Winterland Opening Recap

The opening of Winterland was incredible! Thank you so much to all of the participating artists, both in the main show and our one-night pop-up shop! We are so happy to see all the new and familiar faces, and to see so many people making it out even in this cold weather! 

Sarah Evenson and Jennifer Bowman, two of the artists in our pop-up shop, enjoying each others company 

Keeli O'Brien and Puck Saint Comics

The pop-up shop featured local artists selling prints, zines, pins, handmade sets of runes, and more. 

Julia of Bingley's Teas demonstrating Gongfu Cha

We were also thrilled to have our neighbor Bingley's Teas in the gallery, demonstrating the Gongfu Cha way of making tea for anyone interested in participating. Our friends at Common Roots Café also provided a tasty tray of baked goods for refreshments. 

Kelsey Oseid (Kelzuki) and her family 

Adam Gruetzmacher with his handmade ceramic works

We got to see many of our Minneapolis maker friends at the opening as well, and it was wonderful chatting with them about their products and processes! 

If you were able to make it out, we hope you had as good of a time as we did! If you weren't able to stop by, the show will be up through February, and you can also find all of the participating makers' collections on the Winterland webpage. 

For more photos from the opening, check out our Flickr page here!

Winterland + Pop Up at Light Grey Opening Reception

Winterland Exhibition +
Pop-Up at Light Grey
An exhibition about makers and their craft
Opening Reception: Friday, January 26th • 7 - 10pm

Join us for the opening reception of Winterland, January 26th, as we celebrate exceptional makers in our community! The exhibition showcases work that blur the lines between product design and art, craftsmanship and aesthetics. Winterland focuses on the processes behind the craft, the ethos driving the makers to explore the materials and forms they create, and the experiential aspect of consumable works by those that use the items. The exhibition includes ceramic, wood, and leather goods, jewelry, cosmetics, handcrafted furniture, screen prints, original artwork, sculptures and more! The brands and individuals showcased exemplify the spirit of creativity and innovation present in our local community.

Winterland featured businesses and makers: SgotB, Wolfram Studios, Mandy by Mandy, North Shore Wools, Homesteading Bliss, Vevang MPLS, Redcruiser, Dottir, Adam Gruetzmacher, Taute Co, Samantha Longley Clay, Sudify Jewelry, Florence Oliver, Simple Soaps, The Bitter Buffalo, Strey Designs, Larissa Loden, Abbeys House, Local Produce LLC, Wood & Stone Designs, Forefolk Studio, Woolhouse Designs, and Elixery

Winterland featured artists: Jennifer Davis, Steph Kunze, Tenderheart Studio, Jenna Freimuth, Kim Bogeman, Kelzuki, Elana Schwartzman of Fontlove Studio, Anne Ulku, Gallow (Teagan White and Erica Williams), Alanna Stapleton, and Jesse Lindhorst. 

Pop-Up at Light Grey: Sarah Evenson, Jennifer Bowman, Fiona Avocado, Lucy Comer, Alex Mitchell, Puck Saint Comics, Alexis Politz, Keeli O’Brien, Nathan Motzko, Ari Mulch, and Alex Conkins, Kira Night. 

This event is free and open to the public. Come celebrate the local makers, creators, and businesses!

This event is sponsored by
Common Roots Cafe and Bingley's Teas

Swarm Opening Reception

Swarm + CALAMITY: Hexes, Plagues, and Prophecies + New Works by Zoe Keller
Friday, October 27th, 7 - 10 PM
Facebook Event

This October, Light Grey Art Lab will be showcasing three new exhibitions in a celebration of nature’s mysteries with the launch of Swarm, Calamity: Hexes, Plagues & Prophecies, and New Works by Zoe Keller, all of which open Friday, October 27th, from 7-10 PM.

Swarm
As Halloween approaches the days get colder, the night gets longer, and the trees transition from lush green to a fiery combination of yellow, orange and red, before shedding their leaves to reveal the barren skeleton underneath. These fallen leaves provide cover and nourishment to all sorts of crawling creatures, who skitter and writhe underneath the surface. Light Grey Art Lab’s newest exhibition, Swarm, aims a spotlight into the shadows, hoping to uncover the beautiful side of the creeping crawlies that lurk underfoot and in the shadows.

Swarm features over seventy artists from around the world, each of whom who have been tasked with portraying all manner of vermin in a new light. Every creature on earth serves a purpose and is incredible in its own unique way, and Swarm brings a sense of wonder, mystery, and beauty to a subject that normally sends shivers down the spine.

