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

Roland Tamayo x Patrick Stump

So excited to see the artwork of G1988 favorite Roland Tamayo on the cover of former Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump's new limited edition 7" single for "Love, Selfish, Love."



You can get the single, and Roland's awesome artwork on it, by visiting PatrickStump.com.

And here's a look at the painting untouched with text...



Congrats to Roland, and to Patrick!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Ley

We're only a few days away from the what will be the epic grand opening of Greg Simkins' curated show, "INLE" on March 11th. The show is unbelievable! The reception will run 7-10 PM, is free to the public and will have a ton of the artists in attendance.

So why not give you 3 more peeks into INLE????



Kris Lewis's piece is astonishingly good. To be honest, I don't think I've even seen Kris's work in person, and now that I have, I am a HUGE fan. I know it's a term painfully overused in our field, but it is surreal. I can't wait for people to see this in person.



Bob Dob returns to the walls of G1988 with a really fun piece, mashing up Watership Down and the vibe of everyone's favorite mouse.



G1988 favorite Roland Tamayo delivers another stunner. He can say so much, by depicting so little. Truly one of a kind. He recently did the artwork for singer Patrick Stump's new EP, but we;ll talk about that next week.

We better see you Friday at this point.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Strawn Out

We're readying "With Ease," with art from Roland Tamayo and Ben Strawn, here in the Melrose location (opens this Thursday) and we can't stop staring at Ben Strawn's work that was just delivered. It's not easy to find an emerging artist who is doing something NO ONE else is doing, but Strawn is that guy. The layers and multi-dimensional aspects to his work is breath taking. Here's your sneak peek...







These have to be seen in person. That's all.

Jensen
G1988:LA

NEXT UP IN LA!!!!

I couldn't be more excited for the upcoming exhibit here in Los Angeles on September 30th featuring two of my favorite artists, Roland Tamayo and Ben Strawn. As you can see by the two peaks at new pieces on the evite - we're in for a great show.

More on this soon...

Jensen
G1988:LA

Installation

Our installation is almost finished. We have a few more pieces to hang, but I have some new previews and detail shots for you lucky blog readers...


Kendra Binney "Parade"


various pieces by Roland Tamayo


Roland "Propelled" detail/close up


Roland "Day Fish" detail/close up


Tin "Propensity"


Tin "Wilt"

We still need to hang May Ann's work and then we're done! More previews to come, stay tuned...

More Previews!!

The new work has started to arrive for our new SF show that opens next week! I'm sad to take down Krista Huot's solo because her installation was so beautiful. But this next show is a great one to follow up with.

May Ann Licudine


May Ann Licudine


Roland Tamayo


Roland Tamayo


Tin


Tin


Kendra Binney

This is turning out to be a great show! Stay tuned for more updates this coming week. The show opens this Friday, Feb. 5th. We're also working on a new print with May Ann of one of her pieces from the show (not the ones pictured above), which unfortunately won't be ready for the opening of the show, but we love her new work so much that we had to make some prints!

Early Animal Carving

Usually the day before Thanksgiving is slow, and I'll be sitting at the gallery desk wishing I could leave early. But today, is a whole different story. Since we're opening our newest show, "Vivisect Playset VI - The Death of Vivisect" on Black Friday, November 27th, we're all working as slow as we can, unwrapping the incredible work and checking out every detail. This show is an annual exhibit, now in it's 6th (!!!) and final year, curated by LA artist Luke Chueh and the gallery, in an attempt to unite artists who all employ animals in their work to convey the human condition. We consider the first Vivisect Playset show to be the quintessential art show that lead us in the direction and lane the gallery currently drives in - and this year is not only shaping up to be the finale, but also possibly its strongest year. This year, in addition the almost 20 artists creating original artwork for the show, we also have a handful of artists creating customized toys out of the Vivisect vinyl set that came out 2 years ago. It's a nice celebration to put an LA art tradition to bed.

Since we'll all be eating tomorrow, I figured we'd give you one of the best sneak previews we've ever given on the blog today. All pieces from the upcoming show on Friday. And also, announce what I think is the coolest shirt in 1988 history.

Vivisect alum Amy Sol delivered a beautiful piece...



Vivisect freshman Ewelina Ferruso's piece is absolutely stunning, and in person it's even better if you can imagine. The colors and vibrancy are unline any other piece we've seen.



A Vivisect Sophomore Ben Strawn is slowly becoming my absolute favorite artist. His pieces, on layered plexiglass, are dimensional and stunning. All you have to do is ask someone who's seen one in person...





(detail)

Vivisect Freshman Mark Brown just gets better and better and better. The realistic Lion face is an awesome sign of his progression.



Another artist who continues to progress is Vivisect alum Roland Tamayo. The past 2 years has seen Roland get such a distinct, and emotional, voice in his work. I really love the memories his pieces stir up. This one is no exception.



Alum Daniel Elson combines the worlds of his signature mice and Luke Chueh's popular Vivisect Playset vinyl bear mask with this awesome sculpture.





Just a few samples of the beautiful show we'll be opening this Friday night from 7 - 10 PM at Gallery1988: LA. Aaaaaand, in addition to the pantings, drawings and toys, we'll be offering a brand new, limited edition t-shirt from Luke Chueh. I always joked with Luke, telling him he's never made an iconic Luke Chueh shirt, leaving that job to the bootleggers. I'm happy to say we'll be releasing what I believe is the iconic Luke shirt I've always wanted.



These will be available once the show opens at 7 PM on Black Friday ONLY. I know you're going to email, and you know I'm going to email you back and tell you we have to wait until Friday. Just putting that out there.

