Preview: ArtExpoSanDiego 2014, July 24 to 26 at WonderBread Factory
ArtExpoSD makes it debut at San Diego’s Wonder Bread Factory July 24 to 26. The brainchild of artist and designer Mark Murphy who organized art shows at Comic-Con, ArtExpoSD runs simultaneously with that mega-fest and Gam3rCon, giving San Diego locals and visitors a chance to see world class artists in an intimate (and free!) setting.
Cartwheel Art is excited to be a media partner with ArtExpoSD (we’re sending a selection of artists and curators down ourselves–more on that in another post) so over the next weeks leading up to ArtExpoSD, we wanted to give a preview of some of the artists who will showing at this exciting new fair.
Up top: Michael Cook, AKA Cookie, is a rising artist, illustrator and entrepreneur within the urban and street scene. His piece Joyride incorporates three of San Diego’s most recognizable residents, Bai Yun, Gao Gao, and Xiao Liwu into an subtle, playful allegory about nature and technology–and Nature always comes out on top. He’s enthusiastic about ArtExpoSD:
Being a part of the inaugural ArtExpoSD is the perfect venue to showcase my wacky and whimsical world of urban and pop culture, alongside some of the best emerging artists that San Diego offers. With my paintings, I push to evoke positive emotions in my audience through textures, rhythmic patterns, color and subject matter; the opportunity to interact with Con-goers and San Diego locals helps make this experience even more inspiring!
Cartwheel Art readers are no stranger to San Diego-based Jasmine Worth. The mystically-inclined artist has shown at La Luz de Jesus where she has show opening September 5, and has garnered an international following for her detailed, occult-themed religious images of women.
Nicole Waszak–who looks forward to ArtExpoSD as an opportunity to come together as a community to engage the general public with art in a friendly and approachable manner–explores her own psyche through painting, focusing exclusively on portraits of her daughter, like the above 61 Months (Little Pin Up Dreams), explaining:
As a young girl I was lost and too grounded in my own sad reality, without the opportunity I deserved to be innocent and free from apprehension. Becoming a mother opened my eyes to what I had missed as a child and my body of work over the last four years has been concentrated on my daughter. My entire life – and life’s oeuvre – is focused on the participation in and careful observation of the development of this one little girl. Through examining her I get to know her better. Of an equivocal importance is the opportunity to more closely know myself; to reconnect with my lost inner child and to explore the rightful meaning of childhood.
Husband and wife team The Juggling Klines focus mainly on civic dialogue and social justice, using their installations to provoke questions, challenge preconceptions and generally screw with context to make a point, while humor softens the blow. This piece Think Tank was created for ArtExpoSD.
ArtExpoSD is a great blend of art and culture with the crazy culture of ComicCon. Mark Murphy is the Clark Kent behind it all. His clarity of vision and ability to curate exhibitions of rare depth while simultaneously holding the attention of the general public is what enticed us to accept the challenge to create a new installation for this year’s event.
Award-winning artist and illustrator Susie Ghahremani exhibits her original paintings around the world and designs the illustrated stationery and gift brand titled Boygirlparty®. A San Diego resident, she explains her interest in showing at ArtExpoSD:
I show my artwork in cities internationally — this month, my paintings are in NYC, Portland, Los Angeles — and my artwork, handmade stationery and gifts are followed by a loyal audience online at Etsy and on my website, however the opportunity to share and discuss my work here in San Diego is more rare. I’m really looking forward to being part of this curated show with some of my dear friends and favorite illustrators like Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd.The energy in San Diego around Comic-Con is unique — it will be a wonderful art show and pop-up exhibit to coincide with this special time in our city when art lovers come from all corners of the world to live and breathe it for a few days!
Joel Nakamura will be showing a piece for his series about growing up Asian American. His blend of folk art and sophisticated iconography rendered in a neo-primitive technique and use of tribal art and mythology has captured the attention of clients like Time magazine, US News and World Report, and the Los Angeles Times, while his fine art is in numerous private and corporate collections, including Wynonna Judd, Chick Corea, and US embassies around the world. He says he enjoys being a part of any event that Mark Murphy produces.
Mark Murphy, ArtExpoSD’s organizer is a major force in the San Diego art world. A book designer and fine artist, he is also and instructor at the Media Design School of Digital Arts where ArtExpoSD is happening–and he has put together 150 artists, 5 exhibitors, and a VIP event (click here for tickets the July 24th’s evening film, art and party) and another party Friday the 25th! Admission is free and the art is for sale!
We’re excited to be involved with ArtExpoSD, to be able see so many emerging and established artists work and to be able to showcase some artists we love (more on that later!)
ArtExpoSD, July 24-26, 2014 at the Wonderbread Factory
121 14th St., San Diego.
VIP reception Thursday July 24, 4pm to 9pm
Friday July 25, 10am to 9pm (with another party from 6pm to 9pm!)
Saturday July 25th, 10am to 5pm