NVC Crew - BIG*L

As we get closer to the opening of the MAD*L Citizens show which is October 25th @ LIFT in the Detroit area, expect to see lots of previews of custom 10" pieces.  Some of these are  excellent pieces from the best in the biz.  NVC Crew's tribute to the Notorious B.I.G -- BIG*L combines Bao and Spive's trademark hand-sculpting with a faux TV head featuring wood panel trimmed, fitted, shaped,applied and polished by Spive. 

Instead of going for a wood "effect", NVC went full bore and used real wood ;-)  The knobs come from NVC's vintage knob collection and helped to add to the illusion of a real TV set.

The sculpting is NVC at it's best with nice details including the Timberland's, hoodie, and clever use of the MADL form to deliver a casual  hands-in-the-pocket pose. Finally, NVC flexes it's painting chops with a portrait of the late rapper. 

If you're in the Detroit area don't miss MAD*L Citizens on 10.25 @ LIFT. 

LIFT
228 W 4th St
Royal Oak, MI 48067
248.545.5245

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Seen: Uglycon Tokyo

 

David Horvath and Sun-Min  Kim celebrated Uglycon Tokyo at Stitch on Friday night (they are a half day ahead of us).  Several guest artists created their own UGLY interpretations.  In addition, there were plenty of UGLY plush and the brand new Super Puncher vinyl figures done with Gargamel. 

While we couldn’t make the trip to Tokyo, our man in Japan – Luke Rook of Lulubell Toy Bodega -- has made the big leap over to Japan and sent back these sweet shots.  Thanks Luke!

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S7 x LASH – Sprayed, Splattered, Brushed, Rubbed and Ruined (10.11.08)

Master kaiju customizer known as LASH brings to you “Sprayed, Splattered, Brushed, Rubbed and Ruined” at Super7 in San Francisco. His first show with a massive number of custom pieces and original artwork. Using different figures from Real X Head, Rumble Monsters, Gargamel, and with even some of Brian Flynn’s creations, and many more. Be sure to stop by the shop this Saturday,there will be 36 customs, 5 original art pieces, 10 copies of a book of customs by LASH, 20 Limited Edition t-shirts, and a surprise SUPER limited print just for the show all of which will be available. Show start's at 7 PM to close on Saturday, October 11th at Super7. More pics of the customs after the jump.

Super7
415.409.4703
1628 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

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Cameron Tiede’s Toxic Melvin

Cameron Tiede took one of his unsuspecting limited-edition Melvin resin figures and gave him the monster treatment  for Monster Art Rally group show which opens tomorrow, Friday October 10th @ Gallery 1988 SF.  Catch Toxic Melvin and other custom toys and plush up in the Bay Area. 

Gallery 1988 San Francisco
1173 Sutter St. (at Polk)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.409.1376

Ogi -- Toy Sculptures for Blender (10.11)

Ogi has created an army of new clay toy sculptures for Blender, the first group show to be held at  Cerasoli : LeBasse.  We're really impressed with these figures including the winged demo and the various tweaked mecha monster dudes.    Check out DailyduJour for a look at Ogi's installation for the show as well as some insights into his paintings.

Cerasoli : LeBasse
8530-B Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Kathie Olivas – Uninvited Guest (10.17.08)

 

Kathie Olivas will un veil Uninvited Guest, a new body of work featuring small paintings, drawings and custom toys @ myplasticheart nyc.  Featuring her Misery Children and their post-apocalyptic reality and challenges the show opens on Friday, October 17th [6-9 PM] and runs through 11.19.   This is a great opportunity to pick up an original painting or two at rather reasonable prices.  Keep watching VP for a preview sometime next week.

myplasticheart nyc
210 Forsyth St.
New York, New York 10002
646.290.686

Preview: Monster Art Rally (10.10)

 

 

In the Halloween spirit yet?  Gallery 1988 SF  (flier)will be the place for hideous, monstrous and even cute beasts with the opening of Monster Art Rally on October 10th [7-10 PM].  The the open-platform group show features custom vinyl, plush, and even a few original sculptural pieces.  Since we’re only two days out, here’s an extended preview of just some of the fiendish creations you’ll see at the opening.  Our cover bat  above is from the amazing Anna Chambers.

Gallery 1988 San Francisco
1173 Sutter St. (at Polk)
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.409.1376

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Preview - Ekundayo and KMNDZ – Red Forest (10.11)

Ekundayo and KMNDZ’s (above) Red Forest joint exhibition opens this coming Friday, October 11th [7-11 PM] @ Thinkspace. DailyduJour has a preview of the show including behind-the-scenes shots of both artists working on the front room mural installation.

Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

Wacko Toy Swap (10.18)

 

Are you stuck with dupes and just not feeling creating an ‘army’ of uniformity for your display case?  Wacko, quite possibly the most amazing store in Los Angeles, feels your pain and has a cure (or at least a stop-gap measure) – a Toy Swap.  It goes down Saturday, October 18th from Noon to 3 PM in the parking lot behind the store.  Bring your dupes and trade them with others.  Refreshments will be served.

Wacko/Soap Plant
4633 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.663.0122

Seen: KC Hustle

 

MAD and five other Kansas City area artists  showed off their skills for KC Hustle which went down this past Friday (10.3.08) @ The Pitch Art Space in KC.    MAD, Scribe, Nathan Fox, Brian Bullets, Sike Style and Zach Trover  each created custom MADLs and also customized a Pitch Box (a display stand for the Pitch, a local KC newspaper focused on entertainment).  Several artists also created paintings and drawings. The work looks great – striking and so clean.    Check out shots of the Pitch Boxes and MADL’s after the jump. These pics are from MAD’s flickr.

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Ken Keirns – 10” MADL for MADL Citizens

Ken Keirns’s uncanny photographic surrealist painting  style is in full effect on his custom 10” MADL done for the upcoming MADL Citizens show. Having seen Ken’s original paintings up close, we’re a little sad we won’t see this custom up close and personal.  Pretty sure the pics while great don’t really do it full justice.

MADL Citizens opens on Saturday, October 25th @ LIFT in the Detroit area.  Keep watching for more previews, a feature on Tristan Eaton’s  5” production MADL and more right here on Vinyl Pulse.

LIFT
228 W 4th St
Royal Oak, MI 48067
248.545.5245

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Monkeyhouse Toys Presents Plastique Fantastique (10.04.08)

Monkeyhouse Toys brings together a slew of artists for a custom toy show. A show featuring different types of platforms and a long list of 70 artists. Just a few of the participating artists include: Jason Kochis, Heidi Kenney, Max, Brent Nolasco, Clara Boo of Curioddities,  Yuki Miyazaki, Josh Taylor, Dave Silva, Smear, Jennifer Lewis, Edzepln, and tons more. Opening reception will be on Saturday, October 4th from 4-8 PM in Los Angeles. So come on out and enjoy the fun with awesome artwork!

We also have a peek of Brent Nolasco’s submission for this show. The first we have seen of a custom Koibito figure which is based off the artwork of Yoskay Yomamoto. More pictures of Brent’s submission after the jump.

Monkeyhouse Toys & Art Gallery
1618 1/2 Silver Lake Bl.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-662-3437

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Bigfoot in Hawaii @ Split Obsession (10.25)

The enigmatic SF area artist Bigfoot will heading across the Pacific for a solo in paradise @ Split Obsession on Saturday, October 25th from 6 to 9 PM.  Bigfoot's art which deals with the sometimes tragic interaction of nature and civilization will be in full effect --including original art, limited-edition prints, tees and a limited-edition resin tiki figure.   That last item caught our attention.  All we know so far is it's limited to just 50 pieces.  Look for pics first right here on Vinyl Pulse shortly.

Split Obsession
7192 Kalanianaole Hwy D100
Honolulu, HI 96825

David Horvath + Sun-Min Kim - Uglycon Tokyo (10.10)

David Horvath and Sun Min Kim’s  UGLYCON, a celebration of all things UGLY, is slowly but surely taking over the world.  First it was LA and then SF.  Now the land of the rising sun. UGLYCON Tokyo opens on Friday October 10th @ Stitch in Tokyo [6 –9 PM].   The show will feature plenty of goodness from David and Sun-Min but will also showcase UGLY art from Gargamel, Dehara, Touma, Mori Chack, T9G, Devilrobots,
Mad Barbarians, Nao (Wrecks). 

In term of toys, what we know so far from the UGLYBLOG is that David and Sun-Min  have worked with Gargamel to create the Super Puncher Pocket Kaiju which will debut at UGLYCON in an exclusive Yokai edition.  The figure captures the spirit of toy collecting with a humorous backstory of a lonely otaku who after collecting too many Super Puncher toys died and returned as the Super Puncher Yokai Robot ghost.  The figure has two-faces – Lonely Otaku and Super Puncher.

