Art Center South Florida and Harold Golen Gallery present: "Kaiju Monster Invasion, Miami Beach"

Nov. 8, 2008 - PRLog -- Kaiju (怪獣, kaijū?) is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but is often translated in English as "monster."  The most famous Kaiju is Godzilla. Other well-known Kaiju include Mothra, Anguirus, Rodan, Gamera, and King Ghidorah.  During the 1960’s in Japan, toy vinyl figures of popular Japanese films such as Godzilla (a radioactive lizard) and Gamera (a giant flying turtle) became popular collectibles.  Over the next four decades the popularity of Kaiju spread around the world, especially here in America.

Recently the Kaiju have spread throughout the western world popular culture, their influence can be seen in the emerging popularity of the “art toy” movement, modern couture and in the artworks of many lowbrow artists from around the world.

During Art Basel Miami Beach 2008, the Kaiju show at Art Center South Florida will bring the most exciting and subversive artists from Japan (East) and the United States (West) in a single exhibition to showcase the various interpretations of Kaiju in both Eastern and Western cultures. This exciting exhibition aims to break new ground in the Kaiju art form, while at the same time, honoring the Kaiju rich history.    

Featured Artists:
This exhibition includes many of the top artists of the Lowbrow/Pop Surrealist movements plus internationally acclaimed Japanese artists- making this show a rare occasion that brings the best of the East and West interpretations Kaiju:

RON ENGLISH    JOE VAUX    MICHEAL HANAUER
COOP      AMANDA VISELL       VELVET GLASS
ANTHONY AUSGANG    DAVEY WONG   MARTIN HARRIS
SKOT OLSEN   GLENN BARR   SUN-MIN KIM
JIM WOODRING    N! SATTERFIELD    DAVID HORVATH
ATTA-BOY   MITCH O'CONNELL    NAOTO HATTORI
CHRIS DEAN   MARIUZU         MARS-1
KEN BERNSTEIN   LE MERDE    BRIAN MCARTY
KII ARENS    MARK NAGATA       MARTIN ONTIVEROS
BILL'S KITCHEN      BUZZ PARKER       ISABEL SAMARAS
MATT WALKER   ALEX WALD     HAI KAI SARNES
ALEX MEYER   DAVID MACDOWELL     BOB PLASEBO
BOSKO      JOE VITALE     BWANA SPOONS
POOCH   DONELLA VITALE   CARLOS ENRIQUEZ GONZALEZ

Works will be on traditional wall hung painted canvases, and customized traditional painted vinyl Kaiju figures.  A SHOW STOPPING special work by artist Carlos Enriquez Gonzalez consists of a 17 ft tall Kaiju figure brought from Venezuela. A 10 ft x 6 ft.  lenticular piece by artist Chris Dean will be displayed in one of the main showcase windows.

Toy Store and Collectibles

This Kaiju Show is an exciting concept that taps into various emerging sub-cultures. For the last decade the Art Toy movement has gained traction in the US through specialized stores and boutiques.  The lowbrow art-pop surrealism genre has gained international respectability with artists like Mark Ryden, Shag, and Ron English, who have become superstars of the style around the world.  A commemorative poster, as well as a t-shirt will be sold during the show’s 30-day run.

A special edition series, commemorative Kaiju ceramic sculpture by Mark Nagata will be produced by Miles of Munk- Tiki, in collaboration with the Harold Golen Gallery for sale during the show. This highly collectable ceramic Kaiju sculpture will be limited to 25 and will elevate the traditional vinyl medium of the Kaiju to a more fine art level.  Because of the highly collectible nature of the Kaiju, some other exclusive merchandising opportunities will be available from Japanese Kaiju figure makers GARGAMEL, DREAM ROCKETS and RUMBLE MONSTERS.

Schedule of Events:  
Wed. Dec 3rd: Grand Opening
Fri. Dec 5th:  Meet the Artists and Artists Signing
Sat. Dec 6th: Kaiju Themed Computer Music Performance, each will take place at 8-10pm.


About Art Center South Florida
Founded in 1984, the Art Center, located on world-famous Lincoln Rd in Miami Beach, provides artists with a highly desired space to showcase their work. The Art Center’s exhibitions are a staple of the burgeoning Miami art community. Past shows in the Art Center during Art Basel week have attracted over 40,000 visitors. The special Miami Beach location—adjacent to the Art Basel fair, makes the Art Center a proven, ideal location for at shows.    

Curator/Harold Golen Gallery:
Harold Golen, founder of Miami’s Harold Golen Gallery, curates this special December exhibition during Art Basel 2008. The Harold Golen Gallery focuses on Lowbrow/ Pop-Surrealist Art and has been featured in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, Blue Print Directory, Home, Miami Modern Luxury, Ocean Drive and named ”Best Place to Buy Lowbrow Art” by the Miami New Times. Golen was also the proprietor of the Miami Beach store “POP” an internationally known pop culture store. Golen has a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Miami.

Art Center South Florida, 924 Lincoln Rd # 205, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (305) 674-8278  www.myspace.com/kaijumonsterinvasion
www.artcentersf.org
www.haroldgolengallery.com

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Harold Golen Gallery specializes in pop surrealism or lowbrow art in the Wynwood Art District. Lowbrow art, a term coined by artist Robert Williams, describes art that is rooted in figurative illustration, graphics, tattoos, comic books, cartoons, animation, pinup girl art, punk rock, hot rod culture, and in general, American pop culture. Los Angeles is home to the movement, which is also called Pop Surrealism for its bizarre, fantasy-like aesthetics. Harold Golen has set out to bring lowbrow/pop surrealism up to higher standards.