Chuck Sperry

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GRAPHIC RADICALS: 30 Years of World War 3 Illustrated

GRAPHIC RADICALS: 30 Years of World War 3 Illustrated

December 7, 2010 – February 7, 2011

Opening Tuesday, December 7, 7-9pm

 

Exit Art

475 Tenth Ave

New York, NY 10018

Gallery Hours:

Tuesday – Thursday 10:00am – 6:00pm

Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm

Saturday 12:00pm – 6:00pm

NEW YORK – Graphic Radicals is a 30th anniversary retrospective of World War 3 Illustrated, an independently published political comic magazine founded in 1980 by artists Seth Tobocman and Peter Kuper. Comprised of original comics, drawings and paintings, posters, commissioned murals, documentary film, animation and a complete set of issues, Graphic Radicals will be the largest World War 3 exhibition to date and will highlight the history that World War 3 has scrutinized, documented, and participated in for three decades.

World War 3 Illustrated was first established in response to the Iran hostage crisis and impending election of Ronald Reagan and since then has confronted social and political issues ignored by the mainstream press. The magazine is an annual publication produced by a collective of artists with each issue addressing a particular theme. WW3 has covered topics as diverse as the Tompkins Square riot, homelessness, first-person accounts of 9/11, the prison industrial complex, a teachers’ strike in Mexico, Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts and, in the upcoming issue, the food chain.

Critic Lucy Lippard wrote of World War 3 Illustrated that its “ecological and social prophecies are coming to pass, and the apocalyptic vision that gives WW3 its desperate force and unique identity is the present.”

ARTISTS

Mumia Abu Jamal, Penny Allen, Peter Bagge, Isabella Bannerman, Rosie Bottom, Steve Brodner, Zenzele Browne, Leigh Brownhill, Christopher Cardinale, Sue Coe, Scott Cunningham, Brian Damage, Eric Darton, Eric Drooker, Kate Evans, FLY, Susan Greene, Ethan Heitner, Chris Heneghan, Paula Hewitt, Mirko Ilic, Ryan Inzana, Melissa Jameson, Sandy Jimenez, Sabrina Jones, Kathy Kelly, Tom Keough, Stephen Kroninger, Peter Kuper, Irene Ledwith, Tom McDonald, Mac McGill, Rebecca Migdal, Naji-Al-Ali, Ursula O’Steen, Maddalena Polleta, Kevin Pyle, Carlo Quispe, Corinne Rhodes, Spain Rodriguez, James Romberger, Joe Sacco, Nicole Schulman, Susan Simensky Bietile, Erin Sinefit, Chuck Sperry, Art Spiegelman, Tenesh, Seth Tobocman, Teresa Turner, Lawrence Van Abbema, Anton Van Dalen, Edwin Vazquez, John Williamson, Susan Willmarth, Samantha Wilson, Leah Wishnia, David Wojnarowicz, WW3 Arts In Action, Micah Ian Wright

Organized by Peter Kuper, Seth Tobocman, and Susan Willmarth.


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Swiss Firehouse Tour with Lindsey Kuhn – October 2 to 8, 2010

Firehouse will be heading to Switzerland for a week long tour from October 2 until October 8, 2010. Ron Donovan and I will arrive for the Rockaholics show in Wadenswil/Zurich. We will join artists Lindsey Kuhn, Malleus, Guy Burwell, Chris Hopewell, Justin Kramerer, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, and photographer Fabian von Unwerth for the event.

Ron, Lindsey and I will then tour Switzerland together visiting Luzern with artist Mart Infanger, Bern, and Geneva. The tour ends in Frankfurt, Germany with a show with Ron and Lindsey appearing. Meanwhile, I’ll be flying home to attend The Rock Poster Society’s Hall of Flowers show in Golden Gate Park, home in San Francisco.

Rockaholics II – Saturday, October 2, 2010 – Villa Rosenmatt, Gessenerweg 5, Wadenswil/Zurich, Switzerland • Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, Malleus, Guy Burwell, Chris Hopewell, Justin Kramerer, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, and photographer Fabian von Unwerth.

“American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art” by director Merle Becker, will be debuted to the Swiss audience at Rockaholics II.

For Rockaholics II master printer Albert Mantel will produce beautiful and strictly limited anodized aluminum prints of many of the artists attending. I will be exclusively releasing 5 anodized aluminum images from my archive at the Rockaholics II event in Zurich, in editions of 5 each, signed and numbered. Here are the five images to be released as anodized aluminum:

Voice Magazine will debut a special edition of it’s publication devoted entirely to rock art – what a treat for attendees of Rockaholics II!

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Rock Poster Bazar – Monday, October 4, 2010 – Metzgerhalle, 1 Baselstrasse, Luzern, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, and Mart Infanger. Starts at 5 pm.

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Rock Poster Bazar – Tuesday, October 5, 2010 – Cafe Rossli, Under the Bridge at the Reithalle, Bern, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn, with Concert by Shellac at the Reithalle upstairs. Starts at 5 pm.

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Flashback – Wednesday through Friday, October 6-7-8, 2010 – La Station Orbitale, Bat G, SIP de Plainpalais 10 Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers, Geneva, Switzerland – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn. Opening October 7, 5 pm until late.

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I’ll be home October 9, 2010, from 10 am to 6pm for TRPS Festival of Rock Posters.

TRPS – Festival of Rock Posters – Saturday, October 9, 2010 – Hall of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. 10 am until 6 pm.

