Obama Fiat by Boogie

Is there a chance that even Obama runs a Fiat car dealership in Mexico City? We just got this shot from Boogie, and it makes us wonder.

Posse on Broadway

Just a little something we have been using as inspiration around the office these days. This and getting tips from "The Glove" on where to eat.

10.Deep sample sale

Twelve Grain on Run's House

Jo Jo flossin’ a tee by Mr. Sam Flores on this week’s episode of Run’s House.

You can watch it for yourself here at the 3:54 and 2:27 minute marks.

New Obama Stickers from Munk One

Munk One has a new Obama print in sticker form. The “Yes We Can” sticker is available on his site and all proceeds will be donated to the Obama campaign. Minnesotans, be sure to grab one to display on the bumper of your car, skate deck, bike, or head next week. As you may recall, Munk One designed the sold out print below for the Obama campaign earlier this year. He is also currently exhibiting new works at FIFTY24LA Gallery in L.A. with Patrick Martinez.

Munk One's Obama Print for Upper Playground

Anthony Lister in London

Anthony Lister was in London this past January and painted this piece on a rooftop with artist, Sickboy. Then Lister goes back to London for his show this month at Elms Lester with WK Interact, and the building had since burned down but the painting survived. Kind of crazy. This is what Anthony refers to as a "Floater."

Joey Garfield, co-director of The Run Up, has a new video

Joey Garfield, the co-director of The Run Up, has a new music video out that he created for Langhorne Slim. Check out the dope wood creature/guy/dude/thing.

Paul Insect "Poison" Show opening September 12 in London

Paul Insect, who has done some tees with FIFTY24SF in the past, has a new show opening off site from Lazarides in London on September 12-21. The show is a site specific installation in an old Bath House in the King's Cross area of London, which is like the Tenderloin in SF . . . should be great stuff.

Jeremy Fish's Skate Deck Package and Barry the Beaver

Check out this pleasurable footage of a recent Barry the Beaver signing at Good Vibrations in San Francisco. Barry the Beaver’s creator Jeremy Fish, was on hand for an in-store signing. There are still a few Barry the Beavers for sale, in addition to other items from Jeremy’s SuperFishal line including an exclusive package of three Fish signed skate decks, his book “Once Upon a Time,” and a fresh New Era hat that will be released along with two other New Eras next week.

Limited edition skate decks, signed by Fish

Catalyst Group Show at FIFTY24SF Gallery

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 from 7-9:30 pm at FIFTY24SF Gallery in San Francisco for the opening reception of “Catalyst,” a group exhibition that will include eight of today’s most prominent visual artists from the abrasive music community.

The exhibit will bring together an underground community of artists in which aural and visual expressions converge. Artwork on display will comprise of a wide source of media, including new two-dimensional paintings, drawings, video installations, screen prints as well as an installation of seminal works from each of the artists’ extensive catalogues.

Artists Included: Aaron Turner, Josh Graham, Seldon Hunt, Stephen Kasner, Aaron Horkey, Florian Bertmer, Justin Bartlett and Dwid Hellion. The “Catalyst” group show will be on display at FIFTY24SF Gallery September 4 – 25, 2008.

Alex Pardee In-Store Signing at UP

Illustrator Alex Pardee will be signing his new skate deck and advance copies of his book titled “Awful Homesick" on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at Upper Playground’s flagship store in San Francisco.

Pardee’s unique artistic style draws upon influences ranging from horror films to graffiti. His work has been described as representing a circus sideshow cemetery, combining random shapes and colors with torment and absurdity.

You can check out the Facebook invite for more details.

Date/Time:
Sunday, September 7, 2008 from 2–4 pm

Address:
Upper Playground
220 Fillmore St. (at Haight St.)
San Francisco, CA
Phone: 415-861-1960

Pardee practicing his signing skills

Video from Manifest Hope Featuring Fairey, Spurlock

Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell visits Manifest Hope, a Denver event inspired by the Democratic presidential contender. Click here to watch the video that features artwork on display at the gallery, interviews with Shepard Fairey and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

Photos from The Manifest Hope Gallery in Denver

David Choe (and Sam Flores in the background)


Sam Flores and David Choe collaborating


Ron English wearing and in front of his signature Abraham Obama print

Mac and David Choe on a Denver rooftop

Shepard Fairey in front of his giant piece in Denver



Sam Flores stands in front of his masterpiece

Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me and 30 Days fame stops by to check out the action

James Brason x Deluxe Store

James Brason will be having a show at Deluxe in San Francisco. The opening reception is Sept. 4th from 5-8 pm.

