Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Jun11
E3 filled with next-gen surprises!
2013 at 03:53 pm by admin | Comments Off
This year, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short, has only just begun this Monday, and is already revealing dozens of anticipated titles across the spectrum. Held annually in Los Angeles, E3 is where game journalists and fans alike gather to hear the latest from their favorite gaming companies, including Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. This year’s E3 was highly anticipated due to the upcoming releases of the Playstation 4 and the XBox One, along with many big-name titles coming to the WiiU. Fans were not disappointed, as games from several big-name franchises were announced on all three consoles within the first two days of the conference!
The Xbox One conference started up the conference on Monday, where Microsoft introduced a number of anticipated titles. These include Call of Duty: Ghosts, the newest entry in the megabit Call of Duty series, as well as a surprise appearance of Master Chief in the unexpected trailer for the new Halo game. On top of all this, and many other titles, Titanfall was finally shown off, depicting multiplayer competitive shooter gameplay, along with the ability to use towering mech units to fight your opponents seamlessly throughout.
The Playstation 4 conference was held later on Monday night, where Sony did not disappoint. Starting off with world-exclusive look at the new Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, fans were surprised to see open-world horse riding gameplay alongside the franchise’s well-known stealth action gameplay. Sony continued to deliver anticipated hits, as Square-Enix announced the revival of Final Fantasy XIII Versus, reborn as Final Fantasy XV. They even showed off a teaser of Kingdom Hearts III, which was a huge shock to fans everywhere. The actual Playstation 4 console was shown off as well, after being hidden from view since the console’s unveiling in February.
Not one to slack behind their competitors, Nintendo will be showing exclusive games and content all day today, June 11th. They kicked off the day strong, and announced several brand new games from their Nintendo Direct stream. These include Super Mario 3D World, a multi player 3D platforming adventure on the 3DS, and the Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, which is advertised as a direct sequel to the incredibly popular SNES Link to the Past game. The most talked about news, though, is the long-awaited trailer of the brand new Super Smash Bros. game. Hinted to be released on both the WiiU and 3DS for months, this trailer finally showed off game play from both versions of the title, as characters like Mario, Samus, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, and others battled it out. The excitement came to a peak with the announcement of two brand new characters in the franchise: Villager from Animal Crossing, and an unexpected fan-favorite: Megaman! Slated for release in 2014, more news is sure to come out over the coming months, including new characters and details about the game mechanics.
On the whole, E3 has turned out be a lot of fun so far, and it’s just getting started! With new games, trailers, and footage coming out of the Los Angeles convention by the minute, this is a great time of year to be a gamer!
May24
Dunny 2013 is set to release on June 14th!
2013 at 01:06 pm by admin | Comments Off
Kidrobot has announced the line-up and theme for the brand new Dunny 2013 series! Featuring 14 artists and 20 different designs, this year’s theme is the circus side-show; a variety of unique Dunnys, each as strange, horrifying, and adorable as the next, will make up the main attraction for this year’s Dunny carnival.
This line of adorable abominations will be available at TOMODACHI, both at our in-store location in Rosedale Shopping Center as well as online, on June 14th. Make sure to pick up a few while you can, and take home a freak show all your own!
May24
Willow’s “God Save the Pop!”@Amstel Art in LONDON!
2013 at 11:46 am by admin | Comments Off
Willow’s first solo gallery, “God Save the Pop!”, opened at the Amstel Art Gallery last weekend in London. The opening reception was a resounding success, as casual art enthusiasts and hardcore Willow fans alike gathered to take a look at some amazing art in person. Along with his paintings, Willow did live-painting, and featured his vinyl toys, and even a customized porcelain toilet filled to burst with free treats!
Willow is a pop artist hailing from Milan, Italy, and has been creating and innovating for years in the art industry. Originally working for publishing houses and advertising agencies as a comic artist, Willow continues to spread his work out into many different mediums, including enamel high top shoes, vinyl figures, murals, and even entire vehicles. Willow has been featured in galleries across the world, including Italy, Australia, Canada, USA, and Russia. Willow recently participated in our “We Love Vinyl Too!” art show, featuring a Dudebox figure as well as an original canvas painting.
