Barflies.net :: Art / Design

Color It Orange Youth Art Exhibition

2008-03-11T03:32:51Z

March 16-23 Laguna College of Art and Design “Color It Orange” is an Annual Juried Youth Art Exhibition of Orange County Public and Private School students from Kindergarten through Grade 12, including CHEP and individual entries. “Color It Orange” encourages and celebrates youth art and creativity. Over 4,500 juried entries are expected from many different genres: drawings, paintings, sculpture, prints, and photography by hundreds of students. Reception Sunday, March 16, 2008 LCAD Campus 2222 Laguna Canyon Road Laguna Beach, CA 92651 All of the above was lifted from the LCAD website. What I have to add is that my son is one of the artists selected to exhibit his work in this show. I am beaming with pride.

"Dalí is immortal and will not die"

2008-02-20T06:01:47Z

Instead of an actual definition of Surreal, it should just read one person's name and that is Salvador Dali. The dude was Surreal in all aspects of his life. End of 07, beginning of 08, LACMA hosted a show of Salvador Dali's work. It was extensive from early art, to set designs for the movie Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound to the co-collaboration with Walt Disney called Destino, which was truly amazing. For some reason the project was scraped, either from budget issues or personality issues or a bit of both. In 2003, Disney opened the archives and finally completed the animation. I was suprised how small the painting The Persistence of Memory was. When you see it in books or in photos, it seems so larger than life but it's only 8x10, if that. Dali loved Hollywood. He is quoted by saying . . ."I’m in Hollywood, where I’ve made contact with the three American Surrealists, Harpo Marx, Disney and Cecil B. DeMille." I like how LACMA used large screens and video to capture Dali's work and yet traditional display of his work. One room had one end of the room screening Dali's screen test that he did for Andy Warhol and then at the other end was the same screening but upside down. There was no sound and it didn't show much. In fact it didn't make sense but I guess that was the point. There was a lot of work to view. To much in fact that it became overwelming and that they were letting in a lot of people at one time, so things were bottlenecked at certain points.

Mark Mothersbaugh - Beautiful Mutants

2007-09-17T13:12:48Z

September 1 - October 21, 2007 http://www.mutatovisual.com/html/reports/calstate0 | see press Also shown at the CSUF Main Gallery CSUF GRAND CENTRAL ART CENTER 125 N. Broadway Santa Ana, CA 92701 This exhibition features more than 400 photographic works by the artist in the Project Room Gallery. A 288-page hardcover book Beautiful Mutants published by Grand Central Press and designed by Ryan DiDonato will be released at the opening. Nike SB, The City of Glendora California, Mutato Muzika and CSU Fullerton and the Grand Central Art Center came together to make this exhibition and book possible. Mark Mothersbaugh was born in 1950 in Akron, Ohio. In 1957 he received his first pair of spectacles and simultaneously became interested in art. In 1968 he enrolled at Kent State University fine arts department. In 1970 Mothersbaugh protests the war in Viet Nam and meets Jerry Casale at Kent State and co-conceptualizes the art band DEVO. Mothersbaugh has his first solo gallery show in 1975. From 1976 to present, Bob, Jim and Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob and Jerry Casale release award winning short film "In the Beginning was the End - the Truth About De-evolution" and European chart topping singles. During this time period, Mothersbaugh created along with Jerry Casale and Bob Mothersbaugh all of Devo's film, graphics, music and stage shows. DEVO continues to record and perform. From 1984 to present, Mothersbaugh has been composing music for film, TV, radio, video games and the web. Since 1987 Mothersbaugh has shown in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions. The photo-image manipulation of The Beautiful Mutants were intended to be a form of palindromic poetry, where a story is created by a half-truth folded and placed next to itself, thereby creating a self-referencing, yet completed visual poem. - Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Mothersbaugh's art leads the viewer to see the hidden mutant in us all. The artist renders a "study of humans via symmetry using photos, both recent and vintage" in which each photograph is, like the "self" in Jungian analysis, transformed to "emerge from its chrysalis as something with expected and uninvestigated properties. It no longer represented anything immediately known... Rather, it now appeared in a double guise, as both known and unknown." Viewers resonate with these images at the interstice between individual subconscious and collective unconscious. Mothersbaugh is, indeed, a master of this interstice, offering the potential "miraculous" experience that art can provide. As Gombrich describes it, "the true miracle of the language of art is not that it enables the artist to create the illusion of reality. It is that under the hands of a great master, the image becomes translucent. In teaching us to see the visible world afresh, he gives us the illusion of looking into the invisible realms of the mind-if only we know...how to use our eyes." - from the essay The Cryptomnesia of Mark Mothersbaugh: Beautiful Mutants in Einfall and Shado by Cristina Bodinger-deUriarte

