Finding Art in the Weirdest Places

The U-Haul gallery captured from the parking lot of Sprout’s.

Since the formation of art galleries, people always thought art should be appropriately appreciated in a gallery. However, in the beginning of the post-modern art era, Andy Warhol ushered in a forward-thinking era where many street and Do-It-Yourself type of art we know today was conceptualized.

Many artists feel it is hard to break through the establishment, so they create their own galleries in their homes, boutiques and other small spaces.

Don Hooker, Michael S. Oldfield, Erica Williams and Carlos Monterosa, along their children, are preparing for the rest of the show.

Recently, a group art event, Guerrilla Penguin Show, was held in a U-Haul. Formed by a renegade troop of passionate artists, they brainstormed a plan to use a “hit-and-run” style of mobility to challenge the traditional art establishment.

“Jerry [Jurado] and I were the masterminds behind the event,” Don Hooker, one of the artists, explains.

When asked why penguin, Hooker responded: “We wanted a unique and funny name in the vein of Monty python’s flying circus.”

The show kicked off at 4pm behind a Sprout’s on Colorado Street in Pasadena. If the plan went awry, the artists would simply move the U-Haul to a different location and update it on various social media outlets.

For example, Hooker’s heart dropped when the police stopped just few hundred feet from the U-Haul, but they were only pulling a car.

The 26-foot moving truck housed drawings, paintings, photographs and fabrication pieces by the likes of Jurado, Hooker and his son, Judah, George Gomez, Michael S. Oldfield, Carlos Monterosa and Erica Williams.

Don Hooker, Michael S. Oldfield and Carlos Monterosa standing by the gallery.

If you do not know what fabrication is, it is the act of creating art from already made things such as household items, Nerf guns and clothes. After the artists are done, they normally outfit people with it for movies and other outings.

Oldfield used fabrication for the show. He featured a Mad Max style of outfit for the show while Don Hooker had cartoonish and vibrant drawings from his “Monsters are Messy” collection.

Rosy Razo viewing the art and pondering how the artists made it.

While experiencing the different types of art, people also participated in Oculus Rift demos. By the end of the night, Hooker accounted over 50 people going to the portable gallery and a few art pieces were sold as well.

In the end, this new method of bringing art to the masses means more people can experience unique art outside the context of a museum. This DIY style of art is also becoming a countercultural phenomenon while drawing people together at the same time and it is happening all over the world. So, it is getting some recognition and museums are trying to keep up with it.

These unusual events are happening in and around Los Angeles almost every weekend and you can experience them as well. You could normally find them on social media or an event page on various websites like Los Angeles Street Art Gallery, LA Weekly and even Pasadena Magazine. You can also find all of the artists on Facebook or Flickr.

Carlos Monterosa demoing the Oculus Development Kit 2 while others stand in awe.