Tag: Choque Cultural

Brazilian artist Titi Freak is in town for the big ‘SÃO PAULO’ show, curated by Choque Cultural Gallery from Brazil, that opens on this Sat, February 28 at Scion’s Installation L.A. Gallery in Culver City… we love his work, as well as many others in the show, so be sure to put this one on your calendar and plan to attend this Saturday.

Titi Freak’s blog: titifreak.blogspot.com

The São Paulo exhibition celebrates the energy of the emerging art culture in São Paulo, Brazil, the biggest metropolitan city in South America. Calma, Carlos Dias, MZK, Ramon Martins, Silvana Mello, Speto, Titi Freak and Zezão form a group that translates this energy best, bringing fine art unique influences from pop culture, ancient heritage, modern painting or folk art. Each artist uses pop contemporary references such as street art, tattoo, skateboarding, hip‐hop, and punk, while playing close attention to their own personal heritage and research.

The diversity of the featured artists in the São Paulo show promises an intriguing exhibition. Calma AKA Stephan Doitschinoff is the son of an Evangelical minister whose style combines Afro‐Brazilian folklore with Baroque religious iconography, as well as Alchemic and Pagan symbolism. Carlos Dias eschews concepts ‐ his original art is born in the streets, in his band’s concerts, in his record collection and flows into canvases painted with acrylic paint, markers, crayons, sprays or whatever comes into his hands. MZK is an urban legend and is responsible for the seminal fanzine culture in São Paulo and references everything from tiki comic strips to African masks. He is both a DJ and comic strip author. Ramon Martins finds an ease in combining diverse elements such as baroque style with street art, whether he’s using spray, acrylic painting or watercolor techniques. Silvana Mello explores the irony of advertising’s artificial happiness with everything from enamel painting on tiles to express the comfort of home, to carvings on a skateboard and woodprints to express the aggressiveness of urban life. Speto is one of Brazil’s most popular street artists. His original street art blends lines of traditional northeastern Brazilian woodcarving styles with sophisticated textures and figurative imagery. A champion yo‐yo master, Titi Freak AKA Hamilton Yokota (images above) fuses eastern and western sophisticated drawing, action painting, pop and fashion imagery, illustration, street art and comic influences. Finally, Zezão is one of the leaders of the Brazilian abstract street art movement. Famous for his activity in the city’s underground, Zezão goes into sewers and invades the rainwater channels that flow toward São Paulo’s rivers, to reveal the beauty of the city’s monstrous garbage.

To view add’l preview images of all in the show, check here.

Opening Reception: Sat, February 28, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Scion Installation L.A. Gallery (3521 Helms Ave. in Culver City)