art exhibition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2

I Am Fine – Eishi Takaoka

May 5 – May 30, 2012
Opening reception Saturday May 5th 2012, 6:30-10pm

GR2 – 2062 Sawtelle Blvd LA, CA 90025 www.gr2.net 310 445 9276

Giant Robot 2 (GR2) presents: I Am Fine

Solo exhibition by Eishi Takaoka

Eishi Takaoka’s work is coming back. Although the sculptures of Eishi Takaoka all portray the same serene expression, their outwardly calm façade belies a world of bottled-up emotions. With nowhere to go, these intense feelings manifest themselves in outlandish formations that sprout out of the top of each figure’s head. The uniquely sculpted heads of Takaoka are rooted in a personal fantasy world that is fueled by the emotional ups and downs of daily life in lower-middle class Japan. He instills his frustration with life in Kagoshima and feelings of isolation into each of the pieces, which are comprised of carved wood painted with raw mineral pigments placed atop empty glass medicine bottles. Takaoka’s pieces have been seen in group shows in Tokyo and New York, one-person exhibitions at Giant Robot New York and GR2 in Los Angeles, and on the cover of novelist Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.

For this exhibition, Takaoka will create 34 sculptures at Giant Robot 2 in Los Angeles. He is currently attending school in his hometown of Kagoshima, Japan and will not be in Los Angeles for the opening.

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent.

Eric Nakamura
Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311

This was the end of an era. Michelle Borok – who some of you know or don’t know has left the building. After 7 years or more, the employee who left an indelible mark on shops and art in LA and beyond is leaving for Northern Mongolia. On saturday, LA experienced warm weather. Even at night, a light jacket would suffice. Across the globe, it was -50.

Some of the photos from Year of the Dragon are happy and the room was filled with artists. Some young, some older and a few of them asked, “is that Michelle?” The answer, “Yes she is” – no matter where she’s at.

No crying here.

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The Art of Problem Solving aka The Problem Solverz Art Exhibition took place on saturday. That’s Ben Jones the creator of the show below. There’s some type of madness going on in his head at the moment below. We get a phone call daily from someone who enjoys the program a lot and you will too.

That is John Pham below. He’s the art director of the program and many of the characters are his creations.

For plenty of more images, please look below

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2

The Art of Problem Solving

November 19 – December 7, 2011
Opening reception Saturday November 19, 6:30-10pm

GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276

The Problem Solverz is a animated show currently running on Cartoon Network and created by artist collective Paper Rad member Ben Jones. Filled with kinetic energy that’s at times based on an abstract animation and story lines, the show also follows simple cartoon cannons. The art style is hyper kinetic, colorful, with an original look and feel that fans of Paper Rad will recognize. This art exhibition will feature works created in the style of the program and it’s characters.

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent.

Eric Nakamura

Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 478-1819

Rob Sato is originally from Sacramento but now calls Echo Park is home. He showed at the Giant Robot Biennale 2 in 2009 and will show again in the Biennale part 3 in 2012. A long time supporter of Giant Robot, the fast witted Sato has an interesting sense of humor and a distinctive laugh. His art speaks of his hard work and attention to detail. You can see his work on the cover of Giant Robot 62, and we do carry some of his other handiworks at Giant Robot.

But there’s more. Sato isn’t a great self promoter, but he does stock a number of his prints which are available at his site.

There are also further selections at:

“The Choice Cut Cult”, the occult sushi menu print for sale at NUCLEUS GALLERY
“Land Admiral Lefebvre’s Fleet…” (below) print from TRAPEZE EDITIONS

That’s Martin Hsu and Lawrence Yang and they’re perfectly centered where both of their works show in the background. They’re at the opening of Undercurrents at GR2 on Saturday October 15th. Great times and fun photos of the Bay Area artists.

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Photos by Joshin Yamada. Chris Cilla, Reklaw, Dylan Williams, Tim Goodyear, and Andrice Arp at the Stumptown Comics Festival in 2007.

