Summer 2010 - starting June 11, 2010

Pop Life: Art in a Material World explores the complex relationship between contemporary art, marketing, and the mass media that has evolved since the 1980s when Andy Warhol’s uttered his provocative maxim that “being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”

Organized by Tate Modern, London, in association with the National Gallery of Canada.

National Gallery of Canada
Website: http://www.gallery.ca/english/index.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gallerydotca # popngc

National Gallery of Canada lineup 2010:

- Pop Life - big summer blockbuster including Warhol, Koons, Murakami, Haring, Hirst and others.

- Angela Grauerholz photographs

- Central European drawings from the gallery’s permanent collection, spanning five centuries, “from Dürer to Dix.”

- The architecture of Moshe Safdie (who designed among other things, the National Gallery)

- The art of Carl Beam

- “It Is What It Is,” recent acquisitions in contemporary Canadian art.

An article about this Victoria art show caught my eye in Focus Magazine. It’s called, Can I Draw you a Bath, currently on show at the View Art Gallery. Primarily I noticed the blurb because it mentioned Publications such as 3X3 and Juxtapoz having helped broaden our view on illustration. I had just finished reading my first copy Juxtapoz Magazine (love at first sight), and was therefore intrigued.

The View Art Gallery is putting on a show with three artists who use concepts and elements of illustration as a way of transferring information in their work. It looks like these artists have a sense of humour too; I like that.

With Illustrators Dave Barnes, Keegan Wenkman and Allen Brewer.

Showing: October 02-31, 2009
Can I Draw You a Bath
View Art Gallery
104-860 View Street
tel: 250-213-1162
web: http://www.viewartgallery.ca

Check out the Outre Gallery in both in both Melbourne and Sydney (Australia). They are passionate specialists in contemporary international pop, lowbrow, pop surrealism, street, tiki, modern folk, retro with a twist and underground art.They dig art that crosses over with design, pop and counter culture.

http://www.outregallery.com

Upcoming show:

Martin Harris

"The Piglet and the Sorcerer"

Melbourne based artist Martin Harris creates candy-drenched children’s fantasylands in the most delicate watercolours of amazing and enchanting detail. Of his art Martin says, “My pictures attempt to lift the veil as it were so that others may glimpse this ‘other world’’. My fascination and love of children’s picture books, comics, toys, 1960’s television (Thunderbirds, Dr Who, and Pinky & Perky to name but a few) combined with my childhood memories and my love of animals are the basis and inspiration for my art.

Martin is working towards publishing his artwork for children’s books and is currently working doing illustrations for Lonely Planet travel guides.

Showcase September 2009! See here.

Artist: Steve Chmilar

I went to the Moss Street Paint in last weekend, and was most impressed by Steve Chmilar’s work. I have posted an image to the left. Steve sent our an email to his guestbook fans and directed us to this link filled with artists from the Surrealism Pop Art Lowbrow art movement. 

Beinart International Surreal Art Collective  www.beinart.org. One of my favourites is Mark Ryden, one of the most celebrated artists of the Pop Surrealism movement.

I knew my people were out there, or at least where I’d like to get to. Check out this article.

Dorothy Circus Gallery is a new space in Rome dedicated to “Lowbrow” and “Pop Surrealism”, two of the most controversial, vital and exciting movements of contemporary art.
The gallery conceived by Alexandra Mazzanti and Jonathan Pannacciò.

Dorothy Circus Gallery is an encounter between classical criteria and the will to experiment, the gateway for those who want to approach the fascinating artistic current born in late 60’s Los Angeles.
“Lowbrow” and “Pop Surrealism” are born from an unusual alchemical fusion, a multicultural mix in which memories of childhood games blend with aspects of noir carnival, reinventing an ectoplasmic reality that reflects the complications of everyday life. The confusing and hallucinated psychic automatisms of the surrealist movement are now mixed with the American hot rod culture, underground comics and punk music, creating a perfect chaos , where absolute iconographic anarchy reigns . Pinups from the 50’s smile at a gothic Alice rival of Lolitas dancing softly to the songs of the Pixies and Cure. Scenarios inspired by Hieronymus Bosch are filled with strange animals, clumsy figures and comical demons. A paradoxical atmosphere with weird presences that reminds us of a David Lynch film, a multicultural melting pot: street culture, pure pop, bizarre illustration, manga.

Visit website to view artists

http://www.dorothycircusgallery.com/
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 8 pm
Via Nuoro, 17 00182 Roma • ph: +39 06 7021179 • +39 06 70161256

and this fantastic artist
http://www.davidstoupakis.com

Andy Warhol's portrait of David Hockney, part of Pop Life: Art in a Material World. Photograph: PA

Tate Modern yesterday put out an appeal for identical twins to appear in their gallery. It shouldn’t be too arduous – just sit in front of a pair of Damien Hirst’s spot paintings while people look at you.

The call was made as details were announced of Tate Modern’s big autumn show, Pop Life: Art in a Material World, which will look at the legacy of Andy Warhol’s declaration that “good business is the best art”. The exhibition, three years in the planning, will look at subsequent artists at their most self-aggrandising – from Jeff Koons to Tracey Emin.

Tate Modern’s chief curator Sheena Wagstaff said they wanted to pinpoint the moment in the 1980s when “a key aspect of late Warhol became a thrilling legacy for subsequent generations of artists”. The show will explore how, after Warhol, artists have not only commented on the mass media culture of the last 30 years, but have been very much a part of it, infiltrating the cult of celebrity.

Read whole article

I found a website through Artnews Blog that linked to a show of 10 artists from the southern California region. Two artists in particular - I just fell in love with their work. When I have more time to dedicate to my art, my goal is to start illustrating scenes with a storyboard and narrative of the art with characters set in the middle of a story or a situation.

http://www.anabagayan.com/

and http://www.brandimilne.com/

and http://www.danielpeacock.com/

Click the link to see a full listing of the artists participating in Baby Tattooville.

Artwork credit: Brandy Milne | see website

ARTEVO

The Bay Centre is pleased to welcome its newest retailer, Artevo!  Located on Fort Street, Artevo is a unique art gallery offering many categories of artworks, from high end decorative to true fine art.  From August 27th to September 14th, Artevo will host a tour celebrating the Life and Retrospective Works of Dr. Seuss.  For more information, call 250-389-1699 or visit www.artevo.com.   
 

Dr. Seuss  

Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, began his career as a little known editorial cartoonist in the 1920s. His intriguing perspective and fresh concepts ignited his career, and his work evolved quickly to deft illustrations…read full bio.

Review:

I popped into Artevo to take a look at the Dr. Seuss artwork. The items are serigraphs reproductions, BUT - the fact that you can see the large size paintings of the characters from all your favorite childhood bedtime stories makes this gallery worth a visit. Since the reproductions are such high quality, you get the same feeling as you would from the original (more or less). I had no idea Seuss painted large scale. You’ll also see the book characters in really surreal settings before they made it into the storybook setting. Very cool. Also interesting is his artwork from his advertising days. Really  funny political cartoons as well.