SCION PRESENTS: SÃO PAULO curated by Choque Cultural Gallery (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
SÃO PAULO, curated by Choque Cultural Gallery from Brazil opens on February 28 at Scion’s 4,500 square foot Installation L.A. Gallery in Culver City. The São Paulo exhibition celebrates the energy of the emerging art culture in São Paulo, Brazil, the biggest metropolitan city in South America. Calma, Carlos Dias, MZK, Ramon Martins, Silvana Mello, Speto, Titi Freak and Zezão form a group that translates this energy best, bringing fine art unique influences from pop culture, ancient heritage, modern painting or folk art. Each artist uses pop contemporary references such as street art, tattoo, skateboarding, hip?hop, and punk, while playing close attention to their own personal heritage and research.
Choque Cultural (meaning Culture Shock) started as a print publisher in Brazil. Over the years they have produced more than 150 print editions on various papers and in different sizes representing the diverse techniques of close to 90 Brazilian and international artists. In 2004, Choque opened their first gallery space in São Paulo, showing exhibitions anchored with a young contemporary audience. Every exhibition is a new installation where the artist brings the aesthetic and energy of the street indoors. In the four years Choque Cultural Gallery has been open, it has exhibited many young contemporary artists; old masters, such as 60’s Pop Gerald Laing; and popular mid?career artists including; Beatriz Milhazes, Vic Muniz and Shepard Fairey.
The diversity of the featured artists in the São Paulo show promises an intriguing exhibition. Calma AKA Stephan Doitschinoff is the son of an Evangelical minister whose style combines Afro?Brazilian folklore with Baroque religious iconography, as well as Alchemic and Pagan symbolism. Carlos Dias eschews concepts ? his original art is born in the streets, in his band’s concerts, in his record collection and flows into canvases painted with acrylic paint, markers, crayons, sprays or whatever comes into his hands. MZK is an urban legend and is responsible for the seminal fanzine culture in São Paulo and references everything from tiki comic strips to African masks. He is both a DJ and comic strip author. Ramon Martins finds an ease in combining diverse elements such as baroque style with street art, whether he’s using spray, acrylic painting or watercolor techniques. Silvana Mello explores the irony of advertising’s artificial happiness with everything from enamel painting on tiles to express the comfort of home, to carvings on a skateboard and woodprints to express the aggressiveness of urban life. Speto is one of Brazil’s most popular street artists. His original street art blends lines of traditional northeastern Brazilian woodcarving styles with sophisticated textures and figurative imagery. A champion yo?yo master, Titi Freak AKA Hamilton Yokota fuses eastern and western sophisticated drawing, action painting, pop and fashion imagery, illustration, street art and comic influences. Finally, Zezão is one of the leaders of the Brazilian abstract street art movement. Famous for his activity in the city’s underground, Zezão goes into sewers and invades the rainwater channels that flow toward São Paulo’s rivers, to reveal the beauty of the city’s monstrous garbage.
The opening reception takes place February 28, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM and will run through March 28 at the Scion Installation L.A. Gallery, 3521 Helms Ave. (at National), Culver City, CA 90232.
Dedicated to fostering independent artistic expression, the Scion Installation L.A. Gallery is a space that allows artists to explore their creative visions. The new Scion Installation Gallery hosts art shows and art?related events for cutting?edge artists from across the globe. Due to success and growth, the Scion Installation L.A. Gallery recently moved from its Washington Boulevard location to Helms and National near the Hayden Tract area. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM and by appointment ?310.815.8840. For more information, visit www.scion.com/space.
About Scion:
Scion is the newest line of vehicles from Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. Developed with a new generation of youthful buyers in mind, Scion’s mission is to provide distinctive products, the opportunity to personalize, and an innovative, consumer?driven process at the retail level. The Scion brand features three groundbreaking models: the xD subcompact five?door; the xB, an urban utility vehicle with an iconic shape; and the tC sports coupe. For more information, visit www.scion.com.