ONSIX ARCHIVES : ARCHIVES : sf : ca : us

REVIEWS AND MEDIA:

Nirmala Nataraj wrote for the SF Weekly:
TRUST ME
An art show's delectable depressives
Joy Division, that bastion of post-punk somberness, penned some of my favorite morbid melodies. I can't help but be moved by singer Ian Curtis' ominous warbling of lyrics like "A house somewhere on foreign soil/ Where ageless lovers call/ Is this your goal, your final needs/ Where dogs and vultures eat/ Committed still I turn to go/ I put my trust in you."

That moody verse stole into my mind when I heard about the upcoming exhibit "I'll Put My Trust in You." The show features artwork from a few of the posse at Hamburger Eyes photo magazine, a darkly funny publication that earmarks the little-noticed yet iconic moments of everyday life. Stefan Simikich, the zine's associate editor, achieves a balance between comic absurdity and some of the more gruesome trappings of the city in his contribution to this multimedia exhibition. His chronicle of urban apathy spans portraits of bloody-faced teens, shots of fat men with beer bongs, and visions of listless couples in wayside diners. Simikich's work is a testament to the accidental strangeness we often encounter, and his prints are infused with bitter irony -- the same kind that makes me shudder deliciously at Joy Division's cynical lyrics.

Other featured artists include Ray and Dave Potes (also of Hamburger Eyes), John Groshong, and Ethan Indorf; the opening reception offers live performances by the Coachwhips and DJ Cliff Huxtable. Check it out this Friday at 7 p.m. (the show continues through May 20) at On Six Gallery (at Club Six), 60 Sixth St. (at Mission), S.F. Admission is free-$5; call 531-6593 or visit www.onsixgallery.com.

Lori Spears wrote for the Guardian:
URBAN WILDLIFE
Encounters with Bigfoot – skater, artist, vegan, and designer.
BEFORE ART- world sensation Neck Face, there was the urban myth of Bigfoot. His big-haired, brown and green beastly images have dotted San Francisco's 'scape since 1994, when the now-31-year-old anonymous vegan adopted the name in the streets and in the galleries.

The artist Bigfoot, a San Francisco Art Institute dropout, hails from New Jersey ("the armpit of America") and now makes his living selling his acrylic paintings and day-jobbing at I-Path, the footwear company he cofounded in 1998 with Matt Field, a pro skater for Rasa Libre. Bigfoot says, "It's a culmination of my philosophies, favorite cultures – skateboarding and art. I do illustrations. I am one of the art directors and basically the mascot." Bigfoot drew the logo that pops up on I-Path's shoes, wallets, and hoodies and all related gear.

Bigfoot the painter depicts his alter ego as an oversize woodland creature zapping bulldozers with lightning bolts, meditating in the forest, and sometimes terrorizing the viewer with menacing growls and grabbing paws. He's the ultimate tree hugger, but he's not a hippie. The work seems repetitive in a Rain Man-esque way, but if you look closely, you see there is a secret language being developed and a story building. The art of "getting up" is not lost on the endearingly shy, KISS-crazed artist, however; the demand for his gallery work has kept him out of the streets since July 2004.

I caught up with the elusive man in March between exhibits in Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Bay Guardian: Tell us about your art school experience.

Bigfoot: I went to portfolio day at San Francisco Art Institute, where I looked at the catalog, and it was the first time I had seen Barry McGee's art. I said, "Dad, it's there or nowhere else!" I convinced him to pay for some art school, plus I knew that it was fun to skate here. I watched the Sick Boys skate video so many times, and Thrasher was my favorite mag since I was 12, so after high school, I came out here on a Greyhound bus from Newark, New Jersey. SFAI was a good creative environment, a good lesson in aesthetics and what kind of art I didn't want to make.

BG: Are there any other artists in your family?

B: Yeah, my mom's an artist, an oil painter. She would copy Currier and Ives paintings while she was pregnant with me, and she worked a bunch of graphic design jobs. Her aunt was a painter that was murdered by an ex-boyfriend, stabbed 17 times, and I just learned that my dad had an aunt that painted too, before she was committed to an insane asylum.

BG: How is S.F.'s graf scene different from when you moved here in 1992?

B: There's just been more development. New buildings built where there used to be vacant lots. I am more selective about spots because I don't like to be next to other writers I don't know. Plus, I am more easily recognized, so I need to be careful. My main priority is design and galleries these days.

