- The Beverly Arts
Updated: Apr 30, 2022
Author: Joey Zhou
Translation from Chinese: Joey Zhou
Music: YouTube link - https://youtu.be/1ZYbU82GVz4
Paintings: LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang
Painting by LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang
Dark night
Time has been ground into coffee
Delivered tomorrow.
Tomorrow
The grapes have been turned into wine
Drunk dream.
Dream
Tear up all memories
Left in pieces...
Fragment
Is the only touch
Yesterday...
Yesterday,
Never will be
Suddenly reappearing...
Those sorrows
Those dark
Those lonely
Those unfortunate.
Painting by LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang
It will be all right
Turn around in an instant
Become a period.
Stop sighing
Away from sorrow
Say goodbye to the sadness of yesterday.
Alone
Sitting on the sofa,
Let the hands
The vine gripping the seat...
Feel
All the silence of yesterday
Accompanying the countdown at this very moment...
(Written on New Year's Eve 2015 in Los Angeles.)
The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by JH International Art Institute
California Dreamer (2022) by Morgan Deeble
ESCONDIDO, CA – (April 12, 2022) – California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE) announced today an exciting collaboration with CEO and co-founder of Tribal Streetwear Bobby Ruiz and Professor of Art History at Point Loma Nazarene University Dr. G. James Daichendt for CCAE Museum’s summer exhibition STREET LEGACY: SOCAL STYLE MASTERS, on view from June 25 – August 28, 2022. Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters is generously sponsored by Carol and Lawrence Garner, ENA Art Group, and Theory R Properties. Bobby Ruiz and Dr. G. James Daichendt are both winners of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) Icon Award.
The exhibition Street Legacy: SoCal Style Masters features close to 100 artists representing the diverse cultural landscape of Southern California. Aspects of graffiti, street art, skateboarding, surfing, tattoos, hip hop, breaking, punk, lowriders, and custom culture will all be explored through a range of media as they work to build an experience that represents what it means to be an artist that is inspired by the streets of Southern California. Co-curated by Bobby Ruiz and Dr. G. James Daichendt, a leading academic in the field of street culture, their combined efforts are represented in the exhibition and a forthcoming academic text investigating the cultural connections between these sub-cultures and streetwear.
"Having grown up in Southern California, I became fascinated and involved in so many aspects of its rich culture. While skateboarding in my pre-teens around San Diego, I discovered Lowriders and graffiti, and became absorbed with the artistic elements and styles of dress around these movements. Later, I found myself not only an ingredient of this melting pot, but sharing it with the world via photography, video, art and my brand Tribal Streetwear. This exhibition is a celebration of these multi-dimensional Californian cultural movements, says Bobby Ruiz.
Dr. G. James Daichendt notes, "Street Legacy is an opportunity to explore street culture and the multitude of subcultures that are brought together through Tribal Streetwear and their ability to attract so many different types of creatives. As an academic, I am interested in demonstrating how Tribal is much more than a brand, rather it's a lifestyle that will be brought to life through a variety of performances, art works, and experiences on the CCEA campus."
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Jim and Bobby as the co-curators on Street Legacy. They brought this group of talented artists together for an in-depth look at the variety of techniques and viewpoints which encompass the southern California culture vibe that is well-known and respected worldwide." – Beth Marino, director of museum and visual arts.
The exhibition will feature new work by each artist specifically created for the museum, including 14 temporary mural installations inside the galleries. From pinstriping and tattoo drawings to aerosol cans and wheat-pastes, the ingenuity and creative use of materials will showcase how these masters of the streets have made a name for themselves and pushed this new form of contemporary art making forward to be considered one of the most important art movements since Pop Art.
An important aspect of art created and inspired in the street is that it meets us where we live and work. We know it is art the moment we see it, even if it’s not inside a gallery or placed on a pedestal. Street Legacy aims to showcase how this work complements one another and why it’s relevant in our daily lives.
Each artist in the exhibit is directly connected to Tribal through the sub-cultures represented or they have partnered with Tribal in the past. While Tribal Streetwear is a brand, it also is representative of the variety of lifestyles and activities that includes aspects of the before mentioned subcultures. Much like the T-star logo that is made up of several small “t’s” that form a star in the negative space, the subcultures that inform and reflect Tribal’s ethos and philosophy come from many different corners of Southern California, yet they find a home in Tribal’s aesthetic, the people associated with the company, and the shared experiences of street culture.
About Tribal Streetwear: Tribal Streetwear is lifestyle streetwear brand that is inspired by a variety of southern California sub-cultures that includes graffiti, street art, skateboarding, surfing, tattoos, hip hop, breakdancing, punk, lowriders, and custom culture. Based in San Diego, CA, Tribal has strong Chicano roots in its aesthetic and, since its inception in 1989, the impact of their designs spans the globe with retails stores on several continents.
