THE BEST OF 2008

So, it's that time of the year... thought I'd look back and share my favorites from the past year... favorite art stuff, music, movies things, events whatever... it's my top ten "things" of 2008. btw. I cheated a little and added "runner's up" and "honorable mentions" sections at the bottom too. I didn't add in things that I did on this list, like the rad projects I got to work on and all the exhibits with Giant Robot etc. (thanks Eric & Michelle!) but I did add my solo show in SF at Candystore because that was so much fun (i snuck it in the honorable mentions)... hope everyone had a great year and are having fully epic holidays!



1. BALLOONS



Not sure if everything here was created in 2008, but I found all this stuff this year... some great artists using air and balloons in their installation work & photography, love it! Image 1 is Hans Hemmert, image 2 is Andrea Galvani and image 3 is Dorthe Alstrup.

2. Niels Fyrst - Modular Nola video



This video is amazing... it's a music video done by Niels Fyrst for Bjorn Svin's track Modular Nola... just beautiful. You can see the full video on Niels' site just click Modular Nola in the work area on the top left.

3. MR. GM, Geoff Mcfetridge



It's no secret that GM is one of my favorite artists ever, and it was nice to see a mini version of his Dutch show here in LA at the REDCAT this year. Got to talk with him a bit and see a nice lecture with him and Ed Fella, very inspiring...

4. BENEATH FIRE & SMOKE



I discovered the Finders Keepers / Battered Ornaments / Twisted Nerve Records catalogs this year and my life has not been the same. I downloaded pretty much everything they had, it was insane. I have to say that it is all amazing stuff, the absolute stand out for me was the band Beneath Fire & Smoke... they have not released much, just a few short eps... but so good. They dropped SOMETIMES this year, you should buy it and everything else they have or will release. Buy things here.

5. THE NUMBER 3



As it relates to 3 bands that all have the number 3 in the name of their band or in the title of the record they released this year. These records couldn't be more different from each other, but they are so great... Ratatat - "LP3", The Dirty Three - "Whatever You Love, You Are", Portishead - "Third"

6. SIGUR ROS



Sigur Ros has been one of my favorite bands since Von was released... this year they released a new record that was a departure from their sort of established/expected sound and it is equally amazing. Then I had the fortunate opportunity to see them live in Los Angeles a the Greek Theatre, an open air theatre in the middle of Griffith Park a few blocks from my apartment.... such an amazing and beautiful night...

7. KANYE WEST



I swear this isn't a joke. I have to give it up to Kanye this year. It started with his partnership with Absolute and the AMAZING tv infomercial he ran, which may be the funniest random thing I have seen in years. Then, like Sigur Ros, he released a new record taking a completely new direction with his sound, and I actually like it too. He has a great blog too, which I'm not sure if it's actually him or one of his assistants, but nonetheless he's the only MC posting about Comme Des Garcons & Murakami etc. Pretty amazing guy that has a great sense of humor, not afraid to experiment and is a big supporter of the arts = #7 on my list.

8. SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH



The funniest thing I have ever seen. I love JONAH. Australia is awesome.

9. OO7



Daniel Craig is the best James Bond ever. EVER.

10. INDIA



Went to India for a few weeks this year.... it was amazing & sad and beautiful & ugly all in one...

RUNNERS UP // RUNNERS UP // RUNNERS UP

11. OBAMA



The only reason he isn't #1 on my list is that he hasn't done anything yet. It is so amazing to have Obama elected, but I don't want to jump the gun... let him get to work and then he'll be my number one for the next 4 years!

12. WEDDINGS



This year some really amazing friends of mine got married, so congratulations I LOVE YOU GUYS!
1. George & Bridget Fujioka 2. Ted & Angie Poketo 3. Justin & Holly VanHoy

13. HAND SURGERY



This actually sucked, but I had hand surgery this year on both hands to repair nerve damage, the good part was that after 8 months of healing my hands seem to be 100%... hopefully I'm all good...

