Britt Ehringer may be best known for his pop culture works such as Scarface on top of the pile of kittens (see below), but he's also obsessed with Southern California. A Manhattan Beach native, his latest show deals with the essentials of SoCal life-- tacos, skaters, beaches, and a certain grit and grime that doesn't make it into Hollywood treatments. The show opens on June 14th in Ojai, CA. So, Britt Ehringer, what's your favorite taco?
In Los Angeles : Tacos Por Favor (1406 Olympic Blvd)
In Oxnard : El Taco De Mexico (112 W 7th St)
Full information on the show, including some additional preview images, below:
Tacos@Midnight, the SoCal Experience, New Work by Britt Ehringer Opens at Ojai’s Contemporary galerie102 on June 14th
galerie102 is pleased to present Tacos@Midnight, the SoCal Experience, a solo show of new works by Britt Ehringer. The opening reception will take place Saturday, June 14th from 5-8pm. Come for the art and stay for the tacos, Tim Kilcoyne’s Scratch Food Truck will be serving tacos and other delicious fare out front of the gallery during the opening reception, Saturday, June 14th from 5-9pm. The exhibit will be on view through July 13, 2014.
A multi-media exhibit, Tacos@Midnight features paintings, drawings and photographs capturing the light and dark side of the idealized Southern California lifestyle. A native Californian, Ehringer grew up in Manhattan Beach in the heyday of the ever- evolving and mythical beach scene. Ehringer deftly pulls apart the idiosyncrasies of sunny SoCal life and delves into a culture built around cars, surf and perpetual sun.
“Southern California has a way of lulling people to sleep with the always sunny, euphoric beach mentality, but under the smoggy haze is a very different reality,” says Ehringer. “There’s a grit to Southern California that is a direct contrast to the almost transparent and light-hearted beach culture and the two contrasts make a very interesting artistic dichotomy.”
A self-taught artist with an irreverent pop-art sensibility and a penchant for tongue in cheek social commentary, Ehringer deftly layers color, image and social message with his multiple use of mediums that defy easy definition of his work into a specific art canon. "I really feel my work eschews a particular “art-historical definition” or vantage point from which to view it,” he says. “I see my artistic practice as a constantly evolving force.”
Ehringer employs a variety of techniques in his work, such as thick and thin painting, tearing portions of canvas from the work and multi-media assemblage to create his own unique artistic style. He examines the idea that as we age and change, our conception of the things close to us is altered as well. This notion is reflected in his works, which, even when finished, evince a sense of continuous becoming, suggesting the possibility of future growth and change.
Britt Ehringer’s work has been exhibited extensively nationally and internationally. His paintings were featured in the blockbuster Cat Art Show Los Angeles including the singular work “Say Hello to My Little Friends,” featured art in Time Magazine and an Instagram sensation. This past year, Ehringer’s popular Namaak Art Collective was featured at Bejing's C-Space gallery and LAUNCH L.A. He was recently selected along with fellow artists Shepard Fairy and Terence Koh for inclusion as one of America's cutting-edge creatives in DAAB publishing's compendium GO WEST.
Tacos@Midnight, the SoCal Experience, will be on view at galerie102 from June 14-July 13, 2014. galerie102 is located at 102 W. Matilija St. in downtown Ojai between Rainbow Bridge and Bart’s books. Gallery hours are Thursday-Sunday from 11-4pm and by appointment. To contact the gallery by phone, call 805 640-0151. For more information, please visit galerie102.com.
