Don Ed Hardy; Part 1 from Rena Bransten Gallery on Vimeo.

Don Ed Hardy; Part 2 from Rena Bransten Gallery on Vimeo.

The show opens with a series of cast-resin works layered with vintage Hardy acetate tattoo stencils. While their slick surfaces work against the raw sensibility Hardy strives for, certain works stand out. Shattering Tiger, to take but one example, is an exceptional “painting”. In it, triangular shapes converge to build a cubist-like ground and an almost vertiginous aerial view of the big cat, rendered in wavy, broad strokes. Near the animal’s shoulder, Hardy drops representation and allows his brush to spin a series of arabesques that resemble a face. It’s a beautiful moment in a beautiful piece, one that embodies the freedom Hardy sought when he quit tattooing to make personal work.

The full review is online here.

EXCERPT from the full interview:
AG: You got your start at SFAI in printmaking. There is an obvious connection between tattooing and etching in both technique and the permanence of their marks. How does painting differ for you? By comparison does it feel more expressive or ephemeral?

DEH: All the mediums are expressive in different ways, primarily at the pace of execution. I’ve always worked quickly, for better or worse. With painting more ground can be covered faster. One of my primary interests or tendencies is the autographic gesture, whether with an etching tool, tattoo machine, or brush. As far as I’m concerned all art is ephemeral; tattoos have the only guaranteed expiration date but let’s not kid ourselves about “eternity”, “art for the ages”, etc. It can all go away at any time.

You can read the full interview here.

Hardy has produced a substantial body of original paintings, sculptures, and prints that are informed not only by his lifelong involvement with tattoo, but also his far-reaching knowledge of historic Japanese forms of expression and Western and Asian art history. Hardy’s art draws on multicultural iconography and vernacular sources such as low rider car culture, surf culture, and comic books, along with tattoos.

The Unruly Art of Don Ed Hardy
June 9 – August 25, 2011

Opening reception:
Thursday, June 9, 2011
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
SFMOMA Artist Gallery at Fort Mason

The exhibition runs from THURSDAY, JANUARY 13 through SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2011. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 12 – 6 P.M.

Don Ed Hardy will be in person on Wednesday, February 2 at 7 P.M for a book signing, interview with writer/curator Kristine McKenna, and screening of Emiko Omori’s documentary “Tattoo the World”.

TRACK 16 GALLERY
Smart Art Press
2525 Michigan Avenue, Bldg C-1
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Telephone: 310-264-4678
Fax: 310-264-4682

Click over for more

UPDATE: Also included is an additional article with an interview with Ed Hardy prior to the opening of the Robyn Buntin Gallery show. Click here for the interview!

Attention all San Francisco Bay Area fans! Emiko Omori’s documentary Ed Hardy ‘Tattoo The World’ will be showing for the Cinema By The Bay series at the Roxie Theater on Saturday, November 6th at 6:30pm!. Tickets and more information are available at the proceeding link. Hope to see you there!

For all of you SF Bay Area aficionados, Emiko Omori’s documentary Ed Hardy ‘Tattoo The World’ will enjoy two showings at the Mill Valley Film Festival, October 7-17 2010. Tickets and more information are available at the links below. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sat. Oct 9, 2010 @ 7:30 PM
142 Throckmorton Theatre – Mill Valley

Sun. Oct 10, 2010 @ 9:30 PM
Sequoia Theatre – Mill Valley

We are happy to announce that a screening of Ed Hardy Tattoo The World will be shown at UCLA’s Hammer Museum on Tuesday, September 21st 2010. Tickets are on a first come, first serve basis at 7pm. The Los Angeles Times’ Max Padilla has a write-up in today’s LA Times about filmmaker Emiko Omori’s new movie about Ed’s life and times.

The following day on Wednesday the 22nd of September the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, which is still showing Ed Hardy’s Tat Cat Shack in their Art Shack exhibit, will also show a screening of Emiko’s new biopic on Ed at 7pm. Again, seating is limited, and on a first come, first serve basis, so plan to arrive early if you want a seat!

Ed and the crew are putting the final touches on a “modern” remodel of the original the “Tattoo Hut” art installation that was a highlight of Hardy’s first show at Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica,1997.

Once again, the claustrophobic structure evokes the spooky tiny tattoo parlors of the 1950s – but this time the entire design theme is of the iconic mid-20th century tattoo, the black panther. The Tat Cat Shack will transport you back into a time you never knew existed, before tattoos were part of the trendy mainstream.