Shep goes big—and legal—in Echo Park…
Supertouch’s own SHEPARD FAIREY is taking his BARACK OBAMA endorsement seriously and went big this week with a massive new—and somewhat disappointingly, legal—billboard on the side of his new world HQ building on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park. Apparently a bumper sticker on the back of Shep’s biodiesel Volvo wagon just wasn’t cutting it anymore…
Barack’s first choice for the VP slot. Or, at the least, Minister of Propaganda…
In what is surely the single event that turned even the most aesthetically impaired men of the world into modern art lovers, renowned British sculptor MARC QUINN unveiled his solid gold KATE MOSS sculpture at the BRITISH MUSEUM this weekend as part of the “Statuephilia” show that also included works by DAMIEN HIRST, RON MUECK, NOBLE & WEBSTER, and ANTONY GORMLEY. Titled “Siren,” the piece is made of solid 18K gold and cost nearly $3 million USD to fabricate, with nearly all the cost going to the price of gold. It is the largest solid gold sculpture made since ancient Egypt.
Just got back from a very long, lost weekend in Austin at LANCE ARMSTRONG’s epic (and ridiculously underrated) AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL, where 40,000+ revelers gathered for three days of incredible music, beer, and BBQ. With a lineup featuring over 140 bands including ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS, BECK, FOO FIGHTERS, THE BLACK KEYS, NERD, THE MARS VOLTA, SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS, NEKO CASE, MGMT, HOT CHIP, and CSS, performing on multiple stages, the sun-drenched sonic rendezvous was only enhanced by the unparalleled coolness of the mostly Austinite crowd that still appreciates rock ‘n’ roll on a level rarely seen outside of Europe.
One wouldn’t normally expect to find the world’s most Googled street artist lurking among the ruins of the lower ninth ward in NEW ORLEANS, but that’s just where renegade stencil artist BANKSY has been holed up for the past week, covering the desiccated city with art to commemorate the anniversary of KATRINA, the hurricane that killed 1800 people when it struck the coastal city in 2005. Said Banksy of the operation, “Three years after Katrina I wanted to make a statement about the state of the clean-up operation,” and attested that the city’s levee wall offered “the best painting surface in the state of Louisiana.” In the art world, timing is everything, and as the anonymous bomber wraps up his project, the city once again braces for the onslaught of an oncoming tropical storm. Hopefully, once residents realize what’s been painted on their doorstop, a quick sawsall session and a little eBay savvy will net them enough to build a mansion in the French Quarter. HAVE A LOOK:
On the eve of the opening of “Blood & Treasure,”TODD JAMES‘ solo exhibition of new war-themed paintings at the starmaking LAZARIDES GALLERY in London this Friday, August 29th, we sat down with the New York-based artist, animator, and new dad for an in-depth discussion on the state of the nation. And a bunch of art stuff too. READ ON:
With all the mainstream news outlets presenting the “official” view of the 29th OLYMPIC GAMES in Beijing (including computer-generated fireworks and lip-synching 6-year-old body doubles), Supertouch brings you a street level look at the real haps around town from the back alleys to the 798 Arts District, you won’t see anywhere else…
J O'Shea/Editor
Shepard Fairey
Everlast
Dr Romanelli
Lupe Fiasco
Billy Gibbons
Christian Parkes
Davey Havok
Eric White
Erik Foss
Christian Hosoi
Josh Davis
Kenna
Mark Ryden
Masa/Three Tides
Sarah/Colette
Scott Campbell
Tim Biskup
WK Interact
Donny Miller
Lance Mountain
James Jean
Andy Cruz
Adam Glickman
Ron English
Jose Parla
D* Face
Eric Nakamura
Nathan Cabrera
Kostas Seremetis
Phil Frost
Kyle Ng
Suitman
March 20th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
[…] Newly-unarrestable “First Artist” Shepard Fairey in front of his first Obama campaign im… […]