Hasta La Ideas

A new book of eye-popping art from revered designer Tristan Eaton

When Tristan Eaton isn’t designing toys or reworking brand identities as head of Thunder Dog Studios, he can be found collaborating with an array of today’s exciting artists. An incredibly talented designer in his own right—with works in the permanent collections of both the Cooper Hewitt Museum and MoMA—Eaton has been an advocate of street culture since his time at Kid Robot. In the forthcoming “3D Art Book” from Prestel, Eaton curates over 100 hundred eye-popping illustrations from a cast of influential graphic designers, painters and clothing brands.

Eaton’s love for stereoscopic images emerged at age 19, when as an apprentice at Detroit’s famed screen-printing shop Highway Press, he began silk screening 3D posters. Less than a decade later through his breakthrough solo show, “3D Happy Action Fun,” Eaton introduced the aesthetic into the concrete art gallery world. His work was so strongly received that shortly after he began working on a 3D project with a small group of artists including The London Police, Superdeux and Jeff Soto.

Eaton was inspired by reviving what was merely novel technology during the ’60s and seeing how it is reflected today, saying “When you compare the artists in this book, you will see that we share nostalgia for the good old days of alternative art and pop culture; when you contrast us, you will see how each of us outsiders have re-envisioned these references in our own unique ways.”

Taking four years for completion, works featured in the 224-page book include those from revered artists like Bill McMullen, Cey Adams, Dr. Revolt, Pose, Tara McPherson and Ron English. “3D Art Book” will be released in April 2011 and will include two pairs of retro 3-D glasses. The book is available for pre-order from Amazon and Powells.

Exploring the limits of greyscale in a group show

With a mission of reinvigorating Chelsea’s once youthful and vibrant art scene, Mallick Williams (daughter-in-law of actor Robin Williams) launched Mallick Williams & Co. in November of 2010. In the short time since opening, the upstart has already drawn attention for its ability to connect big-name artists to high-profile young collectors and shows no signs of stopping with their first official gallery show, cleverly titled “Hueless,” opening tomorrow.

An exploration of the possibilities of grey scale, “Mallick Williams & Co. carefully curated pieces from both artists who normally work in black and white (in mediums such as graphite, charcoal, paper cut and photography) alongside work from artists who are stepping out of their traditional colorful palette to create something uniquely hueless.” At the core of the group show is a roster of heavyweight street artists, including Shepard Fairey, Eric Haze, Skullphone and Russel Young. These more established artists will show alongside lesser-known talents like Marissa Textor and Sam Ske.

Young’s piece, “Fifteen Minutes With You; Well I Wouldn’t Say No”, consisting of acrylic paint enamel and diamond dust screen-printed onto linen, creates an ethereal manifestation of a memory without falling into the abstract (pictured below left). Another portrait, “Drawn Face V” (above left) by Dirk Dzimirsky aims to “not only portray the physical attributes, but more importantly the subjects inner presence of life. I chose drawing over painting as this allows me to create many layers over layers of lines and dots which react to each other in order to create a vibrant texture with directions and movement.”

On the darker side thematically, Marissa Textor’s piece “An Outlet for Pent up Forces,” (also graphite on paper, like Dzimirsky’s) breathtakingly depicts volcanic rock in photorealistic detail. Nicholas Forker takes on a “shattered sense of community in the face of capitalist driven isolation” with a greyscale drawing representing an artist informed by a globalized marketplace of ideas.

“Hueless” runs through 15 April 2011. Visit the Mallick Williams & Co. website for the full list of artists.

Suit shopping with Retna on the eve of his Hallelujah World Tour

Behind gate 37E on Washington Street lies a warehouse with a Buick Regal parked inside. Photographers are snapping away, laptops are out, and well-dressed critics buzz throughout the space. This was the scene when I visited “Breaking Bread,” the first stop on Retna’s three-continent-spanning Hallelujah Tour on the day before its opening.

Sponsored by VistaJet and Bombardier, the tour will see the L.A. graffiti legend spend the better part of the next year on the road, painting all original material in NYC, Hong Kong and London—and with a just-announced surprise show in Venice along the way. The series of shows comes on the heels of Retna’s successful solo show at L.A.’s New Image Art gallery, where powerhouse Museum of Contemporary Art director Jeffery Deitch compared Retna to Keith Haring, positioning it as “one of the most exciting exhibitions that I have seen this year.”

For someone arguably at the peak of his career, Retna speaks casually about the worldwide tour, describing how the origins of the show started with a studio visit from the concept’s impresarios Andy Valmorbida and Vlad Restoin Roitfeld. “I thought it was cool, I was down with the cities. Then the sponsors came in and they wanted to put the ad on the plane digitally. I was like, ‘Nah, if my work’s gonna be out there it’s gonna be real, I don’t photoshop shit. If you want my work on that plane it’s going to be one 100% real.’ So now they’re locking down some super hanger so I can paint in it.”

If this newfound big league is unexpected or overwhelming, Retna doesn’t show it. “You know that’s why I still listen to the same music as I did back then. I’m still that same kid trying to get up on walls chasing the dream. When I was young I didn’t know what it was, but now that I’m here I guess this is the dream, I’m living it now.” Just after Retna shares these insights, a scruffy group of men who could be Hell’s Angels approach us. “You really out did yourself this time bro, looks great.”

