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SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS presents
APEX: WARP & WEFT
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 8 • 8-11 pm
Exhibition Dates: March 8 – April 5, 2014
SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is proud to present an exhibition of new work by San Francisco based street artist Apex (aka Ricardo Richey). The works in Warp & Weft are a fresh twist on his 2011 Indigo series, which was originally inspired by Apex’s personal love for jeans and his desire to use denim as a fine art surface in a way that incorporated his street art roots.
After experimenting with a variety of denim types, weight, and colors, Apex developed a
method for stretching denim over wood panel in place of ordinary canvas. Through trial
and error, and with the help of friends specializing in the denim industry, he found ways
to make his colorful, multilayered patterns stick to the surface.
His choice in material makes a direct reference to the self-painted denim jackets
many inner city tag artists wore in the 1980s as a way to represent their crew. The
contrast between the vibrant, geometric graphics of Apex’s signature painting style
against the texture and weight of the Indigo dyed denim results in a unique and
fashionable marriage between fine art, street art, and the history of graffiti writing and
tagging. Warp & Weft will be Apex’s first solo show in Los Angeles.
About the Artist: Apex (b. 1978) is a street artist who creates colorful abstract patterns
through the use of spray paint. Part of the Gestalt Collective that engages in collaborative
murals in San Francisco, Apex has curated mural projects on Bluxome Alley, in various
districts of San Francisco, and as part of the SFMOMA display windows in association
with St. Johns Community Center. Group exhibitions include Bay Area Now 4, Yerba
Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco (2005); Calligraffiti: Writing In Contemporary
Chinese and Latino Art, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena (2009); White Walls (2011 &
2014); and POW WOW! Street Art Festival, Honolulu (2014).
About the Gallery: SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is a multifunctional gallery space
promoting diverse forms of art while providing a forum for contemporary dialogue. It
was established by Shepard Fairey and Blaze Blouin in 1995 and played an integral part
in introducing skateboarding culture and design to the art world. Now located in the
historic Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park, SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS continues
to offer a platform for artistic exploration and innovation. Gallery hours are Wednesday
through Saturday from 12 to 6 pm.
