The Push Project
June 03, 2003 :: No. 254
The PUSH PROJECT is an exhibition exploring
the aesthetics of skateboarding culture within the context of contemporary
art. Organized by veteran curator Larry Reid and artist
Nin Truong, the show features the work of eight internationally
recognized artists working in a variety of disciplines. This exhibition
provides a lively examination of a movement that has become a permanent
part of our cultural landscape.
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Charles Krafft |
Jim Woodring |
Nin Truong |
Shawn Wolfe |
Each participating artist has designed a skateboard
deck, which has been produced in a limited edition of 40, and will
be displayed alongside a body of the artist's recent work. The installation
will encourage viewers to draw parallels between the iconography
of skateboard graphics and current trends in contemporary art.
PUSH will include new work by a stellar group of artists.
Los Angeles photographer, filmmaker, and writer C. R. Stecyk is
widely acknowledged as the founding father of the modern skateboarding
counterculture. His contributions to the movement were chronicled
in last year’s highly acclaimed documentary film Dogtown and
Z-Boys (Sony Classic Pictures). Stecyk sets the tone for the exhibition
with a series of hand-painted decks recalling his early work for
Dogtown and Powell Peralta.
Painter and ceramic artist Charles Krafft gained international
recognition with his “Porcelain War Museum” project,
which has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout North
America and Europe. His work is currently on display at White Box
@ The Annex in New York City. A new book, Charles Krafft’s
Villa Delirium (Last Gasp) was published in December.
Alternative cartoonist and painter Jim Woodring has
had his singular vision published in several volumes worldwide (Fantagraphics
Books) and remains one of a handful of cartoonists to be embraced
by fine art institutions. In recent years Woodring’s art has
become increasingly popular in Japan.
Shawn Wolfe combines elements of Japanese anime, machine
age motifs, and hip-hop graffiti to create his distinctive visual
style. His work is documented in the book Uncanny (Ginko Press)
and he is currently the subject of a cover feature in the prestigious
graphic design journal Print Quarterly.
Metal sculptor Ries Niemi enjoys national recognition
for his public works in cities across the country, among them the
entry gates to Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. He is
currently in the completion stages of a monumental public art project
for a commuter rail station in the city of Pasadena, CA. His deck
design, a satire of Microsoft mogul Bill Gates is one of many highlights
in the PUSH exhibition.
Painter, cartoonist and writer Randy Wood is a regular
contributor for the Tablet magazine, and exhibits his work frequently
in galleries throughout the Northwest.
Graphic designer Jeff Kleinsmith is Art Director for
Seattle’s famed Sub Pop record label and has created countless
posters for concerts nationwide.
PUSH is organized by independent curator and freelance
critic Larry Reid together with artist Nin Truong. Reid is the former
director of Seattle’s Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) and
has produced hundreds of experimental contemporary art exhibitions
and performances in the U.S., Canada and Europe throughout his 25-year
career. He co-authored the aforementioned volume on the work of
Charles Krafft, his longtime collaborator. Truong is an instructor
in Design in the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at
the University of Washington as well as a visual artist. He is currently
involved in a major public art project at the King County Juvenile
Courthouse and Detention Center in Seattle in addition to his duties
as head designer at Manik Skateboards, the primary sponsor of the
PUSH exhibition. The show originated at Roq la Rue Gallery in Seattle
and continues its national tour at Cal State Fullerton’s Grand
Central Art Center in Santa Ana, California.
A selection of images in a variety of formats is available
for publication by contacting Nin Truong at ninrock@yahoo.com. For
additional information on the PUSH PROJECT please contact Andrea
Harris at 714.567.7233 or e-mail at aharris@fullerton.edu.
Images: |
For images, contact Andrea Harris at Grand Central
Art Center at (714) 567- 7233 |
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Media Contacts: |
Marilyn Moore, Cal State Fullerton Art Gallery
at
657-278-7750
Andrea Harris, Grand Central Art Center at (714) 567-7233 |
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