Friday, September 30, 2011

Footage 1



Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

THE BUTCHER KINGS


I don't even really know what to say. Today, I was lucky enough to see a small preview of the work that will be on display at our Melrose location starting October 6th and I haven't really spoken to anyone since. Alex Pardee and Skinner, who have taken the idea of a 2-man show to brand new heights by living with each other and working non-stop next to each other for the past 2 weeks, have created what might be the craziest, and most impressive show I've ever seen. This one is going to be tightly wrapped in secrecy, because the goal of the show is to see it's massive undertaking all at one time, and give you the ability to buy some incredible affordable art (keep in mind, the last time we did that it was Olly Moss's show, so expect more greatness).

You won't be seeing much before the show, outside of some more photos, and a video or two, but I PROMISE YOU, you will not want to miss this show. Alex and Skinner will be at the opening reception on October 6th, from 7-10 PM at Melrose. On the scale of 1-10, this work is just ridiculous. SHAKING MY HEAD.

Jensen
G1988

Friday, September 23, 2011

Uh-oh.



Why do I feel like we've bit off more than we can chew with these two?

OCTOBER 6th, G1988 (Melrose). Alex Pardee x Skinner.

Jensen
G1988


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

You May!


Leontine Greenberg's fan favorite Crazy 4 Cult piece is now a giclee print available for purchase! The Dark Crystal inspired piece is limited to 60, each signed and numbered by the artist. They are 13 x 10 inches each and printed on archival paper.


Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

TACOS!


I was recently interviewed by the good people over at the LA Taco website, so click the picture above to read words!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Video Game Heaven

Two of the best three dimensional pieces we've ever had in the gallery just so happen to be in our Old School Video Game show opening this Friday!!

Scribe and his wife, Alisa Ross, created this insane Dig Dug collab, which is part custom vinyl, part handmade plush.

And Andrew Wilson created this flawless Samus sculpture titled "The Hunter". Totally amazing!

And one more addition to the show that we received yesterday is Roland Tamayo's "Just Before"...


(detail)

This is how Roland imagines Bowser and the Bullet Bills preparing for war. They're approaching the "battlefield," just before the player loads the Super Mario Bros. cartridge into the console. And the F-85 on the factory represents 1985, the year the Bullet Bills were introduced into the series.

This show is so awesome!! Don't miss it THIS FRIDAY at Gallery1988 Venice.

Katie
G1988 Venice

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Legend of Zelda vs N.C. Winters

N.C. Winter's contribution to our upcoming video game show is STUNNING! The piece is inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and it's perfect timing as 2011 is the 25th anniversary of this beloved, classic game we all grew up with.



This painting is acrylic on paper, which has been mounted on wood and sealed with a thick resin coating. AND we will also have prints of this piece available for sale as well!!

The show opens THIS FRIDAY, Sept. 16th at Gallery1988 Venice. Stay tuned this week for more show previews.

Katie
G1988 Venice

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Grab the Controller!

After our signing tonight with author Ernest Cline for his book, "Ready Player One," we're excited to keep the video game mojo going with "The Old School Video Game Art Show" over at Gallery1988 (Venice). It opens this Friday night, September 16th, with an opening reception from 7-10 PM. The artwork for this show is outstanding, and it's sneak peek time!!


Jayson Weidel tackles everyone's favorite ape (OK, some may like Dr. Zaius more).


Been a while since our good friend Greg "Craola" Simkins has done a group show, but he's back and mourning the death of 8-bit. So sad.


David Eichenberger paints a Pac-Man with robot legs, a malfunction and what seems to be a taunting ghost. Times are rough.


G1988 favorite Dave Perillo remixes a game very close to many peoples' hearts, Burgertime. This one is not for vegans.


Justin White advertises for a guided tour of "Le Chateau" and warns us that our princess might just be in another chateau. I bet they play awesome music on this tour.



Joey Spiotto created another fake album, like he's done for Firefly and Dr. Horrible, this time giving a plaque to fictitious Zelda music. THIS IS SO AWESOME.

Stay tuned later this week to see more here on the blog and keep in mind, this friday night at G1988 (Venice) from 7-10 PM! Here's another promo image from Ibraheem Youssef.


Jensen
G1988

Friday, September 9, 2011

Saturday night!


