"Scratch" Triptych Debuts at LA Art Show 2015
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| "Scratch" - 195x40-inch triptych |
About The Print
"Scratch," a photo collage of the recent
graffiti installation at El Segundo Museum of Art, debuted at the LA Art Show 2015. Measuring nearly 17 feet in length, “Scratch”
was photographed over a period several months. It includes many separate images
of both individual artists and graffiti walls. The photograph includes such
artists as Phantom, Axis, Cre8, Defer, Eyeone, Fishe, Miner, Gajin Fujita, Big
Sleeps, and Prime. Jim McHugh considers this picture an artist group portrait.
He has used these multiple images to go beyond the normal single-point
perspective limitations of the camera, allowing for expansion of time and
maximization of detail.
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| Joe "Prime" Reza, Big Sleeps, Defer & Jim McHugh |
ESMoA Exhibition
In 2013, LA’s leading
graffiti artists responded to a 16th Century manuscript from the vaults of the
Getty Research Institute called a liber
amicorum (book of friends) by contributing works on paper to be bound into
a single book, thus creating the Getty Graffiti Black Book. Street artists have
used black books for decades to create a visual memory of drafts and to serve
as a vehicle for the exchange of ideas. The extraordinary competition that
occasionally arises among artists can also lead to respect, as rivals invite
each other to “hit” their black books with original works. The contributing
artists gave the Getty Black Book the title “LA Liber Amicorum” to capture the transformational
spirit of rival “writing crews” creating a Los Angeles Book of Friends.
ESMoA and the Getty
Research Institute subsequently invited Getty Black Book artists Axis, Cre8,
Defer, Eyeone, Fishe, and Miner to co-curate those crews of creative friends
from the LA graffiti art community and turn ESMoA into an open black book. With
the “Scratch” installation, graffiti and tattoo artists transformed the space
into a cathedral of urban art for the first public presentation of the LA Liber
Amicorum.
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| Jim McHugh with Brian and Eva Sweeney of ESMoA |
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| Brian and Eva Sweeney (left & center) of ESMoA |
LA Art Show 2015
In January of 2015, the LA Art Show celebrated its 20th Anniversary. The 200,000-square foot art fair has grown from its inception as a small regional event featuring 14 galleries to an international showcase for fine art, attracting 120 galleries from 22 countries.
In a major departure from art fairs of the time, the LA Art Show was the
first and only event to strategically incorporate galleries
representing diverse art genres, broadening its audiences to include
enthusiasts of: modern, contemporary, historic and traditional works, as
well as works on paper, sculpture and installations, in one art fair.
This show format was specifically selected to meet the needs of the LA
market. And, it has paid off with attendance and galleries increasing
year over year. This out-of-the-box thinking has been a hallmark of the
show production team, which has consistently developed programming and
special exhibition content, that following its debut at the LA Art Show,
has grown to acclaim in the international art world.
In recent years, the LA Art Show has become the most
internationally diverse art platform in the Western world, bringing in
the largest groupings of Korean, Chinese and Japanese galleries outside
of Asia. Beginning in 2010, the LA Art Show has actively developed its
international gallery offerings to provide collectors with a unique
opportunity, to spot international trends and zeitgeist through art, a
medium that has the ability to transcend language. This keen focus has
been a hallmark of the show.
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| With my daughter Chloe and wife Johnna |
Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Beverly Hills
