Open Book

(Update: wasn't sure what to think of this quote outside of Aurora- smarmy? sarcastic? real? But it's taken from a Sylvie Fortin quote in an AJC article. Funny I ran into it on my way to check out some art. Thanks Eggtooth for the heads up)

Coffee shops have to be one of the purest venues for showing art. You get a crowd that is not necessarily there intending to see art but if it's good, they will look and respond. There is no pretension, no expectation, its a "what you see is what you get" deal, with a colored dot pricing system and baristas who look genuinely surprised if someone wants to buy something.

I went by Aurora Coffee in Little Five Points to see the showing of 99 drawings by Joe Tsambiras entitled "Make Room in the Life Raft."

The show is excellent and worth the three buck coffee for an excuse to linger. The 99 drawings are pages from Tsambiras's sketch books, each one a considered moment, a funny memory, a nagging fear, the world through someone else's eyes. Tsambiras said the sketchbook often became "his lifeboat."

The layout of the pages worked well within the space of Aurora and considering it was 99 solid drawings, none coming across as filler or unfinished, it was tricky to avoid overcrowding the work on the narrow walls. There is also something about the intimacy of sketch book pages that seems so right at home on display in an amiable coffee shop, the works read like an amusing conversation with a familiar stranger, drawing the viewer down the length of the wall.

The comforting nostalgic feel of the drawings reminds me of Ryan Lincicome and his lastest show at Young Blood except these drawings are less like snapshots and more meandering, envisaged daydreams and curious observations on life.

On her blog, Felicia Feaster made the great comment "Joe’s images have... a spirit of gentle observation and consideration for the wispy, fragile side of people’s lives and the difficulties of love and work more Daniel Clowes than R. Crumb."

And a dash of Edward Gorey.

A nice description of sketchbooks by Jay Conway was presented with the show: "The pages of a sketchbook evoke the body of the artist in its continual interaction with other bodies. The best of these encounters are comparable to alliances. The artist enters into an alliance with ink, coffee, music, and food. Poetry and protesters. Good friends. Why are these best? Because the emotions they elicit fuel action. Joy breeds creativity."

I think I know that guy.

This might be my favorite, I could see this drawing coming out of the sketchbook and into a much larger, finished, piece.

Or no, this one is my favorite, too. Yeah, the glove of ants is going home with me.

Priced between $15-$50 the drawings are a $teal - vamp up your art collection with one of these babies and a cup of joe to go. Show up through May 1st 2008.

Super Coool

Beep Beep Gallery opened the group show "Nostalgia" Saturday night.



But instead of making the opening I was a little drunk on Earl Grey Martinis (They sound cooler than they actually taste) and standing in a bowling alley pondering life's bigger questions: Is it worth waiting two hours for a bowling lane to open up? No. Who knew bowling was such a popular sport these days? Not me. What's next, roller skating?

But as my Roller-derby fanatic friend would say, roller skating is where it's at.

"Conscious Crew vs. Public Offenders" Joy Phrasavath

And thus we return to my childhood. Peewee Herman break dancing with the smurfs! It's almost too much to handle. It's seems fitting for the ME generation to have a show reveling in our own childhoods, rehashing the heyday of boom boxes and making portraits of He-Man (and Skeletor).

"We're Squared: Love and Peace. Let's Roll Again." Joy Phrasavath

While the show is packed with witty art and many quality works, I was left wanting a counter balance to the light-hearted content of the show. Maybe I am just being a downer since the show is meant to be a fun play off of the childhood toys and personalities we grew up with during the 80's but a few works examining the implications of that consumer driven culture and particular icons would have made it a more well rounded group exhibition.

"Scare-bear" by Jason Kochis, Acrylic on wood

This is the sinister Scare-bear telling me to get over it.

There was a good variety of materials being experimented with, like BLINK's layered aerosol painted plexi-glass piece "Huxtable." From what I hear he (they, it) will have a show with Beep Beep in the not-too-distant future.

And Kerry Boles felt on wool pieces, like "The First Tape My Dad Bought Me," were a big hit.

One of the sharpest pieces in the show was John Tindel's "Megatron," a very cool multi-paneled silver leaf and aerosol painting of an automatic rifle (although I think I would lose the little megatron icon cube). This paintings is an exception to the carefree, somewhat static, personality of the exhibition. While glamorizing a weapon in the same sleek fashion as a GI Joe cartoon and breaking it down into fun removable parts like a Transformer, the fact that a gun is so emblematic of 80's kiddie entertainment and can surface under the titled of "Nostalgia" is both thought provoking and dead on. (And priced at only $450 this piece is a $teal.)

I also really liked Katie Ridley's drawing on paper "Boom Box and Tape." The piece pegged the Nostalgia theme without becoming trite or too obvious. Instead the drawing imbibes it's own quirky character and I think it may have wanted to come home with me. For only $400 - it's such a deal and I feel like I'm hosting the Price Is Right right now. Anyone interested in beefing up their art collection ought to pay Beep Beep a visit.

"Alaways" by Squanto, Mixed Media

And I couldn't really get over this one either. Something about an "I heart Trolls" T-shirt with matching earrings, bracelets, socks, etc kept me chuckling all the walk home. I felt like I once knew a girl like this on the elementary school playground, her name was Bridget, and she described in gory detail all of the horror movies my parents wouldn't allow me to see. I wonder what she did with all of her trolls or her extensive slap bracelet collection for that matter.

"Nostalgia" is up at Beep Beep till February 17th 2008. Definitely check it out and buy yourself some ahhht (or records or zines).