SNORRI STURLUSON | LAUNDROMAT
Opening reception: April 13, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: April 13 - 27, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

"For all its squalor and despair, the laundromat has held a curiously elevated status in the global mind. Things happen in laundromats. People get hurt. People hide. People see God. People fall in love. People go nuts. People make plans. Or so TV and film have led us to believe for the last 40 years. Snorri Sturluson is certainly no exception to the laundromat's allure. When he moved to New York City in 2001 he was smitten with their charm. It was, Sturluson said, as if everything he'd learned about America over the years had contracted in a brilliant epiphany. The laundromat contains the loneliness and pathos in the films of Jim Jarmusch, the mysterious lack that pervades the prose of Paul Auster, the shade of Weltschmertz in the songs of Tom Waits, and the city's sense of gritty despair and taunting possibility that have drawn so many millions to it. There were literally thousands of laundromats in New York City. A few photos would be too many, but hundreds hardly enough.

Taken over a period of four years and representing all five of the city's boroughs, the photographs in Laundromat constitute a portrait in montage. They present, as well, a history, an anthropology, and a sociology, an imagistic commentary on the economics and politics of America itself. Laundromat is an homage, on the one hand, to laundromats and the people who use them, and an elegy, on the other, to an America that used to be."

"Laundromat" is available as a 160 page photography book from powerHouse Books featuring an essay by D. Foy.

DANIEL ARNOLD | WHEN TO SAY NOTHING
Opening reception: April 13, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: April 13 - 27, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

New York-based photographer Daniel Arnold comes from a family of eight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has learned photography on his own, just from being hooked on it and always practicing through the years. Daniel posts new work daily on his website, whentosaynothing.com

The Seventh Letter presents #ARTSHARELA
Opening reception: March 1, 2013 | 8 - 10pm
Show runs: March 1 - April 7, 2013

Art Share LA
801 E 4th Place
Los Angeles, CA 90013
info@knowngallery.com

A celebration of Street Art curated by Casey Zoltan of Known Gallery, featuring gallery pieces & outdoor billboards from noted Los Angeles artists: Saber, Patrick Martinez, Rime, Victor Reyes, Pose, Sage Vaughn, Willie T, Shepard Fairey, Risk, Push, Revok, Zes, Sever, Augustine Kofie and Vizie.

Altamont Presents: Skateboard High School | Years of Pictures by Patrick O’Dell
Opening reception: April 4, 2013 | 8-11pm
Show runs: April 4-7, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

VICTOR REYES | Down for you
Opening reception: February 23, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: February 23 - March 9, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

"Down For You" is a new body of work from Victor Reyes

Victor Reyes has dedicated more than half of his life to painting. Commitment is evident in his work and is a constant theme in the tradition of the graffiti movement. Dedications are hallmarks, written in tribute for the memory of those who came before us and for those who have departed. "Down for you" is a collection of paintings in oil and spray paint that conjure up an imaginary world of pigments and memories.

These pictures are the building blocks of a new painting language for Victor Reyes. Classical references are deconstructed in primitive strokes to complete these anti-portraits and landscapes. The meanings derived from these pieces are multifaceted. Plain objects, stretched across color fields that combat the frame work to which they are bound and tethered, reveal the excitement of destruction. The momentum and rhythm of these movements obscure earlier marks of beauty and begin to decompose the subject into forms less recognizable.

SWA PROJECT | Sew What America
Opening reception: February 23, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: February 23 - March 9, 2013

Known Gallery / Project Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Hand made Quilts, Flat Work, and accessories designed by Katrina Santa-Ana and Victor Reyes.

The conversation between textile design and painting has been developed into quilts and flat work that resemble the tapestries of America Folk-Art. Having worked within this conversation over the past year Katrina Santa-Ana and Victor Reyes have turned these quilts into accessories that are full of the unique energy of both painting and quilting. The initial goal was to create flat works that wove the story of graffiti into the context of American folk art as the recognition of urban art gains acceptance the world. These pieces visually marry old traditions with the new role of graffiti as a form of cultural expression and Identity.
Hand made in San Francisco, California, the Sew What America collaboration between the paintings of Victor Reyes and the flat work designs of Katrina Santa-Ana. These accessories feature original designs on fine linens and exotic leathers. Each piece is individually printed or hand painted and sewn into a unique jewel that radiates individuality and comfort. Handmade with love, no two are the same, and each is something worth admiring.

RICHARD J OLIVER | When hope turns to ashes
Opening reception: February 2, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: February 2 - February 16, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Richard J Oliver | When Hope Turns to Ashes

Richard J Oliver was born and raised in Wales, United Kingdom, studied Fine Art at the University of the West of England and undertook his Masters at UWIC in Wales. In his time between studies, Oliver built his reputation, beginning in Wales and later gaining recognition throughout the UK. His work has been included in numerous European group shows, which then segued into solo shows, including an exhibition at the prestigious Museum of Modern Art in Wales.

Oliver's early work focused on his homeland, particularly the struggle of its youth trying to find identity in the aftermath of the local mining industry's demise. His work often showcased the skeleton landscapes of mining villages in the Welsh valleys juxtaposed with contemporary youth.
His latest works explore more universal subjects, from environmental issues to humanitarian and social problems that are close to his heart.

Since becoming a parent, Oliver has explored the anxieties of raising a child in an environment on the brink of disaster. The images touch on the tragedy of children forced to survive in an apocalyptic environment and violently fend for themselves. He transforms the natural instincts of fatherhood and family protection into striking visuals. More recently, portraits have crossed into the dark, brooding world of Grimm's fairytales and surrealistic subjects that help convey the emotion and tragedy of our world's children. Oliver works closely with many charities, most recently donating proceeds to Dreamlovecure.org and City of Hope's Department of Pediatrics.

AMANDALYNN and LADY MAGS
Opening reception: February 2, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: February 2 - February 16, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Amandalynn is a long time San Francisco based Muralist, Fine Artist, Conservator, and Designer. Within her fine art, Amandalynn is recognized for her sensual portraits of seductive yet secretive women. Her street art murals reflect similar imagery, which she began painting in 2001 with the Seventh Letter crew.

Lady Mags has been a graffiti writer since 2006, when she started painting tracksides in Chicago.  She has travelled extensively, painting graffiti wherever she goes.  Recently, Lady Mags has begun showing fine art in galleries across the United States.

Together, Amanda Lynn and Lady Mags are Alynn-Mags productions: a street mural and fine art team.  Both artists are San Francisco Bay Area residents, and together they have over two decades of painting experience.  Alynn-Mags has been immediately recognized for their large scale spray paint and acrylic brush paint mural combinations found across the country. In their fine art collaborations, the duo also merges different mediums and techniques to create their pieces. Lady Mags often works with abstract watercolor imagery, which Amandalynn incorporates into her detailed illustrations.

This will be the first time the team has exhibited their combined work within a gallery setting, and are honored to have their fine art debut held at the Known Gallery in Los Angeles.

LUCIEN SHAPIRO
Opening reception: February 2, 2013 | 8 - 11pm
Show runs: February 2 - February 16, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Dancing between life and death, Lucien Shapiro’s art is rife with found objects, textures, casted forms, manipulations, raw substances, oddities and multiple personalities. Treating forgotten objects and memories as treasure, he creates a kingdom under which new life is born through sculpture. Urban Obsessions explores both artist’s and viewer’s perception of identity, addiction, and time.

Composed of elaborately constructed masks and ornately armored weaponry, this collection of works examines a relationship between modern waste and memories of ancient cultural artifacts. Practices and customs from the past are brought back to light through Shapiro’s revival of discarded materials, transformed into objects analogous with self protection. Behind masks and armor, we’re enabled with the power to separate and shield ourselves from reality, creating new identities through a deliberate opposition of our true selves.  Urban Obsessions tangibly relates the past’s and present’s ritualistic escape from stress, pain and even love.

Utilizing raw materials correlated to various forms of addiction such as drugs, violence, and collections, Shapiro’s sculptures embody the act of compulsive preoccupation.  Through his own addiction to the process of painstaking repetition and meticulousness of his craft, we are presented with works that challenge preconceived notions of habits, impulses, and dependencies. Evident in his art is an acceptance of whatever result would come from the consolidation and manipulation of numerous imperfections.

In today’s day and age, the ease at which information and products are made available has led to a continual state of overconsumption. Everyday items have become neglectfully disposable, and there is an immediate desire for what’s new and what’s next. Shapiro’s work, a laborious craft and meditative consumption of time, transforms forgotten objects into nostalgically interesting and beautiful relics that compel viewers to re-evaluate what our everyday possessions represent and mean to us. Shapiro invites us to slow down, to not only gain appreciation for the artifacts that tell a story about who we are in this day and age, but to find inspiration in the value of time and craft.

Written by Angelique Ilusorio

GRANT COBB
Opening reception: February 2, 2013 | 8 – 11pm
Show runs: February 2 – February 16, 2013

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

ERNEST HOLZMAN | L.A. BACKSTORY
Opening reception: January 12, 2013 | 8-11pm
Show runs: January 12 - 26, 2013

Known Gallery / Main Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Everyone has a BACKSTORY.
 
In February 2012,  I was two months from having a PET scan as part of my ongoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This particular scan was significant because it would indicate if the chemotherapy had worked or if I needed more medicine...possibly even a bone marrow transplant.  I suddenly had a serious passion to do some work.  
 
I wanted to feel like a teenager again when I felt completely invulnerable.  And I wanted to have an adventure.  

So I decided to photograph a nude woman on the streets of Los Angeles.  Without permits.  Guerrilla style.  

We went to special locations I had come to love over the years and made pictures when the light was right.  A 60-year-old photographer and a 60-year-old 4x5 view camera which only captured one film image at a time.   

I shot Carly mostly from the back and watched her as she looked ahead...perhaps seeing into the future.  

This is the genesis of the work on these walls.  

L.A. Backstory.  

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About ERNEST HOLZMAN

In 1974 I graduated from New York University where I studied music and photography.  I played drums in jazz and rock groups and sold photographs to the Black Star Agency.  

I enrolled at the American Film Institute in 1978 and was granted an internship with cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth on the film "Cutter's Way".  

Jordan and I became friends and he invited me to work on his next project which was "Blade Runner".  I spent the next few years working with him and learning about light.  

Eventually I began photographing television commercials and in 1989 I was offered my first dramatic work on "thirtysomething".  
For the next twenty-five years I continued working in advertising and television drama including the iconic "My So-Called Life".

In 2001, I was honored by the American Society of Cinematographers for my work on the PBS/Masterpiece Theatre drama "Cora Unashamed".

My wife Terry Anne and I are currently writing screenplays together.  Comedies.

