Home Vandal Network

Chris Hamer/ UrbnPop present "Home Vandal Network" at the MINT Gallery this Saturday, March 22nd from 8-12. All of the work in this exhibit has been created on top of found art work. As usual with Chris's shows (Underdogs, Moonshine Christmas) there is a huge list of artists and the work will be sold via silent auction.

Thursday?

Three art events are scheduled for this Thursday, March 20th. Here they are, in the order that I will be attending them.

Live Art

More live art this Friday, March 15th, from Handjob Atlanta at the 5 Spot in L5P. As usual it starts around 9 and you get a few hours of live art accompanied by a DJ. This time around the artists are Drew Botts, Dominic Maschler, and Amanda Goodbread. $5

Sons of the South: Episode One

Last Saturday's opening for Sons of the South: Episode One left me with mixed emotions. On one hand, its great to see Atlanta's big hope for wider recognition show some great work all around. And I do believe that is the idea behind Sons of the South, some of the bigger names in the emerging underground art scene working together to make a blip on a bigger radar. I could go into my opinions on each artists work, how they've improved or impressed me (they did both), but I'd rather mention something else. It seems that with both this exhibition, as well as the print show a few months back, all of the themes and concepts that are generally put into making a cohesive show have been replaced by a common goal of exposure for our emerging art scene. On paper this seems like a perfectly reasonable basis for an exhibition, but in person you realize that the content, style, and execution by each artist is too disparate to rely on cooperative motivation alone. With 13 artists coming together, one can hardly expect continuity of aesthetics. That being said, I think that this first group of artist (Bethany Marchman, BORN, Steven Dixey, Rene Arriagda, Dan May, and Tyson McAdoo) are a bit more varied visually than the group showing this Friday at Rabbit Hole Gallery (John Tindel, Dosa Kim, Charlie Owens, Michi, Sam Parker, and Omer). I think that we're going to see more continuity between artists this time around based on over lapping styles, but that doesn't make an exceptional show. I think what I'm trying to say is I'd like to see more focus to these shows than just "this is the best Atlanta has to offer in terms of emerging artists." Coordinating a group of artists in heavy demand is surely no simple task, but to put a show together that does justice to the talent of these artists would be something to make the art world take notice.
Episode Two is this Friday, March 14th at the Rabbit Hole Gallery. 7-11.

Tap Water Mind Control

Fire throwing? Crimes? Ritual Suspension: a journey into the pit of post consumer waste monsters? Thursday March 13th at the Eyedrum? Your guess is as good as mine. $5.

Call for Artists: Pullman Yard

Local photographer Bobb Lovett has been taking photos in the abandoned Pullman train yard across from his studio for a while now. Its home to some wonderful urban decay and a rotating gallery of graffiti. Bobb is organizing an exhibition that will "showcase art work created by the inspiration and infiltration" of the space in historic Kirkwood. For more info on the project, check out his call for artists on his blog.

Everything Must Go!

Epidemik Coalition is having a sale on all of their tees for a limited time! 40% off most items in their online store! Get a free EC/ThoughtMarker shirt with any purchase while supplies last!

The Saturday we've all been waiting for

I've already mentioned "The Face Show" at MINT Gallery going down on Saturday, March 8th, but there is also so much more. Eyedrum has some sort of twelve hour Draw Off going from noon to midnight. I don't know anything about it but what I've gathered from the vague flyer which I'll let you explore for your self. But my money for Saturday is "Sons of the South: Episode One" at Foundation One Gallery in Decatur. If you saw their disappointing print show at East Side Lounge you'll be happy to know that this show will feature all new work from half of the collective. Every artist on the ticket has the potential to wow and I think that we're gonna see some really good stuff. In addition, that little room in the back of F1 will display photos from The Atlanta Creatives Project. Judging by the number of times I've mentioned them here on my blog, I'm greatful for this addition to the show.

