SWEET THINGS COMING TO AN END

Sweet Things is coming to an end and we wanted to share some of our most memorable moments:



The giveaways from Kid Robot were a smashing hit!



We had posters to give to guests as well.



Even the notorious bike riders dropped by.



You should have seen this huge ass bike. It was crazy!



Curator "Queen Andrea" flew out for the opening. We missed you Indie. We love you Indie and thank you both for bringing together a great show. You ladies are on fire!



Featured artist Sherm came through and represented in front of her installation.



Happy Friandise shipped some of her furry little purses all the way from France just for the occasion and just for the girls!



The live painting was totally cool.



And even sometimes the smaller things just like this truck who stopped by is enough to remember. Artful moments are always sure to happen, they can be planned or unexpected. Whatever the moments be, we love each and every one.

Big thanks to curators Indie and Queen Andrea, Aiko, Martha Cooper, Gillian Goldstein, Motel7, Koralie, Mickey, Jules Muck, Klor, Sherm, Jarritos, Roaring Lion, Kid Robot, Estria, M.I.S.S and all those who came out to support.

Till next time!

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I LOVE NEW YORK CITY

Put a kiss on New York City just like this large piece by Jules Muck. I Love New York City is still available and if interested contact us immediately at info@crewest.com or at the gallery at 213-627-8272.

SWAK!

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GET YOUR CUSTOM PAINTED HOT PINK BUNNY CANS

For those of you in love with spray cans and love when they become customs, we have available "Hot Pink Bunny Cans" by Aiko to add to your collection.



Custom spray cans are one of the coolest pieces one can add to their collection. Get yours today! These aren't the type of pieces you see everywhere.

Contact us via email at info@crewest.com or call the gallery at 213-627-8272 if interested in purchasing the above cans by Aiko.

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INSIGHT INTO THE WORKS OF MICK LA ROCK

Sweet Things is coming to an end and we would hate to not be able to share with you the following insight regarding the works of Mick La Rock which are available and ready for just the right collector:

“In both works there is lettering. It says my name (my heritage as a graffiti writer). The style I developed over the last 10 years.

In the first half of the 2000's I painted it on walls. Painting these lines is hard to do with spray paint: the result never as sharp as I have in mind. My urge to create lines by hand like they'd be computer vectors has driven me from the walls towards canvas.

The readability of the letters are minor importance than the shape and the composition of the word itself. Letters are rotated, pulled out of their basic shape. Letters are positioned and/or connected in unexpected directions.

Functions of the basic elements of a piece are changed: empty spaces between letters become letters themselves. The same can happen to the sections of fill-in colors.
The importance of the lettering in my work is emphasized by the four color palette. The use of black and white refer to (and show my love for) the traditional outline and highlight colors used in graffiti.” – Mick la Rock


"It's a long way"
Acrylic on canvas
100x120 cm
2010
$2200


"Sign of the Time"
Acrylic on canvas
100x120 cm
2009
$2200

Like mentioned before, these two pieces are still available and if you are interested in purchasing or would like to talk further please email us asap at info@crewest.com or contact the gallery at 213-627-8272.

Sweet Things is coming to an end tomorrow, don't miss out!

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BLEK LE RAT

We are very honored to announce a true pioneer and inspiration to many street artists around the world, Blek le Rat, who will be showing with us next month for the Friends with Knives Exhibition alongside other artists Broken Crow, Chris Stain, Dave Lowell, E.L.K, Greg Boudreau, HAHA, Henry Quiara, Joe Iurato, Koleszar, Leckomio, Mefee, Nathan Phaneuf, PaperMonster, Peat Wollaeger, Scotch and Shai Dahan.

On display by Blek le Rat will be his ever so stunning and clever piece "Lunatic" (shown below)



Blek le Rat is noted in his bio as follows:

Blek le Rat, widely considered as the Godfather of modern Street Art, was the first to use stencils for silhouettes on the street. He studied engraving and architecture at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He would leave his mark in the world's biggest museum, the urban landscape through his life-size stencils. Inspired by graffiti he had seen on a trip to NYC in 1971 and a stenciled portait of Mussolini from WW2 which he had seen in Italy in his childhood, he sprayed small black rats running along the streets of Paris in 1981. The rats made him quickly known in Paris but it was only two years later, with the silhouette of an Old Irish Man, that Blek and his stencils became recognized all over France. Blek feels very close to his characters and always tries to link them to the environment in which he is working. The interaction created between the image, the space and the beholder is essential to understand Blek's approach.