Each artist approached their specimen of choice with a curious sense of wonder. Several chose to explore the scientific marvel of their chosen subject, while others celebrated the beauty of the color, patterns, and form. Some used the symbolism inherent to the creature itself to explore the topic from a more spiritual perspective.

“As a soul chooses a vessel to experience life in the physical world, it acknowledges the Sisters of Fate tailoring the thread of life.” says participating artist Alex Dos Dios of his piece featuring the iconic death's-head hawkmoth. “Though time is what limits the physical existence, it does not hold true for the soul. As the physical lives and dies, the soul expands infinitely. It is able to move freely without fear of an end.”

While normally avoided at all costs, Swarm gives a fresh and unexpected look at the unusual creatures that can be found crawling in our attics, lurking in our sewers, or scouring the woods in the dead of the night.

CALAMITY: Hexes, Plagues, and Prophecies
Curated by Minneapolis illustrator Teagan White, CALAMITY: Hexes, Plagues, and Prophecies is a show about what happens when nature and misfortune collide. From environmental catastrophe, invasive species, and natural disasters to poison concoctions, cautionary folklore, and prophecies of the apocalypse, participating artists confront the ways that discord occurs in ecosystems great and small, whether inflicted upon them by a malevolent entity, or as an inextricable part of the natural cycles of life

CALAMITY is a group exhibition featuring the work of thirteen artists from around the world, all drawn to the topic of misfortune and the natural world.

New Work by Zoe Keller
Zoe Keller is a Portland, Oregon based illustrator who uses graphite and ink to create meticulously detailed odes to the natural world. An even mix of landscapes, field guides, and her own memories, Keller incorporates hints of narrative into her natural explorations.

New Works by Zoe Keller is a collection of drawings delving further into Keller’s obsessive exploration of the natural world.

Opening Reception
The opening reception for Swarm, Calamity: Hexes, Plagues & Prophecies, and New Works by Zoe Keller is Friday, October 27th from 7-10 PM and will remain on display through November 24th. The opening reception is free and open to the public, and features artwork, music, and refreshments.

Parallel Opening Reception

Light Grey Art Lab will be showcasing four new exhibitions that feature scientific alien words, repeating timelines, far flung fantasy, and limitless imagination with the launch of Parallel, Crossroads, The Magic Fish, and Then | Now: Childhood Revisited, all of which open Friday, September 22nd, from 7-10 PM.

Parallel
Theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku once asked, "Is it ever possible on any scale to perhaps flip between different universes?" It’s an idea that’s been explored over the years via thought experiments, scientific studies, and a plethora of science fiction. The very concept of an alternate dimension has a way of instantly capturing the imagination - ranging from slightly skewed takes on the status quo to unrecognizable foreign alien worlds, the permutations are limitless. This vast trove of inspiration sits at the heart of Light Grey Art Lab’s newest exhibition, Parallel.

Parallel is a group exhibition featuring over sixty artists from around the world, all coming together to explore the concept of ‘what if?’ Each participant was asked to create the vision of a world or dimension that could be, creating a unique and engaging peek into a parallel universe. For the launch of Parallel, these fantastic landscapes will come together as a series of large format panoramas, each a window to an alternate dimension, turning Light Grey Art Lab’s main gallery into the nexus of the multiverse.

Crossroads by Matt Rockefeller
In conjunction with the Parallel exhibition, Matt Rockefeller will be exhibiting a body of new work, Crossroads. Rockefeller is an illustrator and comic artist known for work that is rich with details that provoke a strong but unspoken narrative, who’s created work for Harper Collins, Cartoon Network, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Random House/ Penguin, and DC Comics.

Crossroads is a series of wordless comic pages from the world of Rockefeller’s own story, Dragonfly Holiday.  Set in an alternate fantasy America, the story centers around an epic road trip and the relationship humans have with nature and urban sprawl. Each piece will tell a smaller narrative within the world, depicting pivotal moments and revelations through image alone.

The Magic Fish by Trung Nguyen
Old stories have a habit of finding new life in new places. Themes and conflicts repeat themselves again and again throughout time and across worlds, which explains why we might seem to already understand them deep in our bones. This idea is at the center of a new collection of work titled The Magic Fish by comic book artist Trung Le Nguyen, aka Trungles, who has contributed work for Oni Press, Boom! Studios, Limerence Press, and Image Comics.

