Opening April 21, 2017, at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art are Juxtapozed and Robert Williams: SLANG Aesthetics!, co-curated by Andrew Hosner of Thinkspace Gallery, Gary Pressman of Copro Gallery, and Adjunct Curator of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Josef Zimmerman. The second installment of exhibitions Los Angeles’ Thinkspace Gallery has brought to the Museum to date, following the success of Invisible College from 2015, both showcase new and exciting work from the steadily expanding New Contemporary Art Movement. A continuation of Thinkspace’s mutually reinforced mission to garner institutional exposure and recognition for New Contemporary Art, its history, founders, key players, and artists, the exhibitions celebrate the impact of its most enduring media platforms, Juxtapoz Magazine, and the work of one of its most iconic trailblazers. Now widely considered the largest and longest running art movement in history, the New Contemporary Art Movement encompasses everything from Street Art and Muralism to Pop Surrealism and Hyperrealism.
The New Contemporary Art Movement has been largely self-sustained through a network of alternative cultural platforms, primarily outside of the mainstream and institutionally vetted art markets, including social media, blogs, zines, underground collectives, galleries, and urban and alternative spaces. Copro and Thinkspace galleries in Los Angeles are two of the movement’s most visible and active proponents, taking the work to art fairs, collaborating with galleries internationally, and opening institutional channels for its exhibition and appreciation. Boasting 400,000 followers through its various social media outlets, Thinkspace has helped to bring the work to a wider international audience. As the movement continues to expand on a global scale, its diversity, inclusivity, and vitality set it apart from more exclusionary art world models.
Co-founder and Curator of Thinkspace Gallery, Andrew Hosner, says, “Our plan is to continue to knock on the door of the establishment until more listen, more take notice, more start to add these artists to their permanent collections, and start to give the movement the attention it has earned and deserved.”
Juxtapozed, a show title drawn from the magazine of the same name in the imperative tense, celebrates the legacy made possible by Juxtapoz. The access the publication has facilitated since the early 90s to a widely cast variety of media and expressions has shaped the movement itself and preserved its continued relevance. Founded in San Francisco in 1994 by Robert Williams, Craig Stecyk, Greg Escalante, Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello, Juxtapoz evolved from the intent to foster and support the art and culture of the underground. The magazine provided an alternative voice and narrative as a counterpart to the dominant New York-centric discourse of contemporary art and featured artists who straddled the boundaries between “high” and “low” culture. Aligning itself with the aesthetics of contemporary street culture, figurative art, California car culture, gig posters, tattoos, graphics, psychedelia, and comics, the publication became a conduit and forum for an entirely new generation of artists who were latching on to a populist visual vernacular.
Juxtapozed features an installation by Laurence Vallieres and murals by Cinta Vidal & Bumblebeelovesyou. The group exhibition features individual works by 48 New Contemporary artists, including 1010, Aaron Nagel, Alex Garant, Allison Sommers, Amy Sol, Bec Winnel, Benjamin Garcia, Brian M. Viveros, Chris Mars, Cinta Vidal, Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker, Daniel Bilodeau, David Rice, Derek Gores, Dulk, Erik Siador, Erika Sanada, Fernando Chamarelli, Frank Gonzales, Fuco Ueda, Ian Francis, Jeff Gilette, Joe Sorren, Joel, Daniel Phillips, Jolene Lai, Jon Swihart, Josh Keyes, Juan Travieso, Kazu, Kelly Vivanco, Kikyz1313, Lauren Brevner, Liz Brizzi, Mark Ryden, Martin Whatson, Martin Wittfooth, Mary Iverson, Mike
Davis, Meggs, Ron English, Sepe, Sergio Garcia, Shag, Shepard Fairey, Stephanie Buer, Telmo Miel, Travis Louie, Wiley Wallace, and Yosuke Ueno.
‘JUXTAPOZED’
Curated by Andrew and Shawn Hosner with Gary Pressman & Josef Zimmerman
Opening Reception:
Friday, April 21st 7-10PM
On View: April 22nd – July 9th, 2017
Taking Place At:
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
311 E. Main Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Featuring murals and installations from:
Meggs – Cinta Vidal – Icy and Sot – Laurence Vallieres
Alongside a group show featuring works from:
1010
Aaron Nagel
Alex Garant
Allison Sommers
Amy Sol
Bec Winnel
Benjamin Garcia
Brian Viveros
Chris Mars
Cinta Vidal
Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker
Daniel Bilodeau
David Rice
Derek Gores
Dulk
Erik Siador
Erika Sanada
Fernando Chamarelli
Frank Gonzales
Fuco Ueda
Ian Francis
Jason Seife
Jeff Gillette
Joe Sorren
Joel Daniel Phillips
Jolene Lai
Jon Swihart
Josh Keyes
Juan Travieso
Kazu
Kelly VIvanco
Kikyz1313
Lauren Brevner
Liz Brizzi
Mark Ryden
Martin Whatson
Martin Wittfooth
Mary Iverson
Meggs
Mike Davis
Ron English
Scott Listfield
Sepe
Sergio Garcia
Shag
Shepard Fairey
Stephanie Buer
Telmo Miel
Travis Louie
Wiley Wallace
Yosuke Ueno
Thinkspace Gallery
www.thinkspacegallery.com
IG icon @thinkspace_art
Copro Gallery
www.coprogallery.com
IG icon @coprogallery
FWMoA
www.fwmoa.org
IG icon @fwmoa