Travis Smith at DressCodes

DressCodes in Decatur is currently showing new work by Travis Smith (does he still go by Mr. Purdy?). There is a reception for the show on Thursday, March 6th from around 6-9. No flyer, but here is a piece that I stole from his flickr:

Alcove at it again

Typical fare from Alcove Gallery this Friday, March 7th from 7-11. "Cartoon Madness 3: Toyland" will display art by Alcove Gallery's usual cast of characters but look out for Joe Havasy's hilarious comic style, and both John Tindel and Bethany Marchman have impressed me lately. I also just noticed that musical guests Auditioning Alice will be playing so get there before 9pm to avoid the $5 admission.

The Face Show Flyers

A little while back I put out an open call for people to create flyers for the next MINT Gallery event, "The Face Show". It goes down this Saturday, March 8th on the same night as several other events that I'll cover later this week. I'll post a few of my favorites, but you can see the rest of the Face Show flyers here. "The Face Show" consists of several photographic projects, each revolving around the face and more specifically facial hair. "Face Hair Face Off" documents competing facial hair compositions, "This is the Beard" documents 20 weeks without shaving, "Ugly Face Project" is self explanatory, and "Brett W. Thompson's 2007" is a video consisting of thousands of photos all taken by Brett W. Thompson last year. Click Clique will also be on hand taking old style polaroids for those interested.

This Week

I'm in Miami and don't have time for my normal rambling about every event going on this weekend. Here is the quick version of what usually takes me a week to accomplish.
The Last Seen improv festival at Push Push Theater Thurs-Sat.
Leap at the MINT Gallery on Friday
An Opening at Hushpuppy Gallery on Saturday

Pre-Oscar Art

MINT Gallery is having a closing reception for its current show, "Bathory/Pollinate/Lexicon", this Sunday 2/24 from 6-8. This is one of the more focused shows at MINT, a space usually more interested in inclusive community based exhibits, and one not to be missed. You can check out the work here, and feel free to bring your art supplies to work, collaborate, or have a drink before Daniel Day-Lewis cleans house that night at the Oscars.

Deconform is False

The lately resurrected Deconform Magazine has changed its title and relaunched as False Magazine to reflect its new staff and direction. The first issue under the new title has surfaced around town in galleries and what have you. I picked up one last week at a house art show in Candler Park and have read through almost all of it's disparate articles loosely themed around the concept of space and how it is utilized. The highlight so far has been "Rich in Space", a short piece about the creative class' need to take hold of unused space in a developing inner city by Karen Tauches. Karen happens to be the subject of the latest portrait and interview over at The Atlanta Creatives Project.
And don't miss the sick illustration by Steven Dixey found on the back cover's Sons of the South add.

UPDATE: Here is Dixey's S.O.S. illustration.

Benefit at Lenny's

The New Tomorrowland

Local photographer Stephanie Howard, the mind behind last years' carnival themed art show at MJQ is cooking up another show at the space. She explains the concept: "We no longer hold ideals that our Futures (according to popular Media) will be a Utopia filled with technology that will lend to a more efficient human existence. i.e. Flying cars, Jet packs, comfy outer-space utopias. (Jetsons and 1950/60's Disneyland)
Instead we have accepted the view of a more apocalyptic / survivalist Future.
My Goal is to Gather a group of Artist to assemble a show that reflects our concerns, fears, and stereotypes of our impending future rendered in our contemporary styles. (parallel of what now is known as Retro-futurist)"
Click Here for details on getting involved.

"Local photographer Stephanie Howard" you say? Where can I see some of her work? - Stop by The Righteous Room tonight for the reception of her current show.

Two Beep Beep Shows

Friday:
In conjunction with the East Atlanta Art Stroll, Beep Beep Gallery will be staging a condo unit at 752 Moreland. This is a one night event in which several condos will be furnished with art and will be open to the public. Come by, sample some wine, tour modern live/work condos and see some great work on display by Tindel, Bean, Jason Murphy, Katie Ridley, and A.B. Lovell.


Saturday:
At BEEP BEEP is the first collaborative show between Michi and Dosa. The work will cross a number of media, and focus on issues of race with particular reference to the Uncle Remus / Br'er Rabbit tales.