The Magic Fish is a collection of drawings, comics, and zines that aim to explore classic stories and folklore through a new lens. The titular story, The Magic Fish, is based on an old Vietnamese fairy tale, Tấm Cám, who could be considered a morbid ancestor to well-known story Cinderella, and explores themes of the heroine being reborn again and again.  

Then | Now: Childhood Revisited Launch
Despite the fact that we were all young once, children have imaginations most adults can’t begin to comprehend. It’s almost as if kids can see details that exist on another plane, creating characters, narratives, and worlds whole-cloth in an instant. But what if you could visit the world you once knew existed, and bring back an updated, high-resolution glimpse for everyone to see?

Then | Now: Childhood Revisited is a new book that asked thirty artists to dig through their attics and archives to unearth some truly bizarre and endearing artwork from their early days, and reinterpret and recreate it with the tools and abilities gained after years of professional practice.

A published collection was successfully funded on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter earlier this year, and creators Adam Hoppus and Bob Rissetto are prepared to release the outrageous Then | Now: Childhood Revisited to the public. This launch will be the first time most of the world will get to see all the artwork from the project, and get their hands on a copy of the book, hot off the presses.

Opening Reception
The opening reception for Parallel, Crossroads, The Magic Fish, and the Then | Now: Childhood Revisited launch is Friday, September 22nd from 7-10 PM and will remain on display through October 21st. The opening reception is free and open to the public and features artwork, music, and refreshments.

RSVP Via Facebook Invite

Fairly Dark + Artist Talk + Drink & Draw

Fairly Dark Opening Reception / July 7th
Artist Talk - 7-8 PM
Drink & Draw hosted by THE VACVVM - 8-10 PM
Facebook Invite

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As Minneapolis plunges headlong into summer, the sun may stay out longer each day, but the nights are still plenty dark. With that in mind, Light Grey Art Lab will be unveiling Fairly Dark, a collection of solo exhibitions featuring new work from Nico Delort, Sishir Bommakanti, Natalie Hall, and Kathleen Jennings that explores all things mysterious, shadowy, and beautiful. 

Nico Delort creates narrative-focused, intensely detailed drawings using the reductive medium of ink and scratchboard. Combined with Delort’s patience and dedication to craft, this medium gives his work a uniquely classic style which could easily live alongside etchings from eras long past. Known for his meticulous craft, time-honored aesthetics, and a dramatic approach to light and dark, his evocative black and white drawings create mysteries from stirring environments, cinematic compositions, and fantastical characters. Delort creates drawings, illustrations, and limited-edition posters across a variety of industries and his clients include Lucasfilm, Penguin Books, Mondo, and Blizzard Entertainment.

Sishir Bommakanti’s works exist on the fringes, exploring the corners of the weird, ancient, paranormal, morbid and everything in-between. His illustration work is a synergy of abstract narrative and experimental media and often feel halfway between consciousness and waking from a nightmare. Bommakanti is always creating, sketching, drawings, painting - and these dark and frenetic images are layered and recomposed to create mood and narrative. The separate elements have been drawn from a variety of references throughout time and space, all clumped and collaged together to produce some form of narrative apophenia. Sishir has created work for publications such as Popular Mechanics, Broken Eye Books, Nautilus Magazine, Narratively, UNRB, and The Pitch.

Natalie Hall’s gorgeous, gestural drawings could be mistaken for drawings pulled from an explorer's journal after an ill-fated expedition into a dark and fantastic land. Filled with gothic characters, monsters that can be simultaneously grotesque and graceful, and mystical symbolism, Hall is known for her luscious and gestural sketchbooks and will showcasing several during Fairly Dark for visitors to pour over. Hall is an LA-based tattoo artist and illustrator who has created work for Dreamworks, RIOT Games, and Guillermo Del Toro.

Kathleen Jennings is an award-winning illustrator and writer based in Brisbane, Australia whose work has roots in the past, with characters and details that would not seem out of place in a century-old illustrated book. Her mediums of choice lend themselves to this aesthetic, working in pen and ink and cut paper silhouettes that can seem effortless and charming, but often reveal a sometimes dry and morbid, Gorey-esque sense of humor. Drawing heavily from folklore and fairytales, Jennings' work feels at once modern and timeless. Over her career, Jennings’ has illustrated for clients such as Tor.com, Small Beer Press, Subterranean Press, Tartarus Press, Ticonderoga Publications, FableCroft Press, Odyssey Press, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild.

