Beautiful Losers

Skateboarding, graffiti, punk and hip hop subcultures in the urban US have spawned a generation of artists speaking powerfully from the fringe with an entirely new aesthetic. The core of the project, titled Beautiful Losers, examines the work of visual artists, graphic designers, filmmakers, performers, Web and product designers who have emerged in the last ten years. The Beautiful Losers are Thomas Campbell, Cynthia Connolly, Brian Donnelly (KAWS), Shepard Fairey, Phil Frost, Mark Gonzales, Evan Hecox, Jo Jackson, Todd James, James Jarvis, Andy Jenkins, Chris Johanson, Spike Jonze, Margaret Kilgallen, Harmony Korine, Geoff McFetridge, Barry McGee, Ryan McGinness, Mike Mills, Stephen Powers, Clare Rojas, Ed Templeton, Romon Yang and Tobin Yelland.

A complementary component, Roots, explores the genesis of the movement in the work of artists of the previous generation. Roots will include examples of the collaborative projects of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol; works by Neil Blender, Henry Chalfant, Larry Clark, R.Crumb, Glen E. Friedman, Ari Marcopoulos, Raymond Pettibon, Pushead and Craig Stecyk; samples and graffiti documentations by Dondi, DOZE, Fab 5 Freddy, Futura, Keith Haring, HAZE, Lady Pink, Pushead, Lee Quinones, SAMO; and the hand-painted skateboards of Dogtown's Wes Humpston.

Pro skater-turned-musician Tommy Guerrero will curate an environmental Soundscape that traces the relationship between skate culture and popular music. The exhibition also includes a selection of ephemera created by many of the artists and designers in Beautiful Losers including album covers, clothing, interactive media, prints, historically significant skateboards, toys and zines. Finally, the collective underSkatement will curate a program of contemporary and historical skate-art films and video works that will be screened in conjunction with the exhibition.

Pressetext

Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture