Hasta La Ideas

Katy Grannan’s photography exploring the street and its characters

Berkeley, CA-based photographer Katy Grannan has made a name for herself with her strikingly beautiful portraiture. Drawing on classical and contemporary styles, her photos are touching and intimate, presenting raw images of people, subjects who are complex yet relatable.

In her most recent show, “Boulevard”, Grannan spent the last three years roaming the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco. All of her portraits depict strangers but her knack for composition and sharp eye depict the subjects as at once hyper human to the extent of looking surreal and intimately familiar. The cast of characters she unearths take the viewer on a trip through time, style and culture, ultimately delivering an eerie, unexpected look at people most of us would just pass by.

Photographing her subjects in front of nondescript white stucco walls removes any specific sense of place from her pieces. This freedom from geography makes Grannan’s photos universal and draws the focus directly to the subject; the street could be in any city but the characters are outstanding.

Grannan received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by her MFA from Yale. Her photographs have been exhibited in institutions ranging from the Whitney to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Boulevard” runs through 14 February 2011 at the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco.

A poster show reimagines arcade classics for today

“Multiplayer” relives the beauty and simplicity of the ’80s arcade with a group show—including the likes of Dave Perillo, The Silent Giants, Mike Budai and more—atGallery 1988‘s newly-opened westside location.

Sponsored by OMG Posters, the screen-printed works span Zelda to Frogger. Artist Kevin Tong‘s labor-intensive take on Tetris (seen in the video above) is sure to excite the Illustrator crowd, while the collection of quintessential cartridges on display will certainly enthuse the diehard Nintendo fans.

“Multiplayer” continues the gallery’s video game theme established in the previous “I Am 8-Bit” exhibit previously showcased at 1988, but the broader reach here looks beyond the classic characters to the entire realm of gaming.

The show runs through 4 February 2010 at Gallery 1988‘s Santa Monica location, and a limited-edition set of posters will be given out to lucky “Multiplayer” patrons.

A trade fair focusing on all aspects of kitchens, open to trade visitors
and the public. With a live programme full of highlights. And maximum
app..

Sculptures and illustration explore busking in an L.A. artist’s newest work

In his newest piece “Busker Rig,” L.A.-based artist Kiel Johnson explores past, present and future through a steampunk take on the one-man band. With an almost instantly recognizable style, his distinct drawings and cardboard sculptures make explicit the transformation of humble materials into form.

As an artistic craftsman, Johnson relates to the notion of musicians peddling their talents for money. “Busker Rig” is a tribute to anyone “trying to earn a living through their handiwork.”

While he embodies the DIY aesthetic, creating all of his sculptures from cardboard, chipboard and more recently UV-activated surfboard foam, Johnson’s ability to construct such complex works comes from a technical mastery that’s the upshot of an extensive education and meticulous study of his craft. Offsetting monotone colorways, his attention to detail makes his work exude energy and feel full of life .

Catch Johnson’s latest work alongside a variety of great artists—including our friend Kim Rugg—at the inaugural exhibition for the new Mark Moore Gallery space in Culver City, CA, running through 12 February 2010.

A grassroots group show launches with orgasm drawings, partially-chewed crayons and other performances

Armed with an “if you build it they will come” attitude, psychologist Ilana Simons curated the upcoming group show at the Prince George Gallery with the vision of creating an “instant art collective.” In a similar vein to a pop-up shop, the exhibit is the upshot of quick thinking after seeing the space on her hunt for a place to hold a wedding reception. “When I stumbled upon the space and realized my friends and I could go in on it for gallery space, it just became a no-brainer.”

Showing alongside the New School professor, works spanning simple line drawings to paintings. The nine artists showing include David Pettibone (below left), a fellow at the New York Academy of Fine Art, Michael Alan (above left) whose chaotic visions of New York City create abstract fantasies in vibrant colorways and Jenny Keith (above right), who represents animal emotions in her work.

Chris Colvin (below right) will exhibit pieces from his upcoming solo show at Lincoln Center, which include mixed media portraits from his series called “The Bust Collection.” Retired ophthalmologist turned full-time artist Jane Lubin incorporates her knowledge of biology into works featuring strange bodies in odd locations and bulging eyes. Prudence Groube (bottom left), an Australian artist fascinated by the idea of dismembering the self, will exhibit her colorful ink-on-paper works which are chiefly centered around her fictitious character Mimachan, who “inhabits the space between the seen and unseen.”

An opening night reception from 6-9pm this Friday, 14 January 2011, will launch the show with live performances dedicated to fine art. Sarah H. Paulson will perform with a group of other women, who will recline in the nude, and use their toes to draw whatever comes from their soul. Valmonte Sprout will paint with Crayola crayons she partially digested earlier in the night while the “ambidextrous visionary painter” Roman Zelgatas will paint himself in a translucent phone booth.

The Prince George Gallery show opens 14 January and runs through 26 Febuary 2011.