Blek has been investigating the urban space for over 28 years and still continues to inspire urban artists all over the world

He also has an amazing history of solo shows and group shows he has participated in at galleries around the world. See below to see for yourself:

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
May 2010 show at White walls gallery San Francisco
2009 Solo show at Metro Gallery Melbourne Australia
2009 Installation at Phaiz, Chicago
2008 Paris—NY, NY—Paris. Jonathan LeVine Gallery. New York, NY
2008 Art Is Not Peace But War. Subliminal Projects Gallery. Los Angeles, CA.
2008 Blek Le Rat Retrospective. Black Rat Gallery. London, UK.
2006 Blek Le Rat in London. Leonard Street Gallery. London, UK.
2002 Blek Was Here. Urban Art Gallery. Berlin, Germany. (1st show since since 1993)
1993 La Belle et la Bête. Galerie Arnaud Brument. Paris, France.
1993 Grafitti in the Castle. Castle Paul Ricard. Paul Ricard, France.
1991 Blek le Rat from Paris to Tokyo. Takarashi Gallery. Tokyo, Japan.
1991 Stencils on Wood. Galerie Christophe. Paris, France.
1991 Exhibition Schabonen Graffiti Blek le Rat. Ephemere Gallery. Leipzig, Germany.
1991 Performance. Concert Hall of Elysée Montmarte. Paris, France.
1990 Permanent Exhibition. Galerie Christophe. Paris, France.
1990 Installation. Galerie Patrick Riquelme. Vannes, France.
1989 Installation. Huber Volker Gallery. Lisbon, Portugal.
1988 Exhibition. French Institute of Mainz. Mainz, Germany.
1988 Nuit du Palace. Le Palace. Paris, France.
1987 Performance. Salon du Livre. Sainte-Etienne, France.
1986 Installation. Forum of Rock. Montreuil, France.
1985 Peinture Sauvage. Galerie Saint Claude. Paris, France.


SELECTED GROUP SHOWS

2010 5th anniversary Jonathan Levine gallery NYC
2009 A Whole In The Wall (NYC) Galerie Helenbeck Paris
2007 Streets of Europe. Jonathan LeVine Gallery. New York, NY
2007 White Noise. Black Rat Press. London, UK
2007 Eleven: Group show of eleven contemporaries, Leonard Street Gallery, London.
2006 11 Spring Street. Curated by Marc & Sara Schiller of Wooster Collective. New York, NY
2005 Urban Wallpaper. Taipei Artist Village. Taipei, Taiwan
2003 Workshop in The Open City: Models For Use. Kokerein Zollverein. Essen, Germany.
2002 Installation with Lee Quineones. Reitschule. Bern, Switzerland.
1992 L'Art Vif, la Revue Parlée. Centre George Pompidou. Paris, France.
1992 L'Art Vif. Espace Carnot. Lille, France.
1992 Un Regard sur l'Art. Musée Creusot. Creusot, France.
1992 Fin de Millenaire. Espace Belleville CTFD. Paris, France.
1992 Graffiti in Cavern. Galerie Le Cailar. Le Cailar, France.
1991 Street Art. Globus Gallery. Leipzig, Germany.
1989 Les Rencontres de Marrakech. French Institute of Marrakech. Marrakech, Morocco.
1989 And der Wand (On the Wall). Kunstverein Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden, Germany.
1989 Schablonen Graffti (Stencil Graffiti). Kunstverein Heildelberg. Heildelberg, Germany.
1989 Schablonen Graffiti (Stencil Graffiti). Gemeentemuseum. Helmond, Netherlands.
1989 Cannes Biennial. Palais des Festivals Cannes. Cannes, France.
1989 Art Urbain (Urban Art). Hotel de Ville Buffemont. Val d'Oise, France.
1988 Graffiti in the Street, Exhibition in the Institute. French Institute of Naples. Naples, Italy.
1988 Histoire des Rockers. La Villete. Paris, France.
1988 Shadow and Light. Lara Vinci Gallery. Paris, France.
1987 Musée International de Graf. Galerie L'Autre Rive. Paris, France.
1986 Pochoirs (Stencils). Agnes B Gallery. Paris, France.
1986 Emotion. Ministry of Culture. Saint Quentin, France.
1986 Stencil Graffiti in Tulles. Peuple et Culture. Tulles, France.
1986 Urban Art Show. Galerie Jean Marc Patras. Paris, France.
1986 In Between Out. Palais des Papes. Avignon, France.
1986 Verbes d'Êtats. Centre National des Arts Plastique. Nice, France.
1985 Les Artistes au Téléphone. Galerie Pierre Lescot. Paris, France.
1985 Affiches Détournees. National Center of Contemporary Art. Paris, France
1985 Frescoes on Walls. French Ministry of Culture. Paris, France.