The opening reception for Fairly Dark is Friday, July 7th from 7-10 PM. The evening kicks off with an open and frank discussion artist talk followed by a Q&A session with the audience. A Drink & Draw will immediately follow the artist talk, and visitors are invited to pull out their sketchbooks, grab a seat, and join members of the international illustration collective THE VACVVM as they create, converse, and share a laugh over drinks around Light Grey Art Lab’s banquet tables. Panel participants and local creatives will be on hand for conversation and art-making in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by the new work featured in the Fairly Dark collection. Light Grey Art Lab will have refreshments of all varieties on hand, so visitors of all ages are invited to participate. The work will remain on display through September 1st. The opening reception is free and open to the public.

Camouflage & Wanderlust Opening Reception

Friday, May 26 -- 7 - 10 PM
Opening Reception For
Camouflage - Wanderlust
A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest
The Endless Quest - Unimaginable Animals

Facebook Event

Light Grey Art Lab will be launching a series of new exhibitions centered around the theme of wanderlust and the natural world, featuring a huge variety of work including illustrations about remaining unnoticed in Camouflage: Hiding In Plain Sight, new work from Light Grey Art Lab’s most recent Iceland Residency program in Wanderlust, photographs of the open road and outdoor survival in The Endless Quest and A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest, respectively, and a series of paintings inspired by field guides with Unimaginable Animals. The opening reception is Friday, May 26th from 7 to 10 PM.

Camouflage: Hiding In Plain Sight

In the animal kingdom, moving unseen is a vital skill. Some creatures spend their entire existence in a constant struggle to remain undetected, whether to avoid predators, stalk prey, or live in harmless symbiosis. In our daily lives, the ability to camouflage ourselves may not always spell the difference between life and death, but it can be important to our social interactions and emotional well-being. Dealing with the desire to blend in, to assimilate, to fade away into the background is a universal feeling, and Light Grey Art Lab’s newest group exhibition, Camouflage, is all about hiding in plain sight.

Camouflage invites over eighty artists from around the world to explore what it means to be invisible. In the natural world, camouflage can present itself in stunning and ingenious ways and many of the Camouflage artists were eager to explore this evolutionary phenomenon. National Geographic photographer Matthew Cicanese’s macro images of a spider perfectly blending with its surroundings is a near optical illusion of pattern and detail, while those on the other end of the spectrum chose to explore a more human and emotional side of camouflage. Struggling with notions of personal identity and cultural norms, the idea of camouflage can provide an uneasy balance of safety and deception. “I have always been shy, and as a student, I was wracked by impostor syndrome.” notes participating artist Jenna Kass. “So I wrapped myself up in that feeling, let it rip me apart, and lied myself into confidence.”

Wanderlust: The Iceland Residency Exhibition

Artists are no stranger to wanderlust, as creative inspiration is often derived from the heightened senses while exploring unfamiliar territory. Iceland holds a particular draw due to its combination of breathtaking and often hostile landscapes, geological wonders, and quiet isolation. An artist’s unique reaction to new experiences, conversations, and exploration is at the heart of Light Grey Art Lab’s newest show, Wanderlust: The Iceland Residency Exhibition.

Wanderlust is the culmination of Light Grey Art Lab’s 2016 Iceland Residency, where over a month-long stay in Iceland, more than thirty artists traveled through Iceland to explore, learn, and create together. The residency provided an opportunity for unbridled creative and natural exploration, as well as an incubator for collaboration and idea sharing.

Work featured in Wanderlust celebrates the rugged and epic Icelandic landscape, the flora and fauna of the countryside, the quiet moments of reflection, and quite often the spirit of the other creatives who shared the journey. Bill Robinson's plein air paintings present a spontaneous and unedited view of the Icelandic landscape, while Betsy Bauer explores the characters and folklore behind the trolls and hidden folk of Iceland, and Alexandria Neonakis’ work feature a series of calming vignettes from the plants, textures, and various Icelandic mise en scène.

A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest

Photography for Matt Moss came out of necessity, as a medium for recording what he was doing at that present moment. Moss is an outdoorsman and naturalist from the UK who, specializing in forests and their associated species, works as both a forester and nature guide. As a naturalist, Moss spends his time in the outdoors educating people in topics such as ecology, conservation, and environmental issues. As a forester, he is able to make decisions on how land can be managed in ways that enhance and benefit wildlife.

A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest is a documentation of Moss’s daily life and an exploration of work, relationships, and intimate experiences that are connected through a want and desire to explore our natural heritage. Moss’s work questions humankind’s deeply rooted but often conflicted relationship with nature, as he believes to understand ourselves and who we truly are we need to remove the barrier that separates us from the natural world and embrace it.

