Augustine Kofie

Select Exhibition Works 2001 - 2012

This is best described as catalogue-ish type direct breakdown of very select studio works spanning 12 years of my art career. Being this is my first true publication I wanted to make sure that the first manifestation covered a body of works that can clearly show my evolution and growth. From my first true solo show at Frank Sosa’s infamous 33 1/3 bookstore [Banksy’s first LA show followed my solo there in 2001] to the Graffuturism show in Los Angeles to finish off 2012 and about 25 select shown in between.

Included excerpts from Jaybo Monk, Christina Ochoa, Justin Giarla, Nastia Voynovskys & Todd Mazer.

Photography from Michael Underwood, Todd Mazer, Mike Cuffe for Warholian, Theo Jemison, Ian Campbell, Paul Doubell , Ixchel Lara and myself.

Many thanks to everyone that came through on the words and images, and to Michael Hernandez for the layout and Toowee for her support.

LOS ANGELES:

A number of books are available at The Last Bookstore/ Downtown LA Starting Monday, January 13th.. This will be the only physical location to purchase the book.

453 S. Spring St, Ground Floor, Downtown LA  |  213.488.0599     MON-THURS: 10A-10P, FRI-SAT: 10A-11P, SUN: 10A-6P

2nd printing available for purchase here

Golden Growth/ Edifice Cache [2011/12]

38 3/4 x 35 1/2  x 1 3/4 inches

Acrylic, ball point pen, white-out & xerographic gel transfer on birch wood panel. 

Finished in a matte satin varnish.

#CH3LA

#CREATIVITYHEALS

Creativity Heals  |  Launch Event & Fundraiser

Saturday 4.27.13 at KESSPRO Studios

6 - 11PM

Golden Growth will be in a slilent auction the evening of April 27, 2013 in Downtown Los Angeles to benefit Creativity Heals, an LA based non-profit organization providing artistic outlets for childhood victims of complex developmental trauma and abuse. More on Creativity Heals HERE.

FBook Page

#ARTSHARE LA 

Billboard is located south of Santa Monica Blvd. on Vermont in East Hollywood near Los Angeles City College.

Photo: Todd Mazer

Ed Fuentes at KCET explains more on the project HERE

 MTN Colors recently released 5 new limited edition spray cans featuring Belin, Mistery, How & Nosm, Roid MSK and myself. As always they they are presented in an individually designed wooden box, stamped with the artists personal seal. Limited to only 500 units in total.

My can is available here for purchase.

Tokyo, Japan 2012

Toranomon Prefecture

Progress shot of a commissioned mural by Satoshi of Colors Int. & Yoshi of Wbc Jp for ‘The Color’ showroom & creative space opening 2013.  

Photo: Yoshi Josef Toomuch 

The Qualities of Light is 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.

Music by Teebs & 4×4tracktor.

The circulation of a process of elimination [2012]

47 x 65 x 2 inches 

Acrylic, enamel, white-out & enamel spray-paint on canvas.

Finished in matte satin gel medium. 

Framed in mahogany lattice

Soze Gallery presents “Graffuturism”

Curated by it’s founder Poesia [Transcend]

LA Artshare Building
801 East 4th Place,
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Featuring the works of:

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.

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Official post on GRAFFUTURISM Including a forward by Daniel Feral’s brilliant breakdown and history of the shows inception and growth.

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“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.”

                                                        -Jerry JOKER Inscoe, Fall 2012

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Preview of GRAFFUTURISM LA on 12OzProphet

Cape Town based photographer Gregor Röhrig documented myself and Paul Senyol over a period of two weeks, while we worked independently and collaboratively on artworks for the ‘Gather’ live exhibition presented by The Lovell Gallery in association with Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection.

 A link to the complete photo essay. 

Artist Feature 

Graffiti Art magazine 

Publié le 22 août 2012

Im very proud to be a featured artist in the 16th issue of French publication Graffitit Art Magazine. I believe my issue can be ordered here on their websight. Some of this issues pages can be viewed here.

