Preview: Bottleneck Gallery & Silver Screen Society's "Alternate Ending" Art Show

I'm not sure I've ever seen a gallery go from being completely unknown to one of the most buzzed about things on the Internet as quickly as Bottleneck Gallery has. And as far as I'm concerned, there's zero secret as to why they've had so much success. The artwork, the philosophy, and the leadership. First things first, the artwork. I'm not exactly sure how they do it, but Bottleneck has been great about getting in-demand and little known artists alike to consistently offer up amazing work for each and every show they put on. Then there's the philosophy. Besides coming up with fresh themes for their shows (case in point: an exhibition built around what-if movie moments), Bottleneck has also embraced the philanthropic side of selling art by donating a portion of all proceeds to a variety of charities (the "Alternate Ending" show will benefit NYCares). Finally, the gallery's leadership completes this metaphorical three-legged stool and is probably the most important element necessary to its success. I'm guessing most of my readers probably haven't had a chance to interact with Bottleneck co-founder Joseph Bouganim, but I can assure you the dude is one of the nicest guys there is and 100% dedicated to the gallery, the artists he works with, and the art they create. Compliment explosion complete.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Bottleneck Gallery and Silver Screen Society's "Alternate Ending" show. What is it? Glad you asked. Here's the official verbiage:

"Life is full of endings that we cannot change, goodbyes we cannot take back, and letters we cannot un-send. Classic movie endings stay forever frozen in our mind, and a tragic book ending can haunt you for days. That is why Bottleneck decided to change the rules of space and time, commissioning over 60 gifted artists for our "Alternate Ending" exhibit. Each artist will present a piece representing what they wish had happened at the end of a certain film, video game, or book. It is our chance to rewrite the end, and we hope to see you there."

Pretty easy to understand and yet mindblowing-ly awesome, right? Here are a few pieces from the show along with my brief comments below. And if for any reason you're not familiar with Silver Screen Society, go ahead and change that right now by visiting silverscreensociety.com. Now onto the art!

"Alternate Ending" Gig Poster
Inspired By: Jurassic Park

This Jurassic Park inspired gig poster is fantastic for two reasons. Reason #1: Sam Jackson and Newman didn't get devoured by dinosaurs! Yay! Reason #2: there are a LOT of artists to be excited about, including: Alex Pearson, Barry Blankenship, Gabz, Jared Wright, Oliver Barrett, Ridge, Sam Smith, and Simon C. Page, among others. In other words: suh-weet.

"Akira" Art Print
Godmachine
Inspired By: Akira

I'm not going to write about every print here (I'll be saving that for my "Best Of" post), but I did want to put down a few words about Godmachine's epic Akira inspired print. And those words are: unbelievably beautiful and amazing. This print is definitely vying for the top spot in my "Top 20 of 2012" list. To learn more about the artist, head over to Godmachine's blog and follow @godmachineuk on Twitter.

"Seven" Art Print
Andres Martin
Inspired By: Se7en

This would have made for one hell of a deleted scene. And it's possibly the most hilarious print in the show. I'm not sure if Andres has a website, but if you know the address, please send it my way.

"Home Alone" Art Print
Eva Galesloot
Inspired By: Home Alone

Let's be honest with ourselves, would we really have been that disappointed if the Wet Bandits had successfully robbed the McCallister household? I say nay and Eva Galesloot's print shows us just how awesome it could have been. For more on the artist, visit her website and follow @skwirrol.

"Skyfall" Art Print
Mark Englert
Inspired By: Skyfall

The flashback that never was. Mark Englert has amassed a large following due to his amazing landscape portraits and this print is no different. Well done, sir! Head over to tacobelvedere.com (where you can find a killer process post) and follow @markenglert on Twitter.

"Robocop" Art Print
Emory Allen
Inspired By: Robocop

Emory Allen's "Robocop" print smartly uses negative space to show just how insignificant a dismantled Robocop could be. Sad face. For more of Allen's work, check out ocularinvasion.com and follow @ocularinvasion.

