Ben Venom and Adam Feibelman @ Guerrero Gallery

"I Call the Shots" and "Between the Sheets"
Opening Reception Saturday, June 9th, 7-11 PM
Exhibitions run through July 7, 2012

Guerrero Gallery is pleased to present "I Call the Shots," an exhibition of new works by Ben Venom. Presenting a reinterpretation of two seemingly opposing forces, the extremes of Heavy Metal culture and the tradition of handmade craft, Venom’s juxtaposition of the two forces results in a collision that is vibrant and intricate. His ability to associate each component of his primary medium, old band t-shirts which he personally connects with in some way or another, with the grand scheme of his pieces, is evidence of the thoughtful and enduring process behind his craft. Venom’s work lends to his ability to masterfully develop relevant concepts, sketch the designs in consideration of the large-scale puzzle piece patterns they will evolve into, and then patiently execute with needle and thread. In Venom’s words, his work “is serious, yet attempts to take on a B movie Horror film style, where even the beasts of Metal need a warm blanket to sleep with.”

The exhibition will feature a number of Venom’s signature hand-made heavy metal quilts, as well as a denim quilt composed of blue jeans, mainly donated by Venom’s friends and a few purchased from Goodwill. Embroidered jean jackets expressing the similarities between motorcycle gangs and the punk rock/metal scene are also included in Venom’s body of work for the show. Fittingly, the opening reception will also include performances by San Francisco bands Hazzard’s Cure and Dalton.

Ben Venom graduated with an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally at places such as Neurotitan Gallery in Germany, Wolverhapmton Gallery in England, Guerrero Gallery, Western Exhibitions, and THIS LA. He was recently interviewed on NPR: All Things Considered, included in the November 2011 issue of ARTFORUM Magazine, and was selected for Bay Area Now 6 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Venom has lectured at the California College of the Arts, Burnaway Organization, and Untitled Gallery, and currently teaches printmaking classes at the San Francisco Art Institute, Kala, and Workshop SF.

The Project Room in June will feature “Between the Sheets,” an exhibition of new works by Adam Feibelman. In this series of works, the artist explores ideas of utility function and context with intricate hand-sewn stencils. Starting with imagery of objects that used to serve a specific function and have now been put to pasture waiting to find their future utility, these works are a meditation on value, echoed in the artist’s process of deconstructing and reassembling. The works explore the process of searching and imagining new uses, or of the challenges of finding a value in objects in reference to their former context.

Adam Feibelman was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He took to the art of graffiti, a path that would eventually take him to the California College of Arts and Crafts (recently renamed the California College of the Arts). His studies in printmaking and illustration won him the Yozo Hamaguchi award in printmaking, and a BFA with distinction. It was at CCAC where Feibleman came to know the massive world of art. Most important for him was the sweep from classic American photography, which he took as a realistic portrayal of the history of America, of the life and times of its people, to the freedom of modern and contemporary painting. Based on those influences, and reflecting his fast-moving imagination, Feibelman′s paintings have taken on a satirical look, challenging concepts of modernity, using spaces as a language to describe forgotten places, and light to evoke their story and context within the present, our time. In the years following his formal education, Feibelman’s knowledge of printmaking and savvy ability with spray paint developed into a love and talent for painting using stencils. His stencils represent hundreds of hours of meticulous work and fine detail — the hallmark of his works. He continues to live and paint in Oakland, CA, and exhibits frequently.