This issue of ‘Graffiti Art’ will follow you under the sun and will make you see the world through rose-coloured glasses. From the flashy-coloured artworks made in LA by Rime to the origami-type installations of young German artist Clemens Behr, we are taking you on a journey from the US West Coast to São Paulo with stopovers in New York and Barcelona. And if you haven’t planned your summer yet, it’s still time to look up our special Mural Art dossier to concoct tailor-made thematic holidays. The visual odyssey will continue with American Augustine Kofie who immerses the viewer in his intersidereal universe full of lines and curves while young Frenchman Yaze unveils his latest canvases mixing paint and embroidery, before leaving for a residence in New York. And finally, because it’s been scientifically proven that reading under the parasol is good for your brain, we advise you to open your eyes on some heroes from the past, present and future: Gérard Zlotykamien and Tania Mouraud. And as if all this wasn’t enough, Graffiti Art’s formula is changing and becoming more ambitious and punchy than ever before.  

Illustration by El Mac [June, 2010]

Ink on paper

Mac and I had just spent a little less then a week in Basel, Switzerland for Art basel 2010 doing a little live painting with LA Art Machine. At this point we were on our grind to Berlin where I had a live painting project curated by the illustrious Jaybo Monk for the Project Room. During the travel up by train Mac and I were both doing our usual, sketching during travel. To my delight I became one of his subjects, hence the illustration above. Not many have seen his raw sketchbook illustrations of figures, many of which include sleeping travelers. I’m blessed to be familiar with such creative peoples.

Scorpio & Smoggy Air courtesy of Gela Skins

I was approached by GELA SKINS  to submit some original art for their line or mobile device covers. Gela Skins produces high quality removable protective covers to customizing you various portable devices. They feature stunning, photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images.

So far I have submitted two designs, Scorpio & Smoggy Air, Both collage heavy works incorporating found ephemeral paper, my line work and structural aesthetic. I felt that these works would fit the project, keeping my ‘Vintage Futurism’ design direction.

Futuristic modern mobile devices wrapped with vintage paper in a structured collage assemblage.

Available here to view and purchase.

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.

LE GUIDE DE L’ART CONTEMPORAIN URBAIN 2012

LE PREMIER HORS-SÉRIE DE GRAFFITI ART MAGAZINE

+100 ARTISTES / 212 PAGES / 400 ILLUSTRATIONS

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!

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More information and purchase can be found here.

Graffitiartmagazine

My fellow AOC member and good friend Jaybo Monk will be exhibiting recent works including a large collaboration with myself.

Opening February 28, 2012 at Soze Gallery, 652 Mateo St. #107, Los Angeles, CA.

A true artist and an amazing soul, to see these works in person is mandatory, as web images can not capture the texture and life of these creations.

FB event Invite

Graffuturism Post

Complex

I was in London last December of 2011 to create a collection of exclusive works for Hotel Megaro’s upcoming Restaurant Karpo with members of the Agents Of Change Collective. The teaser video below documents the creation of the works on sight. In the following month a larger project at Megaro will be taking form.

Suburbia Redux

Case study No. 1 & 2

Ink, paper & digital collage

2011 

The car manufacturer SMART have an amazing project entitled Smart Urban Stage.

It’s a global online project dealing with the future of the city. They ask pioneers from metropolises around the world to question the urban status quo. The results are visions, ideas and solutions for sustainable lifestyles, modern social systems and forward-looking developments in the fields of architecture, design and technology. The worldwide event series ’smart urban stage’ is exhibiting ideas and solutions of forward thinking future makers.

I was posed the question “What is LA going to do with suburbia?” You can follow up up my answer here..

Many thanks to Cathy Boom for reaching out & Ixchel Lara for guidance.

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More information about the project here

Jaybo Monk also was posed a question 

 MTNCOLORS presents site specific mural installations in the Wynwood Arts District at the Kohn Compound during Art Basel Miami 2011

We keep drafting.

