Friday, 24 September 2010 12:00 Written by Andrew Scott
Needles & Pens just got back from an epic three week stint in Sweden. We were there doing a show called HELLO SWEDEN at our sister gallery KRETS in Malmö. The show featured the likes of, Chris Duncan, Derek Mehaffey (Other), Paul Urich, Jay Howell, Orion Shepperd, Jovi Schnell, Kevin Earl Taylor, Kyle Ranson, Oliver Halsman Rosenberg, Maria Forde, Mat O’Brien, Michael Krueger, Monica Canilao, Nick Mann (Doodles), Pacolli, Rich Jacobs, Tim Kerr, Sara Thustra, Amy Browne, Hardland/Heartland, Matt Furie, Aiyana Udesen, Tara Lisa Foley, Andrew Schoultz, Hilary Pecis, Jay Nelson, and few others. It was an amazing time. Here's a little pictorial bloggings of the experience.
Thursday, 23 September 2010 12:00 Written by Trippe
This November, sculptor Jud Bergeron and painter Joe Sorren will unveil eight new bronze sculptures, created in collaboration, by the two noted artists. The show entitled “Interruption” will be at California State University Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center (GCAC), in Southern California, then will travel to Sorren’s hometown in Northern Arizona.
The exhibition opens at Grand Central Art Center on November 6, 2010 and runs through January 8, 2011, then will be presented by Flagstaff Cultural Partners at the Coconino Center for the Arts, Jan. 22 through Feb. 25, 2011.
We recently had a chance to do a quick interview with Jud Bergeron about the works presented in the show through email.
Blob creatures viewing geometric forms as if in awe of them. Can you explain how those came to be? Which one of you both was responsible for what in the works?
Joe came to my studio in NY 3 times and each time we would just make stuff, sometimes ceramic figures that we would pass back and forth until we liked them, sometimes wax figures that we would cast in bronze, just stuff. Joe would go back to AZ and we would talk everyday and send hundreds of phone pics and the work just sort of evolved. It became a call and response sort of thing, I would think of strange situations to put these figures in and then we would change the idea a hundred times until we hit on what felt right.
Feeling of helplessness or giving over to a higher and cleaner form Sitting back and taking it all in. These characters, how would you describe their milieu?
I would say that the 'higher power/helplessness' feeling you are sensing is probably a function of where we were in our personal lives at the time. When we started working my son (Fletcher) was around 6 months old and I was still coming to terms with being a new father. Also, the country was in shambles and the art market had just taken a nose dive so there was this feeling of 'oh shit! How am I going to support this family?' Joe had things going on in his life as well and we were not only creating art together but it seemed like we were counseling one another as well. I would describe these figures in the most basic sense, they are dealing with their environment. We really wanted these pieces to be truly sculptural in nature yet still maintain the narrative that is so prevalent in painting and in doing so what we ended up with were these environments or situations that these figures inhabited and the goal was to create beautiful pieces that left the viewer with questions and a smile.
Thursday, 23 September 2010 09:43 Written by Michael Hsiung
Filmmaker, Director, and One Way or Another documentarian Corey Adams recently paid us a visit for his public and private screening of Machotaildrop, which premiered at the Downtown Independent Theater as a part of the LA Skate Film Festival. Last time we saw him he had accidentally mis-booked his flight and stayed for a week. We were really hoping he would do that again because Rachel really wanted to watch Excalibur with him again.
Photographs and text by Michael C. Hsiung and Human Pyramids
First view the trailer for the film to get a taste and then view the photos.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010 14:34 Written by Tristan Rault
TRANSFER - is a huge large scale urban art show in São Paulo, Brazil running through Oct 17th... Our friend Tristan Rault was there and documented the setup of the show.
I have finally gotten some time to get my words around and try to explain how awesome this event I was invited to was. They told me I could snap some pics of the process and all around preparation of the show and so did I. This was more than a month ago now though.
Transfer was created by Lucas "Pexão" Ribeiro around 2007, in Porto Alegre, a midsize city in the south of Brazil where the dude's from. With the help of Ana Ferraz, his partner and curator's assistant of the exhibit, this first version went on to become a stepping stone in the oh-so-visited Brazilian underground scene. And I am sure what made such a difference is the element that later on became blatantly clear to me: a dead on serious art curation.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010 10:32 Written by Travis Millard
Our buddy and LA based artist Travis Millard visited the studio of childhood friend, Kiel Johnson, whose show opens on September 23rd in NYC @Davidson Contemporary. Kiel is one damn talented/ hardworking artist. This studio visit gives you a little insight into his talents and a look at some his fantastic cardboard works and drawings.
