Hello Friends!

It’s been a busy couple of months with some of our bigger advertising campaigns including Levi’s, Ray Ban, Harley Davidson, Stussy, and HTC finally rolling out. We also added the lovely and talented wardrobe stylist DJUNA BEL to the roster who’s been working with us for years. Many artists chose to travel overseas this month. Michael Schmelling and Keren Richter spent time working in Paris while Emily Shur returned to Japan. We were heartened to see our artists giving back, with Emily donating prints for charity auctions and Djuna donating wardrobe from several of her shoots to benefit the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.

Finally, Giant Artists has a new office and a new phone number – (323) 660-1996.  Call us!

Be well,

GA

Michael’s solo show was reviewed by The New Yorker!

From ClampArt:

MICHAEL SCHMELLING ⏐ATLANTA: HIP-HOP AND THE SOUTH February 11 – March 19, 2011

Opening reception: Friday, February 11, 2011 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

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ClampArt is proud to announce “Atlanta: Hip-Hop and The South,” an exhibition of photographs by artist, Michael Schmelling. This is the artist’s first solo show at the gallery.

From 2007 to 2009, Michael Schmelling made several extended trips to Atlanta to document the city’s renowned hip-hop scene. Few cities can boast a reputation like Atlanta’s—home to innumerable music legends, including OutKast, T.I., Lil Jon, and TLC. Putting things into historical perspective, former New York Times music critic, Kelefa Sanneh, describes how Atlanta eclipsed New York City as hip-hop’s capital: “By default—the place where you could hear the next hit first, the place where kids and grown folks alike still seemed excited about hip-hop, the place where you could get the best mixtapes.”

Schmelling uses this fertile center of popular culture as the backdrop for his most recent series of photographs. From off-the-map teen clubs, to bedroom studios, to Northside mansions, Schmelling traversed the eclectic world of Atlanta hip-hop, documenting the scene from the ground up. The resulting photographs evoke the spirit and singularity of the city’s hip-hop scene, capturing everything from cars and hot dogs to pay phones and gold chains, to up-and-coming rappers to strippers and multi- platinum artists. Each character and each piece are part of a larger narrative that explores music, technology, economics, and American popular culture.

Julian Cox, former Curator of Photography at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art and now the Founding Curator of Photography for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Chief Curator of the de Young Museum remarks: “Schmelling’s take on the Atlanta scene is fresh and dynamic. Most surprising to me is his ability to connect with such a wide range of subjects. He’s as comfortable photographing the dingy corners of a cinder block dancehall as he is the glistening faces of the teenage revelers who are the lifeblood of this pulsating, ever shifting scene. While undeniably documentary in nature, Schmelling’s work here is a mash-up of styles that deftly matches the mutable nature of his subject matter. The accompanying book is one of the best I have seen in years.”

MICHAEL SCHMELLING shared his top 10 photo books of 2010 with Photoeye here.  He worked with DETAILS, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, WIRED, and NYLON GUYS, and did some hand lettering and illustration for Rodrigo Corral Design.  Michael’s book, ATLANTA, received 3.5 stars from ROLLING STONE.  His solo show at Clamp Art opens Friday, February 11th in NYC.  We hope you’ll join us!

A little to the left!

Work by all of the Giant Artists and we’ll have the NOW book for sale.

Giant Artists NOW

December 17th

7- 10pm

Space 15Twenty

1520 N Cahuenga Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

rsvp@giantartists.com

Hope you can make it!

MICHAEL SCHMELLING spent the past month on a book tour for his recent release, ATLANTA (Chronicle Books), in NYC, Los Angeles and Atlanta.  His solo show “Atlanta – Hip Hop and the South” opens at Clamp Art in New York City on February 11, 2011.

Work by all of the Giant Artists and we’ll have the NOW book for sale.

Giant Artists NOW

December 17th

7- 10pm

Space 15Twenty

1520 N Cahuenga Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

rsvp@giantartists.com

Hope you can make it!

Soundcheck- WNYC 93.9FM  LISTEN HERE

Take a look at the New Yorker’s ‘Photo Booth’ Blog.

Outtakes and much much more can be viewed at ATLANTA REVISITED.

We were going to wait until our group show at Space 15Twenty in December to sell our book, but due to high demand we have supplied THIS Gallery with some copies to sell both in the gallery and online HERE.

Hard bound, 160 pages featuring photos, artwork, and interviews with Giant Artists: Aaron Ruell, Blake E. Marquis, David Black, David Calderley, Emily Shur, Glynis Selina Arban, Jeremy & Claire Weiss, Jess Holzworth, Keren Richter, Lauren Dukoff, Michael Schmelling, RJ Shaughnessy, and Seth Smoot.  Get yours before we run out!