Chuck Sperry

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.

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The Black Keys • Beale Street Music Festival • Memphis

THE-BLACK-KEYS-BEALE-ST

The Black Keys
Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis
30 x 23
Edition of 125
5 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

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THE-BLACK-KEYS-VARIANT
The Black Keys
Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis
30 x 23
Vintage Variant Edition of 25
5 colors on acid-free textured paper
Signed and Numbered
Sold Out – Thank You!
 
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The Black Keys asked for a bluesy poster that captured the authentic roots of Beale Street, Memphis. My poster: a moment from the illustrious history of Beale Street, the roots of blues and rock and roll, with the texture and warm colors of an approaching May night as the shadows lengthen along the front of the pool hall on Beale.

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“The Flowers of Popular Victories,” June 7-July 10, Rome, Italy

ROME POSTER WEB

The Flowers of Popular Victories

World renown American screen-print artist Chuck Sperry from San Francisco will be showing his new original large-scale works of art at Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Rome. Mr. Sperry’s art is energized by the political street art and concert posters he has prolifically created for over 25 years. His new pieces, exhibited in Rome for the first time, express the synergy of social concern and popular iconography, graffiti and detourned classical themes, political outrage and imagery drawn from the Century-long world tradition of poster-making. This is his first ever solo show.

Rome, Italia

On Friday, June 7, 2013, Mondo Bizzarro Gallery of Rome will debut a special month long solo exposition of Chuck Sperry’s art. Mr Sperry will be showing a dozen large-scale, screen-printed works of art. In addition over 75 of Chuck Sperry’s limited edition silkscreened concert posters will be available with some of his newest posters on view.

The exhibition will open Friday, June 7th with an opening night reception and party that is free and open to the public. The reception begins at 6pm and the first 25 attendees will receive an exclusive limited edition screen print to commemorate the occasion. The show will be on view to the general public until July 10.

About Chuck Sperry:

Sperry works in San Francisco, but exhibits internationally from Athens to Argentina, Bristol to Belgrade. By conducting workshops and lectures all over the planet, Sperry’s tutelage has inspired a new generation of rock poster and silkscreen artists worldwide.

Sperry’s artwork has been exhibited at leading San Francisco art institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; his prints have been archived by the Achenbach Graphics Arts Council, The Oakland Museum of California, San Francisco Public Library (Main Branch), the United States Library of Congress, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He has participated in a variety of international art fairs including Scope Art Fair, San Francisco ArtPad, Buenos Aires Art Fair, and Art Basel Miami.

He is represented in San Francisco by Varnish Fine Art Gallery, and in Rome by Mondo Bizzarro Gallery.

Relevant information:
Who: Mondo Bizzarro Gallery presents “The Flowers of Popular Victories”
What: a solo art exhibit of Chuck Sperry’s newest large-scale screen printed works of art
When: June 7, 2013 – July 10, 2013
Where: Hosted at Mondo Bizzarro Gallery: Via Sicilia, 251 / 00187 Rome, Italy / +39 06 4424 7451

Relevant Links:
Mondo Bizzarro Gallery – http://www.mondobizzarrogallery.com
Chuck Sperry – http://sperry.wpengine.com

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“The Flowers of Popular Victories,” June 10-15, Tellaro, Italy

TELLARO WEB

The Flowers of Popular Victories

World renown American screen-print artist Chuck Sperry from San Francisco will be creating a special contemporary art installation and showing his new original large-scale works of art at the Oratorio Santa Maria in Selaa, Tellaro. Mr. Sperry’s art is energized by the political street art and concert posters he has prolifically created for over 25 years. His new pieces, exhibited in Tellaro for the first time, express the synergy of social concern and popular iconography, graffiti and detourned classical themes, political outrage and imagery drawn from the Century-long world tradition of poster-making. This is his first ever solo site-specific installation.

Tellaro, Italia

On Monday, June 10, 2013, The Comune di Lerici will debut a special week long site-specific installation and solo exposition of Chuck Sperry’s art at the beautiful Oratorio Santa Maria in Selaa in the heart of the old port of Tellaro and with a breathtaking view of the sea. Mr Sperry will be creating an very special installation and is including a dozen large-scale, screen-printed works of art. In addition over 75 of Chuck Sperry’s limited edition silkscreened concert posters will be available with some of his newest posters on view.

The exhibition will open Monday, June 10th with an opening night reception and party that is free and open to the public. The reception begins at 6pm. The show will be on view to the general public until June 15.

Sperry will bring the public into a total environment, one that includes sound and light, in an unconventional revision of the historical oratorial use of the specific setting of the art exhibition.

Franz Treichler – singer of The Young Gods – was commissioned by Sperry to create a pre-recorded soundtrack to advantage the unique acoustic quality of the Oratorio.

Bill Ham – acknowledged Master of the Psychedelic light show – has exclusively released a digital beam projection light show for Sperry’s installation will be on view on the face of the Oratorio di Santa Maris in Selaa on every night of the installation, starting at dusk.

