"Hodgepodge" Kenny Scharf opens tonight at Honor Fraser gallery, LA

"Hodgepodge," pronounced /ˈhäjˌpäj/ is the name of Kenny Scharf's solo show at Honor Fraser in LA.

The word "hodgepodge" is also described in the dictionary as "a hash, a mishmash, a jumble." Although Kenny Scharf's busy, colorful aerosol murals may resemble bubble and squeak to some observers, on closer viewing of Scharf's work you will see a consistent and unique cartoon-esque style that he has developed since the 80s in New York. His influences are surely Pop art and New York club culture, but he is also not shy of throwing in The Flintstones and The Jetsons.

Scharf, along with other pioneers of street art, has experienced a recent renaissance partly due to Jeffrey Deitch's seminal "Art in the Streets" exhibition and Royal/T's "West Village East" showcase last year. See the Kenny Scharf article in Unleashed Magazine penned by his daughter, Malia Scharf, which I uploaded to Scribd. If you are driving around LA, keep an eye out for the vast five-storey West Hollywood Library mural, definitely the most permanent recognition of Scharf's work in LA.

Kenny Scharf car, Art in the Streets, Museum of Contemporary Art, LA (credit: Julieannrhodes.com)

West Hollywood Library (credit: Stevio)

Tonight's "Hodgepodge" solo show at Honor Fraser solidifies Scharf's presence on the LA art scene. For the opening,  he will be joined by Ann Magnuson, an actress and art activist and Scharf's long-time collaborator. In the recent past, she worked on Scharf's 2009 book, "Kenny Scharf," which launched at Celebrity Vault in Beverly Hills. When I attended that book launch, I think it was the most "establishment," middle-aged audience I'd ever seen celebrating a graffiti icon! ;) His fans run deep!

"Hodgepodge" opens Saturday April 14th, 2012 6-8pm.
The show runs April 14, 2012 — May 19, 2012

Honor Fraser
2622 S. La Cienaga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 9003.