Double Triptych: I Know You Are But What Am I?

"The Rebel Rider" (t-shirt) by Bamboota

"Mr. Herman's Bike Tour Adventure" (t-shirt) by Bamboota

"Kaiju Pee-Wee" by Tom Whalen

"Big Top Pee-Wee" by DKNG Studios

"Tequila" by DKNG Studios

"Tequila" by Oo-De-Lally

Full disclosure: Most of these were featured in Gallery 1988's Pee-Wee Herman tribute show a couple of years ago. There are many, many more great pieces from that show worth checking out, which you can see at the above link.

Double Triptych: White & Nerdy

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"White and Nerdy (Black)" by DKNG Studios

"Smells Like Nirvana" by Dave Perillo

"Than Thou Art" by Adam Hanson

"Spatula City" by Gimetzco

"Another One Rides The Bus" by Joshua Budich

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"Weird Alvolution" by Miranda Dressler

With the exception of Spatula City, these were all featured in Gallery1988's "Is This Thing On? 2" comedy retrospective exhibit. Check out the link for more.

ps. How great is Weird Al? That man is a stone-cold genius. Future historians will look back on him as one of the most important artists of the era. Mark my words!

Triptych: Time For Another Adventure!

"Ooosian Dolls" by John Tibbott

"Adventure Time" by Drew Falchetta

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"Dude, We're Totally Dying!" by Matthew Woodson

Double Triptych: Laser Death Ray Bargain Bin

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"The Venture Bros. And Friends" by Joey Spiotto

"Venture Bros." by Glen Brogan

"Return To Spider-Skull Island" by Sean K. Dove

"Go Team Venture!" by Dave Perillo

"Swedish Murder Machine" by Ryan Brinkerhoff

"We are Shallow Gravy!" by Kevin Tong

Showcase: Jude Buffum's 3G Paintings

"You Say Yes"

"You Wanna Play Pirate?"

"Last Call"

[Jude Buffum's Contributions to Gallery 1988's
"Ghostbusters, Goonies, Gremlins" Exhibition]

Alice: Madness Returns

I meant to post about Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight's "Alice: Madness Returns" exhibit long ago, and although the exhibit itself (June 8th to 12th) has come and gone, there were a few standout pieces that really caught my eye.

I will say this: EA and Spicy Horse know how to market the hell out of a videogame. Pairing up with a handful of talented artists and the renowned Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight for a show themed around "Alice: Madness Returns" brings the game to the attention of all sorts of people, gamers and otherwise, who might have been tempted to dismiss it as a cheap sequel. It's a brilliant move.

Also brilliant is the fact that the official "Alice" store is selling prints of all of the pieces shown at the G1988 exhibit, alongside prints of some absolutely stunning concept art from the game.

As for the game itself? I've played through the first few levels, and while it's not the greatest videogaming experience of all time, it's pretty solid. Gameplay, style and tone are the same as the original, so if you enjoyed that, there's no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this. At the same time, thus far at least it doesn't have anything all that new to offer, as far as third-person action-adventure games go.

Which is beside the point, really, since "Alice: Madness Returns" is aimed at people who appreciate style over substance. That sounds harsh, but it's meant as a compliment: the game is shiny, slick and clever, and if it doesn't have much in the way of profundity, who cares? It's a freaking videogame. It's job is to look nice, sound nice, and play nice. All of which "Alice: Madness Returns" manages with aplomb.


"Alice's Phantasmagoria" by Ken Wong


"Adventures First...Explanations Take Such a Dreadful Time" by Kevin Tong


"Alice: Madness Returns" by Phantom City Creative


"The Little Magician" by Brian Colin

The Return of iam8bit: SUPER iam8bit

"MK Kalamari" by Jose Emroca Flores


"Plight of the Koopas" by Derick Maasen


"'Zeruda no Densetsu" by Carlos Ramos


"Portrait of Rockman" by Chris Sanchez


"Absolute Power" by Tim Shumate

Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight is doing a sequel to their legendary iam8bit show, entitled SUPER iam8bit! If the promotional pieces that G1988 have released are any indication, SUPER iam8bit should be absolutely outstanding.



It appears that G1988 is also releasing the second volume of videogame-inspired art to coincide with the show. I was a huge, ginormous fan of the first volume, entitled simply "i-am-8-bit: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the '80s" and will definitely be grabbing Volume II once it's been released.

SUPER iam8bit starts August 11th, 2011 at Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight in Los Angeles. You can buy the first iam8bit art book here, while the second book should be sold hereabouts whenever it's out.

Triptych: If Your Life Had A Face, I Would Punch It

"Scott Pilgrim!" by Albino Raven


"Scott Pilgrim 16-bit Cast Portrait" by Ol' Fuzzy Bastard


"Scott Pilgrim" by Jim Horwat

Gaming Triptych: Street Fighter II

"Super Street Fighter Bros. 8bit" by ~torokun

"Street Fighter, Abstract Edition" by infinite continues

"Chun Li" by springfieldpunx

Click on any of the above images for a larger version.

Super Mega Mario Kart Panorama.

As those of you who read Copperpott's Cabinet of Curiosities may be aware, I have a bit of a yen for panoramic pop-culture art. And so much the better if that piece happens to be the collaborative effort of over forty very talented artists, and based on one of the greatest Nintendo games of all time - one that, appropriately enough, is itself founded on the principles of collaboration, competition, and group play.

