THEY'RE BACK!

For this year's "I Am 8-Bit," Scott Campbell created 27 small PacMan paintings and we've made a sweet little print set with 5 of them!



These little guys are 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches each and limited edition of 50. They'll be sold individually or in a set of all 5! And Scott is going to hand sign and number each and every single one!

These prints will be ready next week and will be available in LA and SF, as well as on our website! Hooray!

Katie
G1988 San Francisco

Friends In Hi Places

We have the EXCLUSIVE first look at he brand new Volume 5 cover of our favorite art magazine, Hi Fructose, and low and behold...




...it graces the image of Amy Sol's I AM 8-BIT masterpiece, "Peach & Yoshi In Subcon, The Land Of Dreams!!!!!" We're HUGE fans of the magazine, so to see a piece we've displayed on the cover, with the likes of Mark Ryden paintings and such that have had the same placement in the past, is an honor for us....so we can only imagine how Amy feels! CONGRATS Amy and nice selection Hi Fructose. Video game art seeping into everyday life my friends....we've only just begun.

Embed with 8-bit

"Click Here for great MTV Game Trailer's coverage..."

"And here for Game Head."





I know I've seen more, I just weirdly can't find them right now. Fuel, Spike TV, G4, etc, and The Associated Press and Tom's Hardware came by yesterday, so I'll post when they do.

Jensen
G1988: LA

So Sercessful

Did that really happen last night?

I don't even really know what to post, guys. I'm usually witty and humorous, but now I'm just tired and a bit sad.



1,400 people lined up, wrapped around our building, will do that to someone. The opening was a "sercess." Not a typo. I just don't have a word to describe how happy we are with the reception, as a "success" would be an understatement. So I made up "sercess." I watched Nolan Bushnell, the creator of Atari, play with a 6-foot 2600 controller, so now, in the least, I can make up words. I'm gonna scower the internet today and look for recaps of last night, cause I just can't do it myself.

#1 reason - I barely saw anything. I was busy all night.
#2 reason - I think I ate a BAD potato pancake after the show, so although my Nanny would not have agreed, Jewish food is not ALWAYS good for you.
#3 reason - I gots crap to do. (I just re-read this reason and realized you might think this has to do with the said potato pancake and my sickness because of it, but it doesn't. "Crap" is used as in "things to do." Keep that in mind).
#4 reason - see below

BUT, as soon as my Mac IBook is off the fritz, I will be putting together an online update to get ALL the available pieces from I AM 8-BIT online, because there is WAAAAY too much good stuff left. Seriously. I think you'll all be shocked.

And then I'm off to SF this weekend for the grand opening of Gallery 1988:SF. The thing is....when we opened an art gallery, we thought this shit was supposed to be kind of boring, or at least a little relaxing. I was wrong.

On a different note, Katie and I would like to send our hearts and love to Little Ava, a beautiful 3 1/2 year old girl we were able to meet through owning this gallery (and her art-supporting parents), who left us yesterday after a valiant battle with Neuroblastoma. We had only met her a few times, but Katie and I both remarked after our first encounter with her, that she just seemed "very special." I hope all of you, even those just reading about her now on this blog, can think of her today and send some love to her (now in a much better place) and her parents.

I have added this picture that Ava's mother posted on the Kid Robot boards of Ava at the gallery during a Vivisect Playset show. I'm a bit speechless after finding the picture.




Jensen
G1988: LA

Are We There Yet?

Not just the title of an awful family movie that ruined my favorite N.W.A. member, but when you ask "Are We There Yet?" now I assume you're talking about I AM 8-BIT! The art show featuring 100's of 1980's video game art opens tomorrow night, Tuesday the 17th, from 7-11 PM. We've had a few creepy crawlers come through and see our progress, inlcuding the fine folks at "Vinyl Pulse, (you can click here to see their preview)" and they proclaim it is the best year of I AM 8-BIT yet, and they wouldn't lie on Passover. Here's another sneak peek for those following the blog, it's Brandi Milne's contribution and it's awesome. Let me know what you think and I will see you tomorrow night!



