chumpchampion

The inspiring little art documentary I was lucky enough to edit, Beautiful Losers starring Barry McGee (TWIST), Ed Templeton, Geoff McFetridge, Margaret Kilgallen, Harmony Korine, Stephen Powers (ESPO), Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Thomas Campbell, Mike Mills and Shepard Fairey among others, premiered on the Sundance Channel last night as our film begins it’s weekly run through the month of August.

Click here for more from Sundance Channel.

Beautiful Losers air dates:

Good lookin’ out awesome lover of pinstripes Jenn Yoo!

Tweet This Post 

Nothing more needs to be said about San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art’s large scale urban art show Viva la Revolucion other than that it involves Banksy, Blu, the Date Farmers, David Ellis, FAILE, Shepard Fairey, Invader, JR, Barry (TWIST) McGee, Ryan McGinness, Os Gemeos and Swoon amongst other street legends. Viva la revolucion indeed.

Click here for details and full artist lineup from MCASD.

Also…click here for some amazing behind the scenes photos from the always-on-the-spot Arrested Motion.

From MCASD:

“For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in urban communities. The urban setting and its corresponding lifestyle are major sources of inspiration in contemporary culture. This is an historic revolution in visual culture, in which the codes and icons of the everyday—found on the streets in graffiti, signage, waste, tattoos, advertising, and graphic design—have been appropriated and used as an integral part of contemporary art-making. The urban landscape inspires and serves as both a platform for innovation and a vehicle for expression for many artists. The city itself, its buildings, vehicles, people, and advertisements, are not only the surface where the art is applied. The city fuels the practice.

A multifaceted exhibition that explores the dialogue between artists and the urban landscape, Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape features works both in the Museum’s galleries as well as at public sites throughout downtown San Diego.”

(following photos courtesy of Arrested Motion, Jonathan LeVine and Mike Maxwell):

Barry McGee, Amaze, Resq, Stefan, Deej

Os Gemeos

Invader

the Date Farmers

Shepard Fairey

Tweet This Post 

Barry McGee continues his previously mentioned art domination of California as he’s joined by the super smart and talented Clare Rojas (seen and heard playing beautiful music in Beautiful Losers) as they travel up the coast from their San Francisco homestead for their respective show Leave it Alone and Together at Last at the Bolinas Museum.

More on Barry McGee:

• TWIST From Oakland to LA with Barry McGee

• The Creative Life of Barry McGee
• SATURDAY (Feb. 20): 2k by Gingham Goes 2THEWALL at New Image Art
• Barry McGee in Miami
• Beautiful Losers Now on DVD!
• Art Talk With a Rose and a TWIST

Tweet This Post 

One of my all time faves amongst the graffiti greats who’ve gone gallery, Barry McGee (a.k.a. TWIST) is still producing at the top of his game as evidenced in his works on display at the Oakland Museum’s Gallery of California Art and at the Hammer Museum’s Outside the Box exhibition in Los Angeles.

Continually a force on the streets to this day, Barry’s style has evolved both organically and drastically over the years to incorporate mechanical beings, large scale installations and most notably his bold geometric patterns into his gallery work. Yet it all still somehow evokes the same sentiment his sometimes sad, anguished or perplexed characters personify.

The video below shows a master at work installing his California contribution in Oakland and is sweetly bookended with a tandem bike ride with Barry’s and the late great Margaret Kilgallen’s daughter Asha (who was last seen on film in our Beautiful Losers as a toddler).

Go see Barry’s art if you’re in the Bay (installation at the Oakland Museum)…

Or if you’re in LA (print portfolio at the Hammer Museum)…

More on Barry McGee:

• The Creative Life of Barry McGee
• SATURDAY (Feb. 20): 2k by Gingham Goes 2THEWALL at New Image Art
• Barry McGee in Miami
• Beautiful Losers Now on DVD!
• Art Talk With a Rose and a TWIST

Tweet This Post 

The very first time I saw a Barry McGee drawing of a sad, anguished face on a wall in the streets of San Francisco in the early 90’s, it was the first time I began to look at “street art” as my art. At the time Barry (aka TWIST) and his wife at the time, the late great Margaret Kilgallen, were tearing up SF with murals, signs, stickers and tags, large scale pieces and beautifully detailed line work the likes of which had previously not been seen in the streets. The art, which could easily be seen walking or riding the bus, completely blew my mind and would help usher in a new format for a different type of artist to showcase their talents.

Fast forward to over ten years later, when in the summer of 2007 Aaron Rose gave me the opportunity of a lifetime: edit the film Beautiful Losers. The documentary, which featured Barry and Margaret and many other artists I appreciated and looked up to (Shepard Fairey, Steve Powers, Geoff McFetridge, Ed Templeton, and more), was an absolute dream job come true. I can proudly say we made a film that captured the spirit of creativity and inspiration I saw on those San Francisco streets that had a profound effect on me so many years ago.

Now the notoriously camera shy Barry is back in front of the lens as he describes his process and latest retrospective for the SF MOMA’s 75th anniversary show filmed by The Creative Lives crew.

Tweet This Post 

Last week (March 3-7) Los Angelenos were treated to Manifest Equality, the massive group art show in support of equal rights awareness. Throughout the week the gallery was open to the public where the works of over 200 artists were on view, Aaron Rose taught a Make Something!! DIY workshop, musical performances by Ben Lee, Seawolf and Modest Mouse and more rocked the opening and closing night parties where stirring speeches were delivered by activists such as Cleve Jones and actors Marissa Tomei and Heather Graham among others.