Finally, overseas collectors are in luck – Stitch will offer available pieces through email (no phone orders) starting on October 14th @ 11 AM (Japan Time) which breaks down to Monday October 13th 7 PM PDT.

Amanda Visell’s Centaur Love

Amanda Visell just got her new blog on Daily Dujour rolling with a picture of her Centaur Love wood sculpture which will be part of the Baby Tattoovile art show at the Riverside Art Museum this Saturday.  Check out her post to see the full pic.  [Source: Daily Dujour]

Michelle Valigura – Creation Mutation Sneak Preview

 

Since we posted the flier for Michelle Valigura’s Creation Mutation solo show opening on Saturday, October 25th [7-10 PM] @ M Modern we’ve been  wanting to see more.   We recently had the pleasure of an early look at Michelle’s numerous wood sculptures for the show and are revealing a few here as an exclusive sneak peek.

We’re happy to say that  unlike a movie trailer, the flier was just a hint of the goodness to come.  The two-headed giraffe and siamese barbershop dudes on the flier were just the beginning of the DNA bending outbreak.  Michelle’s got plenty of great stuff waiting in the wings.   She’s taken the concept of twisted animals and run with it across several different pieces for her own spin on the wild kingdom.   Unlike her previous work which often featured  complete scenes this new work offers focused  looks at her characters.

The two-headed purple hippo with a feathered passenger (above) is one of our faves in part due to the huge ivories – all the better to chomp swimmers with!  Sticking with the aquatic theme of this preview, the dual-headed Alligator offers a very different yet equally cool ‘look’ – angular and boxy lines replace the curves of the hippo. 

There’s plenty more gene splitting action in store for you at the opening of Creation Mutation on October 25th @ M Modern.  Keep watching Vinyl Pulse for another preview as we get closer – can’t show you everything all at once now, can we ?

M Modern
2500 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760.416.3611

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Super7 @ Thrashout (9.27.08)

As a part of the Super7's Tokyo Underground Tour, the good folks of S7 and Gargamel team up to put on a show at the Gargamel's flagship store Thrash Out in Japan. For those lucky enough to be in the area or who are able to join in on the underground tour will be the first to feast their eyes on some custom painted figures. If that is not enough for you some top-secret toy surprises, which I'm sure will tickle almost anyone's fancy. This will all be going down September 27th @ 6PM JP Time. Oh and for those of you on the wrong side of the world, a limited amount of the releases at the Thrash Out show will be available at S7 as they return.

Doktor A – Custom Fortune Teller MADL

There are things we can count on day in day out.  For instance, if you ask vinyl collectors to name the top five customizers in the game, Doktor A will be on every list.  With each new custom, his rep grows.  You’re looking at Blavatski & Son's Automated Kismet Disseminator a perfectly tuned prognosticating device which will be exhibited to wow the public at the MADL Citizens show opening on October 25th @ LIFT in the Detroit area.

Through his numerous customs, Dok A has unfolded his alternate victorian-era mechanized universe.  We've seen armored suits, motorized air ships, and submersibles.  Lately we're beginning to learn more about the commercial  and entertainment aspects of this world. 

This  sweet fortune teller piece sucks us  into his universe abuzz with wondrous machinery.  The inclusion and execution of cleverly thought out details  from the realistic levers and handles to the detailed printed instructions on the top of the device up the awe factor and  increase believability.  Beyond all that though, the piece is FUN to look at and dream about.   Finally,  the cherry on top here is that Dok loves his work and it shows in numerous ways including  the humorous set of printed fortunes, including the  sassy "You will purchase art from an English Man" one.  Amazing work.   See more of Blavatski and Son's technical marvel after the jump.

LIFT
228 W 4th St
Royal Oak, MI 48067
248.545.5245

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Ekundayo & KMNDZ – Red Forest Trailer

Here’s a sweet atmospheric teaser trailer by KMDNZ for Red Forest, a joint show with Ekundayo opening on Friday October 10th @ Thinkspace.  The show’s title and concept is based on the human toll of the  Chernobyl nuclear accident and more symbolically the effect of negativity on life in LA.  For more on the show, check out Sour Harvest’s interview with KMNDZ.

Thinkspace Art Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.913.3375

Mark Ryden – Pumpkin President Limited Edition Poster

 

The one-night Art for Hope  benefit show on October 1st at the Merry Karnowsky LA Gallery will feature work from celebrated artists including the Clayton Brothers, Camille Rose Garcia, Mercedes Helnwein, Seonna Hong, Dean Karr, Kill Pixie, Marion Peck, Todd Schorr, Kathy Staico Schorr, Melora Walters, and Kent Williams.  The $25 entry donation will benefit the Obama Victory Fund.

