We continue interviews with artists in Fecal Face's 10 Year Anniversary Show opening September 10th @The Luggage Store with an after party @Mezzanine following right after w/ bands and DJs... Ian Francis is a London based artist who shows at Lazarides Gallery with the now infamous Banksy. We've been following Ian's work for years and have always been a fan. It's an honor to have him included in our 10 Yr. show.

In the year 2000 I was in university studying illustration. I was terrible at illustration - I basically just wanted to do my own work, had no interest in following a brief, and I struggle with deadlines that are shorter than a couple of months - but I had no idea at the time that there were galleries who would show the kind of work that I wanted to do. Luckily the course I was on had a pretty broad interpretation of what illustration was. I think actually for the most part I was either getting drunk or sitting around with my friends drinking coffee, procrastinating and having pretentious conversations about artwork without really doing much.

Over the last 10 years my work has changed quite a bit, particularly in the way I actually make pieces. Back in university I was doing mixed media work with a lot more collage, messing around with photocopiers and gluing things on to boards. The first few years after I graduated I was scanning bits of drawings and paintings I'd done into the computer and layering things together in Photoshop. For the last four or five years I've switched to doing mixed media work straight on canvas, primarily painting in acrylic or oil. Although the process has changed quite a lot, I think I'd have been happy back then with where my work has ended up conceptually and stylistically. I think having worked in various different ways helps what I do now.

I've got no idea, I always like idly speculating about The Future, but I can't remember what I thought back then.

I first found Fecal Face back sometime in 2003 I think. I didn't really use the internet when I was at university, which seems strange looking back on it but I guess things have changed a lot over the past 10 years. I'd never really thought of looking around for art sites. I can't remember exactly how I found the site, I think I'd decided to look around for art magazine's websites to get addresses to send prints and cds of my work to people. Back then there really didn't seem to be a lot of art sites around, at least not that I could find, but eventually I found a few magazines that were published purely online which I thought were really interesting, and somewhere there was a link to Fecal Face.

I loved it, I loved the artwork you were showing and the mix of blogs on the site, and the way you presented an aspect of San Francisco. It was great as well for me because I felt very isolated at the time in terms of artwork, I knew the kind of work that I wanted to do but didn't know anywhere that would be interested in using it/showing it. It was great to find a site that showed me there were other people who were into the kind of work I was into, even if it was based most the way round the world. I remember having a user gallery, which was one of the first places I ever showed my work online. I think you posted a news link to my user gallery at one point, which was probably the first time someone posted about my work, so yeah, thanks for that!

It's funny, last week while I was working I was listening to some of the podcasts you did back in 2006/2007, it made me wonder what happened to Electrelane and Thee More Shallows. Some people I've liked recently: The Antlers, Gravenhurst, Joanna Newsom, The Morning Benders, Caribou, Crippled Black Phoenix, Bear in Heaven, Cat Power. Generally I just make long playlists in itunes and listen to that while I work.

Maybe, I'm going to be in New York for Dave Kinsey's show at Joshua Liner Gallery the night before, just trying to work everything out.

I'm putting work together for a group show with Lazarides in the tunnels under the Old Vic Theatre in London later this year, and a solo show at Joshua Liner Gallery in NY in Spring next year.

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Fecal Face Dot Com, the San Francisco based content-rich, multidisciplinary art and culture website, is pleased to announce the opening of its 10 Year Anniversary Show on Friday September 10, 2010 at The Luggage Store Gallery (1007 Market St, San Francisco, CA) with a reception running 6-8pm. Original paintings from 25 mid career artists based out of San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London. A live music event and party will immediately follow a block away at Mezzanine (44 Jessie St) 9pm-2am.

Displaying paintings, illustrations, photographs and mixed media works, artists whose work will be exhibited include Corey Arnold (Portland), Tiffany Bozic (San Francisco), Kelsey Brookes (San Diego), David Choe (Los Angeles), Richard Colman ( Los Angeles), FAILE (New York), Jeremy Fish (San Francisco), Ian Francis (London), Matt Furie (San Francisco) , Mike Giant (San Francisco), Henry Gunderson (San Francisco), Maya Hayuk (New York), Jim Houser (Philadelphia), Jay Howell (San Francisco), Sylvia Ji (Los Angeles), Mel Kadel (Los Angeles), Anthony Lister (New York), Mars-1 (San Francisco), Travis Millard (Los Angeles), Ferris Plock (San Francisco), Albert Reyes (Los Angeles), Jeff Soto (Los Angeles), Damon Soule (New York), Kelly Tunstall (San Francisco), Aiyana Udesen (San Francisco), Oliver Vernon (San Francisco), and Megan Whitmarsh (Los Angeles).

In the 10 years since its conception, Fecal Face has occupied a unique niche online and in the "real world," by documenting and shaping the contemporary arts scene in the San Francisco and beyond. The first website of its kind, Fecal Face has launched the careers of many a creative and catalyzed a community of artists and personalities working in various mediums from around the globe. The 10 Year Anniversary Show will feature the works of 25 of these artists, chronicling a community and style that has been the backbone of Fecal Faces’ content for the last decade. The exhibit will be on display from September 10th to October 9th at San Francisco’s famous Luggage Store Gallery, with an opening reception for the public on Friday September 10th from 6-8pm. Many of the artists will be in attendance and complimentary wine served.

“Together these artists represent a visual history of what we’ve been doing here at Fecal Face for the last ten years,” says John Trippe, the website’s founder, “And we’re honored that Luggage Store Gallery is hosting the event. T­­heir 23 year history and influence in the San Francisco art scene is a huge inspiration.”

The after party at Mezzanine (444 Jessie St) beginning at 9pm is a short one block walk from The Luggage Store and will feature DJ Ted Shred and live music from local and international acts (TBA on fecalface.com by August 18th). A $5 suggested donation at the door will get you a raffle ticket with a chance to win original artwork from artists such as Jeremy Fish and David Choe along with clothing donated by Upper Playground and other art related prizes. Slideshows of Fecal Face’s 10 yrs online will be displayed and patrons will be invited to participate in video and photo documentaries focused on Fecal Face’s 10 influential years.

“FECAL FACE DOT COM 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW”
Friday, September 10, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm
The Luggage Store Gallery
1007 Market Street @ 6th street, San Francisco
Gallery hours: Wed-Sat 12-5pm

After Party
Friday, September 10, 2010, 9pm-2am
at Mezzanine
444 Jessie St.
DJ Ted Shred & live music from local and international acts
(bands announced on Fecal Face by August 18th)

www.FecalFace.com
www.LuggageStoreGallery.org
www.mezzaninesf.com/

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