Jensen
G1988: LA

ONE WEEK!

GALLERY1988 SAN FRANCISCO OPENS IN ONE WEEK!!

April 21st is approaching so fast! We've made A LOT of progress on the new gallery (please ignore the huge mess in the middle of the room) and we've already started installing our first show, "The Indie"...





Does that gallery look familiar to anyone? Yep, it's almost exactly the same as our LA space. And to that I say - if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Right.

Well, back to work. Hopefully I'll see all you San Francisco friends on April 21st at our GRAND OPENING! And for all of you in Los Angeles, don't you worry cause I'll see you this Tuesday (April 17th) at "I Am 8-Bit!" I know you miss me. Yes, I miss you too...

Katie
G1988 SF

Piled Up

Seeing Sanjaya last another day can only make me so happy. Especially when I walk into the gallery to hundreds of video game paintings lined up on my floor.



HEY! I see you trying to decipher what is what! STOP THAT!

Anyway, it's really THAT GOOD this year, so don't miss it. Also, we just announced that there will be a 5-foot (WORKING!) Atari 2600 joystick, where you'll be able to play "Mega Man 2600" (a game developed exclusively for this year's exhibit to celebrate the Blue Bomber's 20th anniversary). INSANE.

Until then, I'm gonna go lay in the paintings. Good night.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Highway to Hell

I'm back in the saddle (if by "saddle," you know that I mean an overcast Los Angeles, leaving behind almost 90 degree Cabo San Lucas weather), and ready for #1) LA's biggest annual show and #2) the opening of the gallery. Not a slow time.

He's a huge fan of of the highly underrated Martin/Oz Hollywood satire "Bowfinger" and a recent subject on network news, but G1988 friend photographer Brian McCarty will have his first piece in the gallery for "I AM 8-BIT" this year, and he sent us this little tease -



Looks like it's Frogger time, as Brian used the real 101 (Woodman Ave., Stand Up!) for his photo shoot. We've always been fans of Brian's work, so we're excited to finally get him in a show.

I'm gonna go pretend El Guapo down the street is actually in Mexico. Wish me luck.

SCOTT CAMPBELL

A great friend and amazing artist, Scott Campbell, is having a solo show this Wednesday (April 11th) in San Francisco at Cowboys and Angels.





Definitely check out this show and get there early - his last solo show sold out before the show even opened! We'll soon be seeing a lot more of Scott's work in art galleries all over the country and even overseas!! He has a ton of shows coming up, including "I Am 8-Bit" with us in LA, which opens on April 17th, and the grand opening of Gallery1988 San Francisco on April 21st. He painted 27 (yes 27!!!) pieces for 8-Bit and they'll all be individually framed. Here's a sneak peak of four of them...



You can check out more of Scott's work on his blog http://scott-c.blogspot.com/

And here's a picture of Finnigan getting comfy at our new space in SF. He's preparing for an important meeting. He takes his job very seriously...



Katie
G1988 San Francisco

Is it....or is it...?

Not sure if it's the Cabo sun, the 5 Bloody Marys I had today near the pool or just the overall giddiness of being on a vakay, but I want to show you Travis Louie's contribution for this year's 8-bit.



It's all based on the idea that Q-Bert was take into custody of a mental ward for his incesent hopping.

And yes, the work is THAT good for this year's exhibit. Until then though, I'm going back to bask in the sun.

Jensen
G1988: LA

A Team to Bank On

Pressing refresh thousands of times got me kinda lucky. My wall will now have a signed Banksy "Morons" Sepia print (the irony cost me more). This gets me one step closer to be being Brad or Angelina.



And just when I thought news couldn't get any better, it did. With 8-bit coming, and the fact that I played Playstation 3 for 6 hours last night, I'm zoning in on video game news.

First, one thing I love about the show is that you see paintings of video game characters that would normally never be near each other, all in one cute scene. But one of these possibilites....Mario and Sonic....are teaming up for a video game!