About Bobby Ruiz
Bobby Ruiz, CEO of Tribal Streetwear, Inc., developed an early interest in Southern California lifestyle and culture. This eventually transpired into a degree in Mexican American studies and an international streetwear brand. Through Tribal Streetwear, Inc., he has worked with hundreds of creatives, including several multi-platinum recording artists. He has curated and co-curated art shows in San Diego, Tokyo, New York, Melbourne Australia and Los Angeles. Instagram: @bobbytribal
About G. James Daichendt
G. James Daichendt is art critic, curator, and art historian that writes for audiences inside and outside higher education. He is author of seven books including: Robbie Conal: Streetwise: 35 Years of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art (2020); The Urban Canvas: Street Art Around the World (2017); Kenny Scharf: In Absence of Myth (2016); Shepard Fairey Inc: Artist/Professional/Vandal (2014); Stay Up! Los Angeles Street Art (2012); Artist Scholar: Reflections on Writing and Research (2011); and Artist-Teacher: A Philosophy for Creating and Teaching (2010). Instagram: @jimdaichendt
California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum, a member of MAGEC: Museum & Arts – Growing Escondido Arts, is participating in Second Saturdays. On July 9 and August 13, Museum admission will be discounted 50%.
Participating Artists: Albert De Alba, Alex Garcia, Ames, Anti, Antonio Mejia, Antonio Pelayo, Armando Flores, Big Checho, Big Sleeps, Big Tiny, Billie the Kid, Brgr Face, Brisk, Brown, Carlo Miranda, Carlos Torres, Carly Ealey, Channon Fulton, Chaz Bojorquez, Chikle, Chimu, Chris Konecki, Chuey Quintanar, Chuy Espinosa, Collette Miller, Cory SaintClair, Craig Stecyk, Cryptik, Dakota Gomez, Dane Souder, David Flores, David Porras, Dream On, Dyse One, Emily Klinger, Eno, Eric Gonzalez, Espana Garcia, Estevan Oriol, Flaks, Fonzy, Franco Vescovi, Gane, Germ, Gustavo Rimada, Hasler, Herman Plasencia, Honkey Kong, Horacio Martinez, Huit “8,” Isaac Pelayo, Isaac Quezada, Jack Rudy, Jason Brown, Jesse Hernandez, Johnny Quintana, Joker, Jorge Rosales, Justin Bua, Kenny Scharf, Latisha Wood, Left E, Lexy Vaatete, Louie Perez lll, Lyjah Vaatete, Mando Saldana, Manuel Cisneros, Marissa Quinn, Mear One, Mercado, Mike Giant, Mike Rios, Mister Cartoon, Mister Rhythm, Mister Troshin, Morgan Deeble, Mr B Baby, OG Abel, Opie Ortiz, Persue, Pres, Vaatete Ricardo Islas, Rascal, Risk, Robbie Conal, Rudy Ruiz, Sal Elias, Shepard Fairey, Slick, Steve Soto, Teen Angel, Tim Hendricks, Tone Chingon, Tristan Eaton, Vanessa Torres, Victor Cordero, Vyal, Yely, Zane
Tickets for the exhibition are $6 for Seniors and Students with valid ID and $12 for Adults. Active Military and children 17 years and younger are free. Tickets are available for purchase at artcenter.org, by calling (800) 988-4253 or in person at the Museum.
The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by JH International Art Institute
"The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition - Video of the art exhibition at Imago Galleries
Palm Desert, California, USA. 25th April, 2022. Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) Icon Award winners Todd Williamson and Joe Davidson, are currently exhibiting with artist Christina Craemer at Imago Galleries in Palm Desert, California. The exhibition is named "The Deeper the Blue," and explores the ideas of color, spirit, and freedom. The renowned painter Wassily Kandinsky, known for abstracts and expressionist use of color, stated that “color is a means of exercising direct influence upon the soul, where color is the keyboard, the eye the hammer, and the soul the piano of many strings.” Artists Craemer, Davidson, and Williamson question color in this exhibition and its place in our emotions and spirituality. The use of color calls out to the deeper nature of our hearts and minds.
The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition
According to Wassily Kandinsky in his prophetic 1912 book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, “the deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite”. Coming out of the COVID years and a worldwide lockdown, the world is looking inwards and questioning its existence. Unlike other colors, the color blue “Awakens (in him/her/they) a desire for the pure”. This desire is coming at us in all directions as we question how much we work and play and what we give our attention to. We are questioning where we live and how we interact with others. Kandinsky goes on to say, “The brighter it (blue) becomes, the more it loses its sound until it turns into silent stillness and becomes white.” White has long been associated with positive energy, protection, and a connection with God.
