Chuck Sperry

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Archives for November 2017

November 27, 2017 By squirt

Sperry’s New Art Print at Art Basel Miami / Context Art Fair with Spoke Art Gallery

The Ostracon by Chuck Sperry

The Ostracon, 2017
20 x 34
Edition of 150
7 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered
_______________

I will be making a very limited release of “The Ostracon” and it’s variants, my fourth and final Jerry Garcia portrait, with a very special book signing of “Helikon”  – Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 2 pm – through Spoke Art Gallery at Context Art Fair during Art Basel Miami.

Please visit us at Spoke Art Booth C133!

Read More: Sperry’s beautiful new art book, “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” (2017)

_______________

Notes on “The Ostracon”

Ostrakon. (in ancient Greece) a potsherd, especially one used as a ballot on which the name of a person voted to be ostracized was inscribed.

“At any time, by a majority of votes written secretly upon potsherds (ostraka), the Assembly, in a quorum of six thousand members, might send into exile for ten years any man who in its judgement had become a danger to the state. In this way ambitious leaders would be stimulated to conduct themselves with circumspection and moderation, and men suspected of conspiracy could be disposed of without the law’s delay.”

— Will Durant, The Life of Greece, The Story of Civilization, Part II

While working on my book “Helikon” my work has been driven and inspired by the spirit of the ancient Greek muses and Greek mythology; Greek myths fill my art and my printmaking with theme and motif.

My creative roots are in the San Francisco poster movement which began in the utopian spirit of social experimentation in the Haight-Ashbury, where I live today. I look sometimes at my early rock poster work through be-mused glass; music was viewed as “therapy” by the Greeks. Confirmation that the ancients were well-attuned. Anyone who knows the rock concert experience as I do, knows rock fans feel this way still today.

Art for music concerts is a popular business, something with which the fine art world may be uncomfortable. In a democracy full of popular businesses, Art recently realizes it is also one. I hope my art serves as a democratizing influence in the sphere of fine art and in the culture at large.

Since the election of November 2016, I’ve refocussed on my political motivations, and I’ve aimed to make a social impact with my work. Following the popularity of my 2011 Occupy poster “This Is Our City, And We Can Shut It Down” I created a related typographic propaganda poster for the Women’s March of January 2017, “Resist Sexism, Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Ignorance, Corruption and Hate.” 

I made another poster which became emblematic of the March for Science of April 22, 2017.

I was pleased to see that my March for Science posters reached the lectern of the demonstration where keynote speaker Bill Nye posed with NASA astronaut Leland Melvin alongside my poster image. My Women’s March poster and my Occupy poster were recognized by inclusion in the United States Library of Congress and in exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It’s sincerely gratifying to receive  institutional recognition, but the pressing point is to open minds and to inspire participation in our democratic society.

Long ago as a teen I was packed off to college with Will and Ariel Durant’s eleven volume “Story of Civilization” by my enlightened parents who felt these books a necessary provision for well-rounded citizenship. I am always most drawn to volume 2, “The Life of Greece.” I re-read this book constantly.

The Will Durant passage above — which describes the ancient Greek institution of democratic ostracism — was part of my inspiration for my newest art print “The Ostracon.” His words describing ancient greek polity spark thoughts of a vibrant, if messy and flawed, democracy. Today’s news is filled with a similar vibrance and messiness: impeachment, investigations, and a series of scandalous banishments. American democracy has been going through unimaginable upheavals in the last year; ostracism is in the air.

In researching more deeply into ostracism, I encountered the words of august archeologist Professor John McK Camp II, Director of the Agora Excavations of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and professor of classics at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. I contacted him to ask permission to attach his words to my art; he generously agreed. Prof. John Camp offers — in a spirit of openness and possibility — the concept of democratic ostracism as an interesting solution in this peculiar era of American democracy:

“The United States has borrowed lots from the ancient Greeks, including such bedrock items as architecture, the Olympics, coinage, theater, and, most important, the concept of democracy. Visitors to Athens can still view the official drinking cups and tableware used in the 5th century BC, when legislators were wined and dined at state expense. Not much, in fact, has changed since antiquity except the technology.