MAD SOCIETY | GROUP SHOW
Opening reception: December 9, 2012 | Noon – 6pm
Show runs: December 9 – 24, 2012

Known Gallery / Main Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

With worldwide acclaim achieved through a tireless dedication to a craft that is constantly under fire from outward sources looking to quell their cultural impact, a group of individuals with mutual admiration for one another have endured. Having presented work at the street-level in dilapidated areas both domestic and abroad, as well as in some of the largest and most respected museums and galleries in the world, these artists continue to be a driving force in not only promoting art, but the idea that surrounding yourself with the elite is a formula for inherent growth and endless blue chip opportunities.

Known Gallery is proud to present “MAD SOCIETY” on December 9 at Known Gallery, Los Angeles. Featuring new works from REVOK, RETNA, POSE, RIME, RISK, REYES, PUSH, ASKEW, ROID and ZES. Pieces include foraged geometric collages, pop color creations, politically-charged critiques, vivid abstractions and much more – with each blending traits and techniques learned years prior with acquired knowledge and masterful style procured from decades-long collaborations with one another. “Mad Society” perseveres.

KNOW HOPE | THE WEIGHT
Opening reception November 10, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: November 10 – 24, 2012

Known Gallery / Main Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

For his first solo show in Los Angeles since 2009, Know Hope continues his research and narrative, this time focusing on the notion of 'The Weight'.

Portraying 'The Weight' in both a visual and symbolical nature, this exhibition observes on the various interpretations of what weighs down on us, collectively speaking.

Know Hope has recently been using the image of the flag in his work, attempting to look into the idea of patriotism-not necessarily from the directly-political aspect, but by focusing on the minor human situations that compose this larger issue.

The artist conducts this research from a standing point of aiming to understand how patriotism works; as an emotional mechanism, hoping to show the indifference between the personal and the political.

Another primary concept portrayed in Know Hope's work is the idea of 'The Missings', the empty spaces which he sees as a common denominator. The artist believes that there is a collective longing that exists in subjective manners (i.e. 'a missing', or an empty space) that we seek to fill, more specifically in this case by patriotism.

There is an emphasis on the process of adopting these 'truisms'-being born into a charged reality and embracing these values without questioning; such as we do the flag and it's role in our lives.

By creating a new body of work and a site-specific installation, all while keeping these things in mind, Know Hope presents 'The Weight', an observation on where we are now, how we got to being there, and how we manage the burdens that we bear.

PUSH | IN OTHER WORDS
Opening reception October 20, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: October 20 – November 3, 2012

Known Gallery / Main Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is proud to present In Other Words, new paintings by Los Angeles-based artist PUSH.

For the past year, PUSH has been meticulously creating this body of work on canvas, wood panel and paper, the latter being a new medium for the artist. Triangular grids filled with bold and vibrant colors are chaotically aligned with muted and monochromatic splashes, creating stunning contrasts.  The artist's disciplined handwork gradually builds a geometric patchwork.  The process is incredibly painstaking and requires patience, not only on the artist’s part, but also for his fans that have been anticipating this solo exhibition since his last show at Known Gallery in 2010.  The result is a body of complex paintings, bustling with energy while simultaneously offering serenity.  PUSH explains "The focus is on progression. It's what keeps me going."

With roots in the Los Angeles graffiti scene, PUSH is a highly sought after muralist and designer.  His outdoor work has evolved into large-scale murals, painting on buildings, creative workspaces and the famous wall he collaborated on with the legendary Lee Quinones for the Art in the Streets exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

GEORGE THOMPSON | PAGEANTRY
Opening reception October 20, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: October 20 – November 3, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

California-based artist George Thompson’s new series of paintings debuts at Known Gallery on Saturday, October 20, 2012. “Pageantry” is part of Thompson’s ongoing social commentary on what he finds both disgusting and fascinating about current ideas and phenomena held dear by the mainstream. This installment features depictions of “tiny princesses” that are paraded with pomp and ceremony by parents like pets, to be judged by other adults—exemplifying the shallow sense of values that run rampant today in “culture.” Thompson imparts further discussion on the subject matter by employing classic oils on canvas, to depict the darlings of high-tech media.

Like other series of paintings he has executed, he says he “falls short in presenting the exacting likenesses in these works,” thus leaving some of the interpreting up to the viewer to celebrate the train-wreck of images.

KAID ASHTON | PEOPLE & PLACES
Opening reception October 20, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: October 20 – November 3, 2012

Known Gallery / Photography Room
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Kaid Ashton began taking photographs in the mid-90s of industrial landscapes, mostly graffiti and train yards. Only when he moved to Taiwan and fully experienced another culture did he begin to focus his camera on people, where and how they lived. Over the past 8 years, his interest in the ways of other people has spanned over 35 different countries, on sometimes less than reputable modes of transport. His images reveal curiosity, sense of adventure and gifted connection with people, traits that mark the best (and most grateful) of travelers. Each subject that he captures, Kaid tries to get an understanding of who they are and what their personality is like. In order to   In 2008 Kaid began to strategically place his images on the streets of cities around the world. Bringing his art work to the places where the images were capture was one of the goals behind this. The other was to expose his work to people who would otherwise not get a chance to experience it. Since first pasting a photograph on a train in 2008, Kaid has had his work on the streets of Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Toronto, Kaohsiung, Manila, Vancouver, Colombo, Guangzhou, Dhaka and Beijing. Inspired by locals who assisted with the pasting process in the slums of Manila, Kaid decided to give something back and started the Homeschool Project. Going back into the slums Kaid and a group of volunteers taught art classes to the children who lived there and fed them a nutritious meal at the end of the class. To date, the Kaid  has taught 29 classes to over 1500 children mostly in Manila as well as Dhaka, Bangladesh and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

HELLO KITTY | HELLO ART!
October 14, 2012 | 1-6pm

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Hello Kitty, Hello Art!  - The Book

Hello Kitty, Hello Art! is a hardcover collectible book (9.5” x 11.5”) that is published by ABRAMS and features works of art inspired by Sanrio characters including the iconic Hello Kitty^®as well as My Melody^®, Keroppi^®, Badtz-Maru^®, Little Twin Stars^®, and more. Inside its glossy cover, the book contains an impressive array of celebrated artists from around the globe, showcasing in both art and words the inspiring ways Hello Kitty and Sanrio have influenced both their work and personal lives. The book features over 200 color illustrations that infuse pop culture and street art, as well as a pull-out sheet of custom-designed tattoos. The book ($35) will be on sale at the event and on sanrio.com

The art featured in this vibrant collector’s edition ranges from edgy to obscure to world-class adorable and everything in between. Hello Kitty, Hello Art! features artwork crafted using a variety of mediums including canvas, spray paint, watercolor and ink, aerosol and acrylic on wood, mixed media, oil on panel and silkscreen. While the artists featured in the book collaborated with Sanrio for Hello Kitty’s 35^th anniversary celebration in 2009 and Sanrio’s 50^th anniversary in 2010, a few have been invited to create new interpretations of Sanrio characters to celebrate the book launch.

Book Release and Gallery Show

Sunday, October 14, 2012 / 1pm-6pm

Join Sanrio and featured artists from the book to celebrate the release of Hello Kitty, Hello Art! An afternoon of iconic art for Sanrio fans of all ages, Sunday’s agenda features a special artist signing event and specialty product releases set to the beat of DJs The Pastries. Limited-edition prints of specific pieces featured in the gallery show and book, as well as exclusive t-shirts from The Seventh Letter – the largest graffiti and street art collective in the world – will be available for sale. Guests are invited to have their book signed by Hello Kitty, Hello Art! artists who will be on-site to celebrate the book release with fans along with Sanrio’s ambassador of art Hello Kitty!

Sanrio fans and lovers of pop art alike will be treated to the newest collection of Sanrio-inspired works of art premiering at  Known Gallery for the special one day pop-up event. The event will feature over thirty new paintings by graffiti artist POSE, custom chandeliers by Adam Wallacavage, a neon installation by RISK and new works by 64 Colors, AIKO, Caia Koopman, DABS MYLA, Kenton Parker, Niagara, Shepard Fairey and Simone Legno — all incorporating a rainbow of Sanrio characters.

In addition to the event, select limited edition prints and t-shirts from The Seventh Letter will be available for purchase on sanrio.com.

About Sanrio

Sanrio, best known for global icon Hello Kitty and home to many endearing characters including Chococat, My Melody, and Keroppi, is a worldwide lifestyle brand founded on the “small gift, big smile^®” philosophy — that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages.  For over 50 years, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique Sanrio products and experiences. Today, more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 70 countries and upwards of 12,000 U.S. locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 100 Sanrio boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty.

About ABRAMS

Founded by Harry N. Abrams in 1949, ABRAMS is the preeminent publisher of high quality art and illustrated books. Now a subsidiary of La Martinière Groupe, ABRAMS is the publisher of bestsellers such as the wildly popular The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, the award-winning cookbooks of Alton Brown, and the stunning photography of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Earth from Above. ABRAMS publishes books in the areas of art, photography, cooking, interior design, craft, fashion, sports, pop culture, as well as children’s books and general interest. The company’s imprints include Abrams; Appleseed Books; Abrams ComicArts; Abrams Image; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Stewart, Tabori & Chang; and STC Craft/Melanie Falick Books. www.abramsbooks.com

STEVEN HARRINGTON | INSIDEOUT
Opening reception August 18, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: August 18–September 1, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

California artist Steven Harrington has created a colorful, inspiring world for Insideout, the first show held in his hometown of Los Angeles since 2009. Harrington’s solo exhibition will be on view from August 18 to September 1, 2012 at Known Gallery. Insideout represents the artist’s journey of discovery, while creating a similar voyage for visitors, allowing the dialogue between artist and viewer to continue as layers of meaning and understanding are added to this thought-provoking collection. New works of art including recent paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures reveal months of unearthing and exploring, a concept Harrington hopes to expand as each visitor forges their own path of discovery. The title reflects Harrington’s process and the ultimate goal of the show: to take the inner, intuitive workings of an artist and draw them out, sharing the experience with the world.

“To follow intuition is to create,” Harrington explains. “It that can reveal new life, new possibilities, and new beginnings. It’s completely unexplainable, that’s what makes it so beautiful. What does intuition look like Insideout?”

Exhibition Highlights
Insideout marks a number of firsts for the artist. Harrington has recently delved into the world of sculpture and the exhibit will unveil his biggest sculpted piece yet. The show will also feature enormous graphite renderings, exploring the art of balance with totem-like structures of anthropomorphized everyday objects. Shown together, they tell a story of struggling to seek harmony that everyone will find familiar. The pencil drawings are Harrington’s largest to date. They represent an inaugural collaboration as well. Harrington teamed up with Swiss publisher Nieves to create the book Remain in Balance, which puts the story of his graphite renderings in print. It functions as a small catalog for Insideout, but also as a captivating stand alone piece.  

