Shota Kubo flew over from Hawaii to skate Cali for a few weeks and we had to roll out to see Mark Oblow’s first solo art show, “Stuck To Me” at Factory 413 in L.A. on January 14th, 2016, and what a great show it was. The gallery was packed with Mark’s lifelong friends, extended family and an overflowing of Aloha vibes, with all of the homies there to show support.
Some of you may remember Oblow from the ‘80s days when he skated for Vision, Independent, etc. or you may recall some of his epic skate photography throughout the years, but he has also been quietly producing other types of masterpieces as well .
Mark’s art is ridiculously incredible and it was cool to see it all in one place. His work featured the use of photos, wood, resin, paint, glassing, oils, razor blades, abstract references on skateboard decks, and impressive imagery in a mixed medium format with unusual framing and unique materials. The mind of Mark Oblow is 100% profoundly interesting, as was evident in this display. This was Oblow’s first solo art show and I’d say it was a total success as the appreciation for his work took over the room.
Hawaii was representing large with braddahs like Pat Myers, Ryan Kingman, and Rockabilly Willie Fruean in attendance. Skateboarding superstars, Dylan Rieder, Stefan Janoski, Omar Salazar, Nuge and Arto Saari also made appearances as did VIPS: Antoine Asselin, Paul Otvos, Will Marshall, Bobby Tang, Andrew Peters, Cody Simmons, Josh Zucker, Bart Saric, Chris Casey, Angela Tran, Julian “Juice” Martinez, Kristina Patterson, Kati Nescher and a ton of art luminaries, like Todd Francis, Taylor Dunfee and Gary Parkin. Mark’s art rep, Yong-Ki Chang, was on the full hustle, doing a great job of educating the crowd about Oblow’s art while peeling open the wallets of collectors and fans and hosting one helluva great event.
Powerplant Choppers played part in the show with a display of Yaniv Evan’s custom choppers while free beer flowed alongside jolts of caffeine in the lounge area. It was a perfect night and, if you weren’t there, you should have been. Dat Oblow boy plenny akamai!
See Mark’s work for yourself at www.markoblow.com and www.moblow.com.
– Words and party photos by Dan Levy.