The show closes up on June 1st, so go check out some amazing art in person if you are in the area!
Amstel Art Gallery
http://www.amstelart.com/
Willow-Art
http://www.willow-art.it
May20
Design Festa@Tokyo introduces new aritsts!
2013 at 02:23 pm by admin | Comments Off
Quickly becoming one of the most popular international art event in Japan, this year’s Design Festa at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center became the biggest one yet, with over 10,000 artists showing their artwork. Open from May 18th to May 19th, this show brought a slew of fresh talent to the industry, and featured famous vinyl artists alongside the new talented artists.
Well known designers like Mark Nagata, Skulltula and Touma were present at the show, and unveiled some of their newer collaborations and Kaiju pieces. Many new vinyl figures were also presented, including one of kind custom figures as well as unique new DIY molds and designs! Also featured at the show was miniature Ultraman figures licensed by Tsuburaya and some Touma-designed Goseiger figures. An amazing show for vinyl artists and collectors alike, don’t miss out on the next Design Festa convention on November 2nd; it’s sure to be bigger and better than ever!
http://designfesta.com/en/
Mar18
{ AR+OY } “since michael lau” Exhibition in Seoul, Korea
2013 at 03:07 pm by admin | Comments Off
The forefather of vinyl art toys , Hong Kong-based illustrator and toy designer, Michael Lau is currently showing his world-renowned series, the Gardener in an exhibition at the Sejong Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea titled {AR+OY}. A series that originally began as a humorous comic strip for East Touch Magazine in 1998, the Gardener series has since become a prolific vinyl art toy series, comprised of dozens of personalities and over 100 individual characters. The Sejong exhibition is currently displaying 113 of his works, over one thousand sketches, drawings, and paintings to show his process through the creation of these vinyl art series. The central piece, however, is a new 9′ tall “Tattoo” statue, the largest of Lau’s creations yet.
Starting out in window display designing and advertising, Lau has since moved into creating comics and vinyl figures, and is widely credited as the founder of the urban vinyl style within the designer toy movement. Lau is one of the first artists who helped elevate toys to ‘art’ status, and has been influential in expanding the vinyl design scene to galleries worldwide. He has won several awards for his work, including four from the Hong Kong-based Philippe Charriol Foundation. Opening his own gallery in 2004, titled “michael”, his work has had a significant effect on toy manufacturers, as well as street culture, including artists and musicians, throughout the world.
{ AR+OY } “since michael lau” Exhibition
Time: 02/08/2013 ~ 04/14/2013
Where: Sejong Museum of Art, 1st floor, Seoul Korea
Tomodachi’s Michael Lau collection {AR+OY}
Jan07
3DEA Holiday Pop up!
2013 at 03:30 pm by admin | Comments Off
Openhouse Gallery(NYC) recently joined forced with Shapeways, Ultimaker, and UP! to bring the revolution of 3D printing to the New York City public in the 3DEA holiday pop up! Lasting from November 29th to December 27th, this event brought a glimpse of the potential future to the consumer.
Free and open to the public the entire month, 3DEA offered an innovative new concept: 3D programs available on-the-spot, where consumers could create whatever their hearts desired. Once finished, they were able to send their 3D models to one of the many 3D printers stationed in the popup, and be able to take their creation home with them. The available materials even included ceramic and sterling silver, along with the usual powered plastic mixture. Because of this, a huge variety of items were created in the event, from rockets to jewelry to chairs to even clothes!
A whole slew of services were made available to the public as well through this event. These included inventor bars, customization centers, and even body scanning, where customers could get their faces scanned and printed as miniature replicas. Along with these services, classes, lectures, and competitions for children were made available to foster creativity and to spread knowledge about the process and future of 3D printing.