The show also includes a collection of tablet-like relief sculptures. Originally concepted during the downturn of the economy, Harrington views them as a way of etching optimism in stone, similar to the way one would etch their initials in a tree.

In addition, a wall of striking prints will be on display. Harrington began the process by creating sculptures that he photographed, making prints that he then altered and embellished. The result is a series that vibrantly examines the relationship between art and artifact.  

This exhibition is generously supported by Generic Surplus, who shares Harrington’s fascination with Southern California culture and desert intrigue. The project marks the third collaboration between Harrington and Generic Surplus this year. A new Harrington-designed Generic Surplus collection will be released the final day of Insideout.

About Steven Harrington
Cited as leading a contemporary Californian psychedelic-pop aesthetic, Los Angeles–based artist and designer Steven Harrington is best known for his bright, iconic style that encourages a two-way conversation between the artist and viewer. There’s a timeless quality to his playful yet contemplative work, inspired by California’s mystique, vastly diverse landscape, and thriving mix of cultures. Embracing a multimedia approach, Harrington’s portfolio includes large-scale installations out of plaster and stone, handscreened prints, limited-edition books, skateboards, and sculptures. Alongside his personal work, Harrington co-founded both the acclaimed design agency National Forest and pop-art brand “You&I.” He has exhibited artwork in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona, Tokyo, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal, Melbourne, and Dallas.

REVOK | GILGAMESH
Opens: July 28, 2012 | 8-11pm
Runs: July 28 - August 11, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is pleased to present Gilgamesh, a new body of work by REVOK opening on Saturday July 28 and on view through August 11.  This exhibition will mark REVOK’s second show with the gallery.

With Gilgamesh, the artist has refined his technique of cutting up and reassembling found objects that once had a life of their own. All materials are scavenged from abandoned homes, churches, businesses and buildings in Detroit, Michigan, the city where REVOK has taken refuge.  The artist extracts the beauty in urban decay, from dilapidated buildings and rubble of the past.  An integral part of the process of acquiring his materials is exploring the neighborhoods, going into abandoned buildings, investigating forgotten places and sometimes in the course, encountering the people who once lived there.  The artworks are then named after the street addresses from which he excavates his materials, leaving the stories embedded in the assemblage.

A modern approach to Americana, REVOK creates geometric collages from these recovered relics, forming patterns, shapes and textures that are a direct result of years of wear and tear.  REVOK finds inspiration in what others’ might deem as useless.   As a fearless graffiti artist who has largely mapped and plotted the world, he turned his focus to the ruins of the Motor City, a vacant playground of beautiful architecture. REVOK’s experiences as a graffiti artist have fostered an appreciation for the things that surround us everyday, but for most, would go unnoticed.

“I’ve always struggled with permanence.  Out of twenty-two years as a graffiti writer, from my entire body of work, less than 1% exists, and the permanence of graffiti, particularly in Los Angeles, is more temporary than most places in the world.  It has always been one of the main motivations of graffiti writers to create work that’s going to last.  We want to create work that’s going to live for a long time.”

REVOK recently shared his artistic ambitions on a larger scale by creating the Detroit Beautification Project, inviting 25 artists from around the world to revive the forsaken city and provide encouragement for the community.

Garnering inspiration from the four thousand year old poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which recounts the Sumerian king’s quest for eternal life, REVOK has resurrected a city’s past using its disregarded remains. The flotsam and jetsam have now become memorialized artifacts through REVOK’s meticulously crafted handwork, giving new meaning and immortality to what were once ordinary objects.

REVOK constantly struggles to overcome the connotations associated with the type of artist he is, which in the past, has been met with overwhelming opposition and with the intent to eradicate his life’s work. REVOK’s work reflects not only his story as an artist, but also the story of a civilization and its people.

REVOK was born in Riverside, CA in 1977.  By the age of thirteen, he was writing graffiti as a novice, which eventually developed into a somewhat notorious career as a world- renowned graffiti artist. REVOK has participated in major exhibitions including Art in the Streets, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (2011), Street Cred, The Pasadena Museum of California Art (2011) along with a sold out show at Vicious Gallery, Hamburg, Germany (2011) Perseverance, Known Gallery (2011) and group exhibitions THESE Friends, THIS Gallery (2011), City of Fire, Arrested Motion/Stephen Webster Gallery (2012), Streets of the World, Opera Gallery, New York (2012), Hookers, Corey Helford Gallery, (2012).

SABER | BEAUTIFICATION
Opens: July 28, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: July 28 - August 11, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

About SABER:

Among the thousands of people who make up the graffiti community around the world, there are few names that carry the same legendary quality as SABER. Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, SABER was raised by creative parents and discovered his passion for art at an early age. At 13, his cousins introduced him to graffiti when they took him to see the spray paint-covered Belmont Tunnel. From that moment on, he was hooked. After honing his skills on local walls, SABER joined MSK, and was later inducted into legendary piecing crew AWR. 

SABER was already a fixture in the Los Angeles graffiti scene by 1997 when he completed the largest graffiti piece ever created. His piece on the sloping cement bank of the Los Angeles River was nearly the size of a professional football field, and took 97 gallons of paint and 35 nights to complete. In a famous photograph—taken by his father just after it was finished—SABER stands on the piece and appears as a tiny speck amid a giant blaze of color. It catapulted SABER to legend status in the graffiti world.

SABER began exhibiting in his fine art in 2002. His monograph, SABER: MAD SOCIETY, complete with stories of his graffiti misadventures, was released by Gingko Press in 2007 and is now in its second printing. In October 2010, SABER released a video in which the year's heated debate about health care was spray painted over the American flag. While some saw it as desecration, SABER advocated for health care reform in the video, revealing that he had epilepsy and was un-insurable. This work led SABER to create a large group of American flag paintings called the Tarnished series. 

In 2011, SABER's solo show, The American Graffiti Artist opened in New York to great acclaim. Additionally, his art was featured in two museum exhibitions, Street Cred at the Pasadena Museum of California Art and MoCA Los Angeles's blockbuster Art in the Streets.

AARON ROSE'S FIRE SALE
Opens: July 7, 2012 | 7-11pm
On view: July 7 - July 21, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

In September of 2001 I packed up my New York life of over ten years, stuffed it into a U-Haul and moved to Los Angeles. The contents of that truck included all kinds of evidence and ephemera from my time as a gallerist in NYC. There were some really cool original pieces of art in there, but it mostly consisted of things like prints, posters, furniture, extension cords, cassette tapes, magazines, books, skateboards, and thousands of other random things that at the time I just couldn't let go of. After a few months of being on the West Coast, the entire contents of that truck got dumped into an anonymous storage space in Glendale where it has remained now for over ten years. Each month I diligently send a check to pay for this big black box of 1990's memories...but the time has come to end those shenanigans. The idea of keeping all this evidence of my old life in storage no longer sounds attractive to me. There are some amazing things in there that I'm sure people will like and it makes no sense to keep hoarding. So, ladies and gentleman, my loss is your gain. Starting July 7th, for two weeks only we will be staging a fire sale at Known Gallery. The ark will be opened and its contents placed on glorious display for all to marvel at. Who knows? There might even be something in there you wanna take home!

Featuring: Mike Mills, Ed Templeton, Mark Gonzales, Mister Cartoon, Thomas Campbell, Chris Johanson, Mark Borthwick, Sonic Youth, Beautiful Losers, Raymond Pettibon, Terry Richardson, Fort Thunder, Tommy Guerrero, Tobin Yelland, Aaron Rose, David Aron, Andre Razo, Chris Pastras, Joshua Wild Man, Brian Degraw, Ari Marcopoulos, Cynthia Connolly, Rita Ackermann, Cheryl Dunn, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Bruce La Bruce, Ivory Serra and more.....

-Aaron Rose

PATRICK MARTINEZ | LOVELY DAY
Opens: June 16, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: June 16 - June 30, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is very pleased to present “Lovely Day”, a solo show by contemporary artist Patrick Martinez.

Martinez, a diverse young artist, is known for his lush colorful paintings and portraits set in the Los Angeles streets, his neon works that play on hip-hop themes, his sculptures and his limited-edition objects. For “Lovely Day,” he revisits the Los Angeles landscape. “It's crazy to me that I wake up to beautiful days here in L.A., but they are juxtaposed with the ‘evil’ things that happen in this sublime city. That’s the inspiration for the show,” says Martinez.

For the piece upon which the exhibition is based, a still-life painting with a layer of neon, spelling Lovely Day on top, Martinez says: “I painted a bed of flowers typical to Los Angeles and took what I was doing with neon which is inspired by L.A. store fronts and combined the two. The result was the piece ‘Lovely Day,’ which was also the first piece I created in this body of work.” The theme is seldom addressed in contemporary art and one that intrigues Martinez. Many of his new works have similarly glossy exteriors with dark undertones.

Another paradox Martinez explores is the male psyche, as exemplified in his painting “Culture of Honor,” which depicts a thuggish man festooned with a child’s flotation device or “floatie.” Says Martinez: “I wanted to use a Los Angeles male archetype to present this idea: It's a beach setting. The proud male doesn't know how to swim, but he's sporting this ‘I don't give a shit’ attitude – but he really does care. Moreover, he doesn't want to drown.”

“Culture of Honor” is one of the show’s highlights, as are two vending machines, like those typically found in L.A. car washes, laundromats and liquor stores. They have been loaded with custom sculpted toys in plastic capsules cast in various materials. One of the items is a sticky hand "West Coast version," the other is a piece of cheese and a plastic pig finger puppet. The vending machines also vend prismatic stickers with images of Martinez’s new neon pieces.

Patrick Martinez is one of the most exciting young artists in Los Angeles at the moment. He has exhibited in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, The Netherlands, Toronto and Hawaii.  Complex magazine recently named Martinez one of its “Most Important Artists of 2011” and one of its “Most Influential Artists of the Complex Decade.”

AARON DE LA CRUZ | SOME THING ELSE
Opens: June 16, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: June 16 - June 30, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is proud to present “Some Thing Else,” a solo show of new works by artist Aaron De La Cruz.

For his most recent body of work, De La Cruz explores the idea of working within the constraints of a resourceful manner creating in his reproductive process a sustainable product. His work retains its signature minimal touch utilizing black ink on an applied surface as well as introducing to the viewer a more interactive and three dimensional form exploring surface. De La Cruz keeps the work non subjective, many pieces in the show are created with the intent that they can be used as “something else,” creating an interactive dialogue between the work and viewer’s imagination.

From his large matte black inverted sculptures to stark two dimensional ink paintings, De La Cruz bridges the gaps between fine art and design, the sum of its parts being simultaneously both practical and decorative. The artist’s cryptic line work invoke an archeological inquisition that is suggestive of both ancient Mayan hieroglyphics and contemporary graffiti, allowing the viewer to relate, interpret and decipher the work on their own terms.

