Diamond Black Hearted Boy and Friends Rock Like the Spice

Chino Amobi, polymath extraordinaire. The artist who's work is currently hanging in Like the Spice's main gallery is also an established electronic musician, Diamond Black Hearted Boy. He performed at the gallery on Friday night in conjunction with the opening of To Whom is May Concern. Not only did Chino bring his glitchy, sample-filled music (as well as a killer outfit), but he brought his musician friends as well. Electro duo FOLLOWER, beat-master Ghetto Caviar, and eloquent hip hop artist Devin Kkenny gave explosive performances in turn. Surrounded by Amobi's neon artworks, show-goers rocked out to the equally electric music. The gallery became a full-fledged crucible for young cutting edge artists working in both visual and auditory media, and an awesome party.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: New Show Opens at Like The Spice!!

Artists, artist's friends, and art appreciators made their way to our gallery Friday night for the opening of To Whom is May Concern, a celebration of art and the workers who enable art to be shown to the public. Curated by Like the Spice's very own Olivia Cohen, To Whom it May Concern is a show featuring the work of five up-and-coming young artists, artists who happen to be or have been assistants at Like the Spice. The show represents a dual move of giving credit to these tireless art workers as well as acknowledging their merit as artists in their own right. Attendees checked out the work of these five creators, mingled, and drank the champagne of beers. While differing greatly in style and form, the work of these artists cohered into an interesting and cohesive show. The gallery buzzed with the energy of the people who came to see it and of the artworks themselves.

The artists/former LTS assistants are Roxanne Yamins, Spencer Anderson, Nicole Eta Demby, Rosemary Gonzalez, and Raymond Hu. Roxanne's oil portraits an landscapes consider the visual elements in her field of view; her pieces are meant to simplify, clarify, and display examples of the beauty that surround her. Whether these pieces isolate architectural elements or focus on a beautiful figure, Ms. Yamins brings forth the beauty in the daily phenomena that exist within structures and spatial configurations.

Spencer's work employs an overreaching cultural turpitude as inspiration. Set within a facsimile of the American landscape. To use the rhythmic wildness of mark making and sickening groupings of common aerosol and craft paint, this work is "an extended exercise of goofing around and killing time." On a path set towards total sublimation, ultimately unattainable and pathetic.

Nicole is interested in how sculptures and images emote and convey ideas. Using mixed media (found objects, wax, fabric, drawing, video) she explores the uncanny, the bodily, the philosophical, and art's capacity to express content relating to these themes. These investigations result in a myriad of diverse forms including video and performance, altered mundane objects, amorphous wax hybrid creations, and architectural drawings.

Rosemary's "As Is" comes to us from a new direction: a colorful, bold yet simple place. Similar in color and segmentation to her small-scale animations, Rosemary's newest work takes on a weight and architectural definition.

What Raymond does with graphite and ink is study. Whether it is a jagged geometric design or intensely realistic representation of a figure or form, Raymond's works produce memories of places, images, an people that could be your own, or anybody's. It's hard to tell....

To Whom it May Concern is up at Like the Spice until the first week of December.

Under the Blacklight: Chino Amobi's "Day-Glo Brooklyn"

It has been a very busy and exciting week for all of us here at Like the Spice; it started with the finalizing of our Miami plans (SCOOOPPPEEE!!!), the building enthusiasm for the festivities coming up on November 5th (i.e. the opening of our first LTS assistants' show, as well as Chino Amobi's musical performance), and then the week was definitely punctuated by this: Chino Amobi's "Pregnancy Pact" was reviewed by art critic Ben Davis in this week's Village Voice! Mr. Davis writes of Chino's work:

Chino Amobi, currently offering a batch of candy-colored paintings at Williamsburg's Like the Spice Gallery, is one of those info-era artists whose works suggest a kind of Web-surfing aesthetic. Not just his art, though—his creative practice, too...Amobi isn't just riding the tide, but also looking to carve out space for a self, to hold onto a personal world in an overwhelming digital universe...

It is a distinct honor and pleasure to see one of our artists in The Village Voice, it is a publication synonymous with New York City and for the gallery to receive a mention is definitely something we'll be celebrating on the 5th!


