Josh Azzarella Already Creating Some LA Thrills

Paul Laster of Flavorpill LA wrote some early words about Josh Azzarella’s upcoming solo exhibition with Mark Moore Gallery, “Untitled #100 (Fantasia)” – which opens next Saturday, February 13th, 2010 alongside Kim Rugg’s concurrent solo exhibition, “Please Remain Calm.”

For now, read this preview of Josh’s work on Flavorpill, but make sure you ink (no pencil!) in the opening reception next Saturday, from 5-7pm, featuring event coverage by Will Tee Yang and a set by DJ MoreDillon.

De-Thrilling “Thriller” with Josh Azzarella

The School of Visual Arts (NY) recently featured Josh Azzarella on their “Visual Arts Briefs” interview blog in light of his recent “Untitled #100 (Fantasia)” video piece.

With his first LA solo show coming up at Mark Moore Gallery (opening February 13, 2010), Azzarella delves into some of the more pressing questions surrounding his latest artistic feat. Read the interview in its entirety here, and don’t forget to come see it for yourself in two weeks here!

Jeremy Fish Pontificates on Art, T-Shirts

Jeremy Fish is a busy man. Between the mobile art tour, recently launched jewelry line and his first solo exhibition at Laguna Art Museum, it’s likely that people may want to know his thoughts on the art world at large.

Luckily, Upper Playground caught Fish long enough to snag a few words for YouTube. Check out Jeremy’s opinions on art and t-shirts, and the limited difference between the two. Click here to watch!

Bavington Heads to San Diego

Scott White Contemporary Art will be mounting a group exhibition featuring MMG’s Tim Bavington, Gene Davis and Kenneth Noland this coming spring. Opening on March 12, 2010, and on view through May 8th, “Intervals” will showcase the three aforementioned artists’ use of rhythm and pattern through painting.

Further information and details can be located on the gallery’s website.

Kenichi Yokono in Japan

If you just so happen to be in or near Tokyo this weekend, and need some plans for tomorrow night, swing by the opening reception for Kenichi Yokono’s solo show, “Squirm,” at Unseal Contemporary.  They’ve just finished installing, and the works look sensational!

For more information on the gallery, the exhibition or to visit the show via the internet, click here, or visit the gallery’s official website.

NYAA Features Julie Heffernan

New York Academy of Art is currently hosting “private (dis)play” – an exhibition of the private sketchbooks, journals and other related works of American contemporary figurative artists.

Featured with Peter Drake, Mira Schor and seventeen others, MMG’s Julie Heffernan is on (dis)play through February 28, 2010. A series of lectures by the exhibition’s artists will take place throughout the month, so be sure to visit the exhibition’s website for further details.

Tim Bavington at the Bemis Center

The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts recently opened “Borderland Abstraction,” an exhibition of new abstraction in the United States featuring MMG’s Tim Bavington alongside Mary Heilmann, Nils Folke Anderson and others.

On view through May 8, 2010, the group show addresses the varying debates around contemporary abstraction through a myriad of mediums and concepts. If you’re in the Omaha area, be sure to drop by!

This exhibition was organized by Hesse McGraw, Bemis Center curator. For more information on the Bemis Center, or “Borderland Abstraction,” please visit the center’s website.

Manchester Welcomes Kim Rugg

MMG’s Kim Rugg will be featured in a two-person exhibition at Castlefield Gallery, Manchetser, this spring. Opening February 20 and closing April 3, 2010, her new work will be shown in conjunction with Leo Fitzmaurice. Castlefield’s statement on the exhibition:

“Through the dissecting and re-arranging of mass produced information based material, such as newspapers, brochures, comics and packaging, the artists fragment our visual and cognitive understanding of images and text, and force us to reconsider the familiar from a completely new perspective.”

For more information on this exhibition, please visit the Castelfield website.

Jeremy Fish Embarks on The Road Less Traveled

Missed Jeremy Fish’s solo exhibition at Laguna Art Museum? Can’t get out to Santa Monica to check out MMG’s newly arrived Fish works? Lucky for you – there’s a chance Mr. Fish will bring his art to your town!

Pulling a bit of a Kerouac-meets-Merry-Pranksters move, Fish will be touring his art on “The Road Less Traveled: Mobile Art Tour 2010,” visiting cities from Austin to Hamburg from March through July. For ongoing updates, you can visit the Juxtapoz Magazine blog, to which Fish regularly contributes.

Power of Selection Still On View

If you’re near the windy city, be sure to dash over to Western Exhibitions to see the much-acclaimed “The Power of Selection, part 1″ (curated by Fecal Face’s Ryan Travis Christian) and “Suitable Video: Works from the Suitable Exhibitions Archive” (curated by Scott Wolniak).

The simultaneous group exhibitions feature work by Sterling Ruby, Sarah Conaway, Alika Cooper, Ben Stone, Eric Yahnker and MMG’s Allison Schulnik, among others. On view through February 6th, the shows have received positive review from Time Out Chicago, ArtSlant, and the Chicago Reader, among numerous blog posts and Tweets.

For more information, visit WE’s exhibition page, or simply drop into the gallery Wednesday-Saturday (11am – 6pm), located at:

119 N. Peoria St., #2A

Chicago, IL 60607