Do you have the crazy?

If you enjoy survival thrillers like 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead, then you have no excuse not to see locally produced, critically acclaimed, triumphantly thrilling The Signal. It opens nation wide this weekend, but if you slept with the right people you'll be watching it with me at Thursday's premiere at The Plaza. Here is an internet short they made to coincide with the films plot, enjoy.

Some random stuff

Rabbit Hole Gallery has an opening this friday. I already posted the flyer a while back.

Shaun Thurston's work from San Francisco Coffee last month has moved over to Aurora Coffee L5P. There are also a few new, really big pieces that you definitely need to check out.

You can see the work from MINT's latest show, "Bathory Pollinate Lexicon", for sale at their flickr page.

Deconform Magazine should be showing up sometime this month under a new name, False Magazine. Word is the new issue was designed by Dosa Kim.

Call for Music Videos

In association with Athfest 2008, Sprockets Music Video Competition is calling for entries. The event doesn't go down till this summer but the deadline for submissions is April. Check out their site for details.

Here is a new video by The Selmanaires to excited your senses:

Dailies presents "Fairy Tales"

Dailies is a filmmaking group in Atlanta focused on providing a means for the film community to collaborate and experiment through quarterly projects. Over the next week or so, Push Push Theater will be screening films from a recent project "Fairy Tales". Check the flyer for info and watch the trailer for a glimpse of what you might be in store for.

A Painted Flower a Day

Last year Stewart Haddock gave away painted flowers every day for the entire year. He also documented the project with a wonderfully funny blog. He has now started a new blog, informing and inviting people to see the evidence at The Eyedrum this Saturday (2/9/08) from 6-8. There will be blog excerpts, people who were given flowers last year, and canvases of new flowers with scissors for guests to cut there own to keep. Did any of my readers receive a painted flower last year?

Bathory/Pollinate/Lexicon

Stop by MINT Gallery this Saturday (2/9) for the opening reception of "Bathory Pollinate Lexicon" described by the gallery as "a trio exhibit by emerging artists Sunni Johnson, Jessica Gonacha and Emily Maxwell, dealing with a diverse collection of themes ranging from femme as fatal to the impact of our current lifestyle on the planet. Each theme is linked to the other by the various artistic sensibilities and by the treatment of the subject matter." The real link between the artists' work is collage driven approach to compositions. Otherwise their aesthetics couldn't be more diverse. The opening will also feature a performance by Vera Fang, a band that reminds me a bit of Shock Cinema or other post punk/female vocalist/concoctions.

Tuesday Openings

Another round of the old Tuesday night opening+film screening at the Plaza, this one features a screening of Repo Man and the art of John Pundt, who I'm quite certain is responsible for my favorite atlanta street art of 2007.

Also on Tuesday is the grand opening of a new gallery in Little Five Points. The Opal Gallery's first show, "Soundtrack to Nothing" photographs by Christy Bush, opens 2/5/08 from 6-8. Find out more about the gallery and this opening at their site, theopalgallery.com.

The internet is amazing.

Attractive Eighties Women on Fox 5? A review of "Nostagia" at Beep Beep Gallery at Local Ephemera. A review of "Skull F&*K 2" from Jeremy at Ghostmap Microwave. Who could ask for more?

Progress

Looks like Shepard Fairy supports Obama.

Who saw The Whigs on Letterman last night?

If you missed it then here you go. I'd like to note that this marks the first time I know of that anyone I had a college class with has been featured on late night television. And how about those lunges towards the end?

Live Art at the 5 Spot

Is there really a DJ Heart Disease? This round of Handjob Atlanta features Andrew Bellury who currently has work over at Beep Beep Gallery's "Nostalgia" show, Saint who's "Kinetic Electric" show just came down from MINT Gallery, and PYeah! who I know nothing about.

