Pop-Artist D'Anconia to showcase PEE-WEE HERMAN-themed art at GALLERY 1988

July 28, 2011 - PRLog -- July, 28th 2011 - Pop-Artist Sean D'Anconia will be unveiling "Pee-Wee's Shinjuku Adventure" – an irreverent cinematic take on Pee-Wee Herman as part of Gallery 1988's Pee-Wee tribute show - "I Know You Are But What Am I?" - running from July 29th until August 19, 2011. The exhibit features an outstanding roster of over 80 unique talents, including Jason Liwag, Scott Derby, and Farnell to name a few - all taking their creative stab at the iconic character.

D'Anconia’s contribution re-imagines Pee-Wee as a star of his own Japan-based Saturday morning cartoon, set in the cool underworld of the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, circa 1960. In D'Anconia’s imaginative take, Pee-Wee solves crimes as a Bogart-like detective with assistance from a wacky assortment of past Pee-Wee friends along with some new additions.

"Pee-Wee's Shinjuku adventures pays homage to what I loved about Pee-Wee's Playhouse, which I watched religiously growing up. And I’ve re-booted the franchise from an anime/manga perspective", explains D'Anconia. "My visual style is pop-fusion. I've applied that to Pee-Wee, imagining what he might have been under the penmanship of an Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) or Azuhiko Kato (Lupin III)."

With nods to Astro Boy, Gloomy Bear, Hello Kitty, Godzilla as well as cameos featuring classic Pee-Wee friends like Chairry and Magic Screen, D'Anconia's retro-colorations and animation appeal adds an edge to the Herman universe without diminishing the original childlike sensibility. The art itself is a mixed-media original, splattered in acrylic with some unique detailed easter-egg hits that "POP", with special focus on Pee Wee's hair.

The Pee-Wee Herman character, created by Paul Reubens, came together in the late 1970s as part of a stage performance put on by The Groundlings - an improvisational comedy team that included Reubens along with Bob McClurg and Phil Hartman. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Reubens gained worldwide fame playing Pee-Wee in two major motion pictures as well as in his Emmy-Award winning Saturday morning series - Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

In recent years, Reubens has returned with a successful Broadway show and a forthcoming movie. D'Anconia's collage-homage to the Pee-Wee character explores the upbeat, positive energy that Reubens' creation imbued in a generation of fans. "Pee-Wee was the ultimate underdog. He looked like the supreme super-nerd, guaranteed to fail at all things and yet he came out on top. He was actually a winner spitting in the face of conformity. His catchphrases, cast of characters, incredible visual iconography make for excellent building blocks out of which to assemble a new take on a favorite universe from my youth."

D'Anconia's "Pee-Wee's Shinjuku Adventure" can be viewed at GALLERY 1988′s "I Know You Are But What Am I″, which will open on July 29th at 7pm and run until August 19th. The gallery is located at 214 Pier Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405

GALLERY 1988 can be contacted directly (424) 238-5988 or through their website at www.nineteeneightyeight.com

For inquiries into Sean's work, please contact Mayumi Hirotan at info ( @ ) danconiacreative dot com and check out his official webpage at www.danconiacreative.com

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DANCONIA CREATIVE is a new-media design firm led by Visual-Artist Sean D'Anconia, and based in Los Angeles's historic Little Tokyo arts district.