by calen knauf and dan climan

PF Flyers laces sneakers and art even closer together with Art and Sole 2010—an art shoe project and auction taking place across Canada during August and September. With no-fewer than 40 artists on the roster, it’s of little surprise that this four-city art project is gearing up to be one of the most influential events of the season. There are no limitations set on the background, or the approach of the contributing artists; the common goal is a simple one: put a unique twist on the classic sneaker silhouette. Forty per cent of the proceeds from Art and Sole 2010 will be donated to various organizations around Canada; the rest goes back to the artists—some of whom we’ve profiled below.
[artandsole2010.tumblr.com]
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David Choe is someone you should get to know as he’s one of the most talented artists around. His work can be seen in galleries all over the world, Facebook headquarters, the White House and alleyways behind convenience stores. He recently released a 288-page monograph with Chronicle Books that needs to be checked out for the introduction alone (it consists of disses he found by Googling “David Choe”). We had a chance to do an interview with him via email and jumped at the opportunity. Normally email interviews suck and we try not to do them, but we made an exception because David Choe is as good a writer with a keyboard as he is with a spray can.
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Two things about Montreal artist Dave Arnold: A) He is hilarious, and B) He doesn’t like to be pigeonholed. In an attempt to avoid this, he’s currently working under the alias Mr. Sign, and is bringing a new face to many storefronts in an old way: by hand-painting signs for businesses eager to recreate that old nostalgic charm. He also has a collection of paintings titled “Teenage Nudes,” consisting of Betty and Veronica from Archie comics posing in the nude. “It seemed like a decent idea,” he says, laughing.
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Toronto artist Vladimir Kato is an animator by day and a glorious painter by any-other-time-of-the-day. Vladimir’s twisted and hilarious creations include concepts from the far reaches of his mind such as R-rated movies and dark-humoured Italian comics. Luckily, he keeps some of that stuff out of his animation work, as he works on a lot of childrens’ programs. Recently I had a chance to chat with him following his most recent solo art show, titled Wilderness.
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Montreal-based painter Jonathan Bergeron has spent many years working under the celebrated moniker of Johnny Crap, but it’s a name he is no longer content with. As he moves further and further away from the graffiti and poster art world to focus more specifically on painting for gallery shows and such, the stigma attached to Johnny Crap does not bode well with potential buyers and gallerists alike. When we spoke to him on the eve of his latest show “The Ordinary Life of Death” at L.A.’s Gallery 1988, he’d been working frantically on the final details for the opening; making sure everything was in place so that it would go off without a hitch. Central to the new collection of paintings is the ever-changing Calavera character: a skull-like figure based on the Mexican skull representative of the Day of the Dead. His character, however, is more-or-less an urban everyman but with a distinct street edge; he drinks coffee, rides a bicycle and has tattoos—all of which are direct, and indirect, influences of the artist’s personal style and tastes…
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For a self-proclaimed homebody, Chad VanGaalen is surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. But let’s face it, the man is busy, and the prospect of picking Chad’s eccentric and prolific mind is worth the twelve trips to his voicemail message. When he doesn’t answer his phone, one begins to worry whether or not they’re interrupting a major eureka moment in one of Chad’s many creative outlets whether it be his solo music, instrumental side project Black Mold, painting, animation, or, yes, even sculpting. Add a newborn baby to that equation and it’s shocking that Chad even has time to get his 40 winks. But for the singer/songwriter and visual artist, sleep can be a valued and even productive activity as it is one of his most prominent sources of inspiration. Chad shares, “That’s the beauty of lifting ideas from your own subconscious mind, it’s pretty boundless, and it’s pretty revealing too so I find it to be super honest… it’s usually hard to criticize a dream just because it is what it is.”
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Barbie. The most famous doll of them all. And one that would face a crude awakening were she to slip from the plastic grip of Ken’s arms and fall into the dark, unhinged world of Ray Caesar’s creations. Ethereal porcelain doll-like creatures, their cherry lips plump, eyes wide but devious and gestures provocatively foreboding, there is no doubt that these peculiar figures would eat the vapid blonde alive. While confessing to possess a strange fixation with dolls as a young boy, the Toronto-based artist now confines his interaction with the toys to a virtual world—his art.
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Strewn around the backyard of an old bank in Montreal, propped up against trees, are used mattresses decorated with serene, sleeping, naked bodies. And they are captivating and catching the eyes of galleries, art bloggers and casual passersby across the country. The man behind these works is Winnipeg native Brian Hunter, who, at 24, fled the country to explore Asia after his efforts at making a full-time living off of his art seemed fruitless, and a need to see the world took hold. It’s our loss as we wait for more, because Brian is doing what few artists choose to at such a scale—just don’t call it “eco” or “street” art.
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The phrase, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is usually tossed off as an overused cliché. But when it comes to Tristram Lansdowne, it’s not uncommon to have a change of heart. Suddenly, such statements lose their banality once associated with someone so down to earth. This 26-year-old Toronto resident (via Victoria) seeks out the decayed and dilapidated edifices in the outskirts of his town with the intentions of preserving them on canvas in the form of watercolour paintings. Tristram’s work has recently received international attention, as he just wrapped up an exhibition titled Refuge at New York’s Joshua Liner Gallery.
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Our sixth in a series of six artist designed shirts is now up in our online store.