Detail of a large drawing featuring everything that Kiel owns.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010 11:25 Written by Mildred
Johnny Ryan's utterly unpretentious taboo-tackling is an infectious and hilarious bombardment of political incorrectness, taking full advantage of the medium's absurdist potential for maximum laughs. In an age when the medium is growing up and aspiring to more mature and hoity-toity literary heights, Ryan builds on the visceral tradition that cartooning has had on our collective funny bone for over a century. Johnny was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in shitty Plymouth, just a mile away from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. He now lives in Los Angeles with his wife.
"Generally speaking, [Johnny Ryan's] comics are really dumb & infantile, and prove beyond a doubt that chemical pollution, television, video games, pop music, etc. is making us all stupider by the minute..." – R. Crumb
Thanks to everyone who came out to view the work and celebrate. Thanks to the artists and to the Luggage Store. Special thanks again to the Luggage Store who opened the first floor to display works from their permenant collection for the opening night festivities.
Also thanks to Bear Flag for providing complimentary wine.
Friday, 17 September 2010 14:43 Written by Akasha Rabut
A couple days after Micheal Jackson died I headed out to his hometown Gary, Indiana. I spent the day photographing his neighbors and strangers who all came out to pay their respects to the King of Pop. The summer day was humid and sunny. There was a lot of action on Jackson Street. Micheal Jackson's childhood home was decorated in MJ memorabilia, stuffed teddy bears, roses and trinkets. Although Micheal Jackson was dead it seemed as though Jackson street would always remain vivacious in his memory.
In the winter of 2010, exactly six months after his death, I took a trip back out to the Jackson family home. The weather was dreary and cold. His home was bare and a new addition of metal shutters had been applied to every single window. An iron gate had been erected around the property and not a soul was to be found. -Akasha Rabut
Thursday, 16 September 2010 21:00 Written by Trippe
Mike Shine is going bonkers and has created a complete circus over at the newish 941 Geary and his show, Flotsam's Wonder World, opens this Saturday. From what we've neard so far, this is not going to be one to miss. I believe that Mike has pulled out all the stops with an art "opera" complete with films, music, carnival tent, games, and over 200 mixed media pieces. Remember his show @FFDG or our studio visit?
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 14:05 Written by Trippe
Happy to announce that we have the Jeremy Fish Fecal Face 10 Year Anniversary tee in and available here. Limited to 100 shirts and printed on American Apparel. They come in 3 colors ways (including white not shown). Get yours now for $20 here.
Will get photos of people wearing them soon, but want to get them up 'cause they're hot off the presses.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 11:33 Written by Trippe
I promise we're going to talk about something other than our 10 Year show and us... but wanted to say thanks to Hi Fructose for the interview.
Ten years in the art game is no small feat.... For Fecal Face, the past decade has been one of a somewhat meteoric rise, from their modest beginnings as a part time hobby to their current status as a central hub of Bay Area arts as well as one of San Francisco’s more forward thinking galleries... continue
Fecal Face Dot Com, the San Francisco based content-rich, multidisciplinary art and culture website, is pleased to announce the opening of its 10 Year Anniversary Show on Friday September 10, 2010 at The Luggage Store Gallery (1007 Market St, San Francisco, CA) with a reception running 6-8pm. Original paintings from 25 mid career artists based out of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London. A live music event and party will immediately follow a block away at Mezzanine (44 Jessie St) 9pm-2am.
In the 10 years since its conception, Fecal Face has occupied a unique niche online and in the "real world," by documenting and shaping the contemporary arts scene in the San Francisco and beyond. The first website of its kind, Fecal Face has launched the careers of many a creative and catalyzed a community of artists and personalities working in various mediums from around the globe. The 10 Year Anniversary Show will feature the works of 25 of these artists, chronicling a community and style that has been the backbone of Fecal Faces’ content for the last decade. The exhibit will be on display from September 10th to October 9th at San Francisco’s famous Luggage Store Gallery, with an opening reception for the public on Friday September 10th from 6-8pm. Many of the artists will be in attendance and complimentary wine served.
“Together these artists represent a visual history of what we’ve been doing here at Fecal Face for the last ten years,” says John Trippe, the website’s founder, “And we’re honored that Luggage Store Gallery is hosting the event. Their 23 year history and influence in the San Francisco art scene is a huge inspiration.”
The after party at Mezzanine (444 Jessie St) beginning at 9pm is a short one block walk from The Luggage Store and will feature live music from Kelly Stoltz, Sonny Smith, and Ty Segall with DJ Ted Shred spinning records.. A suggested donation $8 at the door (no one turned away for lack of funds) will get you a raffle ticket with a chance to win original artwork from artists such as Jeremy Fish and David Choe along with clothing donated by Upper Playground and other art related prizes. Slideshows of Fecal Face’s 10 yrs online will be displayed and patrons will be invited to participate in video and photo documentaries focused on Fecal Face’s 10 influential years.
