Now available via the CP store are a pair of brand-spankin’ new postcard sets from Chris Ryniak and Travis Louie! Each set contains heavy-stock, oversize postcards with rounded corners and are an edition of 200 packs per artist. CMR’s debut set contains 17 cards, while Travis Louie’s third edition contains 16. Grab ’em here for $28 each!
FERG must be some sort of machine. Hot off the heels of his server-crippling TRIGGER exhibition with Brandt Peters last month, the release of NKD Nozzel, GERM S001 and now the FROZN WHOLE K11s from two weeks ago, the hustle continues. Just announced is the retailer version of NKD Nozzel and QPMNT PACs 5 & 6, all due out by late Jan/early Feb.
And these are seriously killer.
Dubbed [fr33dom club] and [Fort Burnout], QMPNT PACs 5 & 6 boast a whole whack of new gear including bags, hoodies, guns (duh), unique lenses and a sassy iron-on patch. Nozzel comes with the uber-cute butt-flap longjohns, tanto knife, lenses, 2.0 arms and removable helmet. Retailers have the choice of either bundling it all or selling the Squadt and PACs separately. QPMNT PAC snaps are posted below!
This April marks the one-year anniversary of Monsters & Misfits, a three-person exhibition by Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters and Chris Ryniak that took place at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama, Japan. It was an exhibition that birthed some of the most challenging, influential, and beautiful works in the careers of these artists; an exhibition that they were unable to attend; an exhibition that helped raise $16,000 for disaster relief. Monsters & Misfits boosted the morale of the townspeople, helped rebuild a devastated city and reminded everyone of the healing power of art. It was prolific in all aspects.
And this year, we go bigger.
Circus Posterus returns to Japan this April for Monsters & Misfits II, a group show featuring new works from the original three artists, as well as Amanda Louise Spayd and Doktor A. Hosted for a second year by Tomenosuke-Syoten at the Kusakabe Folk Museum, the opening takes place on the eve of the Takayama Spring Festival, April 13th.
We kick things off with a progress shot from Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters. Delight yourselves in discussion! There’s plenty more to come.
In anticipation of their exhibition at Stranger Factory in just under two weeks, artist sisters Miss Mindy and CJ Metzger were gracious enough to share a few words with us about Circus:Folke! Have a read and discover their pasts, artistic passions and the types of works they’re preparing for our oh-so-fortunate eyes. Enjoy!
MISS MINDY
The circus has always been an inspiration to me, maybe because I feel like I belong in one. The gaudy glitz of it all, the silly faces and the animals that I would love to see in my own bizarro traveling show. If I could create a circus that was miniature, and hidden in some crazy little forest, surround by cotton candy eating munchkins and pixies in killer outfits, that would be the bees knees.
I decided to mix all my artistic ‘loves’ in one pot for this one …. Inkwork, sculpture and painting. I’ve created some special little ‘players’ that have their own story to tell and show a taste of the imaginary circus in my head. It’s been in there since I was kid. My sister and I would put on parades, adorn out trikes with flags, and dress up in silly outfits from ‘The crazy dress up drawer.’ I guess you can say I never really grew up, and am happy to share that with you.
CJ METZGER
I was born of circus folk – not from tight rope walkers or sword eaters – but raised in a household buzzing with eclectic, eccentric and creative band of artists, inventors, teachers, and actors that shaped my world. From an early age, all that gorgeous and weird stuff that they generated was just part of my every day visual experience. You grow up in that environment, and you can’t help it – it’s in your blood for good.
In my first show with sister Miss Mindy titled “le monde est une cirque” (the world is a circus), over ten years ago, I began expressing my views about the world through these hybrid girl and animal creatures and characters, and from there, developed a love for using these folk portraits to tell stories and document feelings. Elements of “Circus” have always remained in my work, but for this show in particular, I imagined my perfect circus would be a band of the artists, inventors, and actors – shown as hybrid human animal characters, performing/existing in beautiful, theatrical, and unusual ways – all with unique backstories. Here, I was compelled to create work that both delights and sadden the senses, that evokes a sense of theatricality and that reveals these characters as the unique, beautifully adorned, revered, or misunderstood characters they are.