EXENE CERVENKA A Fifth Of Tomorrow

2007-06-07T00:17:49Z

Collages and Journals June 9 – July 14, 2007 Opening reception for the artist: Saturday, June 9, 5-8pm Western Project 3830 Main St., Culver City, CA 90232 Contact, Erin Kermanikian (310) 838-0609, fax (310) 838-0610 Web site, http://western-project.com

Sat. June 9, 2007 - Long Beach Art Walk

2007-06-06T05:50:15Z

This Saturday is a very full day in downtown Long Beach with the Ink & Iron Tatto & Music Festival and the East Village Art Walk. As well as the usual 2nd Sat. of the month art walk, the Walker and Kress Loft artists will be opening their studios and showing their work on the bottom floor of the Walker Building (Pine & 4th St.). See you there.

Kurt Halsey at Gallery 1988

2007-05-02T05:04:59Z

Kurt Halsey's unabashedly romantic, wistful designs will be featured in a solo show at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, May 17 - June 15, 2007. Don't be afraid to fall in love with these images.

Dead and Deader in LA: American Zombie

2007-04-03T00:52:29Z

American Zombie on MySpace And you just thought half this city "acted" braindead....

Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd

2007-01-13T19:22:33Z

If you are a history, art, or architecture fan, check out The LA Conservancy's new online exhibition Curating the City: Wilshire Blvd (via Glenda the Good). The site is a fun multimedia run of the whole length of Wilshire Blvd. from downtown LA to Santa Monica with great photos and information.

Charles Phoenix's Astro-Weenie Christmas Tree

2006-12-21T03:00:21Z

Thanks to LeandaDLL for the video link.

I was told there would be no math....

2006-12-17T01:05:39Z

...but this is just cool!

The Last Kiss, or Can I Kiss Ze?

2006-09-28T14:30:24Z

Don't Ever, EVer, EVEr, EVER try to watch a movie trailer on WiMax (802.16 wifi, really only 2x better than dial-up, do not believe the hype. aka... Irish Broadband sucks). Really. Believe me. After the damned thing times out 13 times, you lose the plot of the trailer. Yes, the 2.5 minute trailer. Plot gone. Now you ask, why is Ms. Jen, the woman who never, ever, never watches movies watching a Movie Trailer???? It is all Ze's fault.]]> JDD. Apparently, Ze and I have both attended SXSW Interactive during the lean times and I recognize his face, but I never met the man. Sometime during the midst of studying for my Master's degree exams a couple of months ago, I found a link to one of Ze's shows. Probably the fault of my morning reading on my mobile phone's browser of Metafilter on the Luas while commuting into Trinity. If you don't watch Ze's daily vlog, then you suck. TV rots your brains out. Movies... bah! But your local professional art/political/opinionated hipster with a daily video show available only online? Now that rocks. To support his bandwidth fees, Ze sometimes has a static advert at the end of his show. After watching yesterday's show today (sorry, I was busy all day yesterday with defending my Master's Project to internal & external examiners), I decided to click on the link to "The Last Kiss" that was at the end of Ze's show. "The Last Kiss" - Zach Braff, aged 30, having his Middle-Aged-Guy-Crisis-Early. Now this is a funny premise. I had a good Young-Aged-Gal-Crisis-Early when I was 19 and am glad I got it over with. I wish Zach all the best of luck, esp. since both of his love interest hotties in the trailer were brunettes who belong to the itty-bitty-titty club. Any woman who makes it in Hollywood and does not get a boob job and hair frosting deserves an Oscar in my book. With Lauren a bit out of commission as Barflies.net's film reviewer due to a long commute and a boyfriend, I guess that I, the woman who firmly believes that the only good use for a TV is for testing sledge hammers, should take up the mantle and review the trailers for movies that are advertised at the end of Ze's Show. I won't go the cinema to see them, I won't rent the DVD, I will watch the trailers online and report back to you all on whether you should brave the cinema or local Blockbuster on my behalf.