BG: How did you get involved with Tony Hawk's video game, Underground 2?

B: Someone from NeverSoft, a video game developer, asked to use my graffiti and my Bigfoot character in the game. He skates in a level called Skatopia, and that is where you can see my graffiti.

BG: Why do you feel the need to be a mystery with your pseudonym and at the same time well-known?

B: I just feel like my human name doesn't mean shit. I don't wanna be human. I wish I was a bigfoot. It's the persona that I wanna represent – the whole natural world, animal and plant kingdom rolled into one. Bigfoot summed it up and said all I wanted to say just in one word. This society is so square. I don't care about formalities. It's about breaking the structure and rules that society has made. People can't ignore the artists' voices anymore, because they realize the kids are listening.

BG: What is your intent as an artist? How do you feel about the merchandising of art – T-shirts, action figures, and shoes?

B: There's so much I want to convey to the humans of this world. Visual images are ways to communicate to people that words can't express. My art is survival. It's an "art-illery" against the opposition.

For me, all the commercial stuff is just mass-producing and making stuff on a level to be distributed on a larger scale that's harder to accomplish with handmade paintings. These action figures that I just came out with through Strangeco are like my army of Bigfoots that will come alive and infect the human race. I just try to impress myself because if I'm not accomplishing stuff, I'll be down and my spirit guides will be mad at me.

Bigfoot's cut-outs and paintings are on exhibit Fri/29 in the group show "I'll Put My Trust in You," On Six Gallery, Club Six, 60 Sixth St., S.F. (415) 863-1221. Reception with the Coachwhips and Battle Axe 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Free until 9 p.m., $5 after.