The 3DEA event was a huge success, and brought a special twist to the homemade gift this holiday season. In fact, the event did so well that the 3DEA shop was returned on January 3rd, and will be open until January 15th. If you happen to be in the NYC area, don’t miss out on this rare chance to explore this new frontier of creativity!
Jan03
“Hello Kitty, Hello Art!” exhibition in the Big Apple!
2013 at 02:48 pm by admin | Comments Off
Openhouse Gallery (379 Broome – between Mott & Mulberry) in New York was home to the “Hello Kitty, Hello Art!” art exhibition and book launch! The exhibition was held from December 14 to December 16, this art show contained pieces by Betsey Johnson, as well as many other contributing artists such as 64 Colors, Adam Wallacavage, AIKO, Cat Cult, Danni Shinya Luo, Grant Cobb, Jeremyville, Jessica Louise, Kenton Parker, Kime Buzzelli, Linas Garsys, Mark Mulroney, Miguel Paredes, Natalia Fabia, Niagara, Nicole Bruckman, Nina Chanel Abney, Paul Frank, Tara McPherson, POSE, Raul Gonzalez, RISK, Ron English, SEVER, Shane Jessup, Simone Legno, THANK YOU X, Tim Conlon, Tristan Eaton, and more.
Featuring art in a variety of media, including paintings, sculpture, and prints, the event was a huge success with Hello Kitty aficionados and pop art fans alike! A variety of events were also held at the exhibition, including book signings, a print release by Betsey Johnson, International graffiti sensation DABS MYLA’s live mural paintings, and releases of the holiday themed pop-up shop offered an assortment of limited-edition holiday gift items.including a collectible DABS MYLA ornament, custom-made candy from Papabubble, holiday wreaths & garland and specialty Sanrio character designs by Berkeley Illustration. Sanrio also released a new print by celebrated graffiti artist POSE, with 100% of the net proceeds from sales going to the American Red Cross for Hurricanes 2012. Thanks to all the fans and artists who attended!
Dec12
Jawsh Live Painting Sat@3PM
2012 at 05:43 pm by admin | Comments Off
Got wall? Josh Lemke(Jawsh) is a local mural artist working mainly in aerosol paint. His vivid image play can be seen throughout the Twin Cities area on buildings. He has even been featured on the news for proposing to his girlfriend via mural. Who could say no to that? Recently a participant in our show We Love Vinyl Too!, Jawsh will be performing a live painting for all to enjoy, so don’t forget to come by the store to see the magic at work, this Saturday, December 15 and 3pm!
Dec12
Amazing We Love Vinyl Too Opening!
2012 at 04:48 pm by admin | Comments Off
We were simply blown away by all the smiling faces at the opening reception! Thank you all so much for attending and making We Love Vinyl Too a huge success! It was a great night to spend with so many vinyl art enthusiasts, delicious cupcakes, and an awesome mix of tunes. What’s even better is having a piece of each of you immortalized on the show’s collaborative canvas. We hope you all enjoyed the raffle, private collections, and of course the fabulous vinyl pieces on display.
What a wonderful experience to see such a diverse group of artists and art styles. Vinyl art truly is a distinct and inspiring medium, allowing artists from all different mediums to articulate their creativity onto three-dimensional canvases. Whether they end up being famous, mass produced pieces or raw, one-of-a-kind originals, each piece becomes a collectable belonging to an awesome genre of art.
In recognition of this new and exciting medium and the amazing people who gather around it, we couldn’t help but whip up this annual art show that is We Love Vinyl!
It would be our honor to take a moment to thank the artists who participated. You all did a smashing job! We were overjoyed to have so many valued participants. Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to create something for this show. You are the best!
Here at Tomodachi, we are dedicated to helping those in need and so we are happy to announce that the proceeds from both the raffle and the silent auction have raised a total of $1019 to aid both the International Child Art Foundation and the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy relief efforts!
