"The Order" Opens This Saturday

 This Saturday at Modern Eden in SF- opens a new exhibition of two artist whose works we love and have featured over the years. Titled "The Order", it draws from the imaginative collaboration of Michael Ryan and Bradley Platz. Former studio mates and long time friends, "The Order" will be Platz and Ryan's 2nd duo show after 2008's acclaimed "Portraits and Allegories" at Eclectix Gallery. 

 In this new exhibition the concepts of both artists weave together through their respective solo work and culminate to find an exact cohesion in a 2 panel diptych in which Platz and Ryan have collaborated. The dramatic piece depicts Sophia and the The Demiurge, Gnostic and platonic deities responsible for fashioning the material world out of primordial chaos. From San Francisco to Seattle the artists have put together compelling individual bodies of work that, collectively, tell a story about the incidental beauty of creating Order from Chaos.

 Modern Eden will also be showcasing a International group exhibition “The New Surrealism : A Collection of Strange”- in homage to the strange and weird, reflecting the evolving future of surrealism in the modern age. Exhibiting artists include: Steve Bartlett, Bonni Reid, Sandra Yagi, David Ball, Lee Harvey Roswell, Vahge, Adriana Michelle, Lacey Bryant, Lance Hewison, Michelle Waters, Moises Hergueta, Christine Benjamin, Kieran Collins, Emilio Villalba, Anderson Lewis, Andy B. Clarkson, Natasha Dikareva, Archer Dougherty, Samuel Araya, Baldur Helgason, and David Camisa.

When: Opening Reception: Saturday, July 16, 2011 7PM, Artists will be in attendance.

Show runs through Sunday, August 13, 2011

Where: Modern Eden Gallery

403 Francisco Street

San Francisco, CA 94133

Immaculate Deception

Eclectix has posted about Genevive and Ewelina's art before and they have a fantastic new show coming up on July 29th,  in Santa Monica at Copro Gallery. With a great title like "Immaculate Deception" one can't go wrong. These will be all new works and promise to amuse, astound and make us think - all that art should do. Especially impressive is the real depiction of the female form represented in the works shown here. So refreshing to see a woman's body that isn't painted into a sexy vixen or little girl perfection. Kudos to the artists for having the ovaries to brave a spot outside that predictable, cosmetic box.

Genevive Zacconi, "In Our Nature"

Genevive Zacconi, “Oops, I Did It Again”

From Genevive Zacconi about her works for the exhibition:
"... I've taken both themes of betrayal, and aspects within theology and integrated them into my own art. Believing that religion is a product of human imagination, I feel as though this complex explanation for existence is representative of the psyche of the greater whole of humanity, aside from religious sect; the motifs within the imagery & parable being inherent aspects of all of human life. I've therefore tried to take the topics that have stood out to me, through my Catholic upbringing, and apply them to broader issues in modern times. Human suffering, martyrdom, self-imposed victimization, and sacrifice being some of the subjects that have particularly caught my attention and which I see as having risen to the surface of my work within this show." 
Link to the Eclectix Interview with Genevive.

Ewelina Ferruso, "The Humiliation of the Virgin of Naivety and the Prayer for Divinity"

And from Ewelina Ferruso:
"The rulers of our realm press upon its inhabitants a decree for factory line productivity. We the people are driven by an insatiable need to create the shiny and new. Thus we are becoming a fast news nation, a fast food nation, a fast sex nation and in the process are starving ourselves of that mystical quality that makes us human; not dispensable animated bodies - part plastic, part clay.
As we the human race travel on this journey of truth and deception there is only one champion who will duel for our freedom. She beats inside us all; she is the path of heart."
Link to the Eclectix Interview with Ewelina.

The two artists working it - Genevive and Ewelina

Exhibition Dates: Opening- July 29th thru August 6th, 2011.

Copro Gallery - Bergamot Station 

2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5, Santa Monica , CA 

Sneak Details and Preview Of "That Was Then, This is Now" at 111 MInna

Eclectix popped into 111 Minna Gallery this week and caught the new exhibit before it's opening reception tonight. One of our favorite artists, the esteemed Nathan Ota has all new works here in a collaboration. From the Minna site:

Tonight, 111 Minna Gallery proudly presents, “That Was Then, This Is Now.” The first major collaborative exhibition by Kelly Graval and Nathan Ota, aka RISK and COOZ, reunites these artists whose friendship began before they would respectfully become graffiti legends in the streets and revered artists in galleries and museums across the globe.

Took some photos of the works below - some are very cropped to show the fantastic detail and glow of the works. For all the complete images - go to the Minna site HERE.

New Eclectix Interview With Sean Chappell

We just posted a new interview with surrealist artist Sean Chappell...

Sean was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the first first-generation Canadian to be born to English immigrants. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Sean’s work is a surreal and fantastic trip through his imagination. Warped and globular pieces of brain matter float and twist themselves into various scenarios and landscapes of the mind. Pumpkins, anatomy, monsters, organic life forms and fantastic explosions of color unfold in shadowed desert tableaus.  

We first discovered Sean’s work while searching for artists for our Halloween “Dementions” exhibit and were blown away by the scope of his dementia ( a good thing)  and his excellent painterly skills. His most recent works are based on alcoholism and the dehumanizing effects of addiction. His work is strong, opinionated and hard hitting, a welcome oasis in the current oatmeal art catalog of semi-nude, pretty little girls. Intense and emotional works that drive thought and contemplation of our humanity....

LINK for the entire interview.

