ChinaShop

Posts Tagged ‘Art’

Daily Dots Daily Dots: Jay-Z, Dakota Fanning, Animal Collective, DJ Granny

March 5, 2010 - 2:49 pm

DJ Ruth Flowers

Today’s bloggin best…

- RJD2 invented a wireless MPC sampler. The Daily Swarm

- Jay-Z’s new concert film for vodka fans only. Nah Right

- Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth has a new art book. The Tripwire

- Animal Collective show at Guggenheim was “creepy” and “awkward.” Self-Titled

- Dakota Fanning sings “Cherry Bomb” with Kristen Stewart for new Runaways biopic. Music Is The Heart Of Our Soul

- 69-year-old grandma is my new favorite DJ. Mixmag

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
(not rated yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Manifest Equality Gallery – Los Angeles

March 5, 2010 - 11:42 am

manifestequality-41_low

On the historic night when Barack Obama was elected as the first African American President of the United States, while people flooded the streets from Harlam to Hollywood, my particular neighborhood was subdued. And it wasn’t because I dwell in a particularly Republican enclave. In fact, my local stretch of Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood is known as boys town. We’re as liberal as you can get in these parts. But along with Obama’s victory came news that Proposition 8 had effected a ban on gay marriage in California. A sobering reminder that as much reason as their was to celebrate, there was still work to be done. Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
(not rated yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Gallery A Night at the Peterson Automotive Museum

February 8, 2010 - 3:10 pm

I generally have little interest in cars. My expertise in that matter stops after being able to distinguish between a SUV and hatchback, pick up truck and 4 door sedan. If given my powers of observation to rely on, after being asked what someone was driving I am apt to answer by color only, the “blue truck” or the “white car”. After that..I’m just not that connected to what one drives.

So it may shock you that I spend the day at the Peterson Automotive Museum and I fell in love with it. The museum, located on the Miracle Mile on Wilshire blvd in LA is a sweet reminder of days gone by. Being a big fan of the diorama, the Peterson really displays vehicles in settings that those cars would call home. It welcomes you to take a stroll down long gone roads in quaint towns near and far. Their collection encompasses examples of the wacky to the classic. From the outrageous to the undiscovered.

Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
5.00 (2 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Gallery Buff Monster and the Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile

October 20, 2009 - 11:54 am

In September Culver City’s Corey Helford Gallery welcomed Buff Monster in “Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile”, his 3rd solo show at the outlet. Art lovers obeyed the call of the sweet tooth and crowded the Washington Boulevard space filled with 20+ new super flat, super-colorful pieces by the famous street/fine artist.

Buff Monster

A gargantuan, inflated ice cream cone towered above visitors, like the patron saint of all things smiley and looming. The show’s title sums up the mood well – despite the presence of Buff Monster’s signature friendly, fluffy characters, there’s a darkness that adds a welcome dimension of psychotic psychedelia to this new body of work. I was reminded of Takashi Murakami’s nightmare rainbow universe in the best way. Upstairs, Buff Monster’s highly anticipated new book Life Is Sweet: The Art of Buff Monster and limited edition serigraphs were available– and laid out on a table next to the DJ stand, which, naturally, was blasting heavy metal.

As an aside, I’m loving the new mobile-food-at-art-openings trend – the King Kone Ice Cream truck served up scoops of frosty goodness outside all night, free to gallery patrons!

buffmonster_chg-24

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
4.25 (8 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Gallery Camille Rose Garcia’s Hydra of Babylon

October 14, 2009 - 10:20 am

Merry Karnowsky Gallery recently opened its doors to hundreds of hungry art fiends with its reception of Camille Rose Garcia’s anticipated show. Titled “The Hydra of Babylon” and hosted by Spinerette sweetheart Brody Dalle, this exhibit features Camille’s new art on wood and paper which examines nature’s redemption of human and ecological demise. Birds, deer and damsels in distress peer out from larger than life psychedelic panels and meticulous ink-on-raw-paper drawings dripping with Garcia’s signature black tears. This body of work is pure eye candy with enough rich paint, glitter and gloss to please even the most ostentatious types L.A. had to offer on the night of the reception.

Camille Rose Garcia

Camille Rose Garcia Artwork

Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
4.88 (8 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design A Pirate’s Life for Me

October 13, 2009 - 12:59 pm

Real Pirate Exhibit at The Field Museum

Chicago has a lot to offer, amazing pizza, incredible concerts, Da Bears!  But what I was really drawn towards was the Real Pirates exhibit at The Field Museum.  Let me start by saying that I fancy myself a bit of a pirate at heart. Of course unlike the lame “white” witches, piracy never really gets warm and fuzzy. Johnny Depp put a nice Disney spin on the lot of them but essentially they were just plain rotten. And for that I truly love them. Rape and Pillaging aside they were some of the most colorful characters in history.

Driving up to the museum you can’t help but notice the massive  Jolly Roger flag splitting the Roman columns like a beacon calling all the wayward braggarts home.  Its skull and cross-swords is imposing, majestic and dare I say it, fun!  I was thrilled to get inside and document the exhibit for my fellow enthusiasts. And I sure would have if the “man” didn’t step in to wreck my documenting desires. The irony of trying to share the Pirate exhibit with you is that the souls of those fearless men on the Whydah, the worlds only pirate shipwreck, are damned to spend all eternity being protected from piracy. Copyright laws do apply.

Sue's Teeth

So instead of showing you an image of the pirate’s lethal sharp daggers and sawed off muskets, here’s a close up of the resident T-Rex’s teeth. Sue, as she is known, is the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex in the world. Not really as cool as pirates but just as deadly.

