“Creature Features has served the creators and collectors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror as one of the film and TV industry’s most comprehensive resources of memorabilia for over thirty years.”
This nostalgic storefront was the fitting host for a kustom kulture art show that paid tribute to Rat Fink and artists who laid the foundation for visceral lowbrow art. On August 30th Monsterfink drew out local artists and international ones as well.
Photos Courtesy Of: LA Weekly/Liz OhanesianAccording to a report on the event by LA Weekly, “Artists from Los Angeles to Japan took part, each one putting their own groovy retro spin on characters like the Morlocks, from the 1960 film adaptation of The Time Machine, to cereal icon Franken Berry. Additionally, a few displays showcased the private collections of vintage hot rod art and toys. Outside, Burbank Choppers parked their custom cars for the crowd to see.”
The LA Weekly story spotlighted artist, Ben Von Strawn and how he came to appreciate both the art of Ed Roth and classic hot rods. “As a child, he would go to car shows with his dad. ‘I would see these painted cars when I was five years old and I would just copy it…’ Meanwhile, his dad painted monsters on Von Strawn’s toy box.”
The artwork of Ed Roth laid the foundation for an art style that pervades the art and classic car industry today. Juxtapoz magazine and its founder Robert Williams are clear examples of the art form’s progression over the decades. The magazine’s mission represents the essence of counter-culture evident in lowbrow and hot rodding–“San Francisco-based arts and culture journal Juxtapoz was founded as a response to the dominant critical aesthetic of the New York art scene, which he saw as favoring abstraction and Minimalism over representational forms of art.”
Check out LA Weekly for the full story on the Monsterfink art show.