009 for my Portland show. It never felt like it was finished tho. Finally revamped the old girl and brought out it’s true character this past week. Strengthened some line work, pulled forward tome angles and aged it all down a touch. This piece will be on display during the ‘NEVER A DULL MOMENT Show at White Walls gallery in SF the month of February.
[First painted in Los Feliz garage workspace, then completed at Echo Park studio. Stretched in Baldwin Park. January 2009]
This piece was definitely one of the highlights to my Vintage Futurism show at Zero1 in 2009. The positive feedback was to the point of nervousness for me. Nervousness in that I wouldn’t be able to repeat the energy and movement of a work like this. Most of my stretched canvas paintings do bear an obvious familiarity, but ‘Letter K’ stood out.
Since the closing of the show there had been some interest in the piece, but I selfishly held back on letting it go just yet. I still wanted to take a look at it from time to time. Pulling back the heavyweight plastic it was wrapped in and study, reexamine and ponder on a particular time in my life. A time when I knew I had a golden opportunity to Contribute and represent my works as a whole.
So here we are, almost exactly on year later. I decide to pull ‘Letter K’ out of my storage and exhibit the her at the Street Legal Group show at Rivera & Rivera Gallery knowing fully well that someone may feel the same way I did about her and scoop it up, and that’s what happened.
Im actually relieved that she’s going somewhere that she’ll be appreciated and displayed. I need to let go and share sometimes.
RIVERA & RIVERA Gallery is proud to announce the opening of Street Legal, an exhibition of original artwork by legendary Los Angeles street artists, Mear One, Kofie, El Mac, and Retna.
Opening in conjunction with Vox Humana, a live art performance by these same artists at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the L.A. Art Show 2010, this exhibition will showcase more than 25 works of art, including the unveiling of Mear One’s monumental sculpture entitled “Pillar of Consciousness.”
While wildly diverse in styles, media, and scale, this unique group of artists have transcended street writing and evolved their work into one of the most challenging and sophisticated contemporary art forms.
[I will have 11 works on display ranging from paintings and collage works from my Vintage Futurism last year as well as recent works on canvas and wood. This is a heavy duty show and one for the books.]
Organized by theL.A. ART MACHINEand curated by Bryson Strauss, VOX HUMANA is a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac that will take place during the L.A. Art Show, January 20 - 24, 2010.
Using acrylic and aerosol paints, Retna and El Mac will collaborate on a canvas that is 12 x 24 feet, while Kofie and Mear One will work independently on 12 x 12 foot canvases. Los Angeles Art Show attendees are invited to witness the completion of the works on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 2 PM, and participate in a closing celebration.
While much attention has recently been given to street artists in the fine art world with the rise in celebrity of Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and Gajin Fujita, VOX HUMANA marks the first time that a top-tier art fair has recognized, and celebrated the evolution, power, and artistic integrity of street artists in a such a bold and public manner. The L.A. Art Show is making history.
What originated in the U.S. as the ‘tag’ has evolved into one of the most sophisticated and challenging forms of contemporary art. This event recognizes the talents of these four artists while celebrating the historic journey and enduring nature of graffiti art, from the caves of Lascaux to the spas of Pompeii and from the streets of Los Angeles to the walls of galleries around the world.
For further information/ press please contact:
Bryson Strauss
L.A. Art Machine
Bryson@laartmachine.com
Organized by the L.A. ART MACHINE and curated by Bryson Strauss, VOX HUMANA is a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac that will take place during the L.A. Art Show, January 20 - 24, 2010.Using large-scale canvases, the artists will begin to work on January 20 and will paint live each day from noon to 6 PM.
Show runs thru January 10th, 2010Solid Gallery One and I Wuz Here proudly host the group exhibition, “Not For Sale”. This show brings legendary artists together to present works that they will not be parting with, thus spawning the concept “Not For Sale”. This exhibition is being curated by Anger CBS, who hand selected this group of renowned artists which include Hex, Mear, Kofie, Haste, Relic, Spurn, Lizzy Lomax, Nic Nak, Newa, Chip, Nace and Axis Valhalla. To acquire one of the works on display, Solid Gallery One will have exclusive signed and numbered prints available.
Found packaging, chipboard, acrylic, ball point pen and pencil on wood panel.
Finished in matte satin gel medium.
Above is the piece I donated to Juxtapoz Magazine for their 15th Anniversary show & auction for Power House Projects. Proceeds from “The Big Payback” auction will support the goal of purchasing five homes and employing local Detroit contractors, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters to perform the renovations. The event aims to raise the consciousness of both the problems of people disenfranchised by the nation’s economic crisis, as well as encourage a sense of community in the art world and inspire people to effect positive social change in their own communities.