Nude....I mean, Nudie!

2006-06-19T22:58:22Z

Sometimes life just gets too busy - sigh! I had something on my agenda for more than a month now. I looked at the postcard received in the mail every day sitting on my desk at work. Finally, after some planning I made it to Fullerton Museum today to see the Rhinestones and Twangin' Tones Exhibit. Now, you might ask,"What was that all about?" Well, back in the day, a Russian tailor by the name of Nudie imagined that he would be a famous tailor to the Country stars of the Grand Ole Opry and much more. Also included in the exhibit we found a replica of the gold lame outfit that Elvis Presley wore, and few famed guitars, one in particular owned by Hank Williams. Through perserverance Nudie made his dream come true and he formed a company that designed thousands of first rate rhinestone cowboy outfits with everything from rhinestones to embroidered flowers, cactus, stage coaches, and you name it, probably one of Nudie's originals had it. Simply beautiful handcrafted outfits worn by famed entertainers such as, Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Billy Walker and the list goes on. I saw many of those today and the glitter captivated me. I like rhinestones! I like class on stage! I like Country music! Fullerton Museum is located at: 301 N. Pomona Ave. in old downtown Fullerton, CA. www.cityoffullerton.com/museum/ On Thursdays, they hold a Farmers Market in the courtyard outside the museum where you can shop and get some good eats too. The museum hours vary, so I'd call for times during the week and weekends. And, the exhibit ends July 9th, so you have a few weeks yet. If you like to be adventurous and get out and about for a short tour of some amazing threads, then go see this exhibit! It'sa Twangin' good time. If you're interested in the history of Nudie the Rodeo Tailor, go here: http://nudiesrodeotailor.com/news_01.html

February 10th Film Releases

2006-02-10T22:20:42Z

Um. Hello? Hello? Anybody there? Anyone who didn't think seeing When a Stranger Calls was a good idea last weekend? Anyone with half a brain? I'm only asking for half? Anyone who is completely turned off by the releases this weekend and logging onto Netflix? Hello? Doesn't anybody give a damn that there aren't ANY good movies to see this weekend?!!!! 1) Brokeback Mountain (for those of you not in fear of losing your heterosexuality, it was wonderful) 2) Walk the Line (I shouldn't have to explain this) 3) Underworld: Evolution (I'm still a sucker for chicks who kick ass) Yes, I know they're not new. That's the point. I have to go cry now.]]> Firewall Okay Han Solo, we get it. You're still a virile heroic figure even though you are clearly hitting the edge of "Aged But Still Sexy" and beginning to cross over into "Just Plain Old" territory. You, your immense computer security building brain, and your powerful (expensive, and gas guzzling) Chrysler are completely capable of saving the day from those totally hot young bad guys. Can we go home now? Can I take one of the evil youngsters with me? Final Destination 3 I can't believe they're churning this out again. Here's the plot - a young good-looking teenager sees his/her own death in a vision, and "cheats" Death. This really pisses Death off. Death is apparently like my mother and would rather eat glass than get cheated. But here's the thing that bothers me, the whole concept of cheating death is just a bunch of bunk. I mean it's impossible to cheat death. Either you die young and pretty and much too soon, or you die old and spent and in a slow painful kind of way, or it's somewhere in between, but either way, you die. He's either going to get you full price or on sale, but the bottom line is - he's going to get you. Just like my mother and that Calvin Kline blouse. The Pink Panther Who on Earth thought this was a good idea? You like Steve Martin? Go see Shop Girl. This is just embarrassing. Curious George The only way to see this movie is if your children force you at gunpoint. Voluntary viewings will be met with obvious brain shrinkage. Neil Young: Heart of Gold A documentary about Neil Young playing in Nashville. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it. London A young going nowhere drug dealer/junkie finds out that the love of his life is moving to LA. Time to straighten up and get your act together, right? Wrong. According to this genius it's time to score a massive quantity of cocaine and crash her going away party. Let the idiocy begin!

