Chuck Sperry

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  • Books: Color x Color • Helikon • Chthoneon

March 19, 2019 By squirt

Fort Wayne Museum of Art Acquires Sperry Tapestry “Demeter” for Permanent Collection

Thank you Fort Wayne Museum of Art for acquiring my large-scale tapestry Demeter for the permanent collection of the museum. I’m thrilled that Demeter will hold a place in the museum’s collection and inspire future generations.

 

Demeter, 2018 
Chuck Sperry 
82.7 x 126 inches (210 cm x 320 cm) 
Handwoven wool tapestry 

Production 
Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos 

Master Dyer 
Rafael Morquecho 

Weavers 
Antonio Flores
Pedro Ibarra Cazares (aka Solin) 
Abraham Flores
Pedro Ibarra Hernandez 

Semele Tapestry by Chuck Sperry

Excerpts from “Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” — Buy Chthoneon Here

I. The Tapestries

I was naturally drawn to realize my work in tapestry because the medium’s many resonances to my production methods, subject matter and themes. It’s archival permanence also appealed to my aim to seek a balance with the ephemerality of my work on paper. 

Historically tapestries have dealt with mythological themes, some of the earliest tapestries being whimsical depictions of Ovid’s Metamorphosis for the titillation of noble classes. I felt it would be interesting to re-envision these same themes in tapestry, reclaiming the divine feminine in a self-empowering way, for a classless milieu that underscores equality and democratic principles. In the 19th Century, William Morris, who championed “Art For All”—an appeal to the “makers” and their democratization of the arts —re-invigorated the ancient art of tapestry, lending me yet another reason to seek out this medium to express my work. 

Having encountered the striking beauty of Damián Ortega’s tapestry “Microchip IV” at the Mexican gallery Kurimanzutto at Art Basel in December 2017, I reached out to this tapestry’s producer Jaime Ashida, director of Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos, in early January of 2018 to pursue the realization of two triptychs: Graces and Thesmophoria. 

I was attracted by Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos’ use of metallics and the subtle shadings of color apparent in the Ortega tapestry. I intuited that this workshop would take great care to realize my subtle textures, transparencies and uses of metallic patterns. As our discourse unfolded I was struck by the depth of understanding and deep commitment that developed between us in the production of these absolutely masterful tapestries: there is a magic that was stirred from the depths of human compassion and belief. 

What has been created in the first year of our joyful collaboration is two-thirds of Graces (Thalia and Semele) and one-third of Thesmophoria (Demeter). Working with the master dyers, weavers, and stitchers of the Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos directed by Jaime Ashida has been a wonderful dream come true.

— Chuck Sperry 

II. The Process of Making… 

In June of 2018, I visited Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos in Guadalajara, Mexico with photographer Shaun Roberts. I wanted to meet Jaime and the Taller team to celebrate the completion of our work together for my museum solo “All Access” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art. I wanted to see these beautiful tapestries in person (each in various stages of finish), meet the makers, raise a glass, break bread, and bring Shaun to document the colors and textures of Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos in a series of photographs. What follows is Shaun Roberts’ photographic exposé of the mastery and care in the many stages of the intricate, time-consuming, age-old tapestry making process.

— Chuck Sperry 

III. Voices of The Workshop: A Triptych

Voice 1: “Chuck managed to decipher the capacity of representation and the possibilities of the particular technique of this tapestry workshop. He observed the textures and colors of the tapestries. The colors, in textiles of the kind, are tactile: it is wool and metallic thread, each color consists of three strands of different shades. I imagine that Chuck must have made an association with the textures achieved in screen printing when it is also combined with acrylic paint and mineral pigments, for example. He talked about the depth of colors, about transparencies, that there is no absolute solid colors, and that there is always a kind of unexpected alchemy taking place. The use of the three different strands for each tone, plus the metallic strands, achieved a richer palette that was evident in the textile translated triptych.

“In collaborative relationships with artists, I like to find those who go as far as possible in the use of the technique and its historical dimension.”

Voice 2: “When I first saw the design of what I would have to weave, I worried a little because I had never done something like that before. I noticed that the metallic finishing was working well and I got excited: it looked amazing! The feeling of tightness in the weaving was palpable, when adding the metal to the mixture of colored wool threads, it hardens and fits naturally in the fabric, that is to say: it helps. The experiment turned out very well and I am proud to have passed the test.”

