The Japanese animated series Cowboy Bebop follows a ragtag group of bounty hunters who travel the galaxy by spacecraft. Perpetually low on cash, the gang rounds up criminals on other planets, simultaneously ridding the galaxy of ne’er-do-wells while making a buck for their troubles. The show, which draws heavily on Old Western themes, is iconic in both Japan and the West for its dynamic animation, charismatic characters and, of course, the electrifying combination of space and cowboys.
Victor Gadino, Space Cadet Betty, oil on wood panel, 14 x 14
An online exclusive exhibition on Artsy centers on this very theme. Presented by 33PA in collaboration with 33 Contemporary Gallery, SPACE COWBOYS will run for the entire month of December, featuring paintings that blend these two worlds in creative ways. Victor Gadino’s oil Captain Dale Arden depicts the 1930s sci-fi adventure character Dale Arden in a new light. “In this painting…Dale is not the well-known damsel in distress waiting for Flash Gordon to rescue her in the 1936 sci-fi serial. In this space fantasy she is captain of the spaceship, because glamour girls can be anything they want to be,” the artist explains.
Amy Ordoveza, Rocketship Riders, oil on wood, 6"
In another piece by Gadino, titled Space Cadet Betty, a black-haired, red-lipped astronaut sits in the cockpit of her spaceship. She captures the aesthetic of both a vintage pin-up girl and a self-assured space pilot.
Artist Amy Ordoveza will be represented by a 6-inch-round painting called Rocketship Riders. “In this painting three tiny paper people ride in the car of a model Traver Circle Swing rocketship ride in front of a blue background with embossed silver stars,” explains Ordoveza. “One rider points out something he has seen to his seat-mate while another holds his hands in the air. The riders aren’t real. Neither are the stars that surround them. Instead, they inhabit an imaginative space.”
Victor Gadino, Captain Dale Arden, oil on wood, 14 x 14"
Elena Caravela, Karma Cowboy, oil on canvas, 45 x 24"
Elena Caravela’s oil on canvas Karma Cowboy is “a portrait of a spiritual seeker, imagining [and] concerned with the next plane in his next karmic life.”
Other artists featured in the show include Wendy Means, Leslie Singer, Brent Schreiber and Gabriella Di XX Miglia. —
33PA
www.poetsandartists.com • www.artsy.net/show/33-contemporary-space-cowboys
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