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Now on view at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA is "Lined in Lead II," the follow up exhibition to last year's group show of the same name. Curated by Eidolon Fine Art, the show focuses on contemporary illustrators with a figurative touch, all working specifically with graphite for this exhibition. Participating artists include ones that will be familiar to our readers, such as João Ruas, Andrew Hem, Edwin Ushiro and Rodrigo Luff, with a focus on some talented emerging artists such as Soey Milk, Keita Morimoto and Karla Ortiz. "Lined in Lead II" will be on view until April 28. View an extensive look at the show here on Hi-Fructose. See more after the jump!
Following a week of mural painting in the Hawai'ian sun, Pow Wow 2013 came to an end on Sunday with a closing party and unveiling. Comprised of over 40 renowned local and international artists, Pow Wow Hawaii continues to spread public art throughout Honolulu's Kaka'ako neighborhood, adding to the already-existing 2012 and 2011 murals. Get a look at works by artists such as Jeff Soto (Hi-Fructose Volume 16), Yoksay Yamamoto (Hi-Fructose Volume 8) and dozens upon dozens more, after the jump.
Earlier this month Hi-Fructose showed you a sneak peek into the sketchbook of participating Pow Wow artist Yoskay Yamamoto (seen here) and today we're happy to give you an exclusive look into the sketchbook of Parisian illustrator Wu Yue, who happens to be painting a wall right next to Yoskay this weekend at Pow Wow. Get a look after the jump!
The international art festival Pow Wow kicked off it's fourth year yesterday as artists began spreading another wave of large scale murals across Honolulu's Kaka'ako district. Much like past years (see 2012 here and 2011 here) Pow Wow features returning artists such as 123Klan, Meggs, Phibbs, Angry Woebots and more. For 2013, the event has grown considerably in both scope and roster, incorporating a variety of new international talent including Jeff Soto, Yoskay Yamamoto, Faith47, Nychos, Shark Toof, DALeast and more. Get a look at the first day of murals after the jump, and stay tuned for more in the week to come!
Hi-Fructose Volume 20 cover artist Marco Mazzoni will be debuting a new solo show at Seattle’s Roq la Rue gallery later this month. The artist’s exquisitely rendered colored pencil works have captivated audiences worldwide this year and we’re greatly looking forward to his latest body of work, “River of Milk.” Read more after the jump!
Since last seeing the geometrically delicate works of Mark Warren Jacques late last year in San Francisco, we have been eagerly anticipating the young artist's next body of work. Luckily, MWJ has recently put together a nice preview of his latest show, "Each Story in this Story has a Story" which will be debuting tomorrow, October 4th at Breeze Block Gallery in Portland. Get a look inside the artist's studio as he prepares for his new exhibit in the video and photos after the jump.
Street artist Hellbent serves as the inaugural curator for BSA’s new Vandal or Visionary series, now on view at Gallery Brooklyn. Entitled “Geometricks” the show strays from the traditional model of a graffiti or street art show, focusing on neither traditional letter writing or figurative pop icons. Instead, the exhibit turns its focus to a more abstracted study in geometry, color and pattern, ranging from the Graffuturism of Kofie One to the brightly patterned yarn work of Olek. Get a look at the exhibit after the jump.
This Thursday, September 6, Portland’s Breeze Block Gallery will open yet another great-looking group show (see our coverage of their recent 5 year anniversary here.) Entitled “Space//Form,” the exhibit features an astounding roster of 100 artists, including many HF alums such as Amy Casey, Brett Amory, Dave Kinsey, James Marshall, Jeff Soto, Josh Keyes and more. Get a preview of the show, including many Hi-Fructose exclusive images, after the jump.
Snippets of Japanese and Spanish echo in the background of the slums and tenements. Neon lights flicker in the distance as one voyeuristically peeks inside the apartments, their inhabitants often nude in dwellings echoing from the past a vintage film oozing with noir and noise. We have entered into the miniature world of artist Tracey Snelling.
Now on view at the Fifty24PDX Gallery in Portland is the debut solo show of artist Dave Correia, “Friends in the Dark.” Correia’s work has been on our radar for years and his work has been growing in leaps and bounds with each passing season, so it’s no surprise to see the new series looking like the best he’s done yet. From monsters to augmented classical portraiture, "Friends in the Dark" brings to light the artist’s talents as he pushes new boundaries in medium, color and composition.
