Twentieth Century Boy
A Celebration of T.Rex, the Original Glam Rocker through the art work of Masakatsu Sashie
September 30, 7–11pm
1637 Vine Street, Hollywood
In Hollywood on September 30, Japanese artist Masakatsu Sashie pays tribute to one of Britain’s legendary pop stars and the original glam rocker T.Rex (Marc Bolan). A life-long fan, up and coming artist Sashie is presenting an exhibition of original paintings using endorsed images of the rock star’s likeness. The works feature Sashie’s signature hovering orbs that blend autobiographical details with cultural references, past and present, ranging from video games to Japan’s quintessential vending machines, in an intricate painting-style that is grounded in a pop aesthetic.
Teaming up with Darren Romanelli (Dr. Romanelli), Eric Nakamura (Giant Robot), and Rolan Bolan (T.Rex’s only son), this one night event will feature new paintings, video projections and a special musical tribute to the first in glam rock, T.Rex. A percentage of the proceeds from Twentieth Century Boy will be donated to the Light of Love Foundation, an organization established by Rolan Bolan and his mother Gloria Jones that raises funds for the Marc Bolan School of Music and Film soon to be built in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Twentieth Century Boy is generously supported by ForYourArt and Hysteric Glamour.
Masakatsu Sashie
Japanese painter and professor of art, Masakatsu Sashie resides in Kanazawa, Japan, on the coast of the Eastern Japanese Sea. Distanced from extreme popular culture of Tokyo, Sashie paints a unique blend of nostalgia for his hometown and the innocence of pop culture elements such as crumbling architecture, fading shop signs, 80s and 90s videogames, and Japan’s quintessential vending machines. He often places them in an orb-like arrangement, which packages his memories neatly.
Since studying oil painting at the Kanazawa College of Art, Sashie began his career exhibiting at Takashi Murakami’s GEISAI and has had exhibitions in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Miami.
T.Rex (aka Marc Bolan)
Iconic singer, songwriter, guitarist and original glam rocker Marc Bolan (a.k.a. T. Rex) inspired a generation of British musicians to adorn glitter and makeup as a progressive message of social change in the 1960s and 70s. Bolan believed he was destined to be a rock star. He teamed up with Mickey Finn, changed his name to T.Rex, and fans soon watched his singles claim the top of the British pop charts. T.Rex’s style began to influence rock giants such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, and David Gilmour. Though his untimely death at the age of 29 shocked fans worldwide, his creation of glam rock touched a generation and his legacy continues to live on as a cornerstone of British rock history.
Light of Love Foundation
Light Of Love Foundation raises funds for the building of the Marc Bolan School Of Music & Film. This academy of music will be built in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Our goal is to replace the automatic weapons with musical instruments, these are children of the civil war who have a purpose in life. Through music this should enable children from all over the world to come, create and learn to see their world through cinematography.
www.myspace.com/lightoflovefoundation
The curators:
Darren Romanelli
It’s easy to become infected by Darren Romanelli’s enthusiasm for his obsession-turned-profession; Dr Romanelli brand. Twisting the familiar into in the fresh, DRx has gained renown as a savvy reviver of cultural classics. Whether its Nike, Jaeger Le Coultre, Black Sabbath, Looney Tunes or Converse – he reinvents these legendary properties, simultaneously building a loyal following on a global scale. His primary connectivity/fanbase is with the hard to penetrate upper-tier influencer. By aligning brands with specialty boutiques in cities around the globe, he's able to tell stories and build loyalty via his totally unique approach to marketing. Maxfield in Los Angeles, Colette in Paris, Sophnet in Tokyo, Maharishi in London are only a few of the elite retailers transformed under the Dr.'s touch. Romanelli's own alternative marketing agency, StreetVirus, allows him to strategically bridge these physical worlds with the virtual - communicating elements of his collections through the seeding of blogs and competitive magazine placement.
What links each of the 32-year-old Romanelli’s projects is the enthusiasm with which they are conceived. This innovative blending of past and present began with a love for vintage lines, an obsession with the class and craftsmanship of days past and present. Each new item is the result of dedication and commitment and more importantly, a personal connection. Each stitch follows the ghost of a story, each garment is imbued with a narrative all it’s own. For Romanelli, style has become a kind of surgical procedure, a complex operation in which the clothing undergoes a thrilling metamorphosis.
www.drromanelli.com
Eric Nakamura
Publisher/Co-Editor of Giant Robot
Eric graduated from UCLA with a degree in East Asian Studies in 1993. He got his start in magazine making through a stint at the Santa Monica College newspaper, The Palisadian Post newspaper, various zines, and Larry Flynt Publications. In 1994, he started Giant Robot magazine and in 2001 opened the first Giant Robot store in Los Angeles. Today there are Giant Robot stores in LA, SF, and NYC and a restaurant called gr/eats also in Los Angeles. Each location features the newest in Asian popular culture products along with monthly art exhibitions. Nakamura also curates exhibitions outside of his shop spaces for clients such as Toyota Scion, University galleries, and the Japanese American National Museum. In addition to publishing issues of GR, Nakamura has made an independent movie called Sunsets, shot photos for punk rock bands, and designs t-shirts.
