8BitKid: Living Bit by Bit

Last year was my first spring in LA, and with it came an amazing indulgent moment of geekery. The “i am 8-bit” exhibit brings together a phenomenal group of artists to create works inspired by this classic era of gaming. It featured a fantastic array of styles ranging from the hyper-real to the absurd. The opening-night party sported a gigantic Atari controller which people had to climb onto in order to play. I picked up this amazing Megaman piece, and my blue bomber bliss cemented my love of this show.

I check in with their website periodically to make sure I keep it on my radar screen. For the past couple of months it has said, “new site coming Monday!”. After enough new weeks came and went, I stopped taking stock in this claim. This past week, I was greeted with another message: “New Show. New venue. New website. August 2008.” So now we know that we will know more in the future. It isn’t much, but I’m still excited…

“A Paper Tiger” is an online art dealer that specializes in low-production works from LA-based artists. These limited-edition prints are refreshed on a weekly basis, and the site will soon include clothing as well. The prices seem reasonable, and while the number of available pieces is currently small, the selection is varied and features some excellent artists. I found a lithograph from the Murakami exhibit that was at MOCA, and some of the works seem to share an aesthetic with the annual gallery show I first enjoyed last year: “I Am 8-Bit”. This is definitely a site to watch. If only I had more wall space…

- article courtesy “Daily Candy”