Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

LA Weekly write up on David Horvath Sun-min Kim and Uglydoll. It’s still an amazing ride that they’re taking. From a walk in at the shop to still going strong. They’re solid Angelinos. I’m glad to be part of the history and it’s amazing that people walk in to the store and mention the story back. It matters to many, and that’s why we keep stocking Uglydoll at GR – and it’s why we often get olds and ends that the other shops don’t. It’s only fair. The story is now 11 years old and continues on, since it happened. Here’s an except as written by Gendy Alimurung “Kim sewed that drawing into a doll made of soft felt and mailed it to Horvath. It had a simple, funny charm. When he received it he was so excited, he wanted to call her. But it was nighttime in Korea. Instead he ran over to visit his friend Eric Nakamura, who had just opened the store Giant Robot on Sawtelle in West L.A. “OK,” said Nakamura, examining the doll, “I’ll take 20.” “He thought I was pitching a product,” Horvath recalls. Kim sewed the dolls. Those initial 20 sold out in one day. “I was horrified,” Horvath says. “We were going to send people there to look at them. It didn’t make sense.” But Nakamura ordered 20 more. Then 40 more.”  
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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2 Game Over Video Game Culture Art Exhibition June 2 -  June 27, 2012 Opening reception Saturday June 2th 2012, 6:30-10pm GR2 – 2062 Sawtelle Blvd LA, CA 90025 www.gr2.net 310 445 9276 Giant Robot 2 (GR2) presents: Game Over Video Game Culture Art Exhibition Artists include: Aaron Brown, Albert Reyes, Alex Chiu, Ana Serrano, Andrice Arp, Aska Iida, Bradford Lynn, Brian Luong, Bryan Wong, Bubi Au Yeung, Cam Floyd, Carlos Donjuan, Christopher Chan, Cory Schmitz, David Horvath, Devin McGrath, Elizabeth Ito, Elliot Brown, Eric Broers, Erin Althea, Gabe Gonzales, Gary Musgrave, Grant Reynolds, Heidi Woan, James Chong, James Kochalka, Jarrett Quon, Jay Horinouchi, Jeni Yang, Jeremiah La Torre, Jeremy Tinder, Jeremyville, Jeromy Velasco, Jesse Balmer, Jesse Fillingham, Jesse LeDoux, Jesse Moynihan, Jesse Reklaw, Jesse Tise, Jiyoung Moon, John Lau, Kerry Horvath, Kevin Luong, Kio Griffith, Kwanchai Moriya, Lawrence Yang, Linda Kim, Louise Chen, Luke Chueh, Luke Rook, Maiko Kanno, Mare Odomo, Mari Inukai, Mark Ingram, Martin Hsu, Matt Furie, Meatbun, Miso, Nick Arciaga, Patrick Kyle, Peter Kato, Philip Koscak, Renee French, Sana Park, Sara Saedi, Sarah Lee, Sean Chao, Shawn Cheng, Shiho Nakaza, Shihori Nakayama, Sidney Pink, Silvio Porretta, Stasia Burrington, Stephanie Kubo, Theo Ellsworth, Tru Nguyen, Yejin Oh, Yoskay Yamamoto, Yumi Sakugawa and more. Also there will be playable indie games including the works of programmers Beau Blythe and Shelby Cinca who are creating a game with Sean Chao and Jeni Yang. It’ll be a welcome back to ArtxGames series. 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
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What’s a gallery supposed to do when an artist can’t make it? We’ve had that issue in the past but this time, we did something creative with it. Eishi Takaoka isn’t the most talkative but across the world at his house in Kagoshima, Japan, he joined his solo effort at Giant Robot 2 – I Am Fine. He spoke to visitors as if he was there using Skype video with HD cams. He answered questions with some translation help from Google Translator, our friends Kio and Shihori. (The art is available here.)  
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