The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition - artwork by Christina Craemer
In this exhibition, the works of three Los Angeles artists are connected through the power of color and specifically around the color blue. Christina Craemer’s mystical waterfalls and hazy imagery creates magical places where our minds search for calm, and a place that is definitively ours. In her travels she collects images that she processes from photographic images into the grand visions that are her art.
Joe Davidson, Hoojung Lee, Curator/Art consultant at LA Contemporary, Todd Williamson, Christina Craemer, and Dr. James Hopkins, Owner of Art All Ways Inc., attending the opening of the exhibition.
Joe Davidson’s art is specific to our eyes and calls to our minds to release the idea we have of what we expect to see. Dangling goldish sunflowers that are flat and pressed to the walls are sculptural and invite us to look closely to discover what they are saying, while soft white balloon sculptures hint at an uncovered joy, private thought or sexual fantasy.
The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition - sculptures by Joe Davidson, paintings by Todd Williamson
Todd Williamson’s large-scale color fields hint at the spiritual, but recall life as it moves upward and around the colors. These monumental works have a quiet intensity and depth that demands a closer inspection. Williamson’s large monumental works hint at great things to come and movement through life.
The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition - sculptures by Joe Davidson, paintings by Todd Williamson
The great Louise Bourgeois once stated that the color blue was the hallmark of freedom of speech. She felt that “the color blue means you have left the drabness of day to day reality to be transported into a world of freedom where you can say what you like and what you don't like. We are moving society forward where this aspect is at a pinnacle of our society, speaking out against injustice, cruelty, oppression, or the destruction of the planet.” This statement is visible in Williamson’s large hazy-blue work called “Two Sides of Tomorrow” where a fragility exists between the visible surface and just beneath this. Craemer's mystic waterfalls ebb and flow down the walls of the canvas inviting us to their mythical world, while Davidson’s highly charged sexual balloon sculptures appear like flaccid penises and wait to tell their story.
Each of the three artists quietly discusses how they see and live in the world. How the color of life is different for each and how color and abstraction are powerful monikers of who and what we are. Williamson uses the vertical line to symbolize the movement of life in many of his works such as “Aligning with Reason” and “Silent Stillness”. This “sword”, as he calls it, slices through the middle of the work at times and at other times lies solemnly on the side of the work still discussing the movement of our lives through time, hopes, fear, and desires.
The Deeper the Blue" Exhibition - waterfall painting by Christina Craemer (left), sunflower sculpture by Joe Davidson, and paintings by Todd Williamson (right).
Craemer uses soft hazy images to create another world where we hide from the garishness of daily life and softly breathe. Waterfalls, cathedrals, and trees make up much of this otherworldly scenery while she seamlessly connects the colors to the eye of the viewer to bring them into her world.
Davidson uses sculpture to question the world and to move the viewer to question why and how things exist as they do. Sometimes these statements are humorous and point out the obvious while at other times they confuse our concept of what the world is. His sunflowers seem to flow down the wall to us as we gaze at them and the soft edges of the balloon work, which are sensual and soft in their flaccid state and seem somewhat heretical in their quiet white ominous form.
LABA Blue-chip Artist Jiannan Huang at his JH International Art Studio in Beijing, China
LABA Board members, Joey Zhou, founder of LABA, and Princess Karen Cantrell, Rotating Chairman of the LABA International Art Festival, sent their congratulations to the artists. A special congratulations by video came from LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang, who was at his studio in Beijing, China and sent his best wishes to the artists on their exhibition.
Joe Davidson (left) and Todd Williamson (center) receive their LABA Icon Awards on September 29, 2021.
Princess Karen Cantrell, Ike Khamisani, Harrison Engle, and Joey Zhou at the LABA Icon Awards on September 29th, 2021.
"The Deeper the Blue" is currently on exhibition through Summer 2022 at Imago Galleries, 45-450 Highway 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260.
About Imago Galleries
Founded in 1991, Imago Galleries is considered one of the West Coast’s premier fine art galleries and event venues. At 18,000 square feet, the gallery is often mistaken for a boutique museum and boasts a 6,000 square foot sculpture garden as well as an a 3,500 square foot terrace. Imago has held exhibitions for well-known artists as Ed Ruscha, Tom Wesselmann, Dennis Hopper, Jennifer Bartlett, Mel Ramos, Arman, Peter Halley, Robert Graham, and William Wegman.