Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Wow. Last night’s Dum Dum Girls record release party was awesome. It really brought me back to being in college, going to goth clubs with low stages in dark and sketchy restaurants, and being blown away by bands that are not only great but otherworldly. Too good to walk on this boring earth. But life isn’t necessarily that dull, is it? My week in shows started out last Saturday at in Little Tokyo with Money Mark, Ashley Dzerigian, and Fredo Ortiz playing a short but rad set at the opening of Giant Robot Biennale 3.
To most, Giant Robot Biennale 3 at JANM is simply the biggest, best group show that an indie artist can be associated with. It isn’t very often that pop-rooted, independent fine artists (Asian or not) are given a top-shelf venue to gather and shine. Eric does a rad job of cultivating this scene, and has built up a real family of artists in the process. I am really proud to have worked with him on the magazine that has showcased so many of them.
So as the end of publication nears its two year mark, attending the opening felt a lot like a family reunion to me. I hardly get out to Sawtelle these days, and see Eric and the artists pretty rarely. So while it was especially cool to see the amazing art on the first day (such as the sculpture by Ako Castuera, above) it was just as rad to see so many people that I have grown close to (like the Big Boss Robot and his family, below).
Okay, it’s not like I knew everyone there. After I answered the person who checked me in that I was with four guests instead of one, she looked annoyed and asked, “Are you an artist?” No, but I quickly took the stickers for my wife Wendy (who designed GR mags 18-68), daughter Eloise, niece Lucia, and cousin visiting from New Zealand and moved on.
Right after the opening remarks by Eric and JANM representatives, Wendy and I saw our friends Susie Ghahremani and Michael Esten. They drove up from San Diego in time for the Chickfactor concert and stuck around to see Susie’s customs in the opening!
On Saturday night, the HUF warehouse hosted a reception for the singly named Haroshi. But the Tokyo sculptor isn’t some poseur who simply paints on skateboards or appropriates the culture for street cred. His pieces (made out of used boards by DLX team riders in this particular case) actually capture and convey the energy and power of skating from a skater’s point of view. Probably the smoothness, too, although rent-a-cops were stationed to keep guests from fondling the art.