They are modern folk portraits, telling stories in their tattoos, their costumes, and their sometimes precarious predicaments – perhaps not so different than us all.
Ah, man. Chris Ryniak’s pieces serve as a continual reminder that I will never be immune to cuteness. There’s just no way. Such a woeful pout on this guy, wowee … I wonder if something is seriously troubling him or if it’s the same look your dog gives you when he doesn’t get the last bite of your sandwich. The lowered ears and look of torment are dead on.
Anyway.
‘Baby Blewgle’ is a custom Stitch that Chris prettied up for Dragatomi’s Year of the Dragon exhibition, opening Feb. 11th. Good luck to everyone looking to adopt this little beast. Info on this show is still emerging, so keep checking back! More pics after the break.
Read More »Chris Ryniak’s ‘Baby Blewgle’ for ‘Year of the Dragon’ @ Dragatomi 2.11
CP’s newest artist, Teodoru Badiu, is wasting no time in bringing his iconic, hyper-happy characters to the Circus! Just recently he revealed 3D renderings and concept sketches of Wippo: a pony-like creature with the bone horns and playful styling that Teoduro is celebrated for. The Pink and Dark editions (photo below) are both under consideration for colourways and all release details are in the works as we speak. Much more to come, including some behind-the-scenes shots of the sculpt while it’s being brought to life!
Read More »Introducing ‘Wippo’ from Teodoru Badiu x Circus Posterus
Believe it or not, but … this is Travis Louie’s first-ever zombie painting. Seriously. Does this shock you? This shocks me. It shocks me! This is a man who was weaned on horror and sci-fi as a child. A man who’s artistic narrative is so completely rooted in the idea of otherworldly beings; in the stark contrast and suspenseful shadow play of Film Noir and German Expressionist films; in just plain weird (and seriously beautiful) shit.
So this piece? Long overdue. And I think Travis would agree:
“I’ve always wanted to paint a zombie painting. They have been in my dreams from the first time I saw Night of the Living Dead(1968) and Dawn of the Dead(1978). As everyone has different dream symbolism, zombies in my dreams have always represented change; “Out with the old, and in with new,” kind of change. Whenever it was time to leave a relationship or end a phase of my life I would have one of these dreams.”
Hmm. Leaves me curious as to whether ‘Night People’ is symbolic in some way. The painting is part of Exhibit A Gallery’s Obey Your Master — a Metallica tribute show which opens this evening. The band and many of the participating artists will be in attendance.
Read More »Travis Louie’s ‘Night People’ for ‘Obey Your Master’ 1.20
FERG & Brandt Peters‘ TRIGGER exhibition unveiled a plethora of new toy goodness for us to anticipate in the coming months. To kick things off, we’ll start with Brandt’s newest Trouble Boy: No. 7 ‘The Drifter’.
Brandishing two boom sticks and a tanto knife, the black-clad, eye-patched Drifter is inspired by Japan’s Yakuza with the body tatt to prove it (bring on the striptease!). With that said … it probably comes of little surprise that this badass will be unleashed through Tomenosuke-Syoten sometime this year.
Pricing and edition size will be released closer to date of exit. Stay sharp!
Read More »A First Look at Brandt Peters’ Trouble Boy No. 7 ‘The Drifter’
Micro Buds have been an active topic on the Collect and Destroy forums for the past six months and FERG hath finally gifted us with this progress shot of the little fella, due out very soon.
(And I mean little. Like 1.5″ little.)
The project is in collab with Skin Deep sculpt master Scott Wilkowski. FERG promises a ‘shitload of them in diff color schemes’ that will be handmade, hand painted, simple and sexy, as per usual FERG aesthetic. Yum.