Click here or on photos to view entire Manifest Equality set on Flickr.

Barry McGee

Robbie Conal

Shepard Fairey

Aaron Rose

Curtis Kulig

Trey Speegle

Jesse Spears in the Make Something!! workshop room

Also…read more on Yosi Sergant’s Manifest Equality brainchild from our Gelatobaby friend Alissa Walker in her article for Fast Company.

Tweet This Post 

As The Armory Show and PULSE art fairs make their annual return to New York this weekend, a couple of Los Angeles galleries have joined in on buying and selling art fun with Roberts & Tilton of Culver City and West Hollywood’s M+B.

• Roberts & Tilton will be showcasing stalwarts such as Barry McGee, Ed Templeton and Kehinde Wiley among others at the aforementioned Armory Show.

Martin Denker

Alex Prager

Tweet This Post 

Lovers of art and equal rights have plenty to be excited about this week as the massive art show/equal rights event MANIFESTEQUALITY opens this Wednesday and continues through this weekend in Hollywood (*complete schedule of events listed below). Featuring a lineup of artists and friends who’ve donated their time and creativity to championing equal rights for all including Aaron Rose, Barry McGee, Cali Dewitt, Carlos Ramos, Chris Johanson, Clare Rojas, Friends With You, Gary Baseman, Jesse Spears, Keith Scharwath, Luke Cheuh, Ron English, Sage Vaughn, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Tim Biskup and many, many more.

See full lineup of artists here and check some of their work here on the MANIFESTEQUALITY blog.

Also…a Busy-Being pop up shop with curated artist made goods will be on hand with a porton of the proceeds going to support for the cause.

But first, more from the Manifesters:

“The MANIFESTEQUALITY Gallery, issues an inspiring, visual call-to-action, with hundreds of artists motivating public energy toward true reform on a local, state and national level.

MANIFESTEQUALITY will be open to the public, Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 through Sunday, March 7th, 2010 between the hours of 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM with extended hours Friday - Sunday.”

• March 3, Wednesday

10am - 6pm      Gallery Open to the Public
8pm - 1am        Opening Night Party:

Musical Guest:  Uh Huh Her, Fitz & the Tantrums, and more
DJ Sets by: Tim Biskup, Chris Holmes, and Booby Trap

• March 4, Thursday

10am - 6pm       Gallery open to the public

• March 5, Friday

11am - 10pm     Gallery open to the public

• March 6, Saturday

10am - 6pm       Gallery open to the public
11am - 5pm       Make Something School with Aaron Rose
8pm - 1am         Closing Night Party

Musical Guests: Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse, Sam Sparrow,
DJ Sets by: Crystal Method and Kelly Cole

• March 7, Sunday

10am - 5pm       Gallery open to the public

photo by Elisabeth Scooter Fried

Tweet This Post 

Creatively collaborative artist based T-shirt designers 2K by Gingham has teamed up with the equally imaginative New Image Art on Santa Monica for 2THEWALL, a “showcase the work of 40 artists from the t-shirt line for their premiere US Exhibition and Pop-Up Shop.” Featuring works by Barry McGee, Clare Rojas, Albert Reyes, David Shrigley, Kime Buzzelli, Michael Leon and Frohawk Two-Feathers among many more.

More info from New Image Art here.

Tweet This Post 

ATTENTION CREATIVE ARTISTIC TYPES: Just one more week left to have your artwork considered to be shown alongside a virtual who’s who of contemporary artists in Los Angeles MANIFESTEQUALITY show in March! Among the many talented and inspired artists joining the cause for equal rights are Aaron Rose, Barry McGee, Cali Dewitt, Carlos Ramos, Chris Johanson, Clare Rojas, Friends With You, Gary Baseman, Jesse Spears, Keith Scharwath, Luke Cheuh, Ron English, Sage Vaughn, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Tim Biskup and many, many more.

See the entire list of artists here and check out some of their work here on the MANIFESTEQUALITY blog.

From the Manifest Equalizers:

“Art plays a pivotal role in creating cultural momentum, and this is your chance to get involved.  The MANIFESTEQUALITY Gallery invites you to join artists from across the nation who are using their voices and talents to amplify and motivate the grass roots movement to fight for full & unrestricted equal rights for all Americans.

Submission is simple and quick. Just click here to submit images of your original artwork. You can submit any kind of visual art: painting, illustration, sculpture, collage— 2D or 3D. MANIFESTEQUALITY will be accepting submissions from Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 through 11:59 a.m. PST on February 19, 2010.

Our amazing panel of JUDGES will select up to thirty works of art from among those submitting to the art contest. FIVE First Prize Winners pieces will be shown along side some of today’s most respected contemporary artists, onsite, at the MANIFESTEQUALITY Gallery in Los Angeles, which will run from Wednesday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 7th, 2010.

TEN Second Prize Winners will be selected by our judges and displayed along with the FIVE First Prize Winners in the MANIFESTEQUALITY Online Gallery.

The MANIFESTEQUALITY Online Contest will center on six themes: EQUALITY, JUSTICE, RESPECT, UNITY, CIVIL RIGHTS, and LOVE. Artworks on any one, or all of these themes, will be considered for inclusion.”

Tweet This Post