Attaboy Brings the Antidote to 1:AM SF

Although the East Bay Express recently referred to Richmond’s own Attaboy as a “grizzled ex-graffiti artist,” the mural currently adorning the exterior wall of San Francisco’s 1:AM Gallery is his first act of “street art.” Inside, Atta has transformed the space into a dark Seussian fantasy, complete with a Gooberry tree that would certainly please the Doctor. It’s always interesting to see what artists can do with different materials, and Antidote showed that acrylic suits Attaboy (and vice versa). In an interview on 1:AM’s blog, Atta described working with plastic:

Lately, I’m happiest while drawing with a knife. Spray painting plastic. It’s a ridiculous medium, and I think I’m the only one doing it, at least in this way. People think my lines are printed vinyl or paint, but no! It’s stenciled meticulously, each and every line was two cuts and each piece is a thousand cuts. You kinda have to see them in person. It’s like urban stain glass.

It’s hard to take photos of urban stained glass without turning the artwork into a succession of reflections of yours truly, but I did my best (scroll down to next post for spoilers). Besides, you should stop by the gallery and see it for yourself anyway. You’ll find multiple rooms with multiple mediums including acrylic, resin, plush, colored pencil drawings and a sculptural installation. There’s a lot to take in, and the more you look, the more you see. For instance, I found myself staring a while at Girl Parts. Oh, but what else is new? Check it out through September 5th.