Sour Harvest

Mid-City Arts is pleased to present the first solo show ever from the infamous LA tagger, Chaka. Resurrection opens April 25th and will feature highly anticipated new work from the mysterious Chaka.

Daniel Ramos, AKA Chaka, was 18 when he was arrested and charged in 1991 with 48 counts of vandalism, trespassing and causing $500,000 in property damage. Chaka’s signature tag had appeared in a staggering 10,000 locations from Orange County to San Francisco. At the height of his notoriety Chaka was demonized by mainstream media and culture as being little more than a prolific vandal. At the same time he was celebrated by street artists who admired the ability of a teenager from the projects to literally make his mark on the vast, glitzy LA cityscape in such a ubiquitous manner. He is credited with breaking away from the New York “wildstyle” popular at the time and introducing clearer, more blockish lettering into tagging. Chaka was one of the first to create a reputation as a recognizable individual tagger, and spawned many imitators. However Chaka was not just a lone operative. He was part of the LOD crew and as such, his work in reclaiming hard to reach places of the cityscape (freeway overpasses, walls, trains etc) on behalf of his crew is recognized by fellow taggers as a selfless achievement for LA’s graffiti scene as a whole.

After spending a year tracking down the once unavoidable Chaka, Mid-City Arts presents his first solo show. For Chaka’s fans as well as street art collectors, this will be a rare opportunity to revisit the nostalgia of the early 90’s, and own a piece of LA’s cultural history. Chaka himself will be in attendance and there will be a limited number of signed posters in addition to his works available for sale.

Opening Reception: April 25th, 7:00-9:00pm
Mid-City Arts
5113 West Pico Blvd in Los Angeles

For more info visit: http://www.chakaone.com/

Edward Walton Wilcox (opening this Sat @ Merry Karnowsky)

Sat, April 25th 8-11PM
Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 South La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles / 323.933.4408
New works from Edward Walton Wilcox
(On view through May 23rd)
http://www.mkgallery.com/

Sat, April 25th, 7-9PM
Mid-City Arts
5113 West Pico Blvd in Los Angeles
“Resurrection” features new works from Los Angeles’ one and only graffiti legend “Chaka” – own a piece of LA’s cultural history – a not miss show!
http://www.chakaone.com/

Sat, April 25th 6-10PM
Swiv-Tackle Circus
530 South Coast Highway in Oceanside
“Native” group show featuring art, film, furniture, bikes, headdresses & other native curiosities from Miki Iwasaki, Josh Higgins, Jeffrey Durkin, Thatcher, Tocayo, Stacy Kelley, Sean Kelley, Shaney Jo Darden & Jeff Black
(On view through mid-May)
http://swivtacklecircus.com/

Sat, April 25th 7-11PM
Tylerspencer Studio
3362 Glendale Blvd in Los Angeles
“Cornish Acid” – the return of Tofer Chin’s signature Eggman – a collaboration with jewelry designer Han Cholo – limited to 250 pendants – each signed and numbered by the artist
http://www.tylerspencer.com/

Sat, April 25th 8-11PM
Wax Poetic
3208 West Magnolia Blvd in Burbank / 818.843.9469
New works from Ronald J. Llanos
http://waxpoeticsalon.com/Art-Gallery/Next-Show.aspx

Tue, April 28th 7-10PM
Gallery 1988 Los Angeles
7020 Melrose Ave in Los Angeles / 323.937.7088
“The Lost MacGuffin” new works from Mark Brown
(On view through May 21st)