Ron English’s Abraham Obama

Scheduled to open coming Sautrday on the 27th of February will be Jonathan LeVine Gallery’s Five year anniversary group exhibition. Featuring many of our favorite artists the likes of Blek le Rat, AJ Fosik, Mark Dean Veca, Ron English, WK amongst many others.  Over the past five years, Johnathan LeVine Gallery has had a strong emphasis on a street influenced genre of art, and has played an integral role in helping many emerging artists  by providing them with an environment where they can further develop their work. Their DIY approach has really allowed many of the exhibiting artists, free reign for their creative expression in the gallery space, encouraging artistic exploration. Congratulations to the Johnathan LeVine Gallery! Stay Tuned for more info and coverage of this show. via SLAMXHYPE

Jonathan LeVine Gallery 5th Anniversary Exhibition
February 27th, 2010
529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY

21,648

By CAITLIN MORRIS
Published: Issue 1, Summer 2009

FILM: Abraham Obama Directed by Kevin Chapados

In 2008, street artist Ron English created the image Abraham Obama. He was inspired by the similarities between the tall, skinny Senators-turned-Presidents from Illinois; English said: “I believe Obama will take up Lincoln’s challenge of uniting the country.” In a pop-surrealist style, English crafted the Abraham Obama artwork as Obama’s face superimposed onto Lincoln’s. Once created, the image first publicly appeared in South Boston for the “a politic” exhibition. Then it began to multiply and travel across the United States, in an act of guerilla street artfare. Rather than stir controversy, conversation emerged from Abraham Obama’s travels. In downtown Colorado Springs, artists covertly made additions to an installation of the image on the side of the local restaurant, Poor Richard’s, creating a public forum for artistic and political discussion. Other artists and musicians took up the image’s cause including Shepard Fairey, Jack Medicine, David Choe, Sam Flores, Will.I.Am and Morgan Spurlock. The documentary film Abraham Obama follows these travels; the film is in many ways another portrait—of the iconic image and of America’s grassroots artistic landscape. Abraham Obama directed by Kevin Chapados. TAP

Ron English is a pop pervert and prankster impresario, tweaking any nose that wanders within his grasp. His images are fun house mirror reflections of our increasingly bizarre popular culture, complete with weirdo lighting and acts of perplexing oddity. Due to their improbably bright palettes, Ron’s paintings almost give off their own light source. One wonders if radioactive isotopes might be employed to achieve this effect (Plutonium Yellow seems to be a favorite), as no other artist around seems to be able to “outshine” his work in quite the same way. He has also long used his work to comment upon American contemporary culture and its more egregious excesses and hypocrisies, all while delighting his audiences with his raucous, playful imagery. Most recently, Ron and his work appeared in the recent film Supersize Me, a film that skewers the fast food industry.

Ron English is one of 50 Artists featured in our second publication entitled Metamorphosis 2.

Lost At E Minor is an online publication of inspiring art, illustration, photography, music, fashion, film, and more, featuring our latest discoveries in the ever-changing world of contemporary pop culture. View here.

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Michael Plunkett/Patrick McMullan

MC Supersized joins his creator, artist Ron English, at the Opera Gallery in SoHo last night.

Characters emerging from surrealist paintings to confront the artist who created them? Sounds like the plot of a classic Twilight Zone episode. At least it did until a limo pulled up in front of the Opera Gallery in SoHo last night and disgorged four bodypainted “cowgirls” to storm the art opening inside.

The cowgirls, a sexy half human, half bovine creation of pop artist Ron English, came in with (toy) guns drawn and blazing. English created them for paintings like his “Bovine Growth Hormone Babe,” a criticism of the bovine growth hormone (rBGH) used in dairy cows.

ABRAHAM OBAMA:
A GUERILLA TOUR THROUGH ART & POLITICS
Compiled and edited by Don Goede and Ron English

Abraham Obama is an image melding the faces of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama. It was originally a painting by Ron English and fast became one of the most recognizable icons indirectly involved with the Barack Obama campaign for president. It is the subject of a documentary of the same title. It has been featured on CNN, NPR, and distributed world-wide on the internet. It even has its own song called The Obama Song.

This visual documentary explores the adventure of Ron English’s image Abraham Obama and all it encounters on a national and world tour leading up to, during, and after the 2008 presidential election. It begins in Boston and picks up steam in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and takes time at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The crew disbands and all continue with the image in their respective cities.

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