Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery ~ 40 Mills Place Pasadena, CA 91105 ~ (626) 535-9757
Graffism, experimental media, design, precision, and skill meet contemporary art's evolution at the crossroads of Restitution Press to delicious effect that blows the doors off of most shit we see. Restitution's current show alongside R. Crumb's drawings gloriously displays the incredible and eclectic artwork of Ryan Graeff, Devin Strother, Eli Sipsas, Anthony Cioff, Stephen Mimiaga, and Shawn McKinney, mixed and mashed in combination through multi-layered silkscreen prints and handmade 'zines of small and giant size, that feel like some sort of hand-painted canvas or cloth more than your average book. We were even more stoked to find one of our favorite artists, Praise the Lowered's Damon Robinson, working closely with the crew, merging the smart and badass designs found on his prints and clothing with Restitution's sickass print techniques.
The iconic Los Angeles we know is recognizable in flashes that pass us by at 80 miles an hour-- bombed walls, telephone wires, cold buildings, shady alleys, roughneck rides, and screwface characters--and Restitution live, breathe, and exalt the city we love in full color, using such images to offset the endless creativity of their busy minds. But enough of my yapping about how cool this shit is, you have until the end of the month to check it, don't waste another second to see what the big deal is. It's one thing to see the work, another to touch their pages.
I strongly recommend Crumb, Terry Zwigoff's documentary on Crumb and the crazy family he comes from. One of the best documentaries I've ever seen.
These guys were celebrating "Cinco El Drink-o" as they called it.
