Mote

Lovely Mister Masrade linked me to this artist today, MOTE from Russia. Some of his art reminds me of one my faves, Tado! Also, very much worth mentioning, is Masrade's photo a day project, Rad/Empty. Make sure you check it often!!!

100 Girls on Cheap Paper

There's a really cool show happening in Berlin right now entitled '100 girls on cheap paper' (it's also a book) featuring Tina Berning. Some of her work reminds me of the earlier Ruben Toledo stuff...

CHINATSU BAN!!!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I'm saving my pennies for a plane ticket to Fort Worth.

The Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX
FOCUS: Chinatsu Ban
December 3, 2006–January 28, 2007

Chinatsu Ban's most common motif is the elephant, which symbolizes a number of things to the artist, including safety and salvation. In 2005 Ban was included in the major exhibition Little Boy, hosted by the Japan Society Gallery and organized by the important Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. With Little Boy, Murakami explored the phenomenon known as otaku, which, now globalized, began as a Japanese youth subculture fixated on science fiction; fantasy; video games; comic books, known as manga; and animation, known as anime.

A young artist among those who explore otaku, Ban was born in 1973 and lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. She has been making art since 1997, and has continued to develop her unique aesthetic style, creating both paintings and sculpture of irresistibly cute figures, including generically rendered elephants with no mouths, in bright colors and often wearing girls' undergarments. While there is a definite personal and psychological edge to Ban's work, her paintings and sculpture undeniably operate within the realm of kawaii, the Japanese word for cute, which is also seen in such popular figures as Hello Kitty. FOCUS: Chinatsu Ban is the artist's first solo museum exhibition.

It's finally October 20th!

I'm blushing to admit it, but this is my admission to being totally-super-excited to see Marie Antoinette. The website is rad, too. Yeah, I know, how girly am I?

Chiho Aoshima

KaiKai Kiki is home to my most favorite artists, including Chinatsu Ban, Aya Takano, Takashi Murakami, and Chiho Aoshima. Here are some pieces by Chiho Aoshima; who always inspires me with her imagery of nature, the cycle of life, and meaning of earth. Looking at her work makes me feel as though her imagination has flown through space, delved into the depths of the earth, spoken with the trees, lived among the reptiles, and then returned to inspire her hand to draw.

Illicit: Misery & Team Kitten

The folks over at Illicit in New Zealand have some really talented gals on their team. First off is Misery, who has hit the fashion scene pretty hard here in the states.

I'm itchin' to go to the Misery boutique... I'll have to plan a trip to New Zealand!
Their newest addition is Team Kitten, who has some amazing imagery as well.

California Cryptozoic

Megan Whitmarsh is curating a show called California Cryptozoic at New Image. I'm a big fan of Megan's lovely Snowmonkey 'zines, and her Yeti frolickin' among mushroom embroideries. I bet this show is going to be a blast!

Peskimo

EEEEEE! This print reads 'Be Happy, Think Bunny' (of course, I had to buy it). Peskimo has some really great art goin' on...

Gaston Caba

I'm really diggin' this super fun illustrator (Check out his plushies, too!), Gaston Caba from Buenos Aires. He has some animations up somewhere, but I can't seem to find them- if anyone runs across them, please link me! You can see Gaston Caba's site here, and his FlickR here.

Long live Michael Scott

A bit off subject, but I can't resist.

Growing up in LA, I'm not one for oogling celebrities when I see them... usually. However, while shopping for groceries this weekend, who should Dan and I run into but 'effen STEVE CARELL... I nearly shat myself. Of course we stopped dead in our dinner buyin' tracks and timed things just right so we could push our carts into the parking lot side-by-side. (and yes, I told him that he is, without a doubt, the most amazing actor in the world, and that my life would be empty without my weekly 'The Office' fix)

The Bliss Express Show

After reading Masrade's post, I am really eager to go see:
The Bliss Express Show
October 7 - October 25

Gallery Nucleus and Guu Press are proud to present The Bliss Express Show, marking the first release of the art book Bliss Express: Illustrating Happiness (December 2006).
In Bliss Express, 21 of today’s most striking pop artists explore the idea of happiness. From Japan and Korea to China, France and North America, they evoke fashion, rock ’n’ roll, nature, graffiti, movies, money, sex and Sunday morning cartoons in tackling a universal question. The author, Althea Chia, says, “Our hope is to have produced a book that just about anyone, art connoisseur or not, would want to pick up from the table and look through, and then, leave, taking something—at least one thing—from it.”
Bringing together short stories, artist quotations, biographies and over 280 images in full color, Bliss Express paints the normalities and absurdities of modern life. It is a reel of snapshots of the artists’ visions and obsessions—their unhinged, funny, heartbreaking journey to that elusive inner state of grace.
The exhibition, characterized by marked pleasure and wrenching aesthetics, will showcase the Bliss Express artists’ evocative works for all to view in the flesh.

Artists:
Aya Kondo, Bengal, David Choe, Emma Sky, Fuco Ueda, Hiroki Mafuyu, Joysuke Wong, Marcos Chin, Nona, Ogi, Ohgushi, Panamaman, Rain, Sasai Icco, Seonna Hong, Stephane Tartelin, Tomo, Wakaba, Yuko Shimizu, Yumiko Kayukawa

'Purity' by TADO!

I love this video by Tado!!!! Thank you for sending it to me, Miss Gain!

Otogi Works

I'm a huge fan of recycling... and when you can make it look this cute, it's even better! Yay for Otogi Works, a Japanese duo who create works out of recycled cardboard boxes and scraps.

Crowded Teeth

I'm head over heels in love with the Fall Collection from Crowded Teeth. Aside from their always amazing screened tees, hoodies, and scarves, now they've got knits! Squirrels, sharks and more adorn scarves and (my favorite) fingerless gloves!!! I'll take one of everything, please!

Evah Fan @ GR2

Beginning this weekend, GR2 is featuring the works of Evah Fan, in a show entitled 'I Bacon Powder'. I've always loved the humor and simplicity in Evah's work, and I am excited to go see her show! Check out her website, Potato Have Toes.

Ai Yamaguchi

GR2 is currently exhibiting the works of Ai Yamaguchi, and I am hoping to catch the show before it is over (The show runs until October 5th). You may have seen her work for Shu Uemura cosmetics; she also had a solo exhibit a few years back at Roberts & Tilton. Here is their description of Yamaguchi's work for the show:
The exhibition will consist of a large-scale mural installation depicting the fictitious world of Touge no Chaya, the Teahouse of the Mountain Pass, set in Japan’s Edo period (1600-1868 AD). It is here that Yamaguchi’s characters, nine young girls between the ages of nine and ten, live and work as courtesans. Unlike Yamaguchi’s previous work which focuses primarily on the girls’ turbulent emotions and naivety, SUKUTOKO concentrates on a unique ritual performed by the girls for purification and release from the burdens of daily life. During SUKUTOKO, the girls place incense left behind by their lovers inside clam shells and imagine various spirits in the rising smoke. Through this act of incense-offering the girls experience a sense of delight, and are able to escape the demands of life at the brothel, if only for a moment. Originally trained in textile design, Yamaguchi’s work combines the refined aesthetics inherent in classical Japanese culture with the pop-culture sensibilities of contemporary Japanese animation. Her use of unique materials, attention to detail, and engaging narrative help transport the viewer into a world filled with lush patterns and rich history.