Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight — voted 2005’s Art Gallery of the Year in a Vapors Magazine readers poll — will forgo oil, watercolor, and acrylic for a different kind of canvas come this Valentine’s Day.
During PLUSH WEEK!, opening on February 7 and running until February 14, hundreds of one-of-a-kind stuffed creations will adorn the gallery’s walls, all handcrafted by some of the world’s most talented plush artists. “Stuffed animals are something that everyone remembers from childhood, but there’s a whole other genre of plush out there for those of us who outgrew Care Bears but still love the idea of having artful decorations relaxing on your couch or hanging on the wall,” said Jon M. Gibson, co-curator of PLUSH WEEK!, as well as last April’s wildly successful old-school videogame-themed show, I AM 8-BIT, also at Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight. “The plush artists we’ve assembled are just as gifted as today’s most popular painters, only their medium involves needles, thread, and a hell of a lot of fabric.”
PLUSH WEEK!’s roster of artists spans the globe, including:
Anna Chambers, Blobby Farm, Crump., Heidi Kenney, Jäke Henzler, Jason Sho Green, Jen Rarey, Jenny Harada, John Murphy, Kate Sutton, Katie Rice, Klayco, Koadzn, SKWAK, Cuddly Rigor Mortis, Lost Monster, Love Ablan, Michelle Valigura, Monster Factory, Parskid, Creature Co-op, Renee Gontarski, Ryan Bubnis, Sandra Equihua, Shawnimals, Social Studies, Suicide Kittens, Super Fun Fun, Thomas Han, TragicMagicHead, Tsai-Fi, and Yasemin Gokcen.
“Hand-made plush have been a mainstay at flea markets and craft fairs for years, but it wasn’t until recently that this new generation of artists ushered in a revolution of sorts,” says Katie Cromwell, co-owner/co-curator of Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight. “This stuffed art is definitely not your mom’s dirty sock monkey. It’s cool and edgy — but most of all, it has character.”
PLUSH WEEK! will also mark the exclusive debut of a new “limited edition” t-shirt created by Los Angeles artist Anna Chambers.