Staying true to the show’s title, “Some Thing Else,” De La Cruz pushes his own personal boundaries with a diverse and multifaceted exhibition. Much as his crisp lines weave throughout his individual works like strings through fabric, the aesthetic elements of his unique voice find themselves manifested in a variety of mediums while remaining a cohesive and compelling whole. Furthering the artist’s amalgamation of art and design, “Some Thing Else” will also feature the debut of De La Cruz’s accessory line and custom crafted jewelry.

“Some Thing Else” will be the artist’s second Los Angeles solo exhibition following his acclaimed large scale showing at the Arkitip Project Space in 2012. More recently, De La Cruz has shown at Honolulu’s Loft in Space where he is a regular contributor to the seminal Pow Wow arts and culture annual event. In 2011, the artist was ranked one of the 25 Most Important Artists by Complex Magazine and his work has been commissioned by several high profile clients including the Toyota Prius Project. The artist lives and works in San Francisco.

AUGUSTINE KOFIE | WORKING AN ANGLE
Opens: May 26, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: May 26 - June 9, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Working An Angle is a recent collection of work by Los Angeles-based artist Augustine Kofie. This will be Kofie’s first solo show with Known Gallery and will include 40 recent works including hand painted multiple screen prints, collage on wood as well as paintings on canvas and wood.

The works comprising Working An Angle feature found paper collage, clean line work, delineation of geometric forms and divisions of space with a technical precision that resembles a modernist like archtectype drafting. Kofie’s unique understanding of placement and line work results in a style of meticulous rendering that never seems cold or sterile due to the delicate sense of balance maintained within each drafted creation. Compositions incorporating found papers and ephemera from various hunts for the refuse of the past tend to help give these recent works an 'old soul' type vintage mood, while still holding a structural heart. Dusty pinks, mauves and mint greens compliment a muted palette to soften the sharp streaks of line work, and imparts a simple elegance to the complicated arrangements of each circular form and shape.

Half a dozen larger works will be on display as well as a number of pieces from the artists 'Incising' series where acrylic paintings on clayboard are lightly carved to exposing the underlining color forms, continuation in the artists curiosity with layering, movement and linear connections.

Augustine Kofie (b.1973, USA] is a self taught mixed media artist born, raised and based in Los Angeles, California. With a deep interest in process and structure, Kofie creates works of intense detail centered on the order of balance. The precision of Kofie’s “drafted” art is strongly inspired by modern architecture as well as the form and shape of deconstructed typography.  In his quest for balance, Kofie harmonizes opposing and contradictory dynamics in his work by setting futuristic compositions against vintage earth-toned palettes, and creating organically complex formations through meticulously structured line-work and layering. Active in the Los Angeles Graffiti scene since the mid-nineties, the artist’s work reflects his ever-growing influence of culture, the craft of deconstructing lettering, contemporary music as well as 1960’s-70's iconography.

LAgo brand, USA | INDISPENSABLE (Art by the oz.)
Opens: May 26, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: May 26 - June 9, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

LEGOLIZE IT!

LOS ANGELES, CA. May 10, 2012.  In compassionate compliance with CA Proposition 215, the LAgo brand, in a landmark partnership with The Seventh Letter and Known Gallery Worldwide, is stoked to announce the Grand Opening of the inaugural LAgo brand Collective - "INDISPENSABLE: Art by the ounce." (Compassionate Care Clinic and Fine Art Dispensary). (cough.)

In the wake of increasing raids on Medical Marijuana dispensaries by local, state and federal drug enforcement agencies, the LAgo brand's brand-new, flagship storefront is set to open on May 26, 2012 at Known Gallery located at 441 North Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. The LAgo brand, as a perpetual "harvest" of healing power, has been especially commodified to meet the addictions of anyone who has ever wanted to experience the transaction of purchasing medical marijuana - or fine art - at a legal business organization.

Synthetic starter-plants, seedlings, clones, and a totally huge selection of intoxicating, fake plastic buds- all built with LEGO bricks to resemble some of the finest strains of medicinal marijuana ever grown will be on display and available for limited purchase. (cough.)

NO "SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION" NECESSARY! THERE'S NOT A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE! NO MEDICAL MARIJUANA ID CARD? NO PROBLEM, MON!
*WARNING: ART NOT FOR ACTUAL SMOKING...CHOKING HAZARD UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE* (cough..)

THE SEVENTH LETTER and NEFF HEADWEAR present SESAME STREET

On view: April 28 - April 29, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Featuring:
Aaron De La Cruz, Amanda Lynn, Anthony Lister, Askew, Augustine Kofie, Axis, Carlos Donjuan, Dabs & Myla, Dame, Danny D, Eric Dressen, Evol, Franco Vescovi, George Thompson, Haeler, Honkey Kong, Jaime Oliver, Jasper Wong, Jeff McMillan, Joe King, Kelsey Brookes, Leo Eguiarte, Les Schettkoe, Madsteez, Manny Sayes, Mambo, Mark Dean Veca, Matt Nichols, Mr. Cartoon, Munk One, Nate Van Dyke, Norm, OG Abel, Patrick Martinez, Persue, Pose, Push, Revok, Rime aka Jersey Joe, Samuel Rodriguez, Sage Vaughn, Sever, Slick, Stash, Steel, Todd Bratrud, Trevelen, Victor Reyes

RUSLAN KARABLIN aka SSUR | THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
Opens: April 14, 2012 | 7-10pm
On view: April 14 - April 21, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

VICTOR REYES | THE JUNGLE
Opens: March 24, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: March 24 - April 7, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is pleased to present The Jungle, featuring new paintings by Victor Reyes. In this ambitious body of work, Reyes’ illuminates the savage nature of humanity in the context of modern day America while simultaneously exposing the primal, mammalian inclinations that pulse just under the facade of contemporary culture. The artist critiques the premium placed on notions of “civility” while celebrating instinct and acknowledging the dark underbelly of our society. 

The Jungle is a two yearlong exploration of human nature and survival. Jungle themes first appeared on Reyes’ black and while murals and have been translated into the subject of many paintings on wood panel that explore a variety of color palettes. 

The Jungle is submerged in the representational motifs of animals, carnage and patterns arrayed in warm, vibrant colors that recall the meat, bone and sinew that comprise all mammals.  Herein lie tapestries of line and palette whose language and conversation are a departure from the formulaic and mundane. Within this new work, Reyes reveals a world of color and form where situational dramas are framed into context by pigment and fury. Each new picture presents the very real emotions of survival and dominance in an exhibition that encapsulates Reyes’ stark and meaty vision of our civilization.

Since the early 90s, Reyes has been painting.  His work has been shown extensively in countries around the world, including the group show titled Letters First (2006) which traveled to Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, and Barcelona, Public Provocation (2008) at Carhartt Gallery, Weil am Rein, Germany, Will Rise group show (2010) as Yves Laroche Gallery, Montreal, Canada and Misspelled (2010), a solo show at Robert Berman E6 Gallery, San Francisco. Misspelled was culminated through an experiment in typography in which Reyes painted all 26 letters of the alphabet in the Mission and he published a 104-page book for the exhibition under the same name.

Reyes’ work has been commissioned for Louis Vuitton in conjunction with Stephen Sprouse for a San Francisco Flagship store release and in 2010, his feature, "Man of Letters on a Mission" was the cover story for the San Francisco Chronicle.

This is Reyes’ second solo exhibition at Known Gallery since unveiling his show Warpaint in 2010.

DYLAN MADDUX | CAMBODIA, The New Life
Opens: March 24, 2012 | 8-11pm
On view: March 24 - April 7, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Chances are, you've seen the work of Dylan Maddux without realizing it. Maddux has been shooting crisp, raw, vivid photos all over the globe for years. He always maintains that tangible, almost indescribable, flavor to insure a genuine feel... Be prepared to envy his career. –Katie Zuppann

Born in Los Angeles, Dylan dove into the world of photography in 1999 when he moved to San Francisco where he spent the next 12 years perfecting his craft. Most of his time was spent in Lower Haight, a district that would ultimately shape his signature style. He began working with the newly established clothing company/gallery Upper Playground and shot the works of artists the company represented at the time. His other early works consisted mainly of hip-hop editorials and advertising in the skateboard industry. From there he moved onto street photography shooting portraits of street hustlers, gang members, and “the sexy girls next door”.

His photography has been published in both domestic and international publications including Intersection (UK), Warp (Japan), Slap, Thrasher, Juxtapoz, Mass Appeal, and Swindle. He was also one of ten photographers to be published in Juxtapoz Photo, the book.

He has shown at many galleries including YBCA (SF), FTC (Japan), Known Gallery (LA), BACC (Bangkok), 1AM (SF), and Cassel Gallery (SF) where he showed his latest solo exhibit Mau Loa, a Hawaiian portrait series..

Always in need of a challenge, Maddux has stepped into the world of directing and shooting videos. To date, he’s done numerous video works in Kingston, Jamaica; Hawaii; Bangkok; Hong Kong; and San Francisco.

He has been in Southeast Asia for the last year and a half. Of that time, he spent over a year in Bangkok photographing fashion, red light, and street culture. He has recently moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he is currently working on completing his first book.

STEVE OLSON | KIDS PAINTINGS 
On view: March 3 - 9, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

This is the second half of Steve Olson’s two part show at Known Gallery titled Kids Paintings.

In the world as we know it…. Don’t go outside the lines… Don’t get dirty… Don’t do this, don’t do that…. enough is enough… Steve Olson’s “Kids Paintings” at the Known Gallery is just that… Allowing kids to get dirty, going outside the lines, and making their own… Opening March 10th to the 17th … Olson challenges the norm, again… A series of work that has been created by sliding one 4 1/2 yr old through paint… Creating abstract work and motion that can’t be caught any other way… A live performance will be happening the night of the opening on the 10th of March… Don’t miss it, if you do, too bad… we tried…

MOSHE & EDDIE BRAKHA | SILENT PICTURES
On view: March 3 - 9, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

MOSHE BRAKHA:

Born in Israel, and reborn in Hollywood, Moshe Brakha has been captivating the photographic and television worlds with his cutting edge classic photography and film for over three decades. What began as an album cover for Boz Scaggs, “Silk Degrees” and shoots for Rolling Stone Magazine, has become a trailblazing career in the fashion and advertising worlds. Moshe’s print and television work has long been celebrated and recognized, having created advertising campaigns for brands such as Air Walk, Midori, Skyy Vodka, Martini and Rossi, Camel Cigarettes, Adidas, Candies, Best Buy, Motorola and countless others. He has photographed celebrities ranging from Kim Kardashian and Tom Hanks to Samuel L. Jackson, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Alyssa Milano, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Christina Aguilera, and a host of other luminaries. His work has been featured prominently in Entertainment Weekly, Details, Newsweek, and Condé Nast Traveler. Moshe has also directed hundreds of television commercials all over the world, gaining his greatest notoriety with his black and white “Martini Man” saga for Martini and Rossi. He has won numerous awards for both his print and television work. Recently, he has joined forces with son Eddie Brakha to form a father + son directing team for their company Commercial Head Films.