“Defense Merger” by Brian Donnelly, Available till May 1st, 2010.

Brian Donnelly is a Toronto-based artist who paints naked bodies with animal heads. His striking work can usually be seen on massive canvases in galleries around the world. Defense Merger is your chance to own a piece by Brian and wear it too!

Read more about Brian here.

Limited Edit[ion] is printed exclusively on FINN BRAND t-shirts by www.mycommunitee.com

Why should vampires get to have all the sex? Zombies are enjoying an extraordinary renaissance in pop culture right now. Fast zombies, funny zombies, pet zombies. We’ve seen practically every variation on George A. Romero’s modern zombie spawned by his cult debut Night of the Living Dead in 1968. But Canadian filmmaker Bruce LaBruce is finally taking zombies to the next level – gay porn.
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One man’s quest for self-actualization as he journeys through reformation, revolution and a rebirth of his very being.

You could be forgiven for thinking that you have flipped open a copy of Faith Today or some equally devout publication spurting advice about rebirths and self awareness, when in fact, you are about to embark on the story of ex-convict, addict and self-proclaimed scumbag, jerm IX. Hell, even his name, with its despotic IX, sounds biblical. But this guy is no apostle. (more…)

01 is a Vancouver based bi-monthly, online magazine and daily blog. Its contributions come from creative-minded Vancouverites, as well as a handful of individuals outside the city. 01 is launching its first art exhibition this month at the 107 Shaw Gallery in Toronto. The exhibition runs from March 11-April 3 and will showcase international artists from Germany and New York along with a great crop of Canadian talent. Some of the Vancouver roster includes photographers Jennilee Marigomen and Jeff Otto O’Brien, as well as LES Gallery artist Dan Siney. Holding down the home front for Toronto are local artists Maryanne Casasanta and Niall Mc Clelland. No matter who you bring to this exhibition, you’re guaranteed to be in good company. —Alysa Lechner

[www.1zero7.com]
[www.zero1magazine.com]

Considering the art he produces is so awe-inspiring, Indonesian- born Toronto artist, Tessar Lo, is surprisingly modest. You won’t find him trumpeting about his talent (which, for the record, is worth trumpeting about). In fact, he confides that after he completes most collections he doubts himself, and has to convince himself to go on. Tessar’s latest collection at The Show & Tell Gallery in Toronto is titled Everything We Wanted In Our Nostalgic Future and is a testament to the exceptional talent he possesses. It’s also the first time he’s felt really happy with a completed body of work.
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Our fifth in a series of six artist designed shirts is now up in our online store.

“Collecting Gretty Pirls” by the dark. Edition of 100, available till April 1st 2010.

the dark made a name for himself years ago by placing epic and sprawling stencils on the streets of Vancouver’s worst neighbourhoods. Tired of cutting stencils and dodging the police, the dark has moved on to photography and painting and has shown his evocative, haunting and, well… dark work in galleries all over the world.

Read more about the dark here.

Limited Edit[ion] is printed exclusively on FINN BRAND t-shirts by www.mycommunitee.com

Justin Gradin makes Vancouver a more interesting place. He runs Cassette or Die, an anachronistic micro label that only releases music on cassette. He fronts the band Random Cuts, a rock outfit where two of the band’s members are mannequins. And for years he ran The Emergency Room, a now defunct studio, jam space and venue that was a hub for this city’s weird punk music scene.
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Vancouver-based artist the dark (aka Devitt Brown) has had many evolutions over the course of his career, changing mediums from stencils to posters, oil pastels, photography and more. He has spent years as one of this city’s most impressive and consistent street artists and has shown at many contemporary fine art galleries both at home and internationally. Throughout these transitions the dark has maintained a strong and immediately identifiable through line to his work.
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