The Field Museum

Instead of showing you a diagram of two pirates engaged in mortal combat, swords drawn, greed in their eyes, here’s two elephants engaged in what I can only assume is not a game of slap and tickle.  Pieces of eight or peanuts? You decide.

Groundhogs engaged in un-sportsman like activity

And just as you can imagine the power struggle between satan’s own sailors, these two stuffed groundhogs paint a convincing portrait of the struggle of the fittest.

However, joking aside, the museum did successfully showcase this unique pirate find. They have a stunning display of the only legitimate pirate treasure known to ever be found, and a collection of tales of all known pirates, not just the sailors on the Whydah. My favorite, and dare I say most inspiring, story is of Mary Reed and Anne Bonney. Both women who disguised themselves as men and first ran away to join the army, but later rebelled further by becoming the most legendary female pirates in the annals of history. These women were two of the most fearsome creatures, famous for their cruelty and aggression.  Eventually they were caught and sentenced to death only to surprise the court by claiming to be pregnant. Both sentences were changed to life in prison where Mary died of fever and Anne was never heard of again.

Let that be a lesson to you women with loose morals and a penchant for violence.

Pirates in the Field Museum

So if you find yourself in Chicago before October 25th, stop in The Field Museum to Shiver ye timbers and walk the plank. As long as the Jolly Roger is flying, you never know who just might drop in!

The Field Museum

Words by Barbie Brady, photos by Matt Brady

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
5.00 (3 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Featured Gallery Michael Lau Bites into the Mainstream @ De La Barracuda

October 8, 2009 - 1:44 pm

It’s a bit of a chilly night on Hollywood when I stumble into the narrow, pockmarked concrete alleyway leading to De La Barracuda, a trendy upscale salon/clothing store/art gallery on Melrose (ah, you gotta love L.A.). An eclectic bunch stands gathered on the back patio — hipsters, hip-hoppers and hippies alike, interweaving under umbrellas and climbing over tables, Red-Bulled vodkas in hand. It’s almost as if all the high school cliques you avoided have banded together just to witness a truly multi-talented artist who adequately captures the edginess of their generation. Which makes sense: just judging by the amount of visitors and gawkers, Michael Lau looks to have tapped the mainstream pulse in a huge way.

Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
4.43 (7 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design New York City D.U.M.B.O. Brooklyn: Art, Nostalgia & Idyllic Facades

September 15, 2009 - 10:42 am

cam-mural2

D.U.M.B.O., or Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is the first subway stop when you traveling from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the F-train. It’s a tranquil little area bursting at the seams with eye-popping street murals, old-style New York nostalgia, artists, assorted creative types, and a bevy of kitschy, drinking spots. The buildings here are mostly old warehouse monoliths housing modern photo /music/art studios, avant-garde galleries, underground ‘zines, indie film shops, fashion/furniture showrooms and band practice spaces.  Surprisingly, there are also a high number of pet and baby supply shops – apparently the art of domestication and home-building is also held in high regard around these parts.

facesonwalls

The Dumbo work fleet is made up of unique creatures of habit. At lunch time, they creep out from behind their Apple laptop screens and air-conditioned offices to the big delis on Jay and Front Streets for their salads, wraps and soy shakes. Their dark wayfarer sunglasses come out; the Parliament cigarettes are unsheathed, lit and quickly extinguished. And just like that, Dumbo’s creative workforce disappears back indoors, leaving the cobblestone streets desolate and lonely again.

eastriver-fence

But ultimately, it’s the sweeping vistas of the Manhattan Bridge spanning the East River, the truly remarkable  and copious street-art (murals, Graffiti tags, sticker collages, portraiture, etc)  visible on every little side road, and the glimpses of Old New York that make Dumbo a must-see location for anyone visiting NYC.

Words and Photos by Geo Hagan

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
3.75 (4 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Gallery La Luz de Jesus Gallery

September 9, 2009 - 2:59 pm

Sunday August 30th saw the closing of a group show at La Luz De Jesus gallery. La Luz is located behind SoapPlant– a well-loved Silverlake store stuffed full of books, home decor goodies and wonderful STUFF ranging from bobble heads and locally-made beauty products to candles and t-shirts. This has to be one the best places in town to buy gifts that people will actually love. Rubber frog purses? Yes please! Now back to the art show.

Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
4.00 (5 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...

Art/Design Doctor Sketchy’s at The Medusa Lounge

August 31, 2009 - 12:46 pm

Dr. Sketchy's

When we told you about the relaunch of the Los Angeles branch of Doctor Sketchy’s, there was promise of hosting the event at The Medusa Lounge  I recently made my way to this Gothic (in interior design terms only, though the Goth club Batcave does happen here as well) bar to see the new location and the cabaret life drawing extravaganza for myself.  As it turned out, Medusa Lounge has been around since the 1930’s under the name “Lowenbrau Keller”.  Back in the day it even served as a laid-back hideaway for the likes of Elvis Presley!  Just as I was getting acquainted with the low-lit statues, stained glass windows and sparkling chandeliers, Bob the esteemed Doctor Sketchy’s host approached me with a dilemma:  one of the models had taken ill, could I stand in for a couple of poses? Though I wasn’t about to drop my drawers on the spot to match some of the other less-dressed models, I did negotiate a quick costume change in the bathroom, and managed a couple 10-minute poses.  The night was saved, art happened and the “Bacchus Drunken Shrimp” were intensely awesome.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb

Read Full Story

Share:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Reddit
1 cup2 cups3 cups4 cups5 cups
4.00 (5 votes)
Loading ... Loading ...