Posts Tagged ‘WOOSAAH’
BIO:
Frank Kozik was born in Madrid, Spain in 1962. At the age of 14, he moved to the United States and settled in Austin Texas.
Credited with single handedly reviving the “lost” art of the concert poster, Frank’s creative career grew largely out of his enthusiasm for Austin’s growing underground rock scene in the mid-eighties. Starting with black and white flyers for friends bands posted on telephone polls, his reputation grew as an artist who’s work was graphically compelling as well as culturally gripping. With hundreds of full-color, limited edition, silk screened posters under his belt for such renowned artists as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beastie Boys, he has also been the subject of many magazine articles such as Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Spin, and Details.
Not limited to the rock world, Frank has also done work for Nike, BASF, Slim Jim and MTV. His newest venture, fkozik.com, is an interactive site dedicated to creating a place for fans to go as well as purchase his art, both of which are firmly dedicated to producing the ultimate in collectible show posters and prints.
INTERVIEW:
Frank, I have loved your work from the gig art days right on up to your current days in vinyl. When I first found out that you were an avid toy collector, as I am I was so super stoked. So in your opinion, what is it about toys which make us collector’s go metal for them?
Well..they are sort of perfect. Cool to look at, you can touch them, you can put them anywhere..much more fun than a drawing or a painting.
Can you describe the feeling you had the first time you ever saw a vinyl toy?
‘what the hell is that I WANT IT”
What makes Frank Kozik want to get up in the morning?
Fear and greed…oh and having to pee.
I’ve heard that you are really into political pop art pieces, especially the busts. What is it about those particular pieces that get you jazzed up?
I love political art and really tacky social realism art…so this is my version of that.
What artists are you currently into?
Lately I have been really fascinated with 1960’s and 1970’s logos and lettering on commercial vehicles and race cars.
In my mind there is something seriously cool about the concept that a “toy” can be a 3 dimensional piece of art. However, there are some out there which say that “designer or
vinyl toys” are not art, simply a fad. What are your thoughts on this?
Not a fad..I think it’s a very new interesting form of pop art. And its here to stay.
How many toys do you have in your own personal collection?
Maybe 1000
What can we expect from Mr. Frank Kozik in 2011?
More of everything basically..new political busts, more cute stuff.
Frank, when I look at your work past and present, I see a lot of dark humour in it. Is that intentional just to fuck with people (lol) or is it just you being you?
That’s me making myself laugh alittle.
What one toy do you currently NOT have that you MUST have?
One of the 3 foot tall Playge Squadts at the rotofugi gallery in Chicago.
Can you name one positive thing about being an artist and one negative thing about being an artist?
Positive: no boss, work when you feel like it.
Negative: shit costs money so you have to work all the time.
Frank, you once stated that you were sick and tired of the music scene, and it began to get old for you so you decided to get out. Do you believe you will ever get tired of the toy scene?
Not really, as it is totally different and basically just involves internal fantasies and not rooms full of people.
Frank you are always on the Kidrobot boards interacting with fans and fellow collectors, which I think is fucking wicked, seriously. Some artists out there today are “too busy”
to make the time for their fan base, which I think is pretty sad. Why do you believe fan interaction is important?
It only seems fair. I haven’t been on the forums much lately, but still answer all meassgaes and emails, and always will.
There is a false stigma about being an artist, which is still prevalent today. Society will have you believe that in order to be considered a true artist you must live in poverty in a
hovel somewhere. They would have you believe if you take money for you art you are a “sell out.” What are your thoughts on this?
I used to be broke. It sucked, having money is much more fun.
One of your more prolific pieces and one of my favourites is the bust you did of Mao with the Mickey Mouse ears. I think it’s quite tongue and cheek. Can you share the thought process behind it?
Well…all the toys: Made In China..so..
Any final thoughts, do you have any upcoming events or shows which you would like to plug?
Comiccon in San Diego in July 2011….will be there all 5 days!
Thanks Frank, it was really great to have the opportunity to speak with you. I wish you much continued success and have fun at Comiccon.
A Suckadelic Interview With The Man, The Legend, The Artist, The Sucklord
Posted on: January 10, 2011
Gay Storm Trooper
Beyond all the self-generated hype around Suckadelic products, the Sucklord’s thoughtful and scathing social commentary and unassailable geek-cread all add up to the making of a legendary brand. I really dig bootleg toys, like the shit which comes out of Mexico or the Czech Republic, China. I think for me the main attraction is because those toys are imperfect and have flaws, and so do I. The flaws are what make the toys interesting.
and let the rebels hire me to some more dirt for them.
structure and requires sacrifice. I’m not sure everybody is suited to this lifestyle.
Smurfs
Spiderman and His Amazing Friends
Dungeons and Dragons
Pac-Man
Wacky Racers
Superfriends
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch
Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space
“CHEECH & CHONG” – BY SCOTT DERBY
Gallery 1988 has a new show running from January 7 2011-January 29 2011 “IS THIS THING ON?” dedicated to those celebrity crack ups we’ve all come to love over the year. This show’s subject matter is really interesting and definitely reflexs pop culture icons in comedic entertainment. If you are interested in finding out more about the show or purchasing prints please visit http://www.nineteeneightlyeight.com for more info.
