” Dec. 1 – Dec. 11, 2011 / Opening Reception: Thursday, Dec. 1, 7-10PM
NEW YORK – Culturefix is proud to present “Boys I Know, part II” with work by 5 multimedia artists.
“Boys I Know” is the love child of nightlife goddess and all around Renaissance woman of the concrete jungle, Pebbles van Peebles. In an effort to explore and expose the art-making that surrounds all of us in our day to day lives. Boys I Know is an evolving series of exhibitions and events surrounding this concept. Some of the artists involved make their living off of art, others just engage in the creative process on the side but all have a voracious commitment to creating. This constant and consistent involvement in creation is inspirational in a climate where regurgitation and consumption seem to be all that we are charged with. Rather than sit back and take in, these artists serve as an example to all of us that making and doing are oftentimes what render life worth living. This exhibit is a celebration of that. Culturefix’s mission of exploring all aspects of creativity and culture in an accessible and social way parallels the purpose of Boys I Know and the pairing is natural. This is the second show in the Boys I Know series. The first Boys I Know opened September 28th at Rouge 58 in Brooklyn.
Artists represented in “Boys I Know, part II” are Samuel Jojo Ashford, John P. Dessereau, Kyle Krueger, Matt McCormick and Optimo NYC.
These boys are simply that, boys Pebbles knows. You may know people who make art or you may make it yourself. Maybe you know people who make art and you don’t even know that they make it. The point of this exhibit is to bask in the wonderfulness of that simple act of creation and to share your ideas and projects with those around you; to bring to light the accessibility and ever presence of the aesthetic elements in all of our lives.
Everything about “Boys I Know” is handmade and created with care. The promotional material for the show was designed with these ideas in mind and each flyer is a hand stamped one of a kind original piece. Continuing the focus on creative process and the beauty of the art of making, Ms. Van Peebles designed the logo and assembled each flyer in her home studio.
Pebbles van Peebles was born in Washington DC and relocated to New York in 2004 to study photography and culture pushing at New York University. She has thrown parties all over downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn as well as in Miami. Her style and personality have brought her face and work to the pages of Vice Magazine, Underrated Magazine, Wadklub Magazine and Status Magazine. She has worked with everyone from corporate clients to recovering methadone addicts, world-renowned DJs to icons of the No Wave scene. She has shown her own art in New York as well as worked for the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the BMW Guggenheim Lab. “Boys I Know, part II” is her second curatorial effort. Samuel Jojo Ashford is a born and raised Brooklynite who attended the Saint Ann’s School and graduated from the Art School at The Cooper Union earlier this year. He is an experienced screen printer, lithographer, graphic designer and lyricist. Painter, sculptor and seeker of things mildly associated with the work of art, Sam’s fascinations lie in history and its depravity, loss coupled with manic joy. The problems of the universe are too vast for any individual’s complete comprehension, and yet, humble souls still walk headlong into the squall of movement. Sam’s work is an attempt to make sense where there is none, and bring some nonsense to where there is too much. He has shown in numerous group exhibits around New York.
Distress in the Courtyard - mixed paints on canvas - 2011
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John P. Dessereau is a Bronx-born painter based out of Brooklyn and trained at the School of Visual Arts. He has worked as a studio assistant, illustrator and visual contributor for Palms Out Sound. John’s work has also appeared in Juxtapoz, Love is the Law (UK), and Working Class Magazine. He has shown in New York and created the official artwork for the Roots 4th Annual Picnic in Philadelphia. John’s work is a response to his own frustration with and observations on society. His ambition is to explore and depict inequality. By using symbols like suited figures and boxed natural space, John expresses themes about inequality, financial struggle, mindless ambition, and impractical development. He is exploring awareness, which he feels is the responsibility of the arts.
Sending and Receiving – diptych, acrylic on canvas - 2010
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Kyle Krueger is a young photographer from eastern Long Island. Although he has no formal photography training, his style is distinct: documentary, subtle and dark, almost like he is in on life’s cruelest joke and wants the viewer to laugh along. He photographs the life that is burning-up around him. Kyle attempts to preserve moments in the lives of his peers and lovers, aware that the photograph will undoubtedly last longer than the subject. Kyle is inspired by the other artists living and working around him in New York. He is currently working for the owner and founder of Lit Lounge and Fuse Gallery, where his work was featured in the “Songs” exhibit in 2009.
Pebbles – c-print- 2010
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Matt McCormick, better known to his friends as Manface, is a New York based multidisciplinary artist currently working in traditional tattoo style paintings and drawings. His work evokes Mexican folk art, classical American iconography, and mid-century abstract expressionist portraiture. A true believer in intensive process-oriented compositions, Matt has recently been working with watercolor and ink to produce landscape and figure based works. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Matt studied at San Francisco City College and The Artist’s Student League in New York. He has exhibited in San Francisco, Seattle, Amsterdam, and New York. This is his second “Boys I Know.”
Darrell – charcoal, marker and acrylic on found sign- 2009
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Optimo NYC was born and raised near the Highline Park in the Lower West Side of Manhattan. He began painting at the young age of 12 years old, back in 1989. At 21, doubting his talent and purpose in life, Optimo sought a friend’s council. The friend, also an artist, told him the story of a man with many talents and a man with one talent. Who was better off? Well, the man of many talents hid his away and the man with one talent used it. Be like the second man. Practicing all day, in his spare time and even at work, Optimo took inspiration from Dr. Seuss and Vaughn Bode, and from the work of contemporaries like Toofly and Wolf One and began to transition from vandal to craftsman. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings on the streets of Soho. Optimo’s pieces have appeared in numerous group shows in New York and he is currently collaborating with Artist Revolutions Studios, a Miami artist collective. His work aspires to create new and improbable juxtapositions while maintaining a signature style. Come from nothing, use what you’ve got.
Bonita – acrylic and krink on canvas – 2011
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Culturefix is a bar, gallery and event space. Offering workshops, gallery openings, parlor games, and live performances, Culturefix invites lovers of the arts, food, drink and design to merge. By embracing a broad definition of culture, we offer a variety of “fixes” to meet diverse interests and tastes. Culturefix’s warm environment allows guests to enjoy the arts plus artisanal food and drink without the sterility of a typical gallery or performance space.
The opening reception for “Boys I Know, part II” is on Thursday, Dec. 1st from 7 to 10PM
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