Friday, June 28, 2019

REVIEW - 1988



  1988 on Melrose Ave in West Hollywood is a fun and vibrant gallery.  There were two rooms and two separate shows at 1988 when I visited.  The first titled ‘The 90s!’ was a group show with pop culture works paying homage to the the 1990’s and the second was a phenomenal solo show of sports trading cards by Cuyler Smith titled, ‘Trading Cards 4.’

   The group show was quirky and alternative. For a collection of work about products and pop icon’s of the 90’s all the familiar faces were there; David Duchovny, Drew Barrymore, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Keanu Reeves.

   I enjoyed the retro ‘iMac G3 -circa 1994’ sculptural pins by Miranda Dressler, and thought they were one of the best pieces in the show.  A series of shopping receipts by Eleanor Wells was also quite thoughtful.  One of the only pieces in the show that wasn’t blatantly poppy but had more depth and concept.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the starry air-brushy, Scully and Mulder painting, but the custom receipts from an era long gone where alluringly haunting.  It was a minute record of the past, faked, and yet it still stirred a memory.  A spot on experience, that stood out amongst the other works in the room.

   In the adjacent room was a collection of limited edition sports cards prints signed by the artist.  Upon entering the room it takes a moment to realize that these are no ordinary sports heroes cards.  They were characters from sports movies, given MLB style portraits and stat cards, signed and framed by a cheeky artist.  Similar to the Trojan Horse, your mind realizes these aren’t athletes but actors’ portraits.  It was fun to see the format of card collecting flipped upside-down and introduced to the fine art and film world.  It was very fitting for the West Hollywood location and the young, alternative gallery space.  The works touch on two worlds of collecting, card collectors and art collectors.  The subject is an anomaly as they are rare limited prints, of sports ’characters’ who have very few sports cards if any in the first place.  I was thrilled to see collectables of Tom Cruise as Maverick from Top Gun and Arnold Schwartzenegger as Ben Richards from Running Man. 

   I highly recommend ‘Trading Cards 4’ by Cuyler Smith.  The show may be over but collect their work, follow their social media, and check out their website for really cool stuff. As always, check Sharks Eat Meat daily for art and culture news.

https://nineteeneightyeight.com/
http://cuylersmith.com/
@sharks_eat_meat
@galleries1988
@cuylersmith
@mirandaright

DAY 3172 - The Conquer

Painting by Brett Hollis

Monday, June 24, 2019

REVIEW - Ten Women - Santa Monica


   This is my first review in Los Angeles.  I found an interesting gallery in Santa Monica near the beach.  “Ten Women” is a gallery with 25 years on the scene, managed as a co-op with all the artist’s being contributing members to the space.  The space is well organized with each artist having a similarly sized wall space that is excellent for Instagraming.  Artists from multiple disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry and fashion are displayed.

   One of my favorites was the ‘California’ print by Lori Hedges.  I also thoroughly enjoyed Donna Desoto’s ceramic works.  They had a fine texture and great colors.  The fish creatures were delightful.  Fela Ingertila’s 3D collages are fun and bold. The jewelry by Carole Zakkour is subtle with great metal work and finish.  Modern art by Sara Cron had a shining similarity to Joan Miro or Kandinsky.

   They are a great collective, and the works are curated well together.  A complete list of the artists is below. Make sure to visit this charming space in Los Angeles, and check out their website and social media.

Bettina Kleemann, Denise Grigst, Margot Strong, Roz Brody, Sara Cron, Trace Palmer, Trish Tatman, Lori Hedges, Connie Deady, Michelle Dante, Shelly Schwartz, Carole Zakkour, Donna Desoto, Eden Sher, Lane Royall, Marie Kelzer, Rebecca Marie, Tanya Mikaela, Ena Dubnoff, Fae Horowitz, Sage Ryza, Mannig Gurekian, Carol Davis, Becky Gutsell, Anthea Brown, Fela Ingertila, Sandra Hsu, Burcin Ikiz


https://www.tenwomengallery.com/
@ten_women_gallery
@bettina.kleemann
@dgrigst
@saracron32
@karmakulture
@inkymesspress
@carolezakkour
@donnadesoto
@eden_sher
@laneroyall
@mariekelzerdesigns
@rebecca_marie_art
@tanyamikaelaart
@enadubnoff
@sage.ryza
@absolute_mosaics
@antheaart
@sandrahsuart
@burcinikiz

DAY 3168 - Nocardiosis

Collage by Andrés Gamiochipi

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

CULTURE JAM : Season 01

Culture JAM : Season 01 is now available on YouTube.  Culture JAM follows musicians Los Coulters as they research, write, record, edit, and release an original song with a guest collaborator across seven episodes.  Musical guests, Los Cumpleaños, Grupo Descarrilao, Alea, Gato Loco, Making Movies, Pablo Sanhueza & the KC Latin Jazz All Stars, Tiny Escalators, and Mundo Nouvo.


  

  

  

  

 

DAY 3162 - Horse Heads

Sculpture by Julia Belova