Visual-audio synthesis is one of my favorite things these days, and this video by Andreas Hykade blows through a diverse musical universe and links them all together with vaguely human and cartoon forms. Colors and pacing change the overall tone of it.

Ben Zhu has done it again.
The director of Gallery Nucleus has managed to muster yet another sick puppy of a show, but this time a serious panty buster. Tomorrow, Nucleus will be exhibiting the tricks of four ingenious Pixar artists [Don Shank, Lou Romano, Nate Wragg, and Scott Morse], prepared to drop somadat ancient knowhow on your virgin asses with their latest book, The Ancient Book of Sex and Science. I’m positive the show is going to be sensational, considering all four artists are going to be there in the flesh, representing “original artwork straight from the book’s pages.”

I’m sorry, excuse me?
You don’t know who Shank, Romano, Wragg, and Morse are?

Well, fxck.
You do if you’ve seen Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Wall-E,  Ren and Stimpy, Dexter’s Laboratory, or The goddamn Powerpuff Girls. So hustle on over. If anyone knows what science, sex, and the science of sex are, it’s definitely these guys.

www.gallerynucleus.com
www.donshank.blogspot.com
www.louromano.blogspot.com
www.n8wragg.blogspot.com
www.scottmorse.blogspot.com

I went to the Henry Art Gallery today with no expectations and was blown away by the William Kentridge exhibit. A South African native that has achieved world-class fame for his drawings, installations, performance arts, animations, and more, Kentridge currently has a body of work on display at the Henry until May 3rd. Included in the exhibit are dozens of black and white charcoal drawings, brilliant stereoscopic images, and mind-blowing animations based off of his charcoal drawings.

While the above bootlegged example (we do not condone bootlegging videos, however) is not one of the animations on display at the Henry, it essentially captures the spirit and gives you an idea of what you can expect. Go to the Henry and be prepared to be amazed by just what one man can do with charcoals.

www.henryart.org
www.williamkentridge.net

JEREMY GREGORY
With chalkboard paint, colored pencils, and colors that really pop off their black backgrounds, Jeremy Gregory’s works are always guaranteed to appeal to a wide array of individuals. The last time I came across one of his shows at Snowboard Connection, he did something few artists do, but more should: he shared his deepest animated secrets, in the form of about five sketchbooks completely scrawled with his thoughts, cartoons, and quick sketches. And this is what keeps Gregory’s work interesting. Whether he’s traversing through books about circus sideshows or sharing his sketchbooks, he’s always doing something subtle that sets him apart from the others.

For the Observations & Perceptions show at the Fulcrum Gallery in Tacoma this month, Gregory’s approach shall be no different. Here’s what he had to say about his display for :

“My part of the show will include an installation made to look like a workshop… there will be small illustrations representing the song “What’s He Building in There?” by Tom Waits. Also, I’m doing portraits of sex offenders that are located within 1 mile of the gallery.”

Sounds like a jolly good, mind-bending time.

Click here to view Jeremy Gregory’s artist gallery on REDEFINE Magazine.

ELISE RICHMAN
At this show, you can also expect some abstract paintings by Elise Richman, whose works which recall alien landscapes not unlike a wickedly colorful bacterial colony.

You might also expect sculpture and installation pieces, possibly involving glass, by Galen McCarty Turner, Oliver Doriss, and Conor McClellan.

Castle Crashers is one of XBox Live’s newest runaway hits. It brings back the side-scrolling video game action that those of us who grew up on Nintendo and Super Nintendo know so well. It’s about time someone made a game that scrolled sideways and was attractive to the new generation.

With kickass animated graphics, cuddly cuddly characters, a remarkably disgusting yet hilarious sense of humor, and one of the most epic soundtracks ever to grace the XBox Live Arcade, Castle Crashers is building up momentum through word of mouth, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

This weekend, an ultimate nerd-fest, PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) came to Seattle and artists from Castle Crashers holed up in a booth. They brought with them glorious glorious vinyl toys of the game’s knights and one of its barbarian. Two life-sized foam characters were also present. At “Buy 3, Get 1 Free,” the vinyls of the knights probably sold much, much better than anyone with Castle Crashers could have ever anticipated. They sold out far before the event was over.

