For what seems like forever, rumor shave been running rampant that Mondo—the movie poster-producing arm of Tim League’s Alamo Drafthouse—would be opening up its very own gallery in Austin, TX. These rumors increased after Mondo’s sole physical location shuttered its doors last year, and increased again earlier this week when a batch of mysterious invitations were sent out, inviting a select group of Mondo enthusiasts to…well, something that would be taking place during this year’s SXSW Film Festival. What were those invites for, who’s going to be there, and why should you care (especially if you’re attending SXSW this year)? All will be revealed after the jump, folks.
When Mondo shut down its South Lamar store last year, the rumors that Mondo would soon be opening its very own gallery started making the transition from “conspiracy theory” to “conspiracy fact”. There’s been a lot of speculation over the idea—mostly in the form of message board chatter and “Wouldn’t that be cool?” daydreaming—but now it can finally be confirmed: Mondo will be opening its very own gallery during this year’s SXSW Film Festival in downtown Austin, TX.
Conspiracy: confirmed.
Here’s what the just-released press release has to say about the event:
Mondo, the internationally-renowned collectible art boutique, is getting some new digs. And to celebrate, they will hold their first ever Mondo Gallery Event. (Some) details below.
WHO: It's a secret
WHAT: Mondo Gallery Event
WHERE: 4115 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78751
WHEN: Saturday, March 10 @ 6:00 ˆ 10:00 PM (Public Opening)
The public invitations look like this:
This confirms all the rumors of the past six months, and particularly the rumors of the past few days: a little over a week ago, mysterious invitations to an equally mysterious event began showing up in mailboxes all over the country, requesting the attendance of some of Mondo’s biggest friends and fans. At the time, the rumor was that these invites were leading us to the opening of the Mondo Gallery, but nothing had been confirmed (not publically, anyway) until this afternoon.
If you’re curious what the VIP invites look like, here’s what mine has to say for itself:
As you can see, it’s virtually identical to the public version: the slug—which some fans have already deduced is the creature that appears in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn, and which some Mondo super-fans have already deduced was drawn by fan-favorite Mondo artist Tyler Stout—is the same, the geographic coordinates/address are the same…it’s just the time that’s different: the VIP’s event earlier in the afternoon, while the public opening is later that night. Still no word on what all those initials might mean, though, and I’m genuinely stumped. Any ideas?
Anyway! What lays in store for those who attend? It’s a safe bet that some new Mondo posters will be on sale, yes, but the opening will also afford attendees the unique opportunity to see Mondo’s wares hung up and displayed as they should be: like fine art. It’s unknown at this time if any of Mondo’s preferred artists will be on-hand to autograph new prints (or old ones, for that matter) or what—if any-- celebrities might make an appearance during the VIP event, but we’re sure that—whichever one you’ve been invited to—it’s going to be a blast.
As always, you can expect my report (and, perhaps, an interview with Mondo’s Justin Ishmael) from the frontlines of the opening on or about March 10th.
In the meantime, Mondo fans, it’s highly suggested that you start scraping your cash together now: new prints—those built around films screening at SXSW and those that aren’t—will likely go on sale online around the same time that they’re sold at the Mondo Gallery (note: that’s total speculation on my part, based on Mondo’s usual M.O.), and you’re probably gonna need every last spare nickel you’ve got to secure all of the new prints. And if these posters are as incredible as that invite indicates they’re going to be, there’s going to be high-demand, indeed.
Stay tuned for more as it becomes available, folks.
