 A Crime for every occasion is a show by Chris Crites which premiered on June 17th Through July 2 at the OK OK shop in the Historic Loveless Building corner of Broadway & Roy on Capitol Hill. This exhibition of reproductions of found mug shots culled from the 1890s through the 1950s feature acrylic painted on paper bags. The all new work has also added a collectable t-shirt into the mix making this exhibition a cross between high art and haute demi-mode.
 Crites stylistic format has not change in this new work. [See my previous article on the artist.] The same tight handling of the acrylic paint seems a touch more confident and assured. After previously exhibiting around the corner at the Joe Bar Cafe last September, the artist has obviously been in the studio working on a new series.
From his web site you can learn that Crities has shown at both Black Lab and Bluebottle Galleries and has been exhibiting regularly since 2003 making him one of the first artists to start fresh in the 21st century. Check out the web site www.bagpainter.com for more images and contact information.
The t-shirt was designed by Crites and printed in a local shop in Seattle. Recent exhibitions at OK OK have had this component. It allows the viewer to wear the art. In an era of falling sartorial standards, reinventing what to put on a t-shirt is pretty clever. Keith Haring tried to expand the natural market for his imagery by going after traditional promotional ad space. By displacing the ubiquitous icon of say Coca-Cola or Pepsi with an image created in an art context, this subversive act becomes the ultimate in "culture jamming". The t-shirts are created in editions like a traditional print run. The visual language of Chris Crites' acrylic painting translates very well into the silk-screen process.
OK OK Clothing & Curiosities
709 Broadway East
Seattle WA 98102
(206) 322-7523
Hours:
Tuesday through Friday 11am to 6pm,
Saturday 11am to 7pm,
Sunday 12pm to 5pm,
Closed Mondays.
www.okokinc.com
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