White Walls Gallery Presents Dan Witz: “What the %$#@? (WTF)”

Dan Witz’s integrity in expressing beauty through subversion and an enduring interest in realism has sustained the artist a copious 30-year career. Known for his hyper-realistic paintings, Witz challenges himself to keep representational painting relevant in the postmodern era and digital age.  This challenge commands that the artist must continually grow and experiment in his art practice which has contributed to him being cited as one of the most progressive and influential painters of our time.

White Walls Gallery is pleased to announce the debut solo show by Dan Witz entitled “What The %$#@? (WTF)”. The opening reception will be held on January 8, 2011 from 7-11pm. Witz is known for using  his mastery of the visual deception of trompe-l’oeil and photorealistic painting techniques to create conceptual visual pranks, producing a definitive and unparalleled street art practice.

The “What The %$#@? (WTF)” series is named for the universal reactions it often inspires within the viewer.  For this street art project, Witz is installing his Dark Doings pieces on walls beside highway ramps and interchanges–bottleneck locations where traffic backs up and a captive audience develops as cars pass by at low speeds. Dark Doings is made up of digital photo prints with extensive over-painting mounted on plastic and then framed.  For each piece that Witz will be showing within the gallery, a corresponding piece will be put up somewhere in the Bay Area.  The artworks come in an edition of 6:3 for the street and 3 for other distribution.  The street versions are unsigned, but marked with NFFS*.  The asterisk indicates (on the back of the piece) *NOT FOR FUCKING SALE.

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Interview With Glen E. Friedman x Shepard Fairey by Colin Day

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Juxtapoz Interviews Glen E. Friedman for his 941Geary Exhibition, “Fuck You All”

Glen E. Friedman, photograph by Darren Wellhoefer

Glen E, Friedman, the legendary photographer and cultural influencer of all things music, skate, and underground aesthetics, is bringing his work to San Francisco’s 941 Geary space this Saturday for a major showing titled, in perfect punk, “Fuck You All.”

The new exhibition will be marked by some of Friedman’s iconic works, the touring exhibition portion that contains the shots of Black Flag, the Beastie Boys, and a far younger Tony Hawk. But the 941 Geary show will be highlighted by the Shepard Fairey collaborations together with the original photographs for the first time.

Henry Rollins, collaboration between Glen E. Friedman and Shepard Fairey

The collaboration comes on the heels of Friedman’s exhibition at Fairey’s Subliminal Projects last year, and a special interview Fairey did for Juxtapoz with Friedman in our 100th issue last Spring. As 941 Geary tells us, “Friedman’s 941Geary exhibition of Fuck You All will feature several never before seen collaborations with Shepard Fairey, which will be displayed along with the original photographs for the first time. These works are true artistic collaborations, executed symbiotically and inspired from a history of mutual respect between Friedman and Fairey.”

The opening reception will be held from 6-9pm on Saturday, November 6th at 941Geary in San Francisco. The artists will be in attendance.

Read the full Juxtapoz interview here.

 

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Bas-Relief Sculpture by Ron van der Ende

Ron van der Ende, Ørnen (De Adelaar / The Eagle) 2007 Bas-relief in reclaimed timbers, 120x170x16cm (company collection Barendrecht NL)

I love discovering a new artist whose work is different, and a little fun. Ron van der Ende is a Rotterdam, NL-based sculptor who specializes in wall-mounted bas-reliefs constructed from found wood. Bas-relief is your A&O word-of-the-day and it means a sculpture in which forms extend only slightly from the background. Ron van der Ende’s collection of work includes sculptures of various vessels – mechanical and sea-faring – as well as structures: houses, factories, buildings, and that sort. I love how the background factors into the entire experience. I also enjoy how the photographs add another layer of viewership to these works. By that I mean that, in person, they probably appear more as definite relief sculptures, but over a computer screen, they look to be a 2-dimensional creation – a painting, or a staged photograph. Adding to the painterly aspect is the mosaic of color and texture that looks as though it was applied to the image with a brush. I’d love to see these in person. Viewing them on the computer screen will just have to do for now. Enjoy!

on van der Ende: Schooner (S.S. Roosevelt) 2007 Bas-relief in reclaimed timbers, 215 x 155 x 12cm (West Collection, Oaks, PA, USA)

Ron van der Ende: 727 2008 Bas-relief in reclaimed timbers (West Collection, PA, USA)

Ron van der Ende: NASCAR Charger 2009 bas-relief in reclaimed timbers, three parts, total dim. 305 x 96 x 10cm.

Ron van der Ende: Peekskill 2008 Bas-relief in reclaimed timbers, 150x125x14 + 20x15x15 for the ‘meteorite’

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The Sound of Art by Paddy Johnson

Paddy Johnson of Art Fag City is several days and a several hundred dollars away from her reaching her Kickstarter goal of raising $10,000 to produce a distinctive sound project. The Sound of Art is a DJ Battle Record which pits the sounds of art works exhibited in Manhattan (Side A) against those in Brooklyn (Side B). She’s throwing in some really amazing kickbacks to those who are able to donate anywhere from $10 and up. If it were me, I’d go for the $500 pledge and have dinner with her and William Powhida. How fun would that be? Too bad I don’t live in NYC…or have $500. But for a mere $20 you can nab a copy of the record and do something good for the arts. Who can complain about that!