If you go back in time and tell 12 year old Jensen that Mario and Sonic are going to team up in 2008, I'd react with a face kids usually reserve for when they're first told that Santa doesn't exist. That would never happen. Smooth move, Sega and Nintendo, smooth move.

AND THEN...for those still thinking video games can't be art...feast your eyes on the new Grand Theft Auto trailer.



I think that's enough dork for one day.

Jensen
G1988: LA

PRINTS, PRINTS, PRINTS!!!

Hello!

So, we've been working on some exciting new prints, scheduled to be released in April! We have two new Craola prints in the works, one new Luke Chueh print, and our very first Mark Bodnar print! I can't give away too many details, but I will show you one of the Craola prints...



This was my personal favorite from Greg's last solo show at Upper Playground in Feb, so I'm especially excited about this one! It's called "The Pollen Hunter".

I can't spill any more secrets, you'll just have to wait a few more weeks to see the others. Ok, ok! Fine, I'll give you one hint about the new Luke Chueh print. Does anyone remember Luke's piece from the first "I Am 8-Bit" show? Hmm... I think that was a pretty big clue.

We'll post all the new prints when they're ready, which will be very very soon! Until then...

Katie
G1988 San Francisco

Man vs. Machine

8-BIT is seriously getting more serious by the moment. Exhibit A: This video featuring toy customizers NVC (Dr. Bao and Spive) and their new Mega Man creation for I AM 8-BIT on April 17. Wait, it makes noises? Hands down, the GREATEST artist video ever (original music made for the clip, stop motion graphics, an 8-bit title screen, kid on the couch looking bored). I also LOVE that it looks like an Al-Queda tape, with him building a bomb out of blank Dunnys.



Jensen
G1988: LA

For The Ears

I survived the tornado here in Hollywood, which I guess is now getting some major network coverage, evidenced by my Mom calling and yelling, "Are you OK?," about 10 minutes ago. But look what the wind brought in...






This is a collaboration with our friends over at Gelaskins, a stellar company who produce hi-end stickers to decorate your IPod with. They were nice enough to produce these babies for our SF gallery opening on April 21st. With the artwork of newly G1988 represented child prodigy Matt Dangler, these IPod skins fit the Video Ipod and the Nano. "The Dangler" will deliver his 8-bit opus, which he has been spooning in bed with for weeks, in the next few days and I'm chomping at the bit. Also, he'll be the one wearing the birthday hat at the 8-bit opening reception, as it is his day of birth on April 17 and he's spending it in LA! Tell the kid happy 14th birthday (joke, although he is the age of Lil' Bow Wow) and then drool at his piece.

In the menwhile, you can get these Ipod skins, THANKS TO GELASKINS, for free by attending the Gallery 1988 SF GRAND OPENING on April 21, 2007.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Getting Strong Now...

I AM 8-bit is steadily approaching and just about everyday now we get a piece that seems to outdo the next. Today it was Erik Alos's turn. Erik is an artist who was reccomended to us by Greg "Craola" Simkins and has since become a 1988 represented artist.

I remeber my first meeting with Erik and him explaning how he wanted to utilize his graf roots, but become more character based in the next 10-15 pieces he created. We both instantly saw a vision as to where he could go with his work and insane imagination, specifically for G1988: LA, and since then he's painted some techincal beauties, inclduing his piece for our Cheshire Cat show, which we still get comments on.

This year's 8-bit piece is a monster. It's a Super Mario explosion of sorts with enough detail and work in it to make Isaac Pierro (who was visiting during Erik's drop off) to say "Damn, you did your thing!" And for those who don't know, that's a major compliment from Isaac (right behind him saying the F word, then your name in an elongated fashion).

Erik works hard and it shows. The paintings take him weeks. This 8-bit piece (subtly displayed in the above picture, but still not blowing it's eventual unveiling) should help the world know his name. This one is gonna be a Mario fan's dream.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Visitors...