In addition to an amazing show history, Blek le Rat has been featured in top publicatations such as Time Magazine, New York Magazine, Juxtapoz, Swindle and more.

We can't say enough when it comes to Blek.

To check out more on Blek le Rat, you may visit him online at:
http://bleklerat.free.fr/

If you are a serious collector and have any questions, email us at info@crewest.com .


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WE WELCOME TRACEY AND CEASE

Crewest is very proud to present, Tracey and CEASE, a model and photographer duo who in real life are husband and wife. The two are a powerful force when working together, as Tracey is the apple of her husband CEASE’s eye. The love and attraction they have for each other is perfectly shown through their works.

Individually, CEASE’s photography is gritty, REAL and not altered by Photoshop. His photography represents the streets as they are, nothing more, nothing less. Tracey, is a down to earth, funky and fly female with a gift for fashion. She feels one can “convey sexuality without having to show T&A, or be naked” and is proud she stays true herself and the way she believes.

Over the next few months, Tracey and CEASE will be exploring the world of Crewest Fashion. They will present to all of us the Crewest Fashion in a way never seen before. We look forward to seeing their shots and creativity and hope you all will enjoy their art.

If you are interested in booking Tracey or CEASE for an upcoming shoot, please email us at info@crewest.com and we will be more than happy to connect you on through.

Here is a sneak peak of Tracey and CEASE’s Crewest Fashion shots so far:



In pics, Tracey is wearing a Cocaine Mule x Artist Bag, T-shirt designed by Man One, Crewest <3 T-shirt and Crewest Drippy Heart Sweatshirt.

This gear and more can be found online at the Crewest shop on www.crewest.com.

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PRESS RELEASE: FRIENDS WITH KNIVES

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Luna George
818.235.4598
luna@crewest.com

PRESS RELEASE
July/23/2010

Friends with Knives
On view from August 7th through August 29th, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 7th, 2010 from 6-9pm

Los Angeles, CA – Having evolved from the first stencils recorded in human history, where hands were placed on cave walls and spit upon with watered paint pigments, to the now more multilayered, complex, political, and emotional stencils of today; stencil graffiti and stencil art is making its way into the art world as a growing genre that is captivating art lover’s and collectors world wide. To showcase this growing genre for art lovers and collectors alike, Crewest Gallery is proud to present Friends With Knives, a cutting edge stencil art exhibition curated by PaperMonster, featuring a collection of outstanding and intricately detailed works by world class stencil artists: Blek le Rat, Broken Crow, Chris Stain, Dave Lowell, E.L.K, Greg Boudreau, HAHA, Henry Quiara, Joe Iurato, Koleszar, Leckomio, Mefee, Nathan Phaneuf, PaperMonster, Peat Wollaeger, Scotch and Shai Dahan.


A broad range of stencil graffiti styles including photorealism, political, pop, abstract, and those focusing purely on beauty will be on display. Emerging and established artists will be on view side by side as a testament of the history, evolution and future of stencil art. Artists in this exhibit form a collective that defines the power and beauty of stencil art which continues to drive one of the fastest growing street art movements throughout the world. In attendance on Opening Night will be exhibiting artists Greg Boudreau, Henry Quiara, Koleszar, Nathan Phaneuf and Scotch.

