If you’re not familiar with the work of IAm8Bit, you’re missing out on some of the coolest artwork currently available in the States, and—as 8Bit fans can tell you—one of the group’s finest collaborators is artist Jim Rugg. Rugg’s made a name for himself creating tongue-in-cheek works of art (often with nothing more than a ballpoint pen), and his latest show, titled Notebook Nerd, is making its debut this weekend at the IAm8Bit gallery in Los Angeles. Gonna be in the neighborhood and interested to see some of the stuff that’s gonna be on display? Meet me after the jump, folks.
Award-nominated artist Jim Rugg’s a unique talent, and this weekend IAm8Bit—the think tank/production company/video game-obsessed art exhibition located in Los Angeles—are unveiling the artist’s newest show: Notebook Nerd. These guys have collaborated before, but Notebook Nerd looks to be their most impressive joint-effort yet.
As you can see below, Notebook Nerd is a one-man show comprised entirely of Rugg’s tongue-in-cheek work. It’s always impressive when an artist gets his own show, but Notebook Nerd’s doubly impressive when you consider the fact that every one of the pieces appearing in the show was created with nothing more than a ballpoint pen and a spiral notebook. That’s right: the stuff you used to doodle boobies and dragons with in middle school has finally been put to good use by a real artist.
If you’re going to be in the Los Angeles area this weekend, here’s what IAm8Bit says you have to look forward to at their latest show:
The title is pretty self-explanatory, as "NOTEBOOK NERD" almost says it all. JIM RUGG, the Swiss Army Knife of artists (and longtime iam8bit collaborator), gives us an insane perspective inside his brainhole, exposing the terrors and delights that populate his thoughts every, single day. While his comics "Street Angel" and "Afrodisiac" have already been dubbed classics by the indie scene, Rugg's art in this show is different. It's truly an exercise in precision. His only tool: the mighty ballpoint pen; and his unlikely canvas - spiral-bound notebook paper.
The all-ages show is totally free and opens this Friday, May 25th, at 7pm (runs until 11pm). If you’ve never been, IAm8Bit is located at: 2147 W. Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles—that’s 90026, if you’re nasty—and more information about the show can be located at the IAm8Bit.com website and the Facebook page. While I can’t say I’ve personally attended an IAm8Bit show before, I can say that I’m enormously jealous of those who have had the opportunity…and strongly suggest you make an effort to stop by if you’re in the L.A. area this weekend.
By the way: Collider’s been covering the indie art scene for some time, specifically, movie-related artwork (the likes of which is generally produced by MondoTees.com and Gallery 1988). In the coming week, we’re going to be debuting an all-new column called Limited Paper. If you’re a fan of the posters and screenprints being produced by Mondo, Gallery 1988, and artists like Martin Ansin, Tyler Stout, and Mark Englert…you really wanna make sure you keep an eye peeled for that column’s debut later this week. We’re going to be offering up poster news, interviews with artists, and all manner of other movie-art-related shenanigans, so stay tuned for more in the coming days; it’s going to be awesome.