"Taking it to the Streets" Art Exhibition at bG Gallery
TV host Joey Zhou with drawings by street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Santa Monica, California, USA. 13th April, 2023. The opening of the art exhibition, "Taking it to the Streets," was held at the bG Gallery in the Bergamot Art Center in Santa Monica, California. Curated by William "Billy" Gross, the founder of Universally Unknown, the exhibition features artwork from some of the most iconic street artists. Gross states, "I have always been amazed, whether I am in London, NYC, Los Angeles, or any major city, by what I consider the truest form of art: graffiti, which is now seen as street art. So much culture goes into street art, and I wanted to show the history of the form and some of my favorite artists who have been instrumental in bringing it to the contemporary art world."
Om Bleicher, founder of the bG Gallery and Billy Gross, founder of Universally Unknown
The artists exhibiting included: Jean-Michel Basquiat, RISK, Fab 5 Freddy, Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring, Maripol, Ricky Powell, Daido Moriyama, Lisa Schulte, Cleon Peterson, Glen Miller, Barry McGee, Mike Maxwell, Enivo, Karen Bystedt, Travis Barker, and Raul.
Guests attending the opening reception at bG Gallery
Lisa Schulte, LABA Icon Award winner and LABA committe member, was one of the exhibiting artists, and displayed her neon art sculptures. Schulte started bending neon in the early 1980s, creating custom neon signs and neon prop rentals to the entertainment industry under her Los Angeles-based neon studio, Nights of Neon. In addition to making her own art, Schulte produces custom designs and signage for clients that have included: Showtime, The WB, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, ABC, Nike, CBS, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Gucci, HBO, Hulu, Netflix, YSL, KARMA Automotive, & NBC.
Joey Zhou holds calligraphy artwork by LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang who is attending by video conference (cell phone) with artist Lisa Schulte
LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang
Jiannan Huang is one of the world's finest artists, specializing in Western oil painting and Chinese ink. He is ranked third on the 2020 Hurun China Art List and 19th on the Hurun Global List with sales of $29 million. Jiannan holds several positions - Director of the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Association, member of the French National Artists Committee, art consultant for the World Low Carbon Cities Alliance, and France Jiny City Gold Medal Honorary Citizen. In 2021, he was given an honorary membership into the Royal Society of St. George (RSSG), California Branch, and received the RSSG "Master of Arts" Award and the LABA Most Influential and Most Valuable Artist Award in 2022.
LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang's art studio in Beijing, China
During the exhibition, Jiannan Huang was able to attend by video conference and enjoyed meeting the gallery owner, curator, and artist Lisa Schulte. He congratulate Lisa Schulte on her exhibition and looks forward to meeting her one day.
Om Bleicher, founder of the bG Gallery and Billy Gross, curator and founder of Universally Unknown, and Joey Zhou, founder of LABA
Guests attending the opening reception at bG Gallery
The exhibition will be on view from April 15th to May 1st, 2023, at bG Gallery in Santa Monica, California. Admission is free and open to the public. Hours are 12noon - 5:00pm Tuesday-Saturday.
The Beverly Arts News is sponsored by JHSZ Art Institute