In the Featured Artist Room:

Chaz Bojorquez

Installation by the godfather of graffiti in LA, Chaz Bojorquez. Bojorquez’s symbol or “tag”, created in 1969, was a stylized skull called Senor Suerte inspired by Mexican folklore and especially by the cult of Holy Death, and is one of the first examples of stencil art applied to the street and it subsequently became an image for protection against death among the street gangs. Bojórquez was one of the first writers to employ special typographical characters, creating an original synthesis of psychedelic style, Fraktur and Chinese calligraphy.

Chaz will be present on opening night to autograph copies of his new book:"The Art and Life Of Chaz Bojorquez"

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About the Friends with Knives Artists:

• Banksy in his unofficial biography famously said of Blek Le Rat, “Everytime I think I've painted something original I find out that Blek Le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier'. Blek Le Rat often described as the Godfather of Stencil Art was the first to use stencils for silhouettes on the streets of Paris, he has been investigating the urban space for over 28 years and still continues to inspire urban artists all over the world.
• PaperMonster’s vivid and intricate pieces explore the beauty behind the eyes and facial expressions of women.
• Broken Crow's art features various animals and anthropomorphic humanoids in crazy colors and extreme sizes. Through painting they seek to reintroduce wild animals back into urban habitats, writing their own mythologies as they go.
• Chris Stain’s work and its themes find a kinship with the American social-realist movement of the early 20th century.
• Kolezar experiments with things like color, detail and scale to challenge preconceptions of what can be accomplished with stenciling.
• Nathan Phaneuf focuses on more minimal pieces that accentuate the women he photographs for his pieces produced using the underlying wood as the main skin tone and negative space for his stencils.
• Shai Dahan is recognized for his talent of hand painting skateboards as well as creating his animalguns designs on the streets of Los Angeles and New York using stencils, wheatpastes and other mediums as well.
• Peat Wollaeger (stenSOUL) is internationally known stencil artist famous for his signature EYEZ , raw colorful characters and stencil videos.
• Dave Lowell works with a combination of multi-layer stencils and freehand spraying.
• E.L.K is fast becoming well respected amongst his peers and in much demand nationally for his approach to photo-realistic stenciling.
• By using multi-layered stencils of up to 60 layers HAHA’s work is a reflection of Austrailian popular culture.
• Joe Iurato just launched a new series of portraits featuring a selection of musicians performing the famous song “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess.
• Henry Quiara is an artist/designer of lowbrow, urban contemporary and counter culture art.
• Greg Boudreau specializes in making the ordinary extraordinary.
• Mefee, a true definition of an anomaly. Mefee works as a scarification artists providing surgical implants underneath the skin in which his skill with a scalpol is easily transfered into his stencil work creating precision cut pieces.
• Leckomio’s works deal with street art and graffiti as a subject, as shown by B-boys or the hyper-realistic representation of urban landscapes tagged for sky to bitumen.
• Scotch! continues to push for new techniques/ideas that people of all ages & genres can enjoy.


Exhibiting Artists: Blek le Rat, Broken Crow, Chris Stain, Dave Lowell, E.L.K, Greg Boudreau, HAHA, Henry Quiara, Joe Iurato, Koleszar, Leckomio, Mefee, Nathan Phaneuf, PaperMonster, Peat Wollaeger, Scotch, Shai Dahan

Artist Websites

Chaz Bojorquez: http://www.chazbojorquez.com
Blek le Rat: http://bleklerat.free.fr/
Broken Crow: http://brokencrow.com
Chris Stain: http://www.chrisstain.com
Dave Lowell: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davelowell/
E.L.K: http://myspace.com/elkstencils
Greg Boudreau: http://www.gregboudreau.com
HAHA: http://www.regantamanui.com
Henry Quiara: http://www.artficionado.blogspot.com
Joe Iurato: http://www.joeiurato.com
Koleszar: http://www.koleszar.com
Leckomio: http://www.stefanwinterle.de/
Mefee: http://www.mefee.org
Nathan Phaneuf: http://www.nathanphaneuf.com/
PaperMonster: http://papermonster.wordpress.com
Peat Wollaeger: http://www.stenSOUL.com
Scotch: http://www.myspace.com/el_scotcho
Shai Dahan : http://www.Abztract.com

Important Dates:

Opening Reception
August 7th, 2010 from 6-9pm with Live music by DJ Phyz Ed.

