Kim Rugg: USPS vs. Art

We received a lovely package from the UK this afternoon from MMG artist, Kim Rugg. In it were sixteen of her trademark envelopes, stamps appropriately dissected  and reconfigured in her highly meticulous fashion to feature a variety of onomatopoeias and designs.

Now, we release them to the world…or at least to the local Santa Monica post office.

Per Kim’s request, the envelopes get chucked into the filthy blue mailbox at the entrance of Bergamot Station, circulated through the USPS cycle, and (fingers crossed) return back to us bearing the marks of their travels.

Brave envelopes, we salute you. See you on the flip side….we hope….

Stay tuned to see the results of our assimilation art experiment! For more frequent updates, you can follow us on Twitter.

MMG Announces PULSE Miami Booth

With the Miami fairs just around the corner, Mark Moore Gallery is pleased to announce the artists that will be featured in their booth at PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, Miami:

Tim Bavington

Kim Dorland

Julie Heffernan

Nobuhito Nishigawara

Cordy Ryman

Yigal Ozeri

Jason Salavon

Allison Schulnik

Ben Weiner

Cindy Wright

Kenichi Yokono

For a sneak peek of of the works heading to Miami, please visit the Preview Exhibition Page. Please note that all works traveling to the fair are not represented on the website – so if you want to see the full version, book your ticket to Miami and visit us in:

Booth B-202

The Ice Palace

1400 North Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33136

Allison Schulnik + Grizzly Bear = Mind-Blowing

Allison Schulnik’s music video directorial debut for Grizzly Bear’s “Ready, Able” is – in a word – incredible.

The 4 minute and 30 second stop-motion animated piece was meticulously crafted out of clay by the artist, and uses the beloved Hobo Clown character oftentimes seen in her paintings.

Pitchfork calls it “mesmerizing,” but see it for yourself either on the Grizzly Bear website or YouTube. Round of applause for Allison…now for the VMA nom….

Kiel Johnson Wows LA

If the response to Kiel Johnson’s “Publish or Perish” is any indication, the artist needn’t worry about perishing any time soon. The LA Times, LA Weekly and ArtInfo all published glowing reviews of Johnson’s current exhibition at Mark Moore Gallery this week.

Johnson himself even acted as a contributor for ArtInfo, as they asked him to furnish them with his “Top 5 LA Gallery Picks.” Check out the various articles below, and get in to see the show before it closes on November 14th!

ArtInfo

LA Weekly

LA Times

Not Enough Kiel in Your Life?

While Kiel Johnson’s current solo show gathers speed here at MMG, the prolific artist is also participating in “Molasses Happens Rather Quickly” – a group exhibition orchestrated by Phantom Galleries in Long Beach, CA.

Bonus points: starting on October 24th, Phantom Galleries made it possible for visitors to walk along a self-guided tour of each of the various exhibition locations, guided by a published map that charts their course. In case that isn’t cool enough, viewers can use their cell phone to dial an assigned extension, which connect with an informative message from the exhibiting artist or curator. Hello, cell phone audio tours!

For more information, visit Everything Long Beach or Phantom Galleries‘ website.

“Beyond Appearances” Features Julie Heffernan

Co-curated by Patricia Cazorla and Susan Hoeltzel, “Beyond Appearances” at the Lehman College Art Gallery celebrates the gallery’s 25th anniversary, as well as artists that oftentimes employ their own image in their works.

Showing alongside greats such as Eleanor Antin, Nick Cave and Kara Walker, Julie Heffernan will have her allegorical self-portraits included. For more information on the exhibition on view through November 12, 2009, click here.

Allison Schulnik in Brooklyn

Flatbush Ave Extension opened their group show, “Too Big to Fail: Big Paintings” on October 23 – featuring new work by MMG’s Allison Schulnik alongisde Erik Parker, Liz Markus, Kenny Scharf, Brian Faucette and several others.

On view through January 23, 2010, the show is sponsored by Lamontagne Gallery and New Art Dealers Alliance, and was recently a PICK on ArtCat! Jump on the subway and head over to Brooklyn to check it out…

Nobu Nishigawara and Ali Smith Take on TAM

Torrance Art Museum is at it again with its inaugural group exhibition, “ZOOM.” Opening on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 6 -9 pm, the group show will feature 12 emerging artists from the Los Angeles area, including MMG’s Nobuhito Nishigawara and Ali Smith.

Other artists include David Adey, Kelly Barrie, York Chang, Allison Cortson, Roni Feldman, Tony Maher, Daniel Nevers, Andrew Schoultz, Christina Shurts and Cheryl Sorg. For more information, visit TAM’s website.

Vernon Fisher at Dunn and Brown Contemporary

Dunn and Brown Contemporary (Dallas, TX) will host their 10th Anniversary Exhibition November 5 – December 19, 2009, featuring work by MMG’s Vernon Fisher as well as William Wegman, Amy Myers and over thirty others.

If you’re in the area, swing by the opening reception on Thursday, November 5 from 6 – 8 pm!

Kiel Madness!

Kiel Johnson opened his solo show last Saturday (10/17) to a jam-packed gallery and a few lovely write-ups! Chris Stanton of Daily duJour noted the show in his “Seen” section, while Look Into My Owl noted Kiel’s individuality.

Johnson’s video documenting the production of his pin-hole camera, “The Twin-Lens Reflex” (directed by Theo Jemison) is darn-near 30,000 views today on Vimeo, and was featured in the gallery show. If you haven’t already, watch it now by clicking here!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Kiel’s new body of work – check out the complete collection of event photos on Mark Moore Gallery’s Facebook page, and tag yourself!