In May 2009, Moshe’s work became the subject of the special presentation,” Occupation Dreamer,” the first exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Currently, Moshe, together with Eddie Brakha, is working on a new and original project comprised of over 50 beautiful images interlaced with dialogue of poignant social commentary and critique. These pieces are a dramatic visual departure from his past 35 years of commercial work and showcase the profound creative partnership between Brakha x 2.

Moshe Brakha is a director of Commercial Head Films in Los Angeles and Co-Creator of the “Silent Pictures” project.

EDDIE BRAKHA:

Born and raised in Hollywood, the self-proclaimed creator of ‘Modern Con Classico’ (the blending of modern and classic styles), and the directing partner and son of renowned photographer/director Moshe Brakha, Eddie Brakha began his photographic and directing career in 2004. Since then, he has written and directed national and international campaigns for some of the world’s most recognizable brands including, Midori, Martini, Motorola, Physicians Formula, Route 66, Bacardi, Candies, Bongo, Toblerone, Lucky Strike Bowling, Nationwide, AMPM, Frito Lays and more. He has art-directed photo shoots for multiple magazines including Stuff, Maxim, Newsweek, Conde Nast Traveler, Emmy and Statement Magazine and he has worked with top celebrities and personalities such as Kim Kardashian, Andre 3000, Steve Jobs, Mary Louise Parker, Jimmy Kimmel, David Duchovny, Hillary Duff, and others.

Passionate about giving back, Eddie has written and directed PSA’s for various organizations and causes including, Bamko’s “Care to Ask” initiative against child sweat shop labor, New Mexico’s “DOT” campaign against drunk driving and under age drinking and Candies’ “Wheels” and “Crib” for the Candies Foundation Teen Pregnancy Awareness Program.

In 2009, Eddie expanded his repertoire adding a number of new ventures to his name. He was the co-artist for the “Culver…Is That You?” (2009) Culver City Public Arts project and was the Creative Director and co-photographer for a new Culver City development, “Culver Centrale,” which opened in December 2009.

Currently, Eddie, in collaboration with Moshe Brakha, is working on a new and original project comprised of over 50 beautiful images interlaced with dialogue of poignant social commentary and critique. These pieces are one of Eddie’s first forays into the fine art world and showcase the profound creative partnership between Brakha x 2.

Eddie Brakha is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Film and Advertising program. He is a director for Commercial Head Films in Los Angeles and Co-Creator of the “Silent Pictures” project.

STEVE OLSON | HANGIN'
On view: March 3 - 9, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Steve Olson, a pro skateboarder in the 70′s and 80′s and prominent figure in the L.A. and San Francisco Punk Rock scene, creates Post Modern work that weaves narrative themes of capitalism, pop culture, social decay, and modern banality with the energy and fun of early Punk. Steve Olson’s work confronts and undermines the way society constructs and imposes a traditional hierarchy of cultural values and meanings by critiquing contemporary society and our relationship with it. The artwork explores power and the way economic and social forces exert that power by shaping the identities of individuals and culture. Questioning the nature and extent of our freedom his art challenges our acquiescence to authority and conventional thought.

“My Art gives contemporary art a juvenile delinquent phase. It’s self-made style icons gleefully trashed conventions of beauty and society while pick pocketing from the coolest underground styles and beliefs of the previous centuries…” -Steve Olson

ZES | EXCAVATED REVELATIONS

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

On view: February 11 - 25, 2012

“Back in the day, there were these old buildings in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway Street that were abandoned, but they were so beautiful.  Zes and I wanted to climb them no matter how high they were, just so we could write on them.  They might not have been paintings, but to me, they were still works of art.” – RETNA

Known Gallery is proud to present Excavated Revelations, a dual exhibition featuring new work by Los Angeles-based artists ZES and RETNA.   Introduced in their youth by their mutual friend AYER, ZES and RETNA led parallel lives through an upbringing in graffiti. Utilizing a fluidity and precision they mastered by painting some of the most coveted walls in the city, their refined technique is now exemplified in this fresh body of abstract work.

ZES began his career at the young age of thirteen and gained recognition for his determination to climb some of the city’s most challenging locations, stealthily navigating the streets of Los Angeles and commandeering its obscure walls at night. Growing up in the heart of the city, by the age of fifteen, ZES became one of the youngest members of the legendary MSK crew and has helped define the contemporary graffiti movement. Widely respected for his innovations to West Coast wild style, his determination to overcome the obstacles the nature of graffiti presented resulted in a fervent approach to his modus operandi.  His longevity has allowed him to produce a substantial amount of work on the streets, making him one of the most influential and recognized graffiti artists not only in the city, but also internationally, along with his contemporaries AYER, REVOK, and SABER. He has traveled from coast to coast in search of new environments that challenge him to climb higher and paint pieces that express his creative intensity.  To this day, ZES can still be found on rooftops, ledges and fire escapes.

RETNA is always brimming with new ideas.  This past year alone, his work has been spotted everywhere from tail wings of jets to the walls of the Museum of Contemporary Art.  RETNA continuously pushes personal, artistic and physical boundaries as demonstrated in Excavated Revelations.  In this exhibition, he challenges himself with various methods including etching, the most esteemed technique used for master printing.  The age-old process utilizes zinc plates, produced and manipulated through washes and resists and placed in a bath charged with an electric current that physically "etches" the plate. An impression is then printed by running the plate and a sheet of paper through a press at about 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The result is beautifully embossed into the paper.

RETNA | EXCAVATED REVELATIONS

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

On view: February 11 - 25, 2012

“Back in the day, there were these old buildings in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway Street that were abandoned, but they were so beautiful.  Zes and I wanted to climb them no matter how high they were, just so we could write on them.  They might not have been paintings, but to me, they were still works of art.” – RETNA

Known Gallery is proud to present Excavated Revelations, a dual exhibition featuring new work by Los Angeles-based artists ZES and RETNA.   Introduced in their youth by their mutual friend AYER, ZES and RETNA led parallel lives through an upbringing in graffiti. Utilizing a fluidity and precision they mastered by painting some of the most coveted walls in the city, their refined technique is now exemplified in this fresh body of abstract work.

ZES began his career at the young age of thirteen and gained recognition for his determination to climb some of the city’s most challenging locations, stealthily navigating the streets of Los Angeles and commandeering its obscure walls at night. Growing up in the heart of the city, by the age of fifteen, ZES became one of the youngest members of the legendary MSK crew and has helped define the contemporary graffiti movement. Widely respected for his innovations to West Coast wild style, his determination to overcome the obstacles the nature of graffiti presented resulted in a fervent approach to his modus operandi.  His longevity has allowed him to produce a substantial amount of work on the streets, making him one of the most influential and recognized graffiti artists not only in the city, but also internationally, along with his contemporaries AYER, REVOK, and SABER. He has traveled from coast to coast in search of new environments that challenge him to climb higher and paint pieces that express his creative intensity.  To this day, ZES can still be found on rooftops, ledges and fire escapes.

RETNA is always brimming with new ideas.  This past year alone, his work has been spotted everywhere from tail wings of jets to the walls of the Museum of Contemporary Art.  RETNA continuously pushes personal, artistic and physical boundaries as demonstrated in Excavated Revelations.  In this exhibition, he challenges himself with various methods including etching, the most esteemed technique used for master printing.  The age-old process utilizes zinc plates, produced and manipulated through washes and resists and placed in a bath charged with an electric current that physically "etches" the plate. An impression is then printed by running the plate and a sheet of paper through a press at about 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The result is beautifully embossed into the paper.

MICHAEL MILLER | WEST COAST HIP HOP A HISTORY IN PICTURES

On view: February 4 - 5, 2012

Michael Miller is a simple man with an extraordinary life in photography. Over the past 25 years, he has built an expansive portfolio that includes over 300 major record covers, the most iconic supermodels of the ‘90s and some of the biggest names in rap and jazz.

Miller was born and raised in Los Angeles and recalls the only radio station that came in clear where he lived during his teenage years was AM 1580 KDAY. As a Santa Monica High School student in the midst of the punk, surf and skate scene, he was listening to RUN DMC, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.

Miller graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Film and Television and after college, he took a trip with friends to explore Paris where he met then boxer turned top agent Rene Bosne, who in time became Miller’s roommate in Paris and introduced Miller to his first camera. Miller began landing jobs shooting models for John Casablanca and later relocated to Barcelona, Spain where he began to build an impressive portfolio shooting for major campaigns such as Cacharel Paris.

Influenced by the techniques of Peter Lindberg, Paulo Roversi and Javier Vallhonrat, Miller developed a method of cross processing film and different chemical baths for black and white photographs. He was on to something that was still undiscovered in the United States, sharing his method with fellow photographers such as Anton Corbijn.

Homesick, Miller returned to his Los Angeles stomping grounds in 1988 and was immediately picked up by Herb Ritts’ agency Visages, shooting three advertisements for Vogue in the first month. His recognition for technique and style in fashion photography gained him attention in the music industry. By the end of 1988, he had photographed his first rapper, Arabian Prince.

Impressed with his major campaign for Stussy, DJ Muggs (7A3, Cypress Hill) asked Miller to photograph the demo for a new project titled Cypress Hill that led Miller to becoming a heavily sought after photographer for the hip-hop community.

Miller continues shooting for advertisment campaigns, major publications, celebrities and musicians.  He currently resides with his wife and two daughters in Los Angeles.  His inaugural show, West Coast Hip Hop, A History in Pictures, will display 43 photos, majority of which have never been shown to the public.

ERNEST HOLZMAN | UNDER - OVER

On view: February 4 - 5, 2012

When Ernest Holzman (b. 1951, Mexico City) was fifteen years old, he was given his first camera; a Leica M4 with a 50 mm lens.  Originally a gift for his father from a colleague at the German Embassy, his father knew his son would put the camera to better use. Bored with high school, Holzman soon found himself walking the streets of New York, never searching for anything in particular to photograph, but always with the camera by his side.  A novice in his newfound hobby, Holzman persuaded a man he met who worked for the Black Star Agency into giving him a few freelance assignments, which lead to being published anonymously in several obscure trade publications.  