To celebrate the show and the cause, Merry Karnowsky Gallery and Mark Ryden will release a limited edition lithograph poster of the Pumpkin President with all proceeds going to support Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign.  Limited to 500 pieces, the poster measures 25” x 33”, is signed and numbered, and will be available for $500 (+ s/h).  Reservations for the poster are being accepted now and will close on September 30th, 2008.  For full information, please check out MarkRyden.com.

Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.933.4408

Art + Action – Custom Obama Show (10.17.08)

 

It’s awesome to see the extent to which the art community and related industries are rallying to support Barrack Obama’s Presidential Campaign.  We’ve seen Obama featured in amazing posters from brilliant artists including Shepard Fairey and Ron English and many many more.  Now, we’re about to see artists painting on Obama.  Well… on Barrack Obama action figures.   

Art + Action, a benefit show featuring artist customs of the Obama Action Figure from Jail Break Toys, opens on October 17th @ The Showroom NYC.    The lineup includes MARS-1, Damion Silver, Brent Nolasco, Voltaire, Olive47 and more.  Very curious to see how people interpret Obama – let’s hope nobody slices and dices the figure or goes crazy with sculpey ;-)  If you have skills and would like to be in the show, email jailbroke [at] gmail [dot]com with some samples of your work. In addition to the customs, Ron English will be signing his Abraham Obama posters.

The Showroom NYC
117 2nd Avenue (& 7th Street), 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003

Mattias Vigliano - Cosmoshock (9.26.08)

Mattias Vigliano of DOMA will present his new Cosmoshock solo with an opening on Friday September 26th @ Turbo, Doma’s Gallery, in Buenos Aires.  The show is apparently a print show with 18 serigraph prints (LE or 1/1’s ?)  and some gocco prints as well.  While you may know him for his work with DOMA, Mattias’s personal work features futuristic themes that retain a core of humanity (i.e. robots with soul and heart).   Great work – always fun to stare at. 

Funkeys: Custom Art Show + Charity Event (9.26.08)

 

The Funkeys: Custom Art Show + Charity Event (flier) opens on Friday September 26th [7-11 PM] @ MunkyKing.  Curated and organized by the Mattel Children's Foundation, the Art of Elysium and Munky King, the show will feature over 100+ customized versions of special large vinyl Funkeys from well-known artists, toy industry professionals, and children who will receive assistance through this charity event.

The customs will be sold via silent auction with proceeds going to The Art of Elysium, a charity organization that works with volunteer actors, artists, and musicians to work with and enrich the lives of children dealing with serious medical conditions.

So if you're calendar is still bare for Friday, come on out, check out the army of custom Funkeys and maybe bid on a piece or two to support a very worthwhile cause.  RSVP for the VIP opening [6 -7 PM] by emailing plex[at]munkyking[dot]com.   More show previews after the jump -- click through.

Munky King
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.938.0091

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Ekundayo & KMNDZ -- Red Forest (10.10.08)

This show has been on our 'must-see' list since Thinkspace Gallery published their '08 gallery. Opening on Friday, October 10th, Red Forest features the work of Ekundayo and KMNDZ each of whom produce excellent urban influenced art.  Each artist comes from a different starting point -- Ekundayo focuses on his own  unique organic universe while KMNDZ's work tends to focus on the more mechanical and automated aspects including prominent depiction of robots of all sorts.  The results though are highly complimentary or perhaps we should just say  awesome + awesome = more awesome!

To ease the anxiety, Thinkspace has posted some sneaks on their flickr.  We've cherry picked a few from Ekundayo, check 'em after the jump (KMNDZ to come).

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Jeff McMillan – A Maintenance of Inhabitants (For Now)

Instead of saying Jeff McMillan  ‘kicks ass’ we decided we’d try to say something pseudo-intelligent like -- “Jeff’s paintings blend the mystical with the everyday for a result that eclipses expected juxtaposition and ventures into the fantastic”.  But somehow, we still prefer something more succinct like ‘Jeff’s art rules’. 

At any rate, Jeff will open his next solo, “A Maintenance of Inhabitants (For Now)”, @ SURU this Saturday, September 27th 2008 [7 PM].  We’ve put a few sneak images from his blog after the jump. Also, the SURU  blo has a cool preview of the show including a look at Jeff’s studio.   Great stuff – be sure to hit the opening to take it all in.

SURU
7662 Melrose
Los Angeles, CA
323.655.0770

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