A special concert of RADIO ZERO will finish the exhibition at the Oratorio on Friday, June 15 with an after party and Chuck Sperry rock poster exposition at Red Fish Cafe with DJ Spike.

About Chuck Sperry:

Sperry works in San Francisco, but exhibits internationally from Athens to Argentina, Bristol to Belgrade. By conducting workshops and lectures all over the planet, Sperry’s tutelage has inspired a new generation of rock poster and silkscreen artists worldwide.

Sperry’s artwork has been exhibited at leading San Francisco art institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; his prints have been archived by the Achenbach Graphics Arts Council, The Oakland Museum of California, San Francisco Public Library (Main Branch), the United States Library of Congress, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He has participated in a variety of international art fairs including Scope Art Fair, San Francisco ArtPad, Buenos Aires Art Fair, and Art Basel Miami.

He is represented in San Francisco by Varnish Fine Art Gallery, and in Rome by Mondo Bizzarro Gallery.

Relevant information:
Who: Comune di Lerici presents “The Flowers of Popular Victories”
What: Special installation and solo art exhibit of Chuck Sperry’s newest large-scale screen printed works of art
When: June 10, 2013 – June 15, 2013
Where: Hosted at Oratorio di Santa Maria in Selaa,Tellaro

Relevant Links:

Comune di Lerici – http://www.comune.lerici.sp.it
Chuck Sperry – http://sperry.wpengine.com

The Young Gods – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Gods

Bill Ham: http://www.billhamlights.com/history.html

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Bloom, After Party & Chuck Sperry Rock Art Show

WP-SPRING-DETAIL

Bloom Gallery
1146 Main Street
Napa, California 

MAY 9, 10, 11 • 2013
8PM – 2AM – all three nights – Thursday, Friday & Saturday
Chuck Sperry Rock Art Show Opening May 9 with rarities and special releases.

Downtown Napa on Main Street
Big free after-party during the music festival

Free! Open to the public!
DJs and Beverages
Rock poster show by Chuck Sperry
DJ Jake Lake
The music festival in Napa closes at 10pm every night, so we are throwing downtown Napa’s coolest free and open after party and rock art show for everyone to enjoy.

Join our Facebook Event here.

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Rodriguez “Searching for Sugar Man” at the Warfield

RODRIGUEZ

Rodriguez at The Warfield, April 23, 2013

Firehouse-Goldenvoice No. 174

21 x 32

Edition of 125

3 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

_______________

RODRIGUEZ-SILVER

 

Rodriguez at The Warfield, April 23, 2013

Firehouse-Goldenvoice No. 174

21 x 32

Silver Edition of 10

2 colors on silver metallic paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

_______________

 

RODRIGUEZ-GOLD

Rodriguez at The Warfield, April 23, 2013

Firehouse-Goldenvoice No. 174

21 x 32

Gold Edition of 10

2 colors on silver metallic paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

__________________

 

For more on  Rodriguez read on…

The story remains one of the music world’s most unusual tales of the 1970s: an obscure debut LP by a Detroit singer-songwriter becomes a source of hope and inspiration to the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. Now, the story of Rodriguez and his cult album Cold Fact is the basis for Searching For Sugar Man, a riveting new documentary by filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul. Light In The Attic Records in partnership with Sony Legacy are honored to announce the release of the original motion picture soundtrack, comprising tracks from Cold Fact and its 1971 follow-up Coming From Reality – both reissued in 2008 and 2009 by Light In The Attic.

Back in the late ‘60s, Rodriguez was discovered in a Detroit bar by renowned producers Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore. They recorded a 1970 album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. Instead, Cold Fact bombed, and despite the release of a second LP, entitled Coming From Reality and produced by Steve Rowland, Rodriguez drifted into obscurity, even being subject to some fantastic rumors of a dramatic onstage death.  Cold Fact took on a life of its own when a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid-era South Africa. Banned by the government, the album became a country-wide phenomenon over the next two decades, and the soundtrack to a resistance movement of liberal African youth. Back in Detroit, working in construction and renovation (he also ran for mayor), Rodriguez was totally unaware that he was not just a folk hero but a household name thousands of miles away. Decades later, two South African fans, Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman and Craig Bartholomew-Strydom set out to find out what really happened to their hero, and their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the many myths they’d heard. Their story forms the basis of Searching For Sugar Man.

“I describe myself as ‘musico-politico’,” Rodriguez said recently. “I was born and bred in Detroit, four blocks from the city center. Back then, I was influenced by the urban sounds that were going on around me all the time. Music is art and art is a cultural force. As far as my work from Detroit comparing to the South African Apartheid, the similarities echo. The placards of the 1970s in the United States read things like: We Want Jobs and Stop the War – I was looking at the music from a working class perspective that was relevant, as it turns out, to the kids in South Africa.”

 

Archives

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

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