Here are two of the characters — the Green Poison Knight and the Barbarian:

But for those of you who are still interested, the vinyl’s will be available on their website, and it is a great bridge between the videogame world and the urban street art world.

Just a heads up for new artist galleries on our website!
Coming this week: Frye Art Museum and San Francisco Art Trip!

No Touching Ground

Pretty much the most amazing thing you will ever see, by Blu. Blu did the animation and editing, with the assistance of Sibe. Music by Andrea Martignoni. Produced by Mercurio Film. Done in Buenos Aires.

[Unfortunately, Wordpress is not allowing embeds of this video, so you will have to click the link below.]

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Presented by the Nucleus Gallery, Tragnark, Circus Posterus Studios, and Wheaty Wheat Studios, The Chubby Bunny Show is a giant gallery show that will be held at the Nucleus Gallery in Alhambra, CA, from February 11th through March 4th, 2006. The theme? Chubby bunnies, of course. Tragnark’s goal with this project was to put together a showcase of 60 diverse artists who would be able to represent a wide spectrum of art.

	TRAGNARK From infant spore to the childish age of 5001, Tragnark was raised by the Willigots on the planet Wynaagan. He was taught to ride the great Bologna Dragons that were capable of exhaling a breathable atmosphere while traveling from galaxy to galaxy. Somehow, he found himself on Earth and synchronized with an earth fetus in Asia. After a few years of tough times, the boy moved to the U.S., where he was raised by a kind family of human creatures in Pennsylvania. It was at an early age that the “human” Nick began to recover his identity as Tragnark, through dreams and such. Tragnark is the head honcho behind the Chubby Bunny Show, and to the left is his piece, “Cloud Machine”.
	AUDREY KAWASAKI Using an illustration style that combines traditional painting with a modern graphic style, Audrey Kawasaki enjoys depicting feminine characters with dreamy, ecstatic, and sometimes lustful feels. She often uses natural patterns on wood as a base for her images and is now contributing to the growing Los Angeles art scene. To the left is her piece, “Oma”.
	ALEX PARDEE In his early teens, Alex Pardee overcame his battle with severe depression and anxiety with his own form of therapy: art. He was influenced by the Garbage Pail Kids, horror movies, graffiti, and gangster rap. As a DIY artist, Alex spread homemade books with his artwork in public areas. Recently, Alex has worked on comic books and projects, such as the artwork for the Used’s album In Love and Death. To the left is his piece, “Untitled”.
	BRANDT PETERS Brandt Peters grew up on the West Coast and came from a family of antique collectors and artists who filled his upbringing with a wide range of pop ephemera. As a self-taught artist, Brandt currently lives in Tampa, FL with his wife and fellow artist, Kathie Olivas. The subject of his paintings is a world of sideshow icons, from deviant animalia to masked glorified cartoon alter-egos. These icons are used as antithetical counterparts to what we are led to believe as being innocent and socially-acceptable. His work challenges viewers to find their own interpretations. To the left is his piece, “Guru”.
	BLAINE FONTANA Blaine Fontana was raised on Bainbridge Island, WA, and his art background evolved through being a graffiti artist in Seattle and Portland. He now licenses his work to companies like Pr1mary Space and Sessions. Each of his works posess a microcosm of stories, myths, and beliefs intended for that piece only. His paintings are branded with his unique trademark of highly-stylized figures, known as “templings.” This word comes from a fusion between two words, temple and being. Being neither male nor female, they function as the face of spiritual currency and ambiguity. To the left is his piece, “The Material Fertilizer”.
	THOMAS HAN Thomas Han currently lives in Los Angeles, and is known for his off-the-wall, character-driven acrylic and silkscreen paintings. Han feels accepted in his art world, in which everything from pills and absurd creatures to flying cigarettes exist. To the left is his piece, “Exorcise Your Demons”.
	PLASTICGOD Plasticgod took to drawing the moment he picked up a pencil at the age of two. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and overseas in Switzerland, he’s sold works to movie celebrities including Jamie Foxx and Bruce Willis, as well as political ambassadors and other celebrities. He has also been dubbed the “21st Century Warhol.” But despite all of this, Plasticgod gives back! He has been involved in numerous charities, raising money for Hurricane Katrina, tsunami relief, cancer research, animal benefits, Special Olympics, human rights, and more that are still to come.