That’s Andrice Arp at bottom right with our friend and late Dylan Williams at her left. Arp is an indie comics publisher and illustrator. She’s quietly appeared in numerous Giant Robot exhibitions and demands little, but always produces something fun and interesting. She paints meticulously and has a character style that’s all her own. Some of you will recognize her work from the bookmooch.com website. That illustration is below. Recognize her work now?

Her piece in GR2′s Robots exhibition, Robot Kitten sold, however we do stock issues of Mome at the low price of $8 where she contributes her comic work. Arp sells a variety of her work both handcrafted, printed, and painted on etsy as well. This is her page.

Aaron and Ayumi are an artist duo known as APAK who hail from of the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Their art is whimsical and natural that reminds us of a Hayao Miyazaki movie. They created a world from their artwork and it’s ever expanding along their theme. Both real and friendly, the couple have shown their work nearly everywhere.

Their piece for Robots is stunning and it’s called Diamond Vehicle. It’s below! Take a look at the specs at the Giant Robot site.

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Lawrence Yang’s preview images are below. He and Martin Hsu’s art will be at Giant Robot 2 this weekend. Read more about him here.

More Images below! (more…)

Art by Martin Hsu. Undercurrents begins this saturday at Giant Robot 2. There’s a few more images and an interview here.

Lawrence Yang lives in San Francisco and has shown at Giant Robot a few times and is now teaming up with Martin Hsu for their Giant Robot 2 exhibition: Undercurrents set to open Saturday, October 15th. His day job is a tech firm in the Silicon Valley and he paints to un-fry his mind. His work is beautiful and serene and we’re happy to host him.

GR: How did you get started in art?
LY: I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but I didn’t really start spending a lot of time on it until I graduated college and moved to San Francisco. Here, with a new home, a new job, and limited friends, I found I had a ton of time to myself. So I started painting, and eventually started posting to a blog. A gallery somehow found me online and asked if I wanted to be in a show. I’ve been showing my work ever since!

GR: What’s your day time life like? Can you mix that with your art work?
LY: I have a full time job in the South Bay, which when taking the company shuttle means about an hour and a half door to door ride. I work as an information architect, so I spend my day thinking about user experience and content hierarchies. I usually get home around 7 or 8, eat something, and if I’m not too tired – then I would start to paint. I feel like my job and artist life complement each other very well – it makes for a nice balance of structure and freedom! Now if only there were more hours in the day…

GR: You live in the bay area, can you talk about how the environment touches your art?
LY: The Bay area is a great place to live as an artist. The people are interesting and the environment is varied – ocean, bay, hills, redwoods, vineyards, mountains… Inspiration is everywhere.

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We’ve known Buff Monster for years and have happily witnessed his rise of local street art wheat paster to now an internationally known artist. We proudly hosted his art show The Monster Within in 2010, and you can see the photos here.

Just on friday, he released his Cat Plush that you see below. The eyes are pink which is his trademark color. You can easily see this edition of 200 pieces on his own website.

We have our own plush by Buff Monster also at the $18 rate that was made in edition of 200. You can see it below and get it here among a few other Buff Monster goods.

The video below is from Tara McPherson’s Cotton Candy Factory in Brooklyn. There’s a few customs still available.

Buff Monster and Jeremyville from Tara McPherson on Vimeo.

Mari Inukai is a friend to Giant Robot much like many other artists. Her work is often depicting her daughter Sena, but not always. Inukai explores popular culture with her own range of characters, which manifested into her own character figure series, Sekaiseifukudan as seen at Giant Robot Store. They’re not toys, but more in line as an artist work. The video below was taken at Comic-Con when Inukai signed figures and charmed new and old fans.

Her next exhibition, In the Wake of Dreams is below and begins tomorrow. It’s a four person show and should promise beautiful art works. Inukai’s daughter, Sena is pictured below, second from the left.

Martin Hsu is friendly with an effervescent positive energy. It’s easy to just write something like that, but when you first meet him and see his eyes get genuinely wide, you’ll know it’s all true. Originally from Taiwan, Hsu lived in Southern California and went to school in Orange County. He’s nearly a 100% LA native, but his recent move to San Francisco provides a new energy into his art work. A slight hike from the Mission District, he lives in the Castro area in a Victorian home.