Friday November 6th, 2009 [Show runs thru December.1st]
9pm-2am
Music: Rev. Shines [Lifesavas] & King Tim 33.3
A Progress Report will mark my first time showcasing both my collage and canvas works in the city of Portland and my first trip to Oregon. Since initially booking the show I have been selectively working on pieces that would reflect both my larger painting as well as my mix media styles.
The venue is not your typical gallery setting, it’s a Lounge serving various well drinks and ales and is actually a nice change of pace right now. I realized i may have an opportunity here to display my works in an environment set in a more casual tone. Works may be viewed in a space where the art can be secondary, yet still provoke curiosity and interest from its patrons.
On display will be 11 mix media works on wood ranging from square to rectangular pieces. all of these works contain my signature collage and multi print techniques as well as my technical painting aesthetics. Found wood and imagery make up a large percentage of these works, all finished off with a mahogany stained trim to tie in all of the works. Natural earth tones are prominent in each of the pieces including hints of blues and burnt reds, giving into a glimpse of my transitioning palette.
On to of these wood pieces I will be including seven large, raw & unstretched canvases in the show. Five painted within these last few months and two painted earlier in the year. There is a slight difference in my larger works to my smaller wood panels. The fact is that larger works are painted on a vertical wall surface and include and are more physically challenging, so a looser, wispy style comes into play. Again, my works deals strongly with shape and structure, layering and form, and my canvas works really gives me a chance to let loose with color and strokes.
Above is a detail of my piecefor the VIBRANT VISIONS exhibition at Continental Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles.
VIBRANT VISIONS is a retrospective of dublab’s original art exhibitions: UP OUR SLEEVE, THE DREAM SCENE & INTO INFINITY. Theis piece is part of the CREATIVE CIRCLE art auction with new works by extended Dublab family of visionary artists. A pop-up shop and live screen printing by HIT+RUN featuring exclusive dublab designs will be going off during the open public reception. Here is a FLICKR set of all the available works from Creative Circle.
For those of you who were able to make it out to the opening on the 5th or stopped by the The Ronin Gallery since, Codak, Damion, Zury and I appreciate your interest, support and time. The 26th will be your opportunity to pick up your purchased works and/or make that last minute buy for yourself or for the loved ones.
An exhibition of original, versatile, & culturally diverse art—featuring prolific artists whose influences range from contemporary, pop, low brow, graffiti, & street art forms.
East Coast:
Enamel Kingdom. Margaret Singer. Kenji Nakayama. Massiel Grullon. NineRevolutions. Sarah Laws “FunCupcake”. Frantz Cadet. Deme5. Problak. Kwest. Marka27. COPE2. Lichiban. Pen Tha Black Krayon
West Coast:
Werc Alvarez. Augustine Kofie. Sherm. David Flores. Jesse Hernandez
Opening Sunday, June 21st
The Achilles Project
283 Summer St.
Boston, MA
[Many thanks to Marka27, Liza Quinonez & The Achillies Project for the support & invitation to his successfull group exhibition. A special thank you to those of you who showed support & those who have added my works to your collections]
The Ronin Gallery is proud to present: METALLUM An Exhibition of Architectural Patterns on Found Metal
From artists: Kofie and Codak. Curated by Zury Ponce
June 5 to June 25, 2009
In the summer of 2007 a small, independent Japanese run print shop neighboring Kofie’s studio in Boyle Heights, California quietly closed its doors after 50 years of service. The owners were distributing everything they had acquired and were preparing for a long overdue retirement. The studio was full of unused paper, packaging materials, graphic design office supplies and a ton of old offset type drawers lined the dusty old shop. The owners were surprised anyone would be interested in what they felt were useless materials, but recognized Kofie’s sincerity in helping to ‘lighten their load’. So he called a handful of artists that would benefit from this beautiful opportunity, Codak was one of them.
With an instant and immediate stockpile of materials to work with, ideas started to stir. The two creators were consistently brainstorming with ideas of exhibiting their work, and with the incorporation of these metal set type drawers a theme came pretty obvious.
Ronin, ambitious new gallery in Echo Park is honored to have Kofie and Codakexhibit their long awaited workmanship. Along with the display of original art there will be limited print collaboration and artist merchandise.
[I will be showcasing all new works applied with Enamel paints (1-shot,
Rustoleum as well as various enamels recovered from garages), discontinued spray
paint and water based screen prints applied to found metal signs, found shelving & offset type drawers. I will also be showcasing over 40 found hand painted file boxes in various sizes and colors]
**Made my second trip to Philadelphia to attend this amazing group exhibition. To have been invited to show work amongst such a talented line up is very humbling. I will have 2 large works, 4 smaller works as well as an on sight light mural to compliment.
Found Object Installation: (Colby posters, discontinued spray paint, used paint brushes, found wood, found street signage, used wood boxes, wood top drafting desk, drafting stool, & drafting supply) On display till Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Zero1 Gallery.
