Rise Japan: San Francisco

What could easily have been mistaken for a raging block party in the Tenderloin of San Francisco last Saturday night, was actually Vol. 1 of Rise Japan – a collaborative effort of galleries Heist, Kokoro Studio and Japanese art collective S.I.R.

The event raised money to provide aid for those affected by Japan’s earthquake and Tsunami.  100% of the proceeds of the 100+ artists who donated their work went to the Artists Help Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Fund founded by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios and partnered with Give2Asia.

Live performances, Onigilly, and 2 dollar Sapporos all contributed to the sidewalk, nay, street spillage and enthusiastic atmosphere not present at all art openings.  Not to mention local bars Ambassador and Rye Bar offered special cocktails with partial proceeds being donated to the cause.  Throughout the night, over 900 guests made their way through the small spaces and an estimate of over 90 paintings were sold in a single night.

If you missed it, you have a second chance.  Rise Japan Vol. 2 will be held at Arc Studios & Gallery this coming Thursday, April 7^th from 7 pm -11 pm.  Or if you can’t make it to the event, you can donate to the cause here without  having to get out of bed.  But that’s just not as fun, now is it?

‘IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THE WHOLE BLOCK BEING UNITED FOR A CAUSE.’

- S.I.R.

Photos courtesy of SFStation.  To see more from Rise Japan Vol. 1, click here.

Manor Grunewald art

Manor Grunewald is an autodidactic artist. His path towards paper and canvas is defined by painting and drawing, by the action itself rather than by the technical approach, fed and infected by his earlier creative work as a graffiti artist. He is now more than ever looking for new possibilities to challenge and expand the classical constraints of the canvas. He wants to break with the rules and structures inherent in his medium. Looking at his work one cannot help but notice that the structural elements are hidden behind different layers of paint. Layers that seem to clash with one another rather than combine. But looks can deceive. Grunewald’s work is first and foremost a search for structure, balance and harmony. The tools he uses to make this search successful – choice of paint, images, mazes, patterns and colours – lead to a chaotic, nonchalant ‘counterweight’, resulting in strong, formal images that seem accessible at first glance.

From “About structural Chaos” - by  Mieke Mels
The full text is available on Manor’s website.

Check out our friend’s updated work on his website!

Up there

uptherefilm.com.

NILS GUADAGNIN ‘HOVERBOARD’

The Hoverboard is a project made by Nils guadagnin, a young french artist. This work is born in 2008 for an exhibition named “Back To the future”. It is a copy of the hoverboard from the movie Back to the Future II. Integrated into the board and the plinth is an electromagnetic system which levitates the board. A laser system stabilises the object in the air.

Arkologie

A short experimental work.

A Bathing Ape ‘Bapeland 1st Anniversary’ Shark Figures

Bapeland is celebrating their 1st anniversary and for the occasion A Bathing Ape presents a series of limited items. The most interesting one of the bunch is a gold and a silver version of the Bape Shark Figure. Bapeland

Parra “Not So Happy Bird” Sculptures

New porcelain sculptures titled “Not So Happy Bird”

Visvim – Fish Lure Brooches

These small set of brooches are made of fishing lures. Available at Surrender

Kit Webster – Digital Sculpture

Kit Webster challenges the conventional use of space in a gallery with his installation, Enigmatica. Using light to create an illusion of mass, Kit breaks up the room and reconfigures the environment with this digital sculpture.

Arkitip x Ace Hotel x Generic Surplus Mesh Pool Shoe

Generic Surplus, Arkitip and The Ace Hotel Palm Springs introduce two new colorways of their collaborative mesh pool shoe for 2010. “Inspired by the eternal summer vibe of Palm Springs, the new Red, White and Blue Ace Hotel Palm Springs Shoe is a study in relaxed, understated sophistication. While our Grey, Yellow and White shoe draws from the spirited color palette of the hotel’s pool and cabana grounds.” Both colorways are now available for pre-order here