COLIN CHRISTIAN
“Hello, Pretty, Pretty”
RISK
“Old Habits Die Hard”
Opening Reception Saturday, July 7, 2012 from 7-10pm
On View July 7 – August 8, 2012
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
T: 310-287-2340
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
Open Tuesday - Saturday, Noon to 6:00pm
Marking the convergence of pop surrealism and graffiti, Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present a double solo exhibition by iconic artists Colin Christian and RISK on Saturday, July 7.
Entitled “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” Colin Christian’s first solo exhibition with Corey Helford Gallery pays tribute to the Black Queen of Sogo from the 1968 cult film “Barbarella.”
Internationally known for his glamorous sci-fi-esque female figures crafted from fiberglass, Christian describes his aesthetic as “optimistic futurism with a giggle.” His large-scale sculptures capture beauty in many forms from futuristic portraits of Cleopatra and Hello Kitty to ultra-mod Orbit Chairs made from fiberglass, steel and faux fur.
For “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” Christian will unveil twelve new pieces, featuring luxe textures that incorporate glitter and sequins as well as darker overtones addressing transhumanism. He adds, “I wanted to push it as far as light and dark goes, both figuratively and literally.”
A striking blend of fashion, 60s pop art and 70s interior design, “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” references a wide range of influences from Christian’s life. He notes,“‘Zoofy’ was inspired by my sister-in-law’s traffic accident. It features a gothic corseted girl in eighteen-inch heels with a metal support frame on wheels so that she could walk. Another piece, my first major black figure, ‘Superflyhoney’ is a nine and a half foot tall, 70s inspired futuristic girl. Wearing a painted on rubber cat suit with giant space flares, she is based on my love of 70s soul and disco.”
Following an outdoor installation at the London Pleasure Gardens and UK gallery show on view this summer during the 2012 Olympics, graffiti artist RISK joins Corey Helford Gallery to debut “Old Habits Die Hard,” his first solo exhibition at the gallery and his most comprehensive to date.
For the show, RISK returns to his graffiti roots with a series of traditional work that celebrate his iconic lettering style, self-described as “organized chaos.” He adds, “although I’ve been painting with many different mediums and aesthetics, the majority of the new pieces in this show are variations of RISK pieces.” The collection of new paintings is organized into groups, allowing RISK to have chapters in his repertoire, rather than just one story. The show is made up of traditional pieces on various surfaces and textures, the new “Beautifully Destroyed” series on plaster steel frames, and “The Symbol” and “Good Times” hand series, which recently debuted at SCOPE NY. Additionally, the exhibition showcases recent sculpture collaborations. For “Elephant in the Room,” RISK partnered with artist OG ABEL to create a large-scale elephant figure with a vibrant pink glitter glaze, and for the “Pigs” series, RISK teamed up with low-rider artists Danny D, Emmanuel Cisneros, and Vince Felix to paint custom finishes.
The opening reception for “Hello, Pretty Pretty” and “Old Habits Die Hard,” takes place Saturday, July 7 at Corey Helford Gallery. The reception is open to the public, and both exhibitions will be on view through August 8, 2012.
Colin Christian
Colin Christian was born in London on March 30, 1964 to a loving and outgoing mother. Apart from art classes, he hated school, and at the age of 15, he left to live in Morocco with his family. The cultural difference was very liberating, and upon his return to England at 16, he worked at a record music store. In 1982 he became a DJ and stage manager for a large nightclub in the south of England where he met his wife Sas. In 1992 Colin moved to the U.S where he and his wife started a small business making latex clothing for fetish stores around the country. Their work was featured in Penthouse and Skin Two magazines. Taking what he had learned from clothing manufacturing and combining it with his interest in movie special effects, Colin produced fiberglass figures and displays. In 1998, he produced his first production figure, an anime girl called “Suki,” towering seven feet tall and anatomically correct. Colin decided to put his career on hold for a few years to take up commercial sculpture. A robot he made for the American Heart Association was interviewed by Katie Couric on The Today Show, and he also constructed the world’s largest mousetrap for pest control company Truly Nolen, which is now featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. Colin works full time on his original sculptures, finding inspiration in old sci-fi movies, pinup girl/supermodels, anime, ambient electronic music and H.P. Lovecraft. In 2004, he started using silicone in his sculptures, a difficult material to use but one that helps him achieve his goal of true cartoon realism, a line drawing made flesh. He is not looking to create every imperfection and flaw, but to take the exaggerations and perfections of cartoons and make them into a realistic 3D form. For more information about the artist, please visit www.colinchristian.com.
RISK
In a career spanning 29 years, RISK has impacted the evolution of graffiti as an art form in Los Angeles and worldwide. RISK gained major notoriety for his unique style and pushed the limits of graffiti further than any writer in L.A. had before: He was one of the first writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on “heavens,” or freeway overpasses. At the peak of his career he took graffiti from the streets and into the gallery with the launch of the Third Rail series of art shows, and later parlayed the name into the first authentic line of graffiti inspired clothing. RISK has continued to work on numerous Hollywood projects for movie and music video sets, including the film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and videos for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Bad Religion and Michael Jackson. Today, RISK is still involved with graffiti, and shows his work worldwide. In 2011, RISK was a featured artist in Art In the Streets, the first comprehensive museum survey of graffiti and street art. For more information about the artist, please visit riskrock.com.
Entitled “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” Colin Christian’s first solo exhibition with Corey Helford Gallery pays tribute to the Black Queen of Sogo from the 1968 cult film “Barbarella.”
Internationally known for his glamorous sci-fi-esque female figures crafted from fiberglass, Christian describes his aesthetic as “optimistic futurism with a giggle.” His large-scale sculptures capture beauty in many forms from futuristic portraits of Cleopatra and Hello Kitty to ultra-mod Orbit Chairs made from fiberglass, steel and faux fur.
For “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” Christian will unveil twelve new pieces, featuring luxe textures that incorporate glitter and sequins as well as darker overtones addressing transhumanism. He adds, “I wanted to push it as far as light and dark goes, both figuratively and literally.”
A striking blend of fashion, 60s pop art and 70s interior design, “Hello, Pretty Pretty,” references a wide range of influences from Christian’s life. He notes,“‘Zoofy’ was inspired by my sister-in-law’s traffic accident. It features a gothic corseted girl in eighteen-inch heels with a metal support frame on wheels so that she could walk. Another piece, my first major black figure, ‘Superflyhoney’ is a nine and a half foot tall, 70s inspired futuristic girl. Wearing a painted on rubber cat suit with giant space flares, she is based on my love of 70s soul and disco.”
Following an outdoor installation at the London Pleasure Gardens and UK gallery show on view this summer during the 2012 Olympics, graffiti artist RISK joins Corey Helford Gallery to debut “Old Habits Die Hard,” his first solo exhibition at the gallery and his most comprehensive to date.
For the show, RISK returns to his graffiti roots with a series of traditional work that celebrate his iconic lettering style, self-described as “organized chaos.” He adds, “although I’ve been painting with many different mediums and aesthetics, the majority of the new pieces in this show are variations of RISK pieces.” The collection of new paintings is organized into groups, allowing RISK to have chapters in his repertoire, rather than just one story. The show is made up of traditional pieces on various surfaces and textures, the new “Beautifully Destroyed” series on plaster steel frames, and “The Symbol” and “Good Times” hand series, which recently debuted at SCOPE NY. Additionally, the exhibition showcases recent sculpture collaborations. For “Elephant in the Room,” RISK partnered with artist OG ABEL to create a large-scale elephant figure with a vibrant pink glitter glaze, and for the “Pigs” series, RISK teamed up with low-rider artists Danny D, Emmanuel Cisneros, and Vince Felix to paint custom finishes.
The opening reception for “Hello, Pretty Pretty” and “Old Habits Die Hard,” takes place Saturday, July 7 at Corey Helford Gallery. The reception is open to the public, and both exhibitions will be on view through August 8, 2012.
Colin Christian
Colin Christian was born in London on March 30, 1964 to a loving and outgoing mother. Apart from art classes, he hated school, and at the age of 15, he left to live in Morocco with his family. The cultural difference was very liberating, and upon his return to England at 16, he worked at a record music store. In 1982 he became a DJ and stage manager for a large nightclub in the south of England where he met his wife Sas. In 1992 Colin moved to the U.S where he and his wife started a small business making latex clothing for fetish stores around the country. Their work was featured in Penthouse and Skin Two magazines. Taking what he had learned from clothing manufacturing and combining it with his interest in movie special effects, Colin produced fiberglass figures and displays. In 1998, he produced his first production figure, an anime girl called “Suki,” towering seven feet tall and anatomically correct. Colin decided to put his career on hold for a few years to take up commercial sculpture. A robot he made for the American Heart Association was interviewed by Katie Couric on The Today Show, and he also constructed the world’s largest mousetrap for pest control company Truly Nolen, which is now featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. Colin works full time on his original sculptures, finding inspiration in old sci-fi movies, pinup girl/supermodels, anime, ambient electronic music and H.P. Lovecraft. In 2004, he started using silicone in his sculptures, a difficult material to use but one that helps him achieve his goal of true cartoon realism, a line drawing made flesh. He is not looking to create every imperfection and flaw, but to take the exaggerations and perfections of cartoons and make them into a realistic 3D form. For more information about the artist, please visit www.colinchristian.com.
RISK
In a career spanning 29 years, RISK has impacted the evolution of graffiti as an art form in Los Angeles and worldwide. RISK gained major notoriety for his unique style and pushed the limits of graffiti further than any writer in L.A. had before: He was one of the first writers in Southern California to paint freight trains, and he pioneered writing on “heavens,” or freeway overpasses. At the peak of his career he took graffiti from the streets and into the gallery with the launch of the Third Rail series of art shows, and later parlayed the name into the first authentic line of graffiti inspired clothing. RISK has continued to work on numerous Hollywood projects for movie and music video sets, including the film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and videos for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Bad Religion and Michael Jackson. Today, RISK is still involved with graffiti, and shows his work worldwide. In 2011, RISK was a featured artist in Art In the Streets, the first comprehensive museum survey of graffiti and street art. For more information about the artist, please visit riskrock.com.