More about Fecal Face
“FECAL FACE DOT COM 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW”
Friday, September 10, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm
The Luggage Store Gallery
1007 Market Street @ 6th street, San Francisco
Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 12-5pm
After Party
Friday, September 10, 2010, 9pm-2am
at Mezzanine
444 Jessie St.
Live music from Kelly Stoltz, Sonny Smith, and Ty Segall - w/DJ Ted Shred
$8 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds)
I don't think at this point it needs to be written since the last update to Fecal Face was a long time ago, but...
I, John Trippe, have put this baby Fecal Face to bed. I'm now focusing my efforts on running ECommerce at DLX which I'm very excited about... I guess you can't take skateboarding out of a skateboarder.
It was a great 15 years, and most of that effort can still be found within the site. Click around. There's a lot of content to explore.
Hit me up if you have any ECommerce related questions. - trippe.io
I'm not sure how many people are lucky enough to have The San Francisco Giants 3 World Series trophies put on display at their work for the company's employees to enjoy during their lunch break, but that's what happened the other day at Deluxe. So great.
SF skateboarding icons Jake Phelps, Mickey Reyes, and Tommy Guerrero with the 3 SF Giants World Series Trophies
When works of art become commodities and nothing else, when every endeavor becomes “creative” and everybody “a creative,” then art sinks back to craft and artists back to artisans—a word that, in its adjectival form, at least, is newly popular again. Artisanal pickles, artisanal poems: what’s the difference, after all? So “art” itself may disappear: art as Art, that old high thing. Which—unless, like me, you think we need a vessel for our inner life—is nothing much to mourn.
Hard-working artisan, solitary genius, credentialed professional—the image of the artist has changed radically over the centuries. What if the latest model to emerge means the end of art as we have known it? --continue reading
"Six Degrees" opens tonight, Friday Jan 16th (7-10pm) at FFDG in San Francisco. ~Group show featuring: Brett Amory, John Felix Arnold III, Mario Ayala, Mariel Bayona, Ryan Beavers, Jud Bergeron, Chris Burch, Ryan De La Hoz, Martin Machado, Jess Mudgett, Meryl Pataky, Lucien Shapiro, Mike Shine, Minka Sicklinger, Nicomi Nix Turner, and Alex Ziv.
"[Satire] is important because it brings out the flaws we all have and throws them up on the screen of another person," said Turner. “How they react sort of shows how important that really is.” Later, he added, "Charlie took a hit for everybody." -read on
As we work on our changes, we're leaving Squarespace and coming back to the old server. Updates are en route.
The content that was on the site between May '14 and today is history... Whatever, wasn't interesting anyway. All the good stuff from the last 10 years is here anyway.
Opening tonight, Friday May 23rd (7-10pm) at Park Life in the Inner Richmond (220 Clement St) is Again Home Again featuring works from the duo Jacob Mcgraw-Mikelson & Rachell Sumpter who split time living in Sacramento and a tiny island at the top of Pudget Sound with their children.
Jacob Magraw will be showing embroidery pieces on cloth along with painted, gouache works on paper --- Rachell Sumpter paints scenes of colored splendor dropped into scenes of desolate wilderness. ~show details
NYC --- A new graffiti abatement program put forth by the police commissioner has beat cops carrying cans of spray paint to fill in and cover graffiti artists work in an effort to clean up the city --> Many cops are thinking it's a waste of resources, but we're waiting to see someone make a project of it. Maybe instructions for the cops on where to fill-in?
The NYPD is arming its cops with cans of spray paint and giving them art-class-style lessons to tackle the scourge of urban graffiti, The Post has learned.
Shootings are on the rise across the city, but the directive from Police Headquarters is to hunt down street art and cover it with black, red and white spray paint, sources said... READ ON
Los Angeles based Alison Blickle who showed here in San Francisco at Eleanor Harwood last year (PHOTOS) recently showed new paintings in New York at Kravets Wehby Gallery. Lovely works.
We haven't been featuring many interviews as of late. Let's change that up as we check in with a few local San Francisco artists like Kevin Earl Taylor here whom we studio visited back in 2009 (PHOTOS & VIDEO). It's been awhile, Kevin...
If you like guns and boobs, head on over to the Shooting Gallery; just don't expect the work to be all cheap ploys and hot chicks. With Make Stuff by Peter Gronquist (Portland) in the main space and Morgan Slade's Snake in the Eagle's Shadow in the project space, there is plenty spectacle to be had, but if you look just beyond it, you might actually get something out of the shows.
Fifty24SF opened Street Anatomy, a new solo show by Austrian artist Nychos a week ago last Friday night. He's been steadily filling our city with murals over the last year, with one downtown on Geary St. last summer, and new ones both in the Haight and in Oakland within the last few weeks, but it was really great to see his work up close and in such detail.