“Down By The River” – Craig Parillo
THE HISTORY OF LEGO
Posted on: December 28, 2010
For many many Christmas’s my sister and I would unwrap one of the top toys of all time. Yup, you guessed it, LEGO. LEGO is one of those classic toys that has retained the core essences of what it is but yet has managed to evolve over the decades. To me, LEGO draws on ones imagination and creativitiy. It allows a child to express themselves and have fun at the same time. This year in keeping with the Christmas traditions of years gone by, I bought my son Noah his first LEGO set!
When I came across this video I couldn’t help but want to share it with all of you. If you have not seen the fellas of THAT NEW TOY SMELL I would suggest checking them out on Youtube. They do alot of great reviews etc.
–ELLE ROLLINZ–
Alright kiddies, even though it’s after Christmas and Santa has come and gone for yet another year, who says we have to put the toy wanting and buying to an end??? I know for me, Christmas lasts through out the year because I am ALWAYS on the look out for cool shit to put up in my place. And speaking of cool shit ( obvious Segway) I have found a piece from Happy Panda Toys that has me sratchin my head saying oh hells yeah I need that. The “NIGHT OF THE LIVING KEV” zombie Kevin Smith is what I’m talkin about. This pvc figure is 4.5″ and retails for a really decent price, $12.95 usd. I suppose if I was to do my boxing day shopping online then this is the bad boy I would be picking. I can’t believe how much I love toys it’s crazy!!!
WHAT I LIKE
I like the sculpt of the figure, it gives Kevin Smith a distinct look which is cool. His tiny Yosemitie Sam feet are killer
I like the fucking wicked blood splatter and the incredibley sweet shirt they have in
I especially like the price point and the size of the figure. It make it easy to store and doesn’t break your wallet.
-ELLE ROLLINZ-
BRANDT PETER- DEAD BUNNY HOP
Posted on: December 12, 2010
Okay, so, how fucking cool is this piece of vinyl??? I ask you die-hard plastic junkies out there. I have been a long time fan of Mr. Peters work. I think his wiggety-wiggety whack world of side show cuties is top-notch. Brandt is a self tought superstar, when I first saw his art it was like Jim Roe’s real life side show had turned into cutesy animals and the like. I just thought it was pretty hardcore. The dead banjo playing bunny is my fav of the toys, well that’s if I had to pick one. There is just something a little creepy and a little disturbed about Brandt’s work, which is what makes it feel so right.
I like to call the next portion of my post, ” IN HIS OWN WORDS.” Yes, these are not my words folks, just sayin. But I feel as though it sums up the vibe of Brandt Peters better than I could.
Sup peoples, I wanted to share with you something I came across which I thought was so f’**king cool. For years I’ve been a dedicated toy fan, of all genre really. But just as importantly I have been a fan of the man they call Coop. So when I found this little vid I was completely floored, impressed and my heart was generally left with a warm fuzzy feeling. So, I thought why not post it for all to see.
–ELLE ROLLINZ–
Sticker bombing is nothing new. It has been done for many years. Normally you would mainly see it displayed in the downtown city core or other urban areas of town. What few people realize is that there is a huge underground art movement happening based in stickers tagging, which is a sub culture off shoot of graff.
This is an avant-garde form of street art, which usually contains an image or a singular word that promotes a political agenda, a comment on current social issues, and sometimes just simply a guerilla marketing campaign. There is a variety of stickers which are used in this art form. You can have the vinyl peel n’ sticks, general “hello my name is a type of label sticker. basically one could use anything with an adhesive backing. If your sticker does not have an adhesive backing you could still put them up by using a simple homemade mixture called Wheat paste.
If you are interested in learning more about sticker bombing or you are a sticker artist and wish to connect with others, then I highly suggest you check out this trading site which is geared to the sticker art community.
http://web.mac.com/eojcollectors/Stickertraders/Home.html
–ELLE ROLLINZ–
Kozik, Hello Kitty & kidrobot, what do you get when you put all these wonderful things together? I’ll tell you what you get, you get a truly kick ass toy that’s what. On December 2 2010 artist Frank Kozik did an in store signing at Kidrobot (San Fran) to the delight of many fans and collectors alike. The hellish empress retails for $39.99 and comes complete with horns, fangs, a rad little spider side kick and pitch fork.
Hello Kitty is still as cute as she has ever been but now we see her with a little edge lol. Check this little darlin out, it might just be the perfect gift for the vinyl junkie in your life this Christmas.
–ELLE–
What is Pop Art Anyway??
Posted on: November 29, 2010
Many people have heard the term “POP ART” but very few understand it. In the next few sentences I will attempt in my own humble way to give a brief explanation of the genre of art which has captured my heart.
I could go into great depth about what POP ART is but I’ll leave that to the folks at Wikipedia or an art history major from any university. As I understand it, I will say that the pop art movement first began in Britain in the late fifty’s and into the early sixties and then migrated over to the USA. Pop Art was seen as an art movement which promoted untraditional themes and mediums within the traditional art scene. In other words, it changed the way in which we perceive art.
Pop Art typically depicts various objects, scenes, or contemporary icons from everyday life. It relied on using themes found in popular culture and mass media such as commercial products, comics, advertising and science fiction. It employees the use of various materials and mediums to do so.
There is much more to be said about “what pop art” is but I suggest taking a trip to your local library or scowering the bookshops and internet if you want a more comprehensive overview.
-ELLE ROLLINZ-
woosaah 