It’s about that time that we begin looking back at the year that was at LOST IN A SUPERMARKET. A whole year means a lot of amazingly awesome and amazingly bad crap we’ve found floating around this Great Existential Supermarket we all live in, so it’s time to get things going. We’re gonna kick off the Best Of 2011 series with Art in all its farflung forms, and highlight our Top 10 favorite artists, galleries, openings and projects that we covered all year. There was a lot of stunning work we saw in 2011 so it was hard to whittle it down to our Best 10, but we did it for the children. We always do it for the children…
LIAS Top 10 Artists & Art Projects Of 2011:
#10. Jeff Bridges “True Grit” Photo Diary
What’s there not to like when one of your favorite actors takes it upon himself to photograph an intimate behind-the-scenes peek into one of the best films of the previous year? Photos of Matt Damon and Josh Brolin practicing their best Tragedia/Comedia faces, Hailee Seinfeld telling stories, the Coen Bros framing a scene, Bridges mustering up his finest Rooster Cogburn interpretation and more. You’re not out of your element on this one, Donny…
9. Frank Frazetta Massive Online Portfolio
You can never have too much Frazetta in your life, so when someone uploads their 500+ collection onto the interwebs for all to enjoy, it’s a head chopping celebration bitches…
Hit the Jump to read continue reading #s 8-1 of the Year In Art: The Top 10 LIAS Artists Of 2011…
8. EXCLUSIVE: The London Police “Pals” Art Video Only on Lost In a Supermarket
We were humbled to be chosen by the great London Police to premier the video piece Pals which they contributed to the 7th installment of Scion’s Installation national art tour. Sure it’s just them slapping the hell out of each other & a bunch of friends, but what more do you need? Thanks fellas!
7. Samurais, Squids, Zombies & Daft Punk in Styrofoam Cup Format
San Francisco via Singapore via Thailand via Malaysia artist Cheeming Boey takes one of the most disposable, valueless byproducts of Western society and transformed it into something substance and true beauty. Plus he gave us a great interview.
6. Sarah Palin Sex Tape Nightmare!: The Brilliant TrustoCorp Strikes Again
One of the more inventive street artists out there in a frothing sea of lackluster wannabes, Trustocorp’s subversive prank where he replaced crap tabloid magazines with mock versions was ingenious. Plus, Sarah Palin pulling a gangbang on the Republican party? Sounds more factual than most of the tabloids he replaced.
5. Bloody Barbie Massacres, Masochistic Bondage & Kitchen Decapitations
Photographer and demented diorama virtuoso Mariel Clayton takes one of the more harmless children’s toys around and places it in evil, hilariously horrific situations. Expect a lot of blood, decapitations, bondage and strap-ons — all glossed over with the perma-smiling, vacantly beautiful gaze of Barbie. Genius.
4. BLU Decade In Review DVD
What can we say, BLU is undoubtedly our favorite street artist working today, so a DVD that compiles his mindblowing oeuvre this decade is a welcome site at LIAS. Nevermind all that MOCA mural whitewashing bullshit, just sit back and enjoy his epic MUTO animation and Big Bang Big Boom pieces in proper format — on a nice large flatscreen TV instead of just streaming through your browser. Bravo.
3. Rock (Poster Art) Gods! vol. 2: Casey Burns
We started a new format interviewing artists that specialize in illustrating rock posters in our Rock (Poster Art) Gods! series, and it quickly became one of our favorite things to do. Choosing among them the best was very, very tough. Putting Casey Burns in our Top 3 was not. One of the better interviews we’ve had the pleasure of taking part it in. Plus, his art — often of very, very dangerous women — always makes us smile. Oh, and he loves Van Halen logos. Enough said.
2. Strippers, Leches & Masturbating Boys: When Porcelain Figurines Do Very Bad Things
Like Mariel Clayton’s demented but oh-so brilliant Barbie dioramas above (#5), Barnaby Barford’s art is sure to ruffle many a Red State feather. Appropriating once innocent porcelain figures and repurposing them in wicked ways, Barford’s creations become debaucherous avatars of base human vices. Porn, strippers, rape, murder… nothing is safe in his innocent-on-the-surface work. Another great Q&A in our vaults.
1. Rock (Poster Art) Gods! vol. 1: Dan Stiles
Like we said, it was tough to choose which artist we’d pluck from our Rock (Poster Art) Gods! series to make our Top 10 list of 2012, but in the end Portland’s Dan Stiles took the #1 spot. Like Casey Burns (#3) before him, Stiles’ art is truly unique and we wish we had our hands on several of his prints. And the fact that he name checked a John Byrne-drawn Wolverine (#17) as his favorite comic cover ever certainly caught our eye. And his theory on the Death of the True Geek was spot on. Nerds worldwide unite, Stiles knows what fanboy harp strings to pluck!
We’ll be wrapping up the year with several more of our Best Of 2011 series, so look out for Year In Style, Motion, Music, Books and more in the coming days and weeks…
