PRODIGY’S MAXIM RELEASES AN NFT SERIES IN COLLABORATION WITH WLS (EUGUNE RIECANSKY) TO ACCOMPANY HIS LATEST MIXED MEDIA SERIES “HOPE”

PRODIGY’S MAXIM RELEASES AN NFT SERIES

 IN COLLABORATION 

WITH WLS (EUGUNE RIECANSKY)

TO ACCOMPANY HIS LATEST MIXED MEDIA SERIES “HOPE” 

VIEW THE NFT’S :  HERE

“We are in times of uncertainty, but I believe the answer to our problems is the four-letter word, ‘love’.” - MAXIM

Multi-faceted UK based musician and mixed media artist Maxim has launched a series NFT’s in collaboration with digital artist WLS (Eugene Riecansky) best known for his work with Prodigy, NIN, HIM, Madonna, Pixar and more. Maxim, who in addition to being part of the hard-hitting and chart-topping group Prodigy is an acclaimed mixed-media artist. His most recent exhibit is a series called "Hope," a hybrid of sculpture, music, and film,  which is available to view and experience online (on his website) and was on display at London’s new 99 Projects gallery. 

The series is a powerful and poignant collaboration with artist Dan Pearce, born out of the pandemic entitled “Hope” The series features 50 limited edition sculptures,  hand-painted colors with ten special editions, which have Swarovski Crystals added by Dan and Maxim. The two artists spent over a year in lockdown creating this ambitious, multi-platform collaboration, which is inspired by the “Hope” that everybody is clinging onto, as we gradually ease out of the devastation wreaked by Coronavirus. The sculpture is based on Pearce’s son - wearing a gas mask and preparing to pull the pin on a clear, resin grenade, containing a heart, which represents the vaccine and the hope that will help us navigate our post-lockdown worlds. The grenade is a recurring symbol and theme in Maxim’s art, which includes highly sought-after paintings, prints, and sculptures created during his 18 years in the art world. The pieces demonstrate Dan’s skills in 3D modeling and Maxim’s experience floating objects in resin. 

Each piece also contains bespoke memory cards housing an exclusive 4 track Hope  EP from Maxim, that will only be available via the sculptures until the end of the summer (August) where he will release the new music out wide via streaming services. In addition to the EP the exhibit has an accompanying short film also entitled Hope starring Pearce’s son that tells the story of the sculpture. The film touches on the mental health implications the virus has had on children, showing the 11-year-old son Jackson living through the pandemic. It also references the pandemic’s impact on homelessness - with a moving cameo from Maxim, playing a person living on the streets - as well as austerity, with touching food bank scenes. The soundtrack to the film is also titled Hope is one of the four songs on the EP being packaged with the pieces.

The physical exhibit opened on May 20 and in addition to being on display at 99 Projects, one sculpture will also be donated to NHS Charities Together, one to the young people’s mental health charity, YoungMinds, and one to the homeless charity Shelter, to raise funds for those most affected by the COVID, the themes of which are explored in the moving film. 

The resin grenades containing the hearts have been repurposed into an NFT multiple edition series NFT’s. The series will be dropped on Rarible platform on Friday, the 18th of June. The edition consists of 16 various grenades available in 1/1 and ⅕ copies. NFTs are unique as each has a special sound cover.  Where most grenades cause destruction these grenades  spread love and tap into a different energy source. The animations are accompanied by original music compositions created and produced by Maxim. 

RARIBLE NFT SERIES

“HOPE” SHORT FILM

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MORE ON MAXIM

Art was originally a means of winding down between tours with the chart-topping band, The Prodigy, but Maxim has cemented his reputation as an acclaimed, mixed media artist and designer. Grenades carried on the breeze by a raft of red balloons; clown-faced butterflies brandishing Samurai swords, and gun-toting cats are just a few of the surreal fantasy worlds created by Maxim, using everything from spray paint, resin, acrylic, ceramics, and bronze to objects like bullets, blades, and pills.

LETHAL AMOUNTS PRESENTS DESTROY BOYS LIVE ONLINE MARCH 27TH AT 7PM PST

LETHAL AMOUNTS PRESENTS DESTROY BOYS

 LIVE ONLINE MARCH 27TH AT 7PM PST

"Channeling the spirit of anarchic American garage rock and melodic sensibilities of classic Bay Area punk into short snarling songs, Sacramento’s Destroy Boys whip up noise that is truly timeless.”  - Rock Sound

“The band’s sardonic, biting tunes are a perfect blend of political subterfuge, headbang-able rhythms, and the overall catharsis of unrestrained self-expression. It’s scratchy punk that reminds listeners that it doesn’t really matter how technically sound you are, although Destroy Boys certainly have that covered as well, it’s about the passion, dammit.” - V13

“Destroy Boys have earned high-profile fans like Billie Joe Armstrong all before graduating from high school. - UPROXX

TICKETS AVAILABLE :  HERE

Los Angeles art gallery, promoter and connoisseur of cool Lethal Amounts is excited to announce their debut concert film with Hopeless Records and  San Francisco Bay Area Destroy Boys taking place March 27th at 7pm PT.  Lethal Amounts founder Danny Fuentes has built a reputation as the torchbearer of the counterculture, celebrating the cultreshifters of the past while championing up and coming creatives. The gallery has become a living and breathing history lesson of Punk Rock with photo exhibits from Leee Black Childers, the official photographer of Andy Warhol’s Factory to legendary Los Angeles photographer Edward Colver, who is best known for capturing some of the most iconic images of the hardcore punk era in Los Angeles.  Destroy Boys Live will be Fuentes’ directorial debut. 