Voice 3: “The women on the triptych look powerful and full of life, Goddess Creators. They reminded me of the representation of an Amazonian female deity: plenty of bright colors and surrounded by nature under her command to pursue the sake of her people and common causes. We chatted with Chuck about the mythic inversion of stories about female deities and how these goddesses were stripped of many of their attributes in the classic accounts of fundamental myths. Chuck seeks to tell those stories differently, depicting divine and powerful women within his oeuvre. When we said goodbye, the last thing he said was: keep fighting the power.”

— Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos

________________________________________________

American artist Chuck Sperry is known for his ethereal and psychedelically saturated screen prints that draw crowds of dedicated fans around the world. He draws inspiration from graffiti, pop art, Symbolism, Art Nouveau and ukiyo-e.

Moving past his early work devoted to subverting the memes of advertising, trash-culture, and comics — he currently imagines a verdant garden of new work tended by his signature shimmering muses, calling this work a “utopian provocation.”

He has been exhibited throughout The United States and internationally for 25 years, including solo shows in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Athens, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Buenos Aires, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

His work has been featured via the Arte Channel, New York Times, Le Parisien, The Guardian (UK), Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, The Huffington Post, RollingStone, Spin, Architectural Digest, and many more.

He currently lives in San Francisco, California.

Filed Under: Art Prints Tagged With: All Access, All Access Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Muses, Semele, The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Widespread Panic

November 3, 2018 By squirt

“All Access” Sperry’s Solo Museum Exhibition On View Until December 9. Go See It!

“All Access: Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry” a solo museum exhibition of my work is on view at The Fort Wayne Museum of Art until December 9. I urge you to go and have a look!

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is located at the intersection of Main Street and Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. 

Photos: Shaun Roberts

My exhibition features 3 large scale tapestries I designed, 31 screenprints on oak panel, 18 original ink and pencil drawings, and ephemeral color progressives which illuminate my unique printing process.  

“Chuck Sperry came to pre-eminence in the rock poster genre in the late-90’s, and has largely defined the genre in each decade since with his distinctive style and masterful printing technique.” — FWMoA 

Below are exhibition related links: an extensive interview in Juxtapoz, overview, and press notices of Sperry’s “All Access.” 

Exhibition Details from Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Insight from Fort Wayne Museum of Art

The Rock Poster Society Article by Ben Marks

Hi-Fructose Notice

Juxtapoz Interview

Opening Night Photos courtesy of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, photographed by Jason Swisher 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: All Access, All Access Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art

September 19, 2018 By squirt

“Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” Available Online October 7

“Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” – both the Gold and Silver Editions – is available now!
“Chthoneon” – released at Chuck Sperry’s wildly successful opening for his ongoing solo museum exhibition (see Andrew Novak’s video below) – is now available online to all.

All Access: Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry
September 15 – December 9, 2018

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is pleased to celebrate Chuck Sperry’s first solo museum exhibition. Sperry has been preeminent in the rock poster genre since the late 1990s and has largely defined the genre in each decade since with his distinctive style and masterful printing technique.

Published by Hangar 18
Foreward by Josef Zimmerman, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Curator of Contemporary Art
Hardback Second Edition of 1500 / “Silver Edition”
Silver embossed cover
9 x 12 inches / 136 pages
75 color illustrations
Printed and bound in the United States

Published by Hangar 18
Foreward by Josef Zimmerman, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Curator of Contemporary Art
Hardback First Edition of 500 / “Gold Edition”
Gold embossed cover, signed and numbered
9 x 12 inches / 136 pages
75 color illustrations
Printed and bound in the United States

“Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” delves boldly into Sperry’s artistic imagination, inspiration and reasoning, continuing where it’s companion book “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” left off. “Chthoneon” collects 22 gorgeously photographed new Sperry screen printed art works paired with the prose or poem — from Aristophanes to Margaret Atwood — that inspired each.

Indeed, dozens of Sperry’s newest art pieces are presented across 136 pages, including an up-to-date collection of his masterfully screen printed wood panel series of contemporary-classical muses — work inspired by the spirit of the modern rock poster, graffiti, and the utopian ethos of 1960’s psychedelia;  his ground-breaking large format handwoven wool tapestries — with a moving photographic journal (by Shaun Roberts) of his visit to Guadalajara to meet the tapestry-makers;  his political posters created for official distribution at the Women’s March and March For Science — wildly successful fund-raisers for Planned Parenthood and science education programs. “Chthoneon” is overflowing with evocative and inspiring new work from one of America’s most popular, outspoken and important contemporary artists.

The reader is offered fresh insight with an extensive interview of Sperry by Spoke Art Gallery curator Dasha Matsuura — first published in Juxtapoz — beautifully illustrated with dozens of Shaun Roberts photos to create an intimate portrait of the artist at work.