The man clamps my hand, “Haze, good to meet you. This is my girl Rosie.” As in Perez, and Haze himself is one of graffiti’s inventors. Our corner of the room starts to fill up with members of Retna’s MSK crew, making it feel like a celebration. And there’s a lot to celebrate, not only Retna but the culture he represents—a kid from the gang-infested streets of L.A. who desperately wanted to join a gang at 13 but was told to focus on art instead. “You know they didn’t do that for just anybody,” he recalls. “They told me you can chill with us, you can smoke with us, you can paint our walls, but you ain’t a gangbanger.”

Retna introduces me to Revok1, who was recently arrested in Australia in what was called “the vandal vacation.” Revok1 explains, “Something like 10,000 kids went out to Melbourne from all over the country when they heard what was going down. They painted like 70% of all of the trains. The mayor came out and declared a state of emergency and called it a disgrace.”

Retna asks if we should continue the interview at a bar so he can relax, but before we can decide where, two enthusiastic assistants corner us saying, “This dinner is a huge deal! It’s like $100,000 a plate, and they’re auctioning off your painting. Bill Clinton is going to be there.” Retna, seemingly unaffected, is more interested in rounding up his friends for a quiet night downtown somewhere. After some back and forth with the assistants, it’s decided that his presence is required as an ambassador of “street art” culture. This is his world now whether he likes it or not. “I’m not a street artist dude, I mean, they can’t do what we do. I’m a graf writer. I always have been. Graf writers were getting gallery shows since the ’80s. This isn’t new, they just like that tag because it’s safe.”

With no suit on hand for the black tie event, we begin shopping through Soho, punctuated by “Fear and Loathing” moments, like Retna walking around Hugo Boss shirtless. The manicured men standing at attention find his antics less than amusing, even scoffing at his lack of interest in their style.

With the same courage he showed when he faced jail time and the same unflagging desire to paint, Retna does it all for the culture now so warmly embraced by high society. Before he disappears into the crowds of Soho, he turns with eyes open hugging the sky, “not bad for a lil nigga from the hood!”

Kicking off the Hallelujah Tour, “Breaking Bread” opens 10 February 2011 and runs through 21 February 2011 before moving on to its next port.

Famed skate store and cult brand Supreme has been the subject of many a skater’s wet, sneaker-fueled dreams since James Jebbia founded it in 1994. What first began as an ode to the laid-back urban sport’s apathetic but angry crowd has spawned artist-designed boards, videos directed by the likes of Damien Hirst and advertising campaigns featuring Kermit the Frog, Mike Tyson, among other unlikely collaborations.

The eponymous new book “Supreme” pays homage to the brand’s forward-thinking invention and seamless representation of skate culture. Full-bleed photos catalog the posters, from Lou Reed in classic “fuck you” mode (he’s rumored to have been paid a pretty penny for it) to the pin-up calendar from 2005 and an enviable layout of inventory, including sneakers and t-shirts, from the various collections.

As Glenn O’Brien writes in his introduction, “Supreme spreads style, but it also spreads thought and information. Culture is its business.”

The book includes an interview between Jebbia and artist Kaws, with a preface by former Supreme employee Aaron Bondaroff, who since has gone on to start his own successful brands.

Spreads of the limited edition boards feature color palettes comically reinvented by Ryan McGinness, Kaws’ red-and-black transmogrifications and Andrei Molodkin‘s classic “Fuck Bush”—which quickly became a catch-all slogan for Supreme’s hardscrabble perspective.

“Supreme” also features the fruits of collaborations with Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, Public Enemy, The Clash and Budweiser.

Work by Takashi Murakami and Mr. boards reflects the brand’s ascension in Japan, while the Sean Cliver painted versions recreate fifties illustrations with a sick twist. A major part of Supreme’s business is nurturing these creations and simultaneously offering them at moderate prices, keeping in mind their street clientele.

Supreme’s unapologetic style, often brassy and harsh, and its well-made, affordable clothes sparked an explosive combination. The reams of iconic shoe and shirt designs get full display, which include brand collaborations too with the likes of Nike, Timberland and Vans.

“Supreme” sells from Amazon. See more images in the gallery below.

“Swoon,” the new eponymous book by the artist (aka Caledonia Curry and one of the best known female street artists in the world), finally came out this month. Tracing her process and showing some of her installations in galleries and streets around the world, as well as her larger scale community projects, including the street art collective Toyshop, the monograph includes essays by Curry herself, critic Carlo McCormick and others explaining her role as an instigator in the art world.

Callie recently talked to CH about her experience making the book, “it was amazing and sort of did my head in to try and encapsulate my whole life in art making over the last ten years—and this is me giving it my best shot. And almost none of that book would exist without the constant and beautiful vision of Tod Seelie.”

In as much as Swoon is an artist, she’s also an organizer, a hub and conduit for making things—wild things—happen. The book shows how Swoon goes about making her prints and ethereal cut-outs, as well as her Flotillas projects, like The Miss Rockaway Armada. For the project, handmade rafts sailed down the Mississippi, “Swimming Cities of Serenissima” took place in 2006 and 2007, and the rafts crossed the Adriatic and appeared in Venice for the biennale in 2009.

The book also highlights some of her other projects, including “Portrait of Silvia Elena” memorializing one of the first victims of the widespread killings of young women in Juárez, Mexico, where she researched the grisly phenomenon. A brief film describes her approach to making the work.

One essay mentions that Swoon doesn’t sleep much, a fact that makes sense given her cohesively broad and prolific output over the past few years.

“Swoon” sells from Abrams Books or Amazon.