On Tuesday, April 30, Thumbprint Gallery staged a unique show featuring pieces by local and SoCal artists which were inspired by the cult classic TV show, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As a fervent devotee to this show, I of course had to go see it, though it meant once again braving the weird throngs who showed up at Basic Pizza Kitchen and whatever wacky performance art was happening.
I have to say, these joint shows at Basic can be a little tedious. I'm sure the joint efforts are as such because this is the way the space can be rented and the events can be better promoted to larger crowds, etc., but if you're there only to see one element, it can be a bit difficult. That being said, I would happily put up with much in the meantime to see my beloved turtles.
Let's be clear: the live action movie of TMNT was crap. The various and sundry re-makes of the original cartoon are crap. OG TMNT or GTFO! Was my battlecry. That's one thing that I can say the artists stuck to, but there were still many creative interpretations of the characters and themes of the original show. NOMAD did 4 pieces, each containing a turtle fused with a renaissance portrait of his corresponding artist There were numerous paintings done on skate decks with action turtles, sexy April, and my personal favourite, Krang. Krang was also featured in my favourite overall piece, which was by Linda Halsey and featured Honey Booboo's mom with Krang in her stomach. "Here Comes Honey BooBoo" was definitely original, and really married the two pop culture phenomena in a great way. I think all the Krang pieces were my favourites though the Bebop pieces were equally fun.
The Thumbprint Gallery shows at Basic are always worth a look, as the art is always good and interesting, and I applaud the efforts of these guys, getting pieces and themes seen in San Diego that would not be otherwise. If you'd like to check out the gallery or take a look at what shows are coming up soon, please look at their website or Facebook page.
PS: Something I just learned, if you want so see the gallery full-screen, press F11.
No comments:
Post a Comment