Artist Kamea Hadar, who we recently met at the annual Pow Wow event in Honolulu has just opened a new solo show, “White Dreams” which delicately balances rich oil painting with stark shades of blank in a compelling study of space.
Last weekend we stopped by the Oakland, CA studio of Monica Canilao, who we hadn’t seen since last year’s studio visit. Since then, the artist has relocated to the Yard Dogs complex, a hub of creative types ranging from musicians to sword swallowers to artists, tucked away in a West Oakland compound.
Hi-Fructose recently visited the Santa Cruz, CA studio of pop surrealist painter Caia Koopman as the artist was putting the finishing touches on her latest body of work. Following a whirlwind tour of her art throughout France (seen here) Koopman has spent the better part of her return home creating a new series of paintings of her iconic characters for an opening next month at Thinkspace Gallery. Get a look inside Caia’s studio, sketchbook and process, here on Hi-Fructose. Written by Ken Harman
When Long Beach's Phone Booth Gallery first introduced us to the work of Russian artist Lora Zombie (seen here) we took immediate notice. Partially because Phone Booth has time and time again proven themselves as an emerging gallery with a sharp eye for new artists, but also because Zombie's bright watercolor works quite frankly, demanded it. For her second solo show with the gallery, 'Whales. Love. Procrastination.' Zombie returns with her tight watercolors and loose drips for a melting pot of contemporary culture fusing together comic books heroines, children's fairytales and touching human interaction. The show will be on view until June 12th, get a look after the jump!
This Friday, May 18th, FFDG in San Francisco will be hosting the triumphant return of artist Dave Kinsey for his first solo show in the Bay Area in over ten years. Kinsey, who we featured way back in HF Vol. 13, is widely considered a founding father of the new contemporary West Coast scene. His early street campaigns alongside a young Shepard Fairey gained them both acclaim, and Kinsey's gallery work has been a hit in the fine art world as well (see our coverage of his most recent solo at Joshua Liner here.) See more after the jump.
Earlier this month Hi-Fructose took a trip down to the Oakland, CA studio of artist Scott Hove as the sculptor was putting the finishing touches on his “My Own Private Apocalypse” solo show, which just finished its month long run at La Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles (see our preview from earlier here.)
Though the show is no longer on view to the public, you can still check out the work online at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery website, and of course, get a look inside the artist’s studio after the jump. – Ken Harman
Tonight, Friday, April 20th, Fecal Face Dot Gallery will debut on this most fitting of holidays, "Cigarettes, Phone Cards and Hip Hop Clothing" a group exhibition featuring ten artists whose detail oriented works, though from differing environments, come together in a natural harmony. In addition to notables such as Robert Hardgrave (who we featured in HF Vol. 8) and Kelsey Brookes (who we featured last year here) the show also boasts several emerging talents whose work we've been enjoying for a while such as Alex Ziv and Hiro Kurata. Read more after the jump.
Good times and great conversations were had at the opening of Lindsey Carr's "Augmented Animal" and Handiedan's "Circulus". Both artists made the trip to Seattle in order to lend some insight into their new works showing at the Roq La Rue Gallery through May 5th. Handiedan's intricate pieces are more than just collages, and they must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. See more after the jump!
Currently on view at Wonderland Gallery in Hollywood is the large, feminine centric group show, ‘I Want To Be First.’ Featuring some our favorite established female artists such as Sylvia Ji, Ana Bagayan and Natalie Shau, the exhibition also showcases works by emerging artists Cate Rangel and Alexandra Manukyan. Mostly portraiture based, the exhibition also includes photography and several 3-d works such as a jointed doll and assemblage sculpture, all illuminating the beauty and mythology of the female form. View more images from the show after the jump.
On April 13th, Roq la Rue Gallery in Seattle will debut two new solo shows by a couple of our favorite artists, Lindsey Carr and Handiedan. While inherently different both in style and methodology, the artists' similar vintage-inspired aesthetics harken back to both the naturalist and art nouveau movements in what appears to be a cohesive showing of subdued earth tones and antiquarianism. For 'Circulus,' Handiedan's solo, the Dutch artist continues on her post pin-up collages, adding even more layers of texture, complexity and depth to her suggestive and figurative works. Get a look at recent studio visit we conducted with the artist here, and an in-depth peek at 'Circulus' after the jump.
