Colab Projects / Blog

Evan Hecox
Dark Island
May 24 to June 23, 2012

Opening Reception:
Thursday, May 24 from 6pm – 9pm

Joshua Liner Gallery is pleased to present Dark Island, an exhibition of new mixed-media works by the Denver-based artist Evan Hecox. This presentation will mark his second solo show with the gallery.

Evan Hecox has a roving traveler’s eye—it is the gateway to his art. His passion for exploring unfamiliar cities has taken him to London, Mexico City, and Hanoi…

In Five Boroughs, Hecox dispenses with representation altogether, depicting instead the names of the city’s boroughs in an eye-popping, early-Modernist font. These graphic block forms, in an assortment of grays and other muted hues, conjure up Manhattan’s “Dark Island” of architectural greatness, intensity, and romantic memory. Across all of these works, Hecox distills his fascination with urban complexity, layering photojournalistic details, urban detritus, and art history into pentimenti from his own inner landscape. As the artist notes, “I like to use abstract elements, words, and small symbols as ways of breaking apart the original image and putting it back together as something new. My work ultimately looks out into the world to make an observation while at the same time pushing back into my own mind and demonstrating how a particular environment affects my senses.” Read the full press release here.

On the occasion of this exhibition, Master Printer Keigo Takahashi has printed a new Evan Hecox edition for Joshua Liner Gallery. Five Boroughs is a 14 color screen print with digital printing on Magnani Annigoni 250 gram paper as an edition of 30 – inquire.

Joshua Liner Gallery
548 West 28th Street
between 10th and 11th Avenues
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Erik Foss. Faces of Death. 2012, Mixed Media

SHOW / 04 at T.A.P.S
May 23 – June 21, 2012

Opening Reception
Wednesday, May 23, 6pm – 9pm

SHOW / 04 at The Art Pop Up Shop (T.A.P.S) features artists Erik Foss, JK5, Rita Finnegan, Ana Klausmann.

T.A.P.S
672 Driggs Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
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Tag-In at T.A.P.S
Saturday, May 19th, 2pm – 6pm
672 Driggs, Williamsburg

In collaboration with Kid-In magazine, T.A.P.S Gallery is pleased to invite parents and kids to participate in an interactive event hosted by multidisciplinary artist Joseph Ari Aloi aka JK5, world-renowned tattoo artist, painter and toy designer.

Half of the gallery will be transformed into a drawing room for kids to explore and unleash their creativity with the artist himself an entire afternoon along with served refreshments.

JK5 will exhibit paintings and drawings within this event to continue for the upcoming SHOW/04, opening Wednesday May 23rd at T.A.P.S Gallery.

Kid-In also features JK5 with an interview and will release a limited-edition JK5 t-shirt featuring concurrent with this special event.

STRANGE is back in Brooklyn! Colab is happy to announce that we will host a special live silkcreening event, STRANGE by artist Naomi Kazama.

Colab Presents STRANGE
Live Silkscreening Event & Artist Reception
Friday, May 18, 5pm -8pm
Audience members can purchase STRANGE organic cotton t-shirts for $35 (kids $30) and get an artwork of your choosing printed live for $5 or bring your own apparel, bags, or MTA card, or “anything that you wanna get printed” for $10 per original hand printed work.

STRANGE has been providing 100% organically grown cotton t-shirts since their first event in 2009. To support environment awareness for organic cotton, Naomi launched his own organic cotton t-shirts line, STRANGE. Conventional cotton farming is one of the most environmentally demanding activities in the world. Organic cotton farming method is used to minimize polluting the air, sold and water. Naomi hopes to spread “YES” to the world!

Colab Projects
487 Atlantic Avenue
(Nevins Street & 3rd Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
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Benefit Art Auction
May 16, 2012 8pm

VIP Opening Reception
May 16, 2012 7-8 pm

LACE AUCTION ONLINE

LACE’s benefit art auction is an annual signature event where patrons have the opportunity to purchase 100+ original artworks by some of the most important established and emerging artists working today including Carolyn Castaño, Zoe Crosher, Brad Eberhard, Ken Gonzalez-Day, Alexandra Grant, Jenny Holzer, Salomon Huerta, Steve Roden, Amanda Ross-Ho, Ed Ruscha, Christopher Russell, Anna Sew Hoy, Mitchell Syrop, Pae White, and Brenna Youngblood.

Yuri Shimojo will be among the artists donating to this benefit event. View more information about this artwork here.

LACE invited 20+ guest curators to each organize a personalized exhibition featuring works by their favorite contemporary artists. This year, the auction will be cohosted by Drew Droege as Chloe Sevigny and Nadya Ginsburg as Madonna. As per LACE tradition, the live auction will be called by Blake Koh, director of Sotheby’s Los Angeles.

Artworks will be on view at LACE, 3 – 15 May during regular gallery hours.

LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)
6522 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.957.1777

photo by Kiino Villand ©1996

Earlier today, Adam Yauch, founding member of the Beastie Boys passed away after a three year fight against cancer.   Adam was a good friend of mine, and one of my oldest friends in New York. But more than being a friend, he was an inspiration. I am so privileged to have known him.

