i love art, and especially appreciate it since i don't make any of my own. i love my artists like they were my kids.
my curatorial goal is to bring artist and art appreciator together in hopes of creating a greater art community that is mutually supportive and encouraging; free of weird pretentiousness and egos. (^__^)
edwin ushiro is having a solo show soon at project: gallery. the show is titled While Tides Guide You Back Home. i've been a fan of edwin's work for a few years now and i've been lucky enough to show his work a few times too. i'm really excited to see what he'll do with this show. project is such a great space for 1 to 2 person shows.
the show opens july 12 at project: gallery in culver city and he'll be attending the opening, so go and say hi to him for me!
i don't follow music much. not to say that it doesn't move me, but i've always been one of those "oh, i listen to everything" type of people. i never know what to say when people ask me what my favorite kind of music is, or even who my favorite bands are...except for one.
i've been a fan of death cab for cutie since i was a sophomore in college, which is not to say that i'm one of their die-hard fans, but it was before Narrow Stairs, Plans, or even Transatlanticism. death cab fueled me through my period of post-high school teen angst and subsequent emoness. i love them.
but i remember when it all started to get really popular. when kids who went to concerts could only sing along to songs on their newest album. when they appeared and played on the OC. when their only concerts in town were in the biggest venues in town. is this what it feels like when your favorite band "sells out"?
it's weird to follow a band long enough to see them grow and change and finally get into the mainstream. their songs are being played constantly on the radio and MTV gives them clever commercials to advertise their new CD. that's what they've been putting in all the hard work for, right? they're finally getting what they deserve; recognition, tons of fans, record sales...but i am a little sad that i'll never see them at a small venue again.
nevertheless, death cab is still rockin' it and i have not lost hope. my friend jimmy sent me this video they did in london with Black Cab Sessions. all the videos are shot in the backseat of a black taxicab in one take with a band playing one song acoustically. pretty keen.
Chean-Wei Law is a WK designer who goes by Undoboy for his personal projects. he just launched his website of toys and other design goodies. i like his style and his block toys are rad. i'm thinking about getting some of the wall decals for my room!
i recently read an article about 'Toygers', a new breed of cat that is currently in the works. the breeder, genetic specialist, judy sugden has been working on this tiger-housecat since the 80s. her mother created the Bengal breed (housecat & wild asian leopard) to try to save actual leopards, hoping people would be deterred from buying pelts that looked like their housecats.
a housecat can't be bred with a tiger, so sugden is "faking it" and instead breeding breeds that carry either the striped or deep amber traits reminiscent of their muse. apparently cat's don't fancy artificial insemination, so the process has been lengthened due to cat-courting time. she estimates that the perfect toyger (carrying full face/body tiger traits) will be ready by 2010.
the result is a muscular, reddish/orange-hued, exotic-looking cat with dog-like traits (they like to swim!) that is really very beautiful but also very ethically controversial.
i know this has been out for a while, but since i don't have a tv, i haven't seen it until now. this is an ad wieden worked on for honda accord. it took many test trials & rehearsals and utilized around 50 uber-experienced (1000s of jumps) skydivers. they even made a documentary about it. sweet.
this weekend i went up to seattle to install my first photography show, "this place is a prison" featuring work from angela dawn, emily ibarra, & jack raynard.
me & angela
angela's mini prints
this guy came in and started dancing and taking off his shirt. he wouldn't leave. (i didn't know my show was that good! ;P)
the elusive bigfoot was having a solo show at BLVD gallery down the street.
can't leave the house without your copy of the truth about chuck norris: "one time a rattlesnake bit chuck norris. after 5 painful days the snake died."
the next day we went exploring the international district (ie chinatown) and the chinese girl's drill team was doing a performance for the opening of the new chinese cultural museum opening there.
the girls were so disciplined and their timing was perfect. i have never seen anything like it before.
my friend sohaila met up with my dad, brother, johnny & i to do a little snack shopping at uwajimaya. yum!
the cans of drink and bags of candies are the cutest - i heart asian markets.
speaking of asian markets, here's an old store they have preserved in chinatown. one of the first chinese general stores in seattle. gotta love those sweet & sour balls.
this upcoming friday night will be the opening of This Place is a Prison, my first photography show and probably my last show for a year since i'm in school. the photographs are already up on the website, so please check them out if you're not in the area. you can see them here: Suite 100 Gallery
martin atkins is a drummer and a music producer who has drummed with johnny rotten (public image ltd.), trent reznor (NIN), ministry, pigface, and most recently has done a lot of producing for up-and-coming bands in Beijing.
he is owner of invisible records and he's written a book on bands and the business of touring called "Tour:Smart" and he came to speak to 12 last week about his endeavors and to encourage us to have a wide skill-set and also to keep thinking outside the box or cd cover.
he is a big supporter of cross-promoting events. mixing medias and reaching people when their guard is down. (ie using an art show for a cd release or having a scratch n' sniff record cover) he thrives to create and has this insatiable hunger for something different.
his brainstorming process seems like borderline madness and it was interesting to meet someone who was so freely creative and believes in the virtue of crackpot ideas.
in the middle of our conversation with him, he randomly broke out his video camera and started taping us and our time with him. at the time, i thought 'how strange' - but then he created this amazing video to thank us for having him here at W+K. i hope he'll come to visit us again soon sometime this year.
i've never been a comic book reader. i'd rather go play outside. but lately, i've been reading Fables and uh, i heart it!
i was attracted to Fables because James Jean does their cover art and he is awesome. i've read issues #1-5 and am working on my second trade paperback (is that what you call it?).
[warning: this is a photo dump for june first thursday]
free mimosas in the morning.
caldera art opening (caldera is an afterschool and outdoor art program for kids founded by dan wieden. it reaches city kids from middle school to college age, pairs them up with mentors, and teaches them to use performing and visual art as an outlet. caldera also provides an artist residency program so that the children involved in the program can have access to professional artists. caldera is also housed in the wieden + kennedy building.)
these are hanging in the lobby now. kinda creepy, but i love them.
