More expanding!

When you start getting too big for your britches, you get bigger britches. That’s exactly what we’re doing. Pardon our appearance as we restructure our lab and website. We’ll occasionally update the blog with cool things, but with less frequency until the restructuring is done. We apologize to our viewers but trust us, it’s for the sake of progress.

In the mean time, check out The Real McKoy’s ACE Hotel piece below and more of his work at www.therealmcKoy.com.

Photo credit Worm C.
- SPL

FOOX-U is one of those rare people you meet that is super genuine and has butt-loads of coolness although he may be a bit off. He is like that crazy uncle that shows up at galleries that tells all the funny stories, drinks a little too much and then slides you a $20 because your his favorite niece or nephew.

In other words, FOOX-U is pretty awesome.

Like your uncle, he can pretty much do anything better than your dad. He paints, he makes t-shirts, and he creates vinyl figures. His latest line appropriately called ORGAN DONORS. With names like “Pickled Liver,” “Nuclear Thinker” and “Blunted”, you hearken back to the days of getting your first pack of Garbage Pail Kids, sitting on your uncle’s lap and showing him as he pretended to be interested and sipped gin behind your back.

FOOX-U Home.

- KAGE

Few words can be used to describe the immense talent and awe inspiring vision that come when looking at Chase Tafoya’s work. I surmise that the best possible way for the world to describe his art is “WOW!”

Drawing inspiration both from within and from environmental stimuli, Chase creates portraits that depict stories rather than just capture moments that carry with them an ethereal communication between him and his subjects that continues well after a piece is done. He also spreads conscious thought and community awareness as co-founder of P.M.A. (Positive Movement Alliance).

You can currently check out his latest works gracing skate decks in Full Deck: A Short History of Skate Art at Bedford Gallery (1601 Civic Dr. Walnut Creek, CA 94596) until September 11th. Also, be on the lookout for his future collaboration with DSTROYR, Famous, and The Soul Assassins.

Chase Tafoya Fine Art.

- SPL

Check out Rob’s current body of work at RadRox.com and also at GR2, Giant Robot Magazine’s huge group show going on until August 5th if you’re in West L.A.

- KAGE

photo credit: Incase Designs

Seems like the wonderful city of Boston has nothing better to do with their resources than to charge Shephard Fairey (OBEY) with three misdemeanors: one charge of defacing property and two charges of wanton destruction of property for a September 2000 incident where he placed a poster on the back of an electrical box and earlier this year planting a sticker on the back of a sign and a poster on the side of a condo. Eleven other charges were dropped. This on the heels of his controversial battle with The Associated Press.

The 39-year-old Los Angeles street artist, who became famous for plastering his posters and stickers throughout cities, must pay $2,000 to a graffiti removal organization and cannot possess tagging materials — such as stickers or paste — in Boston except for authorized art installations. He also must tell officials when he plans to visit Suffolk County, where Boston is located.
(Juxtapoze.com)

And here I thought NYC vandal squad and laws were ridiculous. But could this mean an end to Fairey’s taking his art to the street?

“I think that people should be responsible about sharing their art, and that’s not a transition or an evolution of my philosophy,” Fairey said outside court. “Fortunately, I’m at a place in my career where I can get sanctioned spaces, so it’s not an issue that I’ll ever have to worry about again.”

We’ll have to wait and see the impact, if any, this will have on the future of art on the street.

Shepahrd Fairey and KAGE

- KAGE

On July 14th, Norweigen artist Bard Hole Standal will debut the first five pieces of the Deinos series as well as displaying a selection of his giclée canvases and prints at Ouchi Gallery in association with The ShadowPlastic Label.

For a little over a year, Bard has been working on the creation of Deinos, a 5 inch resin figure which he modeled, cast and hand-painted himself in his Oslo studio. The figure comes in five colors: black, red, yellow, orange and purple. The numbered 1 of 5 editions of each colorway will be available for the first time ever at Ouchi Gallery through The ShadowPlastic Label. This will be the only opportunity to purchase these figures until the casting of the numbered 2 of 5 editions in two months.

Bard’s work will be on display from Wednesday 7/15 to Sunday 7/19, 12-6p.m. by appointment only. There is an Opening Reception on Tuesday 7/14, 7-10p.m. open to the public.

For more information or to purchase any of Bard’s work, please email The ShadowPlastic Label at info[at]shadowplastic.com.

Download the show press release HERE.
Download Bard Hole Standal’s press kit and price list HERE.

Ouchi Gallery
170 Tillary St, Ste. #507
Brooklyn NY 11201 (MAP)

- SPL

Tristan’s work has nothing to do with any of that, but it is equally as awesome. Dancing with portraiture and surrealism in a weird three-way tango, Tristan’s body of paintings are both seductive and haunting. . . like a hipster, but better.

thewhiteleaf.com – The illustration of Tristan Henry-Wilson .

- KAGE

- SPL

Ouchi Gallery in association with The ShadowPlastic Label presents the first annual:
Toy Monogatari – Where Eastern pocket monsters meet Western pocket monsters.

July marks the first (of many) month-long showcases dedicated to the world of collectible toys. Recently toys have grown up beyond the realm of just “kid stuff” to an accepted art form and a viable business for designers looking to take their art to a 3rd dimension. With companies like Kid Robot, Medicom and Tokidoki, the collectible toy market continues to expand and the phenomenon does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.

For the first annual “Toy Monogatari” (“Toy ‘Story’”) we bring you two emerging artists/toy designers from the East and the West. First on June 30th we present Makoto Kitazawa, a Japanese artist hailing from Tokyo that uses basic techniques of crochet to create wonderfully complex and unique kaiju inspired monsters. Then on July 15th comes Bard Hole Standal from Oslo, Norway. Not only will this be the first time Bard shows his artwork in the U.S., but it will be the first time ever that his new toy “Deinos” will be on display for the public to see. This show will be co-curated by The ShadowPlastic Label.

We look forward to your attendance for these and other historical events at Ouchi Gallery. Ouchi Gallery is located at 170 Tillary Street Suite #507 in downtown Brooklyn, New York, just East of DUMBO by the Manhattan bridge. For more information please visit our website http://www.min-gei.com/ouchi_gallery.

- SPL

Makoto Kitazawa lives in Tokyo, Japan. He started the creation of the crochet dolls in 2006.
“The joy of my life is to create a form from a single string. Every once in a while, unexpected new forms emerge. Creating forms is not difficult; I only use basic techniques of crochet. But, by combining simple ways, I create something unique.”

- SPL