“One aspect of ancient political life has not been adopted, however, and perhaps it’s time to bring it back: ostracism. Once a year the Athenians would meet and vote on a simple question: Is anyone aiming at a tyranny, is anyone becoming a threat to the democracy? If a simple majority voted yes, then they dispersed and reassembled two months later. They brought with them their ostracon (a fragment of pottery), on which they had scratched the name of the person they thought represented a threat. The man with the most votes lost. He was exiled for 10 years, and this was thought to calm any anti-democratic leanings he might have.” 

— John McK Camp II,

(From “Ostracized in Athens,”  The New York Times, July 24, 2003 by permission of the author)

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Art Basel, Art Basel Miami, Chuck Sperry, Context Art Fair, Helikon, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Spoke Art

November 22, 2017 By Hangar 18

Vice: Serigrafía Global: una exhibición sobre género y visión estética by Sergio Pérez Gavilán

Serigrafía Global: una exhibición sobre género y visión estéticaTranslated in English:

Bringing together talents from around the world, Spoke Art San Francisco returns with a new exhibition entitled SERIGRAPH. Through giving absolute freedom to each of the artists to generate new visual proposals, this exhibition seeks to revitalize and celebrate the medium of analog printing, totally outside of an advertising or commercial context, with various aesthetic proposals that highlight the gender lines , background and aesthetic vision.

The works visible to the public, from November 30 to December 22, 2017, seek to show without masks or apologies the breadth of the medium as a means of expression. Be it surrealist landscapes with pop tints, hyperrealist portraits or strange unions between animé aesthetics and art noveau, SERIGRAPH will converge on how things really do not depend on the medium, but on the intention and the artistic vision.

You can see more works below:
Demeter, 2017 by Chuck Sperry

Read More

Filed Under: Press & Reviews Tagged With: Sergio Pérez Gavilán, Vice

November 21, 2017 By squirt

Sperry In Serigraph Invitational Expo at Spoke Art, SF

Spoke SF is pleased to present SERIGRAPH INVITATIONAL, a dynamic group exhibition celebrating screen printing and analog print making as both a medium and a process. This comprehensive survey includes artists from a wide variety of genres including:

Florian Bertmer, Bungaloo, Burlesque Design, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Rhys Cooper, Craig Drake, Matt Dye, Jeremy Fish, Jayde Fish, Icy & Sot, Nikita Kaun, Landland, Aj Masthay, David Moscati, Prefab77, Jermaine Rogers, Justin Santora, Snik, Chuck Sperry, Marq Spusta, Matt Taylor, Jeff Wood and Zoltron

RSVP for opening night via the event page here.

All prints will be available first to attendees at the opening reception on a first come, first served basis and later online. Pre-sales will not be available for this exhibition.

I will be presenting a very limited oak panel edition of “Demeter” at Spoke Art for this show.
Spoke Art will have an allocation of Sperry’s edition on oak panel on opening night only. 

RSVP here.

Demeter, 2017
20 x 30
Edition of 30
7 colors on Oak Panel
Signed and Numbered

Read more about Chuck Sperry & his newest art book here

Filed Under: Art Prints Tagged With: Aj Masthay, Bungaloo, Burlesque Design, Chuck Sperry, Craig Drake, David Moscati, Florian Bertmer, Icy & Sot, Jayde Fish, Jeff Wood, Jeremy Fish, Jermaine Rogers, Justin Santora, Landland, Marq Spusta, Matt Dye, Matt Taylor, Nikita Kaun, Prefab77, Rhys Cooper, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Snik, Spoke Art, Zoltron

November 20, 2017 By Hangar 18

Juxtapoz: Spoke Art’s Latest Group Show Focuses on the Aesthetic and Medium of Print Making

From Juxtapoz: Spoke Art’s Latest Group Show Focuses on the Aesthetic and Medium of Print Making by Staff on November 20, 2017.

