Otto Bjornik

Bai Lan the Unyielding by Otto Bjornik Stranger Factory edition


Releasing Friday May 18th at 12 Noon PST

Bai Lan the Unyielding by Otto Bjornik

Stranger Factory edition

Size: 5″ tall
Medium: Painted resin
Edition: 30
Comes boxed with Certificate of Authenticity (signed and numbered)
Releasing at Stranger Factory gallery and online at www.circusposterus.com

Bai Chu’s army has infiltrated and overwhelmed the land. Despite his small stature, he remains a brilliant strategist and commander, and he has created an unstoppable force. The people live in fear, wondering when they will hear the ominous sounds of marching boots and clanking armor. Day after day, reports come of Bai Chu’s forces descending upon their unsuspecting villages, draining fruits dry and wreaking havoc among their communities.

Upon hearing this distressing news, Bai Lan, the normally docile priestess and shaman, has decided to venture out of her temple to stop Bai Chu. Bai Chu and Bai Lan were once childhood sweethearts, and she knew him before he became a power-hungry general, before he ran into the vengeful Diwata who gave him his current diminutive form.

A scholarly pacifist, Bai Lan believes in balance and harmony as taught in her temple. She communes with the spirits and with Mother Nature to sense disturbances in Her equilibrium.

Bai Lan, gifted with a sharp intellect and a keen sense of intuition, is an excellent tracker. Her years of study and research make her a naturally skilled investigator. Day by day she makes her way closer to Bai Chu, tracking his movements, figuring out his next move. Upon finding a ravaged field whose crop of blood oranges have been turned into withered husks, Bai Lan picks one up and devises a plan.

When they finally meet, will Bai Chu recognize his childhood sweetheart? Or will he see his worst enemy yet?

 

Sandi Ray Pierce, FOREVER, NEVERMORE / Otto Bjornik, FLORA & FAUNA / Jellykoe, I’M YOUR WEIRD FRIEND will run from May 4th – 27th, 2018

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Sandi Ray Pierce, FOREVER, NEVERMORE / Otto Bjornik, FLORA & FAUNA / Jellykoe, I’M YOUR WEIRD FRIEND will run from
May 4th – 27th, 2018

Opening Reception: Friday, May 4th from 6-9 PM
In her first solo exhibition at Stranger Factory, local artist Sandi Ray Pierce will be featuring a series of her iconic pen and ink and mixed media works on paper. As a self taught artist, she is heavily inspired by the local lowbrow culture of tattoo graphics, Dia De Los Muertos, and the rich typography and visuals of historic Route 66. Pierce contrasts themes of death and rebirth with the fleeting beauty of youth. She incorporates vintage floral art nouveau and graphics reminiscent of old rock and roll gig posters. Her love of the southwest and attention to detail in her meticulous cross hatching and stippling creates a nostalgic interpretation of life and death in the land of enchantment.
Artist and toy designer Otto Bjornik will be exhibiting a new series of hand-made toys and graphite drawings. His clean, minimalist style celebrates the curiosity of youth with a rich narrative that integrates his love of design and human connection through its many cultures and the unifying emotional states we all share.

“The Pen is Mightier than the Sword”
I am more than an illustrator. I am a storyteller. My tales are a rich mixture of precious childhood memories and fairy tales. I weave together lines to celebrate the beauty and elegance of nature and human form. And sprinkled within that tapestry are touches of whimsy that bring to mind the wonderment of childhood and play. It is my way of rekindling youth with a wink and infinite mirth.
An architect by training, I create works in pen and ink that are filled with intricate detail and influenced by stringent rules of design. The elements I choose often hold symbolic meaning, and I take care to piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle to tell an overall story.”
Artist couple Jellykoe will be exhibiting new mixed media works sure to be a nutritious blend of cute and creepy. The pair is known for wide eyed, blank stared children and creatures alike often in the forms of plush or 3-d cutouts. Their work is humorous, often drawn or encapsulated in a somewhat dark, kawaii style that makes you want to relive or perhaps re-evaluate your childhood.

Jellykoe is a designer toy company located in the heart of Columbia, SC. It was founded in 2009 by husband and wife duo Kelly and J. Spencer Shull. Spencer acts as lead product designer and illustrator for Jellykoe while Kelly is in charge of production, design, and marketing.