HONORABLE MENTIONS // HONORABLE MENTIONS // HONORABLE MENTIONS



1. My solo show at Candystore in SF this past summer 2. Meeting Hillary Clinton at a rally 3. Being Nas' stylist 4. Visiting Joshua Tree National Park 5. My off the chart Wii tennis ranking (and it's even higher now this photo is 6 months old).


THANKS to everyone this year who supported me by coming out to shows, sending emails, purchased art, ordered products etc etc... such a great year... can't wait for 2009!

GRSF - printed matter 4

I'm really excited that 3 of my prints are going to be on display at Giant Robot SF this holiday season during the exhibition Printed Matter 4 which opens on Saturday December 13th and runs until January 14, 2009.

Giant Robot SF
618 Shrader St
SF, CA 94117

Carolina Chaves Urruzmendi

My friend Caro has a show called "Elements" opening in LA on December 6 @ Lucas in Echo Park. She's coming down from SF for the opening so come out and meet here and buy some of her really awesome artwork!

Lucas
1541 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90026

opening from 8-11pm

Incredible India

We are back from our amazing trip to India... with all that is happening in Mumbai I feel really lucky to have been there and back without incident and we really loved the trip. We were in the north western portion of the country and visited: Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Agra. I absolutely LOVED Udaipur and I actually just released a small full color 50+ page book of photographs of murals from that amazing city which is available for purchase here.

Here's a little slide show of our trip

What's not to love about a city that was the backdrop to the James Bond movie Octopussy

Berdhouse Gallery - LA exhibit

I've got a piece in Los Angeles at the Berdhouse Gallery in a show called Thrifty, which is a themed show where we were asked to make art pieces based on photographs that were given to us that were taken in thrift stores. The show opens on Friday December 6th in Echo Park.

Berdhouse Gallery
1505 1/2 echo park ave
los angeles, ca 90026

Nomonotono - Madrid exhibition

I was asked to make a print for a show called Nomonotono in Madrid, Spain which opens on Thursday November 27 at the Studio Banana offices. My print is the image above called "Sunset" which is a giclee print and is only available for purchase at the gallery. UPDATE! below are some photos from the opening...

INDIA

heading off to India & Singapore.... see you in a few weeks!

Poketo / McSweeney's / 826LA - wallet & interview

I was asked to take part in a really rad collaboration project with Poketo / McSweeney's / 826LA which pairs up writing students with artists to create new wallets available at the Poketo shop! My wallet is available for purchase here. There is also a new little interview with me here.

October shows!

I've got a few shows happening in October....
1. San Francisco :: Giant Robot SF - Game Over is a group show at GRSF opening on October 11 - GRSF 618 Shrader Street, SF

2. Oceanside, CA :: Keep A Breast - 8 year anniversary of Keep A Breast on October 12 - Swiv Tackle Circus 530 South Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA 92054

3. Ottawa, Canada :: Canteen Art Space - The Little Big Show at Canteen Art Space on October 16 - Canteen 238 Dalhousie, Ottawa

The Joyful Bewilderment // London exhibit

I'm very excited that I have some work in London in an exhibit entitled The Joyful Bewilderment. The exhibit features the works of some of my favorites: Craig Atkinson, Holly Stevenson, James Jarvis, Josh Petherick, Marcus Oakley, Nigel Peake, Ryan Jacob Smith, Simon Peplow, Steven Harrington, Supermundane and so many other amazing thing makers. The opening reception is on Thursday October 2nd from 7p until midnight at Rough Trade East Gallery located at: Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

A little about the exhibit from the curators:
"The Joyful Bewilderment" showcases the work of a group of like minded image-makers. This exhibition can be seen as an expression of these artists compulsion to create. Fundamentally, the artists in the show all share an essential motivation - to explore the possibilities of enhancing everyday life by making magic from the mundane. The works in the show utilize modest and direct means - including works in pencil, paint and ink along with photographic works which record and celebrate everyday happenstances.



Thanks to the amazing Simon Peplow for his orchestration of all this!

The Joyful Bewilderment
OCTOBER 2
7P - MIDNIGHT
ROUGH TRADE EAST : Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL