exhibitions

for immediate release

VICTOR GASTELUM: "Xacto Mundo"
MAY 17 - JUNE 21, 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 20, 2008; 7-10PM


OVERTONES gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by VICTOR GASTELUM entitled “Xacto Mundo.” “Xacto Mundo” is Gastelum’s second solo exhibition with OVERTONES gallery since 2003 and it presents Gastelum’s most recent work, coming fresh out of his studio in Long Beach.

Gastelum’s influences range from Mexican wrestlers, to punk, to architecture, and images of the working class and our celebrity-obsessed culture. Gastelum began in the late 1980’s by drawing flyers for punk shows, designing album artwork for local bands, and soon after working as a designer for the infamous SST Records. It is during his time at SST Records that Gastelum met two artists who proved to be long-term influences in his life: the visual artist Raymond Pettibon, and musician Joey Burns, of the band Calexico. Gastelum’s relationship with Pettibon has lead to collaborative projects between the two artists, such as in the book of lithographs “Faster, Jim” published by Hamilton Press in Venice, California. With Joey Burns and the band Calexico, Gastelum has enjoyed a long and artistically very fruitful relationship, doing his spray-paint stencil for most of the band’s album covers and thus gathering his own following of fans through Calexico’s tours across the world.

Victor Gastelum’s stencil pieces are distinctive in style and execution. During the rise of such art stars like Banksy, when stencil art became a seemingly easy and quick way to get the message out into the popular culture, Gastelum’s pieces have remained recognizable and unique to him. His use of overspray as a component of his works, and his clean and minimalist approach have been a signature of his that he has only continued to build on—and cut on with his Xacto knife. “Xacto Mundo” showcases the wide range of Gastelum’s visual influences as well as his exceptional skills in making art that leaves room for his audiences to imagine and create stories of their own.


OVERTONES is a contemporary Los Angeles art gallery with an exhibition programme that strives to intertwine beauty and social action, and reach out beyond the confines of established art-world structures in an effort to engage a wide range of audiences.

+ For additional information and images please contact Elizabeta Betinski at word@overtonesgallery.com or 310.915.0346

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