Artwalk Event
August 12th, 2010 from 6-9pm with Live music by DJ Phyz Ed.

Last Day for Exhibit
August 29, 2010

Bios and images are available by request.

Crewest
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
ph | 213-627-8272

Crewest is a gallery that supports some of the most talented underground artists from the West Coast and beyond. The gallery's focus is on urban & graffiti art created through painting, sculpture, digital, and print medias. All of the exhibits housed at Crewest deal with what is current, and significant within the realm of the urban art experience. Hours of operation are Tues. thru Thurs.: noon – 7pm, Fri. and Sat.: 12pm -8pm, Sun.: Noon – 6pm and Closed Mondays (except by appointment only). Visit the gallery online at: www.crewest.com.

Curator: PaperMonster is a stencil graffiti artist who’s vivid and intricate pieces explore the beauty behind the eyes and facial expressions of women. Born in Puerto Rico, PaperMonster incorporates stencil and pasting techniques to create pieces of art on any surface by incorporating pop culture icons, Asian typography, patterns and texture to present vibrant emotions and stories. His work allows the audience to take his creations for pure face value or explore deeper into each piece. Visit PaperMonster online at: http://papermonster.wordpress.com .

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Flyer Image



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MAKE WAY FOR QUEEN ANDREA

Big thanks to Co-Curator, Queen Andrea, for flying out all the way from New York City to attend the opening of Sweet Things and for painting live. Queen Andrea has an ill lettering style which impressed us all. Her letters twist and turn like a no other.







Piece created while Queen Andrea painted live is available for $250.

Click here to view available artworks by Queen Andrea


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MUCK PAINTS LIVE!

Muck aka Jules Muck gets down with the body art as she paints live in front of dozens of guests attending the opening of the Sweet Things Exhibition at Crewest Gallery. She definitely brought sex appeal to the crowd as her brush painted over the body of a beautiful female. The end result, absolutely sexy and fresh!












Photos by Vic Macias.

Piece created while Jules Muck painted live is available for $250.

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SNEAK PEAK: SWEET THINGS

Sweet Things opens tonight and what a show it will be. Here is a special Sneak Peak for all you art lovers:


(left to right: Aiko, Sherm, Gillian Goldstein)

Hope to see you there!


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AFTERPARTY TONIGHT!

Sweet Things Afterparty happening tonight! Check the flyer for further detail. See you tonight.

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KID ROBOT GIVEAWAYS TONIGHT

Arrive early tonight for the opening of Sweet Things! We will be passing out free giveaways from Kid Robot. See you tonight!

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MAKING HEADLINES: MOTEL 7

Motel7 is a 22 year old emerging female graffiti artist from Cape Town South Africa who has already made headlines both on the local and international levels and has only been doing graffiti since she was 16. Her artwork is deliciously sweet with sugar coated treats which dance in front of your eyes and sometimes features child-like girls with their eyes wide open leaving the viewer to interpret what the subject is looking at. Beyond graffiti art, Motel7 also has talents in Illustration and Fine art as well.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, Motel7 will be showing her work alongside other female artists such as Martha Cooper, Indie184 and Klor at Crewest Gallery as part of the Sweet Things Exhibition (on view from July 8th through August 1st, 2010). Be sure to check her out along with the other artists well.






Websites:
http://www.motelseven.com
http://www.crewest.com

For more info, email us at info@crewest.com

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DOWNTOWN UNPLUGGED

Downtown Unplugged, the official after party for the grand opening of Sweet Things is going off Thursday, July 8th, 2010.

Featuring live performances by Jimetta Rose, Aloe Blacc and Mystic. Music by DJ's Scetch "The Specialist", DJ Kaleen and The reMITCH.

Doors open @ 9:00 P.M.
Showtime @ 10:00 P.M.
21+ ID
$10 Cover

Located at B-52 in Downtown LA, 801 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90014.

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