We are super excited to feature the artwork of Brian Viveros! His amazingly detailed paintings of sexy badass women is right up Highlark’s alley combining art and beauty with innovation and style. Brian has been working hard getting ready for his upcoming solo exhibition over at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City (Los Angeles County), but despite his hectic schedule he has taken the time to do a quick interview with us!
He gives us a behind the scenes look into his ‘Matador’ exhibition opening as well as some insight into his art including his most memorable moment and how he overcomes writer’s block. Take a look at some “in-process” and preview photos/paintings from his upcoming exhibition including a sculpture collaboration with Pretty in Plastic. If you are in the LA, Culver City area you cannot miss this event! Exhibition details are below, mark your calendars!
For those that have wanted to get their hands on a Viveros original, click here to get on the VIP advance preview for his upcoming new set of paintings: http://brianmviveros.com/contact. Also be sure to subscribe to Thinkspace Gallery mailing list at www.thinkspacegallery.com for Viveros preview!
+ BRIAN M. VIVEROS ‘MATADOR’ EXHIBITION OPENING NOV. 7TH AT THINKSPACE GALLERY LA +
Brian M. Viveros is taking over Thinkspace Gallery in his big return to LA on November 7th with the highly anticipated solo exhibition MATADOR. The exhibition will feature all new oil paintings, drawings, exclusive edition prints and a must-see collaborative sculpt by Brian M. Viveros and Pretty In Plastic. To be included on the advance preview sign up here: http://brianmviveros.com/contact.
In addition to these exciting new works and the collaborative project, Brian M. Viveros will be releasing his first ever Art Book published by Thinkspace Gallery, The DirtyLand. The book will include 216 pages of beautiful full-color imagery documenting the evolution of Viveros’ artwork over the past 10 years, and will include essays, an in-depth interview and much more. The book will be available at the opening reception of the Matador exhibition on November 7th, and will also be available online through the Thinkspace shop and through other fine art bookstores and outlets.
This is going to be an epic event, so we encourage you all to come dressed as your best Viveros character; wear your freshest rose and dirtiest helmet! Brian M. Viveros will be in atten- dance for the opening to sign all of your cool stuff, and to hang with the best of ‘em. The event is free and open to the public; all friends and guests are welcome. The evening will also be filmed for an upcoming documentary project. There will be a FREE Viveros exhibition poster, for all those in attendance, in addition to many other cool pieces of memorabilia!
www.brianMviveros.com | Viveros Brand Instagram
INTERVIEW
Q 1 || You’ve been busy getting ready for you big solo exhibition, aside from getting your artwork together what are some of the lesser known things that go into an event like this?
Just the preparation that no one sees, the behind the scenes action kind of stuff ya know. I’m doing this amazing collaboration sculpt entitled ‘Bullheaded’ with Pretty In Plastic that I’m so excited to share with the world & will be unveiled at my ‘Matador’ opening November 7th. It’s a larger than life head mount of one of my signature smoking girls and it looks amazing!! But there’s a lot that goes into that and we have deadlines on everything. Deadlines for the new set of paintings, getting them photographed for preview and you gotta have all that done way before the opening – Timing the magazine promos and blogs and interviews and still juggling doing the paintings & other things that will unfold for the show. It’s a lot of not sleeping and working hard which is how I like it. I like a little madness with my coffee 😉
Q 2 || The general population tends to be unsure if something is “cool” until a lot of other people say it’s “cool”. Did you experience something like this with your art when you were starting out?
When I was starting out my work was very much on the more erotic hardcore surreal tip. But it wasn’t until I started painting things & elements that represented me & my world that things just started to click and people started to really take a liking and follow what I was doing. I believe it was 2007 when I painted my first DirtyLand girl painting for my first solo in Switzerland when everything just came together. I started to incorporate all the things I grew up with and loved as a child and still do till this day into this DirtyLand world I’ve created of smoking bad girls, heroes, women of POWER & STRENGTH. It was like a switch went off and a voice inside my head was telling me “this is you & you’re not holding back and the world might love it or hate it”. But it didn’t matter, I’d found my niche & the ideas just poured out like blood. After that show in Switzerland and that first DirtyLand painting, I knew things would change and the people started to really feel and embrace what I was doing – So yeah I guess my work became cooler – thats sounds funny to say 😉 But um yeah, after that painting I started to grow the DirtyLand army with different characters that were a part of my childhood from The Boxing Girl, The Lucha Libre Girl, The Bull-Fight0He and The Military Girl.
Q 3 || Do you get stuck feeling like something you are working on doesn’t feel or look right? How do you handle these writer’s block situations?
Usually I just step away from it for a while. Sometimes you can obsess on trying to fix something or get it to where it feels right, and that can take hours and then sometimes you over work it and you have lost that moment. I always say to just step away, have a drink or smoke, or just sit & think about new ideas & the painting will call you back when it’s time.
Q 4 || Do you listen to music while you draw or paint? What are some of your go to tunes currently?
Lets see currently it’s been Disclosure, Tame Impala, The Internet, Jamie xx and some Elliott Smith and a little Nina Samone.
Q 5 || Can you tell us about some memorable moments in your career?
One memorable moment would have to be when I had my first solo show in Switzerland 2005. H.R. Giger who’s from Switzerland has always been an artist I’ve loved and admired, ever since the Necronomicon book. When I had my first solo exhibition in Switzerland, he had invited me and my wife to come spend the day with him in his house, which is ultimately the Alien ship, and I got to sit in that iconic Alien chair. I really couldn’t believe it, I still can’t, and we gave each other prints of our work, had some drinks & it was truly a surreal & unforgettable moment. Another memorable moment would be my first my big solo in LA ‘The DirtyLAnd’ at Thinkspace; it was such a great time. The energy was awesome & to see fans come dressed as my paintings and show me their tattoos of my art was truly a surreal & unforgettable night.
|| BRIAN VIVEROS
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