chumpchampion

As we countdown the days to the most important November 4th of our generation, people continue to find new and interesting ways to show their support for some dude named “Barack Obama”. The people who created the website yeswecarve.com have added a Halloween twist with their support for the one called Obama by giving other supporters an online place to submit and share photos of their own home made “Barack o’ lanterns”. Or would it be “Jack O’bamas”? Either way, I think it’s safe to say that this is “carve you can believe in”. Yeah that’s right, I just came up with that! It writes itself folks.

Check out yeswecarve.com for more photos of the possible pumpkin president as well as downloadable stencils to create your own carved caricatures.

Thanks to J. Sample of Fresh Pressed for pointing out the fresh pumpkins.

(click pics to see more of Mr. Brainwash’s brainwashing)

Last Sunday I was able to check out Mr. Brainwash’s (a.k.a. MBW) solo show Life Is Beautiful at the old CBS studios in Hollywood. I had seen MBW’s work on the street for some time now but aside from the pastings and stencils of the bug-eyed man with a film camera, I wasn’t sure what else this documentarian turned “street artist” was responsible for. Before entering the massive compound on Sunset blvd., you’re greeted by an equally massive Elvis cutout holding a toy machine gun. And as soon as you step in, you see more hugeness lining the courtyard; there’s an enormous pile of books with a laptop straddled on top which reads “Life Is Beautiful”, an over-sized paper bag with a Chinese food receipt stapled to it, and a cutout of an old-timey rendition of the Star Wars family. Very promising from the outside looking in.

The inside walls were lined with images of pop icons ranging from Hendrix to Run DMC to the Dalai Lama to of course, Elvis. Lots and lots of Elvis. The styles of Warhol, Banksy, and Shepard Fairey run rampant through MBW’s work, as is the case with many pop artists working today, but in addition to his emulation he has created an entire installation space that lives, breathes, and breeds pop culture and shaped it into his own thing. Even though that “thing” is derivative of what others have done before him, it’s still something to behold. The sheer volume of work is impressive, especially in putting together a 2 story art show, my only gripe is that it looks all too familiar and a tad redundant. Apparently, I’m still not sure what else Mr. Brainwash has done.

Exhibit hours and location:

June 27th-29th

1pm to 9pm

The show will be open Friday through Sunday for the months of June and July.

Show reopens mid-September with new art and installations.

6121 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

If you’ve been in the Hollywood area, specifically around the now defunct CBS building on Sunset and Gower, you may have seen some new billboards up where the likes of Jim Hill and the rest of the channel 2 news team have been resting for years. Consisting of Warhol’s iconic Campbell Soup image but on a can of spray paint, an interwoven black and white Miles Davis, and Pacino’s Scarface holding a machine gun pointing down at the street, these are no ordinary billboards. These are strategically placed ads for France’s Mr. Brainwash and his first solo art show entitled Life is Beautiful. Mr. Brainwash’s pastings and stencil work have been seen on the streets of LA for a while now as he oftentimes gets up with the likes of Banksy and Shepard Fairey. Here’s more info on Brainwash and his show which already had it’s opening night on Wednesday but will be up through the rest of the weekend:

Exhibit hours and location:

June 19th-22nd

1pm-9pm

6121 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

(click images to see more of the politically charged art on display at LA vs. WAR)

A couple of weeks ago I was able to check out the LA vs. WAR poster/graffiti/screenprinting art show which was held in downtown Los Angeles during the weekend of April 10th-13th. What I failed to do was follow up and mention how powerful the art actually was. On a beautifully calm Sunday evening which brought many people to the downtown Firehouse venue, I was fortunate enough to make a return trip and take some more photos as well. On display was the touring exhibition of anti-war posters and screenprints from the likes of Futura, Doze Green, Shepard Fairey, along with many other artists-both known and unknown. A timely, clever, and often comical look at our recent state of affairs as the world’s first nation of war, the art on display defiantly speaks for itself. And perhaps for many of us as well. Please check out the pieces for yourself by clicking the images or this link to be taken to my Flickr set.

You can also buy the book “Yo! What Happened to Peace?” which contains all the poster art featured in the show at www.yopeace.org.

So after 6 years of warring (yeah, it’s been 6 years. Crazy), it seems as though maybe war really isn’t the answer after all. But you can still make your own surge by heading out to join the LA vs. WAR movement through art, music, and creating something yourself. Hundreds of artists representing diverse communities unite in delivering a universal message of peace and understanding, and offering resistance and opposition to the US government’s war policies. Consisting of poster and street art, live t-shirt and poster screenprinting, a stencil garden (featuring LA icon Mear-One), film screenings and DJ sets throughout, LA vs. WAR is 4 full free days of art and expression in the name of peace starting April 10th going through Sunday the 13th from 12pm to 11pm daily.

Event highlights also include:

Yo! What Happened to Peace?: posters on display from the international touring peace poster exhibition.

Hit+Run: live t-shirt printing featuring custom artwork from the Hit+Run artist network

Dublab.com & Art Don’t Sleep: music selections created by DJs from the web radio collective

Artwork Exhibition: handmade creations by independent local artists

LA vs. WAR opening reception is Thursday April 10th from 7-9pm. The event continues through April 13th and is located at The Firehouse on 710 S. Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90021. All ages are welcome and admission is free. Check out LA vs. WAR for more information and event schedule.