Support local artists on Small Business Saturday!
Day Moon Press and Darius X Studio
3320 Beacon Ave S., Seattle WA 98144
9 - 6pm
Handpress linocut prints, letterpress cards, watercolor paintings, and more!
Jenny Craig - Notta Pixie Press
Maralyn Crosetto - Waterland Press
Jenny Sapora - True Bug Press
Tess Lenoir - Cycles Prefect Press
Darius X - Darius X Studio
August 2, 6PM
Cold Cube Press
300 S Washington St Unit Z
Seattle, WA 98104
Don’t fret, come on down to Shredders for all your fantasy instrument needs. We’re stacked, loaded and jammin’ through the Art Fair Weekend. Stretch out your fingers and show off your licks on the shred station. No TABS!
Coming from artist-musicians Clyde Petersen and Darius X, Shredders is a tongue-in-cheek mockery of the masculine cock rock motifs that run through rock and roll history. Shredders worships real She-ro icons in rock through recreation of instruments from feminist imaginations with a Guitar Center feel.
Shredders will be housed at COLD CUBE PRESS in Seattle, WA from August 2-August 31st, 2018.
COLD CUBE PRESS is conveniently located off I-5, south of the convention center in the Tashiro Kaplin Building in Pioneer Square.
Procedures for Entering Enclosed Spaces was created in response to the 2016 US presidential election. Upon reflecting on this current era of megalomaniac world leaders, I wanted to provide a community-based project that invites individuals to choose various methods for wellness and self-care.
The policies enacted by our current president and Republican-controlled Congress have contributed to an increasingly unsafe environment for marginalized people across identities; intensifying anxieties amongst people of color, and queer and trans communities. Recognizing that the government will actively advocate against these communities highlights the need for community-driven resources.
Procedures was created to mobilize people to think critically about self-sabotage, personal isolation, and the choice to engage in (or disengage from) the world when feeling the weight of forces far beyond individual control.
The journey through Procedures begins with a replica of an occupational safety poster stating the urgency for taking precautions. A user’s manual is provided to guide the viewers through each potential choice of engagement. Should the viewer decide to enter the “enclosed space”, they are instructed to open the doorway to reveal a directive message.
This project was created in collaboration with Flynn Bickley, a fantastic mixed media sculptor and doll maker. With his dedication and skills, together we were able to transform my vision into an immersive 3D world of heartbreaking and joyous eye candy.
I want to give a big round of thanks and gratitude to everyone who helped us with EVERYTHING, especially my community of queer & trans and people of color radical thinkers for allowing me to interview them. With their input and candid conversations, I was able to construct a cohesive yet small beginning of what I hope will become an extensive user's guide for the revolution. In no particular order I’d like to thank:
Kiyomi Fujikawa, Joaquin Uy, Peta Pottinger, Airen Lydick, Becka Tilsen, Elliat Graney-Saucke, Yasmeen Perez, Dorian Taylor, S.Naomi Finkelstein, Amelia Quinn Mentzer, Renee Jarreau Greene, Leilani Davenberry, Bretts, Raven, G.H. Dean, Dawn Marie Trouvé, Jessica Davis, Flynn Bickley, Shelley Shore, every single person in my group therapy especially my two therapists, Carina Del Rosario, Kira Helm, Wil Bailey, Second Use Building Materials, Maura Shapely of Day Moon Press, Sarah Brown, Jenny Lowery, Tsengyang Vang, Ian Davis, Elise Garvey, Dash Eberhart, Loraine Kanervisto, Erin Moon, Samonte Cruz
“We must fight for your life…” quote is by James Baldwin, from An Open Letter to Angela Davis, 1970
Why are all these empty boxes taking up so much space in my living room? Well, these mysterious wooden boxes are the frames for my latest body of work. I'm very excited to finally announce that I have a new art installation that will debut at this year's Gender Odyssey conference. After years of solely creating linocut prints, I'm expanding my artistic horizons with sculpture artist Flynn Bickley.
Remember making dioramas in grade school? Yeah, I loved making them back then and apparently I still love making them, this time with a wee bit more focus on the content. In other words, I still like to drive myself bonkers with the smallest of details. So many small details that you, my lovely friends will get a chance to view a total of 12 interactive dioramas! And yes, you will get to see some of my signature Darius X linocut prints, but you will also see monotype prints, felted planets, miniature stuffed life jackets, the world's tiniest vial of T, lot's of glue of every variety (but hopefully you won't actually see the glue) and just about everything and anything we could get our hands on.
We started working on this show in mid-December, right after the devastating presidential elections. When thinking about the themes and content for an audience of mostly trans and queer people and their allies, two things we knew was certain: we wanted to address safety and we didn't want to make a show about you-know-who. Instead, we wanted to focus on love, outwardly and internal love. We wanted focus on the bigger picture. We wanted to spark conversations about problem-solving and finding our own solutions to the problematic and scary political climate that we live in. We interviewed over a dozen community members to get their feedback and thoughts on matters that are important to them. In response to all of the amazing feedback, we have created quite the epic visual eye-candy that offers 12 thoughts on what we can be doing to make ourselves feel better and stronger all while remembering to care for others in need.
