Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art Presents

 ‘HOLLOWOOD'

 THE NEO-CON COLLECTIVE

Aakash Nihalani, Ellis Gallagher, Poster Boy

 &

ZEUS

 Address: Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art

1257 N. La Brea Avenue

West Hollywood CA 90038

Opening reception: Thursday, April 9^th 2009 / 7.00pm - 10.00pm

Exhibition Dates: April 9^th - April 30^th 2009

For Immediate Release:

We can't hold our breaths any longer - Aakash Nihalani, Ellis Gallagher, and Poster Boy (aka the Neo-Con Collective) are in LA!  The infamous NYC street artists have made an impromptu landing in West Hollywood this week for their first West Coast exhibition, opening Thursday, April 9th, 2009 from 7.00pm - 10.00pm at Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art.  If this isn't enough to get you excited, the Neo-Con Collective will be joined by UK graffiti god Zeus.  Prints, photographs, and mixed media artwork will be available for purchase and the four artists have collaborated on elaborate installations throughout the gallery. Aakash Nihalani, Ellis Gallagher and Zeus will be in attendance on the show's opening night.  Poster Boy, however, has kindly offered to walk the Carmichaels' dogs and vacuum the floors of their apartment during the show; it is unlikely he will be finished in time to attend.  But you never know.  

This exhibition will be open for viewing through Thursday, April 30th 2009 from 1.00pm -7.00pm.

PS: We shouldn't be telling you this, but keep an eye out on the streets of LA for new work by all four artists!

About the Artists:

Aakash Nihalani

Aakash Nihalani's street work consists mainly of isometric rectangles and squares. He selectively places these graphics around New York to highlight the unexpected contours and elegant geometry of the city itself. All execution of a piece is done on site with little to no planning.  "We all need the opportunity to see the city more playfully," he says, "as a world dominated by the interplay of very basic color and shape. I try to create a new space within the existing space of our everyday world for people to enter freely, and unexpectedly ‘disconnect' from their reality.  People need to understand that how it is isn't how it has to be. My work is created in reaction to what we readily encounter in our lives, sidewalks and doorways, buildings and bricks. I'm just connecting the dots differently to make my own picture."

Ellis Gallagher

Ellis Gallagher's shadow chalk drawings, executed in both urban and interior settings, seek to enhance the beauty of everyday objects and mundane situations that are routinely overlooked. Chalk drawings of bicycles, milk crates, fire hydrants, parking meters and shopping carts inspire curiosity and encourage the viewer to pause, observe, initiate conversation and experience their surroundings with a renewed sense of optimism.

Poster Boy

Poster Boy is an anonymous New York City-based street artist whose only utensil is a razor.  He is known for satiric collage-like works created by cutting out sections of the self-adhesive advertisement posters in the platforms of New York City subway stations and pasting them back in different positions. 

Zeus

For the past 20 years, London artist Zeus has been drawing inspiration from urban culture to create dynamic, experimental compositions that have re-defined graffiti art. Captivated by the hip-hop scene of the 80s, he began expressing his creative talents on the street when he was just 14, using walls, trains and open spaces as his galleries. Since then Zeus has continually pushed the boundaries of graffiti artistry, taking the form out of its traditional setting and into new, exciting and more legitimate places. His latest work represents an innovative fusion of graffiti techniques and typography, fine art and sculpture and reflects both his background on the streets and his formal training at Chelsea College of Art. 

For media inquiries contact: Elisa Carmichael

Email: elisa@carmichaelgallery.com

Tel#: (323) 969-0600