“For outsiders and outliers, Danny Fuentes’ gallery is a place to call home.”  

- The Los Angeles Times

Destroy Boys are a three-piece band founded by Violet Mayugba (guitar/vocals) and Alexia Roditis (vocals/guitar). Rounded out by drummer Narsai Malik they have been redefining West Coast punk, making waves from the California shoreline to the UK, sharing stages with up and coming bands like Mannequin Pussy as well as punk stalwarts such as Face To Face and Lagwagon. They’ve also racked up over 40 million streams, with the numbers ticking upward every day without fail. Their visceral personal tales of scene bullies, elitist cliques, betrayal, and unrequited love have won over the hearts and ears of eager listeners ranging from the fervent teens who pack out their shows to Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong (see his mention in the Rolling Stone cover story HERE via Instagram HERE).  

The band just released their searing new single “Muzzle,”  through their new label partner Hopeless Records,  that Alternative Press called “Ferocious”  and RockSound commented that with “less than a minute in length and packed tight with thrashing guitars and barked vocals, it's a kick to the temple that is simply impossible to ignore,”  The song has been added to the top punk and alternative rock playlists on streaming services all around the world, was added to SiriusXM’s Faction channel and has received early spins on numerous radio stations in Europe. 

“Destroy Boys aren't playing nice in "Muzzle," kicking ass and taking names in the high-energy new single about fighting back against the powers that be. Turn this one all the way up.” 

- Refinery 29

The single was just a taste of what’s come. The band has been working on a new album and after a 2020 that promised tours with Against Me! and Vundabar, as well as a slot on the Sad Summer Festival, the livestream offers up a front row treat for fans who haven’t seen the band live in a year, with incredible live performances of the new single “Muzzle,” fan favorites such as “Fences,” and “Duck Eat Duck World” that was featured in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2.  In addition to the performances the film gives a look into the recording process, and intimate interviews with the group on how they got their start playing shows and touring while they were in high school.

This is not the band's first foray into collaborating with Lethal Amounts.  Earlier this year Destroy Boys launched their second merch collaboration with Lethal Amounts (See HERE)  so working with Fuentes  on the livestream was a natural fit.   “Lethal Amounts was an absolute joy to work with,” says Roditis. “Danny has a wonderful creative vision and we loved collaborating with him on this project. He let us be free and be ourselves, while inputting his slick and unique twist on things.” 

“To me,  Destroy Boys have that feeling of timelessness, says Fuentes. “I've seen them live and I got chills up my spine watching a band I knew no songs to yet. They just took me to another place in my mind, probably to that place when music and concerts were so new and exciting as a kid. They have something eternal about them and I wanted to capture a bit of that essence in a film and not just another  “live-stream” in a pandemic kinda world. Their energy is intoxicating and their self awareness is inspiring. I felt it was important to not just see them perform but see them as artists in the process of creating as well as giving us a glimpse of their personal philosophies.”

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ABOUT LETHAL AMOUNTS 

Our humble beginnings start with a logo, our now infamous Lethal Amounts “LA Safety Pins”, helped launched the name and image of the brand. Lethal Amounts began as a clothing line predominantly focussing on graphic t-shirts being hand screen printed.  With their first brick and mortar store they launched the gallery that quickly bloomed into a haven for outsiders and confrontationists.  Lethal Amounts showcases the extremes of individuals who have moved culture forward, living on the edge outside of societal norms and challenging traditional views on sexuality.  Rock ’n Roll of the past that has crossed over into pop culture fanaticism, street culture influences and cult hero worship. Artist’s who have shown in the gallery include Leee Black Childers (the house photographer for Andy Warhol’s Factory), famed punk rock photographer Edward Colver, Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Al Jourgensen, Psychic TV and more. Additional highlights include the Nick Cave Smoking exhibit, Spiritual Cramp : Christian Death exhibit and documentary launch, Shawn M. Crahan (of Slipknot’s) His Whores exhibit, an Anton LaVey event featuring an exhibit of photography and ephemera from the colorful, and notorious cultural icon, Goodbye Pogo: The Art of John Wayne Gacy and Once Upon a Time in 69' : The Life of Charles Manson.

