Sweet Streets is an artist management firm specializing in the representation of artists
of the kawaii movement. A Japanese concept often described as “cute”, our artists
define kawaii by one’s own feelings. Established in 2011, we aspire to the general
management of events and projects, and the production and promotion of artwork and
merchandise for our artists. With business based in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Sweet
Streets maintains relationships with international galleries and retailers to encourage
new trends in the art world. Originally founded to manage artists, Sweet Streets has
grown to organize collaborative projects with some of the industry’s top influential
brands spanning art, music, fashion, vinyl toys, and more. Our artists have participated
in such projects as in-store installations, animation and toy designs, to leasing their
artwork for music albums and celebrity fashion. By curating exhibitions for a growing list
of clients, we provide our artists with opportunities to work together while exploring the
relationship between American and Japanese cultures. www.sweetstreetsla.com

-Mark Ryden

The YHWH Custom Group Show features the following artists:
Akira Kiriya/Chikuwaemil, Anthony Ausgang, Bob Conge/Plaseebo, Camilla d’Errico, Camille Rose Garcia, Cris Rose, Daniel Goffin, David Flores, DrilOne, Doze Green, Emilio Garcia, FFINC, Francesco de Molfetta, Frank Kozik, Isabel Samaras, Jessicka Addams, KMNDZ, Joshua Petker, J*Ryu, Julie B, Kathie Olivas, KRK Ryden, Liz McGrath, Lola, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Mark Dean Veca, Mia, Mikie Graham (Blamo Toys), Naoto Hattori, Nathan Hamill, Scott Hove, Sean Christopher, Yosuke Ueno

Highlighting the show is a beautiful amber YHWH by Marion Peck and a one of a kind 6’ foot long wooden YHWH package by Mark Ryden himself.

Please join us for the exhibit opening on Saturday, May 11th from 7-10pm at Toy Art Gallery’s showroom located at 7571 Melrose Ave. Hollywood CA 90046.

YHWH Group Custom Show runs through May 26th.

RSVP on Facebook!


About Mark Ryden:
Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, “Pop Surrealism”, dragging a host of followers in his wake. Ryden has trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.

Ryden’s vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at darker psychic stuff beneath the surface of cultural kitsch. In Ryden’s world cherubic girls rub elbows with strange and mysterious figures. Ornately carved frames lend the paintings a baroque exuberance that adds gravity to their enigmatic themes.

Mark Ryden received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a retrospective “Wondertoonel” at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art, and in the exhibition “The Artist’s Museum” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

http://www.markryden.com