Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
This isn’t a Top Ten list like “Best Concert, Best Movie, or Best Toy”. It’s a list that’s as important and there are highlights in them all, but by no means is it a Top Ten of anything. They’re just important as everything else – family, friends, and so on. Maybe I’ll try and turn out a list that’s more like that…
We painted the mural on the wall. That alone was an 11 hour project.
Zen Garage – The year started off great with the Zen Garage art opening just a few days before the new year. Yet, the actual New Year’s Day kicked off with the Oshogatsu program at JANM. It was motor vehicles including the Giant Robot Scion Car I designed but also custom motorcycles and the now vintage David Choe Scion. Thanks to Len Higa and Shinya Kimura for jumping on board. The year began with a GR show in a museum – it’s a great start with you get to do a project with friends, new friends, and a place like JANM. Collaboration can be more fun than doing something alone.
It’s great when artists install their own work.
James Jean Art Show – Aside from it being one of the greater or even greatest art shows of the year, it also indelibly marked the night that the earthquake struck Japan. I recall, it was at the after party, the twitter messages were beginning. An 8.9 quake? The thought of a giant quake was one thing, yes there would be lives lost and yes a lot of damage, but less than an hour later, the Tsunami hit the shores and that’s when the things got real, it became internet news for days straight.
James Jean at LACMA. The 4pm event began with a artist talk. The below photo is a moment right before the event began. That’s James surmising the audience which actually surpassed the room size and spilled outside. Luckily there was a speaker outside so the folks could hear things clearly. We talked a little about sketchbooks which is something he was supposed to do, but then got into a jokey moment about the James Jean clones who got James into a little bit of trouble at school. Then the art. It’s something that he’s definitely deep into, and REBUS, the book has those images – they’re even quite recent. There’s also a new OVM scarf. It’s quite nice. The talk turned into a Q and A, and lasted for about 40 minutes, then the event turned into a signing with wine and cheese. Do check it out if you’re at LACMA.
More images below