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Hi Fructose Issue 17: Seonna Hong

I had the pleasure of interviewing the illustrious Seonna Hong for issue 17 of Hi Fructose Magazine. Here’s a teaser, but for the whole story, be sure to pick up a copy!

“Seonna Hong is a painter of memories. Her works are reflexive – deeply personal reflections of the artist’s self in relation to the people and things that matter most to her. In an effort toward resolution, Hong selects the moments of meaning that have colored her life as richly as the pigments with which she chooses to adorn the canvas. These are the stories that run the depth of a life, rushing to the surface upon the artist’s summoning, or when the desire to express builds to the point of necessary release. With painted metaphor, Hong renders herself unedited and pure – as a little girl wading through an ocean of moments that extend from the shores of her past into the infinite and unknowable future. It’s amidst this sentimental dreamscape that we meet the artist at her most vulnerable and find solace in the baring of this soul that bears so much resemblance to our own.” – Lainya Magaña, Issue 17 Hi Fructose Magazine

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Photos: VIP Preview of Flotsam’s Wonder World

Artist, Mike Shine for "Flotsam's Wonder World", Photo courtesy Mike Cuffe and Warholian.com

A&O PR is proud to announce the tremendous success of “Flotsam’s Wonder World”, the epic “art opera” by artist, Mike Shine that was held in conjunction with the inauguration of Justin Giarla’s newest gallery space, 941Geary. These images from Friday night’s VIP party are courtesy of Mike Cuffe of Warholian. The evening included interactive carnival games, a set by DJ Junk Drawer (formerly of Extra Action Marching Band), operatic performances by Jonah Hoptan, “Opera Boy” and Whitney White, “Opera Girl”, as well as a folk music set that included Mike Shine himself playing harmonica. “Flotsam’s Wonder World” is up through October 31st. For more images, visit Mike Cuffe’s Flickr set here.

941Geary Gallery Owner, Justin Giarala, Photo courtesy of Mike Cuffe

Whitney White and Jonah Hopton, Photo courtesy of Mike Cuffe

Danielle Grant, Kimberly Verde and Lainya Magana of A&O PR, Photo courtesy of Mike Cuffe

Greg Escalante and guest, Photo courtesy of Mike Cuffe

Lyrica Glory, Photo courtesy of Mike Cuffe

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Mike Shine: Flotsam’s Wonder World

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“Observed By Clouds” Solo Show by Mario Wagner

"The Hero's Return"

SAN FRANCISCO – July 30, 2010 – Gallery Heist is pleased to announce Observed by Clouds, an exhibition of new work by Mario Wagner. This event is highly anticipated as it marks the artist’s first solo show in San Francisco since relocating here from Cologne, Germany earlier this year. Utilizing imagery from the 1950s and 60s, Wagner’s pieces convey a sense of vintage futurism in beautifully anachronistic micro-narratives that describe one visual point in some larger, unknown story. Executed through a stream-of-consciousness based process: spontaneous, free flowing and of the moment, Observed by Clouds will be expressed through the techniques of painting, mixed media, collage, and installation and will present more than a dozen new artworks. An opening reception will be held at Gallery Heist on Saturday, September 4, 2010 from 7-11pm and the exhibition will run from September 4 – September 25, 2010.

Imbued with a sense of cinematic intrigue and sci-fi fantasy that speaks to the era from which he draws reference, Wagner’s pieces depict a time when futuristic fascination was widespread, space travel was imminent, and the possibilities of technology were limitless. Observed by Clouds will present a collection of work exploring some of the darker and more illusive narratives that have been steadily evolving in Wagner’s artistic oeuvre. As Wagner puts it, these new works “feel like the next step in a line.” Dreamlike scenarios of morose pallbearers assembled in funeral formation, masked marauders on horseback full of hidden agendas, and watchful strangers with questionable intentions lurking in shadows point to mysteries that border on the eerie, begging at the viewer’s imagination and inviting him to contemplate the origins of the story’s beginning and its probable end.

Mario Wagner, born in 1974, works as an artist and illustrator in San Francisco/USA. Wagner creates his works using analog methods of collage incorporating vintage print media. The execution requires finesse with scissors and glue to ultimately transform his vision from the mental to physical plane of existence. His work has been shown internationally and across the US in exhibitions at SCOPE, ART Basel Miami and the upcoming NADA Art Fair with the Pool Gallery from Berlin. Wagner’s commercial illustrations and artworks have been commissioned by Esquire, Playboy, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times Magazine.

For more information visit www.galleryheist.com

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James Roper x Thomas Wightman: Outside

James Roper recently emailed to share this video with me.

He writes:”In 2008 I co-wrote a short film with Thomas Wightman and Rob Bailey which went on to receive funding from Northwest Vision and Media’s Virgin Shorts 2008 competition. ‘Outside’ was shot over four consecutive days in locations around the North of England on a budget of £2,500. Directed by Wightman with production design by myself and Bailey the short had it’s premiere screening at Cannes Film Festival 2010.’Outside’ explores ideas about how advancement in technology has effected the way we communicate and how as a result it may impact our environment.”

Because WP is glitching, click on the photo which will link you to Vimeo for your watching pleasure. Enjoy!

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