Anthony Bourdain loves La Luz de Jesus Gallery!

Last August the crew from the Travel Network series The Layover paid us a visit and let us know that host Anthony Bourdain would be profiling the gallery and the shop and interviewing a few of us for our recommendations of the best bars, shops and things to do in Los Angeles. That episode has finally aired, and we found a link on youtube. At the 14:20 mark in the video above you can catch the cool clip that has seemingly run 100 times already, announcing La Luz de Jesus Gallery and WACKO as must stops in any visit to LA. We're all big Bourdain fans over here, so it was an honor to be recognized for a job well done. The clip above features art work by Jessicka Addams, Lou Beach, Alpha Lubicz, Miso, Click Mort, Jasmine Worth, Derek Harrison and Walt Hall as well as pieces by Danni Shinya Luo, Nathan Ota and Christopher Ulrich.




At the 9:25 mark of this second clip, you can see yours truly standing in the art hall in front of a group of paintings by Glenn Barr, with additional pieces by Van Saro, Simon Sotelo, Christine Wu, Frijol Boy and Lyle Motley also visible beside and behind me.


And speaking of Christine Wu, her sophomore exhibition, "Shhh..." opens Tomorrow (Friday, February 3, 2012). She's in the white room with Soey Milk, who'll be making her feature gallery debut after garnering some high profile coverage in Hi-Fructose and Blue Canvas.



The front gallery features 4 time feature artist Bonni Reid and local hero Matthew Bone, who has been building a name for himself among in-the-know celebs and collectors for quite some time. This is his first show with us, and we've already got him on the hook for future collaborations.



If Drew Struzen worked for Hustler Magazine instead of Lucasfilm, it might look something like this, but it wouldn't have Matthew's heart-on-his-sleeve love of comics, sci-fi and horror, which is what makes his paintings so alluring. Well that and his incredible technical skills.



The shop opens at 11 AM, but the gallery doesn't open until 8 PM. Sino Tequila will be making tasty cocktails and a crowd of the best looking, most talented people in Los Angeles will be here to appreciate the best damn show in town. So come join us!


And also mark your calendars for Valentine's Day (February 14th) at La Luz de Jesus. We've got a special book release, signing and exhibition for Danni Shinya Luo who will be celebrating her birthday with the release of her very first mass-market, hard-cover art volume.

Soft Candy: The Girls of Danni Shinya Luo (from Last Gasp) features an all new collection of pin-ups which we'll be displaying (for sale!) in the gallery for the remainder of the month. All of the drawings in the exhibit are published in the book -lending added provenance, and the first 100 books ordered will come with a signed book plate created specifically for this special occasion.

Nothing says "love" like a naked lady –am I right?

AIDS Activism! Death Metal! Soey Milk!

Whenever I wait more than a couple of weeks, I end up having to relate a TON of info in a relatively short space, so I'll apologize NOW for a slightly long update, but trust me –this is worth it!

That video above was just delivered to me by director Thomas Mignone. It is the latest promotional clip from seminal Florida Death Metal band, Morbid Angel, and it features set decoration from Krystopher Sapp. Mignone contacted Sapp shortly before the opening of "When a Good Man Goes to War," and incorporated several of the pieces from the exhibition into the art design of the video. More than half of the art in Krystopher's current show is sold, but several of the pieces highlighted here are still available. The film is quite good and the band is in top form, so congratulations, Krys Sapp! We're proud of you!


Yesterday, Wayne Martin Belger completed a marathon session of work from his new series of photographs called Bloodworks utilizing his "Untouchable (HIV)" camera. Kim Saigh and Shawn Barber's Memoir Tattoo Shop supplied the backdrop (doubling as studio space) for this landmark shoot. The Bloodworks series portraits will reflect the Los Angeles HIV+ community in the thirty years since the disease’s appearance. Los Angeles is only one of the U.S. cities Belger is visiting as part of his photo essay of HIV+ populations. Belger has already photographed over 60 men women and children in Grand Rapids, New York, San Francisco, and Tucson for the series.

The pinhole camera designed and built by Belger for Bloodworks pumps HIV+ blood through filters across the pinhole aperture, producing ghostly and luminous portraits. “This camera was designed specifically for ‘Bloodworks,’ which is an ongoing photo series of people living with HIV/AIDS. The portraits create a vital, artistic record of the epidemic 30 years after its start, with the camera as the window,” Belger explains. “Each pinhole camera I build to be sacred bridge of a communion offering between myself and the subject.”

The images captured for this series will be featured in a prestigious exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada as part of an exhibition that also includes Joel Peter Witkin, Steven Gregory, Mark Prent and Marc Quinn.

It's not often that a curator can premiere an artist with the full knowledge that they are already on track to become the next big thing, but there is only one Soey Milk, and the anticipation for her featured gallery debut next month is astronomical.

