I initially saw Noferin on Myspace, and today I visited their new website. They have really cute new toys coming out, as well as a show at Thinkspace Gallery in LA from April 13-27th.
Noferin
I initially saw Noferin on Myspace, and today I visited their new website. They have really cute new toys coming out, as well as a show at Thinkspace Gallery in LA from April 13-27th.
Adopt-a-Squid
Adopt a Squid is another find from the wonderful NotCot! These huge handmade squids sell for a pretty penny, but a portion of the proceeds go to the American Red Cross to aid Tsunami Victims.
Here's Clarence:
Clarence is a party animal. Don’t expect him to be home before 3 AM if its a friday night. He’s got a big circle of friends and won’t hesitate to introduce you to any of them. Calvin is pretty fly for a white squid.
And Sophie:
Sophie hails to us all the way from Paris, France. She makes a worthy tennis opponent, but enjoys nothing more than a good glass of red wine.
Lots more squids on the site!
FiFi Lapin
Thanks to the Free People Blog, I found out about the adorable and oh-so-stylish Fifi Lapin! Fifi never wears the same outfit twice, so act fast to pick up her one-of-a-kind illustrations on the Fifi Lapin Etsy Shop. You can also keep up with Fifi on her blog! Here is Fifi's story: "Hi, I'm Fifi. Fifi Lapin. I was born one of 257 brothers and sisters but sadly there was an outbreak of myxamatosis when I was one year old and I was the only one that survived. My parents are therefore incredibly protective of me and spoil me rotten. I'm an haress to my fathers fortune which he made playing fast and loose with carrot and lettuce shares on the international stock market. There are a lot of rabbits out there so I guess he just struck gold (or orange you might say). Some people think I’m just a socialite but I think there is more to me than just an extremely stylish clotheshorse! "
This weekend: GR2/GRSF/GRNY
Giant Robot(s) always have the best art shows. They are always so accessible, with nice down-to-earth amazingly talented artists that will stand in the corner and talk to you while the masses admire their work on the walls. Plus, I can always find something wonderful that I can actually afford. There are openings at all the GR's this weekend, so find the one closest to you and go buy some art!
Aya Takano 'Wild dogs, hawks, owls, cats, a landfill the size of 44 and a half Tokyo Domes, the stratosphere'
Feb. 10, 2007 – April 7, 2007
Gallery Emmanuel Perrotin Miami
Aya Takano's solo show in Miami is based upon the artitst's trip to a trash disposal plant.
From the KaiKai Kikii site:
The story: One day Aya Takano noticed a strange windmill outside her studio in the Tokyo Bay Area. She found there a waste disposal plant built on a landfill. From this spectacular sight came tales of girls and animals born and raised in a world buried in trash. The story of these mysterious lanky girls and their symbiotic co-existence with these new bird- and dog-like life forms touched the hearts of the denizens of Miami, a city perpetually sinking from global warming.
Aya Takano: There is a Science Fiction author, James Tiptree, Jr. whom I like. In one of her unfinished long works, I remember a scene where children born without hands or feet (the result of radiation from a nuclear bomb or something) cooperate with each other to drive a large car in their departure to somewhere. Also, there is a really wonderful Japanese comic book called Nausicaa, where the atmosphere has become poisonous--deadly to a person of this world--as the result of a large war. Both of these stories portray poisonous environments, but ones in which life continues.
When I shared my experiences at the waste site with people around me, I was told me that in some landfills, plants grow that have adapted to poison. It reminded me of how insects adapt to withstand pesticide. I heard that billions of years ago, most creatures on Earth were extremely sensitive to oxygen. As oxygen increased on the planet, many of them died off. One atmosphere might be unsurvivable for one creature, yet optimum for another. I also hear that there is life on the inside of deepsea volcanoes, the inside of clay, and other places where we previously thought it could not exist. I thought that the children who might be born sometime on this waste site, who might seem like mutants to us, are Venuses of this new world. I consider them beautiful.
To get rid of trash, no matter what we do, as long as we live on this planet, and as long as the systems we have continue to be effective, will not be possible. In the Edo Period (over 100 years in the past), in Japan there was a perfect waste ecosystem, including human excretions, but there is no way to go back to that now. Vinyl and plastic do not decompose, even after hundreds of years. If children are born amongst the mountains of plastic and vinyl left by us and the generations before us, they might look at these mountains and find them beautiful. Well, at least, I think they are beautiful. It is the same as how I think that artificial buildings and lights are beautiful.
Heart Throb @ Merry Karnowsky
Probably what will be one of the best shows this year, Heartthrob at Merry Karnowsky Galleryin Los Angeles opened this weekend. Featuring new, amazingly beautiful pieces by Miss Van, Junko Mizuno, and Aiko Nakagawa, the show runs through April 7th. I've been drooling over the photos from NotCot all weekend, and can't wait to see the show for myself. (crazy side-note: the Miss Van pieces sold out with $30,000 price tags!)
Mark Ryden 'The Tree Show'
This weekend, Mark Ryden's 'The Tree Show' opens at Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. It's been a while since Ryden has done a solo show!
Scarygirl : City Folk Series
I love the new set of 15 toys from Scarygirl artist Nathan Jurevicius!
From the Kidrobot site:
Searching through the urban dreamscape to find her parents, Scarygirl has come to the big city where she meets as confounding a cast of characters as can be. From Australian artist and illustrator Nathan Jurevicius comes the most urban installment and expansion of the Scarygirl universe from the popular comic strip.