February 3rd Film Releases

2006-02-03T03:43:38Z

Okay, I admit I haven't done this in a while, and now I'll say I'm sorry. See, not so hard. Now it's your turn. What do you mean you didn't do anything wrong? That's just rubbish. Oh well, I forgive you regardless and give you my top three. 1) Good Night and Good Luck 2) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada 3) Something New There. I feel so much better now, don't you?]]> When a Stranger Calls There's like this teenager who's babysitting in a strange house when she starts getting these totally creepy phone calls. Then she has to run for her life and stuff, but she can't really because the house is like SO isolated. I mean it would take like forever to get to the closest mall. Is that like scary or what? Rated IM for Immature. Something New I only put this in my top three due to lack of options. A strong idealistic black woman falls for a white man and has to deal with her own feelings about interracial dating and those of her friends. Go get your swirl on. Good Night and Good Luck I know this has been out for a while, but only in limited release to qualify for the 2006 Oscars. If you haven't seen it yet, go. It gives a historical perspective on the current climate of feverish patriotism and media self-censorship under outside pressures by telling the story of Edward R. Morrow‚Äö√Ñ√∂‚àö√ë‚àö¬•s defiance of Senator McCarthy during the height of the Cold War. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada If you don't love Tommy Lee Jones (in that favorite uncle kind of way) then there is something seriously wrong with you. This is his directorial debut and I can say from experience that it is very good. It's not a terribly exciting movie, but the characters are colorful without being unrealistic and Jones gives us sharp twist to the plot at the end. If you don't see it in the theaters, then rent it on DVD. A Good Woman Um. I don't really know anything about this movie. By all accounts, the critics should be clamoring for this piece. It's set in the 1920's and it has a stellar cast, but the silence is deafening. This is a bad sign. Avoid this film at all costs. Suits on the Loose Two delinquents escape a rehabilitation camp by posing as Mormon missionaries and are taken in by a small, unassuming, Mormon town. Once again, avoid this film at all costs. It's been produced and distributed by a Mormon company. It's pure propaganda. I don't need to tell you about the time John Travolta tried to do the same thing for Scientology, do I? No good can come from this. It's a historic fact. What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole An artist and photographer uses interviews and animation to illustrate the connection between quantum physics, neurobiology, and human consciousness. Okay. I freely admit and embrace my geekness, but I draw the line at a movie like this.

November 4th Film Releases

2005-11-04T04:06:13Z

I'm very disappointed in you, movie going audience. I know I've been neglectful and that last weekend was Halloween, but that is no excuse for making Saw 2 the #1 movie in America. That is just plain wrong. Especially when revival houses all over the city were offering some fantastic alternatives. Heck, the New Beverly was doing a double feature of Lost Boys and Land of the Dead. Wouldn't that have been the perfect movie set for a Halloween weekend? Why do you torture me like this? Please, end the cycle and stop seeing bad movies. Good cinema begins at home. 1) Jarhead 2) The Dying Gaul 3) Chicken Little]]> Jarhead An unflinching, sometimes sad, sometimes humorous, sometimes scary look into the life of a young Marine in Desert Storm. Do you smell that? Sniff, sniff. Smells like an Oscar nod to me. (On a side note - Jake G, I love the biceps baby! Grow out the hair a little and call me anytime.) The Dying Gaul Ah the independent filmmaker's favorite subject, the seduction of immoral, tasteless Hollywood. A screenwriter befriends a big studio producer and his wife who want to bank roll his next film. But, there's a catch. There's always a catch. The producer wants the writer to make the main characters straight and also have sex with him. The writer, not the characters. Heavy, heavy stuff. Sex, trust, money, marriage, artistic integrity, and death. I'm sure this film simply reeks with metaphors. Chicken Little I really wish I could say this movie looks like it blows. The last guy I dated worked on it and couldn't stop beaming over what a great movie this is and ever since we broke up I have been faced with Chicken Little's ass everywhere I go. Coming home from my parents' place, Chicken Little's ass. Driving to work, Chicken Little's ass. Driving home from work, Chicken Little's ass. That's a lot of ass people! The good thing is, the movie is out now so soon I will stop seeing chicken butt everywhere I go. The bad thing is that I have to be honest and say this movie looks like it's a lot of fun and if you're looking for some light entertainment then go for it. The only reason I listed it last is because it's up against some serious competition from heavyweight award show contenders.