LINK for the current issue of Eclectix, "BURN", art-related to fire, an online gallery of images and weekly posts.

Jonathan Darby and Adam Caldwell at White Walls

Jonathan Darby

Dropped in to see the "Intersection" show at White Walls gallery, a moving and politically charged look at two very different yet similar social realities.

In the front half of the gallery, Adam Caldwell's work takes a colder, calculated look at American lifestyles and advertising, juxtaposing it with images of poverty. Some famous images are painted in, advertising slogans and female models, symbolic monuments and world landmarks.

Adam Caldwell

Adam Caldwell

Adam Caldwell

This painted transition wall (above) between the two bodies of work was painted by Adam, really loved the looseness and Depression era feel. Simpler than his canvases yet just as moving, if not more so. 

Jonathan Darby

Detail from above piece

In contrast - Jonathan Darby's works focus on the poverty and humanity of the street children living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The artist has built a very involved "shanty town" in which to display his works, dark and tucked away in "alleys", in the back half of the gallery. This was a very moving installation and group of paintings, beautifully rendered faces, heart breaking in their plight - with lots of textural elements and found objects. Children's laundry was strung up on clotheslines in between worn plywood walls and broken windows. Then a huge beautifully somber, child's face peering at you from the dark, with collaged photos and symbolic advertising clips layered in. From the artists statement:

"Some of the children that have been painted in this show have lived and perished in extremely violent circumstances. Roney was one of them. All proceeds from the 'Roney, 2008" print run will be donated to the Children at Risk Foundation, CARF." 

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Detail from above piece, showing chest and shoulders


Jonathan's Site LINK

Adam's Site LINK

New Work Updates: Aunia Kahn

Nearby Words of Aporia

Aunia Kahn

BURN: Jason D’Aquino’s Matchbook Art

Remember when you got matches at every restaurant or venue? They are a lost art nowadays but Jason’s art makes them immortal. He creates tiny works on found surfaces, such as matchbooks, old vellums and antique ledgers. Small, tightly rendered little wonderments, graphites with highlights. His collection on matchbooks came as a desire to easily demonstrate the detail in his works, so that people would be able to compare it in scale, to a common object. Jason is a fantastic tattoo artist as well and is the owner of Leviathan in upstate New York.

From an interview in MetalInk- 

“MI: ...you were influenced by your mother, who was also an artist?

Jason: When I was really young, I used to hassle her to draw this, draw that. It amazed me the way she could pull something out of thin air. It was the closest thing I’d ever seen to magic. Pencil instead of a wand but just a few flicks of the wrist and you have something out of nowhere, and it affected me. I wanted to be able to do what she was able to do. I didn’t want to be a fireman, or a policeman like other kids.” 

Jason's Site

Current Exhibitions:

Castellani Museum

Niagara Falls, NY

Thru Sept. 18th, 2011

1988 Gallery

Los Angeles, CA

"Crazy 4 Cult" book release and exhibit

July 7th - 9th, 2011

Originally posted in the Eclectix BURN Issue, June 2011,

 along with the permanent online exhibit of fire-related art, LINK HERE.

Wonderland Art in Los Angeles

Wonderland Gallery is Kat Von D's latest venture, which she opened in 2010 right next door to the LA Ink space. For those of you who don't know who Kat is - she is an incredible tattoo artist and has become quite a celebrity. Watching some of the LA Ink TV show will give you a better feel for her presence than any words or slick, airbrushed photographs can portray. Adept at realistic rendering, Kat's portraits on flesh are excellent as well as her design sense - she can merge a new image within previous tattoos very gracefully and cleanly. She has a very engaging way about her, a friendly and warm manner, enthusiastic about great art, fashion and music. She is very young to have so much success and the shallow pressures of the cosmetic Hollywood image are taking their toll on her. I hope she can rise about it all and concentrate on what really matters in life, retaining the attitude and integrity that made her unique, a kick-ass woman in a tattoo art world previously dominated by men. 

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

"Lady Kat Von D" by Patrushka

The current exhibit at Wonderland is Kevin Llewellyn's - "The Unsaid", which Eclectix previously posted about (link here.) This excellent exhibit has been up for a very, very long time and there doesn't seem to be any news on their site about future shows. Disappointing, as I have been secretly cheering Kat on - to kick some newbrow ass into the LA art world.  The exterior has great circus-like signage (top foto) which looks like it came from an old amusement park, right out of the neon boneyard. The gallery itself is a nice space, decorated in Victorian-vintage-Goth-salon style. Beautiful and lush antique furnishings with incredible frames on all Kevin's  art. A small shop area in the front contains a solid selection of art books, fierce glittering platform heels, taxidermy relics and other one-of-a-kind accessories for the tragically hip.  

The whole ambiance of the space was right up my alley - lots of red and black, velvets, carved gold and interesting, creepy fringe items. We had 4-5 questions about the art and merchandise while we visited - sadly, none of the employees could answer any of them and didn't offer to refer us to someone who could. Wonderland obviously has a creative and imaginative vision behind it, the window displays were a funky and surreal treat and the overall experience was chock full of arty inspiration. Just one last question- Kat, when and what is the next show?

Window display, Wonderland Gallery

Window display, Wonderland Gallery
We ducked into LA Ink next door to check out all the fantastic art on their walls. A veritable gallery itself, the folks were nice enough to let us wander around the tattoo area to eyeball the abundant imagery, lots of great originals by some of our favorite artists. Really loved the "The Four Agreements" text (bottom image) that was gorgeously framed on the wall - wonderfully perfect words to live by!