BABY TATTOO: CARNIVAL OF ASTOUNDING ART
August 22, 2015–January 3, 2016
Curated By Bob Self
In Gleason Gallery
OMA celebrates a flair for the theatrical and love of the outrageous in Baby Tattoo: Carnival
of Astounding Art. Curated by Bob Self, the exhibition is a spinoff of the Baby Tattoo independent book publishing company, created in 2003 as a path for daredevil artists to share their work with fans of the unusual.
Artists ranging from provocative up-and-comers to legendary masters are part of the Baby Tattoo story. Included in this exhibition are lowbrow and alternative art pioneers such as Audrey Kawasaki, Coop, Katherine Brannock, Mark Ryden, Michael Whelan, Olivia de Berardinis, Robert Williams, Rolly Crump, Seonna Hong, Thomas Kuntz, and dozens more. This surprise-packed exhibition will also include the unveiling of a decade-in-the-making installation by Thomas Kuntz, Los Angeles-based artist, sculptor, and automata-builder. Included in the exhibition are thematically dizzying ArtJam paintings— created collaboratively by renowned artists known for lowbrow, pop surrealism, illustration, pin-up and outsider art during annual Baby Tattooville events, as well as rare first editions and collector’s editions of illustrated books published by Baby Tattoo since the company’s 2003 inception. For over a decade, Southern California based Baby Tattoo has been publishing high quality books and producing live events with the goal of building a thriving community where creators, collectors, and fans of visual wonders can interact as fellow travelers on a fantastic journey into the wildly unexpected.