by CaroPosted on

There are many great artists whose primary medium include pencil and paper, but the artist’s sketch is not always intended as a finished work. A sketch may serve a number of purposes: it might record something that the artist sees, it might develop an idea for later use or it might be used as a quick way of graphically demonstrating an image. For those who refer to drawing to work out their ideas, a sketch becomes a rare piece seldom shared with their audience. As such, there is a special air of mystery that is associated with drawings. We’ve featured artists’ drawings in our Sketchbook Series on our blog, and in our print issues, where we’ve shone a light on scarcely shown sketch work by artists like Marco Mazzoni, and Femke Hiemstra, and Mark Ryden, to name a few. A new group exhibition “Lápiz, Papel o Tijera” (Pencil, Paper, Scissors) at Plastic Murs gallery in Spain aims to do the same for 30 artists.

by Hi-Fructose StaffPosted on

Our next print issue of Hi-Fructose Magazine arrives in stores Jan. 1st, 2016! Featured in this issue is: A glaringly awesome cover by Japanese art icon Keiichi Tanaami. Tanaami’s history and story is amazing, and the result of which is a unique eye-splitting body of work we’re happy to bring to you in print. Plus Riikka Hyvönen’s “Derby Kisses”, Tip Toland’s meaningful hyper-real sculptures, Yellena James’ beautiful painted floral explosions, Mark Ryden’s latest show Dodecahedron, and the mighty ink pen of Kim Jung Gi. We follow this with extensive features on Eric White’s paintings of a Hollywood-gone-bizarro, Chris Mars’ frighteningly beautiful world, Yoshitoshi Kanemaki’s amazing multi-expressional sculptures, and painter Margaret Bowland’s immersive work about power and identity. Also in this issue, punk rock historian and RE/Search founder V.Vale delves into the new photography book Shot in the Dark: Collected Photography by David Arnoff, plus much more! Pre-order copies direct from us here!

by CaroPosted on

The works of Italian artist Paolo Pedroni capture a whimsical and dark world populated by child-like maidens with an aristocratic flair. Though his art is often compared to a cross between Pop Surrealist, Mannerist and Baroque painting, it wasn’t until very recently that Pedroni discovered the Pop Surrealism genre, and he especially gravitated towards the works of Mark Ryden. More than than anything, Pedroni sees his work as a combination of two worlds- the real world in which we live and the fantasy of his own imagination. At first working in street art and graffiti, he eventually ventured into digital art, and most recently, oil painting. With each piece, Pedroni balances elements that are sweet, strange, and decidedly unnerving.

by CaroPosted on

Pop Surrealist Mark Ryden (Hi-Fructose Vol. 18) has long incorporated alchemy and numerology in his fairytale-like world, filled with symbols and strange letters. The Los Angeles based artist once said that if he hadn’t pursued art, his next choice would have been math or science. For his upcoming exhibition “Dodecahedron”, opening December 10th at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York, Ryden looked to geometry for inspiration. His exhibition is so named after the “dodecahedron”, a 12-sided geometric shape of perfect symmetry and mystery.

by CaroPosted on

This last Friday, the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California (MOAH) celebrated over twenty years of toy art with their retrospective exhibition, “The Art of Toys”. The exhibit is the first of its kind for the west coast, featuring some of the movement’s most memorable pieces by artists and their manufacturers. The first modern designer toys hit the market in the 1990s, with many of their creators originating in the Lowbrow, New Contemporary, and even graffiti scenes. Recognizing the potential for the collectibility of their characters, participating artists like Tim Biskup, Mark Ryden, Nathan Jurevicius, and even Hi-Fructose’s own Attaboy, began marketing their designs to collectors as limited editions.

by CaroPosted on

On Saturday night, Heart N Soul Gallery in Culver City joined forces with some all-star New Contemporary artists to raise funds for the Aurelia Foundation. The foundation was created to provide funding and support for programs like “Step by Step”, enriching the lives of disabled adults. The charity is very close to home for the gallerist, whose daughter is one of the many young adults that receive assistance from these programs. Among the artists who have contributed both original, new and previous works to the cause include AJ Fosick, Ana Bagayan, Bob Doucette, Clayton Bros, James Jean, Lola, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Martin Witfooth, Naoto Hattori, Nate Frizzell, Shepard Fairey, Steven Daily, and more.