SurfBEAT

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Some of the Artists in the show!
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Hijinx from opening night artists reception
For Immediate Release:
Costa Mesa, CA:
A new term is emerging for an art movement that has been around for years, coexisting without necessarily converging. "Outsider art" umbrellas a diverse array of genres including Pop Surrealism, Lowbrow, Tiki, Hotrod and Surf, and is gaining in popularity. Artists from all over the U.S. and abroad working in all different mediums will show their work (all pieces for sale) at SurfBEAT, opening March 15th at The Light Gallery (440 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, 92627) 6pm-midnight.
The show will feature work from more than 70 artists including The Pizz, Doug Dorr, Grimb, Mr. G, Jeral Tidwell, John Bell, Candy, BigToe, Miles Thompson, Steve Caballero and Drew Brophy, with music provided by Big Tiki Dude and KCRW DJ Subliminal.
SurfBEAT, the title of the show, was picked by co-curators Candy and BigToe to celebrate the styles in which the two artists primarily paint. Think 'Donnie and Marie Osmond' if they were a whole lot cooler... and if we were talking surfers and beatniks, not country and rock and roll. Traditionally shunned by academia as an underground West Coast-centric fluke, the outsider art movement is finally gaining strength and visibility with breakthrough artists such as Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Robert Williams (founder of Juxtapoz magazine) and Mark Ryden. More galleries are willing to host "this type of art", recognizing its influence on (and humorous interpretation of) pop culture. In September, for instance, the Laguna Beach Art Museum will run a whole retrospective on the outsider movement. One of the newest galleries supporting emerging culture is playing host to SurfBEAT-- Costa Mesa's Light Gallery. Owner Steven Borts opened last year as a gallery/event space available to artists, musicians and others in need of a supportive environment.
SurfBEAT runs through April 5, 2008, but as everyone knows, opening night of the show is the best night to be there. Get a good look at all the art, take first dibs on buying a piece and meet a few of the artists from the show. Oh yeah, sponsoring opening night is Hinano (that's Tahitian beer, folks), Bacardi and Twin Fin Wine.
Take that Donnie and Marie!