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Ron and Lindsey will be appearing in Frankfurt, Germany. My work will be appearing but I will be home for TRPS.

Rock Poster Art Show – Saturday & Sunday, October 9-10, 2010 – Gallery We Are 3, Stephanstrasse 1, Frankfurt, Germany – Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Lindsey Kuhn. Opening October 9, 7 pm until late.

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Faya Gallery – New York City – Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Faya Gallery, 211 Elizabeth Street, New York City, has invited Chris Shaw, Chuck Sperry and Peter LeCompte to exhibit their newest work through the month of September. The opening is on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 6pm to 9pm. Sperry will be showing his newest poster work, Chris Shaw will be showing his newest paintings, and Peter LeCompte will show his newest hand-painted silkscreen pieces.

This exhibition is a fusion of the rock poster aesthetic and fine art.

In Chris Shaw’s work the rock poster aesthetic informs the painting medium; there is a mash-up of bold psychedelic poster stylings with very painterly techniques informed by Renaissance styles of picture-making and subject matter.

Peter LeCompte is like a DJ who orchestrates pre-arranged musical samples into a continuous mix while also highlighting their obscure connotations. Le Compte juggles memory and color into what appear to be the solidified icons of a recovered happiness – they hark back to the more anxiety-free days of our collective pre-Vietnam war childhood.

Chuck Sperry brings his masterfully created silkscreened rock posters, resonating with the styles drawn from the poster art form’s long tradition – ranging from the roots of the poster tradition in Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession style to Psychedelic, Rock, Punk, Post-Punk, Grunge, Stoner and Pop. In Sperry’s work you can trace the history of the poster medium from the end of the 19th Century to the beginning of the 21st.

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A Decade with no Name, Hangar 18 Showcase, Jack London Square, Friday, August 6, 2010

Photo Credit: Mike Abramson

This Friday is going to be all about celebrating the creative talent that has come out of the East Bay for the past decade. There are two shows opening this friday as part of the East Bay Express’ “Best of the East Bay” Party. “A Decade with No Name” and “If These Walls Could Talk.” Hangar 18 Artists – Emory Douglas, Chuck Sperry, Ron Donovan, Chris Shaw, Alexandra Fischer, Reuben Rude, Dave Hunter, Alan Hynes, Jon-Paul Bail, Scott Johnson, Frank Zio and Zoltron – were invited to participate (see list and links below).

A Decade with no Name is going to be a group show of 22 artists who work in a variety of mediums. As the facebook event describes it: “multi-disciplinary look into the works currently being created in our collective backyard, “The Decade With No Name” serves as a celebration of the sculptors, painters, photographers and street artists who call Oakland, Berkeley and the greater East Bay their home.”

Pictures are borrowed from the artists websites.

Occurring simultaneously outdoors, “If These Walls Could Talk“ will feature a live showcase of aerosol art by Bay Area legends Chor Boogie, Apex and Eon75 with additional support from Los Angeles’ Dabs/Myla and Surge. All six artists will be working on live graffiti murals during the event.

The Hangar 18 artists will have a Poster Kiosk right across from the Graffiti Mural.

Check out the Facebook event for more details, this is all going on:

Jack London Square
Friday August 6th
5:00pm – 11:00pm

The Gallery is across from the Main Stage.

Participating Artists for “A Decade With No Name”:

Eddie Colla – http://eddiecolla.wordpress.com/
Zoltron – http://zoltron.com/
GATS – http://www.flickr.com/groups/graffitiagainstthesystem/
Ras Terms – http://www.myspace.com/rasterms
Monica Canilao – http://www.monicacanilao.com/
Meagan Donegan – http://meagandonegan.com/home.html
Annie Vought – http://annievought.com/
Scott Hove – http://www.mshove.com/
Peter Gronquist – http://www.petergronquist.com/
Owen Cook – http://theeowencook.com/
Brett Amory – http://www.brettamory.com/
Alika Cooper – http://www.alikacooper.com/
Brendan Monroe – http://www.brendanmonroe.com/
Aaron Nagel – http://www.aaronnagel.com/
Skinner – http://www.theartofskinner.com/
David D’Andrea – http://www.dvdandrea.com/
Dave Correia – http://www.playwithknives.com/
Jason Vivona – http://www.jasonvivona.com/
Deth P. Sun – http://www.dethpsun.com/
John Felix Arnold – http://www.theothersideofasmile.info/
Amanda Lopez – http://www.amandalopezphoto.com/
John Coyne – http://www.caughtinthescramble.com/

Poster Art / Hangar18 Showcase:
Emory Douglas – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emory_Douglas
Chuck Sperry – http://sperry.wpengine.com/
Ron Donovan – http://rondonovan.net/
Reuben Rude – http://www.reubenrude.com/
Dave Hunter – http://gammalyte.com/blog/
Chris Shaw – http://homepage.mac.com/c.shaw/Menu5.html
Jon-Paul Bail – http://www.gridlock.bigcartel.com/
Alexandra Fischer – http://www.facebook.com/Afishcalledalex
Alan Hynes – http://omgposters.com/2009/07/30/ten-questions-with-alan-hynes/
Scott Johnson – http://www.scottyjprints.com/
Frank Zio – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank-Zio/95871445028

Participating Artists for “If These Walls Could Talk”:
Chor Boogie – http://www.chorboogie.com/
Apex – http://www.vimby.com/video/art/us/all/detail/9695
Eon75 – http://maxehrman.carbonmade.com/
Dabs & Myla – http://www.dabsmyla.com/
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