“GATS is known to many as a floating face, with jaded, droopy eyes and a long, dreaded beard. The iconic mask he paints is ubiquitous in the streets of the East Bay, and can be found on walls all over the world as well.
On May 9, the enigmatic graffiti artist’s work will also be on view at Hashimoto Contemporary (804 Sutter St., San Francisco) for his first solo show — Drifting Forest — in the gallery. Partially, the title of the show comes from the fact that GATS did most of the paintings included on found driftwood.
More than an aesthetic choice, the material of GATS’ panels and wooden sculptures are a testament to the deterioration of nature. “These skeletons of the forest are sacred as I mourn in the graveyard that is urban sprawl,” he wrote in an email interview.
Although GATS’ work is mainly found on city walls, this is a rare chance to see the artist’s potential when given more time and material options. In his new works, he abstracts recognizable features of the mask he paints, and rearranges them to form new compositions while staying true to the visual language he has developed.
There will undoubtedly be a line around the block for the opening of the show on May 9 from 6–10 p.m. Look for the full interview with GATS in next week’s Express.”
— Sarah Burke, East Bay Express
Opening reception Saturday May 9th, 2015 – 6pm to 10pm
Hashimoto Contemporary
804 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
Felicia Galbaldon’s Paintings and Drawings are an abstract representation of what one perceives to be a landscape. In her art, Felicia seeks to explore the ways that external stereotypes are internalized through psychic formations of language (thru artistic rendering), archetypes, folklore, religious iconography, familiar imagery, architectural and scientific references. Felicia hopes to suggest that the production of space and human experience influence the formation of individual and communal systems of belief.
In both, her figurative works and abstract representational, she is documenting abstract organizational systems and distinct identities of space. The historic developmental models and the “psychic residue” which implies the presence of inherited characteristics of the mind. By referencing familiar imagery Felicia hints at the subtle history of what inhabited space and the human experience is whether it be external or internal for her viewers.
Felicia is from Santa Fe, NM, but currently resides in Berkeley, CA
Blackball Universe presents:“Black to the Future” – Afro-Futurism Defined
Show: August 3-31st Saturdays: 12-5pm Reception Party: August 16th (Fri) at 7pm 230 Madison Street Oakland, CA 94607
“Black to the Future” premieres on August 3rd at our Blackball Universe Gallery, re-introducing our inaugural artist Norman Maxwell along with Deadeyes and Nelson Enriquez. This collaboration comments on afro-futurism and diverse cultural influences.
Norman Maxwell, our first featured artist, began his career as a graffiti artist in 1979. After an art school education and decades of dedication, Maxwell developed a unique and expressive style that reaches a wide audience of admirers. His hefty resume includes art direction and set design for the music videos of Madonna, Janet Jackson, John Legend, and Iggy Pop to name a few. Blending street art and classical aesthetics in a deep exploration of urban symbolism, Maxwell reaches for a self-declared “visual soul” style that explores themes consistent with Afro-Futurism.
Deadeyes first started as an artist by lifting ideas from his zine writings and incorporating them through street art, murals, and installations. Inspired by the street art characters in the San Francisco mission in the late 90’s, he began creating visuals similar to tribal masks. He developed his characters by exploring the fluidity of his lines. He discovered diverse cultural influences in his works, with symbols from traditional African, Inuit, Polynesian, and Native American art forms. He believes that this new visual language from various styles will enable his viewers to accept the combinations of culture in their daily lives.
Nelson Enriquez is a multidisciplinary artist primarily focused in painting, photography, video, and mixed media. Born in Havana, Cuba, Nelson’s work is both social and sometimes biographical, exploring themes of immigration, travel, frontiers, consumerism, and material scarcity. Nelson has exhibited widely in Cuba, Germany, and the U.S. in both personal and collective exhibitions. E has received international awards from “Europa Abierta” and the Cuban National Festival of Ephemeral Sculpture.
On August 24, BAM will be opening their massive Barry McGee mid-career survey.
