Interview Magazine

I just recently was asked to take some portraits of the talented singer, Elizaveta Khripounova, for the new issue of Interview Magazine Russia. Interview Magazine is one of my favorite mags...so I was definitely excited to work with them. Here are a few of the published shots and a few outtakes.

Garage Art Show 3!

The 3rd Garage Art Show will be held in Echo Park at 2251 Branden Street LA, CA 90026 on Feb 18th from 8pm-1am. My work will be featured along with other talented photographers. DJ Gonzo will be spinnin...beer, wine and alcohol will be served. The Broken Numbers Band will be playing starting at 10pm!

Artists Featured:
anthonie gonzalez
barrett sweger
jimi franklin
koury angelo
nikolaus jung
the broken numbers band
...plus more!

Lucent L'amour

I had the awesome opportunity to shoot the 5th Annual Do LaB Lucent L'amour Festival for CitizenLA on Valentine's Eve. The Visionary Love Fest was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. There were two main stages of music and performance, art galleries, live painters, amazing interactive sculptures, and elaborate stage and environment designs from some of the best artists on the west coast. I first saw the Do LaB perform live last year at Coachella and was blown away. A few of my favorite acts of the evening were Beats Antique and Bassnectar. You can see all my photos from the evening here!

Perspectives

"Perspectives" is an exploration into the idea that a photograph of the finest quality transcends the bounds of manipulation. Instead, one must depend on the heart and soul that lives within the composition itself. That is the true inquest the observer must face.

EVENT:
What: Koury Angelo's 1st Solo Photo Show in Cali!
When: Saturday, May 16th 7-10PM
Where: The Santiago Art District: Loft 910 Gallery on 910 East Civic Center Dr. (Santa Ana Blvd. just off the 5 frwy)

This photographic installation consists only of images I've taken using the iPhone as my camera. This new found freedom to explore and create has led me to wonderful discoveries within the medium. "Perspectives" is my first solo exhibition in Los Angeles.

Santiago Art District

Every third Saturday of the month, residents of the Santiago Street Lofts host the Santiago Art District--A community art walk event. Their website is www.santiagoartdistrict.com. Galleries open at 7PM and usually run until 10PM--and sometimes even later! I will be showing my photography in one of the galleries. Thanks to Ryan and Nate for inviting me to have my first solo show in Cali! Ample (free) parking is conveniently located across the street at the Santa Ana Train Depot on the southeast corner of Santa Ana Boulevard and Santiago Street...also, word on the street is that the Kogi truck will be making a cameo appearance as well, which I hear is kind of a big deal. You can follow them on Twitter @kogibbq or their website www.kogibbq.com! See ya there!

MOPLA 1

The opening night of MOPLA, Month of Photography LA, was quite an event. This was the first part of the Pro'jekt LA Series entitled Dark Side: The Anatomy and Topography of LA at Night with projected photographs by Amanda Friedman, Felipe Dupouy and Helen K. Garber. Bergamot Station in Santa Monica was filled up before the event was even scheduled to start. There were neighboring galleries open for the crowds to flow through. Photographer and DJ, B+, provided the music on the turn tables. The main exhibit, Ithaka, by Alexandra Hedison, was shown at Frank Pictures Gallery. Most of the traffic came through here including celebrity guests Halle Berry and Matthew Perry.

Purple Melon

I went to see Purple Melon perform at Fais Do-Do with my friends, Matthieu & Elfee Duquette. These guys rip it on the guitar, the drums and bass are super tight and the songs are just catchy enough without being too commercial. They just moved to LA from London and are already attracting quite the following. With their 70's vibe, superb musical skills and technical ability, I have a feeling they will go far. We are planning on doing a shoot together soon. Can't wait!

ARTography

Last week I had the chance to photograph Pasqual Bettio's Museum of ARTography and Assemblage in Hollywood. He is an amazing artist with an eclectic body of work. He has a series of "Hollywood Heads" that are strangely captivating and hauntingly beautiful. In one of his rooms he plastered old Hollywood posters onto the ceiling...I found the clowns and actors to be quite intriguing.

B:East

NYC Group Show Sept. 27 for the 01 Gallery!

Art

We all have the freedom to speak our mind. As artists, we get to do what we love, create art and get paid for it. Let’s never forget that. Professionalism only goes so far in this industry. It would be such a waste to look back on your career and realize that you played it safe for all those years. You only gave the client what you thought they wanted. You only thought of yourself as the hired help, and in the end, silenced your own voice.

At a certain point you have to step back and look at your own body of work. Ask yourself if you are really pushing the limits, if you are really creating art at your fullest potential. Be satisfied in the fact that the work you have created up to this point is a true reflection of who you are as an artist. At the end of the day it’s not the people you pleased in this life that will make the difference…it’s what you represent as an artist, it’s what you believe in.

Are you passionate? Does it show in your work? Are you a photographer with a fire in your eye? Or are you the average run of-the-mill-people pleaser that has long given up on anything meaningful? We as artists have always had such a huge impact on society. We have always spoken up for what we believe in. Ethics and professionalism are fine, but ultimately you must decide which is more important in your life. Artists who create their art based on ethics and professionalism will ultimately never reach their true potential. Someone, somewhere along the way will not agree with their world views.

Just ask yourself one question…is there really a universal truth? It’s obvious to see that we all have different views of “ethics” and “professionalism”. Ethics and professionalism alone are in no way a valid reason for becoming a visual artist. Would you really sacrifice your own vision just to make others happy? Will you be silent for fear of the consequences? Or will you push the boundaries in search of truth and meaning? No one has the right to judge who we are. Freedom is not something to be desired…it is an absolute! Art is about freedom of expression. That is one thing that should never be taken away. That is one thing an artist should never live without.