Miss Milk is still in school, but is already the stuff of legends. She's been featured in the Hi-Fructose Blog, within the pages of Blue Canvas Magazine and will have a limited edition portfolio released in time for Comicon through Éditions Panik. Her ability is top notch and her subject matter interesting.


Such mature composition and raw talent made here a perfect pairing with Christine Wu, whose previous body of absolutely stunning work recently entered the collection of a certain Pirate of the Carribean. During Wu's October 2010 exhibit it was quite common to see other artists nosing up against her paintings to try and figure out her technique. I can count on one hand how many times I've seen that happen. Wu's newest series (above) is absolutely stunning. I've seen the pieces in her studio and as soon as I have a set of images, I'll post them, so be sure to get on the preview list by shooting me an email or calling.

In addition to their individual concepts, both Christine and Soey have incorporated each other into their individual exhibitions, so Soey has painted Christine, and Christine has painted Soey. Both, incidentally, have painted La Luz de Jesus gallery assistant Mia Matsumiya, so I expect nothing less than a complete sell out from each of them.

Bonni Reid and Matthew Bone will be sharing the four walls in the other room next month, and Bonni has already delivered a complete preview of her show, Cartes de Visite. More top notch work from one of our most requested Canadian artists –and at incredibly affordable prices. One of my favorite photos that I ever took is a shot of Robert Williams standing in front of Bonni's work at her last show.

Last week I had the privilege of a studio visit with Matthew Bone, where our conversation traversed comic books in the 80s and 90s, the benefits of using adult film stars as models, and the pros and cons of building one's own studio. I've already had people asking me for a preview for weeks and you can see some works in progress behind him in the picture I took below, but finished works won't be previewing until just before showtime –so stay tuned. To use the vernacular from my home town, I am wicked excited about Matthew's show and look forward to an ongoing relationship between he and La Luz de Jesus because the guy is as cool as he is talented.

Excelsior!

I'd say we're off to a fine start in the new year, and each month seems to be taking the 25th Anniversary another step further. If you haven't been to La Luz de Jesus Gallery in a while, now is a good to time to do it!

Check out our new Art in the Hallway Exhibit!

We've just added a new semi-permanent exhibition page to the website. It's called "ART in the HALLWAY."
For years, we've filled the hallway that runs from the east wall of gallery one to the restroom with pieces from previous shows and occasional, special pieces that our artists or patrons consign to us. Believe it or not, there are more pieces on the two walls of this corridor than in gallery one and gallery two combined! In fact, there are always between 90 and 100 individual art works exhibiting in this space, which is among the highest traffic areas on the premises. And to make this even more special, José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros delivered a new set of Kissing Prince and Kissing Princess portraits along with some original animation cels.

Since I received more requests for these portraits than I could keep track of, Rodolfo painted variations on the pieces included in his Sold Out August show just in time for the holidays! Click Mort delivered an entirely new series of his surrealist remixes of classic, nostalgic pop-sculptures, some starting below $200!


There are ninety-nine incredible selections, many perfect for gifting -whether for friends, family or for yourself. It's really a Who's Who, featuring new work by Nathan Ota, Jeff Soto, Joe Sorren, as well as some classic (and very risqué) Byron Werner erotic collages from the 90s and a Bill Ward color drawing from 1978.

Art Center Portfolio Review/Report

At the end of each term, Billy Shire and I are invited to review the Design and Illustration portfolios of the Art Center College of Design's senior class. Most of those soon-to-graduate are seeking industrial jobs in editorial or animation, but a brave handful are hoping for gallery representation. The quality of work from these young artists is almost invariably stellar, but I've singled out a few highlights below. These images represent the work of those I hope to work with (in some capacity) over the course of the next year and beyond. Some will participate in the Laluzapalooza group show in March 2012, and some will be getting feature exhibitions after that, while others will participate in satellite projects to be revealed later. These young folks epitomize the creative impulse of the next generation, and I'm always honored to be asked to jury their portfolios. I spent a lot of time at Art Center in the 90s, and many of the instructors are friends, colleagues and artists I've had the pleasure of representing, so it's exciting to see their students taking unique steps along the same path.

Timothy Cheng is a painter, a sculptor and animator who is sure to be scooped up by a smart Pixar supervisor before the holiday break. Check out these two examples of his painted illustration work and three-dimensional, hand-crafted statues. The image at left is a tribute to Park Chan-wook's ultraviolent and groundbreaking film, Oldboy, and the image below is an example of his surreal, situation sculptures. He also had an intensely realistic sculpture of a baked fish on sushi rice (visible on his website), which will feature prominently in a senior exhibition that also includes drawings and a video installation. Timothy's animation reel was no joke, and it's been a long time since I've seen a triple-crown talent like his.




