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My Experiences in Turbulent Utopia

03-03-2010 15:51:21

By Jack E. Atkinson

In almost photogenic cleanliness Pacula abducts the viewer into her artwork through texture, light, freedom, and complexity. The paint, thick and caked, has formed movements of assurance, speed, and trust through Pacula’s strong brushstrokes. Her willing freedom to break the “rules” of art by creating lines straight through and/or placing the brightest/whitest colors in the very center of her paintings adds interest to her work. The darting zigzags of color are intoxicating and intriguing, bold and spacious, they create the neon/electronic networking of what we recognize as the cityscape, a city of exhilaration and exuberance.

The complexity comes from the idea itself, are these photo realistic representations of the city? Or do they represent more? It depends where it takes you, to the sidewalks of the city, any city. Within any city you’ve become familiar with the emotions and anxieties that these paintings reflect. The overwhelming aura of speed, rush hour every hour, the feeling of being wound tight, of overwhelming lights, the anxiety of motion yet the need to go faster, drugged on psychedelics and wandering through the neon streets at night. Her cityscapes entrance and dizzy with their pure colors and surreal movement.

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This Is Hybridism

12-18-2009 18:43:48

Hybridism is a word that not only refers to the art show, but it’s also a term that I am using to describe the young and progressive art movement of today.  It is the reaction to the “Everything that can be done, has been done” mentality and provides a means of outward expression for individuals who create art that is not of a single genre.  Hybridism is a collage of ideas and influences, techniques and mediums, all on an equal and level playing field.  Furthermore, I classify Hybridism as the Art of the Now, challenging the elitist nature of our current art culture by integrating a cross section of artists that represent the range and breadth of today’s emerging creativity.  Hybridism is nothing new, as the idea of merging and conflicting styles has been a constant in art for quite some time. While there do exist some descriptions that denote the art of today, such as “Outsider Art” or “New Contemporary Movement”, the terminology fails to capture the essence and integrity of the work, which is the conglomeration of influences from a multitude of sources and time periods.  It’s also my opinion that the term “Contemporary Art” is no longer applicable as an umbrella description, as we enter and progress into the 21st century.  I believe that new terminology must be used when speaking of this eclectic creative renaissance, as this is new art represents an emerging generation of artistic integrity.  Hybridism becomes the joining force that brings the loose ends together. 

Skewville-Skew Dog

Adam Miller Invitation

Robbie Busch- El Diablo

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AVOID pi Video

12-16-2009 18:13:03

Mighty Tanaka featured artist AVOID pi brings us a cross-section of his life, art, music and inspirations with the premier of his latest hybrid graffiti video!

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Mighty Tanaka & PSFK Article

12-16-2009 18:11:38

PSFK Article on “Hybridism: Where Raw Meets Refined” Exhibition.

http://www.psfk.com/2009/12/hybridism-where-raw-meets-refined.html

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Marlo Marquise

12-16-2009 18:10:28

Did you know that Mighty Tanaka featured artist Marlo Marquise not only paints portraits of celebrity misfits, but she also has a stunning pin-up modeling portfolio and is coming up big time in the NYC burlesque scene too! Definitely check out her fan page, then lift your chin off the ground…

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Marlo-Marquise/198792406103?ref=mf

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Vinny Cornelli on Friends We Love blog

12-16-2009 18:09:11

Mighty Tanaka featured artist Vinny Cornelli makes an appearance on the Friends We Love blog! His “Street Layers” photography urges the viewer to take a closer look at the urban environment, revealing the beauty of the fine detail. Vinny is most definitely a friend who we love as well!

http://friendswelove.com/blog/street-layers-we-love-vinny-cornelli-photographer-guest-blogger/

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Brooklyn Street Art Blog on Mighty Tanaka Studio

12-07-2009 10:19:57

Have NO Fear – Mighty Tanaka is Here!

Check out the article from Brooklyn Street Art on our opening and shiny new studio!

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theBlog/?p=6326

blurb:
Mighty Tanaka Gallery, a labor of love turned a reality with the vision of Alex Emmart, who has been toiling behind the scenes for a couple of years to build a rather strong and fairly eclectic collection of art and artists – many of them fresh out the gate.

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Mighty Tanaka featured on Curated Magazine

12-07-2009 10:14:50

Mighty Tanaka is featured on the latest Curated Magazine blog! Check it out!!

http://www.curatedmag.com/news/2009/12/03/mighty-tanaka-hybridism-preview/

Mighty Tanaka Grand Opening - Hybridism

Mighty Tanaka Grand Opening - Hybridism

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Welcome to Mighty Tanaka Studio

11-29-2009 20:12:56

Hello and welcome to the newly overhauled Mighty Tanaka website!  Please bear with us, as we are still ironing out the kinks. In order to create a fully accessible and interactive site, we scrapped the original website design in order to provide you with something much more function and utilitarian.  We look to familiarize you with the artists and artwork as well as the gallery and Mighty Tanaka as a whole.  We will be continuously working on improving the site over the next month, bringing you some of the hottest artwork from NYC.