During the show we were very lucky to have hosted part of a special collection belonging to Barry Rubin, including pieces by Kaws, MiQ, and Cameron Tiede, even pieces by Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg! Mr.Rubin is also the owner of Ink, a wonderful company with limited edition art pens for sale that match every personality.
If you’re interested in more vinyl art, expect to see another vinyl art show next spring at Flanders Gallery, located on West Lake Street.
As we wrap up We Love Vinyl Too, we really couldn’t be happier. It was an unforgettable event! We hope that you will join us again in the future for more exciting release parties and custom vinyl art shows.
-Special Thanks-
Willow Art
DJ DARKSTARR
DJ Shawn B
Barry Rubin
Flanders Gallery
Doug Flanders
Silhouette Bakery
Dudebox
Kidrobot
Ben John- photography
College of Visual Art
SGMS/ Macadamia
Robert Newton- poster design
Robert Johnston- video/poster design
Chelsea Pray- poster design
Lucas Glusenkamp-live painting/display
James Powell-raffle/set up
Richard Strohmeyer- set up
Tomodachi artists
Special thanks to artists who participated in the silent auction (You guys rock!)
Shawn B.
Mitch Cain
Daniel Campbell
Christina
Jacob Cramer
Darkstarr
Leah Fistler
Lucas Gluesenkamp
Ishtah
Ben John
Thaxton A. Lewis
Erin Lemke
Josh Lemke
Bryant Locher
MADDCOW11
Wakako Nishimura
James O’Brien
Arc Onic
Antonio Palomo-Lamarca
Ryan Peltier
Pl3bian
James Powell
Richard Strohmeyer
Chris Strouth
Sean Takaki
Featured Artists
Sean B.
Brothersworkers
Mitch Cain
Daniel Campbell
Ari Carrillo
Christina
Noel Costumbrado
Jacob Cramer
DARKSTARR
Leon Durivage
Leah Fistler
Lucas Gluesenkamp
Whoopi Goldberg
Thomas Han
Ishtah
JAWSH
Ben John
Erin Lemke
Thaxton A. Lewis
Bryant Locher
MADDCOW11
Nathan Miner
MiQ
Wakako Nishimura
Emma O’Brien
James O’Brien
Arc Onic
Antonio Palomo-Lamarca
Nick Park
Ryan Peltier
Pl3bian
James Powell
Richard Strohmeyer
Chris Strouth
Sean Takaki
Cameron Tiede
THUY3
UltraKarl
Robin Williams
Willow
2012 Spring & Fall Munny Design Contest Winners
Spring:
Aeris Allen
Amina Harper
Lauren Kottwitz
Julia Swendsrud
Charlie Steensland
Sean Takaki
Fall:
Adam Browning
Ben John
Kaleigh Lawton
Nolen Lawson
Ed Waara
Colleen Watkins
International Child Art Foundation http://www.icaf.org
American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/
Merry Christmas!
Nov09
We LOVE Vinyl Too!
2012 at 07:15 pm by admin | Comments Off
Anyone up for some more vinyl? We are! You may have heard of our first celebration of vinyl creations “We Love Vinyl”. Tomodachi is very happy to announce the comeback of this very exciting event! Starting November 30th, the show will run for one week, featuring over 20 diverse artists,
and will feature work created by celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, and one of a kind vinyl masterpieces by artist Kaws, Nick Park(Wallace and Gromit), Thomas Han, Brothersworkers, Tim Biskup, Cameron Tiede, and Nathan Miner. Join us at the opening reception from 6-9pm for raffle prizes, refreshments, and live DJ! Plus, you’ll have a chance to speak with the artists and get inspired!
Be ready for your chance to bring home customized vinyl art and benefit a good cause at the silent auction. This year, in light of the disastrous events on the east coast, all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross as relief efforts for hurricane Sandy victims. Artists may also choose to have proceeds benefit the International Child Art Foundation, whose mission it is to encourage creativity and good leadership qualities in children.
We hope to see you all on opening night to celebrate this wonderful new type of canvas and the dedicated artists who make this show possible.
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