IT’S ART IF I SAY IT’S ART. OTHERWISE IT’S NOT.

Eastern Projects Gallery is pleased to announce Scott Johnson’s solo exhibition, “IT’S ART IF I SAY IT’S ART. OTHERWISE IT’S NOT.”, running from Saturday, March 16th to April 27th, 2019. The opening reception will take place on  March 16th from 6 - 10 pm, with a closing reception on April 27th from 6 - 10 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

ARMANDO LERMA'S DESERT X 

“CLASS WARFARE” - Noun; The struggle for the political and economic power carried on between capitalists and workers.

This collection is the exploration of the ongoing war between upper and lower class, told through famous renaissance paintings. History shows us that this struggle is nothing new, so historic masterworks have been deconstructed and broken down to their simplest form. With this Jason hopes to convey a series of emotions that tells a story of hope for the poor and the pursuit of power for the rich.

“I have modernized the traditional canvas, a tool mostly used by the aristocracy, with the use of a material most commonly associated with the undeserved, Spray paint.” -Jason Pulgarin

The separation of upper and lower class is a continuous battle in all human cultures across the globe. With today’s political climate in Los Angeles, it sets a well lit stage to show the disparity between corporate opulence and working class struggle.

ARTIST BIO:

In January of 1990, Jason Pulgarin, a thought-provoking and socially conscious street artist, was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As a child, Pulgarin naturally gravitated towards art and other creative projects. Throughout his teenage years in New York City, he began pursuing street art in all of its forms. He primarily painted anything and everything he could find in the city’s five boros. Cartoons, fashion, graffiti, and street culture served as his inspiration.In his high school years, he applied and received acceptance to a variety of highly competitive art programs- schools like Pratt Institute and Cooper Union (among others) granted him access to their prestigious curricula; however, when Jason’s future mentor, world-renowned artist, Tristan Eaton, appeared as a guest speaker in one of his art classes, the two immediately hit it off, sending the pair on a prodigious creative journey.Pulgarin’s humility, raw talent, and drive impressed Eaton. Before long, Eaton offered Jason an internship at his design firm, Thunderdog Studios. Pulgarin, the young, humble, and eager artist, knew he had landed a life-changing opportunity to set his converse-clad foot in the art world’s fickle door. While under Eaton’s tutelage, Pulgarin learned the ins and outs of the business- from running gallery shows to traveling overseas and working on creating major art projects for international clients.Jason went on to graduate from City-As-School High School, the city’s oldest and longest-running alternative public high school. Pulgarin credits the school with offering him the flexibility and the freedom to pursue his career goals while completing his academic requirements.Shortly after graduating high school, Jason kept working as Eaton’s assistant, and the burgeoning art-entrepreneur later found himself as a member of the street art collective, Trustocorp. From there, the artists found many shared and individual successes, which transported them to Los Angeles to expand their work with more galleries. By 2012, after spending years traveling and working behind the scenes in the art world, Jason moved back to Brooklyn to pursue his own art career. He still maintains a presence in Los Angeles.Currently, at 28 years-old, Jason is designing an intricate series of water color and aersol paintings. These creations evoke a curious combination of melancholy, erotica, and the juxtaposition of strong feminist empowerment battling a troubled and fragile masculine ego.