"Surreal Populism"
Works by Anthony Ausgang & Van Arno

"Surreal Populism"; a brief collaboration between two artists or a philosophical movement that promotes the interest’s of the common people through exploitation of unexpected juxtapositions and subconscious imagery? The beginnings of a new movement? Or the natural evolution of an existing genre of contemporary art? With it’s roots in "Low Brow", a term widely used for the increasing amount of alternative art originating from California based artists, Surreal Populism gets it’s inspiration from the everyday injustices of life that give people character. Through visual representation and colorfully seductive narratives, Ausgang & Arno experiment with the gray area between abstract and representational expressionism.

The Shooting Gallery is proud to exhibit the artwork of Anthony Ausgang & Van Arno in conjunction with the gallery’s 2nd year anniversary on Thursday night, March 10, 2005. This exhibit/celebration is a journey come full circle for owner/curator Justin Giarla who first saw Ausgang & Arno’s work over 10 years ago in Los Angeles. Their work, along with other talented artists in their genre, inspired Justin to open his own art gallery many years later. Now Justin is showing his favorite artists at a pinnacle point in the life of his gallery.

Ausgang’s work is reflective of his upbringing in Texas and his timely birth into the Age of Television and Saturday morning cartoons. Like many young kids in the 60’s & 70’s, Anthony grew up watching Woody Wood Pecker, The Roadrunner and most importantly Tom & Jerry. And like many of those same kids he was into the rebellious hot rod culture coming out of California and the South West. Custom car designer’s and artists like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, the creator of "Rat Fink" and countless cars of fame, were laying the ground work for artists like Anthony and Van with a desire to break through the stagnant air of contemporary arts and to put to sleep the toothless old dog in the front yard fed on milksop grant money. His use of homemade cartoon characters is an attempt to explain the human condition, the unheralded heroics of surviving and just staying alive, without resorting to the overt use of we, the people. These colorful animals, (conjured up from Ausgang’s adaptation of society), are merely his subtle reminder of life’s injustices without hitting you over the head with a hammer. It’s much easier to digest a strung out, down and out pop creature than someone close to you. These cool cats are his vessel. Another interesting aspect to Anthony’s work is the use of the modern art tool – the computer. He will quite frequently use his computer to tweak and surrealize his imagery, before showing off his skill as an illustrative technician, to the canvas. So not only are his paintings representative of current social studies but current technological advancements in art. His formula of old school and new school technique help create an uber-psychedelic throw back to the 60’s and 70’s with contemporary vision.

Van Arno, like Ausgang, has roots in the south but eventually moved to Los Angeles after being accepted to Otis Parson’s School of Design (Ausgang would eventually also drop out) where he soon realized he wasn’t going to find what he was looking for artistically. Meanwhile, while he was attending Parson’s, Van supported himself through school by working late nights as a bouncer at nightclubs and adult video arcades. It wasn’t long before the wide-open frontier of LA would help develop his original style. Along with his experiences in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles nightlife, Van uses his Christian Science upbringing and interest European painting as an endless source of inspiration. Much like Ausgang’s work, Arno’s work is highly editorial, but in contrast, Arno is influenced by the dark cartoon imagery of EC Horror Comics and the art of propaganda. Dealing largely with biblical and historical events, Van uses familiar figures from our pop culture landscape as well as World history. Some of the famous faces to make it onto Van’s paintings have been St. Francis, John Barrymore, Joan of Arc, Nat Turner, John F. Kennedy and Courtney Love. "My idea is to use visuals the public is already familiar with as an entrée to the work ­ a jumping off point. I like to play with people’s preconceived notions, " Arno says. "Most people know something about these people and events. I like to take their knowledge somewhere else." Van strives to create work that asks question, and in the process, unveils the most wicked historical lies. Like Ausgang, his work relies upon cartoon techniques to depict what Ausgang refers to as the "archetypical moment", when passion propels action.

Both Anthony and Van emerge from the High Brow label of Low Brow art, the term their movement has been given over the last 10 years, like a Phoenix from the ashes of conceptual minimalism. They have evolved from this formerly looked down upon style of art to grace the walls of countless galleries and museum’s around the world. Neither of these artists are over night success’ nor is this a flash in the pan. This is a look at the next 20 years in art.

"Surreal Populism"
Works by Anthony Ausgang & Van Arno
Artist reception/celebration, Thursday – March 10, 2005, 7pm – 11pm
Showing through April 8, 2005
415-931-8035
www.shootinggallerysf.com

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