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“L.A. : VIEWS” EXHIBITION TO OPEN AT MAKI GALLERY IN TOKYO DECEMBER 4 CURATED BY LOS ANGELES’ CHELSEA RANA

“L.A. : VIEWS”  EXHIBITION 

TO OPEN AT MAKI GALLERY IN TOKYO DECEMBER 4

CURATED BY LOS ANGELES’ CHELSEA RANA

EXCLUSIVELY  FEATURING  ALL  LOS ANGELES  BASED  ARTISTS

 [Left] Sayre Gomez, Untitled, 2020, courtesy of the Artist

[Right] Gabriella Sanchez WE REAP WHAT WE SEW (Past and Present Patterns), 2020, courtesy of the Artist

Chelsea Rana Art Advisory is thrilled to announce the opening of “L.A. : Views” at MAKI Gallery in Tokyo. The show, curated by Chelsea Petronko Rana, highlights the work of sixteen emerging and mid-career Los Angeles-based artists, and will be on on view from December 4 through January 16, 2021. Los Angeles is a city of multitudes – a thriving art scene at odds and in concert with the entertainment industries; indigenous land and frontier histories colliding with cutting-edge technology and architecture; a web of freeways connecting distinct beach, wetland, and mountain terrains. The artists included in the exhibition reflect this vigor, with works that express manifold interpretations of the region today. With this show, Rana is looking to spotlight the rich fabric of the Los Angeles artistic community and introduce the work by this exceptional group of artists on a global scale. “MAKI Gallery is a perfect fit for this show,” says Rana. “I have worked with the founders Masahiro Maki and Yoshimi Maki for quite some time, and they specifically have championed many LA-based artists. Japan has its own very rich art history, and there are many incredible collectors in Japan, but Japan still feels like it is distanced from the art world that we know here in Los Angeles. Art has always served as a great connector, breaking cultural and geographical barriers and I feel very fortunate that I am able to bring these two art world’s closer together, and thus making the world feel a little smaller.”

The city of Los Angeles provides inspiration and is the subject matter of a number of the pieces in the show. The work of Gabriella Sanchez, Amir H. Fallah, Shizo Saldamando, Jaime Munoz, and Greg Ito are inspired by rich immigrant culture and the variants of the immigrant experiences in Los Angeles. Amir H. Fallah brings together classical Western representational painting with the dense pattern-making of his Islamic heritage in bold colors and architectural canvases. Each holding an object like a talisman or sacred offering these contorted, anonymous figures shrouded in florals and other fantastic motifs speak to a personal narrative of belonging. Gabriella Sanchez takes a decidedly punk, militant approach. In her sculpture, “WE REAP WHAT WE SEW (Past and Present Patterns),” the eponymous text is emblazoned on a handmade flag alongside serape textile samples, bandanas, flannel and silkscreens of archival images documenting conflicts between Mexican immigrant communities and the American government. This aesthetic continues in canvas works which collage paint, neon graffiti and stencils with archival imagery. Painter Greg Ito’s flat, graphic compositions echo a mysterious landscape in transition, riddled with coded symbologies. A sky-blue butterfly flashes above a floating door, promising an alternative future timescape of a lush, wet, sun-basked paradise just beyond the threshold. Ito’s interest in narrative extends to his untraditional canvas choices, in this case a circle, in the past, a keyhole, a dome, each shape both devising and mirroring the corporeal world within his own illustrative universe. Shizo Saldamando portrays members of her own community with work rendered in paint and the ballpoint pen style of the paño tradition, first begun by incarcerated. Part homage, part documentation, the eyeline of each subject is witness to a changing city amidst accelerated gentrification and urban sprawl.

The diversity of Los Angeles is not only in the cultural make-up of the city but in the actual landscapes and geography. Sayre Gomez is known for his work of painting and interpreting scenes from the city. Gomez’s “Untitled” is painted to mimic a metal sign that reads SMILE, which is followed by a leering mouth. A chain extends from the middle of the object to the floor. 

An eerie and ambiguous reproduction, Gomez refrains the signage of the American West as manmade relics, evidence of a communal psychology all but disguised as banal. The Los Angeles Times said of his last show that “The vivid friction between his paintings’ flawless precision and their subjects’ utter disaster is the show’s bracing leitmotif. “ Lily Stockman dwells around the mystical with paintings of sumptuous geometries with centered simple, ambiguous, u-like shapes. Her paintings are abstracted versions of flora found around Los Angeles. Despite the hardness of these abstractions, Stockman’s hand is loose and intuitive. Her surfaces are ethereal coatings of diluted paint. Deeply concerned with color relationships, these linen canvases are intricate reflections on time and the physical body. 

“Contrary to the metropolitan melting pot, Los Angeles is a meeting point, an intersection of different attitudes, generations and cultural legacies, driven by desire and innovation as much as contrast and change, says Rana. “Making a left turn in this town is difficult, but as these visionaries can attest, if you want to get anywhere, just keep going forward, forward, forward.”

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