LOOK INTO MY OWL

Last night “The BLAB! Show” opened at the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica.

Martin Wittfooth, Saints Preserve Us, oil on linen, 2009.

More than twenty artists have converged for this expansive group show. Works from the display will also be featured in the next installment of BLAB! Monte Beauchamp’s almanac that showcases fine art, illustration and comics.

Teresa James, Hand Autopsy, colored pencil and graphite on paper, 2009.

The fifth chapter of this annual exhibit is infused with the theme of “21st-Century Apocalypse.” The reactions to this charged tone range from humorous social and personal observations to heavy corporate and environmental concerns.

Jeff Soto, The Corruption of Mankind, acrylic on wood panel, 2009.

MARK RYDEN, JOE SORREN, JEFF SOTO, SHAG, FEMKE HIEMSTRA, ALEX GROSS, NATALIA FABIA, RYAN HESHKA, MARTIN WITTFOOTH, OWEN SMITH, GARY BASEMAN, XNO, JEAN-PIERRE ROY, KRIS KUKSI, GEORGANNE DEEN, GARY TAXALI, Zap artist SPAIN, FRED STONEHOUSE, ANDY KEHOE, MARC BURCKHARDT, MARK TODD, CALEF BROWN, Garbage Kid’s creator JOHN POUND, DAVID SANDLIN and more.

The BLAB! Show
8-29 August 2009
Copro Gallery
Santa Monica, California

New sculptures and drawings from Paul McCarthy make up the current show in the downstairs galleries of Hauser & Wirth Zürich.

Paul McCarthy, Puppet (Original), 2005-2008.

Paul McCarthy has been testing the limits of depravity for more than four decades. The abject horrors and anti-heroes presented along the way have grounded the audience in the comfort of his nightmare.

Paul McCarthy, Happy Traveler, 2008.

The sculptures in the current show represent the low end of the social meter over the past six years. We’ve seen the ultimate in mindless greed and perhaps even some genuine evil in the course of the chronicled period. More than adequate fuel for the master to trek into new territory. Life has been imitating McCarthy recently, it should be interesting to see where he goes from here.

Paul McCarthy, Static (Pink), 2004-2009.

Paul McCarthy
7 June – 25 July 2009
Hauser & Wirth
Zürich

“Your Mom Is Open Source” Shane Hope’s first solo exhibit is on display through the end of July at the Winkleman Gallery in NYC.

Shane Hope, Molecula Simianus En Balloonus Animalia Meet Nanotubular Lepidoptera, 2009.

Be certain to have a look at the bio on Hope’s website for significant understanding into his trendy 2040’s lifestyle. There you will get a jump on approaching jargon such as malfoamation, slowcators and ontogenies.

Shane Hope, “Yes, but [grey goo] will be our children.”, 2009.

The conceivable futures for humankind are limitless. Arthur C. Clarke’s third law of prediction comes to mind when viewing this work, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” We may postulate, expound and compile without a solid concept of the road ahead. Shane Hope has gone forward a bit with the intention of reporting back. The work outlines the illusion of tomorrow while admonishing the present as future past.

Shane Hope, to be Imortel, 2009.

Shane Hope
Your Mom Is Open Source
26 June – 1 August 2009
Winkleman Gallery
NYC

Until now, the Killingstar website was annihilated after each update. The site has been revamped to include an archive and selected press from 2008.

Killingstar, Caringstar, 2008.

We are in the midst of planning a large off-site exhibition from Killingstar for this October. Keep checking NOWhere Limited for details as they emerge.

Killingstar, Heavy Eight Metal Spitter (black), 2008.

Killingstar has been quiet while preparing for the show but you can expect at least two new print releases this Summer.

Killingstar, Progeny (Infrared), 2008.

Killingstar
New site design
killingstar.com

Ajit Chauhan’s altered album covers are on display in NYC. “ReRecord” is the artist’s second exhibition at the Jack Hanley Gallery.

Ajit Chauhan, Untitled (record cover), 2009.

Chauhan sands down discarded record sleeves to achieve this fascinating effect. In removing the branding of the label, the artist succeeds in reducing commercial products to statements of personal taste. This is achieved by erasing objectionable elements in the popular compositions leaving an intimate display of preference.

Ajit Chauhan, Untitled (record cover), 2009.

The figures have been stripped of identity and even sex in these tributes to anonymity. Beyond the beat and measure, popular music is ultimately determined by the hair.