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Reginald Pean

11-17-2009 13:34:55

Mighty Tanaka Featured Artist Reginald Pean does it free-hand. Thats right, the amazing Red and Blue “3-D” images are not traced or copied but rather drawn with exact precision! Definitely a must see!!

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Reginald-Pean/47992451470?ref=nf

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Mike Schreiber & Krul Bol

10-07-2009 19:05:13

Check this out! Our good friend Mike Schreiber teamed up with Krul Bol to produce this intriguing and insightful visual poetry. As always, Mike’s imagery is stunning and the flow of the words gives context beyond the boarders of the photo. Well done, guys!!

http://www.alt8mag.com/001/place.htm

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Skewville's Cameo on BBC

11-01-2009 19:01:40

Mighty Tanaka featured artist Skewville and their iconic hanging sneakers make a cameo appearance in this BBC news special report!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8334137.stm

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Alexandra Pacula & JMR Opening Pictures

10-15-2009 17:08:41

We would like to apologize for not having the photographs of the Alexandra Pacula & JMR opening up sooner. Mighty Tanaka would like to extend a very special to Vinny Cornelli for taking these wonderful photos of the nights events.

<—- You can view them all in our IMAGES link, under ‘Opening/Events’ category.

Alexandra Pacula & JMR Show

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Mighty Tanaka Presents: Alexandra Pacula & JMR

07-17-2009 18:06:54

Opening Friday, July 17, 6pm-10pm at Dapper Dan’s Imperial Gallery, 139 West 14th St bt 6th and 7th Ave.  Show runs until July 31

Motion, flow and scale are common influences that conjoin the art of Alexandra Pacula and JMR.  Individually, they are daring to explore uncharted terrain within their own unique style and progression of form.  Opening July 17, Mighty Tanaka is proud to present Alexandra Pacula and JMR, in a double-solo show.  Bringing forth a rehashed idea to Dapper Dan’s Imperial Gallery, the two artists both juxtapose and compliment one another in such a way that exemplifies the range and breadth of a style all their own.

In their own words-

Alexandra Pacula: My work investigates a world of visual intoxication. It captures moments of enchantment associated with urban nightlife. I am fascinated by the ambiance of the city at night and its seductive qualities. The colorful lights become a magical landscape with enticing opportunities and promises of fulfillment.  In our seemingly content society there is a struggle to achieve greater levels of enjoyment. We explore various environments and activities in search of pleasure. Extravagant lights of night environments seduce us to participate in curious events, enticing us to experience new forms of satisfaction.  In my oil paintings I aim to capture various atmospheres that occur in such environments. Through observation and documentation I assemble images, which become visual tools for my paintings. I concentrate on how the mind perceives and evaluates surroundings while under the influence of a social climate.  I recreate the feeling of dizziness and confusion by letting the paint blur and allowing shapes to dissolve. I suggest motion in order to slow down the scene and capture the fleeting moments, which tend to be forgotten. By interpreting lights in graphic or painterly ways, I create a sense of space, alluding to a hallucinogenic experience. Color is the main factor for setting the mood. By using mostly warm browns and reds I create an inviting, candle-lit atmosphere and by introducing cool blues, and contrasting colors the environment becomes energetic and noisy. I want the viewers to experience my paintings as if they were in a place of nighttime entertainment where the mood changes as the night goes on.

JMR: As a Brooklyn native, I am inspired by the flux of the city: memories and photographs of painted elevated trains, illuminated windows in nocturnal cityscapes, broken glass shimmering in dull sidewalks, and the panoply of cultural pluralism, increasing by the day, even in a city already as diverse as New York. In the public space of the city, street artists appropriate the urban environment by layering ideas on top of one another. Wheat pasted posters, aerosol designs, white rolled lettering, advertisements, stickers, peeling and decaying paper, brick. The process I use in my work is an attempt to mimic this. I collage the initial surface or leave it clean, and then paint projected drawings over it.  This layering technique results in an interplay of tangled, swooping, and jutting lines, which coalesce into unexpected shapes, emerging as vivid fields of color. Ultimately these images are informed by urban iconography, but they also contain a more personal narrative.  Much time is spent filling pages with autonomous ink drawings, rendered and defined, before projection. The viewer is presented with a dichotomy, as, despite its condensed and chaotic appearance, the work strikes the eye as both simple and open. The projections abstract the original surface image; the process creates a nocturnal environment, leading me beyond the physicality of the urban landscape.

Alexandra Pacula & JMR Show Card

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JMR's Time Lapse Video

10-15-2009 18:06:23

Mighty Tanaka is proud to bring you this special JMR preview video filmed by Cano Rojas!  Please come out Friday, July 17, 6-10pm at 139 W 14th St bt 6th and 7th Ave to see more work by JMR and Alexandra Pacula in this exclusive double-solo show!

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