As a young and ambitious photographer, Holzman would knock on doors and convince people to let him shoot in places not open to the public.  One night, after a run in with the authorities, Holzman spent the night in jail.  After his release, he returned the following day and asked the jailer for permission to photograph the intriguing inmates he had befriended. The jailer agreed, with the condition that Holzman maintain their anonymity and only shoot their silhouettes, as seen in the photograph titled SOLITAIRE.

An inspired Holzman traveled to bizarre places, lugging around his not so compact 5x7 and 4x5 cameras and a portable darkroom in the back of his car. This was just the beginning of what became a career in photography that has spanned nearly three decades.

Under Over is an intimate collection of fourteen photographs taken between 1966-1972, primarily in cities east of the Mississippi.  This will be Holzman’s first gallery exhibition of these vintage photographs.

SAGE VAUGHN | LAST YEAR

On view: January 13 – January 29, 2012

Known Gallery is excited to start off this year with “Last Year”, a show of new works by Sage Vaughn and a very special guest. This will be Sage’s first solo exhibition at Known Gallery, featuring new large-scale woven editions based on paintings and collages from his ongoing ENVELOPE SERIES. Contrasting the nonchalant qualities of collage making and the painstaking exactness of woven tapestry, this work becomes part of an experiment in making art that can exist both off and outside the gallery walls.

Sage has been working with collage for the past four years and attributes the passion to friends Jason Dill and Dash Snow who introduced him to the medium. “I enjoy sorting through vintage magazines and culling imagery to illustrate themes in my work. The printing processes used back then are so pleasing to the eye. Everything was hand created. No Photoshop.”

Selected works from the ENVELOPE SERIES will also be on display. The series, consisting of both small paintings as well as cut and reassembled imagery on manila envelopes, serves as an intimate window to the artist’s creative process. “They’ve taken the place of sketchbooks in my practice. I have them all over the studio so I can constantly make things while I make things.” Numbering in the hundreds, Sage has been working on the ENVELOPE SERIES since 2007.

When asked about the inspiration behind this unique medium of woven artwork, Sage explains, “I love looking at tapestries, rugs and textiles. The richness of the color and the texture are so intricate. I would spend all my money on them if I could.” Sage further discusses “When I was a child, my grandmother told me a story about when she was a young recently divorced woman; she and her sister were on a quest, driving through New Mexico, trying to purchase a genuine Navajo rug from an actual Navajo Indian. She ended up at a general store, which sold Native American crafts.” When his grandmother asked the owner how to purchase goods directly from the Navajo Indians, the disappointing response was, “The way it works is you buy it from us, not from the Navajo.” “It took her a week of driving down endless desert roads until she finally met an old Indian woman who sold her a beautiful piece that she still has in her home out in the Valley.”

LBJ holding a toddler Indian, Dr. Phil as a spiritual guru and a Native Indian teaching a Caucasian boy how to take aim with a bow and arrow are just some examples of Sage’s social commentary via satire. “I think most good art has an element of humor within it to help us laugh at the human condition.” Imagery of foxes, birds, and Indians also echo Sage’s obsession with the line between wilderness and civilization.

Sage Vaughn (b. 1976 Jackson, OR) lives and works in Los Angeles. For the past seven years, Sage’s work has been exhibited at fine art galleries around the world including Lazarides/London, Galerie Bertrand & Gruner/Geneva, Art Agents Gallery/Hamburg, The Dactyl Foundation for the Arts and Humanities/New York, Corey Helford/Culver City, Richard Heller/Los Angeles and FIFTY24SF/San Francisco.

PRINT SHOW

On view: December 17 - 23, 2011

POSE - WHITE WASH

On view: November 19 - December 10, 2011

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On Saturday, November 19, graffiti artist POSE and photojournalist KC Ortiz will unveil Whitewash, their second exhibition at Known Gallery, and their most cohesive to date.

For POSE, Whitewash references society’s attempt to eradicate graffiti and stifle human expression. “Shortly after I started writing graffiti, Chicago took an extremely hard-line stance on its eradication, outlawing the sale of spraypaint and implementing Mayor Dayley’s Graffiti Blasters program,” POSE explains.

With this exhibition, POSE will recall a time before the buff. “I am digging into my fondest childhood memories of riding the train and seeing all the colors, letters and cartoon characters along the lines. Making these paintings has been an incredibly rich process, and it makes me thankful that no city official can eradicate my memories.”

POSE will show 15 new works in the main gallery. The work is rendered in his signature style—aggressive, hand-painted collages of pop-culture icons and ephemera—but feature deeper abstractions and new mediums. “I have six paintings on Plexiglass that were kind of an experiment,” POSE explains. “I wanted to be challenged by a new medium and process.”

For KC, Whitewash is about the people and places he photographs. “Much of the work I do covers those who have been ‘whitewashed,’ so to speak, by history and policy,” KC notes. “Specifically, the work I will be exhibiting is from West Papua and Burma. You won’t find either of those ‘nations’ on the map, as both have been essentially ‘whitewashed’ away. Burma has been renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta in order to establish the fantasy of a unified nation, and West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia since 1963 after a very controversial handover from the Dutch that was orchestrated by the United States.”

In the project room, KC will show 12 photographs of West Papua and Burma’s armed struggles. “The struggles are unified in their nature under the theme of resistance, the victimhood of whitewashing by the world at large, the beauty of their people, and the strength of the human spirit and dignity,” KC notes.

KC ORTIZ | WHITE WASH

On view: November 19 - December 10, 2011

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On Saturday, November 19, graffiti artist POSE and photojournalist KC Ortiz will unveil Whitewash, their second exhibition at Known Gallery, and their most cohesive to date.

For POSE, Whitewash references society’s attempt to eradicate graffiti and stifle human expression. “Shortly after I started writing graffiti, Chicago took an extremely hard-line stance on its eradication, outlawing the sale of spraypaint and implementing Mayor Dayley’s Graffiti Blasters program,” POSE explains.

With this exhibition, POSE will recall a time before the buff. “I am digging into my fondest childhood memories of riding the train and seeing all the colors, letters and cartoon characters along the lines. Making these paintings has been an incredibly rich process, and it makes me thankful that no city official can eradicate my memories.”

POSE will show 15 new works in the main gallery. The work is rendered in his signature style—aggressive, hand-painted collages of pop-culture icons and ephemera—but feature deeper abstractions and new mediums. “I have six paintings on Plexiglass that were kind of an experiment,” POSE explains. “I wanted to be challenged by a new medium and process.”

For KC, Whitewash is about the people and places he photographs. “Much of the work I do covers those who have been ‘whitewashed,’ so to speak, by history and policy,” KC notes. “Specifically, the work I will be exhibiting is from West Papua and Burma. You won’t find either of those ‘nations’ on the map, as both have been essentially ‘whitewashed’ away. Burma has been renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta in order to establish the fantasy of a unified nation, and West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia since 1963 after a very controversial handover from the Dutch that was orchestrated by the United States.”

In the project room, KC will show 12 photographs of West Papua and Burma’s armed struggles. “The struggles are unified in their nature under the theme of resistance, the victimhood of whitewashing by the world at large, the beauty of their people, and the strength of the human spirit and dignity,” KC notes.

HOWNOSM | ACHTUNG!

On view: October 15 - November 5, 2011

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The staid cleanliness of a single-colored surface is a disturbing testament to society's uniformity and the pressure society places on one to conform.
 
Such a surface, standing alone and dull, cries out for attention.
 
Answering its call ‹ and recognizing its potential ‹ HOWNOSM bless the surface with confidence, courage, action, vitality and just a touch of the world's inevitable darkness and death, transforming it into a truer reflection of both the world around it and their own varied lives.
 
ACHTUNG! is a collection of pieces that resemble broken mirrors, each filled with messages that are, by turns, sharp-edged, blurred and fast-changing. They serve as a reminder of the need to, and the dangers of failing to, walk alertly through this life.

DAZE | THE GREY SCALE

On view: October 15 - November 5, 2011

The Grey Scale Paintings
Walking along what seemed like an endless series of tracks my senses became accustomed to the dark labrythiniun tunnels that lay below. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and my ears acclimated to the endless series of subtle noises. Dripping water, the squeal of rats chasing each other, the release of train compressors, the clicking of the tracks as a train approached the next station, then, all at once, the roar of a passing train echoing through the tunnel, and then, silence.
This new series of works entitled "The Grey Scale" is an exploration into the context in which many of my subway works were created. Walls layered with years of tags and signatures, gravel floors covered in dust and debris, flickering lights, and the gleam of sharp steel tracks piercing the darkness are all portrayed in the context of subterranean tunnels that lead to nowhere. This is a world in which we are encouraged to stay away from the light at the end of the tunnel. These new works call to mind some of the layered complexity of Rauschenberg's early black paintings or perhaps the subtlety of Cy Twombly's blackboard paintings. Others yet clearly show references to the gritty urban landscapes of the New York ash can school: John Sloan, William Glackens, Robert Henri, and later most of all, Reginald Marsh. These artists chose, as I do, the streets as their primary source of inspiration. The paintings are a kind of hybrid that draws from the vocabulary of both the graffiti world and urban realism.

ERIC HAZE | NEW MATHEMATICS

Opens: September 17, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: September 17 - October 8, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Known Gallery is proud to present “New Mathematics”, a new collection of paintings and drawing by Eric Haze.

With strong roots in the graphic arts, New York-based artist Haze has crafted a vocabulary of personal symbolism that delivers departures of an abstract and minimalist nature.

Recognized worldwide for more than three decades for his iconic design work and artistic productions – From the Beastie Boys to Casio to Nike – the 21^st Century has also seen Haze returning to his fine art roots. His work in acrylic, ink and charcoal culminated in a critically acclaimed solo exhibition in 2008 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Hong Kong. Now, with New Mathematics, the artist continues to promote a bold new language that reflects a truly unique style and vision.

Building on his commitment to the development of more organic personal work, New Mathematics displays a complex relationship between design, gesture and abstraction, incorporating geometric elements both with and without a basis in typography. 

With repetition and the interplay of positive and negative as an underlying theme, New Mathematics reveals the development of a mature signature iconography that epitomizes Haze's fine art work.

The roots of Haze's history as a graffiti artist can also be felt in the nature of New Mathematics, with both speed and control as determining factors in the end result. Trading in the perfection of the imperfect, the intuitive confidence of stroke and line quality displayed in this new collection offers a celebration of form and gesture over narrative, presenting a fully realized dialectic that is steeped in the majestic flow of his signature hand style.

With this new body of work consisting of 35 new paintings and 15 new drawings, Haze marks yet another evolution in his commitment to expanding the scope of his creative process.

GREG LAMARCHE | I CAN SEE FOR MILES
Opens: September 17, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: September 17 - October 8, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Known Gallery is pleased to announce, I Can See For Miles, an exhibition of recent works by New York collage/ graffiti artist Greg Lamarche.