November, 2011

Graffuturism

Great documentation and a keen wright up on my recent White Walls gallery opening of Circulatory System. 

November, 2011

Artist A Day

Had a nice front page post on Artist A Day this month.

FB 

November, 2011

Graffuturism Blog

I sent some exclusive shots over to the folks at Graffuturism of my upcoming show at White Walls.

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.

Direct link to interview and studio photos here.

November 8, 2011

Juxtapoz Magazine Online

Juxtapox posted a nice preview of the Circulatory System show at White Walls. 

MOCHILLA REMIXED: Photo Selects/Logo Remix Exhibition + After Party!

Save the date: Thursday, October 20th Mochilla & Hit+Run present:
“MOCHILLA REMIXED” at the Townhouse Gallery in Venice. Some of our favorite visual artists have flipped the classic Mochilla logo, originally designed by Stephen Serrato – check out Augustine Kofie’s version (included). On opening night, these logo remixes will be on display alongside iconic photographs by Mochilla founders B+ and Coleman. Each has selected special photo selects from their vast collection for this exhibition that runs from October 20th-November 12th.

Participating Mochilla Logo Remix Artists:
Aaron De La Cruz, Abcnt, Alfred Hawkins, Augustine Kofie, Brent Rollins, Cody Hudson
Eric Coleman, Ernesto Yerena, Patrick Martinez, Retna Ritzy Periwinkle, Stephen Serrato
+more TBA

Also running alongside the show will be a pop-up shop with our recent releases and a few classic selects. Keep an eye out for some very special limited edition Mochilla gear that will only be available the night of the show. Don’t miss the opening night after party next door at the Del Monte Speakeasy with surprise guests! We’ll be celebrating our recent Timeless Remixed project on our “Feito Em Casa” Mixes.

7pm-10pm Art Exhibition : Townhouse Gallery
10pm-2am After Party: (Two Doors East) Del Monte Speakeasy

Be sure to RSVP on Facebook

[Above is my contribution to the MOCHILLA REMIXED project to celebrate 10 years of service, dedication and documentation by Eric Coleman and Brian Cross. It’s been a very humbling to be included in this project and I appreciate the ‘reach out’. I took me some time to conceptualize what I could do with this already classic word, so I felt it was best to keep it simple, a hand style and a bit of distress for movement and wear.] -AK

LoveGalo and KGB Studios are proud to present:

 ROCKIN’ 2011 – 20 years later - An Art Exhibition and Tribute.

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.

Sun-Ra’s Reach

Acrylic on primed duck canvas

5′ x 4′

 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. 

Grand Performances 25th Anniversary Series Presents:

Celebrating The Community Band: An Evening Of Akrestry

Curated and Hosted by Carlos Niño

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Build An Ark’s 10th Anniversary Set

8:00pm

Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and Voice of U.G.M.A.A.’s 50th Anniversary Set

9:00pm

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Live painting on stage by Kofie

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Saturday, July 23, 2011

7:00pm

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Build An Ark:

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

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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

Moda Hotel Mural ONE

Executed from March 1-3, 2011

900 Seymour Street

Vancouver, BC V6B 3L9

Remi Rough, Scott Sueme, Joker and I were commissioned by Moda Hotel in Vancouver to produce 2 large scale murals for their exterior walls. This also paralleled our Unintended Calculations Show at Becker Galleries that same week. Monumental in size we were able to tackle the walls in a 4 day period leading up to the opening using cherry-picker, one on each wall, then both on the second wall. The weather was primarily cold with random hits of rainfall that brought a few challenges tot he process but all in all a pleasure, especially with working with like-minded painters.

Many thanks to Indigo, for organizing this project as well as the curating the exhibition.

Many special thanks go out to the team at Montan Colors North America, Inc. for the paint sponsorship. The MTN94 and Alien paint supplies helped to keep the mural bright and cohesive and we can’t thank yall enough!

