R O C K P A P E R S C I S S O R

february 28 – march 21. 2009

Sponsored by:

Mike Watt +thesecondmen. courtesy VWKLA

The Nichemakers. courtesy VWKLA

Flea and Mike Watt. Courtesy VWKLA

THE PRE-PARTY

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSOR PRE-PARTY @ SPACELAND

Friday, Feb 27th, 8pm

Sneak Peak Performances by Lee Ranaldo (sonic youth), the NicheMakers, Ron English’s Electric Illuminati, Mike Watt+thesecondmen & Opening Hootenanny with Old War Shirt, M.S. Garvey’s Buspoems, Slings and Famous Bob Rokos

Lee Ranaldo. photo by dustin poulton

MIke Watt+thesecondmen. photo by dustin poulton

Background of the artists:

Raymond Pettibon is an icon of the artworld who sprang from the world of punk and illustration and whose work is now in the permanent collections of galleries and museums throughout the world and has exhibited at MOCA, SFMOMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Regen Projects, David Zwirner and the Robert Berman Gallery among many more. His early artistic roots lie in music, specifically in the Los Angeles punk rock scene, both performing music himself as well as designing artwork for bands such as Black Flag, The Minutemen, and Sonic Youth among others. He has continually created music over the last twenty years under various band names and collaborated with the likes of Mike Watt, Firehose, and Unknown Instructors.

Daniel Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. A pioneer of the Alternative music movement, Johnson was considered artistically ahead of his time and his output, story and fame has reached cult status. His songs have been covered by over 150 artists around the world including Tom Waits, Pearl Jam, Beck, The Twilight Sad, Sparklehorse, Wilco, Yo La Tengo, M.Ward, fiREHOSE, Bright Eyes, Teenage Fanclub, Built to Spill, Spiritualized, and The Flaming Lips. His artwork has gained international attention and gallery exhibitions as well and was included in the 2006 Whitney Biennial.

Sonic Youth which includes members Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Lee Ranaldo, is a seminal American alternative rock group formed in New York City in 1981.In their early career, Sonic Youth were associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City, but have outlasted most associated bands. Part of the first wave of American post-punk groups, Sonic Youth carried out their interpretation of the punk rock ethos throughout the evolving American indie underground. Sonic Youth were often praised for “redefin[ing] what rock guitar could do” using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and preparing guitars with objects like screwdrivers to alter the instruments’ timbre. Having earned a place all to themselves in music history as well as popular culture, members of the band have over the years also released books of poetry and prose, produced films and created visual art.

Ron English is a New York-based painter known for his unique, contemporary pop sensability who has exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide for over twenty years. In addition to painting, Ron English is widely considered to be one of the seminal figures in the culture jamming movement, in which artists and activists subvert existing advertisements to encourage free thought. His commentary and art were featured in the hit movie “Supersize Me,” widening his audience beyond the boundaries of intrepid art seekers, and he has appeared on television in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan. He is also the subject of an award-winning documentary, “POPaganda, the Art and Crimes of Ron English.” Ron also writes lyrics for music composition and has collaborated artistically and musically with Daniel Johnston and Jack Medicine in the Hyperjinx Tricycle project.

Gibby Haynes is frontman for the Texan-born Butthole Surfers, one of the leading underground bands of the 1980’s who arguably became known more for their outrageous live performances than the music they released. The band, under the direction of the incredible performances of Haynes, survived j ust under the radar of the majority of the mainstream music world. The Butthole Surfers left an influential mark on the act of rock performance that included elements of psychedelia, theatre, film, dance and special effects and drew crowds from all backgrounds and movements. Along with music, Haynes is an established visual artist exhibiting in both New York and Texas as well as acting, appearing in several films such as Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man with Johnny Depp, whom in 1995 he along with the Red Hot Chili Pepper ’s Flea started the side band “P”.

Guest DJ Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and DJ who emerged from the skateboarding scene and became known initially for his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign. Perhaps his most established work to date, however, is his “HOPE” poster campaign depicting now President Barack Obama. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, calls him one of today’s best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institute.

The Robert Berman Gallery has been in business in Santa Monica, California since 1979. One of the first galleries to be located at Bergamot Station Arts Center, it has occupied two exhibition spaces there for the last thirteen years. Founder and owner Robert Berman was early on in exhibiting artists such as Keith Haring and Raymond Pettibon and has done historical and seminal exhibitions by such artists as William S. Burroughs and the historically significant Man Ray, the largest of its kind to ever be held in the United States. The gallery recently held a retrospective for famed and late California artist Eric Orr, hosted a show of the most notable of the California graffiti artists entitled “Will Rise”, and the first ever gallery exhibition of Alex Steinweiss, the 91 year old “Creator of the Album Cover” who in the 1930’s was the first to take the album cover from a cardboard sleeve to a work of art. “Rock Paper Scissor” will certainly be a tremendous addition to this list. The gallery is also proud to announce the opening of a new space in San Francisco on Mission Street this April 2009.

An exhibition catalogue will be available for purchase.

For more information contact:

Jon Cournoyer
Robert Berman Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue, Suite D5/C2
Santa Monica, Calif 90404
Tel: 310.315.1937
www.robertbermangallery.com
joncournoyer@anet.net

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