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Girls to the Max

Call me crazy, or narcissistic, but I've been thinking a lot about women lately. This is partly (and obviously) due to my being a woman, as well as to my enduring and nearly concentrated intake of both Joanna Newsom and Carson Mcullers these past few months. But when Angella d'Avignon first approached me with plans of a girls art show, I think I was busy. I was probably over-communicating via Google. (That's really not key to this story, just a personal testament to how much time-wasting occurs on certain conglomerate websites.) Anyhow, when broached a second time, I was really thrilled not only with the theme of her show and the scope of her vision, but with the potential it presented. Girls Girls Girls! is refreshingly simple: seventeen artists examine womanhood in the modern world. There were no rules for the show; each artist was free to create to her heart's desire. "The way I see it," d'Avignon explained recently, "Girls Girls Girls! works like a composite eye: every girl has a facet of womanhood they're examining but we're all apart of one big beautiful idea - that while there's a lot to be said about women, it's best heard from the woman herself."



What was your aim in collecting a group of all women artists?

I firmly believe in the power of collaboration and I really wanted to explore that. When I first started conceptualizing this show I looked around at the gal pals that truly inspire me and realized that I had an incredible posse of talented women with intricate ideas on themselves and the world around them. The timing of the show seemed ideal as well - I really hate the Winter months, I won't lie. So an art show felt like a natural solution. In the past, projects like this always gave me something to work toward and an excuse to explore more ideas, styles, and concepts in creative work. So why not do it together and with amazing friends? And of course the girls I originally asked began telling their friends and soon I had an enormous email list of girls who were super excited to see this thing through. That was inspiring in and of itself. It worked outward from there and the enthusiasm grew and it became more of a group project than a typical curated art show which absolutely thrilled me.



How does having only female artists change the chemistry of an art event?

You know when you're around a big group of girls and it's either totally obnoxious or completely enchanting? I think that the combination has to be specific. Bringing an all women demographic to an art show is almost a science and has the power to be explosive. Whether that explosion is debilitating or mesmerizing is completely dependent on the individuals involved. I believe women are naturally sensitive - to each other and to the way they approach their lives. I never see that as a negative thing but rather a strength that will create a warm but powerful atmosphere. I by no means think women are the superior gender and this show has no intentions of pushing that, but being a woman myself I can attest that women have the unique disposition to a vulnerability that has invaluable depths. There's always something going on beneath the surface of a woman and artistic women have the ability to make that beautiful if it isn't already. Which it probably is. I'd say that having only female artists makes an art event more personal in the sense that they're leaping bounds to show you what's on their minds and in their hearts in detail and in color with an emotional quality that seems unique to girls. Cue that Madonna song, "What it Feels Like for a Girl". Just kidding.



What would say to people who would anticipate this as some sort of bra burning, man-bashing event?

Girls to the third is going to be FUN. I told someone last night it's more in the key of Cyndi Lauper than Alanis Morisette. When we're really honest with ourselves I think it's safe to say that we all can find something we like about girls and this will be no exception. We want to celebrate women at their finest - their most resilient, most exploratory and of course their most creative. We're not leaving out the boys by any means, we love our dudes! In fact, what's been impressing me most is the way our guy friends have been helping and supporting the show because they know they're as much apart of our lives as our girl-friends. So in a sense, if you wanna get omnigenous, this art show is about celebrating all of us, just one particular facet: Girls Girls Girls!
 

Girls Girls Girls! starts at 7pm on Saturday, February 13 at the Suture Loft (655 10th Avenue).

The Grandlarsens : My Better Half

Previously featured, San Diego based stencil artist, Grandlarsen, is hosting a Valentine's Eve Art Show with his equally talented wife, painter Jenny Larsen (formerly Luttrull).  The pair have very contrasting styles, which should make for an interesting exhibit.  Thumbprint Gallery in North Park will host the opening, this Saturday February 13th.

"Inspired by the color of culture, Jenny Larsen brings visions of her mind to you through paintings reflecting the feelings and serenity in lives of others. Steering away from modern, western culture she shares her feelings of peace and spiritual unity at a glance. Continuing to explore the world in search of tranquility she hopes to inspire a calm of simple happiness."

"Wanted for acts of provocative visual propaganda and revolutionary concepts, the artist/designer, Grandlarsen is known to carry heavy creative firepower. With sniper-like accuracy, his highly detailed stencil work and social commentary hits the mark every time with deadly force."

MVM : Lo-Fi-Fnk

I have been on a movie rental binge for the last week and finished the last one of my batch over the weekend. From the previews, I had a feeling this last dvd was going to be a serious one but until I saw it I had no clue how much it would affect me. The Cove, an Academy Award Nominee, is an incredible eye opening documentary about a hidden cove in Japan with a brutal secret. In this very cove, 23,000 dolphins are slaughtered every year by the fishermen of Taiji. If you have ever watched Flipper as a kid, or have been to Sea World or even like dolphins a little bit, I think this is something you need to see for yourself. I am seriously disturbed after watching it, but it’s just one of those things that needs exposure so that we can stop it. OK I’m going to step off my soap box and let go of my tree embrace to meditate on this new music video now. Lo-Fi-Fnk’s video for “Marchin’ In” just makes sense.

The Soft Pack Debut LP, Pack Tower Bar

The Soft Pack had a whirlwind 2009.  From name changes to European tours to opening for Phoenix, the vintage punk rock four piece had only one thing not checked off their list.  Release their debut LP, which they did yesterday via Kemado Records.  You can pick up your copy of the self titled release here, if you couldn't find the merch table at the packed Tower Bar last night.

The Soft Pack - 'Answer To Yourself'

The Soft Pack - 'Fences' (Phoenix Cover)

MVM : Bowerbirds

Bowerbirds will be in town tonight for their show at The Loft @ UCSD. Since the band is a returning artist to MVM, I thought I would mix it up a bit by showing one of their Take Away Shows. Here they are performing "Dark Horse" in a car. See you tonight!