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Erik Otto: The Last Shall Be First

We first discovered Erik Otto while on our honeymoon in San Francisco. I remember a huge installation of multiple framed paintings that included really detailed screen printed elements. I scrawled his name in my notebook. After I got home and looked him up, I saw that he was about to embark on a four month residency at the San Francisco Dump. As part of their recycling efforts, they invite an artist to use discarded materials to create a body of work. Erik’s show was entitled “The Last Shall Be First”.

All of this was made from leftover house paint, spray paint, and found panels. I loved following along on his blog as he made amazing artwork out of what was essentially garbage. More photos of the show can be found at erikotto.com. Up next, he’ll be in a show at Whitewalls this weekend along with one of our other favorites, Armsrock.

This Weekend

The coming weekend is a particularly busy one for Detroit artists and galleries. Here’s a quick rundown of everything that’s going on:

Lauren Rice‘s solo show “Vestiges” opens at Org Contemporary on Friday, December 11, 7-9 pm. The gallery is located on the 3rd floor of building 2 at the Russell Industrial Center. Check out our interview with Lauren.

Also on the same floor of the Russell Industrial Center, the Museum of New Art is showing The Prinzhorn Prize Exhibition for Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The exhibition will include reproductions of drawings, collages and photographs for most of the artists’ monumental public art projects. The opening is Friday, December 11, 6-10 pm. For more info, visit DetroitMONA.com.

Close out Friday night at Pure 11, a Pure Detroit sponsored art and music event at the Magic Stick. Quite a few of my favorite Detroit bands are part of this lineup: The Silent Years, Phat Kat Big Ban, Black Lodge, Prussia, Charlie Slick, Sisters Lucas, Ohtis, the Great Fiction, Catfish Mafia, The Juliets and Scarlet Oaks. Artists are Gwen Joy, Tony Roko, Tracey Nawrot, William Juice Singer, Michael Segal, Cedric Tai, Justin Ames, Jesse Jacobi, Kill Taupe and Marianne Audrey Burrows. $11 cover,  8 pm start time.

Finally, on Saturday, December 12th at 7 pm, LIFT Detroit has a show featuring local artists Audrey Pongracz and Marc Nischan entitled Circus Mobius. Original artwork, customized toys, and limited edition prints will be available, all with a circus theme. I swear I read somewhere that there would be circus peanuts and fire breathers, but now I can’t source it. Count us in!

Interview with Lauren Rice

We’re very excited about our interview with Detroit artist Lauren Rice. Lauren’s collages and installations will be shown at Org Contemporary in a solo show titled “Vestiges”. The opening is this Friday, December 11 from 7-9 pm.

Behind the cut, you’ll hear about why Lauren loves working in Detroit and what her creative process is like, plus you’ll see more preview images of her work for this show.

Read more…