WHEN:August 24, 2012 – December 9, 2012
WHERE: Berkeley Art Museum – 2626 Bancroft Way
ABOUT BARRY MCGEE:
“Throughout his career,” writes Alex Baker in the exhibition catalog, “Barry McGee has continued to surprise and contradict expectations.” Including rarely seen early etchings, letterpress printing trays and liquor bottles painted with his trademark cast of down-and-out urban characters, constellations of vibrant op-art painted panels, animatronic taggers, and an elaborate re-creation of a cacophonous street-corner bodega, along with many new projects, this first midcareer survey of the globally influential San Francisco–based artist showcases the astonishing range of McGee’s compassionate and vivacious work.
McGee, who trained professionally in painting and printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, began sharing his work in the 1980s, not in a museum or gallery setting but on the streets of San Francisco, where he developed his skills as a graffiti artist, often using the tag name “Twist.” McGee’s use of this and other monikers—such as Ray and Lydia Fong—as well as his frequent collaborations can make it difficult to precisely situate the artist’s unique authorship. Using a visual vocabulary drawn from graffiti, comics, hobo art, and sign painting, McGee celebrates his Mission District neighborhood while at the same time calling attention to the harmful effects of capitalism, gentrification, and corporate control of public space. His often-humorous paintings, drawings, and prints—all wrought with extraordinary skill—push the boundaries of art: his work can seem refreshingly informal in the gallery but surprisingly elegant on the street.
McGee has long viewed the city itself as a living space for art and activism, but his more recent work has brought the urban condition into the space of the gallery. Increasingly, his installation environments express the anarchic vitality of the inner-city street, incorporating overturned cars and trucks, and often spill beyond the frame of the gallery or museum.
F4CGallery Presents:
Daniel Albrigo, Jamos “Ikon” Douglas & Meagan Spendlove
(Photo Credit: Famous Four Colors)
New York’s Daniel Albrigo joins the F4CGallery with his new cosmic & psychedelic take on America’s trails of glory. Piecing together the past with a futuristic look.
The Bay Area’s Meagan Spendlove stacks her vibrant colors & ethereal linework. Molding together the rounds of motion, design & creative flow.
Colorado’s Ikon (Jamos Douglas) will be showcasing his works and installing a must see mathematically based burner. Composed of various cuts, changing colors and shape from the angle of viewing. We welcome this talented freight & brick slayer.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24TH 2012 – 7pm to 10pm
Free event taking place at Ear Peace Records – 3268 Adeline Street in Berkeley, CA (Two and a half blocks from Ashby BART toward Oakland.)
To mark the end of our ENDLESS CANVAS Best Handstyle Contest we are throwing an Art Show focused on the ancient art of “Writing your name on shit!”
FEATURING HANDSTYLES BY: Optimist, Pemex, Ceaver 640 THR, Roar CBS, Ras Terms, Pobrecito, GATS, Logo, WKT Crew, Dead Eyes, Meck, Broke One, Anemal AOD, Cuss, Safety First, Nina STM, Musik, Tupac, Bella Ciao, Attica, Raskal, Elite, Sabot and MANY MORE!
We will be releasing a new ENDLESS CANVAS T-Shirt designed by TBIS (the winner of the contest) as well as a new Limited Edition Screen Print by legendary graff artist RAS TERMS at the event.
Don’t blow up the spot! Please don’t crush the block the night of the event out of respect to the venue for hosting our crazy asses.
They will not accept:
– Any kind of ads by the form of stickers
– Stickers that portray images copied by the web
– Stickers containing homophobic or xenophobic messages
This was Cryptik’s installation at the Marxist Glue art show in Los Angeles. The stencils are hand cut and the lettering is free hand.
Cryptik’s Buddha character first caught our attention when we were down in LA for the Art vs Cops show almost a couple years ago now. Right after the second riot for Oscar Grant, Cryptik came through the east bay and hit some nice runner spots.
The show runs the first three weeks of November 2010 at the Hold Up art gallery on 2nd street in Little Tokyo.
