Stranger Factory

Kelly Denato Preps for ‘The Great Escape’ @ Stranger Factory April 6th

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Since early February, Kelly Denato has been plugging away at The Great Escape — her two-person exhibition with Andrew Bell, opening next month at Stranger Factory. We’ve all had the rare fortune of watching Kelly create this show, essentially from start to finish, via her Twitter account: from beautifully simplistic drawings to elegant paintings and whimsical sculpts, she’s produced what is arguably her best work to date. Compiled here is a visual scrapbook of the last two months in Studio  ‘Doomnato’ — the canvases, the lumps of clay … the cocktails and animal crackers. It’s all here.

And for those who are curious of the tally so far: “7 paintings, 6 sculptures, and 11 drawings just about ready to go… I can finally see an end in sight! (Sort of…) G’nite!”

(Go, Kelly!)

The Great Escape opens April 6th and runs through April 30th. Reception with the artists on opening night from 6 to 9pm!

 

Stranger Factory Presents: Andrew Bell & Kelly Denato’s THE GREAT ESCAPE, April 6th

Ladies, gents, freaks, geeks and neighbourhood gentle giants! I hope you’ve been saving your pennies because April is turning into quite the big deal here in CP land. You’ve been hearing plenty about Circus Posterus’ Japan group exhibition, Monsters & Misfits II, along with Amanda Louise Spayd’s solo show, Forgotten Finery, at Rivet Gallery. But it doesn’t stop there: crashing smack-dab in the middle of the action is The Great Escape from Andrew Bell and Kelly Denato, kicking off April 6th at Stranger Factory. The dynamic duo are blowing into town to show off their newest 2- and 3-dimension works and given the WIPs and teasers that have been circulating around the web these past few weeks, it’s going to be a doozy (fingers crossed for no site crashes this round!). Here’s a snippet from the press release:

The debilitating feeling of heartbreak; the self-destructive spiral of past emotions and memories; the overwhelming feeling of social suffocation — they’re the less gracious experiences in life that we all inevitably encounter and Andrew Bell and Kelly Denato bring them to the fore in The Great Escape – an exhibition of new drawings, paintings and sculptures from the Brooklyn-based artists.

Combining tragic humor and delicate elegance, the artists wade the terrain of a new reality: a reality of pushing forward after shedding the skin of a previous life – be it a love left behind or old fears and insecurities now put to rest.

Many creatures in nature possess innate defense mechanisms – poison, quills, ink, spots, stripes, white winter coats. People on the other hand must create them. Oftentimes it’s not a predator we are trying to evade but ourselves; we are bundles of electricity, blood, and spirit – constantly moving, feeling, thinking, sweating, breathing. Our bodies are both containment and confinement.  The circumstances that keep us contained, confined, and safe are as thin and delicate as ribbons. – Kelly Denato

Very exciting stuff is in store for us next month! Enjoy the handful of Great Escape preview images below and stay tuned for more sneaks in the coming days!

Stranger Factory Presents: Joe Capobianco’s ‘Blood Puddin’ & Marie Sena’s ‘Dark Ages’ March 2

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Stranger Factory is turning up the heat this March with a double bill from tattoo artists Joe Capobianco and Marie Sena!

Dripping sex and violence to the tune of modern horror, world-renowned tattoo artist Joe Capobianco presents a wicked re-imagining of the classic 50s pin-up with Blood Puddin’. Coined the ‘Capo Girl,’ these dark and dangerous dames flaunt their assets, wearing little more than devil horns, razor-sharp nails and a bloody-fanged grin. Sexualized and fantastical, Blood Puddin’ brings a whole new attitude to cheesecake.

Running concurrently is Dark Ages, from local artist Marie Sena. A tattooist and illustrator from Santa Fe, her work is a collision of ‘golden age’ tattoos from the early twentieth century and contemporary illustration. Coupled with a degree in medical illustration, Marie has carved a distinct style of image making. Largely premised in dark, ominous and dangerous settings, Marie’s work explores the pin-up, flora and fauna, Hispanic culture and religious motifs.

Blood Puddin’ and Dark Ages open March 2nd with a reception from 6pm to 9pm. Both artists will be in attendance!

Read More »Stranger Factory Presents: Joe Capobianco’s ‘Blood Puddin’ & Marie Sena’s ‘Dark Ages’ March 2

Circus: Folke Online Preview is Up!