Call for Artists

Chris Hamer of Urbnpop and the man behind the recent "Underdogs" and "Moonshine Christmas" art shows is planning a show for the MINT Gallery in March and is looking for a few more artists. Here's the deal:

Ever thought you could have done a painting better? Have you stared at this one painting in your grandparent’s house and thought that the person in the painting could so use a uni-brow or a mustache? Here is your chance to make your mark as a home vandal…
Urbn-pop studios and Mint gallery are hosting an art show on March 22nd titled
‘The Home Vandals Network”. We are looking for artists that can make the average piece of art more interesting.

How does this all work??

The concept of this show is to take an ordinary painting, which you might find in a thrift store, or in the attic of your grand parents house and redo it to your liking. All we ask is you leave enough of the original painting where people can see that something was added. Think of the original painting is the backdrop for a scene in a movie, and you are adding the action.

The rules of engagement?

No piece can be over 24x36 in size, all pieces must be framed (glass not necessary, just have a frame around the image) all art work must be turned in to Mint or Urbnpop no later that March 21st. leave enough of the original painting that a person can tell that something was added, but they have to take a second look to figure out what.. Most importantly have fun with this, be as over the top as you want. If you have any questions to what can be done, feel free to send a request over to urbnpop@gmail.com

THE ARTIST SIGN UP DEADLINE IS NO LATER THAN FEBUARY 1ST 2008.

Black Lips at GSU

This is a great video of The Black Lips' recent performance at GSU done by their very own Digital Arts Entertainment Laboratory.

Shows opening on Friday

The Highland Inn occasionally has art shows in their lounge and it just so happens that one is opening tomorrow night from 8-10 featuring the photography of Tara Love and paintings by Hayley Gaberlavage.

The monthly Castleberry Hill Art Stroll is tomorrow night too. I haven't been in a while and I might have never gone back if it weren't for the friendliest person I know, Brett Thompson's opening tomorrow night at Tilt. Jeffrey Lerner and Thom Foolery are also showing.



[other flyer won't upload? maybe later, Tilt is located at 274 Walker st. Atlanta, GA 30313]

Saturday openings

Two group shows. Pop Nostalgia and Rock and Roll. I'll see you at both.

Shaun Thurston at San Francisco Coffee

During a recent trip to get my morning coffee I was blown away by an artist that I was not familiar with. If you get a chance, stop by the San Francisco Coffee on N. Highland (between Ponce and North) as soon as possible to see work by recent Jacksonville transplant Shaun Thurston. He's got a bunch of great paintings that fall somewhere between graffiti and zoology, and they're very reasonably priced considering the quality. If you miss out, word is he'll have work up at Aurora L5P soon.

Rabbit Hole Gallery announces first show of 2008

Rabbit Hole Gallery has announced their first show of the year and it looks amazing. Richard Guster's light box work looks to use multiple exposure photography to capture that vintage kitsch/ antique aesthetic that we've seen at Rabbit Hole before.

Nozuku Gallery Closes

Damn, this article is sad. I'd been to Nozoku a couple of times whilst wandering around Castleberry, and found that most often they were showing recycled work from shows past. Well, now I know why. Let Felicia tell it:

Creative Loafing Blog

AEW In Stitches

Last weekend, the Attractive Eighties Women cd release party ended in disaster when frontman Mack Williams was hit with a flying glass and his wrist was lacerated. He claims that he is on the road to recovery, but to make up for a shortened show, AEW is releasing a free EP of the show up to that point entitled "In Stitches." Download it here. And don't forget to pick up their new full length, "Coup de Ta Ta's" from cdbaby.com, Decatur CD, Criminal Records, or Wuxtry in Athens.

This week's art

Here are flyers for this weeks art. Peruse at your leisure.

Updates

Local artists Steven Dixey and Jason Murphy both have new work online. The 13 Sons of the South have launched their website and have an upcoming show split between Rabbit Hole Gallery and Foundation One Gallery. My friend Victoria has started a blog to promote local art events, focusing on film and performance: Venture Out. East Atlanta Tattoo and Gallery has announced upcoming shows including a tribute to The Planet of the Apes' 40th anniversary. There is a relatively new gallery in Grant Park called Hush Puppy Gallery and they have a show coming up on March 1st. The Opal Gallery is opening up in Little Five Points. Their first show is February 5th.  And some of you aren't my friend on myspace yet.

