LOOK INTO MY OWL

“Burning Contract, Splash Building, Swarm, Spiral Metamorphosis” is set to open at Janos Gat Gallery in NYC. The exhibition contains some of Dennis Oppenheim’s proposals for large-scale public projects.

Dennis Oppenheim, Burning Contract.

The prints display specific angles of three dimensional computer renderings for the proposed works. The sculptures rely on an abstract path to resolution with a simplicity that deserves respect. It would have been easy to overwork these ideas beyond common recognition but Oppenheim knows and has always known when to stop.

Dennis Oppenheim, Splash Building.

Some of the proposals have recently been secured by the United States, Canada, China, and Europe so in future you will see these structures realized. The strength of this exhibition should result in the construction of even more of these powerful artworks. It is a bright future that spreads Oppenheim to every corner of the globe.

Dennis Oppenheim, Paintbrush Gateway.

Dennis Oppenheim
Burning Contract, Splash Building, Swarm, Spiral Metamorphosis
4 – 27 June 2009
Janos Gat Gallery
NYC

Post Neo Explosionism is back! Justin Hampton, Emek and Jermaine Rogers have ushered in a return to their collaborative ways. Individually, these three artists have become icons in the popular art scene. Together they pose a threat to the boring establishment of “keeping it real.” The collaborative collective, particularly among artists, is an admirable pursuit.

Their first aggregate effort comes in the form of a 22 sticker set. Stickers will be available for order individually or in a limited edition collector’s set which contains all 21 stickers, the PNE logo sticker and 3 mini art prints (one from each artist) signed and numbered.

PNE Sticker Series #1 will be available for order via PayPal from the PNE web site’s new online shopping cart: this Friday, May 8th at a random time between 11AM and 2PM Pacific Time (2PM-5PM Eastern). Absolutely no pre-sales will occur.

We have released exclusive prints from each of these gentlemen in the past at NOWhere Limited. What does this reunion mean to the gallery? Stay tuned…

Some ambitious and playful works from John Waters are on view at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in NYC. “Rear Projection” highlights the recent prints and sculpture to emerge from his Baltimore studio.

Exploration of the extreme carries over from his work as a film director. Many of the prints like “…And Your Family Too” (above) are humorous time bombs that go too far and then go further. Classic, ironic, inventive, Waters.

These “still” works represent the backside of fame and misaligned public perception. Waters makes certain we realize that all of his productions are brave expressions of his intimate thoughts. Personal habits are on display in the form of large sculptural reproductions of items he uses like “La Mer” (a pricey skin cream) and RUSH (liquid incense).

According to the company website, RUSH has “helped create millions of the world’s greatest lovers”. The exhibition is up for only a few more days but it’s never too late to fall in love.

John Waters
Rear Projection
3 April – 2 May 2009
Marianne Boesky Gallery
NYC

This week Jermaine Rogers is releasing a pair of art prints that touch on important social themes. The ideas presented in these images are not revelations. We have known the facts for some time without initiating systemic change. These prints remind us that acknowledging a problem doesn’t make it go away.

Here is what Jermaine has to say about “Little Animals Grow … (Teach Your Children)” (above).
“It’s interesting how our society provides several ways of teaching a child to get very comfortable with the feel of a pistol in his hand.”

And an excerpt from Rogers’ description of “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” (below).
“…I believe that there is an equal amount of the ‘criminal element’ in every race in America. Thing is, if you’re a young black man, you’re WAY more likely to be arrested and convicted. In fact, governmental agencies actually rely on these trends, and have worked increasingly larger amounts of funds into the budgets for urban and low-income arrests and state and federal prison building. They’ve got ‘plans’ for 1 of every 4 little black boys in America (1 in 4 U.S. black men in their twenties is either in jail or under legal supervision).”

I’ve included the entire text that accompanies the above print after the jump. READ IT.

Both prints will be available at this link on Thursday, March 19th at a random time between Noon & 3PM MST.