Spoke Art‘s latest show is titled SERIGRAPH, a dynamic group exhibition celebrating screenprinting and analog printmaking as both a medium and a process. This comprehensive survey includes artists from a wide variety of genres, backgrounds and styles.

Juxtapoz: Spoke Art's Latest Group Show Focuses on the Aesthetic and Medium of Print Making by Staff on November 20, 2017

Each artist brings their unique experience in screen printing from their broad ranging experience in the worlds of gig/rock posters, movie and film work, street art, fashion and beyond. Working with single and multicolor screen prints, each artist has created a new limited edition pushing and melding the boundary of the analog print process. Typically working with art directors and clients for commercial and licensed projects, SERIGRAPH allows this curated artist list a creative freedom not commonly found in their day to day work. This allows for an exploration of artistic practice in a completely restriction-free space has resulted in stunning array of works within the medium.

Read More

Filed Under: Press & Reviews Tagged With: Juxtapoz, Ken Harman, SERIGRAPH, Spoke Art

November 14, 2017 By squirt

Jerry Garcia “Built To Last” Limited Edition Print by Chuck Sperry

Jerry Garcia Winter by Chuck Sperry

Jerry Garcia (Winter), 2017
21 x 32
Edition of 500
9 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered

________________

Introducing “Built To Last”, the fourth and final print in our portrait series with acclaimed artist Chuck Sperry. A limited edition run of 500 prints will be released at GarciaFamilyProvisions.com between 2pm EST and 5pm EST on Tuesday, November 21st. As with prior releases, prints will be restricted to 1 print per fan/household. Subscribe to the Jerry Garcia Newsletter at JerryGarcia.com to be among the first to receive notice when the prints are released.

The Fourth and final in a series of four screen-prints from renowned artist Chuck Sperry celebrating Jerry’s life and legacy. Each print is signed & numbered by the artist in an edition of 500.

“My fourth and final print in my portrait series, “Jerry Garcia (Winter)”, seeks to capture the wisdom and compassion of the Grateful Dead’s lead guitarist. Jerry anchored the concert hall with his good nature, while a wild, free improvisation swirled through him and around him. I wove a psychedelic paisley pattern throughout the design – and running through the iconic black t-shirt area as a matte and glaze black effect – rendered in nine colors, including bright hues, hand-blended metallics and translucent glazes. My aim is to portray the evolved Jerry, the enlightened artist who radiated peace, wisdom and compassion, and made music that was “Built to Last” – Chuck Sperry

I will be making a very limited release of my fourth and final Jerry Garcia portrait, a very special book signing of “Helikon”, and multiple print and wood panel releases – Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 2 pm – through Spoke Art Gallery at Context Art Fair during Art Basel Miami.

As an added bonus, the Dead & Co will be performing in the Miami area the next night (Friday), so twice as many reasons to come join us in Miami for a fun art-filled weekend!

Read More: Sperry’s beautiful new art book, “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” (2017)

Filed Under: Art Prints Tagged With: Art Basel, Art Basel Miami, Chuck Sperry, Context Art Fair, Helikon, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Jerry Garcia

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Online Release with EQL
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About Chuck Sperry

Chuck Sperry lives in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, where he’s made his particular style of rock poster designs for over 20 years. He operates Hangar 18, a silkscreen print studio, located in Oakland. Learn More…

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Sperry Books: “Color x Color” • “Helikon” • “Chthoneon” • “Idyllion”

Latest Blog Posts

  • Sperry Solo “Universal” Coming to Paris
  • Sperry in Popland 2025 at KochxBos Gallery, Amsterdam
  • Chuck Sperry’s Alice Donut Poster
  • Chuck Sperry’s “The Mystic” & “Iphigenia” Blotters • 
Online Release with EQL
  • Available Now: Chuck Sperry’s Newest Protest Art Poster

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