Special Events: for “Hearsay: Artists Reveal Urban Legends” – Last Weekend!
This is the last weekend to see the exhibition “Hearsay: Artist’s Reveal Urban Legends” curated by Wendy Sherman, at LosJoCos gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. Gallery hours are today and tomorrow 2-7PM. To celebrate, there are also two really special events planned for the closing weekend, as listed below:
Saturday June 11th: Tonight from 8-10pm, there will be a reading by author Jim Marquez from his latest work: “A Moveable Beast.” More information on tonight’s event can be found on the Facebook invite here
Sunday June 12th: Tomorrow from 2-6pm, experience Shape Space VR: “Zen Parade,” a psychedelic meditative virtual reality art experience, which immerses viewer into artist’s cosmic imagination, with the co-founder and producer of Shape Space VR Snow Mack and artist, Kevin Mack. More information on the art app, for Oculus Store, can be found here
The address for LosJoCos Gallery: 725 Kohler St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Social Media: #hearsayrevealed #urbanlegends #adca #losjocosgallery
http://www.hearsayrevealed.com
https://twitter.com/HearsayRevealed
Opening Night Photo Coverage: Check out the great photo coverage by Rick Mendoza on his Facebook album here.
Cartwheel Art Tours Photo Coverage from the tour with Atlas Obscura on Saturday May 22nd: Cartwheel Art Tours offered an opportunity, in partnership with Atlas Obscura, for a special event last month on a tour where we heard artists speak about their work. To see the photo coverage by Cindy Schwarzstein, check out the Facebook album here.
More about the artists that spoke to the group on Saturday May 22nd are as follows:
A.S. Ashley “The Hook” is an urban legend about sex, fear, rejection, and a slew of Freudian metaphors.
For me it is a story of dismemberment(s).
“I wanted to know why our villain didn’t have a hand. Was it because of a congenital defect, or the result of some brutally violent incident that pushed him into a permanently psychotic state? And what did having his prosthesis torn off (along with part of his arm) by a speeding car do for his already rosy disposition?” – A.S. Ashley
Check out more about the work of artist A.S. Ashley.
Michael Criley “One night a man’s car broke down near an asylum. When he went to use their phone, he found the desk nurse easily charmed. She offered him a staff bed. Car trouble had only been a ruse. He was actually selling institutional refrigerators. After breakfast and a tour of the kitchen, he left behind a good impression, a sales brochure, and a promotional ice pick.
He returned the next month, this time having suffered a mental breakdown. The desk nurse took pity and arranged for him to be on the surgical list for a new procedure that held great promise. And so it came to be that less than a year after his first visit, the ice pick he’d left behind was used to lobotomize him.” – Michael Criley
Check out more about the work of artist Michael Criley.
Gregg Gibbs “The Haunted Painting” featured in the “Hearsay” exhibition was originally a documentation installation created by Gregg Gibbs. Consisting of over 50 items discovered in his investigations, it’s primary focus was to reveal and expose the truth behind this famous urban myth. Sometimes referred to as “The Ebay Haunted Painting,” this strange masterpiece has baffled viewers for over 40 years and is known to “come alive” in the middle of the night.
For this exhibition, Gibbs will premiere a new short film. He will be present to conduct a brief lecture and demonstration based on his excursions into the paranormal phenomenon surrounding the painting.
Check out more about the work of artist Gregg Gibbs.
Snow Mack “When I was 4 years old, I had a dream I was playing in a sandbox, inside a cave. Suddenly, my family was driving away. In a panic, I tried to run out of the cave. But the cave exit was blocked by an enormously tall and furry man. I woke up terrified. It was 1964, the next morning we moved to Viet Nam. Years later, I realized the giant furry man was Bigfoot.
Bigfoot represents my hermit archetype. This piece explores the themes of isolation, addiction and urban decay with a dose of humor and nostalgia” – Snow Mack
Check out more about the work of artist Snow Mack.
James Scott “On Sunday October 1st, 1307 the Pope Clement said Mass with the intention of seeking help with his Knights Templar problem. Every evening for 13 days the Pope performed the service in an outdoor sanctuary in France. It was rumored that the Pope took liberties with the rights. On the 13th night beneath the light of the blood moon, the Angel of Friday, Anaél appeared. Anaél granted the Pope the power to destroy his enemy. The Knights were rounded up, arrested and summarily burned at the stake. Word of the power of the rite spread. For centuries peoples of many different cultures have performed the ritual of “Sunday the First.” The event has tainted Friday the 13th for over 700 years. This ritual artifact (on view) was liberated from the Vatican in 1981. The next Friday the 13th full moon is Friday, August 13th, 2049. Let’s hope it’s not a blood moon.” – James P. Scott
Check out more about the work of James P. Scott.
More about the Exhibition:
“Hearsay” presented by Arts District center for the Arts, takes a close look at artist’s interpretations of legends that serve as modern mythology, like alligators in the sewer, Sasquatch, and the devil phantom of Lake Elizabeth. Each of the 38 artists–including Joel Biel, Sarina Brewer, Llyn Foulkes, Jeff Gillette, Laurie Lipton, Ransom and Mitchell, Victoria Reynolds, Christopher Ulrich, Jeffrey Vallance, Robert Williams and others–have each chosen an urban legend with which they have a personal connection, creating an environment that engages the public and allows them to consider the myths in the context of each artist’s interpretation.
Complete list of all artists in this DTLA show are as follows:
A.S. Ashley,James P. Scott, Emmeric Konrad, Esther Pearl Watson, Snow Mack, Teale Hathaway, Joe Biel, Hugh Brown, Llyn Foulkes, Gregg Gibbs, Hellen Jo, Matjames Metson, Jim Shaw, Marnie Weber, Nicola Verlato, Michael Criley, Jeffrey Vallance, Anita Ray, Victoria Reynolds, Christopher Ulrich, Chris Wilder, Kevin Bradley, Laurie Lipton, Stephen Berkman, Robert Williams.
Curators’ Statement by Lauren Haisch and Wendy Sherman
Urban legends serve as modern day mythology. Often evolved from cultural traditions and morality tales, these stories engage our collective fears and provoke strong emotional responses. Such legends survive through storytelling that is often communicated using a mix of words and imagery. The narrative can intensify the impact of the legend. The more fantastic the tale, the more likely it will be passed down through generations. More recently, the Internet has encouraged the rapid dissemination of these modern legends, many of which can be traced back to the original folklore that inspired them.
The works of the thirty-seven artists included in this exhibition are based on specific urban legends. Each work is accompanied by text explaining the artist’s personal connection to a chosen urban legend. The purpose of this exhibition is not to illustrate urban legends, but to better understand them by considering them in the context of each artist’s interpretation.
PUBLICATION:
A catalog is available for this exhibition, published through Grand Central Press. Author
and urban legends expert Jan Brunvand, and art writers Tyler Stallings, Doug Harvey, and
Mat Gleason will contribute essays. The catalog also includes essays by both curators as well
as full color images of the artwork and short statements from each artist discussing their work
in the exhibition.