barry mcgee x rvca

Barry McGee is a California based artist whose work is inspired by his graffiti background. His installations utilize found objects and what has become trademark geometric patterns. I first heard of him through an article in Giant Robot. I was instantly drawn to his installations and clever eye. I also got a kick out of the ray fong hair nets. In many ways, McGee has updated Duchamp's readymade concept, taking objects from the urban sprawl and repurposing them into his own signature expressions. There seems a happy melancholy in McGee's work, his characters are often endearing, but always seem a tad despondent, as though they haven't really found their own places.

Want a little piece of Barry McGee? Can't make it to an art show? Rvca's got your back. I normally don't cosign trucker hats, but it's barry...so you can. Go for the sweater. Personally I'm holding out for some hairnets...

David Choe

please, please do not sleep on David Choe. If you've already heard of him, good for you. If not check his site out. He's a great artist with a keen eye and, for lack of a better word, an interesting take on life. He's hitchhiked, been in jail in Japan, and he's still going strong. Here's a selection of a few of his works I got off of his site. A lot of his work is a little darker and funnier than this, but these really caught my eye. I especially like the portraits of him and his brothers. I like the juxtaposition of them with his other work. Even Choe, an artist with ostensibly such an acerbic wit and eye, loves his family. check out his site: http://www.davidchoe.com