Shaun Berke first blipped onto my radar when Christine Wu recommended I check out a Rembrandt master-study he had painted for possible inclusion in our Everything But the Kitschen Sync exhibition. It would definitely have passed jury, but I wouldn't have been able to guarantee its return for his senor exhibition upon sale –and I'm certain it would have sold. The heavy subject matter of his work is counter-balanced by his easy-going, good-naturedness. The painting shown here is titled "The Intersection of Hecate, Drowning of Noah, and Disappointment of Ludovica -or Deathboner Blueballs." It's an oil on linen painting measuring 40" x 51". What can I say? The kid can paint!

One of Shaun's good friends, Elliot Brown, graduated last term, and had previously submitted for possible inclusion in our next group show. I returned an email letting him know we weren't looking at submissions yet (this was back in August), but that his portrait of Motorhead frontman, Lemmy, was the best heavy metal portrait I'd seen since Martin Emond passed away three-quarters of a decade ago. Elliot brings his own sharp vision to narrative painting via his superb illustration and painting chops without sacrificing style. He'll definitely be featured in Laluzapalooza in March, possibly via multiple mediums, as he can also sculpt and draw like a motherf**ker.

Sharry Lai first attended Otis College of Art & Design, studying Communication Design before switching majors and schools to study Illustration and Textile Design at Art Center. Her simple, but hyper-stylized drawings are succinctly fashion driven, and the application of her work inherently lends itself to packaging and product lines. I actually purchased a piece from Madame Lai's senior exhibition without seeing it framed, but I trust her instincts and can barely wait to see it on my walls. I think she's one to watch, and look forward to seeing what a smart, intuitive couture designer can bring to a gallery sensibility.


Everybody knows that we don't generally showcase digital work, but there was something fresh and unique to Sara Saedi's mock rock posters, so I asked her about making monoprints, and she offered an even better solution: unique silk screens! Also a talented pattern-maker, Sara is sure to connect with fans of Tara McPerson, Mark Atamos Pilon and even Shag –but with a new-jack twist.

And there you have it: a short survey of the wonderful work presented by the class of 2011. Not pictured but equally intriguing was a miniature, cloth-and-wood diorama by Li Kai Lai, called "My Grandfather's Closet," and Liz Mamont's proto-Victorian illustrated zine, "Uncle Tiberius."

Big props also to my two former assistants, Ann Shen and Sana Park for presenting incredible design portfolios. Ann included pages from Pop-Sequentialism and La Luz de Jesus 25, both of which she designed, and Sana would have had pages from The Panik Diaries, but the content might have been a bit questionable for a senior project. More on that later...

I'll leave you with Jon Lau's loving caricature of Korean, hip-hop girl-group 2NE1, a wonderful miniature print of which is currently under a magnet on my refrigerator:

Here, Kitty, Kitty!

Last night we opened two incredible new shows from a couple of artists whose styles couldn't be much more different, yet manage to complement each other perfectly. I'm speaking of course of Daniel Martin Diaz's Quantum Mysticism (LA Canvas' Gallery Pick of the Week), and Rob Burden's Toy Box.

Daniel appeared in person to sign his latest art volume Anatomy of Sorrow (La Luz de Jesus Press, 2011) which contains many of the pieces featured in this exhibition of symbols steeped in the lore of Christianity with roots in pre-Christian dogma possessed of sigil-like power. Prints, drawings and paintings combined to make Quantum Mysticism an incredibly enlightened gallery experience.

In Gallery II, Rob Burden's larger-than-life portraits of toys required special loading, assembly and hanging apparatus, and it's hard to believe how quickly the rear gallery transformed from a work-in-progress to a stunning display of mind-blowing nostalgia. At least one top ten performer marveled at the scale of Rob's paintings when he stopped by for a sneak peak of Toy Box on Thursday evening.




TONIGHT, we'll be hosting a special signing event for Taschen's The Big Book of Pussy, edited by Dian Hanson, and featuring the work of dozens of photographers and models -many of whom will be in attendance, including our good friend Ed Fox (pictured at our last signing extravaganza). I'm not allowed to confirm which models will be arriving for this, but I can say that if you are even remotely interested in the body part that all of us have passed through at one moment or another, you will hate yourself for missing this.


The event opens at 7 PM and runs until 10 o'clock. And yes, it's exactly what you think it is –only more!

La Luz de Jesus 25, Part 2: Photo Blog

Oops! We did it again!

La Luz de Jesus 25, the groundbreaking, retrospective exhibition of all of the artists given feature exhibitions in the last quarter century continued last night (and tonight!). Here's an assortment of images from the Thursday night, artist-only mixer. It was like a combination class reunion and yearbook signing event that once again brought together three generations of Pop Surrealism's finest. Check out these images and come on down tonight to revel in the glow of the the final reception for this historic show.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery is located inside the Soap Plant / Wacko complex on the corner of Rodney, one block east of Vermont at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, LA, CA 90027. Call gallery director Matt Kennedy for art purchases: (323) 666-7667.