Exhibition: From the Streets of Iran – Sep 10-26 in Los Angeles

September 10 – Sep 26, 2009 at Crewest in Los Angeles
Opening Reception: Thursday September 10, 6-9 pm

Los Angeles, CA – Crewest presents From the Streets of Iran, Works on paper by urban artists in Iran, curated by Shervin Shahbazi. This exhibit is the first of its kind in the U.S. featuring graffiti-based works on paper by ICY, SOT, FRZ, MAD, and CK1. These artists have exhibited their work in Europe and Australia, and this is their United States debut.

The artists draw inspiration from Iran’s rich heritage of calligraphy, visual arts, revolution and the state in which they live, as well as their exposure to graffiti and urban art in the West. Their work encompasses a broad range of subject matter—from urbanism and political resistance to scenes of everyday people and the innocence of youth. Each of the artists practices their own aesthetic. In some works, detailed hand styles overlap with spray can imagery; in others, stencil work and careful attention to texture affect a stylized photorealism. However the individual styles may differ, the works as a group resonate with hope and a determination to realize the promise of a better future from the streets of Iran.

Artist Websites:

ICY: http://www.flickr.com/photos/icepunk

SOT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tbzunderground

FRZ: http://www.im-frz.com

CK1: http://www.ck1art.com

MAD: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmad/

This event is sponsored by: ROARING LION ENERGY DRINK and JARRITOS

Crewest
110 Winston St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
ph | 213-627-8272
www.crewest.com

Crewest is a gallery that supports some of the most talented underground artists from the West Coast and beyond. The gallery’s focus is on urban & graffiti art created through painting, sculpture, digital, and print medias. All of the exhibits housed at Crewest deal with what is current, and significant within the realm of the urban art experience. Hours of operation are Tues. thru Thurs.: noon – 7pm, Fri. and Sat.: 12pm -8pm, Sun.: Noon – 6pm and Closed Mondays (except by appointment only). Visit the gallery online at: www.crewest.com

Shervin Shahbazi is a Los Angeles-based curator and arts professional, Shahbazi has curated a number of exhibitions over the last ten years. He has also been the recipient of public art commissions by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Los Angeles World Airports to curate exhibitions of contemporary LA-based artists at Los Angeles International Airport.

Shervin Shahbazi is also the curator of Traces of Being, Iran in the passage of Memories which will be on view at the Morono Kiang Gallery September 10 – November 21, 2009.