This series is MASSIVE! A blind box series of 15 frighteningly cute mini figures that are brought to life in soft vinyl and plastic, each with their own distinctive accessories, personalities and stories. Each figure comes with a different colored Protester (Those small, spikey, helmet shaped figures). These little cloaked characters protest everything from the high prices of Jellycat meat to the mistreatment of giant sloths'
CJ Metzger & Miss Mindy : Secret Lives of Dolls
My very good friends CJ Metzger and Miss Mindy have an upcoming show at Gallery Revisited. The opening reception is March 24th, 6-10 pm, and even features Miss Penny Star Jr. and friends in decadent baroque costumes designed by the Candace and Mindy! Also at the opening will be the special pre-sale of their limited edition book box-set "Artist Sisters: Box of Stories". Yay! Come out and support these two wonderful gals!
FAFI insanity!
Finally, the world is catching on the amazingness of French artist FAFI! I love, love, love her... and even dragged my poor boyfriend all over the streets of France in order to see her grafitti with my own eyes. She has so many projects coming out in the next few months, I can't even keep track. Here are some of my personal favorites!
New Fafi toys by Adfunture! (finally! she designed these 3 years ago!)
Another collaboration with Adidas! (I like this one even better)
Bags with LeSportsac (yup yup... tokidoki and fafi... lesportsac is on a roll!)
The Fafi SmartCar! (only car I would consider trading my Prius for!)
New Fafi toys by Adfunture! (finally! she designed these 3 years ago!)
Another collaboration with Adidas! (I like this one even better)
Bags with LeSportsac (yup yup... tokidoki and fafi... lesportsac is on a roll!)
The Fafi SmartCar! (only car I would consider trading my Prius for!)
Souther Salazar : Above the Influence
Seen the cool Above the Influence ads all over TV? They were designed by one of my favorite artists, Souther Salazar. Souther has a really recognizable style- at first I was worried someone had ripped him off! However, after some research, I found out that he designed 5 ads for Above the Influence- rad!
'Elevation' Limited Addiction Gallery
Limited Addiction Gallery in Denver, CO is presenting 'Elevation'- a group show with an amazing array of artists from all over the globe.
Including (more artists listed on their site): Souther Salazar, PCP, APAK, Audrey Kawasaki, Attaboy, Tim Buskup, Dalek, Niagra, Ferris Plock, Amy Sol, Bwana Spoons, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, and lots more!
The Door Into Summer : The Age of Micropop
Feb. 3 through May 6 2007 at Art Tower Mito (ATM) in Ibaraki, Japan
From the Art Tower Mito site:
The upcoming group exhibition at Art Tower Mito (ATM) presents the works of artists who have played a central role in Matsui's development of the concept of "Micropop." It also features the works of those young artists whose works suggest that they will be responsible for the further development of the genre, when the future is viewed from Micropop's perspective.
ATM's exhibition has gathered together more than 250 works, old and new, by 15 Japanese artists on the Micropop scene: tableaux and drawings by Nara Yoshitomo, Sugito Hiroshi, Ochiai Tam, Arima Kaoru, Aoki Ryoko, Aya Takano, Mori Chihiro, Mahomi Kunikata; photographs by SHIMABUKU and Noguchi Rika; installations by Handa Masanori and K.K.; and video works by Tanaka Koki, Oki Hiroyuki, and Izumi Taro. The exhibition highlights their artistic creativity, with each artist producing a unique style of creative work while sharing something in common with the others. It also attempts to demonstrate the points of similarity between their artistic expressions and the lifestyles and sensibilities of young people in general, also considering their possible influence on future generations.
Japanorama : Junko Mizuno
Rad interview from the BBC's 'Japanorama' with Junko Mizuno, who I adore. I have met her a few times at Comic Con, and you would never know such horrific comics could come out of someone so adorable! Visit Junko's site and check out her amazing Hell Babies!
Miss Van Shows in Europe
There are two shows featuring Miss Van about to happen in Europe. The first is 'Still on and non the wiser...' February 11 through May 6, 2007, WuppertalVon der Heydt Museum, Kunsthalle Wuppertal, Germany. The group show features: Daim, Os gemeos, Daniel Man, Pius Portmann, Miss Van, Stohead, Heiko Zahlmann, Tasek, Tilt, Herbert Baglione, Zevs
'Still on and non the wiser' website
The second show is 'Wakin Up Nights' De Pury & Luxembourg Gallery, Zurich - Switzerland, February 17 to March 17 2007
Wish I could go!!!
TokyoBunnie Products at POOL!
A fond farewell as I depart to the City of Sin for the fashion mayhem that is Magic/,Project/,Pool/,United... My company, Bored Inc. is presenting a line of bags at Pool! It will also be the first official launch of the TokyoBunnie product line! Yay!
The Wurstminster Dog Show
Well, I missed the openinglast weekend in Portland, but currenltly up on The Wurst Gallery site is:
The Wurstminster Dog Show: Over 100 international artists representing over 100 dog breeds.
A portion of the proceeds of the art sales from this event will benefit Dove Lewis Animal Hospital in Portland, OR.
The artist list on this show is totally amazing, check it our for yourself, here.
Fawn Gehweiler
Gideon Baws
Apak
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