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To make art is to sing with the human voice.
— David Bayles and Ted Orland
Art & Fear
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Organized by the L.A. ART MACHINE and curated by Bryson Strauss, VOX HUMANA is a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac that will take place during the L.A. Art Show, January 20 - 24, 2010.
Using large-scale canvases, the artists will begin their work on January 20 and will paint live each day from noon to 6 PM. Using acrylic and aerosol paints, Retna and El Mac will collaborate on a canvas that is 12 x 24 feet, while Kofie and Mear One will work independently on 12 x 12 foot canvases. Los Angeles Art Show attendees are invited to witness the completion of the works on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 2 PM, and participate in a closing celebration.
While much attention has recently been given to street artists in the fine art world with the rise in celebrity of Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and Gajin Fujita, VOX HUMANA marks the first time that a top-tier art fair has recognized, and celebrated the evolution, power, and artistic integrity of street artists in such a bold and public manner. The L.A. Art Show is making history.
What originated in the U.S. as the 'tag' has evolved into one of the most sophisticated and challenging forms of contemporary art. This event recognizes the talents of these four artists while celebrating the historic journey and enduring nature of graffiti art, from the caves of Lascaux to the spas of Pompeii and from the streets of Los Angeles to the walls of galleries around the world.
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THE ARTISTS
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MEAR ONE
Mear One, born 1971 as Kalen Ockerman in Santa Cruz, California, is a Los Angeles-based fine artist, famously known for his often-political street graffiti art. Commonly referred to as the 'Michelangelo' of Graffiti, Mear One is often associated with CBS (Can't Be Stopped -- City Bomb Squad) and WCA (West Coast Artist) crews. As a graphic designer, Mear One has designed apparel for Conart, Kaotic, as well as his own Reform brand.....more
view available print work
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KOFIE
Augustine Kofie is a long-time Los Angeles street artist, graphic designer, clothing designer and fine artist recognized for his unique architectural, geometric, mixed-media style that he refers to as "Vintage Futurism." This brand of artwork has appeared throughout the streets of LA as well as on fine furniture, CDs, and clothing. Kofie has exhibited widely and has been .....more
view available print work
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RETNA
Retna was born in Los Angeles, California in 1979. Since first creating a name for himself in the early 1990s, Retna has become an "eternal broadcaster" of sorts, shining a light to the kinetic urban soul of Los Angeles. The name RETNA itself evokes the timeless power, movement and visual vibrancy behind the artist's acclaimed work. His work merges photography with graffiti style and paint, time with color, couture with street culture, the spiritual with the sensual, and fluidity with grit. Whether his paintings hang in a gallery or wall on the streets of Los Angeles, they serve as a retina through which we view the urban journal of contemporary art.
At an early age, Retna was introduced to L.A.'s mural culture.....more
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EL MAC
Born in Los Angeles in 1980 to an engineer and an artist, Mac has been creating and studying art independently since childhood. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding Mexican & Chicano culture of the American Southwest, religious art, pin-up art, graffiti, and a wide range of classic artists including Caravaggio, Mucha, and Vermeer, he began painting with acrylics as well as painting graffiti in the early '90s. He has since worked consistently towards mastering his signature portrait style. Around 1998 he also began to paint technicolor aerosol interpretations.....more
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MADE POSSIBLE WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM: |
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