Post #657908 by Tiki Shark Art on Mon, Nov 5, 2012 5:43 PM

danlovestikis,
Thanks. I may have said this before, but after the all out effort the Wyland Kona Gallery put into the "Hawaii-Ween" show, I'd like to take this moment to say how grateful I am to Mark Hanna the owner of this one "Wyland Gallery", and his sales staff. Kona is a small town, on what is called one of the "outer islands". The Big Island of Hawaii. Meaning, we are off the main tourist path. Wyland galleries are known far and wide to carry main stream work. When other galleries were saying no to my work, because tourists would not understand it, or tourists wouldn't be hip to the whole "Tiki Culture" thing, Mark took a chance and showed my work. And it sold!
Then, he and his staff took the time to learn a little about "Low-Brow" Art, Tiki Art, Outsider Art... all that. It's been amazing how this gallery - the last place you'd expect to find "poly-pop-surreal Art" - has become a place on the map, a small and out of the way place, but a place on the map for "Tiki Art".

I get a real kick out of tourist's reactions. I heard one very modest looking group of tourist types standing aghast in front of my wall of work and caught the sneered words: "Some people will just paint anything!"

Now This Wyland gets Tiki Tribe folks who come in knowing full well what this art is on display...and the staff can talk to them. The staff are no longer freaked out that some weirdos or big guys with a lot of tattoos and girls dressed like Betty Page are hanging out in the gallery! Great, and fun stuff. I've been asked to be in a large retail chain of galleries - to show year round, from LA to Vegas To Florida...but I said no. I think if you travel 1000s of miles to an active volcanic island in the middle of no-where you should find something unusual you can't find anywhere else.

Well, anywhere but the occasional and uber important art show at an amazingly important and world famous Birth-Place of Low Brow Art gallery - the "La Luz De Jesus Gallery". But, it's not a surprise to find "Tiki Art" there. That's what they do. The cool cats & kittens and "West Coast Art Scene" go there looking for that kinda art. That's the center of the low brow art world.

It IS funny to see tourists not looking for Tiki Art find here... and then have to think about it, and talk about it, and wonder about it. I think it has actually become part of my "art". The "art" of what I do. Ya' know what I mean?

OH, I almost forgot. (darned rum soaked grey matter!) I apologize to the Amazing Aussie King of Hot-Rod and Shaman of Low Brow - Tony, I am also VERY lucky to be shown in his art gallery "Kustom Lane". Please visit this amazing art space he has created... and is in the process of making even more betta! He is changing his live to become devoted to spreading the art of the HOT ROD and Low Brow Kustom CULTURE Down Under!

LOCATION OF KUSTOM LANE GALLERY
8 LUTON LANE
HAWTHORN 3122
Please visit them here: http://www.kustomlane.com/
General Email Enquiries: [email protected]
Online Store Enquiries: [email protected]

Tony has been my total unwavering steadfast rocksolid support on the southern hemisphere part of this weird whirling world... big BIG Aloha to you my friend! Tony.... U RAWK!

Thanks and ALOHA!
B~

Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
"Brad Parker creates lurid paintings that pull in influences from tiki, comics, and rock."

• Honolulu Magazine "The Best Of" 2012 Issue
  
  http://www.tikishark.com

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-11-05 17:54 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2012-11-06 15:18 ]