The last time we got a good look at the painterly creations of artist Billy Norrby was almost one year ago to the day when we featured his 'Of the Vanguard' show at Copro. Since then, the artist has been hard at work on a variety of numerous projects and group shows (see here) and today we're proud to present an exclusive first look at what Norrby's been up to lately, including some sneak peeks at his next body of work, "Fury" debuting on the 14th at Last Rites. Get a glimpse at some of the artist's recent works, currently headed to Arcadia Gallery, the upcoming Twin Peaks show at Copro (which we've previewed here,) his upcoming solo and more, all after the jump.
Canadian born artist Nimit Malavia recently sent us over a series of process shots in anticipation of his newest exhibition, ‘Finding Together Again’ at SF’s Spoke Art Gallery opening tomorrow evening, April 5th. The works explore “the relationships essential to our growth and discovery,” as evidenced through the focus on coupling in the works, whether as romantic relationships or interactions with majestic animals. View more exclusive process photos and preview images after the jump, here on Hi-Fructose.
Currently showing at NYC’s Claire Oliver Gallery is a solo exhibition, ‘True Love’ by artist Gino Rubert (whom we first featured here.) Following the complexity of romantic relationships, the new works feature his seamless signature convergence of collage elements and traditional paint techniques to conjure a surreal world in which his strange cast of characters act out scenes of love. While some of these scenes reveal the tenderness between the figures, othertimes it explores the darker aspects of romance; love sickness, revenge and the solitude of heartbreak. View more images from the new body of work after the jump.
Currently up at NJ’s Parlor Gallery is a large group show, ‘FunIs The Law.’ Featuring a diverse cast of artists, the eclectic works range inmedium; from hand carved sculptures to painted toys and skate decks, allsharing a quirky, colorful sense of playfulness. View more images of the workafter the jump.
Tomorrow, Friday March 30th, Cooper Cole Gallery in Toronto (formerly Show and Tell gallery) will debut the latest body of work by artist Tessar Lo. Entitled 'past, present, past-present,' Lo's dreamy and expressionistic paintings seem to merge the subconscious with waking life, an endless and fragmented amalgamation of thoughts, instinct and feeling rife with symbolism. Portrayed with a palate that is simultaneously subdued and explosive, Lo's work appears to easily accomplish what most artists strive for, a free flowing look into both the undercurrents of his mind and the whimsical nature of his heart. Get a look at the new work, as well as the new sculptural edition who's release coincides with the opening, after the jump. - Ken Harman
The influence on Bay Area arts, notably the "Mission School," is a resounding one that has reverberated around the world for almost two decades now. Much as the wild style New York graffiti scene of the 80s has influenced graffiti artists from all corners of the globe, so too has the art of Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen and Chris Johanson left its indelible mark on contemporary art. The affect of these forerunners is explored in the work of Japanese native Yokonori Stone, who's upcoming solo show at Ever Gold playfully tips the hat in an irreverent display.
Opening this weekend at LA’s Thinkspace Gallery is an exhibition of new works from NYC based artist Fumi Nakamura (who’s first feature on the site garnered her the #5 spot in our most read posts of 2011.) Following her signature style of tangled flora and fauna, enveloping at times, a romantic pair of pale figures set against white backgrounds, her new work, ‘Our Hands Will Eventually Destroy Everything Beautiful,’ features a nuance in the complexity of these scenes. Created entirely in graphite and colored pencil, the new works feature a wide ranging color palette and strange inclusions amongst the natural elements. Recently we had a change to interview the artist about using colored pencils, living in NYC and Norwegian bands. Read the full interview and preview some of the new work after the jump, here on Hi-Fructose.
Earlier this week, Hi-Fructose swung by the SFMoMA to get a glimpse of the new mural installation by Dutch designer and artist Parra, currently in production. Entitled, Weirded Out, the sprawling display hopes to do just that, the beak-faced characters for whom Parra has achieved worldwide recognizably frolic and float in a stark two tone colorway (unusual for the artist's typical palate of blues, reds, and pinks) as a playful word puzzle puts it all together only to push it right back. The sixty foot long hand painted mural will debut alongside a localized Buckminster Fuller exhibit with an accompanying live musical performance by the artist's band Le Le and limited edition print release crafted by the folks over at Team Print Shop. Get an exclusive behind the scenes look here on Hi-Fructose as Parra puts the finishing touches on the mural before its opening reception on March 31st. - Ken Harman