Featuring: Asbestos, Bumblebee, Cena7, Fefe Talavera,Imminent Disaster, Labrona, Oddzoo // Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art 1257 N. La Brea Avenue West Hollywood CA 90038
Opening reception: Thursday, June 4, 2009 @ 7pm – 10pm // June 4, 2009 until July 2, 2009
Asbestos (Dublin, Ireland), Bumblebee (Downey, USA), Cena7 (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Fefe Talavera (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Imminent Disaster (New York City, USA), Labrona (Montreal, Canada), and Oddzoo (Los Angeles, USA). Seven very different voices scream the language of city streets near and far with a range of artwork as varied as the emotions behind them.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 4, 2009 from 7pm – 10pm with Bumblebee and Oddzoo in attendance.
"Mood Swings" is the tenth in a series of shows produced in collaboration with other member galleries in the ROJO artspace global network for a project entitled OCHO, a celebration of ROJO’s eighth anniversary and the first global group art show ever.
Asbestos
Dublin-based artist Asbestos finds the dark, dank, and forgotten objects of the street and transforms them into vibrant pieces that share the history and present-day life of the city and its inhabitants. His flair for mixed media combines photography, collage, gold leaf, spray paint and acrylics to create unforgettable imagery bursting with intensity. Highly skilled in portraiture, Asbestos applies his focus both to his subjects' faces and their hands, broadening the viewer's perspective to encapsulate the part of the human body he believes conveys the essence of the individual.
Bumblebee
Bumblebee’s work often comes to life in the streets of Downey, California (just outside Los Angeles), where he was born and raised. Growing up in a community where art was difficult to come by, Bumblebee felt driven to make his work public, painting on abandoned buildings and unloved parts of the city. His name is partly derived from the black and yellow stripes on his stencil and sculpture work and his playful yet haunting imagery of children and bees. Bumblebee’s newest campaign involves the remodeling of urban furniture, including abandoned phone kiosks and newsstands with paper maché and modeling clay.
Cena7
Out painting on the streets from the age of fourteen, Cena7 quickly developed a unique visual language that reflects the natural and urban environment of his country. Describing his inspiration as “all that makes me tremble,” he weaves rich primary tones amidst warm earthy hues to create the meditative landscape of anthropomorphic figures amid swooning plants and insects for which he is known. In the past year, he has exhibited in Melbourne, Miami, and Sao Paulo.
Fefe Talavera
‘Lil Monsta’ is a fitting nickname for Fefe Talavera, whose formidable, multi-layered monster paintings and collages render traditional animals slightly bland as they transport viewers to a subliminal world of rage, terror, and desire. The heightened quality of Fefe’s work, which exudes a raw stylistic freedom reminiscent of Basquiat, is fed by her strong social and political conscience and bold reinterpretation of Mayan and Aztec mythology. Fefe has exhibited in galleries throughout the world.
Imminent Disaster
Imminent Disaster is an emerging Brooklyn-based artist who wheatpastes wood, linoleum and silkscreened prints. Disaster is inspired by the street as an environment: a place with people, structures and history that are constantly being destroyed and rebuilt. Combining carefully researched fact and legend, she creates figurative images and historically inspired broadsides that are glimpses of a world that has fallen through the cracks of time. Disaster has participated in the Miss Rockaway Armada and Wooster on Spring, amongst other group and featured exhibitions. She is currently at sea on the Swimming Cities of Serenissima.
Labrona
Drawing inspiration from 80s skate culture, rundown industrial areas, and German Expressionism, Labrona’s enthralling visual narratives stem from his fascination with and desire to convey raw human feeling. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions across the US, Canada, and Europe.
Oddzoo
Born in Waimanalo, Hawaii, Jay “Oddzoo” Doronio has drawn and painted almost his entire life. Upon moving to California, he was introduced to the sights and sounds of graffiti and hip hop. The vibrant power of these mediums has assisted in laying the foundations of his artwork today.
www.carmichaelgallery.com
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