Camille Rose Garcia at the San Jose Museum of Art

One of my favorite living artists, Camille Rose Garcia, is having her first solo museum exhibition of her fantastically surrealist paintings at the San Jose Museum of Art beginning next week. The show, titled "Tragic Kingdom," opens Saturday, May 12, and closes September 23. Seen here is "Black Dawn Rising," a signed print published especially for the exhibition in an edition of 50. They're $950 each. The Museum also created a fun video preview of the show.

 Images Promo Black-Dawn-Rising
From the show description:

Garcia's work stems from growing up in the suburbs of Orange County and making frequent visits to Disneyland, "the happiest place on earth." The artist quickly grew to recognize its artifice and contradictions, and she witnessed the realities of privileged suburban life – adolescent alienation and social marginalization. Her precious glittered compositions are infused with a sense of discontent, yielding works that are simultaneously disturbing and attractive.

Garcia is a notable member of a Los Angeles underground contemporary art movement known as the "Pop Surrealists" or "Lowbrow" artists, who combine dark surrealism with an eclectic array of pop culture sources, including comics, animation, and 1950s television. Garcia is particularly influenced by Walt Disney, punk bands like the Dead Kennedys, and sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. In addition, she draws upon diverse artistic and cultural sources, such as the work of her former teacher Paul McCarthy, illustrations by nineteenth-century artist Aubrey Beardsley, myths and fairy tales, and Japanese art, specifically traditional woodblock prints and the anime inspired work of Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami. From these references, she has crafted both a style that is unique and content that is a good deal more political than the work of her contemporaries.

Link to San Jose Museum of Art page, Link directly to YouTube video