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12 midnite the future of the past

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the drawers headbones gallery contemporary drawing sculpture and works on paper 12 midnite the future of the past june 30 july 28 2012 headbones gallery

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artist catalog 12 midnite the future of the past copyright © 2012 headbones gallery this catalog was created for the exhibition titled 12 midnite the future of the past at headbones drawers gallery vernon bc canada june 30 july 28 2012 artwork copyright © 12 midnite 1993 2012 12 midnite low brow panache commentary by julie oakes copyright © 2012 julie oakes rich fog micro publishing printed in vernon 2012 layout and design richard fogarty printed on the ricoh spc 811dn all rights reserved no part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 copyright act or in writing from headbones gallery requests for permission to use these images should be addressed in writing to 12 midnite c/o headbones gallery www.headbonesgallery.com isbn 978-1-926605-55-5 rich fog micro publishing toronto canada

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12 midnite the future of the past commentary by julie oakes

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commentary by julie oakes 12 midnite low brow panache in the neighbourhood where the tramp hailed from when he met lady it s a common narrative examined in great literature lady chatterly s lover and children s tales cinderella in theatre opera and dance depicted in classical art breughel s paintings of peasant life and even veering close to voyeurism david s peasants merry making the interest of all arts have been grabbed at one time or another by the diversities between the classes and focused on the taste that defines the differences since the automobile and the motorcycle were first individualised the artists of the working man who have achieved a high degree of technical achievement have been the car/bike painter and the tattoo artist the imagery chosen to decorate the car or human body shared common sources­hearts flames skulls and bones cartoon characters and stylised symbols simple graphic hits outlined brightly coloured and embellished with ribbons of text laud the dark side and consort with the glitzy the women are big breasted eye batting high heeled short skirted lip-sticked tarts the men have muscles boots and sunglasses they re all angry young free and sexy liquor flows and ciggies glow in the dark for love hurts the gamut of visuals lays claim to the pride of the working man his girl and their neon romance in 1994 12 midnite showed his neon the primary definition of lowbrow is one who is unconcerned uninvolved or uneducated in intellectual pursuits 12 midnite has attached low brow as a descriptive to his work with insistence yet insisting that his repertoire of imagery much of it automobile related should be deemed worthy of the high echelon of fine arts is in itself an intellectual stance 12 midnite is gifted his prodigious technically adept output of slickly rendered art pieces derived from the culture of cars tattoos comics and love songs takes place

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enhanced paintings in the exhibition gunland at headbones gallery the pulse of blue light through the upper window try drugs proclaimed something hip and nebulous as the message distorted to reality with the screaming skull behind the didactic neon fifteen years later in future of the past aptly named 12 midnite uses pop imagery often taken from retro visuals and brings them forward into a more futuristic technological format with a paint style as attractively shiny as a souped-up hot rod midnite s technical expertise lends class to his power pieces literally for many have neon attachments he throws the switch up a notch back in the 60 s clement greenburg proclaimed his high handed opinion of a new brand of art that became the voice of a generation­pop art he called it fatuous and shallow in the following years pop grazed on the verbal fodder and won the critical canon s approval pop art prices out performed the tried-and-trues of an intellectual generation built on the angst combed through by freud and a generation of staunch individualists with pop low brow gained eminence slumming was no longer entertainment for the aristocrat but ethnographic research for the academic the authenticity of the pop movement embraced by the rich and powerful stays true to itself through artists like 12 midnite because midnite lives the life he has spent years with his attention commandeered by the automobile industry and his pin stripes are thinner his sparkly surfaces as slick as manufactured and his hand as sure as ever he moved on to work in the movie industry another discipline that draws from the full scope of status and influence for 12 midnite the subject matter is consistent but the tone has changed this latest body of work chills with the effortless panache of experience listening to the lyrics of 12 midnites rock-a billy songs it becomes as clear as a good laugh the tarts are older sweeter and like a good wine they ve aged well the guys are wiry and resilient with a thing or two to say the work?­more covetable future of the past is an elixir of vibrancy potent polished and electric julie oakes 2102

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headbones gallery 2012

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12 midnite performance at headbones gallery 2012

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shot full of holes 2012 enamel neon space-age plastic wood 34x56

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smash 2012 enamel on board 42 across

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billboard for a good idea 2012 enamel neon space-age plastic alum 46x31

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