Buy the Steve Keene Art Book here. See an electronic press kit here. For Immediate Release: Aug 15, 2022
First-Ever 30-Year BK/NYC Retrospective Celebrates
Book Launch & Features Collections From Across The US
#SKartShowNYC At ChaShaMa Brooklyn Heights
September 13 - October 14
Opening Party Thursday, Sept 22
Show to Include Experiential Painting Hours & Many Pieces Included In The Steve Keene Art Book
“Steve Keene is a legend.” - LA Weekly
“…monumentally prolific…” - Variety
“A ’90s icon of contemporary art in his own right, Keene’s work remains revered
well into the 21st century.” - Consequence
"[‘The Steve Keene Art Book’]...a sprawling and lovingly arranged collection of high-resolution photos of
Keene’s decidedly low-res art." - Pitchfork
From September 13 - October 14, Steve Keene will debut his first-ever NYC 30 Year Retrospective Show celebrating the release of The Steve Keene Art Book out now via Hat & Beard Press.
The opening party will be held on September 22 from 5pm - 8pm at ChasHama’s Brooklyn Heights gallery located at One Brooklyn Bridge, 360 Furman Street, Brooklyn, 11201. The show will include a full room of Hand Painted Multiples, Album Art Tributes, an oversized mural and a debut of some Tattooed Plywood ? Engraved works. Most of the show is making its public debut.
“...a churning waterfall of creation.” - Stephen Malkmus, Pavement
The 30-Year Retrospective will include artworks from the personal collections of Daniel Efram (New York), producer/auteur of The Steve Keene Art Book, and from The Apples in stereo’s Robert Schneider (Athens, Georgia) and Eric Allen (Denver, Colorado). A large Elephant 6 Recording Co themed mural owned by The Apples’ Allen, will be shown for only the second time. Additionally, New York locals have been invited to submit their Steve Keene collections online in return for the possibility of being included.
Keene’s second NYC show of 2022, the first took place at Leo Fitzpatrick’s Public Access gallery on the Lower East Side. Prior to the NYC Retrospective, Los Angeles hosted the 30-Year Retrospective. Keene’s return to Los Angeles was an homage to the show that proved to be the inspiration behind the book: his 2016 “Modular Synthesis” month-long stay at Shepard Fairey’s Subliminal Projects gallery, Keene sold more than 500 pieces on opening night with lines stretching out the door and around the Echo Park block.
Background on The Steve Keene Art Book: Today, The Steve Keene Art Book (#SKartBook) — the highly anticipated, first ever published collection featuring the work of one of America’s most beloved and affordable artists, Steve Keene — is out now via Hat & Beard and Tractor Beam. Documenting arguably the most prolific and collected American artist of all time, the book arrives after a successful Kickstarter campaign with over 600 backers, and has seen support from Forbes, Variety, Billboard, Consequence, Sound Opinions and beyond. Nearly the same size as the LPs that Keene is so very fond of, The Steve Keene Art Book is more than simply a love letter to the prominent vinyl fan and cultural icon.
Perhaps best-known for his deep ties to the 90s indie rock scene — thanks to work with Pavement, The Apples in stereo, The Silver Jews, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and more — Keene is a legend amongst music and art fans both for his vibrant, automated style, and his everyman prices of just $5 - $10 per painting. After producing over 300,000 hand-painted original pieces over the last 30+ years, he’s earned his reputation as the art world’s “Johnny Appleseed,” allowing thousands to become art collectors and challenging the notion that “good art” has to be expensive art along the way.
Produced by Daniel Efram over a span of six years, The Steve Keene Art Book came to fruition from efforts to document a 2016 exhibition at legendary artist Shepard Fairey’s Subliminal Projects gallery, but expanded to include original works sent in from dozens of Keene collectors and Kickstarter supporters. The book includes long-form essays and insight into Keene’s life, space and process from rock stars like Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Will Oldham, and members of Superchunk, as well as anecdotes and personal stories from artists like Ryan McGinness and Fairey, journalists, collectors, art-world insiders and devoted fans around the world. Alongside a dazzling collection of 277 of Keene’s works, Efram takes readers into Keene’s utilitarian chain-link “painting cage” for an all-access pass into the artist’s fascinating systemic technique. On Chashama:
Chashama helps create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world by partnering with property owners to transform unused real estate into small businesses, artist workspace, presentation space. and space for free art classes. Chashama believes in the rights of all artists to develop their practice and participate in New York City’s arts ecosystem, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status, and remains committed to supporting diversity in the arts.