All three exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Stranger Factory
3411 Central Avenue NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

FRIDAY, May 20th: Otto Bjornik’s Exclusive Stranger Factory Bai Chu (Li-Fu! Edition)

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Otto Bjornik’s Exclusive Stranger Factory Bai Chu (Li-Fu! Edition)

Releasing Friday, May 20th at Noon PST is Otto Bjornik’s Exclusive Stranger Factory Bai Chu (Li-Fu! Edition) with a 1:7 Gold Variant!

 

The Tale of Bai Chu the Bloodthirsty!

Hundreds of years ago, there lived an infamous Commander General named Bai Chu. Bai Chu was feared by enemies and friends alike, for he was a fierce and ruthless leader, and he inspired the utmost dread in those who would oppose him. Incredibly ambitious, he hungered for power and plotted to take over the world with his army of fearless warriors. Tales of how Bai Chu would behead his foes and drink blood from their still-beating hearts were especially terrifying, and mothers would tell them to frighten disobedient children. “If you are bad, Bai Chu will come for you in the night!” they would caution a wide-eyed child.

One dark and stormy evening, in unexplored forested lands of Calinan after a bloody battle, Bai Chu lay restless in his tent. While devising plans to gain more strength and conquer more nations, he thought he heard mournful voices outside. Instantly alert, he quickly came out to investigate, and very soon he was lost in a huge forest where the very trees seemed to whisper in the wind. Suddenly, an old lady appeared in front of him.

“Help me, O great warrior, for I hunger so”, she croaked. Bai Chu scoffed and raised his weapon in anger! “Fool crone! Know you not who I am? I am Bai Chu the bloodthirsty, the long-lived, the mighty! I will put you out of your misery!” But before he could lower his weapon to take her head, the old woman vanished, the wind seemed to beat and howl, and in her place a beautiful diwata appeared. She spoke with the voice of the wind:

“O Bai Chu, in your arrogant pride you have become so small. From this day forth, I curse you to hunger, to be insignificant and ignored!

Bai Chu the bloodthirsty: I make you a blood drinker.

Bai Chu the long-lived: I make you immortal.

BAi Chu the mighty: I make you smaller than a tiny child’s plaything!

The spell shall only be broken when your heart becomes true, It is done!”

And that is how Bai Chu the Bloodthirsty became the cutest, smallest vampire to ever exist. He refers to everyone he meets as his Dark Minions. As he is too small to really drink a large human’s blood, he subsists on blood oranges, which he finds are surprisingly delicious. It is not uncommon to find blood oranges near him, with two tiny tell-tale teeth marks. Bai Chu is still quite fearless, and likes to run at his enemies ferociously screaming his own name: “Bai Chu! Bai Chu! Bai Chu!” From a distance, it sounds like a small voice is yelling “Biteyoubiteyoubiteyou!” from somewhere around your ankles.

Will you be Bai Chu’s jailer, or his accomplice? Will you try to change his wicked ways, or help him achieve world domination? Whatever you choose, you better have some blood oranges ready before he comes home with you!

Bai Chu: (Bite You)
Talisman: “I Hunger!”
Height: 5 1/2″ inches
Material: Resin Body and Magnet
Edition Quantity: 35pcs

Available at www.circusposterus.com

The miniscule vampire stands approximately 5 ½” tall (you may need to stoop down quite low to hear him shouting “Biteyoubiteyoubiteyou!”as he is very very small). He is cursed with a rigid resin body emulating the smooth vampiric skin of his kind, and a neodymium magnet that pulls him towards your refrigerator (an indignity Bai Chu will probably never forgive you for).
His magnetic restraining talisman with the words “I Hunger” written in beautiful Chinese calligraphy is removable, and you may need to reattach it should Bai Chu prove too much to handle!

Gold Variant 1:7
Li-Fu : Nature
Green Li-Fu contains the mighty power of nature. Forged in the forest and tempered in verdant environments, the Li-Fu edition communes with nature spirits to hone in on Bai-Chu’s targets every single time (however, being green, he is a bit gullible).

BaicGold Bai