Visiting "Art From The New World" in The Old World of Bristol

Personal favorite in the show is this stunner by Ray Caesar

A stroke of good luck came my way when I was able to see the "Art From The New World" show in Bristol, while visiting family in England. The exhibit's date had been extended due to it's popularity, bringing in lots of new visitors to the Bristol Museum. 

The museum is an incredible art piece on it's own- detailed Roman castle architecture, as many of the university buildings nearby are. Easy to spend the day just checking out the scenery- arched gothic churches and medieval looking spires abound. It's a nice college town and makes a pleasant day trip by train if you happen to be in London.

Walking thru the doors, the first art attack is a huge stack of books painted on their sides- a dark bride and groom appraises you.... by Mike Stilkey.

 

Loved this piece, a different and original approach.

Once inside the main lobby, a wonderful angel greets you with a paint can dumped on her head, gotta love it! 

This is an excellent show with an all-star line up, most with new pieces created for the show. The press for the exhibit described it as - "a big brash exhibition of the new American art scene". Many thanks and kudos to the Bristol Museum for having the balls to show this work in an environment worthy of it's vision. They gave Banksy a show a few years ago; that would have been fun to see. Only a very few American museums have stepped up and shown these artist's, the Laguna Museum of Art and the San Jose Museum of Art; maybe now some more will. Also a thanks to the Corey Helford Gallery for arranging it all.

Octopus chandaliers hover overhead, by Adam Wallacavage 

Camille Rose Garcia's "Sneewitchen" 

Pictured here are just a few of the best from the show. I have omitted some pieces that have been very publicized already (for example: Mark Ryden's "Snow Yak"), hoping to concentrate here on the less exposed ones and of course, some faves.

Marion Peck

Chris Anthony

Detail from Ray Caesar's "Love Letters"

Mia

Johnny Rodriguez (kmndz)

Melissa Forman

As wonderful as this show is, I can't help but dream of a "bigger and brasher" show of just the cream of the pop. An exhibit of the surreal masterpieces of the newbrow scene, the original best pieces by the best artists. Even if they have been sold, to get them all together on loan, for a  show to travel thru-out the States. It could start at LACMA and then to SF MOMA and then to MOMA in New York and onward to European museums. Perhaps the art list might read- Ryden's "The Creatrix", Ron English's "Abraham-Obama", Camille Rose Garcia's "The Night Greed", Shawn Barber's  "The Unsaid", Sylvia Ji's "Dona Dolorosa", Todd Schorr's "Wish Fulfillment From Another World", Isabel Samaras' "Gone Native", Brian Vivero's "EvilLast", Chet Zar's "Sallgood", Jennybird Alcantara's "Treacherous Gardens", Chris Mars's "Dichotomy", Ray Caesar's "Descent", Marion Peck's "Bouquet" or Colette Calascione's "Anarchist In Love"... I have to stop myself here, it could and should go on and on, but you get the fantasy... A show of shows so to speak, to blow that boring art world away. 

Participating artists include:

JOSH AGLE (SHAG)

JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

CHRIS ANTHONY

VAN ARNO

GARY BASEMAN

RAY CAESAR

COLIN CHRISTIAN

SAS CHRISTIAN

LUKE CHUEH

COOP

DAVE COOPER

RON ENGLISH

NATALIA FABIA

KORIN FAUGHT

SARAH FOLKMAN

MELISSA FORMAN

AJ FOSIK

CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA

MERCEDES HELNWEIN

DAVID HOCHBAUM

SYLVIA JI

ERIC JOYNER

DAVE KINSEY

KUKULA

JOE LEDBETTER

HENRY LEWIS

LOLA

TRAVIS LOUIE

MICHAEL MARARIAN

ELIZABETH MCGRATH

MIA

BRANDI MILNE

BUFF MONSTER

MICHAEL PAGE

MARION PECK

JOSHUA PETKER

CARLOS RAMOS

JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ (KMNDZ)

GRETCHEN RYAN

MARK RYDEN

TODD SCHORR

KATHY STAICO SCHORR

MIKE STILKEY

GREG SIMKINS (CRAOLA)

JOE SORREN

DAVID STOUPAKIS

ADAM WALLACAVAGE

MARTIN WITTFOOTH

KENT WILLIAMS