Restitution Press Show & R. Crumb ~ Pasadena
Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery ~ 40 Mills Place Pasadena, CA 91105 ~ (626) 535-9757
Graffism, experimental media, design, precision, and skill meet contemporary art’s evolution at the crossroads of Restitution Press to delicious effect that blows the doors off of most shit we see. Restitution’s current show alongside R. Crumb’s drawings gloriously displays the incredible and eclectic artwork of Ryan Graeff, Devin Strother, Eli Sipsas, Anthony Cioff, Stephen Mimiaga, and Shawn McKinney, mixed and mashed in combination through multi-layered silkscreen prints and handmade ‘zines of small and giant size, that feel like some sort of hand-painted canvas or cloth more than your average book. We were even more stoked to find one of our favorite artists, Praise the Lowered’s Damon Robinson, working closely with the crew, merging the smart and badass designs found on his prints and clothing with Restitution’s sickass print techniques.
The iconic Los Angeles we know is recognizable in flashes that pass us by at 80 miles an hour– bombed walls, telephone wires, cold buildings, shady alleys, roughneck rides, and screwface characters–and Restitution live, breathe, and exalt the city we love in full color, using such images to offset the endless creativity of their busy minds. But enough of my yapping about how cool this shit is, you have until the end of the month to check it, don’t waste another second to see what the big deal is. It’s one thing to see the work, another to touch their pages.
I strongly recommend Crumb, Terry Zwigoff’s documentary on Crumb and the crazy family he comes from. One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen.
These guys were celebrating “Cinco El Drink-o” as they called it.
808 wrote:
All the art is great, except for the bandit pasties. Those are so boring.
Posted on 09-May-07 at 7:37 am | Permalink
455ER wrote:
i was there….
Posted on 09-May-07 at 1:35 pm | Permalink
toks wrote:
808 is sooo boring!!! I as well as bunch of other heads like the bandit!!! And the new bandit chola/indian chick is awesome!!
Posted on 09-May-07 at 2:02 pm | Permalink
poopie wrote:
wow only took bandit about 3 years to come up with another design, what a prolific artist!
Posted on 09-May-07 at 7:25 pm | Permalink
peaches wrote:
i’ve been seeing these posters all over l.a. and i’m loving it. i love the old chola collaboration. i love the l.a. style and the use of colors.
Posted on 11-May-07 at 5:26 pm | Permalink
toks wrote:
poopie smells like poop….haters smell like poop….is poop prolific!!! prolific poop stinks…therefore poopie stinks…you stink poopie….stop hating it makes you suck…you don’t suck do you? or do you?!
p.s i like seeing the bandit…it’s l.a to me!!
Posted on 12-May-07 at 1:04 am | Permalink
unodos wrote:
That bandit pastie reminds me of those 2 guys from the White Rapper show with their caps tilted to the side.
Also, the art style reminds me of color by numbers kid’s coloring books! So, it’s amusing how people slap a Dodger’s cap on and they think it’s l.a.!
No wonder why New York, San Fran, London, and Melbourne tend to out do L.A. a lot.
Just because they’re plastered everywhere doesn’t mean that their stuff is good.
Posted on 14-May-07 at 12:42 am | Permalink
Hadley wrote:
I certainly respect that everyone has varied reactions to what they are seeing on the street. Still, I recommend seeing the show before snaping to rush judgements, these guys are truly pushing technique and visuals into some interesting territory. It is very easy to criticize based on one or two pieces, but this group’s work is varied, prolific, thought-provoking, and quite emblematic of Los Angeles when actually explored.
Posted on 14-May-07 at 7:58 am | Permalink
toks wrote:
melbourne?????? are you australian dude!!!
Posted on 16-May-07 at 2:33 pm | Permalink
unodos wrote:
If you’ve ever been to Melbourne, you’d understand why it’s considered one of the best cities in the world for stencil art and other art in general. Many international artists recognize the city and happily go there to check out the scene.
Check out the Melbourne graffiti group on flickr, along with the other cities mentioned in order to grasp an understanding.
And for those in the know, it is a great place with very talented artists artists who do a variety of work. And just because I named that city along with others, it’s a cheap shot to say I’m Australian, especially since I was born and raised in L.A.
It also seems that offense is taken at criticism. Criticism is great in order to push an artist’s limits. We all get it, and those who think about it, tend to out do their previous work by intensifying their talent.
Posted on 16-May-07 at 4:55 pm | Permalink
Hadley wrote:
Yeah, I hear great things about Melbourne’s street art scene. I just came back from Buenos Aires and am working on a huge post about all the graf I saw there…stencil art up the yin-yang!
Posted on 16-May-07 at 9:39 pm | Permalink
toks wrote:
I am just having fun….there is also great graf going on in taiwan and barcelona….be sure to visit!! While we’re here in La la land…let’s take time out to appreciate whats around here and celebrate it…I like the bandit because it is a strong image with staying power….and maybe also because of the dodgeresque l.a on the hat…which makes me think that if one were to place that same l.a logo on a turd that I would love that sh*t…lets all grow together…we see something thats getting old..instead of criticism…bring something new and innovative to the table…as the not so old adage says…”show and prove” great minds discuss ideas and not people!!
**
I seem to bring up turds and poop a lot…reason being..instead of smoking I browse the internet on the crapper..peace and love y’all….there is nothing I hate more than a hater!!!
Posted on 16-May-07 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
455ER wrote:
where’s the bong? ? ?
Posted on 19-Jun-07 at 8:37 pm | Permalink
7000er wrote:
doper hot 97
Posted on 25-Jan-08 at 10:07 am | Permalink
name wrote:
best of the best it is,
Posted on 19-Jul-08 at 4:47 am | Permalink