On the heels of his Oscar nomination for “Exit Through the Gift Shop” the illusive Banksy has returned to Los Angeles hitting some familiar spots. Just blocks from his famed Melrose Rat, appeared the much less permanent billboard adaptation (below). While the Oscar nod has not impressed Bansky in the least, his commentary on the industry his loud and clear.

Beginning with the popularity of the Barely Legal warehouse show, Banksy has made waves in Los Angeles. It seems we have become the staging ground for his most grand of statements. Many will argue that Banksy is solely responsible for the work produced under the Mr. Brainwash moniker. It may be difficult to imagine producing masses of work displayed at the “Life is Beautiful” show, creating the documentary, and staging Thierry Guetta as a facade. But in our humble opinion we wouldn’t put it past him.

Should be fun. Free ($5 donation optional). Most exciting of all… Flying Lotus is set to hit the stage at 10:20 PM.

Watching Ross Ching’s short film Running on Empty reminded us of our early days in Los Angeles when downtown was still empty. At the time you could drive around a surrealistic landscape of warehouse lined streets that were completely devoid of residents. In a city as densely packed as Los Angeles, it seemed amazing that there could ever be a street corner with no signs of life, and of course as the housing boom renovated much of the downtown area that quiet night time solitude disappeared.
Ching’s short depicts this on a much larger scale. Seeing the 405 empty and any time of night or day is a little jarring, let alone Malibu, the Promenade, or many of the other Angeleno landmarks depicted. There’s also Radiohead’s beautifully lonely “No Surprises” providing a perfect soundtrack to the scenery.

Originally created for the Fumetto Comix Festival in Zurich, Alejandro and the Idea Machine is the wild creation of Souther Salazar & Monica Choy. Long admirers of their work, we are delighted to have a glimpse into their process. We so often take for granted the time and effort goes into putting together these imaginative pieces. Enjoy!

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NEXT AT NEW PUPPY GALLERY
CAPTURED: U, Me & Hip Hop

Curator: Beats+Crates

Opening: June 5, 2010, 6pm – 11pm

Beats+Crates, one of L.A.’s best-kept secrets, hits the art scene with a group
photo show, CAPTURED: U, Me & Hip Hop.

>From the fan nodding his head to a favorite tune to the producer digging in
crates for that next sample, photos by Cognito, Jewell, B+, BRASS, Coleman,
Mike Park and others capture the high energy of Hip Hop — on and off stage.

Join us for the opening on June 5 with Sean O, J-Heart, and J1 aka THE DEER
on the 1′s and 2′s, plus a special guest. Enjoy drinks, specialty cupcakes,
and music video director Jerome D. projecting on the back wall. Photogs and
artists will be in the house. Hip Hop fans, art lovers, and everyone in between,
come check it out and support local artists!

ON VIEW: June 5 – June 10

Roger Gastman is a man of many talents.  The day I caught up with him he was a curator, prepping the day before his show “ROOMS” would open at Scion: Space in Culver City.  Roger is a mover and a shaker in the American art community.  He founded two critically successful art publications, While You Were Sleeping and Swindle (co-founder with Shepard & Amanda Fairey).  Today he is the Creative Director & Founder of R.Rock Enterprises, a multi-platform, boutique media agency that specializes in being one step ahead of the game.  Clients include Coca-Cola, Harper Collins, Saatchi & Saatchi, Volkswagon, HBO, and Urban Outfitters.  He’s constantly working on the very envelope that the others are “pushing.”

The Bethesda Maryland native came up doing graffiti and participating in the straight edge punk scene in the DC area.  He turned his passion for the sub-cultures loose on the world and thanks to his documentation and research, published several excellent books showcasing American graffiti.  One of the best documentaries on the same subject, Infamy, also has Roger’s stamp all over it; he served as Supervising Producer.  He is very successful in bringing street art to the mainstream and bridging the very specific style with the business of media.  In the art documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop , the adventures of Banksy and Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) are chronicled and lead up to the epic “Life is Beautiful” show MBW held in Los Angeles in 2008. At that point, Roger is introduced in the film as the man brought in to save the show.  His curatorial expertise was clutch for the very large exhibit and it’s really a tribute to the kind of instinct and judgement that Roger can bring to any kind of project.