Hope to see you Friday night and we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Jensen
G1988:LA

Ben

Stormed In

The Quiet Storm opening reception has come and gone - and it really was a fun and busy night. Not so much for me, as I could only make it to 9:15, nursing what might be the worst infection of my life. The last few days I've been confined to my bed - and it's become so bad - I was tested for Swine Flu yesterday. Good news is...I don't have it. Bad news, that doesn't make it go away. But here's a picture of Roland, Krista and Scott, who all attended the opening reception...



The show is really impressive. You can check it all out by CLICKING HERE.

And with G1988: SF opening their Matt Dangler solo show tomorrow, the hits don't stop.

Speaking of...



Our next show at Gallery1988: LA is a special engagement solo show with SF artist Reuben Rude. I'm a huge Reuben fan and am excited to see what he's come up with to fill the LA gallery.

And in an announcement we'll explain more at a later date...during the Reuben Rude exhibition, spend some special time with artist Greg Simkins...



More on that later...

Jensen
G1988: LA

I'm in love

I've been so focused on our Matt Dangler show opening in San Francisco this Friday, that I just got to see all of the Quiet Storm pieces in our LA show that opens tonight. Ummm... my absolute favorite Roland Tamayo piece of all time...


Roland Tamayo "Port"

Wow, it is gorgeous! I was blown away when I saw it this afternoon. I wish I could see this show in person :( If you're in LA, you have to go to this show! It looks amazing! You can see all the details below or visit the website for more info... www.gallery1988.com

OK, back to deinstalling.

Katie
G1988 SF

Rolandorial

Slowly creeping into Memorial Day, we've have had a pretty surreal weekend at the gallery while installing "Quiet Storm." A woman was leaning against our front panel window, when her boyfriend bearhugged her into the glass - hence smashing it and breaking the entire window. We had JUST left the gallery, so we didn't see it first hand, as it sound more like a scene from "Walker, Texas Ranger" than reality, but it was very weird. They weren't hurt, which is also a miracle, so it's all a little strange. We're boarded up for now, hoping we can get a new window put in for Tuesday night's opening reception. Fingers crossed for no more bearhugs.

Time for a sneak preview of Roland Tamayo's work for this Tuesday night's "Quiet Storm," a few pieces to talk about over the BBQ.







The last one is for all my bowlers out there...

These pieces are stunning in person. Roland just gets better and better every show, really finding his voice and style over the past year.

Have a great holiday!

Jensen
G1988: LA

I hear it

Our next show at G1988: LA is a little over a week away and the work that's pouring in (that'll be a pun later, keep it in mind) is awe-inspiring. The show is called "Quiet Storm" and it features artwork from 4 artists, Roland Tamayo (LA), Krista Huot (Canada), Scott Campbell (NY) and ghostpatrol (Australia). This is one of those small group shows where each artist has a similar theme employed in each of their works, a sort of petite touch of quaint and emotion, but the similarity is extremely hard to put into words. It's a beautiful Saturday here in LA, so why not give you a small peek at 2 pieces from the show?



ghostpatrol



Krista Huot

Can't wait to see more from this show, and I hope to bring you previews from Scott and Roland next week as well.

Until then, watch the skies.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Thanks Pete!

Check out this month's LA Confidential magazine where musician Pete Wentz breaks down his favorite up-and-coming artists, which is a pretty awesome roster of Greg Simkins, Ken Garduno, Roland Tamayo, Luke Chueh, Mark Brown and Matt Dangler. Pick up the magazine to read more!

Jensen
G1988: LA

When It's Hot

No better time than a 90 degree day to announce "Quiet Storm," our next show at G1988: LA that opens on Tuesday, May 26th. A 4 person show, this exhibit will feature new works from artists Scott Campbell, Ghostpatrol, Roland Tamayo and Krista Huot. And as of now, 3 of the 4 artists (everyone but AU native Ghostpatrol) will be in attendance for the opening reception, which will run that night 7-10 PM. I have been looking forward to this show for quite some time, since all four are personal favorite artists of mine. And Scott Campbell has told me, in the strictest confidence, that he will be creating pieces based on musicians for the first time. Don't tell anybody.



Jensen
G1988: LA

Roland Tamayo and Jeff McMillan News

Our friend, Kurt Barbee from 5280 Lasers was in town during the Roland Tamayo solo show back in April in San Francisco. He took some great footage of Roland's show and recently posted it on Vimeo. Thanks Kurt!!!

Check out the video HERE!

I also wanted to congratulate Liv and Jeff McMillan on their very recent wedding! I feel very lucky to have been there, as Jeff has become a very close friend over the past few years and I was so happy to celebrate with him and Liv!







Most memorable guest was the larger than life yeti in lederhosen, which Jeff actually made himself.

Katie
G1988 SF

Battle For My Affection

In staying with the G1988 memories theme (refer back to Jensen's post a few days ago), this piece has a pretty cool story too. For the second year of I Am 8-Bit (R.I.P.) back in 2006, IGN held a contest where artists could submit videogame themed work for the I Am 8-Bit show at our gallery, and the winning piece would then be featured in the show. Well, "Battle For My Affection" by Roland Tamayo was the winner by a landslide and one of my personal favorites from the entire show. I love the piece so much, that I now own it! Roland was actually a customer of our gallery and we never knew he was an artist until this contest. Since then, we've worked with Roland in a ton of shows in LA and SF and we are so excited to be hosting his very first solo show, which opens in 10 days!!! I can't believe it's already here! I feel like a proud parent cause we've been with Roland from the begining of his gallery career and I have a lot of love for him.

The reason I posted a pic of "Battle For My Affection" is because we're making prints of it for Roland's new show!

Last week, Roland sent me this photo of a few new paintings that will be in the show. These are not quite finished yet, but take a look...



The cat is not for sale.

Katie
G1988 San Francisco