The Endless Quest

An old soul with a modern sense of style, California-based Tanner Johnson established his passions at a very young age and ran with them. Aspiring to document "the other half" of the outdoors and an outdoor lifestyle, Johnson combines his passions for hunting, fishing, and mountaineering with a modern outdoor lifestyle through his documentary travel photography. Working with various outdoor industry leaders such as Civilware and Kika Worldwide, Johnson travels the world in an effort to broaden his scope of adventure and experience, document everything on the way, learn the land, and inspire others to never resist the urge of adventure.

The Endless Quest offers a glimpse into Johnson's journey, with a series of candid and contemplative photographs taken from around the globe. These vignettes highlight a world filled with wanderlust, lonesome roads, and hard-earned comforts.

Unimaginable Animals

When Kelsey Oseid was five years old, her grandpa gave her an encyclopedic volume on animals. Oseid spent her childhood pouring over it, obsessing over the huge variety of species and rigorously scientific illustrations. It’s a feeling Oseid works hard to recreate in her work, heavily influenced by the field guide school of naturalistic illustration. Oseid believes in the theory of botanical art; that you paint to understand. The act of observation and communication through a visual medium leads to a deeper level of comprehension, and this exploration lies at the center of her newest body of work, Unimaginable Animals.

Unimaginable Animals is a series of illustrations that illuminate some of the more unusual and incredible species on Earth. From the most unfathomably old to the most otherworldly resilient, Unimaginable Animals acts of a catalog of nature's endless sense of variety and ingenuity, and a celebration of the idea that truth in nature is often stranger than fiction.

Opening Reception

The opening reception for Camouflage, Wanderlust, A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest, The Endless Quest, and Unimaginable Animals is Friday, May 26th from 7-10 PM. The work will remain on display through July 14th. The opening reception is free and open to the public.

Facebook Event

Autoptic Comic Exhibition Opening & Kick-off Party!

The Autopic Feastival, France's ChiFouMi and Light Grey Art Lab are pleased to announce the joint exhibition Nothing Will Ever Be The Same: Comics 2015 a group show featuring artwork by five internationally recognized cartoonists.



Join us for the opening reception on Friday, August 7th from 7-10pm hosted here at Light Grey Art Lab. This event celebrates originals, books, and new projects by contemporary cartoonists Charles Burns, Aidan Koch, Antoine Marchalot, Laura Park, Helge Reumann, and a solo collection by Belgian artist Dominique Goblet.

The exhibitions double as the kick-off party for the Autoptic Featival. Autoptic, an independent publlishing and cartooning festival, will take place August 8th and 9th in the Aria building. All of these events are free and open to the public.

You can find out more information about the exhibition hosted at Light Grey Art Lab on the Facebook Event Page here. You can also find information about Autoptic and ChiFouMi, the French Comic residency, here!

Opening Reception of Patches + Stitches

Mark your calendars for the next opening reception and events, July 3rd from 7-10pm! We are proud to present an artist lecture with Teagan White (from 7-8pm), followed by the opening reception of Patches + Stitches and an all creatives meet up!


Process by Chloe Giordano

Join us for a two-part exhibition that celebrates the tactile nature of textiles- craft, decadence, patterns, and personal identity! We welcome you to the Patches + Stitches Show, featuring originals and limited edition pieces by 70+ international illustrators, designers, screen printers, and creatives!

Patches is our bad ass show. It includes dark, limited color, gritty, screen-printed, hand-painted, embroidered and dyed patches- clever takes on the imagery we all know and love and phrases we can't resist! These artists have taken back patches, insignias, and embroidered designs to the next level!


Sneak Peek by Luisa Uribe

Stitches is our beautiful show. The work is decadent, elegant, and decorated in flora and fauna. It includes intricate needlework, the knots, beading, sequins and appliqués. These colorful pieces and modern designs challenge our ideas of old-school embroidery! Reinventing the classic expectations of one of the world's oldest textile techniques!


Sneak Peek by Vanessa Port

Come explore both sides of this show and meet some of the incredible participating artists! These events are free and open to the public.

Iceland Residency Exhibition Opening + Sam Bosma Artist Talk!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the opening reception of the Iceland Residency Exhibition! We had a fantastic time celebrating the show, the artwork, and meeting with all of you!

The Iceland Residency Exhibition features new collections of artwork by the fourteen particiapting artists in the 2014 Iceland Residency. They artists come from a wide variety of backgrounds, mediums, and locations, and have each created a unique series inspired by their travels, conversations, and collaborations.