Vintage Futurism was a seminal exhibition of my recent works on paper, wood and canvas. An installation, light mural and new furniture pieces were on display for the month of March. I also produced a special 1-Hour mix set of Jazz loops and Atmospheric soul especially made to accompany the exhibition. It’s available for download HERE on DUBLAB.COM. Serious businessUPDATE:So much love goes out to everyone who made the time to check out the opening, the artist talk as well as the closing show. It was a very successful effort and we all appreciate the support and interest. ++++++++Honorable Mentions: |BloodBath| Modart | SourHarvest | SayPleats| StabLabs | Revok1 | KnownGallery | MyArtistic| CitizenLA |
The Triangulation’s of Baby Minto 200922 1.2 x 46 1/2 x 2 inches Found paper, packaging and chipboard, ball point pen and acrylic ink on wood panel. Finished in matte gel medium. Framed with Yardsticks and found wood. On display during Vintage Futurism at Zero1 Gallery, Los Angeles.
AJ Fosik, Alex Hornest, Andrew Schoultz, Andy Howell, Angela Boatwright, Asylm, Blek le Rat, Christina M. Felice, Codak, David Choe, Edwin Ushiro, elYem, Eriberto Oriol, Eye One, Francesco LoCastro, French, Ian Lynam, J. Shea, Jamel Shabazz, Jeff Soto, Kelsey Brookes, Kofie’One, Lisa Alisa, Logan Hicks, Mark Mothersbaugh, Nicholas Harper, Patrick Martinez, Peter Beste, Peter Glover, RETNA, Rick Rodney, Rob Abeyta Jr., Ron English, Saber, Sage Vaughn, Skypage, Something in the Universe, Souther Salazar, Stormie Mills, Tessar Lo, Todd Tourso, Too Tall Jahmal, Usugrow, Will Barras, Yoskay Yamamoto
This was a one night only installation for theDowntown Los Angeles Art Walk. I probably put in more work than I needed to for this, but it’s an amazing andfairly raw space. I had to insist on painting directly on the interior walls if I was to show any work & with Mr. Gillmores approval I crushed a lil jammie in the south west corner on the spot. I also showcased 10 new collage/assemblage works as well as a special selection of painted file boxes from my collection.Here are a set of photos Space Weave blessed me with.
Above is my piece for this yearsSCION INSTALLATION 5. The lineup for this one is probably the best to date. Heavy Artillery. First show in Detroit, Michigan atC Pop Gallery.
Friday July 18 - Hours: 7 pm - 12 midnight, $5 at door w/ RSVP to studio1636@gmail.com
Friday JULY 18th 2008, LOS ANGELES– Hollywood’s newest independent art gallery, STUDIO 1636, in alliance with L.A.’s leading guerilla film militia Bizzurke Army U.F.M is proud to present”Engineering Cinémathèque,” a multi-media movie theater designed by renowned graffiti artist Kofie’One/Draftsman, installation artist Sonik Mercuryand internationally acclaimed renegade filmmaker Burke Roberts.
“Engineering Cinémathèque” showcases Burke Roberts revolutionary project, THE ENGINE.Beginning Friday July 18th, for one month Studio 1636 will transform into a unique screening venue that examines the ways in which the presentation of space and environment dictate the cinema experience. ”Engineering Cinémathèque” marks the first extended showroom for THE ENGINE — a transportable, kinetic, sculpture/projection hybrid that redefines the art of presentation and introduces a new era of independent screening venues. Designed to be equal in form and function, the 1000 pound steel sculpture houses a rotating 17-foot screen and features a high-end, audio-visual system.For each subsequent weekend after the July 18 opening until the August 17th closing, the artists behind “Engineering Cinémathèque” will offer select filmmakers and programmers the opportunity to curate their own screening presentations on Fridays and Saturdays for the duration of the run. Screening presentations have already been booked by the Slamdance Film Festival, the creators of Showtime’s groundbreaking animated series “Queer Duck,” and the DVD release viewing of “The Legend of God’s Gun,” a psychedelic spaghetti western film from the band Spindrift, featuring songs from the forthcoming Quentin Tarantino production “Hellride.”Freeing filmmakers from the restrictions and politics of traditional corporate venues, THE ENGINE indulges a myriad of interesting and forward thinking motion picture presentations. From hard-hitting documentaries to avant-garde short narratives, street-wise skate videos to refined art exposes, up and coming animators to those at the top of their field with a soft spot for the unexpected, THE ENGINE welcomes a wide spectrum of motion picture possibilities.
For press inquiries, an opportunity to program an event in this revolutionary venue, or for more information, please contact:Erin Broadley at STUDIO 1636 at 866-808-9260 or email studio1636@gmail.com, ATTN: Engineering Cinémathèque.Please note a limit to available dates, as the space is booking quickly.