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6:30 pm – 10:00 pm  /  20 May 2010
Downtown Independent Theater
251 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
VIEW MAP |   REGISTER NOW

A three part How-To seminar series on demystifying the web for designers.

Part One: Understanding Interactive Communication Design

Join Kellis Landrum and Brian Wood on May 20 from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm for a seminar on making the web more approachable for designers. Learn how digital media content dissemination works and how extend your print skills on to the Web. Mingle with the LA design community and enjoy food and drinks with us at the Downtown Independent Theater before the seminar. We’ll be showing videos from Adobe Youth Voices and giving away a copy of Adobe CS5. Register now to reserve your spot!

Reception from 6:30pm – 7:30pm
We’ll be showing videos from Adobe Youth Voices in the lounge/lobby and giving away a copy of Adobe CS5.

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Although looking at a Playboy centerfold is enough female art to get you through the day, the great Hugh Hefner does a little more to contribute to the art world by lending a hand in saving one of the most iconic landmarks of our generation. Problem is, it looks like the generous donation wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place, what with design company Bayarch’s proposed plan.

Having served as a beacon to both the person who loves movies and the person who wants to star in them, the Hollywood sign has stood strong since 1923 (when it first appeared as “Hollywoodland”). Decades after serving as a silent but strong symbol of the showbiz industry, the Hollywood sign’s existence is now threatened by rumors of being torn down to give way to housing projects.
To help preserve the legendary sign, Hugh Hefner donated $900,000 to the Trust for Public Land to purchase Cahuenga Peak, the land where the Hollywood sign is now standing. Thanks to several hefty donations (pun not intended), the sign will stand yet another day.

But a solution has been brewing all along that would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. Bayarch, a design and architecture company based in Ringkobing and Copenhagen, came up with a plan to unify both the ideas of preserving the Hollywood sign and establishing a luxury housing project. The façade of Bayarch’s proposed building clearly pays its tribute to the original giant billboard. However, a commercial edifice belies the unassuming front, consisting of a hotel, cinemas, spas, and clubs built right into the structure.

From afar, Bayarch’s design intends to conserve the legendary Hollywood sign. But the company has gone a step further by toying with the investors’ idea of developing the real estate.

The design includes public access to the top of the Hollywood sign, providing a lavish view of Los Angeles below. The commercial complex is also largely made of glass walls and windows to provide an open, spacious retreat for those who can’t resist the glamour of Hollywood.

So much money has passed hands, so many debates have commenced. If Bayarch’s ingenious plan has been revealed early on, one wonders how different things would have been – and if Hefner would have saved himself almost a million dollars.
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You may recall our earlier posts about the release of Carl Jung’s Red book after years 95 years of cloistering. The book is an elaborately lettered and illustrated odyssey into C.G. Jung’s unconscious. A Los Angeles exhibit is the first public display of the book and UCLA’s Hammer Museum is only west coast venue for the exhibition.

In addition to the famed book, the exhibition will display several oil, chalk, and tempera paintings and preparatory sketches related to the Red Book, and other original manuscripts, including the Black Books, which contain ideas and fantasies leading up to the Red Book. The Red book will be on display through June 6, 2010.

Readings of the participating writers will be held at the opening reception.
Friday, March 26, 7:00 PM.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue.

Los Angeles — ARTifice, of the Art Institute of California-Hollywood, is pleased to present their annual gallery exhibition, this year entitled Interstates. Curated by faculty advisor Miah Jeffra and Marie Kinnell, the exhibition features works by a diverse group of writers and artists, professionals and students, focused on creating a collective portrait of the mythological city in which they all live.

Utilizing multiple voices, Interstates attempts to examine the relationship between textual and visual representations of the Los Angeles experience.  The participating writers have composed portraits of their particular LA, with no restrictions on form or content.  Visual responses to the literature were then created by the artists in their various chosen medium.  Layer upon layer, these collected ‘portraits’ aim to help “Los Angeles find a ritual to join its fragments” – Jim Morrison.

TempoRoyale is located at 2619 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Royale building. Gallery viewings are by appointment. For more information, please contact Miah Jeffra at 323.350.9176, or temporoyale@gmail.com.