The opening events began with an artist talk by award-winning illustrator and comic artist, Sam Bosma! Guests filed in to watch Sam present on some of his current projects, narrative works, and thoughts on illustration. The talk was followed by a quick Q & A, where attendees could ask Sam about his experience in illustration, working with art directors, and about some of his most well known works for Fantasy Basketball and Steven's Universe.

If you weren't able to make it for the talk, you can listen to the audio recording of the lecture on the Light Grey Podcast here.



After the lecture, we opened the doors for the reception and creatives meet + greet! There were tons of contributing artists attending, local creatives, and art lovers alike! If you missed the opening reception, you can see the flickr page and documentation of the works here! The show will be on display through June 26th if you would like to stop by and view the life size photographs, hand bound zines, and intricate originals! You can also find all of the artwork and limited edition pieces on the Light Grey Shop!



Mark your calendars for the next opening on July 3rd! We have the opening reception of Patches + Stitches and artist talk by Teagan White. You can find all of the details on the facebook event page.

The Iceland Residency Exhibition opening was sponsored in part by Sewerd Co-Op and the Wedge Co-Op.

GUTS Opening Reception tomorrow!

Join us tomorrow night, April 17th from 7-10pm for the opening reception and celebration of GUTS! This unique exhibition features new artwork, prints, and originals by 60+ artists from around the globe. Artists have made a variety of fiber sculptures, hand-sewn details, intricate illustrations, and paintings that share the truths, uncovered mysteries, and fabricated stories behind some of life's greatest questions! Artists have taken it upon themselves to investigate some of their favorite subjects- taking on the role of scientists, archeologists, and detectives!



The GUTS exhibition features a collection of new work by guest artist, Lana Crooks! Lana is a Chicago-based artist and curator who has been working with us over the past couple days to hang her 15ft wall installation filled with tiny treasures, hand-felted skulls, cut wood pieces, and more!

You will be able to see all of Lana's work available this Friday at the opening and on our online shop! Keep an eye out for special artist interviews and features. If you are local and attending the opening, Lana will be here to say hello!


Here is a detail of some of her handmade specimens!

You can find more information, the list of contributing artists, and invite friends on the facebook event page here! We hope to see you tomorrow night!

Guts Opening Reception

We invite you to join us for the opening reception and celebration of GUTS, coming April 17th!

This unique project features a wide variety of originals, tiny sculptures, fiber-made skulls, delicate drawings, and art prints, all inspired by the interiors, insides, and fabricated guts! Artists have taken it upon themselves to investigate the hidden truths and secrets of some of their favorite and most bizarre subjects!


Sneak peek at work by Angela Rizza

Part exploration, part education, part evisceration -- the show explores what's really underneath the surface- peeling back the skin of all of the subjects you've ever wanted to know more about! Artists are investigating subjects such as the stomach contents of birds, ghost hearts, hysteria, the inside of a human eye, and so many more subjects! Come discover the truths and imagined realities through the eyes of 60+ artists!

For the opening reception, we are joined by featured artist, Lana Crooks. Her work involves fiber skeletons, creatures, and felt-made originals! Lana is planning an entire installation of artwork that is not to be missed!


Preview by Zoe Keller

Guts opening reception is Friday, April 17th from 7-10pm, and will remain on display until May 15th. The event is free and open to all! Feel free to invite friends, family, and help spread the word with the Guts Facebook Event here!

BOSS RUSH! Opening Recap

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to the BOSS RUSH! opening reception! We had a packed house, great company, and a fun night recounting our favorite bad guys! It was an epic celebration of the 100+ pieces of artwork on the walls!



All night, guests proclaimed their love, hatred, and favorite memories from some of their cherished video games. You could hear the shock, excitement, and enthusiasm throughout the gallery! Pieces included topics from games such as Pokémon, Shadow of the Colossus, Pac Man, Street Fighter and more!

In additional to all of the physical pieces, we had an extra special interactive component, designed and created by artist Chris Schons. He displayed a Mega Man II inspired game filled with shrapnel, falling mechanical parts, and hidden details! Details and an online version will be available soon!



We also highlighted the favorites from our guest jurors to be displayed and recognized as the top ten pieces from the show! We asked Tim Turi and Ben Hanson (Game Informer), Adam May (Gearbox), and Claire Hummel (HBO) to select their top pieces from the exhibition. They selected the artwork of Miranda Meeks, Matt Rockefeller, Leonard Peng, Lydia Guadagnoli, Audrey Gonzalez, Ricardo Alvilés, Victor Maury, Chris Schons, Paul Reinwand, and Richie Pope.