Do not forget that Saturday night, September 10th, from 7-9 PM, we are proud to welcome author Ernest Cline and his New York Times Best Seller "Ready Player One" to Gallery1988 (Melrose). Cline and his new book has been the talk of the town recently, selling to Warner Bros. in a bidding war for the rights to make it a major motion picture (for the record, I read it seeing Anton Yelchin as the lead). It's an amazing book, centered around 80's pop culture and video games that has been praised by everyone, including Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, The AV Club, Boing Boing and AintItCoolNews. It was also an Amazon Book Of The Month for August 2011. Here's the synopsis, in case you're on the fence:

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.
It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.

A quest for the ultimate prize.

Are you ready?

-----

ARGH! It's really good, guys. If you love video games and 80's culture, and really anything we do here at G1988, we found your new favorite book. We'll have the book for sale in the gallery, so come by and say hi to Ernest. There will be some serious surprises parked outside the gallery too!

ALSO, if you don't live in Los Angeles, call us up at 323-937-7088 anytime before 4 PM PT on Saturday and, for a limited amount of people, we can get sell you the book and have it signed by Ernest. We'll ship it out to you after event. We can't do it for a lot of people, so make sure to call us soon if you want one.

Game over.

Jensen
G1988



Thursday, September 8, 2011

GO FISH!

Today we release one of this year's Crazy 4 Cult fan favorites as a limited edition giclee print!


Veronica Fish
"Mulholland Drive"
9 x 12 inches
hand signed and numbered, edition of 50
$40.00

We had so many emails hoping for this print, and here it is. With more coming out from Crazy 4 Cult 5 over the next few weeks!


Jensen
G1988

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

READY PLAYER ONE!


Join us this Saturday, September 10th, 7-9 PM, as we welcome author Ernest Cline to the Melrose location to sign his new, critically acclaimed NY Times Best Seller, and ode to 80's culture and video games, Ready Player One.
USA Today recently called Ready Player One "Willy Wonka meets The Matrix" and Cline "the hottest geek on the planet right now," while Warner Bros. recently won a bidding war for the book's movie rights. Other praise includes Aint It Cool News founder Harry Knowles calling the book "...the most awesome 80's geek novel ever written" and the New York Times exclaiming that Cline is "able to incorporate his favorite toys and games into a perfectly accessible narrative."
Get involved in Ready Player One, and Gallery1988's "Childhood Items We Miss The Most Month," by meeting Ernest Cline (and some surprises) in person! The book will be available at the gallery, so be in the know before the rest of the world lines up for the movie!


And staying in theme, and in our "Childhood Items We Miss The Most Month" at G1988, next up in Venice on September 16th, we return to a classic, bringing you the "Old School Video Game Art Show." Thanks to Ibraheem Youssef for the promo image above and since we've seen a lot of the work in the show already, we can report to you...it's incredible. G1988 regulars like Dave MacDowell, Greg Simkins, Jonathan Way$hack, Justin White, Kevin Tong, Mark Brown, N.C. Winters, Roland Tamayo, Scribe and Tom Whalen will participate, along with many others!

Stay tuned to the blog for more info on the art show, and see you Saturday night for the Ernest Cline signing at G1988 (Melrose), 7-9 PM.

Jensen
G1988

Saturday, September 3, 2011

GPKay kay kay...



THANK YOU to everyone who came out and braved the packed Garbage Pail Kids x G1988 opening reception last night. What an insanely fun experience hearing and seeing everyone freak out over the GPK nostalgia. And thanks to all the artists (including Derek Deal, seen above) who really created amazing pieces, all in order to convey the influence these gross little cards had on our lives.



Check out The Hundreds coverage of the night by clicking the picture (taken by Bobby Hundreds) below:


Daily Du Jour's coverage of the opening is great too. Click the picture I stole from their site below to read/see more:


And this is just the first half of our "Childhood Items We Miss The Most" month, so get ready for September 16th at G1988 Venice, when we bring out the Old School Video Game Art Show...but more on that later.

Hope to see some of you tonight at the Cinefamily screening of Garbage Pail Kids The Movie. 10 PM at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax. Two for one admission at the box office if you print out our website and bring it in.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Friday, September 2, 2011

TONIGHT!


Our friends at Thrillist did a write-up on tonight's opening reception for the Garbage Pail Kids x G1988. Click the pic above to read it!

And remember, swing by tonight and hang out for the opening reception, 7-10 PM, at the Melrose gallery and see what artists came up with when they sat down to create their own Garbage Pail Kid! Remember, first 50 get limited edition t-shirts from The Hundreds.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)