It's been artists galore lately, even with quicky (and blog undocumented) visits from Erik Alos and Shepard Fairey, and today was no exception.



Misha swang through to drop off her new I AM 8-BIT masterpieces and sign prints we produced for this year's exhibit. This post could be a love letter to Misha, but I know that's boring so I'll just put it like this: Misha understands everything. The art aspect, the business side and the world of art galleries. She's always been there for us (and "Vice Versa" in that awful Ben Savage/Judge Reinhold switching bodies movie way), and now it looks like it's paying off. We'll be showing a lot more of Misha soon, both in LA and SF, and it just feels right. But yes, these prints are from her "Last Supper" 8-bit piece last year (which is still BY FAR the most talked about piece from the 2006 installment), and no, we aren't taking pre-orders yet.



Los Angeles resident, and "artist we know with the deepest voice," Isaac Pierro also rolled by and checked in. He came with presents (drawings for me and Katie), which is always a plus. He's currently working on his 8-bit piece and a smaller group show he's in here at 1988 in a few months. He also let me peek into his sketchbook, which, to put it nicely, questions a lot of racist imagery. Someone call Spike Lee, I think he's feeling Bamboozled.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Sausage King Of Chicago

My first day off on the blog and all I keep thinking about is our upcoming "I AM 8-BIT" show. Artists keep sending us pics and it seriously just keeps getting better. We usually get a lot of press attention for this show, so it seems like the participants really step it up when creating pieces based on 1980's video games. Not to mention this year the line-up is redonkulous. I mean what's Amy Sol or Ekundayo gonna paint from vintage video games? Will Greg Simkins and Luke Chueh continue their streak and deliver some of the exhibit's best? 8-Bit virgins Anthony Ausgang, Jon Burgerman, SEEN, Jesse LeDoux, Travis Lampe and Mike Leavitt all seem like they could contribute some real winners. And Paul Wall?

Here's the full line-up (although be ready for some late additions) - and you tell me who you're excited about:

Erik Alos
Attaboy
Anthony Ausgang
Crystal Bedford
Leanne Biank
Brandon Bird
Blinky
Mark Bodnar
Ryan Bubnis
Jude Buffum
Jon Burgerman
Mike Burnett
Scott Cambell
Martin Cendreda
Anna Chambers
Paul Chatem
Dave Chung
Sean Clarity
Matt Clark
Nic Cowen
Steven Daily
Matt Dangler
Bob Dob
Nome Edonna
Ekundayo
Sandra Equihua
Jose Emroca Flores
Carl Greenblatt
Peter Gronquist
Jorge R. Gutierrez
Mr. Joe Hahn
Ryan Heshka
Elizabeth Ito
Aaron Jasinski
James Jean
Brian Kesling
KMNDZ
Travis Lampe
Mike Leavitt
Joe Ledbetter
Jesse LeDoux
Christopher Lee
Ryan Lesser
Travis Louis
Jim Mahfood
Benjamin Marra
El Maz
Brian McCarty
Chris McD
Jeff McMillan
Brandi Milne
Misha
Tony Mora
Scott Morse
Chris Nichols
Ciro Nieli
Kieth Nordzy
NVC (Dr. Bao and Spive)
Kathie Olivas
Nathan Ota
Annie Owens
Daniel Peacock
Peekaboo
Vincent Perea
John Pham
Isaac Pierro
Dave Pressler
Steve Purcell
Jen Rarey
Lesley Reppeteaux
Lou Romano
Reuben Rude
Dan Santat
Scott Scheidly
SEEN
Jason Sho Green
Erik Siador
Greg Simkins
Amy Sol
Nathan Stapley
Stone
Shuji Suzuki
Gabe Swarr
Sean Szeles
Peter Taylor
Jeremy Tinder
Roland Tamayo
Rich Tuzon
Yosuke Ueno
Michelle Valigura
Joe Vaux
Amanda Visell
Paul Wall
Dave Wasson
Andrew Wilson
Rachel Wong
Johnny Yanok

Jensen
G1988: LA