Above photo credit: Aaron Smedley

Graffuturism Post

Hello Vancity Post

Granville Online Post

Juxtapoz Post

Clout Post

JDLaidlaw’s Flickr Set 

S.Vegas Flickr Set

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JUXTAPOZ Art & Culture Magazine

Issue #117

A true highlight in my art career is this Jux interview for the October 2010 Issue of the famed art & culture magazine. El Mac provided the questions & UK based artist Pete Stern the profile photo.

Wari and I shared many mutual friends. I cant claim to be in this top tier of peoples, but we always chopped it up deep about music, samples and such when we happened into each other in the Mid city districts of Los Angeles. Wari was a meticulous beat maker and sample connoisseur. It took him a minute to warm up to me, but he finally let me listen to some tracks once in a while.

Taken much to early, he will be missed by many underground Angelinos.

++Full Size Download of my illustration of Wari to share is HERE++

Colorful, cropped detail selections from my February 4-8th, 2010 trip to San Francisco.

Joker_Transcend  

Codak  

Myself & Poisia_Transcend  

Kema_Transcend & Dial

Remi/Rough 

Erik Otto 

Apex

Vulcan 

Scott La Rockwell of Superdutytuffwork held down the documentation.

Complete Mural HERE

I.C.U. Gallery/ Work studio

La Brea/ Miracle Mile District.

Los Angeles, Calif

Summer 1997

Spray paint on vinyl mural for Justice? Just Us Concert at UCLA Wadsworth Theatre.

Commissioned by Robbie Connal.

Judge character: Axis

Photos by Daniel Gellis

Here is Medusa’s Live Performance at the event.

 [I had recently come across these photos that daniel took at the gallery back in the 90’s. I love the fact that all the paint was Krylon. I was about 23 at the time and working at Cost Plus World Market part time.]

Lowrider magazine Japan

A nice and informative Q & A on my recent show at 01 Gallery. Many thanks to Greg Escalante and Nathan Spoor for the documentation.   

Rick Blackshaw & Liz Farrelly present: STREET ART: In the artists’ own words. Published by RotoVision.

This 176 page book brings together an impressive line-up of innovators artists, curators, editors, and writers, sharing their knowledge. I have a nice 1 page spread thanks to the good folks at The Scrawl Collective. 

Kirakos losifidis Presents: Mural Art: Murals on huge public spaces around the wold from Graffiti to Trompe l’œil. Published by Publikat. 

I have a very sexy 2 page spread in this 290 page mural publication. It would have been a great icing on the cake if they had published my Charizmatik mural, my largest to date, but somehow it was not added to the final layout.

“Kofie One’s labyrinths of line and color reflect a layered and pensive man.” The Citrus Report. March 2009

 Short interview in SHOOK Magazine: Issue 004 out of the UK. Many thanks to the good folks at WE-ARE.

Here is the link to a Secret Formula Session I Dejayed live at the last Proton Drive for Dublab. It was a strange set featuring music from: Coltrain - MHE - Omid - El-p - Quincy Jones - Kan Kick - Bang La Desh - Johnny Rivers - Nate Aderly - Slave - Vangelis - Martin Denny - Tangerine Dream - Lab Waste - Hendrix & Mile Davis. Enjoy

Pen & Ink Illustration. Color Play in Photoshop. Camu Tao was a talented cat from Cleveland,  Ohio associated with RJD2 & The Definitive Jux Crew. He passed away on Memorial day of 2008 after a long bout with Lung Cancer. Keepdrafting sends our condolences to his family, loved ones and peers of the this late, very talented producer/emcee.

Laser etching into maple plywood [2007]

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.

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Flickr details

 KGH Magazine or KAGEKI-HA is a free publication with a strong focus on unique (or bizarre) subcultures. The Japanese word KAGEKI means radical or extreme. Distribution Area: Tokyo, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, and Paris