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STEVE OLSON: INSIDE OUT

STEVE OLSON: INSIDE OUT
OCTOBER 27, 2012
OPENING NIGHT GALA

HADID GALLERY
8933 BEVERLY BLVD
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
WWW.HADIDGALLERY.COM

EXHIBIT RUNS OCT 27-DEC 1, 2012

The script goes a little like this…. “Olson became well known as a pro skateboarder in the ’70s and ’80s and established himself as a character in the L.A. and San Francisco Punk Rock Scene. With this new collection, Olson is bringing in Post Modern work that embeds narrative themes: capitalism, pop culture, social decadence and modern platitudes all with his drive of primal punk style!”

Olson’s work is best described in his own words: “My art gives contemporary art a juvenile delinquent phase. It’s self-made style icons gleefully trashing conventions of beauty and society while pick-pocketing from the coolest underground styles and beliefs of the previous centuries.”

As the script continues: “Hadid Gallery is pleased to be showing Steve Olson’s show: Inside Out, not just an art show, but an experience.”

We couldn’t have said it any better. The Steve Olson: Inside Out Opening Night gala was the one of the best times of all time. It was Beverly Hills meets the skate/punk underground in an impossible-to-believe atmosphere of free love for all that were smart enough to attend.

The dress code ran the gamut from Rodeo Drive to Melrose chic with an appropriate amount of skateboarder scum thrown in to keep it all real. Everyone also wore big smiles accessorized with loud bursts of real laughter and the gallery was armed to the teeth with positive vibes.

One of our favorite quips of the nights was, “We knew Olson when he was poor, we knew him when he was trendy, and I just saw a red dot go up beside one of his pieces showing it’s sold, and now everyone knows he’s MONEY, baby!”

The artwork was brilliant as you would expect from Steve Olson, and it was so inspiring to see his first giant installation of the 12′ x 8′ Flag going for $50,000. A crowd favorite, as indicated by the number of photos being taken in front of it, was the “Spray Cans” (tryptic), which graced the forward facing wall of the space. Personal favorites were the “Black Abstract” and the “White Abstract” as well as Olson’s faux-leather-wrapped surfboard art.

The ladies in the room seemed to be spending the most time with the “Love Me” piece, which featured a price tag that read “Price Upon Request.” There were literal bombs and missiles of all shapes and sizes, plus an award-winning motorcycle on hand, courtesy of Yaniv Evan and the Powerplant Choppers crew.

The display within the gallery walls had its own ingenious, thought-provoking Olson flair as well. Depending on how you looked at it, you might see Brutal Surf or it could be Surf Brutal. Upon entry to the space, you could peer through the Black Torgers and Red Torgers, and take a look at the art with a fresh perspective or simply turn around and look out the other direction and see the mass of Olson fans, art collectors and friends, reveling in the streets of West Hollywood. It was Olson’s artwork at its finest, either way you looked at it.

For those of you that haven’t yet invested in a piece of Olson artwork, you’d better jump on board fast. The value of his work is going the way of Warhol, Basquiat and Jeff Koons. You’ll soon not even be able to afford to be in the same room, so you’d better recognize great art now when you see it.

Juice Magazine would like to extend a big “Congratulations!” to Mr. Olson for this smashing success of a show.

WORDS BY TERRI CRAFT
PHOTOS BY DAN LEVY

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