Creep Machine Magazine – Contemporary Art & Culture

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  • “In Memory” by Caitlin Hackett

    “In Memory” by Caitlin Hackett

    From now until December 1st, Samantha Levin Fine Art is offering 30% off Caitlin Hackett’s gorgeous limited edition print of “In Memory.” The image size is 24″x18″ printed on Archival Arches BFK Rives 315gsm Cotton Rag paper. This small edition of 20 is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a certificate of authenticity. To purchase: Visit Samantha Levin Fine Art and use code REMEMBERNOVEMBER at checkout.

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  • 2014 Halloween Feature

    2014 Halloween Feature

    Tradition here on the site, even though we have missed a year, is to have a Halloween Art Feature. This year we have art by a great lineup of artists including: Augie Pagan, Chris Mars, Chet Zar, Jaime Lee Parker, Tim Bruckner, Jason Hite, Menton J Mathews, Colin Christian, Mike Bell, Alex Gross, Randy Ortiz, David Stoupakis, Dan Harding, Dean McDowell, Tom Bagshaw and Bennett Slater.

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  • The 6th Annual 13th Hour Group show at Last Rites Gallery

    The 6th Annual 13th Hour Group show at Last Rites Gallery

    On October 11th, the Last Rites Gallery in New York opened the 7th installment of their 13th Hour Group Exhibition. Last Rites is one of those galleries that I find myself awed at every show they host, and the 13th Hour shows are often the most awe inspiring. It is these shows that you not only see a diverse range of art, but you are looking at the some of the best artists that dark surrealism has to offer. As I scoured through this years offering, I found myself wanting to share every image from this show, and even learned of a few artists that I have not had my eye on before.

    The 6th edition of this show features the work of Tom Bagshaw, William Basso, Nick Baxter, Dilka Bear, Paul Booth, Matt Buck, John Cebollero, Chrystal Chan, Crajes, Craww, Matt Dangler, Brian Despain, Thomas Dodd, Mark Elliot, Jacub Gagnon, Mark Garro, Jason Goldberg, Jessica Gordon, Naoto Hattori, Fay Helfer, Kelley Hensing, Robert Hernandez, Jeremy Hush, Jessica Joslin, JoKa, Sarah Joncas, Jean Labourdette aka Turf One, Eric Lacombe, Jed Leiknes, Matthew Levin, Brin Levinson, Eli Livingston, Ver Mar, Chris Mars, menton3, Vince Natale, Chris Peters, Dan Quintana, David Richardson, Paul Romano, David Stoupakis, Tin, Emma Tooth, Nicomi Nix Turner, Brian Viveros, Allen Williams, Daniel Williams, N.C. Winters, Hannah Yata, Vincent Xeus, and Kate Zambrano.

    After the preview, check out the full show here: 13th Hour at Last Rites Gallery

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  • Madness at The Lodge Gallery

    Madness at The Lodge Gallery

    A mind-opening new exhibition entitled “Madness” will open at The Lodge Gallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Curated by artist Lori Field (who is quite mad for her blindingly detailed silverpoint drawings), the exhibition explores a plethora of facets of madness, ranging from illness, to cultural norm, to confusion, melancholia to religion to…you get the point.

    Madness pushes a person out of societal norms, yet aren’t we all mad, here? To quote directly from the exhibition’s statement: “If it is to be believed that the fine lines between genius and madness are drawn within cultural context, then one man’s mad fundamentalist heretic is another mans holy martyr, one woman’s delirium tremens is a another woman’s shamanistic vision. As it turns out, it’s not as easy as it seems to define madness even within the broad interpretations of our shared colloquial vernacular.”

    Ms. Field’s choice of artists spans a wide berth, and allows for a wonderfully varied exploration of the topic with some wonderfully talented artists. Exhibiting artists include Allison Sommers, Ben Coover, Chris Crites, Chris Hipkiss, Dawn Black, Hanna von Goeler, Hiroshi Kumagai, John O’Reilly, Judith Supine, Judy Rifka / Daniel Dibble, Kymia Nawabi, Lori Field, Matt Rota, Sharmistha Kar, Sibylle Peretti, Sokol Andrew, Stephen J M Palmer, Winston Chmielinski and Zoë Field. As with all of The Lodge’s exhibitions, this one is not to be missed.

    Madness opened on Friday, October 10th and will be on view until November 2nd, 2014.