"Dark Knight Rises" Art Print
Rob Loukotka (Fringe Focus)
Inspired By: The Dark Knight Rises

Would I like to see the ruins of Gotham after a decidedly destructive bomb goes off? Yes, please. Rob Loukotka's beautifully precise poster is the perfect present for fans of the what-if. Visit fringefocus.com for more info on the artist and follow @fringefocus on Twitter.

Just a reminder the show will be opening on Friday (12/15) at 7 PM in Brooklyn, New York. Whatever doesn't sell out at the show will be available on Bottleneck's website on Saturday (12/16). Most importantly, if you're lucky enough to go, have a great time!

Write Up: Mute's "The Evil Dead" and "Suspiria" Movie Posters

While we may be long past All Hallow's Eve and nearing Christmahanakwanzika at breakneck speeds, the nice thing about great horror is its timelessness. I present exhibits A and B: Evil Dead and Suspiria. Both movies have stood strong against the ravages of time and are fan favorites amongst cinema lovers and their non-fanatical brethren alike. Accordingly, the films' followers (especially those who, like myself, have an unhealthy appreciation for “The Chin” and all that he does) have generously donated an overabundance of well-meaning (but usually mediocre) artwork to the global community known as the Internet. What I’m getting at is this: while there’s an ocean of inspired Evil Dead and (to a lesser extent) Suspiria posters floating around the Web, there’s very few pieces that actually get me excited enough to write about and / or purchase. But wouldn’t you know it, I found two such prints that I think are pretty damn fantastic, and led me to an artist who I wasn’t previously familiar with to boot. Take a look, won't you?

The Evil Dead Movie Poster
Mute
420 mm x 594 mm (Giclée) - Signed and Numbered
£30 (~ $48) - Limited to 20

I love the artist's use of cross-hatching to imply detail and shadow, which also manages to give this poster a distinctly medieval look. And when combined with the print's muted color palette, the artwork is not only striking, but pretty terrifying.

Here's what artist Mute had to say about his relationship with the famed cult classic:

"One reason The Evil Dead is so fondly thought of is that the home-made, low budget effort is always endearing, especially when done so well! Few movies present you with something new and exciting, but in equal measures, say “you can go out and do it yourself”. Somewhere sat on a dusty VHS is evidence of me and my friends age 14, equipped with nothing but a camcorder, fake blood, and the woods behind my house. All I can think is thank God YouTube didn’t exist in 1997."

Mute's The Evil Dead poster is currently available through muteart.bigcartel.com for £30. The giclée measures 420 mm x 594 mm and is limited to an edition of 20. It's also worth noting that this print was created for the "Paper Cuts: Alternative Horror Poster Art" exhibition, which is a part of the Sheffield Horror Film Festival. To learn more about Mute, please check out mute-art.com and follow @mute_art on Twitter.

Suspiria Movie Poster
Mute
420 mm x 594 mm (Giclée) - Signed and Numbered
£30 (~ $48) - Limited to 20

But it seems one classic wasn't enough for Mute as he also set his sights on the king of all Goblin-scored films set in a ballet school-cum-witches' coven. No, I'm not talking about White Nights, the answer is Suspiria! Mute wonderfully captures all of the terror, paranoia, and vibrant mise-en-scene in Argento's film by casting his design in an ominous crimson hue.

The artist on his memories of Suspiria:

"My first viewing of Suspiria was on 35mm here at the Showroom in 2003. By this time, my enjoyment of horror cinema was more about exploring the genre and trying to figure out how they did the special effects - the scare factor was almost gone from my viewing experience... I say ‘almost’ mainly due to this movie! I was genuinely creeped out by what was unfolding; the Goblin score (at times awesomely loud!) never lets you relax for a second! The infamous theme is hard to forget and still sounds amazing to this day.

If every room you go in is strangely lit with unexplainable red light, start to worry."

Like Mute's Evil Dead print, his Suspiria poster is currently available through muteart.bigcartel.com for £30. The artwork is signed and numbered and is limited to an edition of 20. Head over to mute-art.com to see more of the artist's work.