Adam is well known for his many talents — musician, film-maker, snowboarder and world champion alpen horn blower — but he was as generous as he was creative.  It’s well known that Adam cared deeply about seeing a Free and Independent Tibet in his lifetime, and he used every resource available to make this dream a reality. Through his efforts, he raised millions of dollars for the Beasite Boys’ charity the Milarepa Fund, but he also lobbied congress in their DC offices, folded pamphlets and licked envelopes, got arrested at demonstrations at the Chinese Consulate, made food for volunteers, called business leaders and talked to them about human rights — heck, he even slept on the floor of my college dorm room so that he could attend a Students for a Free Tibet conference that I organized at my school (this was a long, long time ago).  But for Adam, Tibet was just the beginning.  He believed that  the act of freeing Tibet would have a ripple effect around the world, and encourage freedom everywhere.  Most importantly, he believed that the key to doing this was through non-violence, and that is what so deeply moved him to give so much of his time, energy and talent to supporting the cause.

After 911, New Yorkers were lost, overwhelmed and grieving.  Adam was the first person to organize a benefit concert. Rather than focus on the tragedy of what happened, which was too vast for us all to fully comprehend, he titled his event “New Yorkers Against Violence.”   Somehow, Adam (and Mike D and Adam Horovitz) knew that the message had to be global, and that it had to address the problem of violence, rather than just be a reaction to the tragedy that was still unfolding in our city.  Adam thought big, and he understood that all things are interconnected.  He was an old soul, and he clearly lived so passionately, creatively and compassionately, that he exhausted his body at far too young an age.

Although it’s hard to fathom that we won’t see him again, the mark he left on this world will have a lasting legacy.  For every musician he encouraged, for every artist he inspired, for every Tibetan he gave hope to, and for every person who shook their rump to his fat bass lines, we pay tribute to MCA.   Our deepest condolences go out to his incredible family, and all the friends who he has touched during his time with us.  On a personal note, I have to say, Adam, thank you for everything you did for me – all the kind words, generosity, encouragement, leadership, inspiration, and most importantly, the laughs.  You played a huge role in making me the person I am today, and I am forever grateful to you.

Now it’s time to honor his life by helping to make his dream come true.

Excited to announce this showcase that I co-produced for The Wassaic Project to raise money for music programming at their 5th annual FREE summer festival. The Wassaic Project is an artist-run, sustainable, multidisciplinary arts organization that focuses on community engagement and facilitates artists and participants to exhibit, discuss, and connect with art, music, each other, their unique site, and the surrounding community. The summer festival is an annual 3 day event, featuring more than 20 bands, 100 visual artists, performing artists, and filmmakers. As a member of the festival’s music advisory committee, we are working hard to keep this one of a kind festival free and open to the public, maximizing exposure for artists and performers, and drawing broad participation from Hudson Valley residents and many visitors from the greater New York City area. Last year’s festival drew more than 2500 attendees and we expect 3500 guests this summer. You can watch a video clip about the festival here https://vimeo.com/38899787

Rostarr
IKONOCLYSM
May 11 – May 20, 2012

Opening Reception:
Friday, May 11, 7pm-9pm

Rostarr’s solo exhibition IKONOCLYSM will open May 11 at COMMON gallery in Tokyo featuring new original works in the artist’s signature style “graphysics” combining calligraphy and graphics, as well as three dimensional installations, adding depth to the show. Rostarr will be present during the opening reception, May 11.

View the entire press release in Japanese here.

COMMON
5-11-1 2F Jingumae
Shibuya, Tokyo, JAPAN

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Photographs: David Black

Jess Rotter has just released a special project with Light In The Attic Records. For their fourth collaboration with Rotter and Friends, Jess has taken their “symbiotic relationship a step further. Inspired by Lee Hazlewood, Jess collaborated with Light in the Attic Records to release a vinyl, Lee Hazlewood: The LHI Years, in tandem with her Spring 2012 tops featuring the singer-songwriter-producer” as described by Dossier. Check out the full Dossier Lee Hazlewood x Rotter + Friends article and Jess Rotter’s interview on ELLE.com.

We can’t wait for Country Funk, also being released by Light In The Attic this summer with more great album art by Jess including a 20-page book of her illustrations. Until then, get your Lee Hazelwood Tee and pick up the vinyl here.

ニューヨークで感じたafter311 Yuri Shimojo special interview, read it here. 911と311: a year later Yuri shares her reflection on 311, being in New York while the news of the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear disaster on her “mother island roared.” It recalls our shared stories of being in New York during 911 and the feelings of those who viewed the event from afar.

Moichi Kuwahara and Yuri discuss art as vehicle to express 911 & 311, US and Japan government use of propaganda, evolution and healing process of Yuri’s artwork, and her message of Voices of 2011. Yuri has worked with legendary uber-producer Moichi Kuwahara and his company CLUBKING Tokyo since 1991; also creator of FREE PAPER Dictionary. Yuri credits her bimonthly writing there for “triggering” her to publish her autobiography.
There is much more in this interview, including Tsuru Project started with the mission to support Japan in its recovery, and across the ocean to send a message of hope and courage. Today though the media coverage dwindles, in the aftermath of such unprecedented destruction Japan and the worst global nuclear accident in 25 years, there is vast recovery and critical nuclear discourse needed. Sales of Voices from 2011 print and Tsuru Project’s tsuru zuru both donate 100% of funds raised to those most affected in the nuclear exclusion zone.