Saturday, 04 December 2004 - 03 January 2005 Objex Artspace and Merry Karnowski Gallery present: I MUST NOT THINK BAD THOUGHTS A group show featuring: BECCA RICHARD COLEMAN CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA SHEPARD FAIREY The exhibition title comes from a song by X. The title seems to tie the four artist's work together through the subversive nature of their work which is in direct contrast with an underlying idealism. Richard Colman Richard Colman's newest body of work is an ambiguous exploration of all things Inarticulate. Anti-superheroism takes on allegorical proportions as stiffly drawn figures grapple center stage with their internalized melancholy and misdirection. Like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of bread crumbs, Colman's characters exist somewhere in the netherworld of flawed intention and idiotic sapience. But Colman is not with without humor. Symbolism runs rampant, as Napoleonic figures, sexual escapades and beheadings, create an over-the-top landscape in which a more prosaic story unfolds. With the satirical portrayal of statesmanship and drama, Colman creates a modern mythos whereby the unlikely become the glorified. Camille Rose Garcia Camille Rose Garcia's newest body of work work examines ideas of decadence, deception, and denial all explored within the context of Empire. Beautiful ballrooms, aquamarine jeweled forests, crystal castles and opiate abundance serve as sedatives to the masses. But as the telescope retracts, the glossy veneer of privilege falls away to reveal another reality. Machine guns and machetes decorate the landscape along side exploding poppies. Deer and Princesses hang suspensefully in a cloud of malaise -- and disbelief becomes the ether of the living. Garcia's work serves as a looking glass into the opulent wallpaper of destruction that decorates our lives. It explores the everyday violence that supports the current power structure and prescribes a glitter coated pill to ease the swallowing. The effect of the pill once digested, however, depends upon the viewer. Shepard Fairey Shepard Fairey has created a decade of art propaganda in which Andre the Giant has served as the central symbol in a broader experiment in Phenomenology. Known best for the OBEY street campaign, Fairey reflects on the commodification of rebellion and the concept of "supply and demand" as applied to cultural currency. His newest series of work, under the subtext 'Most of My Heroes aren't on Postage Stamps' superimposes seductive silk screened portraits of Bobby Seale, Noam Chomsky, Bob Marley, and Joe Strummer onto richly collaged backgrounds filled with personal references. Filagreed boarders, reminiscent of Victorian era stamps add an elegance to the work, while fueling the overall subversiveness of the message. Becca Becca's paintings portray an innocence and vulnerability rarely found in contemporary painters. Pink haired children play listlessly in turquoise blue ponds, deer frolic freely in a choreographed procession along with humming birds and geese. Elegant ladies pose with lax hands on hips as if walking off the cover of a 40's McCall pattern catalogue. Becca's images long for a less chaotic time and evoke a freshness of spirit that distracts from the daily grind of life. Crisis and politics have no presence here, only pure enchantment. The dichotomy of the work, however, lies in Becca's pedigree as a street artist from the 90's. She still prefers to paint on old, weathered wood salvaged from alleyways and abandon buildings, and likes to screw the finished painting into frames that reveal the hardware. Along with the process, the flaws become as important as the purity, making the finished pieces all the more compelling. This show will open during Art Basel Miami, December 2nd through December 5th, and will be on exhibit through January 3rd 2005. All of the artists will be in attendance for the show and a possible artists talk to follow the opening reception. The exhibit will feature original paintings available in a wide range of size and price, plus collabortive wall paintings, installations, prints, and merchandise will also be available for the show. Were certain this will be an amazing show, and we would like to express how fortunate we are to be hosting this exhibit and exposing Miami to this wonderful group of artists. Mark your calendars! View all of the great artists Merry Karnowski represents by visiting her web site: MK Gallery Opening Reception: Saturday, 04 December 2004, 7 to 11pm. Colman Garcia Fairey Becca