“GEISAI Artists at Giant Robot”
September 15 – October 10
Reception: Saturday, September 15, 6:30 -10:00
Presented by Scion, Giant Robot, and Kaikai Kiki
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276
Takashi Murakami is well-known in the worldwide art scene for making thought-provoking paintings and sculptures, running the influential artist-led art enterprise Kaikai Kiki, curating the visionary Superflat show, and collaborating on high-end, high-profile projects with Louis Vuitton. He also coordinates the GEISAI art shows, which serve as an entry point for aspiring artists in Japan. The artists in this group show have won awards at GEISAI shows, and were hand picked to have their work presented in Los Angeles by Murakami and Eric Nakamura, publisher of Giant Robot magazine and owner of the Giant Robot stores and galleries.
Yasushi Ebihara projects his love for Macauley Culkin via large-scale paintings and sculpture, also commenting on the trappings of stardom and the entertainment business.
The subjects of Jaga Ichiro’s figure paintings are cute but resemble bodily fluids. The fluidity of their forms is elegant, organic, and somewhat disturbing.
Hisashi Kondo’s hyper realistic, larger-than-life portraits hang on screens like ghosts and can be seen from both sides.
Masakatsu Sashie articulates detailed sculptures and paintings of surreal, spherical architectural forms suspended over flat landscapes.
Rie Kawashima studied fashion in college, and creates dreamy images of girlhood with precise yet natural lines and occasional elegant, pastel shades.
Rieko Sakurai’s super stylized depictions of girls are as full of energy as they are of color. Her works convey the pop art power of the ’60s subverted with a touch of darkness.
Miki Taira weaves textiles into humanoid forms of all sizes, imparting them with primitive-looking calligraphy.
Erika Yamashiro’s paintings feature restful women with fuzzy animals, mushrooms, sweets, and other feminine icons in dreamy settings.
Giant Robot started from a black and white photocopied zine in 1994,evolving into a reputable, internationally distributed quarterly magazine and book publisher. Giant Robot Store opened its doors on Sawtelle Blvd. in West LA in 2001. In 2003, Giant Robot opened GR2, a hybrid store/gallery featuring emerging artists such as David Choe, Kozyndan, and Souther Salazar. Later that year GRSF opened in San Francisco's Upper Haight district, followed by a Giant Robot restaurant, gr/eats, to further the lifestyle experience. In 2005, a fourth store was opened in Los Angeles' popular Silverlake neighborhood, with a fifth installment in New York City's East Village.
A reception featuring many of the artists will take place from 6:30 - 10:00 on Saturday, September 15.