    Winston Chmielinski – “Soft 2” oil on canvas
    Winston Chmielinski – “Soft 2” oil on canvas
  • Black Rooster by John Cebollero

    Black Rooster by John Cebollero

    Black Rooster by John Cebollero
    Black Rooster by John Cebollero

    Opening this Saturday, October 11th at the Last Rites Gallery is their annual group show “The 13th Hour”. As always there will be some inspiring artists showing new work, and we are lucky to have an exclusive preview of a new piece for the show by John Cebollero entitled “Black Rooster”. I chatted with John for a bit, and he gave us a quick writeup of what inspired this piece.

    As time has gone by, I’ve wanted more of my “paintings” to be more spontaneous in their conception…….
    Not so premeditated…..
    The idea of sitting down and meticulously plotting out an image doesn’t appeal to me….
    This image, for instance, was not drawn out first in pencil…..
    I just painted a VERY rough indication with paint and fleshed it out from their….
    What I’ve been trying to achieve is very much in the vein of Zdzislaw Beksinski.
    Tormented souls exiled to a land of despair.
    A place of sulfur & rot.
    Where rot sets in before death.

  • The Photography of Old Hag

    The Photography of Old Hag

    It’s been a few years since I discovered the photography of Old Hag via JL Schnabel’s Instagram. Her real name is Darby Lahger, and is anything but old. Her haunting photos of her home in Sweden are incredibly alluring and powerful. She also boasts some impressive facial tattoos making her self-portraits quite powerful. She’s a very private person; the interest in her work both humbles and enthrals her. Take a look at her photos below. Bonus: Tom Bagshaw included a stunning portrait of her in his Black Lodge painting series, also below.

    You can purchase prints of Old Hag’s work on her Twenty20 Site.

    Hlin by Tom Bagshaw for the Black Lodge Series
    Hlin by Tom Bagshaw for the Black Lodge Series

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  • The 2nd Annual Coaster Show at La Luz de Jesus

    The 2nd Annual Coaster Show at La Luz de Jesus

    On September 5th, 2014, the 2nd Annual Coaster Show opened at La Luz de Jesus in Los Angeles, CA. Each artist was supplied 4″ Tondo Coasters, courtesy of the fine people at L.A. Beer Week. The only rules they needed to follow, was that each piece must be a solitary work and must be priced $250 or less. Last year the show featured over 700 tiny works of art and this year they decided to outdo that by showcasing over 1000 works of art.

    It’s easy to dismiss something as tiny as a beer coaster to be something that would allow for great art, but this years show—and last years to be honest—proved that tiny works of art can be just as exciting as larger works can. I love seeing what each artist was able to do with the limited area. Many artists stayed within the 4″ diameter, but I was happy to see that quite a few such as Peter Adamyan, Caitlin Anne Drop, Matthew Dutton, and Jeff Gillette, used the coaster as a support to create a larger 3-dimensional piece.

    There are so may works in this show, it was pretty hard to choose a selection here to feature. I kept telling myself to not pick too may but then there would be another coaster I had to share. Lee Joseph has a great Flickr album (here) showing how the gallery went about installing this unique show. The exhibition runs until September 28th, so if you’re in the area make sure to stop by. Otherwise, take a look at our preview and then head over to the gallery’s homepage for the full show: 2nd Annual Coaster Show at La Luz de Jesus

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  • Tun Myaing – 5 Pointz

    Tun Myaing – 5 Pointz

    You may have heard that 5 Pointz, the famed graffiti building in Queens, NY, has been demolished. There was much rallying and fighting to keep that from happening and preserve the building as a national landmark, but the owners of the structure, who have let street artists mark up its walls for so many years, felt the need to move on. Ah, gentrification.

    The structure will not be forgotten due to the plethora of photos of the remarkable building that can be easily found all over the web. I thought I’d share a different and rare glimpse into the interior of 5 Pointz.

    Artist Tun Myaing has completed a series of oil paintings depicting his vision of its tangled insides. For those who have tried visiting the place, there is no easy way inside. The art could be seen only from the street on the way to and from the PS1 art museum, or from the elevated subway that passed by.

    Tun’s vision waxes dark and celebrates the hidden crevices of the interiors he paints. Check out his other works on his website as well. Tunmyaing.com

    The Metal Dome of Ahmed I by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, 2011.
    The Metal Dome of Ahmed I by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, 2011.
    Karl in Three Movements by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 6.5 x 24 inches, 2013.
    Karl in Three Movements by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 6.5 x 24 inches, 2013.
    The Boiler Room by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 6 x 12 inches, 2014.
    The Boiler Room by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar, 6 x 12 inches, 2014.
    Cylinder by Tun Mayiang, oil on mylar.
    Cylinder by Tun Mayiang, oil on mylar.
    Daedalus Dreams by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar
    Daedalus Dreams by Tun Myaing, oil on mylar