Last night I had the chance to check out the opening of RETNA’s Hallelujah, presented by Valmorbida (the people behind Richard Hambleton’s show last year) and curated by RVCA’s PM Tenore in a giant pop-up space on Manhattan’s west side. RJ saw the show in the process of being set-up, and the finished product was certainly spectacular (not to mention really crowded. Cue me getting nervous as people bumped into the work). The artist’s glyphic pieces were presented on a series of very large mediums – most were canvas, some were ink on handmade paper, and a few had plaster (I think) letters rising out of the piece itself. Five sculptures in the middle of the room spelled out a monumental RETNA.

What the script on the pieces spelled out, I’m not entirely sure  – but the effect was certainly cryptic, not to mention really beautiful. Others seemed to think so too, as the vast majority of the work had already been sold by the show’s opening. Like a lot of his other stuff, the pieces subsumed the space, covering nearly the entire wall from floor to ceiling, and in the dark of the warehouse, it was completely immersive.

When I could get close enough to a piece to really see it, the intricacy of his process was apparent, with the handmade paper and ink pieces, the textured paint on canvas, or his evolving use of negative space.

The sculptures I mentioned before, particularly their surroundings, were the only parts that may have taken away from the general strength of the show. Scattered around/under/on top of the sculptures were ropes, industrial pallets, and empty paint cans. Whether it was about paying homage to the process, or likely to his more graffiti-oriented beginnings, the props seemed unnatural in the space, particularly in the whole glamorous-company-collaboration context. If anything, it made me want to see his work outside of this setting, or at least caused me to question what it means, and whether its good, bad (or both) to move from street to a show like this.

Hallelujah will be making two more stops, in Venice and London, as it completes its tour. You can check out the New York show at 560 Washington St. in the West Village. Also, if you haven’t seen it, make sure to watch the epic video that accompanies the show.

Photos by Frances Corry

SOURCE: http://blog.vandalog.com/2011/02/retnas-hallelujah-world-tour-opening-nyc/

“The Hallelujah World Tour”‘. As anticipated last weekend RETNA has inaugurated the first stage of his exhibition ‘The Hallelujah World Tour’. Here’s a look at the inaugural event in NYC. Truly remarkable how many new works, including paintings and installations, 3D, created by the artist and exposed to California specifically for this project. After the New York “The Hallelujah World Tour” will touch London and Hong Kong.

SOURCE: http://junglegymmagazine.com/2011/02/14/recap-hallelujahworld-our/

PETA and friends made a more fashion-friendly appearance at Fashion Week in Stella McCartney‘s boutique, with not a drop of paint in sight, while the opening of street artist RETNA’s Hallelujah World Tour rolled out the concrete carpet for an innovative new art installation. Check out all the action from these parties here!

PETA’s Fashion Week Bash

Go HERE for more photos by Natalie Poette, and tag yourself and your friends!

The fur was flying (or, you know, nonexistent) at PETA’s party as the likes of Tim Gunn, Olivia Munn, Stephanie Pratt and Taraji P. Henson showed their support for their furry friends more stylishly than any other animal lovers out there.

Vladimir Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida presented the first New York solo show of the street artist RETNA for the the first stop on his Hallelujah World Tour. Organized by the curator PM Tenore, the exhibition drew an attendance of over 2000 from the wolds of art and fashion. Check out these pics from the opening, featuring Amanda Hearst, Chris Brown, Brian Atwood, Mark “The Cobrasnake” Hunter, and Olivier Zahm. Don’t miss the installation before it jets off to London and Hong Kong!  After the exhibition, FW VIPs headed to Indochine for cocktails where DJ Nick Cohen spun an amazing set.

SOURCE: http://guestofaguest.com/events/peta-gets-fashion-friendly-retna-makes-his-first-stop-on-hallelujah-world-tour

Last week, AM attended the much anticipated opening for Retna’s (featured) NYC stop of his Hallelujah World Tour (previewed). Made possible by the folks at Valmorbida, the star studded event was attended by many NYC art, fashion and entertainment notables as it led off the Fashion Week festivities. Like us, those that made it into the jam packed opening were in for a treat as the Los Angeles based artist took his work to another level. Large scale canvases, sculptures and of course the classic detailed works on paper were some of the mediums that comprised this show.

Afterwards, an exclusive afterparty was held at A-list club Indochine. Here the “family” finally took a breather after the weeks of hard work setting up this exhibition. Just wait until the tour hits London & Hong Kong… Oh, did we forget to mention that Retna will be officially “tagging” a leer jet in Austria. Can’t wait to check that out.

More photos after the jump…

SOURCE: http://arrestedmotion.com/2011/02/openings-retna-hallelujah-world-tour-nyc/

At last night’s RETNA opening, the room was thumping and vodka was served on the rocks. It may have felt like more of a warehouse party than an art exhibit, but don’t be fooled: According to Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, who co-organized the event with Andy Valmorbida, 90 percent of the works had sold. And that was mid-event.

Perhaps better known for their playboy circle’s partying ways, the two have recently been helping relatively undiscovered artists find the spotlight. Last year, Richard Hambleton was their project; now, it’s L.A. street artist Marquis “RETNA” Lewis, who got on their radar via Pat Tenore, founder of California skater label RVCA. The New York show is the first of three (sponsored by Bombardier and VistaJet) planned in different cities around the world.

As the likes of Lily Donaldson and Brian Atwood circulated, the artist was applying paint to an installation in the center of the room. His hieroglyphic canvases lined the surrounding walls. “I walked in and it felt like a club in the early nineties, with Keith Harings all over,” Stephen Gan noted. “But when you come up close it’s definitely not that—it’s a lot more, sort of, typographic.”

“It’s not only fashion—I’m trying to present him to a broad audience,” Restoin-Roitfeld explained. He did a better job of it during the gallery portion of the evening than at the Indochine after-party, where Mary-Kate Olsen was squeezed into a banquette and Carine Roitfeld got up out of her seat to pose for Olivier Zahm. But there, too, the room was thumping—and vodka, in some cases, was served on the rocks.

— Darrell Hartman

Source: http://www.style.com/peopleparties/parties/scoop/fashionweek-021111_RETNA_Celebration