Stranger Factory

Break Me and I Break Your Finger: Andrew Bell’s ‘Kill Kat #1’ for Bewitching II

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Last year, Andrew Bell absolutely NAILED Bewitching with his “Damned Corn” and “Bat Ball” sculpts. And now, the master of the delightfully dark and hilarious returns with the first-ever Kill-Kat, an obvious (albeit carnivorous) interpretation of the Kit-Kat candy bar. So think again before breaking off-a piece —  it’s all teeth beneath that chocolately treat!

Kill Kat # 1 stands 5.5 inches and includes a glass dome so you can sleep soundly at night. The magnetic melted base is removable and the wrapper is just awesome.

Bewitching II opens THIS FRIDAY at Stranger Factory! Roughly forty artists from all over the globe under one roof,  wielding their uber-artistry in the honor of Halloweenia. Prepare yourselves!

 

Leecifer for Bewitching II

Leecifer is on a roll this year! He came out swinging at SDCC, now Bewitching II, and later a show with Paul Kaiju. It makes us wonder if he will step into the ring with a Thunderlips down the road.

Lee has a trio of terror set for Bewitching II with the likes of the winged cart riding skelve known as Babette, a double faced Jack o’ Sal, and one of those drunk aliens with a magnetic grip, aka PickleBaby.

Bewitching II opens Oct. 5th with an opening reception from 6 to 9pm. The exhibit runs through Nov. 4th.

Oh Babette is awesome. A pig nosed bat skelve it seems. Flapping her wings as she rolls around on her little cart with a key to your heart. It would appear I have rhymes when I type sometimes.

It looks like Big Sal is just doing her  thing, but then BAM! it is a Jack O’ Sal. Two faces to cause two times the terror.

Is this the infamous alien race known as Picklebabies?

“Rumor has it one may have already escaped to the greater NM area as it was observed drinking in an Albuquerque bar and drunkenly demonstrating its alien physiology’s “magnetic grip” on small metal objects. Note not all PickleBabies demonstrate this ability.”

 

The Incredible Customs of Yohei Kaneko & Shigeta Tanaka for Bewitching II, 10.5

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I’m at a loss for words over these next pieces for Bewitching II, this batch from powerhouse Japanese artists Yohei Kaneko (Mirock Toy) and Shigeta Tanaka (Goccodo Design). If you’ve been following along with our Stingy Jack and Calliope Jackalope Anatomy Series, the names likely ring a bell: Yohei being the sculptor on both projects and Shigeta the liaison between Obitsu and T+CP. Much credit goes to them for getting the Tomenosuke + Circus Posterus sofubi initiative off the ground and now we have the exciting opportunity to see some of their original work on Western soil.

On the left stands Yohei’s Fūjin Skelve with Shigeta’s Oinari Skelve flanking him on the right. Both are masterpieces of resin, wood and spray paint and you can’t help but marvel at the cleanliness and precision. “(Fūjin is a) God coming from Japanese ancient times,” Shigeta writes, on behalf of Yohei. The god of wind, Fūjin resembles a terrifying demon and is often pictured carrying large bags of winds on his shoulders. “The face of the terrible ogre was most suitable for the disguise of the Halloween show,” Shigeta continues. “The sculpture of Fūjin was very congenial for Mirock Toy (Yohei), who always engraved a Buddha statue.”

Shigeta’s Oinari Skelve is equally as stunning. Inspired by the traditional Japanese god of the same name, Oinari (or “Inari”) is symbolic of enterprise and worldly success. He is often depicted with white foxes known as kitsune, which he uses as messengers. The fox mask, Shigeta explains, is also a common children’s disguise in Japan.

The third piece, titled Canon Ballo, is a collaboration between Yohei and Shigeta. A custom of one of Kathie Olivas’s iconic birds, this particular piece was made entirely for fun and it shows, with both artists taking the cart and suping it into an F1 racer, decals and all. This is such a playful piece that shows off the breadth of their talent and imagination when juxtaposed with the Skelves. That said, I’d die if it was a pullback; how hilarious would the be?!

(So much for that loss for words…)

Bewitching II opens this Friday with a reception from 6pm to 9pm. We have plenty more stashed away in our bag of tricks, so keep checking back!

