Chris Shaw teamed up with Chuck Sperry to make Pearl Jam’s Oslo, Norway poster. While Chuck and I have made Pearl Jam posters in the mid-1990’s, the Oslo’s Pearl Jam poster is a mix of New School and Old School Rock Poster Art.
Since the theme of the PJ tour posters is VS, we immediately thought of a Ying-Yang form as a good way to communicate that idea.
Then we thought of that crazy ‘Norway Spiral’ that filled the night sky over Norway a couple years back (because we both love unexplained and mysterious phenomena like that, even if it was probably a Russian rocket spinning out of control).
We gave it a psychedelic edge by making a Ying-Yang out of the form of the Norway Spiral, and creating two flying eyeballs, representing the opposing forces of Fire and Water. We wanted this poster to have a touch of skater punk, Psychedelia, and to just be iconic and bad-ass.
The small, subtle, silver spirals in the background, not only mirrors the Ying-Yang of the central image, but is inspired by Rosemalling, which is a Norwegian folk-art of decorative painting. This form of decoration originated in the rural valleys of Norway during the Baroque and Rococo Period in the mid 18th Century. It was a folk response to the intricate designs the wealthy folks in Norway were importing. The forms are usually simple and based on “C” and “S” forms. That seemed appropriate since Chris Shaw and Chuck Sperry are both “CS” names.
Both Chuck & I are releasing our Artist Editions on Monday, July 16, 2012 at a random time on ChuckSperry.net.
Pearl Jam with X poster by Chuck Sperry VS. Chris Shaw
Oslo, Norway
July 9, 2012
22″ x 33″
Artist Edition of 200
5 Colors, Archival Cream Paper
Signed & Numbered
 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Presents:
Occupy Bay Area
July 7-October 14, 2012
Gallery 3
$10 Regular, $8 Students, Seniors, Discount
FREE for YBCA Members & YBCA:You
FREE first Tuesday of each month – Noon – 8 pm
Since its inception in September 2011, the Occupy Movement has generated both praise and condemnation. A direct response to the financial instability, subprime mortgage crisis and the decline of trust in the government’s ability to effectively address the problems in the labor market, it continues to resonate in the American consciousness. In response to the significant output of art and documentation produced in support of the Occupy Movement in Oakland and San Francisco, YBCA has put together an exhibition of works that have proven to be particularly effective in supporting the goals and aspirations of the Movement. Impressively, various political poster artists devoted their talents to messaging the politics and culture of the movement by creating iconic images & designs that were a call to action, or posters announcing an upcoming event. In many ways these works, by twenty-five Bay Area artists, carry forward the region’s long tradition as a leader in political struggles, from the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s, to struggles by communities of color in the 1970s, to AIDS activism in the 1980s. The exhibition also includes a selection of photojournalistic and documentary photography and video that serve as a record of the events around the Occupy Movement.
Additionally, to connect to earlier movements and provide a historical context for the project, the exhibition includes posters and photographs from other political struggles, including the Black Panther Party, I-Hotel in Manilatown (1968-77); the ARC/AIDS Vigil at City Hall (1985-95); the Occupation of Alcatraz (1969-71); the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley (1964-65); and the San Francisco State University protests, to gain an Ethnic Studies program and Black Student Union demands (1968-69).While these earlier movements certainly differ in ways from Occupy, they all are the result of a deep desire for marginalized peoples to be represented and treated fairly.
This exhibition is not meant to represent a fully executed social history, but is a testament of the power of images to evoke the emotional expression of popular and wide-spread sentiments. By localizing our efforts, we also pay special tribute to the role that Bay Area artists have played in giving voice to the 99% and utilizing art as an effective vehicle for social change.
Artists
Jesus Barraza; Robert Bechtle; R. Black; D. Ross Cameron; Melanie Cervantes; Ray Chavez; Li Chen; Sergio de la Torre; Zerena Diaz; Cannon Dill; Emory Douglas; Eric Drooker; Kota Ezawa; Alexandra Fischer; Dave Garcia; Rupert Garcia; Shirin Ghatfay; Ronnie Goodman; Ilka Hartmann; Brandon Hill; Brandon Jourdan; Jason Justice; Mike Koozmin; Suzanne Lacy; Stewart Long (Public Laboratory); Steven Marcus; Sanaz Mazinani; Gabby Miller, Miriam Klein Stahl and Matt Runkle; “Indian Joe” Morris; moyah pravda; Nuclear Winter Art; Occupy Design; Laura A. Oda; Thomas Pendergast; Political Gridlock; Cristy C. Roads; Favianna Rodriguez; Rachael Romero; Be Scofield; Chris Shaw; Jenny Sherman; Colin Smith; Winston Smith; Chuck Sperry; Eric Stewart; Sheila Tully; Jane Tyska; Gregoire Vion; Xavier Viramontes; Megan Wilson; Ewen Wright; Fred Zaw; unknown artists