Date Farmers at DNC

Here are the Date Farmers getting some well deserved rest after painting at the Upper Playground x Obey sponsored Barack Obama art exhibit at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The photo was taken by none other than Mr. Sam Flores. The DNC starts Monday in the Mile High City.

Sam Flores Checking in From Denver

This just in from Sam Flores...

Juxtapoz' NYC Graffiti Special Issue

We just got our copy of the September Juxtapoz, which is a special issue dedicated to New York City Graffiti. Not bad with the Seen cover, plus features on Seen, Quik, Ket, Haze, Lady Pink, Ghost, Crash, Cycle, Revolt, Freedom, and a nice interview with KR of Krink as well.



Ah, and a nice KR cover for the subscribers. Abstract and sweet.

Sam Flores & David Choe at Work in Denver

Sam Flores paints a new piece for The Manifest Hope Gallery

David Choe works on a new Obama masterpiece in Denver

Video from "Righteous Kill" Event

SA Studios sent over video from the Righteous Kill launch party in Downtown Los Angeles last Wednesday. Over 900 people came through in 3 hours. Estevan Oriol, Cobra, Danny Trejo, Jerry Heller, Rohan Marley, and DJ Muggs are featured in this clip.

David Choe in Denver

This just in...David Choe has started his Obama portrait for The Manifest Hope Gallery. Did you get your Choe print today? Better hurry...they're almost sold out.

David Choe x Barack Obama Prints x DNC

Fine artist David Choe is the latest artist to partner with Upper Playground to produce not one, but TWO Barack Obama prints. Choe has designed and produced apparel, adidas sneakers, comic books, movie posters, album covers, fine art books and toys, among many other projects. He is currently the star of a documentary about his life in the film Dirty Hands.

David Choe’s Barack Obama posters are part of an ongoing series from Upper Playground of artist collaborations in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Upper Playground has endorsed Obama's campaign by creating posters featuring artwork from Grotesk, The Date Farmers, Munk One, Ron English, Alex Pardee, Morning Breath, Mac, Sam Flores and Mear One, in addition to printing T-shirts with Shepard Fairey's Obama graphics to help support the campaign.

There were 200 prints made that are signed and numbered of each design, and each poster retails for $200. The limited-edition 18"X24" print is available exclusively online. Go HERE and HERE to buy yours now (please note: prints will not ship until Oct. 15, 2008).

All proceeds from the sales of the poster will go directly to creating more campaign t-shirts, posters, and stickers by other artists in support of Obama's bid for President.

Choe's statement about his vision for these prints:

I'm just an artist. All I do is paint pretty pictures, and sometimes when I go someplace and the Asian kids recognize me they project all their hopes and dreams on me like I was the next coming of Bruce Lee, like I’m a role model, and I start to get stressed out. I'm just an artist.

Obama might soon be the most powerful man in the world. That's heavy. I’m not really a political person, but our country is in such a mess, and if Obama gets elected next, I can’t even believe the pressure this guys gonna be under. He’s gotta carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and lead the entire nation. Millions will look up to him, while others will look down on him under close scrutiny. This society we live in just waits for people to fall, so they can point and laugh at our imperfections on late night TV.

So I was looking at this newspaper of a profile of Obama's head, and looking at a globe in my room, and I was thinking of an atlas kind of image with Obama carrying the world on his shoulders. He’s gonna have to become like a superhero to get us through this, but this battle is not so much physical in that it's more mental. It was late at night and my eyes were getting kind of blurry and I noticed Florida all the way to the bottom tip of Texas on my globe – looked like they followed Obama's hairline on his side profile. I sketched out Obama on the computer and put a map of the U.S. around his head, and it fit perfectly. America with all its ills and beauty, with all its economic, racial, religious, and political problems weighing heavy on Obama's mind, but for the first time, in a very long time, there seems like there's hope.
-David Choe

Upper Playground x Democratic National Convention

Upper Playground is partnering with Shepard Fairey, MoveOn.org and Evolutionary Media Group on a special exhibit at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The Manifest Hope Gallery will showcase both established and emerging artists and present the most widely recognized pieces seen throughout the 2008 presidential primary campaign, as well as newly commissioned works and previous works on loan from some of the United States’ top artists.