Ajit Chauhan, Untitled (record cover), 2009 (detail).

Ajit Chauhan is also including in the show his sculptures known as “The Psuedoscopes” (not pictured). The mirrored boxes exchange visual information between the left and right eye. The transposition of ocular reference contradicts perception resulting in objects moving toward the viewer seem to be drawing away. These pieces offer a direct correlation between science and art. They are intended to be experienced rather than read about so head over to the gallery and let me know what you think.

Ajit Chauhan
ReRecord
20 June – 31 July 2009
Jack Hanley Gallery
NYC

This Saturday we are pleased to be opening “RUGS! RUGS !RUGS!”, the latest exhibit from Mark Mothersbaugh at NOWhere Limited. Twelve artist proof rugs will be on display in the gallery and available for purchase online sometime early next week. Be sure to get on the NOWhere Limited mailing list to receive more information as it becomes available.

Mark Mothersbaugh, Devo Rope, 2009.

Mark Mothersbaugh, well-known as a founding member of the innovative band DEVO, has been creating artwork in many forms for more than 3 decades. His love of visual art began in childhood, just after it was discovered that he was extremely nearsighted and legally blind. His first correctional glasses offered the young Mothersbaugh a new view of the world, fueling a lifelong infatuation with imagery and illustrations.

Mark Mothersbaugh, Sleepover, 2009.

Mark’s recent visual artwork has been largely inspired by his 30-year habit of creating handmade postcards to send to friends from various stops on DEVO tours. This obsession has evolved into a visual diary that currently yields the artist 1-25 new images per day. These images have served as the basis for the artist’s critically acclaimed solo shows of the 80s/90s as well as for his “gallery tours” which have been occurring at art venues throughout the globe since 2003.

With DEVO, Mothersbaugh’s most recognized music project, the artist showcases his artistic abilities to millions of fans. Through their films, videos, costumes, LP covers, stage shows, and printed materials, Mark Mothersbaugh and DEVO forever altered commonly held preconceptions of how a rock band can function in popular culture.

Mark Mothersbaugh, Fingerbot & the Boy, 2009.

It’s a huge weekend here in Ned. The dedication of the Nathan Lazarus Skatepark is taking place with Tony Hawk on hand to break the place in right. Hawk will be skating a demo with Bird House Team Members Shaun Gregoire and Alan Young, Geth Noble, Jason Mitchell, Alex Brunelle, Ric Widenor, Brandon Arceo and Cailin Lee.

Later in the evening, Mark Mothersbaugh will be live in the gallery via video conference. Be sure to stop by early to get your ticket to speak with Mark “face-to-face”.

Mark Mothersbaugh
RUGS! RUGS! RUGS!
30 May – 27 June 2009
NOWhere Limited
Nederland, Colorado

“Viper in Bosom”, a new series of drawings, paintings and sculpture from Thomas Helbig is currently being exhibited at Vilma Gold in London.

Helbig’s influence was informed by the practices of the Surrealists and the Russian Avant-garde. This Modernist link transcends the practicality of space with a flattening of form. Traditional perspective is rallied against in the thrift store found paintings and wall decorations that the artist has altered. Portraits have been seized and transported to hazy aural forms.

There is a close connection between each manifestation the art takes. His sculptures seem to emerge from the paintings and in turn, the paintings have been developed from his drawings. This symbiotic connection plays out quite the reverse to the viewer. The confrontation begins with the sculpture which draws the audience into the subtle two dimensional works.

Thomas Helbig
Viper in Bosom
22 March – 17 May 2009
Vilma Gold
London

“Surveillance from the Doll House” is a group show with work from Nathania Rubin, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons and Karen Yasinsky. Mireille Mosler Ltd. is hosting this exhibit that focuses on contemporary animation and puppetry.

In Nathania Rubin’s rattletrap drawn animation, “My Girl: A Case Study” (above) caricatures of Anne Frank and Sigmund Freud act in proxy for the artist’s personal proclivities and as signifiers for something larger.

“Still Life with Cows” (above and below) from Karen Yasinsky is a study of a tiresome existence. The nonlinear piece tells the story of a paralyzed doll and her consort. Animation for children runs at a frenzied pace, when this gait stagnates, the attitude of the medium is transformed.

Nathania Rubin, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, Karen Yasinsky
Surveillance from the Doll House
15 April – 23 May 2009
Mireille Mosler Ltd.
NYC