{"id":295,"date":"2019-01-10T10:13:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T18:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999933928"},"modified":"2019-01-10T10:13:57","modified_gmt":"2019-01-10T18:13:57","slug":"warehouse-art-show-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/warehouse-art-show-long-beach","title":{"rendered":"Artists take matters into their own hands to put on massive mural show"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Joon The Goon, of Long Beach, stands in front of his workspace. He and 12 other artists will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex as part of “Hello, Welcome,” opening this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Juan Alvarado\u2019s mural is violent. Militant figures clash with tormented victims in fiery shades of red, yellow and orange paint. The artwork empathizes with the recent migrant caravan that traveled from Central America to Tijuana, resulting in ongoing clashes and controversy between the U.S. and those seeking asylum here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep thinking a couple decades ago it could have been me crossing that border or me in detention centers or our lives at risk in Honduras,\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cI know how bad it is right now, I don\u2019t blame a lot of people for trying to leave what\u2019s going on out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarado, more commonly known by his artist name, \u201cJoon the Goon,” is of Honduran descent, has lived in Pasadena and Los Angeles\u00a0and moved to Long Beach three and a half years ago to pursue his art practice.<\/p>\n

His mural is one of 13 large-scale works local and regional artists have painted on the walls of an empty floor of The Icehouse Arts Complex, a mixed-use venue\u2014and former seafood packing and shipping facility\u2014in Long Beach\u2019s Washington neighborhood.<\/p>\n

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Bodeck Hernandez, of Long Beach, pauses as he works on his art. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The murals are the main attraction of “Hello, Welcome,” an artist-organized exhibition opening Saturday, Jan. 12, and possibly the cultural event of the year for art, according to Josh Garcia, one of the main coordinators of the show, who also runs InspiredLBC, a company he founded in late 2016 to connect artists to communities.<\/p>\n

On Monday, several of the muralists were still hard at work. Friends who visited to check out their progress were greeted, after climbing five flights of stairs, with the harsh smell of paint fumes, the rattling of spray cans echoing throughout the cavernous space, grit crunching under their feet on the bare concrete floors.<\/p>\n

The exhibition is about as DIY as it gets; \u201chome grown\u201d is a term proudly tossed around by the artists to describe it. They\u2019ve taken matters into their own hands to create an opportunity to show their work, instead of waiting for a door to open, for a higher institution or gallery to approve of or support them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a platform created \u201cfor artists by artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Josh Garcia of InspiredLBC helped curate “Hello, Welcome” in Long Beach. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t any actual galleries that are investing in us so, in a way, we have to create our own opportunities,\u201d said Long Beach artist Bodeck Hernandez.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a reason to shake things up. What with established, international events like POW! WOW! Long Beach largely setting the bar for how murals are painted locally, with artists often crossing their fingers for an invitation to get their work out in front of the thousands of people who attend the week-long mural festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many events that happen in L.A. where people have to go[…]to get a certain caliber of exposition and there\u2019s some in Long Beach here and there, but it\u2019s spaced out and it’s very consistent venues and groups that are doing it,\u201d said artist and illustrator Erik Vincent, also known as \u201cRoshi\u201d. \u201cSo we\u2019re like, well, we could just do this ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Erwin Papa, of Lakewood, walks past his artwork on his wall. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Such a large undertaking involving so many people requires a collaborative energy that\u2019s often hard to find; the artists know this, and cherish that chemistry.<\/p>\n

Many of them have met and worked together through various local events, including the Long Beach Filipino Fest<\/a>, POW! WOW! Long Beach<\/a> and Ink & Drink<\/a>, a monthly meetup at Downtown eatery, Rebel Bite, where artists and illustrators get together to draw and bounce ideas off each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all hit the point that we\u2019re at because we\u2019ve learned that we have to get things done ourselves,\u201d said Vincent. \u201cWe\u2019ve all put the time in and the work in to learn how to actualize an idea, and that\u2019s what draws us all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 13 have been working on their murals for the past month and a half, pushing and motivating each other through the process. Artist Erwin Papa, whose works rarely expand past a 3 x 5 piece of paper, said for many of them, these are the largest pieces they\u2019ve ever painted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Joey Stupor, of Riverside, works on his mural at The Icehouse Arts Complex on Jan. 7, 2019. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork during “Hello, Welcome” starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joey Stupor, who normally creates much smaller, resin-based works, painted a larger-than-life interpretation of himself floating on an island surrounded by black, blissful space. Kimo Bautista\u2019s mural shows plants and abstracted bioforms clashing with human technology.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles-based artist Allison Bamcat\u2019s first mural in Long Beach is the largest portrait she\u2019s ever painted. It’s hand-brushed, serene, and its soft colors complement the male-dominated group with a feminine piece.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think having our own space and not competing in the general circuit gives us an opportunity to show some individuality, have no constrictions on what we want to create and just show what a community we are,\u201d Bamcat said.<\/p>\n

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Allison Bamcat, of Los Angeles, is seen next to her artwork. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c[…]We created our own opportunity, our own idea. And that\u2019s the beauty of art, right? You create something from nothing into something,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

While not all the murals in “Hello, Welcome” are as political as Alvarado\u2019s, all show an unfettered creative control\u00a0not always allowed with commissioned works or painting in public spaces. Aside from a couple sponsors, including a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach, the event is mostly self-funded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would never be public art, it\u2019s just too violent,\u201d Alvarado said, standing in front of his work. \u201cI took advantage of that. No one\u2019s going to tell me what to do, so I thought I\u2019d take a chance and paint something that\u2019s close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

[easy-image-collage id=999933961]<\/p>\n

The exhibition was made possible when the owner of the building, John Chiang, agreed to let the artists use the space after Alvarado painted a mural on its exterior during POW! WOW! Long Beach last year (make sure to look up before you walk through the door on Saturday).<\/p>\n

Chiang said when he purchased the building it had been vacant for years and bringing local artists into the neighborhood helped him activate it. He also wants to build affordable art studios there in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mutually beneficial situation,\u201d Chiang said. \u201cI would really like to see more art activities going on in the neighborhood, especially where we are right now. We should be able to get it going, hopefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what’s exciting, is this is just the beginning, Garcia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event is pretty much the sum of creative freedom. We did exactly what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it and it’s going to show. Come Saturday, it\u2019s going to show.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The artists and some of their supporters at the workspace. The group will be displaying their murals and artwork at the Icehouse Arts Complex starting this weekend. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Saturday, expect more than just visual art, with an eclectic mix of local bands readying to play the event with performances by DJ trio 9095, Bootleg Orchestra, Koibito, BlckNoise and Dirty Merlin. There will also be a guest art show, art for sale, raffles and more. For the full list of artists and performers, visit the website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Hello, Welcome” opens at The Icehouse Arts Complex at 625 W. Anaheim St., on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 7 p.m. to midnight and is free to attend. RSVP via the website here<\/a>. Upcoming events related to the show will include an all-female live art battle (date to be decided) and a closing reception tentatively scheduled for Feb. 12. Stay up to date with what\u2019s to come on Instagram @inspiredlbc<\/a> and Facebook here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Organizers are still seeking a few volunteers and event sponsorships. If interested, please contact hello@inspiredlbc.com<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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