This show offers a wide range of styles from hand cut letter pieces to abstracted paper remnants as well as representational collages.  The exhibition also features a site-specific wall drawing of hand drawn and designed letter forms.

Inspired by the dynamism of his native New York City and its role as an incubator of the outlaw art of graffiti, Greg Lamarche’s collages combine the city’s relentless rhythm and graffiti’s aggressive presence to express the power, elegance and rebelliousness of urban creativity. Using found materials and commercially printed papers from his vast collection of vintage printed matter, Lamarche abstracts graffiti’s visual language, playing with a profusion of font styles, word fragments, multiple layers, bold colors, rhythmic repetition, multiple perspective and movement. Each unique work of precisely hand-cut paper thus becomes an interplay of the directness of graphic design and the aesthetics of fine art.

Born and raised in New York, Greg Lamarche created his first collages in the sixth grade when he used fireworks wrappers found in his schoolyard. In 1981 he began writing graffiti on the streets and subways, and published SKILLS, a seminal graffiti magazine, in the early 1990s.

Lamarche has worked as both fine artist and graphic designer since 2000, and has been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Phoenix, Print, Juxtapoz, Modern Painters and Arkitip among others. He recently designed the cover of WORLD PIECEBOOK, (Sascha Jenkins and David Villorente, 2011, Prestel Publishers) and is featured in CUTTING EDGES: CONTEMPORARY COLLAGE, (R. Klantin, H. Hellige and J. Gallagher, editors; 2011, Die Gestalten Verlag, publishers).

He recently completed a limited edition of Post-Pop wood boxes printed with the Krylon logo, which will be officially released this month at the Art-Platform fair September 30 – October 3, 2011, Los Angeles.  He will also be exhibiting at the Pulse art fair, Los Angeles September 30 – October 3, 2011 where he has been commissioned to create a site-specific wall painting.

NORM | ALWAYS
Opens: July 16, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: July 16 - August 6, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

-with special guests STEEL, TREVELEN and LANI LEE

ASSORTED FLAVOR
Opens: June 18, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: June 18 - Juy 9, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Featuring the works of: Kevin Ancell, Jason Jagel, Patrick Martinez, Greg Lamarche, Saber, Push and Augustine Kofie.

DANIEL FULLER | NIGHT FOR DAY featuring work by KEVIN ANCELL
Opens: May 21, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: May 21 – June 11, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is pleased to present Daniel Fuller’s first west coast exhibition Night for Day.
 
As a photographer and a internationally renowned professional surfer Daniel Fuller has traveled the world and simultaneously observed and experienced with a unique perspective how the mind perceives and how the body projects through rapidly transforming visual realities within often physically life threatening situations. For his exhibition Night for Day Fuller has created images of an invisible world in a reversal of the day for night film technique to a night for day method where the moon acts as a reflector of the sun creating the resemblance of daylight and a vision of nocturnal consciousness.

Fuller shot the photographs for his Night for Day body of work between midnight and 5 am during the brightest full moon at waters edge in Hawaii and Mexico.  Fuller’s long night time exposures capture the hauntingly beautiful locations such as “Insanities,” “Keiki’s,” “Three tables,” “Hanakapi’ai,” “Monster Mush,” and “Playa Las Viudas.” The choices of these spots were based on the predicted effects that the tones of the sand and the clarity and depths of water would have on the eventual exposure to moonlight. All of the work is an extension of time during which images build themselves according to the movements of natural forces. Clouds, water, and sand shift with wind to perform painterly strokes of light set against the constants of the horizon and the immovable rock formations. Here the unreality of day is built out of darkness.

Inspired by the tradition of theatrical pictorial innovation present in the landscape and seascape photography of Ansel Adams, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Andreas Gursky -Fuller has positioned his photographic practice against the notion of the decisive moment and instead creates the opportunity for the photograph to demonstrate a drawn out convergence of natural forces. The performance of creating these photos presents continuity with his surfing where stamina, projection through space and time set up an existential relationship to the resulting image. Fuller performs so nature can perform its self-painting process.

The photos become capacitors of time where light’s ability to describe perceptual space is accumulated and stored within 2 dimensions reflecting a movement toward a transcendental abstract space. Day for Night: Night for Day.

 
In filmmaking the Day for Night process is defined by scenes that are shot out doors during the very bright light of day using blue filters and underexposure to create the illusion of darkness or moonlight. Daniel Fuller inverts this process and sets conditions where the appearance of a nocturnal world is made through the accumulation of light and the sustained capturing of natural movement. Fuller’s photographs suggest the creation of a different human eye capable of night vision that sees the haunting appearance of the unimagined and the un-seeable. Unlike the macro unreachable phenomenon of the images of the nebula as recorded by the Hubble or the micro world as seen through an electron microscope Fuller’s pictures illuminate our one to one state of being that is all around us. Like the dark matter within Natures nocturnal architecture our perception of existence would not work with out this missing link. Fuller’s Night for Day photographs create a visual ignition point for conceptualizing that missing link.

-Richard Phillips

PATRICK MARTINEZ | HUSTLEMANIA
Opens: March 19, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: March 19 - April 9, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is pleased to present Hustlemania,
a solo exhibition by Patrick Martinez.
Based in Los Angeles, Martinez is a mixed media artist who uses everyday people and objects as his muses,
revealing their beauty through his work. He blends harsh realities with doses of humor or fantasy, imbuing
each piece with poignant social commentary.
The title of the show was inspired by a neon piece Martinez completed in 2008 titled “Selling Out is the
New Keeping it Real,” which articulated Martinez’s thoughts about art and the economy at the time. “The
recession was in full swing and people were desperate for money,” the artist says. “Everyone was on hustlemode—
and still are. When I was creating in the studio, this concept kept coming up: the idea of the paper
chase, chasing the dream and all that. When I started looking at the body of work as a whole, I saw that
theme binding everything together as a cohesive collection.”
Hustlemania will feature more than 20 new works, including large-scale paintings, sculpture and Martinez’s
signature neon pieces. The exhibition showcases his breadth as an artist: from Martinez’s urban take on stilllife
paintings—in which fruit baskets are replaced by 40 ounces and Cheetos—to the very personal portraits
of his mother and father.

“This is my strongest solo show to date,” Martinez sums up. “I took my time, had fun, struggled and produced honest work at my own pace. I believe all of that will show at the gallery.”

GEORGE THOMPSON – REVISIONIST HISTORY featuring new works by DAVID CHOE
Opens: February 19, 2011 | 8-11pm
On view: February 19 – March 12, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

KEEGAN GIBBS | OPEN SPACE with SAGE VAUGHN & BRENDAN
Opening reception January 15, 2011| 8-11pm
On view: January 15 – February 5, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Keegan Gibbs has traveled all over the world in his role as one of the principal photographers for the Seventh Letter graffiti crew, so it is only natural that the Known Gallery chose to host his debut photography exhibit. Known Gallery director Casey Zoltan comments “I really respect his work ethic and his dedication to capturing the moment at any cost.” Fear has no place when shooting images of the renowned Seventh Letter artists in action fifty feet above ground at 2 AM whilst dodging headlights and billy clubs. Likewise fear has no place while shooting film in the treacherous and sometimes deceptively peaceful oceans of the world, the featured subject of this exhibit called OPEN SPACE.

Keegan, an avid lifelong surfer, explains his attraction to the water and the concept behind the large format prints in OPEN SPACE: “The ocean is the epicenter of my existence on this planet. I am an aquanaut on a thruster in this ever amazing and boundless source of liquid energy. For me every choice and relationship, all decisions and waking thoughts (and most dreams) are influenced and infused by the pull of the tides, the whiff of an offshore breeze, and the lucid corduroy lines gracefully stampeding towards the coast. Open Space is a collection of images, collages, and installations that evoke that balance in my life.”

ABOUT KEEGAN GIBBS:

Born in a family of artists, Keegan Gibbs was literally skateboarding and bicycling while still in diapers (his parents have video to prove it). Raised by the ocean, this aquatic biped found the best way to express his love of all things salt water, was through photography. When not shooting, his main goal is to surf as much as he possibly can and to find the hollowest tube, the longest wave, and the most crackable lip.

ABOUT SAGE VAUGHN:

b 1976 in Jackson, Oregon – Lives and works in Los Angeles – Goofyfoot
Solo show at Lazarides opening May 5, 2011

ABOUT BRENDAN LYNCH:

Education
School of Visual Arts, BFA 2009
Selected shows
2010, Press Release, Martos gallery, New York, NY
2010, While it Lasts, Still House studio, New york, NY
2010, Volume, AT1 projects, Los Angeles, CA Curated by Andrea Neustein
2010, Worth, 211 Elizabeth St. , New York, Ny
2010, Objects that love you back, 211 Elizabeth St. , New york, NY
2009, Still House, Rental Gallery, New York, NY
2009, The Open, Deitch Projects, Long Island City, NY
2009, MIXTAPE, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY
2009, New Deal, Art Production Fund, New York, NY Curated by Matthew Moreveck and Kyle Thurman
2008, Here Goes Nothing, The National Arts Club, New York, NY

STEVE OLSON and ALEX OLSON | BOOM BOOM
Opening reception December 18, 2010| 8-11pm
On view: December 18, 2010 – January 8, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

SONNY GERASIMOWICZ | EMPTY PROMISES
Opening reception November 20, 2010| 8-11pm
On view: November 20 – December 11, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

About the artist:
Sonny geris is an orphan. Born of unknown desent in the high desserts of barstow, he has roamed the world in search of his true identity and purpose. A man always in flux, the only time his mind felt at peace was the one time he did heroin. It made him very angry that heroin was so good. Oh I guess he also finds momentary peace right after sex. His mind is quiet for about 30 seconds before it starts back up into the hum of self doubt and self flagilation. Ummmm… and he’s a artist I suppose. Sonny geris loves drawing women’s asses and sad bears.

-Spike Jonze

PUSH | DIVIDED ATTENTION
Opening reception October 23, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: October 23 – November 13, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

On October 23, 2010, PUSH’s street-smart installations transform into gallery worthy paintings, celebrated by Known Gallery, Los Angeles until November 23, 2010. To mark the opening, PUSH will be painting larger than life feature installations both inside and outside on the façade of the gallery building.

A self-taught painter and sculptor, PUSH was inspired early on by skateboarding and the burgeoning west coast graffiti scene. He credits his friendship with fellow AWR/MSK crew member SABER as helping to define his path in life as well as shaping his art making work ethic.

In 2007, PUSH’s early work caught the eye of media sponsor, LA WEEKLY “Trying to define Push’s work is unfair, and nearly impossible. It’s easier to say it’s like nothing else: informed by postmodern abstract splatter paintings, yet rigid, neon and precise. Introverted and quiet, he’s the thinking man’s graffiti artist.”