If you were unable to celebrate with us in person, no problem! You can always check out the entire collection of artwork on the Light Grey website. Prints are also available on the Light Grey Shop through April 10th! To view more photographs of the opening reception and artwork, you can also see our flickr gallery here.


Here is a detail of Chris Schon's work displayed at the opening reception

Thanks again, everyone! We will see you on April 17th for the opening reception of GUTS!

BOSS RUSH! Opens next week!

We are one week away from the release of BOSS RUSH!
Join us next Friday, March 20th from 7-10pm for the opening reception and celebration!


Preview of Lara Paulussen's work of Kuja from Final Fantasy IX

BOSS RUSH! includes new artwork by over 100 illustrators and concept artists who have made work commemorating their favorite bad guys, villains, and bosses from video game history! The exhibition explores the love/hate relationship we have with these undeniably evil, challenging, and memorable characters!

You can find more information about the opening reception, invite friends, and check out other sneak peeks on the facbeook event page here! We hope to see you next week!


Preview of Rob Chandler's Lord of Sunlight, Lord of Cinder from Dark Souls

If you would like to participate in some amazing local conversations about gaming, game art, and get to know the community, Join us at GlitchCon, March 28th + 29th! You can see details on the GlitchCon website. At the event, we will be announcing the top ten pieces from the BOSS RUSH! Exhibition, as selected by our guest jurors. Light Grey Art Lab will also be teaching a workshop on making artwork, spite animations, and platformer video games!

BOSS RUSH! is sponsored in part by the Minneapolis branch of Yelp! and GlitchCon 2015.

BOSS RUSH! Sneak Peek!

We are just weeks away from the opening of BOSS RUSH! Join us on March 20th from 7-10pm for the opening reception, featuring 100+ illustrations of our favorite video game bosses!


Preview image of Phalanx by Audrey Gonzalez

Over the last few months, artists, illustrators, and designers have been making new artwork inspired by the most memorable, love/hated bad guys and villains from video game history! Artwork includes characters such as Griever from Final Fantasy 8, Barba from Shadow of the Colossus, Volvagia from Zelda Ocarina of Time, and so many more! Here are a couple great sneak peeks to give you a taste of the great artwork on the way!


Preview of Delita Heiral by Ciel Bahena

The opening reception will feature all of the bosses, a special interactive piece by local illustrator Chris Schons, 8-bit chip tunes, refreshments and more. Come support the project and relive your most beloved video games moments! You can let us know you are coming and invite friends on the facebook event page here!

The top ten works will be selected by our guest jurors and displayed on March 28th at GlitchCON 2015! If you want to find out more information about the convention, see all of the panelists, and register, you can find tickets on the GlichCon website here!


Preview of Jack of Blades by Britney Winthrope

BOSS RUSH! Opening March 20th

We are just one month away from the opening reception of BOSS RUSH!


Preview of The Basilisk Leviathan by Marianne Vincent

Join us on March 20th from 7-10pm for a video game-inspired exhibition, including new illustrations and epic artwork made by 100+ illustrators and designers from around the globe.

Years after the closing credits roll on our favorite video games, memories of classic boss battles live on in in infamy. This large group exhibition showcases new work by each artist as they come to grips with their love/hate relationship with the villain of their choosing from video gaming’s deep history.


Preview of Perk up, loser Prince by Shermaine Tan

Are you ready for the BOSS RUSH!?

Artists have payed homage to a variety of bad guys such as Kerrigan of Starcraft, Mother Brain from Super Metroid, Hogger from World of Warcarft, Barbara from Shadow of the Colossus, and so many more! Come relish in victories, celebrate your triumphs, and relive your favorite battles during the BOSS RUSH! Exhibition!


Preview of We Are All Beasts by Doug Lobo

As we lead up to the opening reception, we will be sharing sneak peeks and previews of artwork. Keep your eyes out for your favorite bad guys, video games, and artists, as well as additional artist interviews and features! You can find more information about the opening reception, see the list of participating artists, and invite friends on the facebook event page here.

Skate Or Die Opening Reception Recap

Last Friday marked the opening reception for Skate Or Die! We want to give a giant thank you to the artists involved, and to everyone who visited the gallery and made the night a huge success!

Skate Or Die is a celebration of death and destruction, with 60 pieces of art displayed on hardwood skateboard decks. The presentation was jaw dropping, with a gallery absolutely packed with rows and rows of glossy skateboard decks adorned with amazing artwork.