And if that wasn't just the icing on the cake, we were also put on the Gallery Shortlist of Joann Kims' favorite galleries in Greenpoint and Williamsburg featured on the blog Brooklyn Based. They mention our monthly dinner series as well as our great variety of works. Also brought to our attention was the blog Art Ravels that does an excellent job "unwinding" arts and culture. Art Ravels features the works of Pregnancy Pact and lauds Chino's disco colors and overlaying of influences. Happy weekend reading!!

Monthly Dinner with Chino Amobi feeds eye, mind, and stomach

Last Friday saw the latest installment of our fabulous dinner series, this one featuring the work, words, and neon head-ware of Chino Amobi. We were joined by our best friends and finest supporters as we started off the evening with cocktails and introductions and then sat down to the delectable creations of Gite Catering. These three sisters put on quite a spread, including a lovely pumpkin cheesecake.

Chino spoke of his ambitions and inspirations and answered the questions of his new admirers, some of the coolest collectors, writers, and artists in the city, or anywhere for that matter. Chino explained the disconnected fantasy world in his images as like the social world created by kids and their cell phones as they build an intimacy removed from the reality outside. It's their rouge individuality he depicts in his vibrant works.


Come on by for more Chino on November 5th as he performs music and then some under his pseudonym Diamond Black Hearted Boy. His musical guests will include Follower, Ghetto Caviar, and Devin Kkenny. On top of that, or rather underneath it, there will be a Like the Spice intern show featuring Anthony Michael Rom, Nicole Demby, Roxanne Yamin, and Jesse Ricke. The evening promises a show to alter your perception.

YG x Zwelethu Mthethwa : Umcimbi Cocktail Party

Last night Like the Spice Gallery co-hosted a intimate cocktail event with Larry (Young Global) of My Global Hustle in honor of South African artist Zwelethu Mthethwa.

Zwelethu is visiting NYC for few days, so we organized a gathering of artists, collectors, critics & art enthusiast for an evening of cocktails & conversation.
Read read the full blog post by YG:
http://www.myglobalhustle.com/wp/2010/10/17/yg-x-zwelethu-mthethwa-umcimbi-cocktail-party/

Off the Clock is Off the Hook!!

The weather was unpleasant but the atmosphere at the opening of Off the Clock at the 92nd St. Y Tribeca was anything but. The show displayed the work of artists employed by the studios of international art stars. In the gallery were framed statements written either by these big-name artists or their studios confirming the employment of each Off the Clock artist. It was the latter's night to shine and they all did so brightly and in person, mingling with friends and art aficionados to discuss their work.

Off the Clock opened in conjunction with Highlights at the Magnificent Basement in London, a sister show containing the work of the artists in Off the Clock as well as London-based artists who also work for big art world names. The duel openings provided an opportunity for cross-Atlantic celebration as the participants at each event acknowledged the stunning achievement of the other. Two beautiful shows!!

Off the Clock runs at 92nd St Y Tribeca until November 29th. Stay tuned for info on where to RSVP for the dinner on November 12 featuring the artists in the show! Also, don't forget to RSVP on our website for our monthly Artist Dinner series featuring Chino Amobi on October 22. While you're at it, mark your calendars for the opening of To Whom is May Concern at Like The Spice on November 5th, a show featuring the work of Like the Spice assistants!

Congratulations! It's a ...

Grand success? Yes, exactly. Last night here at Like the Spice we celebrated the opening of Chino Amobi's show, "Pregnancy Pact." It was a beautiful night, not to hot and not too cold. There were plenty of new faces (straight off the Chinatown bus from Richmond even), as well as our repeat biggest fans. And even as the sun set and the night became dark, Chino's work never dimmed, in fact, it may even have become brighter against the backdrop of the attendees' excitement.


There was something here for everyone and no one left unsatisfied. From the print on Chino's button down to the slick surfaces atop his digital collage work, people couldn't get enough. In the wise words of Mr. Amobi himself, "my whole life has been leading up to this shirt." Yes, some might have chosen to employ the word 'moment' instead of 'shirt,' but in Chino's defense it was a vintage button-up "Sugar Daddy" shirt (I think we all knew what he really meant anyway, having found it in a Williamsburg vintage shop). It was a great night with amazing work made even greater by the attendance of Chino's Virginia contingency (including his wonderful mother). Thanks to one and all for attending no matter what your travel time was, we loved having you!

P.S. Also, Chino seems to be the gift that just keeps giving. When you get a second, just Google him, you'll most likely always find something new. For instance, check out this recent gem I found while cruising the world wide webs, it's fo' sho' going to be requested in t-shirt form...