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21/3/2008

Anything Could Happen

Carmichael Gallery, Hollywood

Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Anything Could Happen..., featuring new artwork by Faith47, Johnny Yanok, Joulu, Mike Kershnar, and Misery. There will be paintings, drawings, stencils, skate decks, screen prints, and posters on display. Hailing from South Africa, Ohio, Ukraine, California, and New Zealand, the artists in this exhibition paint five extraordinary worlds of dreams, beauty, fantasy, and violence. The possibilities for exploration and discovery are endless within their wondrous scenes; though some sparkle with hope and others are tinged with a dark pain, all are lit with a magical spontaneity that leaves you wondering: whatever could happen next?

Faith47 The people in Faith47’s world are angry, and they have every reason to be: “Today is a day of violence and today is everyday” is scrawled beneath the image of a girl kneeling and clutching a bleeding heart, stubbornly oblivious to the knives, guns, and bombs that encircle her. Faith47 can speak with assurance on such a subject; this is the life she knows and lives herself as a prominent voice on the perilous Cape Town graffiti scene. Aware of the seductive power and potential of artistic expression, Faith47 utilizes her work as a platform to voice her disgust with bureaucracy, war, the inequality of world economics, and capitalism - “the only words we know are more, more, and more.” In spite of this deeply ingrained pain and frustration, however, there is an awe-inspiring beauty in each canvas, design, and wall she paints, an imperative call for rebellion, love, and liberation. Faith47 has showcased her work in Sweden, Amsterdam, and the US, and painted the streets of Ireland, South Africa, Germany, Kenya, Prague, and England.

Johnny Yanok There’s a blue squirrel, a drunken man asleep under a blanket of newspapers, a rabbit-toothed blob sporting a fedora, and a turtleneck-wearing, pole-swinging dragon all jamming away in a subway car to the music of a raccoon playing a violin (well, all except the man). Welcome to the delightfully quirky world of Johnny Yanok. Tucked away in a haunted house in the woods of Ohio with his wife and their menagerie of pets, Johnny divides his time between ghost busting and creating magical scenes inspired, in part, by the cartoons and storybooks of his childhood, Halloween, Disneyland, and the kitsch he collects at flea markets. It is hard to admire Johnny’s works without a smile appearing at the lips, the sheer magical, wonderful silliness of them transporting viewers to a place of child-like innocence and joy that often feels so terribly far away. A member of the Art Dorks Collective, Johnny has exhibited his paintings and sculptures in galleries all over the world. He is also a successful freelance illustrator, with clients including Disney, the Cartoon Network, Fruit of the Loom, and Toyota.

Joulu Irena Zablotska, aka Joulu, is a talented graffiti artist from the Ukraine who has participated in exhibitions throughout her home country and in the USA. On the streets and on paper, her unique voice comes alive through her intriguing characters, bizarre beings who come together to dance, play, sob, and share secrets. Depending on how you yourself are feeling when you look at them, different ideas and meanings present themselves as to just who these mysterious individuals are, their faces and bodies overwhelmed with energy and emotion. Sometimes Joulu herself doesn’t have words for what she is trying to express in her intensely personal pieces, but through drawing, she gives the paper a voice all of its own. Some of the beings in her work resemble humans, while others look like nothing ever seen before, yet they all share a fleeting air of merriment coupled with an acceptance of suffering, a strange dichotomy that characterizes the entrancing alternate universe of Joulu’s creation.

Mike Kershnar “My artwork humbly seeks to be a signpost pointing the way towards the earth, to purpose, to vision, to healing, and to a more fully awakened state of being,” explains Californian artist Mike Kershnar, who is also a lifelong skateboarder, UC Santa Cruz grad, and rock poster designer for bands including the Beastie Boys, Morrissey, The Marley Brothers, and the Grateful Dead. He has also created board graphics and clothing designs for skate brands such as Element, Baker, and Obey. Influenced by 1980s skate graphics, artists Robert Crumb and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and indigenous art forms that identify closely with the natural environment – Aboriginal Dreamtime, Mexican Huichol, and Northern Formline to name a few – Mike creates astounding representations of North American wildlife which transcend the images themselves in their depth of understanding of the spiritual relationship between man and the creatures he shares the earth with. Mike extends his passion and gratitude for life through his work for the non-profit, youth-based Elemental Awareness, which he co-founded, an organization that promotes self-esteem through the avenues of skateboarding, the wilderness, and art. As well as showcasing his work in numerous group and solo exhibitions, Mike has been profiled in publications such as Juxtapoz, Thrasher, Happy, and Mass Appeal.

Misery Captivating New Zealander Misery was just fifteen years old when she began to exhibit her work. Through some pivotal introductions, the then high school student quickly established herself as one of the premier female graffiti artists in her country. As a child, the enigmatic Misery zealously scribbled away in her numerous sketch books, drawing detailed characters and dreaming of the complex magical lands in which they lived. These youthful sketches became the blueprint for the twisted fantasy world she has gone on to create and become renowned for today. For Anything Could Happen… Misery has created a series of paintings on plywood with layers of sanded back wallpaper and washes of translucent color and lacquer. Lost in landscapes of the unknown, the Misery girls and their fellow creatures revel in the haunting beauty and sadness of their environment. Misery has traveled to and exhibited her work in the USA, UK, Europe, and New Zealand. In 2006, an award-winning film documented the success of her Auckland solo show and first toy range at the Taipei Toy Fair. Complementing her success in the art world are her fashion endeavors; working with Illicit Streetwear, her name fast became a global brand, and 2004 saw the opening in Auckland of Misery Boutique.

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22, 2008, 8 PM – Midnight

Carmichael Gallery
1257 N. La Brea Avenue - Hollywood
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and by appointment.
Free admission

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