Gary Ham’s ‘Tricky’ for Dead Wood @ Stranger Factory, 10.5

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Shhh … be vewwy, vewwy, quiet … You see that over there? That’s Tricky! A satyr so rare that many deemed the breed long extinct, or just a fable told by those floating in the dregs. But there he is, in broad daylight and natural habitat — the last of his kind, I reckon. Tricky’s a prankster type, so step carefully; I bet he’s rigging the place with tripwire before heading out Albuquerque.

A custom-cut and hand painted wooden figure by Gary Ham, Tricky stands 14 inches, much to the credit of two candy stripe horns atop his head. Catch him and his maker next week as part of Dead Wood, opening Oct. 5th at Stranger Factory.

Jason Limon’s Skull Plug

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Jason Limon has been working on this guy for a while now, and finally we see the finished product of Skull Plug. Limited to only 30 hand-painted 11″ resin casts these will not last long. Two will be available in his shop Oct.1, and then one at Stranger Factory’s Bewitching II.  Jason, will have six at his booth at DesignerCon, and the rest will be out shortly after. Who doesn’t love skulls?

Dead Wood: A Conversation with Gary Ham

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So Halloween is kind of a big deal in these parts and we’re all stoked to bits as fright night creeps ever closer. We have two cracking exhibitions in store for the event: our second annual All Hallow’s group show, Bewitching II, and Dead Wood, a mini exhibit from the great Gary Ham. Our Steve Brown recently caught up with Gary to gab about the show and the surreal spookery he’s bringing to Route 66 Oct. 5th.

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Steve Brown: Let’s talk about your upcoming exhibition, Dead Wood. What’s the story with this new group of work?

Gary Ham: With the show taking place in October along side the Bewitching show, I thought it would be a lot of fun to keep my theme to creatures of the dead and an overall Halloween feel. I love drawing monsters and working in wood, so Dead Wood felt like the perfect title for the show. Usually the monsters might lurk behind the trees, but in this case, the trees became the monsters.

Read More »Dead Wood: A Conversation with Gary Ham

Gary Ham’s SF Exclusive Wooper Looper for ‘Dead Wood’ 10.5

As part of Gary Ham’s Dead Wood exhibition opening next month, Stranger Factory is offering an exclusive colorway of his popular sofubi figure, Wooper Looper! Sporting the gallery’s signature black and orange, this adorable axolotl is here just in time for Halloween. Designed by Gary Ham and sculpted by the great Chauskoskis, this edition is a run of just 33 pieces and can only be purchased through Stranger Factory. Be sure to sign up for the preview via the email form on the Stranger Factory homepage for the full scoop (if you haven’t done so already — you need only sign up once!).

 Dead Wood opens Oct. 5th in conjunction with Bewitching II. A reception will be held for both exhibitions on Oct. 5th from 6pm to 9pm. Shows are on until Nov. 4th!

The Horror Art of Mia Mäkilä

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While television networks start their horror programming gearing up for Halloween, we too are getting the bats hung and knives sharpened. This is perfect timing to show off the self taught, images-from-your-nightmares work of Norrköping, Sweden’s own Mia Mäkilä who is one of the amazing artists in Bewitching II at Stranger Factory. To best describe Mia, we’ll go with her own words:

“I guess everyone’s calling me a “horror artist” because I deal with difficult emotions and themes such as fear, angst, madness, rage and sorrow in my art. But I also use a lot of humour. Making my demons having fun on the canvas. You could describe my art as horror pop surrealism or dark lowbrow. My work includes mixed media, paintings and digital collages.

I’m self taught, using my own techniques and constantly learning new stuff. Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks, but that’s all part of my self education. The fact that I’m also an art historian has definitely had a great impact on my art. But I’m mostly inspired by movies and film directors such as David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Roy Andersson, Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton and artists like Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Francisco Goya, Jean-Michel Basquiat and the masters of Disney Studio’s in the 1930’s-40’s. All my colleagues in the Lowbrow Art Movement are also inspiration sources.”

Mia’s work for Bewitching II can be seen starting Oct. 5.

Stranger Factory
109 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

Hit the jump for images of Mia’s past work.

Read More »The Horror Art of Mia Mäkilä