Contemporary Art and Artists in Los Angeles - Beyond Pacific Standard Time

Los Angeles, CA, November 18, 2011 --(PR.com)-- "LA Aboriginal," featuring work by Los Angeles native Dave Tourje and held June-September of 2011 at the Gregory Way Gallery in Beverly Hills, has given birth to a new feature-length documentary now in production entitled "California Locos." The feature will tell the story of the rich, eclectic heritage of SoCal, its dynamic subcultures of surf, skate, hot rod, graffiti, rock and roll and gang culture and how they came to influence such renowned artists as Chaz Bojorquez, Brad Howe, John Van Hamersveld, Norton Wisdom, Gary Wong and Dave Tourje.

Each of these artists could have a book written about them with their many accomplishments and artistic talents, however, here is a brief overview of each:

Dave Tourjé was born and raised in the culturally eclectic Northeast L.A. of the 1970s and his upbringing amongst the skaters, surfers, gangs, and the area’s tribal friction play heavily in his work. Also a musician, Tourjé was a member of the influential L.A. band the Dissidents, playing shows with Camper Van Beethoven, Saccharine Trust, The Minutemen to name a few. Tourjé’s artwork oscillates between high and low, punk and institutional hegemony and was the subject of a one-man exhibition covering 15 years of paintings on acrylic glass at the Riverside Art Museum in 2002. It has been featured at the Oceanside Museum of Art, the Orange County Museum of Art, and Laguna Art Museum. In 1998, Tourjé helped to form the Chouinard Foundation after purchasing the home of Nelbert Chouinard, in order to help restore the lost history of one of the great art schools in the world. The short film about him, "L.A. Aboriginal," is now entering international film festivals at this writing.

John Van Hamersveld is known for an enormous catalog of pop images. From his iconic poster for the movie The Endless Summer, to his album cover work for The Beatles (Magical Mystery Tour), Blondie (Eat To The Beat) and the Rolling Stones (Exile On Main Street) to name but a few, Van Hamersveld’s iconic images have had a tremendous impact on popular culture and fashion from the early 60s to the present, including his influence on street artist Shepard Fairey. Van Hamersveld’s images incorporate a diverse mixture of sub-cultural design elements and formal academic training from both Chouinard and Art Center during the '60s, drawing off of diverse influences from Lorser Feitelson to his life as an iconic surfer.

Brad Howe’s work builds on the tradition of geometric abstraction. His steel and aluminum pieces combine the dynamic planar relationships and solid coloration associated with post-cubist modernism. Howe has exhibited in over eighteen countries worldwide, and his works have been placed in collections throughout 32 countries. Known for his international influences, the color, space and energy of SoCal play heavily into Brad's aesthetic sense.

Chaz Bojorquez is known as the godfather of graffiti art and is considered one of the first artists who successfully made the transition from street to gallery. His iconic street image, a stylized skull called “Senor Suerte” (Mr. Luck), has become a seminal icon in graffiti art. Bojorquez’s paintings are in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American Art in Washington D.C., the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM, and the Orange County Museum of Art. Bojorquez was prominently featured in the renowned Art in the Streets exhibit at MOCA in 2011. Chaz is known as a primary influence on many contemporary graffiti artists such as Saber, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and others.

Since 1979 Norton Wisdom has collaborated with musical ensembles, spontaneously painting images in response to the energy of the music and moment. His live performances include collaborations with Llyn Foulkes, Big Black, Badal Roy India, Kuan Tet Orchestra Tibet, Nation Bambsuchibet, National Bamboo Orchestra of Bali, Bernard Fowler, Lili Haydn, Flea, George Clinton, Beck, Mike Watt, Rob Wasserman, John Mollo and Dave Navarro, to name a few. His live painting performances have touched off a growing international movement of the same type, which he has been forwarding since the '70s.

Gary Wong studied under Emerson Woelffer and Matsumi Kanemitsu at Chouinard and was a vital part of the shifting dialogue integral to the formation of West Coast postmodernism and surf/skate/rock culture as we know it today. His visual language is a complex collage-based paint/draw process that often uses photography, and reflects his involvement in music as well as wider social and political concerns. Close friends and influences have included artists as diverse as Rick Griffin, Doug Wheeler and Al Ruppersberg.

The idea for California Locos was born at the panel discussion entitled "L.A. Influential" featuring these prominent artists. Moderated by artist Mary Anna Pomonis, the panel explored the subjects concerning their backgrounds as native Angelenos and L.A.'s influence on their art. The film is being produced by the award winning team Bayou Bennett and Daniel Lir of Dolce Films in New York, whose long list of clients has included Adidas, MTV, Nickelodeon, Chase Bank, Atlantic Records, Island Def Jam and Estee Lauder, amongst many others.

Production for California Locos began in late August of 2011 and is expected to weave a complex tale of art and influence surrounding these L.A. natives, revealing never-before-heard-of truth concerning L.A.'s seminal roots in contemporary art and subcultures, told first hand.

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