Featured artists at the exhibit will include Shepard Fairey and many of the artists that have designed Obama posters via Upper Playground including Sam Flores, Mac, Ron English, David Choe, The Date Farmers, and Justin Bua (his print will be available soon). Other artists include Chris Pastras, Mel Kadel, Todd Lockwood, Maya Hayuk, Cathie Bleck, CRO (Go Tell Mama), Evan Hecox, Lukas Ketner, Gary Baseman, Scot Lefavor, Lisa Congdon, Amy Martin, and many more. Resident DJ Jeremy Sole will on hand all week to inspire music inside the art galleries.

Where/When:
The Manifest Hope Gallery will be open to the public in Denver, CO at the Democratic National Convention, between Sunday August 24th, 2008 and Thursday, August 28th, 2008 from 10:00 am–5:00 pm daily. Housed within the Andenken Gallery (2990 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205) and an additional adjacent warehouse. The Manifest Hope Gallery spans 10,000 sq. ft. and will draw together a works as varied as the voices of the artists who created them.

On Wednesday, August 27th at 6:00 pm, Manifest Hope and partner San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will host Unconventional '08 with musical performances on an outdoor stage to feature artists such as: Silversun Pickups, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cold War Kids, Nada Surf and DJ Z Trip. Tickets are free and a limited amount will be available by visiting Manifest Hope Gallery in Denver. Additionally, there will be an intimate invite only VIP performance songwriter in the round performance featuring Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, Zooey Deschanel of She and Him, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf and singer/songwriter Jonathan Rice.

Are you a "Fan" of Upper Playground on Facebook?

For all you Facebook junkies, be sure to check out Upper Playground's new Facebook page. There's also a new Facebook page for FIFTY24SF Gallery.

Mike Maxwell Showing at Gallery 3

This Thursday, Aug. 21st is the opening reception for Mike Maxwell’s new work at Gallery Three in San Francisco. The reception will be from 7-11 pm. Mike exhibited at FIFTY24PDX Gallery in Portland earlier this year.

Ignite What's Next Art Tour

As a follow up to last year’s inaugural "Ignite What's Next” art tour from Sparks, Juxtapoz and Upper Playground, this year’s three-city tour will feature the talents of Alex Pardee, N8 Van Dyke and Sam Flores.

The events will showcase live paintings by these top contemporary artists. Each event will also include performances by progressive up-and-coming DJs for a mix-up of art, music and culture. Live art installations will take place at a variety of venues, ranging from urban boutiques to bars and nightclubs in Boston, Phoenix and Atlanta.

Locations / Dates:
Atlanta: Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 10 pm - LENNY’S BAR

Boston: Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 2 pm (daytime event in the street) – UNDERGROUND SNOWBOARDS

Phoenix: Friday, Saturday, Oct 3-4, 2008 at 10 pm – THE MARQUEE THEATRE

Photos from FIFTY24SF Show

Below are photos from the current show at FIFTY24SF Gallery featuring Basco Vazko, Jesse Reno, Keith Shore and Marco Zamora courtesy of Fecal Face. Marco Zamora also has photos on his blog. You can see their works for yourself until August 28th.

More Photos from New FIFTY24LA Show

Thanks to Munk One for the following photos from his new show at FIFTY24LA Gallery with Patrick Martinez. Check out his website for more images.

Photos from Last Night's Opening at FIFTY24LA Gallery

FIFTY24LA Gallery was packed last night for the opening reception of Patrick Martinez and Munk One. Their works will be on display until Oct. 4, 2008.

Retna and Patrick Martinez

Patrick Martinez Prints

Munk One next to the Beast

Munk One's adorable little girl and his #1 fan