Kinetic Electric Review

Jeremy over at Ghostmap Microwave has written a great review of Saint's "Kinetic Electric" at the MINT Gallery. He's allowed me to post it here, but check out his blog for his usual ramblings about local art and beyond.

Kinetic Electric is precisely what it appears to be: a self-produced effort by an untested yet talented sequential artist. Saint, also known as Alan Hemphill, premiered his graphic novel at MINT Gallery last Saturday. Rendered in pen and brushed in savage, sometimes oppressive sumi ink, Saint's science fiction brainchild is promising but a little rough around the edges.

Flipping through its 32 pamphlet-sized pages, the book tells the story of a punk rock chick who wants to play God. Before biking out to market to buy robot parts, the unnamed girl narrates, "I will gyrate to the orgasmic throbs of Mary Shelly.” Bursting at the seams with raw energy, statements like that characterize the project as a whole. Kinetic Electric’s enthusiasm helps forgive its shortcomings.

The world Saint envisions is, in his words, an “Orwellian wet dream.” The flavor is pure cyberpunk, borrowing imagery from The Matrix and comic titles like Ghost in the Shell or Transmetropolitan. The future is dirty. Technology thrives like an ambiguous cancer, and everyone is still in search of their own personal gods, their next “big fix.” Additions like advertisements in Hindi script and shots of Buddhist monks with neural implants are a nice touch. Saint comments that the urban decay was also inspired by life experience, living homeless on the streets of New York.

Our would-be Mary Shelly covers herself with "holo-film tattoo spray." The substance turns her skin into a living television screen (using nanotechnology perhaps?). The convention allows Saint to decorate his lead girl with a different exotic tattoo in every panel. The reader is left wanting a little more exposition about gadgets like “holo-film” and the mysterious “uncertainty engine."

And you have to wonder: “Why the hell is she building this robot?” The answer is, it seems, out of sheer boredom. The twist is that technology is so common almost anyone can scrounge the parts to create artificial life. Future Kinetic issues will develop the melodrama further: this new android consciousness awakens to discover an imperfect creator who had nothing better to do with her Saturday night.

Riffing in a violent, almost Dadaist fashion, the writing is chiefly concerned with attitude: “This is the birth pain of ball driven Tantric super science bashing the head meat of god, gyrating in the soft warm centers of its heavy thunder and pouring lightning.” The style is immediate like high-powered automatic writing, but the type needs some editing. Plus there's little to break up the adrenaline pitch.

Kinetic's story text follows the drawings on separate pages in irregular order, so unfortunately, you never quite know when to turn forward or back. In one scene, the girl tries to haggle a price with a market robot. It made me laugh, but it really took a second look for the sequence to make sense. Framed panels may not solve the problem, but just a slight modification will make things easier on the eyes.

With so many conflicting forces, I know the balancing act is daunting: image vs. text, the printed product vs. the quality of each original, etc. When working with less than a shoestring budget, you can’t expect amenities like custom framing or high quality printing. And it’s too bad since the guy is really good with color; just check out Saint’s myspace.

Kinetic Electric has the first main ingredient for creating a great pulp story, what Warren Ellis calls that “true seed of madness.” Otherwise, it just needs some polish.

Watch films on your iPhone

Go see these shows...

A handful of shows opened this last weeked and there are a couple that need to be seen. I'll comment on the others as well.

Squanto at Aurora L5P: This show is rediculous in the best way possible. Her rainbow colored collages are far more developed than ever before. This is some of the best work of its kind (the hippie mixed media genre), and that I've ever seen from Squanto. I was very pleasantly surprised by the cohesion of Melissa Cox's work since taking on the Squanto personna. Go see this.