	I'LL PUT MY TRUST IN YOU ONSIX GALLERY 60 SIXTH STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA ARTIST RECEPTION APRIL 29TH, 2005 7:00PM – 2:00AM Free before 9:00pm $5, 21+ FEATURING WORK BY: Chris Lindig Bigfoot Dave Schubert Ray Potes David Potes Stefan Simikich Jason Roberts-Dobrin John Groshong Ethan Indorf MUSICAL PERFORMANCES BY: COACHWHIPS BATTLE AXE WAR ALL THE TIME Richie Panic (frisco disco) Cliff Huxtable
DAVID POTES and STEFAN SIMIKICH ETHAN INDORF VIDEO PROJECTION INDORF VIDEO STILLS THE IPATH CREW ABHOR KUK PCF VALENTINE and RANDY RAY POTES ART RAY POTES KISS STEFAN SIMIKICH ART STEFAN SIMIKICH WAR ALL THE TIME RICHIE PANIC DAVE SCHUBERT ART DAVE SCHUBERT BATTLE AXE COACHWHIPS BIGFOOT ART BIGFOOT ACTION JASON ROBERTS-DOBRIN ART DAVID POTES ART JOHN GROSHONG ART Photos by Lindsey Byrnes and Chris Fitzpatrick
	REVIEWS AND MEDIA: ART BUSINESS REVIEW/PHOTOS Nirmala Nataraj wrote for the SF Weekly: TRUST ME An art show's delectable depressives Joy Division, that bastion of post-punk somberness, penned some of my favorite morbid melodies. I can't help but be moved by singer Ian Curtis' ominous warbling of lyrics like "A house somewhere on foreign soil/ Where ageless lovers call/ Is this your goal, your final needs/ Where dogs and vultures eat/ Committed still I turn to go/ I put my trust in you." That moody verse stole into my mind when I heard about the upcoming exhibit "I'll Put My Trust in You." The show features artwork from a few of the posse at Hamburger Eyes photo magazine, a darkly funny publication that earmarks the little-noticed yet iconic moments of everyday life. Stefan Simikich, the zine's associate editor, achieves a balance between comic absurdity and some of the more gruesome trappings of the city in his contribution to this multimedia exhibition. His chronicle of urban apathy spans portraits of bloody-faced teens, shots of fat men with beer bongs, and visions of listless couples in wayside diners. Simikich's work is a testament to the accidental strangeness we often encounter, and his prints are infused with bitter irony -- the same kind that makes me shudder deliciously at Joy Division's cynical lyrics. Other featured artists include Ray and Dave Potes (also of Hamburger Eyes), John Groshong, and Ethan Indorf; the opening reception offers live performances by the Coachwhips and DJ Cliff Huxtable. Check it out this Friday at 7 p.m. (the show continues through May 20) at On Six Gallery (at Club Six), 60 Sixth St. (at Mission), S.F. Admission is free-$5; call 531-6593 or visit www.onsixgallery.com. Lori Spears wrote for the Guardian: URBAN WILDLIFE Encounters with Bigfoot – skater, artist, vegan, and designer. BEFORE ART- world sensation Neck Face, there was the urban myth of Bigfoot. His big-haired, brown and green beastly images have dotted San Francisco's 'scape since 1994, when the now-31-year-old anonymous vegan adopted the name in the streets and in the galleries. The artist Bigfoot, a San Francisco Art Institute dropout, hails from New Jersey ("the armpit of America") and now makes his living selling his acrylic paintings and day-jobbing at I-Path, the footwear company he cofounded in 1998 with Matt Field, a pro skater for Rasa Libre. Bigfoot says, "It's a culmination of my philosophies, favorite cultures – skateboarding and art. I do illustrations. I am one of the art directors and basically the mascot." Bigfoot drew the logo that pops up on I-Path's shoes, wallets, and hoodies and all related gear. Bigfoot the painter depicts his alter ego as an oversize woodland creature zapping bulldozers with lightning bolts, meditating in the forest, and sometimes terrorizing the viewer with menacing growls and grabbing paws. He's the ultimate tree hugger, but he's not a hippie. The work seems repetitive in a Rain Man-esque way, but if you look closely, you see there is a secret language being developed and a story building. The art of "getting up" is not lost on the endearingly shy, KISS-crazed artist, however; the demand for his gallery work has kept him out of the streets since July 2004. I caught up with the elusive man in March between exhibits in Los Angeles and Tokyo. Bay Guardian: Tell us about your art school experience. Bigfoot: I went to portfolio day at San Francisco Art Institute, where I looked at the catalog, and it was the first time I had seen Barry McGee's art. I said, "Dad, it's there or nowhere else!" I convinced him to pay for some art school, plus I knew that it was fun to skate here. I watched the Sick Boys skate video so many times, and Thrasher was my favorite mag since I was 12, so after high school, I came out here on a Greyhound bus from Newark, New Jersey. SFAI was a good creative environment, a good lesson in aesthetics and what kind of art I didn't want to make. BG: Are there any other artists in your family? B: Yeah, my mom's an artist, an oil painter. She would copy Currier and Ives paintings while she was pregnant with me, and she worked a bunch of graphic design jobs. Her aunt was a painter that was murdered by an ex-boyfriend, stabbed 17 times, and I just learned that my dad had an aunt that painted too, before she was committed to an insane asylum. BG: How is S.F.'s graf scene different from when you moved here in 1992? B: There's just been more development. New buildings built where there used to be vacant lots. I am more selective about spots because I don't like to be next to other writers I don't know. Plus, I am more easily recognized, so I need to be careful. My main priority is design and galleries these days. BG: How did you get involved with Tony Hawk's video game, Underground 2? B: Someone from NeverSoft, a video game developer, asked to use my graffiti and my Bigfoot character in the game. He skates in a level called Skatopia, and that is where you can see my graffiti. BG: Why do you feel the need to be a mystery with your pseudonym and at the same time well-known? B: I just feel like my human name doesn't mean shit. I don't wanna be human. I wish I was a bigfoot. It's the persona that I wanna represent – the whole natural world, animal and plant kingdom rolled into one. Bigfoot summed it up and said all I wanted to say just in one word. This society is so square. I don't care about formalities. It's about breaking the structure and rules that society has made. People can't ignore the artists' voices anymore, because they realize the kids are listening. BG: What is your intent as an artist? How do you feel about the merchandising of art – T-shirts, action figures, and shoes? B: There's so much I want to convey to the humans of this world. Visual images are ways to communicate to people that words can't express. My art is survival. It's an "art-illery" against the opposition. For me, all the commercial stuff is just mass-producing and making stuff on a level to be distributed on a larger scale that's harder to accomplish with handmade paintings. These action figures that I just came out with through Strangeco are like my army of Bigfoots that will come alive and infect the human race. I just try to impress myself because if I'm not accomplishing stuff, I'll be down and my spirit guides will be mad at me. Bigfoot's cut-outs and paintings are on exhibit Fri/29 in the group show "I'll Put My Trust in You," On Six Gallery, Club Six, 60 Sixth St., S.F. (415) 863-1221. Reception with the Coachwhips and Battle Axe 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Free until 9 p.m., $5 after.
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