Chuck Sperry’s newest book “Chthoneon” celebrates the divine feminine and the regenerative power of nature, gathering together work shown in his first museum solo exhibition “All Access” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Foreward by museum Curator of Contemporary Art, Josef Zimmerman:  “Chuck Sperry sees into a world that is unknown to most.”

More photos of Sperry’s “All Access” opening: Spoke Art;  Final photo: Glenn Barr

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chthoneon, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art

August 24, 2018 By squirt

“Litmus Test” Exhibition at Fort Wayne Museum of Art on September 14

Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era

Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Exhibition Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

September 15 – December 9, 2018

The Psychedelic Era was, among many things, a cultural frontier for colors and imagery. Music, politics, and drugs ignited an unprecedented expansion of art revolving around these elements. College campuses around the country, now seen as the birthing grounds for much of the psychedelic era’s ideals, were hotbeds for bright young minds to organize politically and artistically. From Berkeley College to the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, young idealists organized and the art of the era came to fruition. This exhibition will be our bridge to that time, showcasing a variety of psychedelic era works on paper.

Highlighting this experience is the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan. The poster work and ephemera of Gary Grimshaw and the photography of Leni Sinclair will showcase the art that poured out of that time and place. Blotter sheets from Mark Mothersbaugh, H.R. Giger, S. Clay Wilson, Chuck Sperry, and more will represent the creative fuel for many of the artists of the time. Also featured will be the work of the poster artists of the time: Wes Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, and Alton Kelley. Lastly works by artists Alex and Allyson Grey and Isaac Abrams will display the fine art guided and influenced by the era and movement.

Exhibition Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

Celebrate opening weekend of this exhibit and Litmus Test: Works on Paper from the Psychedelic Era with live music, cash bar, appetizers, with many of the artists in attendance!

This exhibition is curated by independent curator and critic Carlo McCormick and FWMoA Curator of Contemporary Art Josef Zimmerman.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Alton Kelley, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Gary Grimshaw, H.R. Giger, Isaac Abrams, Leni Sinclair, Mark Mothersbaugh, Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso, Wes Wilson

August 5, 2018 By squirt

Preview: Sperry Solo Museum Exhibition, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, in September

This September 14th, Chuck Sperry will be opening a special solo museum exhibition “All Access: Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry”. This exhibition will be hosted at The Fort Wayne Museum of Art from September thru December 9th.

Opening Party: September 14, 6-9pm

More info on the event and information on purchasing tickets can be found here.

Sperry has been preeminent in the rock poster genre since the late 1990s and has largely defined the genre in each decade since with his distinctive style and masterful printing technique.

Symbolism, Secession, ukiyo-e, and psychedelia blend in Sperry’s flattened, post-modern figurative art: all potent ingredients Sperry strives self-consciously to re-evaluate for the 21st Century.

Several new wood panels will be available at this event as well as new paper editions including variants.

The exhibit will also feature two large scale tapestries, original ink drawings, and ephemeral color progressives which illuminate Sperry’s unique printing process.

Sperry’s newest art book will be released “Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” the 136 page follow up of his art book “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry”.

Nymph, 2018
20 x 32 inches
Oak Panel Edition of 30
7 colors screen printed on oak panel
Signed and numbered

_______________

Eirene, 2018
20 x 23 inches
Oak Panel Edition of 30
6 colors screen printed on oak panel
Signed and numbered

_______________

Mnemosyne, 2018
20 x 26 inches
Oak Panel Edition of 30
6 colors screen printed on oak panel
Signed and numbered

_______________

Gaia, 2018
20 x 26.25 inches
Oak Panel Edition of 30
7 colors screen printed on oak panel
Signed and numbered

_______________

Siren, 2018
17.5 x 33 inches
Oak Panel Edition of 30
7 colors screen printed on oak panel
Signed and numbered

_______________

Below, the contents page from my new art book “Chthoneon” – all these panels (and much more!) will be available to acquire at the exhibition:

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: All Access, All Access Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art

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Latest News

  • Sperry Art Shows in France in June and July
  • “Syrinx” Variant Edition Release on May 3
  • “Sappho” Variant Edition Release on May 1
  • Photo Story: Opening Weekend “Color x Color” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  • “Color x Color” Chuck Sperry Retrospective at Fort Wayne Museum of Art until July

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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”

Latest Blog Posts

  • Sperry Art Shows in France in June and July
  • “Syrinx” Variant Edition Release on May 3
  • “Sappho” Variant Edition Release on May 1
  • Photo Story: Opening Weekend “Color x Color” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  • “Color x Color” Chuck Sperry Retrospective at Fort Wayne Museum of Art until July

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