Designs ranged from grim and creepy, to over-the-top absurd, to outright beautiful and visitors respond to each piece with appropriate laughter or contemplation. Longtime skateboarders, horror enthusiasts, and art lovers alike all shared the gallery with a common appreciation for the love and craft that went into the Skate or Die exhibition.


You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Skate Or Die Flickr set. You can buy one of these beautiful skateboard decks, or a gorgeous large-scale print, on the Light Grey Art Lab shop!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

Dream Arcade Opening Reception Recap

Dream Arcade is out, and the opening reception was a huge success! Massive thanks to everyone who made it out to the gallery to play the game! It was a loud and boisterous event (just like any good arcade always is) filled with games, food, chiptunes, laughs and more games.

A small crowd had gathered at the door before the event, and as we opened the door, they flooded in and instantly took to the 27 Windows Surface Pro 2 tablets mounted around the walls of the gallery, each running one of the unique Dream Arcade levels. In addition, we had Dream Arcade projected on the back wall, playable with a full-size arcade stick for those brave enough to show off their platform skills to the crowd!



Despite the Light Grey team having been up for the previous 40 hours putting the final touches on Dream Arcade, the event was a lively blast of retro love and we were invigorated by the passion everyone brought to the opening!

You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Dream Arcade Flickr set. You can download the game from the Window Store right now, or play it online here!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

Dream Arcade Opening Next Friday!

We are just one week away from the opening reception of Dream Arcade! Come hang out next Friday, September 12th from 7-10pm, for the very first look at this incredible project and fully interactive exhibition! Grab your friends, bring your a-game, and get ready to play!

Preview Artwork by Joey McCormick

In this epic pixel art exhibition, 30 artists from around the world were tasked with creating the concept and artwork for their dream videogame vision. All of these imagined levels are being turned into a fully playable platformer game, brought to life by the Light Grey Art Lab team.

Preview Artwork by Ashley Mackenzie

The Dream Arcade games take viewers on a journey through time- hunting for clues, traversing through landscapes, and discovering new places and environments. The levels include lost islands of the sky, underground tunnels, abandoned houses, ghost-filled campsites and more! Players will have a chance to fight off enemies, complete jumping puzzles, find secret pathways, and collect treasures, all while immersed in the artist’s vision and original artwork.

Preview Artwork by Richie Pope

You can find more information about the opening reception on the facebook event page here. For those of you who cannot play in person, Dream Arcade will be available for download soon! Keep an eye out for links to the game, original artwork, and documentation of the process!

Dream Arcade- Opening September 12th

Prewiew by Bianca Bautista

We are proud to present our newest project, collaborative endeavor, and exhibition, Dream Arcade, coming September 12, 2014!

Dream Arcade is a pixelart, platformer exhibition inspired by the colorful artwork, characters, and epic adventures of vintage arcade games. Dream Arcade includes new concepts, stories, and art-filled landscapes, made by thirty contemporary artists and designers from around the world.

Each of the contributing artists have worked alongside the Light Grey team to transform their pixel characters, assets, and backgrounds into movable, interactive and playable worlds. Each artist’s work will be showcased in its own themed arcade level, celebrating the unique concepts, handmade details, and secret pathways that bring the stories and artwork to life!

Preview by Adam Hoppus

We invite you to attend the opening reception and party for Dream Arcade on September 12th! Throughout the exhibition, Light Grey Art Lab will be transformed into mini arcade, with all of the playable games, artist assets, additional artwork, and fun extras! Come play through all of the great levels, travel through space and time, discover the ancient relics of forgotten lands, and compete against your friends for the high score!

You can find more information about the opening reception and project on the Dream Arcade facebook event page here, you can also check out the website and find links to play the preview games on the Windows App store!

Preview by Leanna Crossan

Thanks for your support and participation!

Stacks Opening Reception - Recap

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to see the Stacks opening reception! It was a wonderfully intimate evening of nostalgia, smiles, and introspection as visitors poured over each of the 60 zines featured in the gallery.


It's an amazingly intimate show to take in, as each zine represents a sneak peek into the lives and mind of the artist from their chosen year, as well as the opportunity to handle the physical, hand-made pieces created by the artists themselves. There was a sense of preciousness as each visitor gingerly picked up a new zine and started reading, head bowed and eyes darting back and forth taking it all in.


You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Light Grey Art Lab Flickr set, and you can buy a copy of the limited edition zines on the Light Grey shop! The participating artists each got a copy of every zine in the exhibition, so in total there are only 15 copies available of each to purchase. If there's one you want, grab it soon!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!