Thus we have The Mario Kart Collab, v.0.1: the (nearly?) final product of an assortment of artists from DeviantArt, each taking one character and their vehicle from the Mario Kart games and rendering it in their own unique style.

Click on the image below to see the full-length work.

(Mario Kart Collab, v.0.1, by various)

(I hope that Themrock and Deviantart forgive me for the direct link to the larger piece, but Photobucket refuses to host such a large file for me without resizing it first, and trust me, you want to see it in all of its glory.)

To quote Tara from Purple Peep Bits (and Birdo artist):

Almost a year ago I was invited to take part in this collaboration project that my good friend Dirk was throwing.

It's a collaboration done with over 40 of the finest artists you can find on DeviantART. Independent and people who already work in the industry came forth for the project from all over the world.

It's an absolute MUST to full view the original picture and check out everyone's interpretations of each driver. They're all fantastic!

Driver artists:
Toad - Mike Jungbluth
Baby Mario - Patricio Betteo
Dry Bowser - Robb Mommaerts
Luigi - Dirk Erik Schulz
Funky Kong - Hugh Freeman
Yoshi - Henry R. Frew
King Boo - Grim-Amentia
Princess Peach - Makani
Baby Luigi - Adrián Pérez
Mario - Andrew Kauervane
Donkey Kong - Fubumeru
Baby Peach - Basakward
Waluigi - Dapper Dan
Bowser jr. - Erin Hunting
Bowser - Richard J. Smith
Dry Bones - Neilando
Birdo - Myself
Daisy - Vernavulpes
Diddy Kong - Becky Dreistadt
Wario - Zach Bellissimo
Toadette - Kyle A. Carrozza
Petey Piranha - Sam Mckenzie
Koopa Troopa - Mario González
Shy-Guy - Benjamin Anders
Para Troopa - Emma Särkelä
Rosalina - Der-shing Helmer
Baby Daisy - Chris E.
Lakitu - Sabrina Alberghetti

Background Characters:
Luismario
Michael Perez
Explosiv22
Emily Jayne Weber
Frobman
Yves Bourgelas
Cotton-Gravy
Lindsay Smith
E. D. Thweatt
Adrian vom Baur
Psycho Time
Cheezadiddle
Evanatt

I really hope that "I am 8bit" checks this out.

I second that. I want a poster-sized print of this for my living room so badly it's not funny.

(via Offworld)

I AM 8-BIT, pt. II

Back in April, I wrote about the I AM 8-BIT group exhibit at Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight (who, incidentally, with their recent Disney-themed "Remixing the Magic" group exhibit - expect an update on that sometime this week - along with I AM 8-BIT, are rapidly becoming one of my favorite L.A. pop art gallery.)

Today I finally received my copy of "I AM 8-BIT: Art Inspired By Classic Videogames of the 80s" from Amazon, and... wow. Considering the remarkably low price ($15 plus shipping,) I was not expecting it to be even half as lovely as it actually is. Every one of its 156 pages reproduces a glossy, full-colour print that was featured in the show, and although it doesn't provide complete coverage - there are a few works from the exhibit that are nowhere to be found here, and a few that I suspect were actually done after the show, specifically for inclusion in the book - it is certainly a comprehensive look at 8-bit videogame-inspired art.

There are art books and there are art books. This is the sort of book you actually want on your coffee table: anyone under the age of 30 is going to freak right out when they see it. Forget "Historic Barns of Minnesota" - Do yourself a favour and order this book right now. Or wait for the second volume to come out (no guarantees, of course, but they've had at least two seperate I AM 8-BIT shows, so Gallery 1988 has no shortage of material) and order them together. You won't regret it.

I AM 8-BIT

Sean Clarity, Peter Gronquist, Gabe Swarr
(click image for full-sized version)

Another day, another reason to move to Los Angeles. Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight, located at 7020 Melrose Ave. in L.A., is hosting the second annual I AM 8-BIT exhibition, and... wow. The first series was pretty neat, but this new one is amazing. So much videogame love.

Michael Gagne, Martin Ontiveros
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The list of contributors is a veritable who's-who of the contemporary pop surrealism scene: Tim Biskup, Steve Purcell, Jim Mahfood, Luke Chueh, Gary Baseman, Brandon Bird, and dozens more. Who knew that Nintendo was so universal and profoundly influential? Most works draw their inspiration either from the NES roster (Super Mario Bros, Megaman, Metroid) or from the earlier Atari era (Pacman, Asteroids, Donkey Kong,) with few if any references beyond the late '80s. A handful even comment on the nature of videogaming itself.

Jose Emroca Flores, Love Ablan, Yosuke Ueno
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If you live in or near L.A., you could do worse than to plan a visit to Nineteen Eighty-Eight this weekend. If you don't, you're still in luck. The first I AM 8-BIT collection has been collected and recently published by Chronicle Books, and is readily available at Amazon.com. At under $15 USD, the book is stupidly affordable and you really owe it to yourself to add it to your own library.

Link: I AM 8-BIT website.
Link: Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight.
Link: I AM 8-BIT: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the '80s at Amazon.

(note: All above photos were originally posted at Vinyl Pulse, an art blog which I heartily endorse and recommend. I cropped them and did some other minor tweaks for presentation's sake but all credit goes to Vinyl Pulse and the original photographer.)