Where? When?
Washington State Convention Place Center 6th floor lobby
The opening reception is Friday August 25, 2017 from 6-7:30
There will be food, drinks and a book fair!
Please note that you do NOT need to be a registered conference participant to attend this event! This is free and open to the public. Please and come and invite your friends. The exhibit will only be on display during the conference, which ends Sunday August 27.
We will have some prints for sale. Some of these are very limited edition prints that we created for some of the dioramas.
And speaking of $, Flynn and I could REALLY use some financial support for the cost of our materials. I didn't feel like putting together a typical crowd-sourcing campaign since those companies often take a cut. However, for the time being we are keeping this fundraiser casual and if you'd like to support in small or large donations, we accept all kinds of digital payments. We especially need money to hire a photographer to archive our works. Thanks Loves ❤️
Darius
Square Cash: $DariusX
Venmo: @dariusXstudio
Flynn
Venmo: @Flynn-Bickley
Hello everyone!
I'm excited to host the first ever pop-up shop at Darius X Studio. I'll be featuring some fantastic artists with a wide array of mediums along with my own artworks. I will have for sale most of the framed pieces from my exhibit A Boy Named Soo as well as several Artist Proofs and some Art Prints.
Dec. 10th and 11th, 10am-7pm
@ Darius X Studio
3320 Beacon Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144
(accessible via the Beacon Hill Light Rail station, buses #36, and #107)
In addition to supporting your favorite artists, there will be a bake sale to fundraise for a dear friend and her children navigating domestic violence. Please bring cash to support the bake sale!
For more information, or to donate directly, check out: Together We Form A Strong Circle.
xoxo
Darius X
Accessibility:
- Studio is ground level. However, space is tight.
- Studio is not fragrance free - hosted out of a commercial letterpress shop.
Come out to support local artists! It will be fun.
Drying Threads by Carina del Rosario cadelrosario.com
P*SSY.clamorous by Shamika Rivera shamikalovesink.com
Oil Painting by Suzanne Poag suzannepoag.com
Resin art by James Lawrence Ardeña jamesardena.com
Linoleum Block Prints by James Keum Half of all sales by James Keum will go towards Together We Form A Strong Circle
I am very excited to announce that I have a storefront studio in Beacon Hill. This could have only happened with the help from my friend Maura Shapley of Day Moon Press, who is kindly leasing 200 sq. ft for my new project. And when I say project, I really mean side project. As I continue to work full time, I will have very sporadic and non-regular hours at Darius X Studio. This coming Saturday will be a special event. If you are not able to come to the opening and would like a studio tour, please contact me and we can make arrangements. Moving forward I plan to spend most Wed and Thurs working in the studio.
Hope to see you then!
Accessibility Info: The front door is ground level and wheelchair accessible. This is not a scent-free space as there are oil based toxic chemicals used in the letterpress shop. I don't nor do the occupants of the building wear scented perfumes. There's lead type everywhere, so if you end up touching lead (but please don't) then definitely don't stick your fingers in your mouth. It ain't finger-licking good.
In A Boy Named Soo, Darius X shares his personal story as a transgender Korean adoptee raised in the Pacific Northwest. This collection includes work from 2004 to the present.
Driven by a yearning to find his place within the Asian American and Queer communities, Darius uses the bold and direct medium of linoleum block printing to explore complex themes: how intersections of identities shape our cultural notions of race, gender and family. Using the multi-step process of carving and printing by hand, he constructs his own mythology about who he is, where he came from, and where he belongs.
“The intention that I set for each work is to allow the image to take on a life of it’s own. The overall idea can come to me pretty quickly. The sketch often starts with an old family photo and then sometimes I’ll digitally modify the components. This is when I feel the most in control of the piece. Arranging and rearranging the composition gives me a grounding place to start. The transformation happens when I am tracing the image to the block, meticulously carving it, applying the ink and finally imprinting the paper on to the block. I use the inking brayer like a paintbrush. Inking the block with big swooping motions or with delicate touches allows me a direct connection to the image before the ink touches the pristine paper. I use a Japanese style baren to give the variable strokes and then I'll finish with a clean brayer to apply a vigorous amount of pressure. The tactile act of applying pressure with hand held tools facilitates a physical and meditative release.”
A Boy Named Soo showcases Darius’ progression from simple self portraits to more intricate use of repetitive images, expanded color palettes and enhanced scale. K77-1383’s muted backdrop establishes a melancholy tone while The Fleet, part of a suite of vibrantly colored large scale prints evokes the colors of a Korean hanbok, a traditional ceremonial dress. The four color multi-block print, Self-Made Man, is a tongue in cheek yet intimate look into the artist’s weekly ritual.