CARMICHAEL GALLERY PRESENTS –
Anything
Could Happen...
Exhibition Dates: March 22 – April 20,
2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22, 2008, 8 PM
– Midnight
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Carmichael Gallery of
Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Anything
Could Happen..., featuring new artwork by
Faith47, Johnny Yanok, Joulu, Mike Kershnar, and
Misery. There will be paintings, drawings,
stencils, skate decks, screen prints, and posters on
display. Hailing from South Africa, Ohio, Ukraine,
California, and New Zealand, the artists in this
exhibition paint five extraordinary worlds of dreams,
beauty, fantasy, and violence. The possibilities for
exploration and discovery are endless within their
wondrous scenes; though some sparkle with hope and others
are tinged with a dark pain, all are lit with a magical
spontaneity that leaves you wondering: whatever could
happen next?
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| ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Faith47
The people in
Faith47’s world are angry, and they have every reason to
be: “Today is a day of violence and today is everyday” is
scrawled beneath the image of a girl kneeling and
clutching a bleeding heart, stubbornly oblivious to the
knives, guns, and bombs that encircle her. Faith47 can
speak with assurance on such a subject; this is the life
she knows and lives herself as a prominent voice on the
perilous Cape Town graffiti scene. Aware of the seductive
power and potential of artistic expression, Faith47
utilizes her work as a platform to voice her disgust with
bureaucracy, war, the inequality of world economics, and
capitalism - “the only words we know are more, more, and
more.” In spite of this deeply ingrained pain and
frustration, however, there is an awe-inspiring beauty in
each canvas, design, and wall she paints, an imperative
call for rebellion, love, and liberation. Faith47 has
showcased her work in Sweden, Amsterdam, and the US, and
painted the streets of Ireland, South Africa, Germany,
Kenya, Prague, and England.
Johnny
Yanok
There’s a blue squirrel, a drunken man asleep
under a blanket of newspapers, a rabbit-toothed blob
sporting a fedora, and a turtleneck-wearing, pole-swinging
dragon all jamming away in a subway car to the music of a
raccoon playing a violin (well, all except the man).
Welcome to the delightfully quirky world of Johnny Yanok.
Tucked away in a haunted house in the woods of Ohio with
his wife and their menagerie of pets, Johnny divides his
time between ghost busting and creating magical scenes
inspired, in part, by the cartoons and storybooks of his
childhood, Halloween, Disneyland, and the kitsch he
collects at flea markets. It is hard to admire Johnny’s
works without a smile appearing at the lips, the sheer
magical, wonderful silliness of them transporting viewers
to a place of child-like innocence and joy that often
feels so terribly far away. A member of the Art Dorks
Collective, Johnny has exhibited his paintings and
sculptures in galleries all over the world. He is also a
successful freelance illustrator, with clients including
Disney, the Cartoon Network, Fruit of the Loom, and
Toyota.
Joulu
Irena Zablotska, aka Joulu,
is a talented graffiti artist from the Ukraine who has
participated in exhibitions throughout her home country
and in the USA. On the streets and on paper, her unique
voice comes alive through her intriguing characters,
bizarre beings who come together to dance, play, sob, and
share secrets. Depending on how you yourself are feeling
when you look at them, different ideas and meanings
present themselves as to just who these mysterious
individuals are, their faces and bodies overwhelmed with
energy and emotion. Sometimes Joulu herself doesn’t have
words for what she is trying to express in her intensely
personal pieces, but through drawing, she gives the paper
a voice all of its own. Some of the beings in her work
resemble humans, while others look like nothing ever seen
before, yet they all share a fleeting air of merriment
coupled with an acceptance of suffering, a strange
dichotomy that characterizes the entrancing alternate
universe of Joulu’s creation.
Mike
Kershnar
“My artwork humbly seeks to be a signpost
pointing the way towards the earth, to purpose, to vision,
to healing, and to a more fully awakened state of being,”
explains Californian artist Mike Kershnar, who is also a
lifelong skateboarder, UC Santa Cruz grad, and rock poster
designer for bands including the Beastie Boys, Morrissey,
The Marley Brothers, and the Grateful Dead. He has also
designed board graphics and clothing designs for skate
brands such as Element, Baker, and Obey. Influenced by
1980s skate graphics, artists Robert Crumb and Jean-Michel
Basquiat, and indigenous art forms that identify closely
with the natural environment – Aboriginal Dreamtime,
Mexican Huichol, and Northern Formline to name a few –
Mike creates astounding representations of North American
wildlife which transcend the images themselves in their
depth of understanding of the spiritual relationship
between man and the creatures he shares the earth with.
Mike extends his passion and gratitude for life through
his work for the non-profit, youth-based Elemental
Awareness, which he co-founded, an organization that
promotes self-esteem through the avenues of skateboarding,
the wilderness, and art. As well as showcasing his work in
numerous group and solo exhibitions, Mike has been
profiled in publications such as Juxtapoz, Thrasher,
Happy, and Mass
Appeal.
Misery
Captivating New Zealander
Misery was just fifteen years old when she began to
exhibit her work. Through some pivotal introductions, the
then high school student quickly established herself as
one of the premier female graffiti artists in her country.
As a child, the enigmatic Misery zealously scribbled away
in her numerous sketch books, drawing detailed characters
and dreaming of the complex magical lands in which they
lived. These youthful sketches became the blueprint for
the twisted fantasy world she has gone on to create and
become renowned for today. For Anything Could Happen…
Misery has created a series of paintings on plywood with
layers of sanded back wallpaper and washes of translucent
color and lacquer. Lost in landscapes of the unknown, the
Misery girls and their fellow creatures revel in the
haunting beauty and sadness of their environment. Misery
has traveled to and exhibited her work in the USA, UK,
Europe, and New Zealand. In 2006, an award-winning film
documented the success of her Auckland solo show and first
toy range at the Taipei Toy Fair. Complementing her
success in the art world are her fashion endeavors;
working with Illicit Streetwear, her name fast became
recognized around the world, and 2004 saw the opening in
Auckland of Misery Boutique.
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| ABOUT CARMICHAEL
GALLERY
Carmichael Gallery of
Contemporary Art exhibits international, emerging
artists, with an emphasis on underground, pop, outsider,
lowbrow, street art and graffiti inspired work. After
moving to Los Angeles in September 2006, husband and wife
Seth and Elisa Carmichael began to curate shows in various
locations around the city, frequently converting raw
retail spaces, high-end luxury lofts, and other
non-traditional spaces into galleries. In August 2007, the
co-curators secured a permanent space on La Brea Avenue
and in West Hollywood, CA, and opened Carmichael Gallery
of Contemporary Art as an exhibition space for emerging
art from around the world. The Gallery is located at 1257
N. La Brea Avenue, on the SW corner of La Brea and
Fountain, West Hollywood, CA 90038. Gallery hours are
Tuesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and by
appointment. For more information, please visit our
website www.carmichaelgallery.com,
email art@carmichaelgallery.com,
or call
323.969.0600.
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Download the official press release
(PDF)
For Press and
Publicity Inquiries Please Contact:
Debra Anderson, Culture Shock Marketing, LLC
(CSM)
T: 347.463.9023 / F: 347.534.2494 / M:
917.363.6027
debra@cultureshockmarketing.com / www.cultureshockmarketing.com
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