Nate Milton emailed over this great short Gator Skater which is a follow-up to his Dog Skateboard he emailed to us back in 2011... Any relation to this Gator Skater?
Congrats on our buddies at Needles and Pens on being open and rad for 11 years now. Mission Local did this little short video featuring Breezy giving a little heads up on what Needles and Pens is all about.
In a filmmaker's thinking, we wish more videos were done in this style. Too much editing and music with a lacking in actual content. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Matt Wagner recently emailed over some photos from The Hellion Gallery in Tokyo, who recently put together a show with AJ Fosik (Portland) called Beast From a Foreign Land. The gallery gave twelve of Fosik's sculptures to twelve Japanese artists (including Hiro Kurata who is currently showing in our group show Salt the Skies) to paint, burn, or build upon.
FFDG is pleased to announce an exclusive online show with San Francisco based Ferris Plock opening on Friday, April 25th (12pm Pacific Time) featuring 5 new medium sized acrylic paintings on wood.
Backwoods Gallery in Melbourne played host to a huge group exhibition a couple of weeks back, with "Gold Blood, Magic Weirdos" Curated by Melbourne artist Sean Morris. Gold Blood brought together 25 talented painters, illustrators and comic artists from Australia, the US, Singapore, England, France and Spain - and marked the end of the Magic Weirdos trilogy, following shows in Perth in 2012 and London in 2013.
San Francisco based Fecal Pal Jeremy Fish opened his latest solo show Hunting Trophies at LA's Mark Moore Gallery last week to massive crowds and cabin walls lined with imagery pertaining to modern conquest and obsession.
Well, John Felix Arnold III is at it again. This time, he and Carolyn LeBourgios packed an entire show into the back of a Prius and drove across the country to install it at Superchief Gallery in NYC. I met with him last week as he told me about the trip over delicious burritos at Taqueria Cancun (which is right across the street from FFDG and serves what I think is the best burrito in the city) as the self proclaimed "Only overweight artist in the game" spilled all the details.
Ever Gold opened a new solo show by NYC based Henry Gunderson a couple Saturday nights ago and it was literally packed. So packed I couldn't actually see most of the art - but a big crowd doesn't seem like a problem. I got a good laugh at what I would call the 'cock climbing wall' as it was one of the few pieces I could see over the crowd. I haven't gotten a chance to go back and check it all out again, but I'm definitely going to as the paintings that I could get a peek at were really high quality and intruiguing. You should do the same.
The paintings in the show are each influenced by a musician, ranging from Freddy Mercury, to Madonna, to A Tribe Called Quest and they are so stylistically consistent with each musician's persona that they read as a cohesive body of work with incredible variation. If you told me they were each painted by a different person, I would not hesitate to believe you and it's really great to see a solo show with so much variety. The show is fun, poppy, very well done, and absolutely worth a look and maybe even a listen.
With rising rent in SF and knowing mostly other young artists without capitol, I desired a way to live rent free, have a space to do my craft, and get to see more of the world. Inspired by the many historical artists who have longed similar longings I discovered the beauty of artist residencies. Lilo runs Adhoc Collective in Vienna which not only has a fully equipped artists creative studio, but an indoor halfpipe, and private artist quarters. It was like a modern day castle or skate cathedral. It exists in almost a utopic state, totally free to those that apply and come with a real passion for both art and skateboarding
I just wanted to share with you a piece I recently finished which took me 4 years to complete. Titled "How To Lose Yourself Completely (The September Issue)", it consists of a copy of the September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine (the issue they made the documentary about) with all faces masked with a sharpie, and everything else entirely whited out. 840 pages of fun. -Bryan Schnelle
While walking our way across San Francisco on Saturday we swung through the opening receptions for Kirk Maxson and Alexis Mackenzie at Eleanor Harwood Gallery in the Mission.
Jeremy Fish opens Hunting Trophies tonight, Saturday April 5th, at the Los Angeles based Mark Moore Gallery. The show features new work from Fish inside the "hunting lodge" where viewers climb inside the head of the hunter and explore the history of all the animals he's killed.
Beautiful piece entitled "The Albatross and the Shipping Container", Ink on Paper, Mounted to Panel, 47" Diameter, by San Francisco based Martin Machado now on display at FFDG. Stop in Saturday (1-6pm) to view the group show "Salt the Skies" now running through April 19th. 2277 Mission St. at 19th.
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to quit my job, move out of my house, leave everything and travel again. So on August 21, 2013 I pushed a canoe packed full of gear into the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, along with four of my best friends. Exactly 100 days later, I arrived at a marina near the Gulf of Mexico in a sailboat.
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