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The preview for Miss Mindy & CJ Metzger’s CIRCUS: FOLKE is now online for your peeping pleasure! Take the weekend to look everything over and draft your emails; the request period opens this Monday, Feb. 6th @ noon PST! All instructions are outlined on the preview page so please read them carefully.

Good luck to everyone looking to acquire some artsy artifacts of circuses past and congratulations to the sisters for a stellar exhibition!

Miss Mindy & CJ Metzger talk Circus:Folke

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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.

Read More »Miss Mindy & CJ Metzger talk Circus:Folke

Stranger Factory Presents: ‘Circus: Folke’ by Miss Mindy and CJ Metzger 2.3

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Calling all carnies: the next gig to roll into town is Circus: Folke, a two-person exhibition by California-based ‘artist sisters’ Miss Mindy and CJ Metzger. An exploration of the Circus, its characters and all associated nostalgia, Circus: Folke will undoubtedly offer us a peek into a most spectacular tent.

Both artists hail from Los Angeles. Mindy an inker, painter, illustrator and sculptor, her growing list of clients includes Warner Brothers, Hard Rock Café, Mindstyle and Nickelodeon Animation. Metzger’s iconic painting, illustration, design and writing has been sought out by such brands as Neiman Marcus, Hot Topic, Fred Eric, Baby Tattoo Books, and the LA Times. Uniting their passion for characters and storytelling with their unique design sensibilities, the sisters create an uber-artistry that leaves a lasting impression.

Circus: Folke opens Feb. 3rd with a reception from 6pm to 9pm.

Read More »Stranger Factory Presents: ‘Circus: Folke’ by Miss Mindy and CJ Metzger 2.3

TRIGGER: FERG and Brandt Break the Internet

Well that was a hell of an entrance, wasn’t it? Following last year’s award-winning Trouble Boys collaboration, FERG and Brandt Peters reunite for TRIGGER, a two person exhibition at Stranger Factory, which mercilessly melted fans’ faces on both sides of the spectrum.

And CP’s servers suffered a similar fate: as soon as the taskbar clocks flipped to 12pm, the Circus Posterus and Stranger Factory websites were hit with such an unprecedented surge of traffic that it put them out of commission for nearly three hours (in which time the show nearly sells out). Pages weren’t loading, emails were bouncing back, fans were collectively panicking and eating their hair. A netplosion befitting of artists of this caliber, which was only amplified by their collaborative tact. Just look at the pictures.

Cool exhibitions aside, another reason I’m loving Stranger Factory is because it allows Kathie and Brandt an opportunity to use their exhibitions as a means to reveal/release new editions. KO’s Sweet & Sorrow saw the release of the Purple Greeter, and now a whole whack of new editions have debuted at TRIGGER: FERG’s Playge Doctor Skelve, the Overcast Kuma, 4-Legged Masao, and Fire-Eyes Mega Skelve (yes! An editioned Mega Skelve!), as well as the release of the Indigo Fade Skelve and reveal of Brandt’s next Trouble Boy: No. 7 Drifter for Tomenosuke. When an exhibition offers 2- and 3-dimensional works, individual and collaborative customs, limited editions, and sneak peeks from established artists at affordable prices, you cannot go wrong. But be prepared to fight crowds large enough to crack the websphere ;)

Enjoy the full gallery of photos here. More info on the new editions is forthcoming!

Some Quick Pics from TRIGGER!

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TRIGGER opened with BANG yesterday at Stranger Factory and, fortunately for us, FERG and shop minion Mikee were able to secure us some snaps while amidst the flurry of setup!

We all knew this would be a show that would set the bar for 2012 and now we have the pics to prove it. A melange of 2- and 3-dimensional works, TRIGGER is a showcase of some of the most dynamic, intriguing and downright unusual customs to date from FERG and Brandt Peters. We’ve got sex, we’ve got violence and even some mad scientist goin’ on up in here!

ABQ localites, the show’s on ’til the end of the month — stop by and see it for yourselves! Mailing listers, all will be revealed tomorrow (the 8th) when the preview goes live at noon PST. You’ll have a day to drool over everything and the email request period opens Monday (the 9th) at noon PST. Good luck to all — click through for a full photo gallery below!

Read More »Some Quick Pics from TRIGGER!