STUDIO 1636: 1636 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, Ca. 90028 one block south of Hollywood Blvd.
2008. Dumbo Incense& theDEED Storeinvited me to Paint Live withDRAGON76 @ Cafe Fish in Kobe, Japan. The event was the release party for 3 special packaging designs of DUMBO incense by Jeff Staple, DJ MURO& myself. The Cafe itself was designed by the architect Frank Gehry & includeda huge sculpture of a fishjust outside of the cafe. The party was a complete success and everyone was excited about the Live Painting. Here is a larger view. Special thanks to the crew @ DEED for their hospitality.
2007.Unitard Gallery presents ‘THANKS’. A selection of new individual works & some collaborative efforts by my man Frohawk Two-Feathers & myself.The theme was tossed around all year leading up to the show, ranging from Colonialism in the early Americas, to going back in time & capsizing the Mayflower. In this 2-Man effort we went with a theme dear to our hearts and our own bloodline. Merging history with reality. Embellishing wood panels with soul & heart. Giving thanks and acknowledgment those before us. This was a holiday season show, so I felt it was necessary to have straw strewn throughout the gallery. B&W photo courtesy of Malakinetics.
2007.‘Jigsaw Paws’ Group Art Show. Oakland, CA. With David P. Madson (Odd Nosdam of Anticon) - Brooke Reidt - Isla Prieto - The Duke Of Windsor - Mama Buzz Cafe hosted this month long show.
2007. Acrylic & House paint. Melt Gallery. Hollywood, CA. Jim Mahfoodinvited me to contribute to this mural for the opening ofThe DIY QEE Project: Bart Simpson. The showcase featured over 75 custom 10″ Bart Simpson Quees. Didn’t have a Bart Quee in the show, but Food & I rocked the walls out & got Paparazzied with Matt Groening.
2007.LA Contemporary Gallery Presents: ‘LA STYLES’ with works by Alex ‘Defer’ Kizu, Hashim Thomas, Kofie’One & more. Curated by Ron Davis.‘Exico’ Found Object Assemblage, Vintage Paper & Acrylic on Wood Panel. What an interesting show. This was the gallery’s first attempt toward presenting street based artwork thanks to the ‘Banksy Effect’. The response was terrific & eye opening. It was a great opportunity to showcase legitimate, original work to a new audience who, in most instances look toward graffiti art as a negative. Plans for a second show are in the works.
Refill Magazine Presents: REFILL 7 - The 7Ply Laser Art Project. An exhibition allowing artists to explore the idea of lasering away at seven layers of ply that make a deck and add their own distinctive mark. A select group of artists globally have contributed their works to explore this new technology.
Only 50 limited edition decks will beproduced per artist. The aim of the show is to have a series of unique decks that collectors may choose to ride or display.
Found paper, book covers, vintage chipboard, transfers & watercolor acrylic assemblage on wood panel. Finished in matte satin gel medium.
My 4th Submission into theSCION InstallationSeries. The theme was “Beautiful World”, so naturally a Native American/Mother Earth theme came to mind. This piece just might have established my creative direction for 2007. The incorporation of book covers and heavy weight chip board puzzled onto a wood panel, then worked out on top. Layers.
This was my first solo show in some time & I knew I wanted to go simple, but big. Over 25 new works were on display as well as a few light murals of Hands & my shapes. Kutmah & Coleman played very select instrumental beats & Jazz sets while over 200 people made their way in and out of the gallery. One wall installation consisted of over 40 indevidually screen printed Colby posters printed just for the event.
2005.‘Kofie’one & Craola Simkins: New Works’ A 2 Man Show. Fifty24SF GallerySan Francisco, CA. This was a fun show for craola and myself. We also painted the side of the gallery as well as the Amoeba on Haight while we were in town.
I kinda forgot how I ended up in this show, but I literally strong-armed my way into it. The painting shown was to go along with a film about the homeless in Downtown LA, so the shapes represent freeway systems. Still was developing the ‘Aging’ of my shapes with the use of water & stain.
Hotsy Dunk Group Show @ The Produce Department Gallery.
Eugene The Jeep pictured to the left was part of the mural, but painted on a found sign. Los Angeles cats were just settling into the use of house paint as a primary element for spray paint murals at this time and this was one of my early demonstrations of this medium.
The gallery produced a nice limited printing of a handmade book to commemorate the group show. From what I remember, MOCA purchased a small number of them to sell at one of their LA stores.
Found Object Installation: 
This was a one night only installation for the
Above is my piece for this years
Friday July 18 - Hours: 7 pm - 12 midnight, $5 at door w/ RSVP to studio1636@gmail.com