After his many years of global graffiti writing invitations and participation in numerous group exhibits, Divided Attention brings together PUSH’s latest paintings, debuting an evolved style and introducing a new, sophisticated color palette. When asked why it took so long for the Seventh Letter’s man of mystery to have his own show, he demurs. “I want to show something that is natural, balanced, and thought out. And timing is everything”

CARL RAUSCHENBACH (CR) | WORKS/FIRST
Opening reception October 23, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: October 23 – November 13, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Known Gallery is honored to present "WORKS/FIRST", a collection of new abstract work by Carl Rauschenbach (CR) based on a continuation of a theme he has been developing since 2004.

Referencing Sign Painting, Typography and Graffiti as a point of departure, CR reinterprets the letterform into his own abstract language and now finds himself sampling his own work to create new bold and intimate forms within the picture frame. Influences include Josef Albers from the Bauhaus (1920 – 1933), Phase2 known as the originator of bubble letters or “softies” from New York graffiti in the1970’s.

In early 2010 CR met PUSH for the first time at Known Gallery while working on the installation of two major shows. Following the gallery’s inaugural Haze x Stussy show, the “Freedom Show”, is when CR and PUSH exhibit work together for the first time. Long time graffiti legend ERIC HAZE who initially introduced the two, says: “I saw a lot of parallels in both of their styles and the economy of how they executed their ideas… Plus, I also had a strong feeling that they would connect personally, considering they both share the same quiet kind of dedication to perfecting the math of their own visions.”
As a result of the bond made during this period, CR was invited by PUSH and Known Gallery to participate in this show, for which he has responded with a new body of work to be unveiled this month.

CR has worked as a studio assistant for Ryan McGinness, James Marshall (Dalek) and Eric Haze, during which time he spent years of drawing and mastering the abstract style that he works in today. Rauschenbach currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

VICTOR REYES | WAR PAINT
Opens: September 25, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: September 25 – October 16, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

‘War Paint’ is a visual commentary on the journey from Victor Reyes’ Southern California roots to present day and encapsulates his sentiments about Graffiti as a medium and a vehicle for artists. A process distilled over the last decade, these conceptual and literal images are a survey of the artist’s feelings about the potential of his community and the hidden meaning of the writing on the wall.

Victor Reyes has been painting since the early 90s; his work has been shown extensively around the world, in Bosnia, Germany, Switzerland, Taipei, Japan, and Miami. Recent shows include MISSPELLED at Robert Berman E6 Gallery San Francisco, blue.print.for.space/Primary Flight at Miami Art Basel 2009, Public Provocations at Carhartt Projects in Germany 2009, Will Rise at Robert Berman Gallery Los Angeles, and Letters First, a traveling show in Los Angeles/Tokyo/Seoul/Barcelona 2006-2008.

DYLAN MADDUX | AMERICAN DREAM
Opens: September 25, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: September 25 – October 16, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

The American Dream Project is in line with where I’m at in my life…it’s one of chaos and mayhem. The motivation was cash and gorgeous women. I loved every moment of it, although it wasn’t the end result. Now my energies need to be redirected to a new emotion.

The shots I created for this project exemplify my life at this time and this show is intended to put a cap on that. It’s all moving fast and so should I…next stop, Bangkok.

OZUMA KANAME & HORIYOSHI III | REZUMI BIJIN
Opens: August 26, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: August 26 - September 18, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Ozuma Kaname

Born in Niigata, Japan in 1939, Ozuma Kaname began studying traditional
Japanese painting under his uncle, artist Sakai Soushi, from a young age.
Moving to Tokyo at the age of 18, he trained as an art dealer while working
at a printing company. Afterwards, he moved on to the publishing industry
where he illustrated tattoos. The majority of his work continues to be
tattoo-related along with other traditional Japanese themes; and often
serves as a source of inspiration for master tattooist Horiyoshi III, whose
clients in turn, are often depicted in Ozuma’s paintings.

Horiyoshi III

Born Yoshihito Nakano in 1946, Horiyoshi III is the second tattooist to be bestowed the honorific title—the tattooist affixation "Hori" means engrave—in a line started by his master, the legendary tattoo artist Yoshitsugu Muramatsu, or Shodai Horiyoshi of Yokohama (Muramatsu went on to dub his son Horiyoshi II, and later Nakano was named Horiyoshi III).
His images are classical Japanese woodblock print motifs such as the phoenix, dragon, snakes, tigers, samurai warriors, Buddhist gods to name a few as well as background images of waves, clouds and various flowers. Among Horiyoshi III’s published works are 36 Ghosts, 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, 100 Demons, and The Namakubi (severed heads), 100 Dragons and 58 Warriors. Horiyoshi?s artistic genius and generosity of spirit have had a defining impact on the world of tattooing, taking it to new levels in this new century.

BOB ROBERTS & BERT KRAK | LADIES WELCOME
Opens: July 31, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: July 31 – August 21, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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Bob Roberts

The man, the myth, the legend: Bob Roberts. Few people have had the impact on tattooing that Bob Roberts has. His sheer artistic genius is sublime, and his biography reads the same way. For over thirty years he has been part of the vanguard of talented tattoo artists who, unbeknownst to them at the time, have pushed tattooing from a craft to an art form.
The list of artists Bob has worked alongside reads like a star-studded who’s who of the tattoo artist hall of fame, of which Bob would no doubt be a member if such a thing existed. He apprenticed with Colonel Todd and Bob Shaw at the infamous Pike and then worked alongside Cliff Raven, Greg Irons, Paul Rogers, Jack Rudy and Don Ed Hardy. His own shop, Spotlight Tattoo, continues to house a roster of talented artists bent on following in Bob’s footsteps.
Bob’s creative genius is not limited to tattooing and painting, he is also an accomplished musician. His musical career reads much the same as his tattoo resume. Bob has played with Ruben and the Jets, Hot Tuna, The Offs, New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, to name a few. His life has been “rock and roll” as well; Frisco, New York, LA, Europe, Japan, Bob has done the world tour. He’s also ridden across most of the United States on a Harley, and he’s “ridden it like he stole it.” That is how Bob lives his life, and his artwork reflects it.
But the thing that stands out the most to me about Bob is his persona. Ungovernable, fiercely independent, Bob does not compromise…. He does it HIS way. And thankfully for us, Bob Roberts has forever changed tattooing for the better.

-Takahiro “Taki” Kitamura
State of Grace
June 2010

Bert Krak

Loyal husband, father of four, expert tattooer, fine artist , business man, genius. Was born July 12,1977 in Hollywood, FL. Met his wife in 95. Had his first son in 96 . Started tattooing and painting around the year 2000. Currently owns and operates Top Shelf Tattooing in Queens, NY and Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn, NY. Specializes in electric walk up style laser proof tattooing that look like they were drawn and applied by a man.

STUSSY x RICOH GR III: ARTIST PROJECT
Opens: June 17, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: June 17 - 20, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

The Ricoh GR camera has a long history within Stussy’s roots. From the late 90’s onto today, the GR’s stealth design, easy-carry pocket size and ability to capture all the grit of the streets, has made the GR an icon within our culture.

In celebration of the collaboration of the Stussy x GRIII Digital camera, we wanted to share the GRIII’s capabilities by way of creation. We’ve given 10 photographer friends the GRIII to shoot what they see and feel.

Participating artists include: Angela Boatwright, Kenneth Cappello, Reggie Casagrande, Josh Cheuse, Atiba Jefferson, Tyrone Lebon, Ari Marcopoulos, Juan Puente, Peter Sutherland, and Rip Zinger.

POSE | RUMBLE!!
Opens: May 22, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: May 22 - June 12, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

KC ORTIZ | FORCED REBELION
Opens: May 22, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: May 22 - June 12, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Ortiz’s exhibit, entitled “Forced Rebellion,” is a collection of photographs he took while living amongst Hmong villagers in a remote area of Laos. The Hmong took to the hills to escape persecution following the Vietnam War, and remain vigilant and armed in a hostile, constantly changing environment.

Pose’s exhibit, entitled “Rumble!” is a representation of modern urban warfare through pieces that combine graffiti and graphic design. Pose said he was looking to showcase the "grittiest elements" of Chicago, while telling unsung stories of survival through contrasting popular icons and imagery.

The contrast between the two exhibits is immediately apparent. Ortiz’ photography is black and white, evoking a more somber and serious glimpse into a way of life that millions of people never experience. While Pose’s graffiti/graphic art pieces tell contemporary urban stories through colorful, raw, and vibrant images.

Ortiz, however insists that the two have a connection on a deeper level. "I think they show two different stories of survival," said Ortiz, who is a member of an artist collective called the Seventh Letter Crew along with Pose 1. "There is a huge difference in why people use guns and resort to drastic measures in the U.S. as opposed to other places in the world, but it’s survival nonetheless and that’s the bottom line."

The exhibits are in two separate rooms within the Known Gallery, and patrons can feel the mood change as drastically as the lighting from room to room.

Pose’s "Rumble!" is in the large well-lit, main gallery where sunlight accents the bright colors of his pieces. Ortiz’ "Forced Rebellion" is in a much smaller room located in the back of the gallery, where dimly-lit ceiling lights elicit a more contemplative mood.

There are just enought pieces to provide enough to captivate the senses without overwhelming the eye.

PHIL FROST | PALE WRITER
On view: April 24 - May 15, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

FREEDOM | LOS ANGELES
Opens: March 6, 2010 | 8-11pm
On view: March 6 - 27, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

Featuring the art of:

ALEX PARDEE . ALEX/2TONE . ALOY . AROE . ASKEW . AUGS . BARRY MCGEE . BERST . BERT KRAK . BONKS . CEAZE . CHARLIE EDMISTON . CR . DABS MYLA . DAME . DAVID FLORES ATC . DEUS . DYLAN MADDUX . EL MAC . ERIC HAZE . ESTEVAN ORIOL . EVOL . FATE . FUTURA . HAEL . JERSEY JOE . GARY . GEORGE THOMPSON . GRANT COBB . GREG CRAOLA SIMKINS . HENSE . KC ORTIZ . KEEGAN GIBBS . KENTON PARKER . KRUSH . LANGO . LOGAN HICKS . MICHAEL DELAHAUT . MITCH REITER . MR. CARTOON . NORM . OG ABEL . PATRICK MARTINEZ . PERSUE . PHIL FROST . POSE . PUSH . RETNA . REVOK . RISKY . ROID . RUEDIONE . SABER . SEVER . STASH . STEEL . TODD BRATRUD . T. RUETS . TRAVER . VICTOR REYES . WILLIE T . WITNES . ZESER

ERIC HAZE | STUSSY
Opens: February 27, 2010 | 11am-6pm
On view: February 27 - 28, 2010

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com