An impromptu visit yielded a charming house, great artwork everywhere (no, not all by him), and many “cool things”. He made me some tea and showed me his studio area where I got to see his works in progress for Undercurrents, which is beginning at Giant Robot 2 in just under two weeks.

GR: How did you get started in art?

MH: As far as I can recall, I started in art on drawing on the back of torn out calendar pages at my grandparents’ house in Taiwan in elementary school. They took care of my cousins and I when our parents were at work. Those are still the most treasured times of my life.

After graduating from CSUF with a degree in animation, I worked professionally as a character designer for a number of years before diving into the world of putting paint on wood. It’s an incredible feeling turning personal ideas into original pieces people enjoy, and I couldn’t do it without the support from my amazing friends and family.

GR: What’s your day time life like? Can you mix that with your art work?

MH: This year I’ve decided to take a break from my professional work and focus on personal art for a bit. For the first time in my life, I’m on my own working for myself and I feel extremely blessed being able to do so. My days nowadays are consisted of lots of walking around in San Francisco. When I’m not sketching or painting, I enjoy lying down on the grass at Dolores Park in between coffee shops watching and listening to people around me. It’s something quite special and I hope to do it for a while.

Some pieces from his upcoming exhibition Undercurrents

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Jon Burgerman has that name you’ll never forget and his art is that way too. His works are whimsical and often with a message and his characters in his sketches look effortless and fluid. I enjoy his Facebook page where a lot of this gets thrown up. The piece below is one of five in the Giant Robot 2: Robots Exhibition and it’s only $100! More details can be had here.

His exhibition Tired of Being Wired is taking place is Cologne as part of the Cityleaks Urban Art Festival. You’ll have to research that one a bit. But the art looks supreme mixing many techniques. The poster below looks exciting. Do check out more of Jon Burgerman’s gear at his site: Burgerplex!

Lucy Liu, actress is now painting. She’s already shown under her other name Yu Ling – which for you Chinese fanatics, is the Pinyin spelling of her name, but now it’s all out. They’ve merged into one. She’s having an exhibition at Salon Vert in London and it’s Chinese calligraphy inspired. If you so inclined a publisher printed a book and you can see a few images of it here. The additional image is from a previous work and it appears to be a stringed ginseng root. Liu’s styles range if you look at the body of work. It goes from sculpture to straight paintings to calligraphy. There’s an extended article at the link ahead. (thisislondon – Lucy Liu)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2

Undercurrents
New Artwork by Martin Hsu and Lawrence Yang

October 15 – November 16, 2011
Opening reception Saturday October 15, 6:30-10pm

GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276

Currents are the source of life and death. What lies beneath the surface is unseen and often forgotten, but it’s also where much light and magic can be found. This series of paintings explores the color, vibrancy, and luminosity of the deep. Angelic creatures serve as messengers of life. They examine undiscovered feelings hidden away from the obvious by bringing light to the darkest places. There’s much beauty in the dark and life is brighter than we think.

Martin Hsu is an artist and designer based in San Francisco. He takes much inspiration from nature, animals, and Hayao Miyazaki. The series of paintings he created for Undercurrents is based on the concept of life arising from death. It’s also infused with his fascination for vibrant and fantastical creatures from the deep. At this moment, he’s still pinching himself for having the opportunity to show a body of personal works at Giant Robot. He hopes this is not a dream.”

Lawrence Yang wrestles with informational abstractions by day and paints by night. Influenced by graffiti art and traditional Chinese painting, he employs ink, marker, and watercolor, as the permanence of this media adds a sense of immediacy to his work. Lawrence’s paintings make use of color to communicate atmosphere and emotion, and they are concerned primarily with creating order out of chaos (and vice versa). Lawrence once ate an entire bag of Fun Size Three Musketeers™. He lives in San Francisco with his imaginary pets, Cholo and Binky.

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent.

Eric Nakamura

Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311