#bc space

In a faroff galaxy countless universes adjacent to our own, there lives a race of beings known as Monsters. They once lived peacefully on their world coexisting with Humans and made great technological advances together, but the onset of war left the peaceful monsters at a great disadvantage and facing extinction under the sheer force of will and brutality from the humans. The King of Monsters, under great pressure of the death of his people or harder choices yet, met in secret with the great mages that once bridged the gap between humanity and monsters. In the end, a deal struck between them was double-crossed on both sides; what had been an agreement for the mages to send the monsters to the great ring that had since formed of asteroids and discarded technology around the planet, appeasing the aggressive humans and allowing the monsters to eventually return, instead turned to great tragedy - the King took the greatest source of technological advances from humanity so they couldn’t attack his people in space, sending them back to an age of the Industrial Revolution at best, while the mages erected a barrier around the Earth to prevent monsterkind from returning to Earth.

Backroom at BC Space, Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach, California, March 17, 2017.

BC Space has been presenting exhibitions of photography and other art since the early 1970′s. In countless respects, it represents a virtual vortex of heart and soul unique to the area and to Laguna Beach. If you have an opportunity to visit, sooner is better (the Proprietor, Curator and Head Janitor, Mark Chamberlain, is not getting any younger) as Laguna morphs in similar fashion to Venice, California (à la Abbot Kinney Blvd.). Call BC in advance of a visit, hours vary. 

If you haven’t manage to make it down, this exhibition is running for another week at BC Space!

Yesterday, along with my friend Henry James Korn, I attended the opening of the BC Space Gallery exhibition Amerikan Krazy: Life Out of Balance, and it was fantastic! If you’ve got time to see it sometime in the next few weeks until it closes on May 20th, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. I don’t think I’ve experienced so much shock and amazement at an exhibition in a long time.

Sadly, Henry won’t be there doing a live reading of his new novel Amerikan Krazy every day for the next month, but you’ll be continually astounded for the entire time you’re there emoting over all of the work on display in an exhibition that is not only aptly named but touches on many aspects of the cultural zeitgeist.

I walked through the gallery half a dozen times over four hours and was continually amazed by new things I’d run into that I somehow hadn’t seen on my first passes, or I’d experience new emotions in pieces I’d spent time studying after coming back to them after viewing others.

For those attending, I hope you’ll notice the experience begins almost as soon as you open the door, it continues even for those who visit the restrooms(!), and it doesn’t end until you’re dumbfounded even as you leave the gallery–in fact, I was so intrigued that I walked back up the stairs to leave a second time.

I was particularly enamored by many of the Glenn Brooks pieces, a fantastic video by Max Papeschi, and the haunting work of Tom Lamb, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the gallery.

Below is a small sampling of some snapshots I took (along with a few professional shots), but don’t let the poor quality of my photography detract from experiencing it more viscerally in person. (Click photos to enlarge and view slideshow.)

Jeff Gillete, Desert Debris Dismayland Castle

Max Papeschi, Friendly-fire

Max Papeschi, Just Married

Jorg Dubin, Corporate Clown

Glenn Brooks, Equal Justice

Lynn Kubacek, Conversations with My Mother (2004)

Glenn Brooks, Adding Human Costs (2004)

Straight jacket with hood

Henry Korn poses with a “Corporate Clown”

Sponsored Warfare

  Here’s the original invitation from Mark Chamberlain and the BC Space Gallery in Laguna Beach:

Dear Friends of BC Space

…Here we go again, as go we must.

BC Space Gallery is proud to present Amerikan Krazy: Life Out of Balance featuring the work of over twenty notable southland artists.

There will be an opening reception on Sunday, March 20, MMXVI, from 1-5 PM in celebration of the Vernal Equinox when our planet once again achieves balance between light and dark.

At the opening, from 2-4 PM, Henry James Korn will launch his new book Amerikan Krazy after which this show was named and thematically assembled. Henry’s comic masterpiece picks up where George Orwell, Jules Verne, and Edward Abbey left off, and turns political writing into art.

Henry Korn is the former director of the Art, Culture, and Heritage program at the Orange County Great Park. At the conclusion of his reading, there will be a discussion period on how the original grand dream for the transformation of the former Marine Corps air base has changed from a public serving project into a corporate theme park, sports complex, and housing development that mirrors the “Founding Father Land” depicted in Korn’s relentless satirical novel.

Amerikan Krazy: Life Out of Balance includes work by: Jorg Dubin, Joella March, Stephen Anderson, Jeff Gillette, F. Scott Hess, Tom Lamb, Douglas McCulloh, Haley Blatte, Jerry Burchfield, Mark Chamberlain, Ricardo Duffy, Jared Milar, Max Papeschi, Jessica DeStephano, Lynn Kubasek, Glenn Brooks, Ron English, Dustin Shuler, Clayton Spada, Jacques Garnier, Pat Spakuhl, and Dan Van Clapp.

This exhibition will be on display until May 20, 2016. Gallery hours are by arrangement. The opening reception is free to the public, but seating for the book launch is limited so reservations are encouraged.

For additional information please contact the gallery or Mark Chamberlain.

Source: BC Space

The gallery can be contacted at the details below:

BC Space Gallery 235 Forest Avenue Laguna Beach, CA 92651 949.497.1880 [email protected]

Henry Korn chats with fans after reading from Amerikan Krazy

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