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Recent mixed media works from Alex Lukas are currently on display at White Walls in San Francisco. This is the gallery work of an artist that is also involved in the production of exceptional zines through Cantab Publishing.

Lukas engages a combination of paint and silkscreen to accomplish these stunning pieces. Some of the works are on paper while others were executed on aerial photographs torn from books. The coalescence of media is so fine that the point of departure from the artist’s hand to the technical process of printing remains indeterminate.

It is difficult to imagine a darker theme than rising tide consuming coastal cities however these intimate depictions offer peaceful serenity. The buildings have not been disturbed by the overwhelming pressures of the oceans. They prevail as peaceful islands in clear tropic waters. Should the nightmare persist it might cause the viewer to consider a move to higher ground.

Alex Lukas
and another shall rise to take her place
14 March – 3 April 2009
White Walls Gallery
San Francisco

The contemporary tapestries of Margret Eicher are on view at Bernhard Knaus Fine Art in Frankfurt. The title of the show is, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” with each position in the trinity being thoroughly explored.

In the past wall tapestries were a luxury reserved for the wealthy. The carpets were hand stitched and often took years to complete. Eicher has short circuited this lengthy process by piecing together collage elements in a computer and weaving them with a digital loom.

The content of these large wall coverings is current and often comical. Margret Eicher pays tribute to the ancient history of the tapestry with a muted palette, canonical compositions and ornamental borders.

Margret Eicher
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
29 January – 14 March 2009
Bernhard Knaus Fine Art
Frankfurt, Germany

NOWhere Limited is pleased to announce the exclusive release of “Handgun”, a limited edition print by Specter, available for purchase Friday, February 6, 2009. An accomplished artist both “on the street” and in gallery settings, Specter now debuts his first limited edition with this striking archival Giclée. Handgun is printed on bright white heavyweight paper measuring 17 x 22 inches. Each piece in the edition of 50 has been signed and numbered by the artist.

Here is the link to secure this piece for your collection.

“Don’t get caught without your handgun son.” – Specter

Handgun features imagery from the artist’s recent paste-up series of painted posters depicting hand gestures and the phrases associated with them. Here it is in situ on the street.

Specter (born Gabriel Reese) has been altering public spaces with innovative street art for more than a decade. Inspired by the surroundings where they are implemented, Specter’s art is often more like “environmental installation” than graffiti. Says the artist, in a recent interview with Hunt & Gather by Tina Ziegler: “I try to pay attention to my surroundings and look at ways to alter it. By just walking a little slower you would be surprised at what you notice.” His style varies between painterly, as evident in the Poster project (featuring Handgun) and sculptural, as seen in pieces like the Necklace, Brickwork and Concrete projects. Other recent street interventions by Specter include eat fruit and die, a campaign addressing issues of the North American diet and cultural relationships with food and the Wheelchair project, stickers pointing out doorways not accessible by wheelchair. Last November, Specter teamed up with the artist fauxreel to present A City Renewal Project, a large-scale, site-specific collaborative installation that recreated a neighborhood full of abandoned storefronts inside a huge warehouse in Toronto. In mid-March 2009, Specter will install a four-story mural at the Royal Ontario Museum in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal building. Specter recently relocated from Toronto to NYC. More info about Specter can be found at the artist’s web site.

Specter
Handgun
Friday, February 6, 2009
3PM EST / NOON PST / 20:00:00 UTC (GMT)
NOWhere Limited
Nederland, Colorado

In two weeks Mark Ryden is opening an exhibition in Tokyo of eight paintings designated “The Snow Yak Show” at the Tomio Koyama Gallery.

Ryden works thematically with recent shows centered on trees, meat and blood respectively. “The Snow Yak Show” may eventually be considered his “white” period.

A lithographic print of “Fur Girl” (above) was released two weeks ago at Porterhouse Fine Art Editions. The print sold out immediately as should the originals available in Japan.

Mark Ryden
The Snow Yak Show
7 – 28 February 2009
Tomio Koyama Gallery
Tokyo, Japan