"Other Worlds" at Foundation One: Go see this just for John Tindel's work. It looks like he is doing the same thing that he's always done. The same imagery. The same compositions. The same everything. But Tindel has gotten significantly better at every aspect of his craftsmanship. The lines are cleaner, the layers of resin work better, the compositions are tighter. The way everything comes together is monumentaly greater. Just as I had begun to think he would continue to make the same old pieces, just with a rotating cast of characters, he stepped up big time. Well done sir.

Youngblood gallery bored me. Too bad it was thier last show. Read a longer review of it at Local Ephemera.

Saint's "Kinetic Electric" at MINT Gallery - Someone please write a short review of this show and send it to me. (Jeremy?) I think it's subpar execution of really great ideas with loads of artistic talent.

Anna Kramer performs at "Sun Records" closing

Anna Kramer and The Lost Cause will play Sun covers at the closing for Kerri Boles' embroidered tribute to the famous record label. Take a look at the show here.

Man is the warmest place to hide.

Thanks to DaFC for the update on everything going on at the Plaza Theatre this month. This one is tomorrow night.

Oh, is there a really big art scene in Atlanta?

One more for Saturday

On top of openings at MINT, Youngblood, and Foundation One, you can stop by an early opening at Aurora Coffee in Virginia Highlands for New Works by Natasha Pantelides. She was once one in the long line of cute female interns that they keep hiring over at Beep Beep Gallery, but she also makes wonderfull art.

More weekend shows

Saint's "Kinetic Electric" is the first issue of his comic book/gallery show series at MINT Gallery, and it is going to be awesome. If you like the future, comic books, the wizard of oz, anime, robots, electricity, pen and ink, or big haired asian girls, then don't miss this opening on Saturday 1/5/08 from 7-11. Also a performance by Eiliyas.

"Other Worlds" at Foundation One Gallery also opens from 7-11 on Saturday and features the art of Jesse Reno, Warren Dykeman, and John Tindel.

Young Blood Gallery's last show till sometime

If you haven't heard, here it is in their own words:

As a Young Blood supporter, you should be among the first to know about some big changes for us over the next several months.

A New Space...

We’re suspending the usual jam-packed Young Blood calendar for a while so we can focus on finalizing a new space for Young Blood II, that can accommodate our growth over the last 10 years. The next evolution of Young Blood will rest on the first – a strong foundation of artists, designers and community supporters like you. When we re-open, we’ll bring you expanded gallery and store hours with even MORE artists, designers, events and neighborhood partnerships.

Our “Last” Show

Our next show on Saturday January 5th, “Negotiable Affection” with Lorien Jordan, will be the last opening in our current Glenwood Avenue space.

A Crazy Boutique Sale

The boutique will be open through the end of January, and we’ll be having a BIG sale to clear out current inventory. So if you’ve had your eye on that burnt toast for years – here’s your chance to snag him wholesale! Starting January 1st everything in the store will be 20% off then every week go up a percentage to 40% off (which is wholesale). We will also be having another sale in February with possible store fixtures, abandoned art, shelving and things we don't want to move into
the new spot.

Squanto, Noot d' Noot, Handjob Atlanta, conclusive video evidence...

Squanto aka Melissa Cox has a solo show of her psychedelic/technicolor, nature/surrealist, collage/drawings opening at Aurora in L5P this Friday the 4th of January from 8-10 and Noot d' Noot will be providing the electro hipster funk. Then follow me down the street for Handjob Atlanta at The 5 Spot where Thom Foolery, James Hargett, and Emmer will be painting live along side a DJ and a Street Fighter 2 tournament. That should start around 10pm I think. Here is a Noot d' Noot video from last months wrasfest, a time lapse clip of the last Handjob Atlanta event, and a flyer to get you pumped.

Happy New Year!

Lots of stuff to preview this week. Check back for flyers and whathaveyou: Squanto at Aurora L5P, Handjob Atlanta at the 5 Spot, Youngblood's last show at its current location, the first issue of Saint's sci-fi comic opera at MINT, Foundation One, anything I'm forgetting?