PRETEEN GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT ‘A SAD BALLAD’, A SOLO EXHIBITION BY NEW YORK-BASED ARTIST BRIAN KOKOSKA.

QUIET SAD
A LIFE HARD
POWERBALLAD 
QUIET RICHARD
A SAD BALLAD
A BAD SALLAD

A TOBACCO ZONE IS WHITE AND CREAM. THE SIGHT OF NO PUSSY CAT IS SO DIFFERENT. REALLY LITTLE WOMEN.

ANY WET WEATHER MEANS AN OPEN WINDOW, WHAT IS ATTACHING EATING, ANYTHING THAT IS VIOLENT AND COOKING AND SHOWS WEATHER IS THE SAME.

THE CARE WITH WHICH THERE IS INCREDIBLE JUSTICE AND LIKENESS, ALL THIS MAKES A MAGNIFICENT ASPARAGUS, AND ALSO A FOUNTAIN.

A WINDOW HAS ANOTHER SPELLING. A COOL RED ROSE AND A PINK CUT PINK, A COLLAPSE AND A SOLD HOLE, A LITTLE LESS HOT.

THERE IS A TURN OF THE STRANGER. CATHOLIC TO BE TURNED IS TO VENTURE ON YOUTH AND A SECTION OF DEBATE.

IT EVEN MEANS THAT NO CLASS WHERE EACH ONE OVER FIFTY IS REGULAR IS SO STATIONARY THAT THERE ARE INVITATIONS.

WHY WHITE. A BLAND AND LIKELY IN THE STREAM A RECOLLECTION GREEN LAND. WHY WHITE. A LITTLE LEAF UPON A SCENE AN OCEAN ANY WHERE THERE. WHY WHITE.

A BIG DELAY THAT MAKES MORE NURSES. THE LEAST THING MEANS A LITTLE FLOWER AND A BIG DELAY. REALLY LITTLE WOMEN.

AGE NOT PLEASE LAUGHABLE NOT IN LITTLE PLACES NOT IN NEGLECT AND VEGETABLE NOT IN FOLD COAL AGE NOT PLEASE.

IS SUSAN NOT SUSAN. THE SURFACE AND THE CIRCLE AND THE SHINE AND THE SUCCOR AND THE WHITE AND THE SAME AND THE BETTER AND THE RED AND THE SAME AND THE CENTRE AND THE YELLOW AND THE TENDER AND THE BETTER, AND ALTOGETHER.

'A SAD BALLAD' FEATURES AN INSTALLATION OF NEW PAINTINGS BY BRIAN KOKOSKA. KOKOSKA'S WORKS EXPLORE SENSIBILITIES OF PORTRAITURE, MASKS, ANDROGYNY, YOUTH, FETISH, RITUAL AND POST-GENDER IDENTITY. IN THIS EXHIBITION, FOUR CORRESPONDING WORKS ON PAPER INTERACT WITH IDEAS INVOLVING FACES - THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO DISGUISE, THEATRICALITY AND BEAUTY - AND HOW THESE CONCEPTS TRANSLATE TO PAINTING.

BRIAN KOKOSKA IS AN ARTIST BASED IN NEW YORK. HE RECEIVED HIS BFA FROM EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DESIGN. HIS WORK HAS BEEN SEEN IN ARTUS (LOS ANGELES), V (NEW YORK), WHITEHOT (NEW YORK) AND CANADIAN ART (TORONTO). RECENT SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE 'BEIGE INFINITY' AT BLANKET CONTEMPORARY ART (VANCOUVER), 'NOTHINGNESS AND BEING SKINNY', BLACK CUBICLE (MEXICO CITY) AND NADA (MIAMI BEACH).

PRETEEN GALLERY PRESENTS 'GOD GAVE ME THIS DICK SO I COULD CUT IT OFF', A NEW SOLO EXHIBITION BY LOS ANGELES BASED-ARTIST CARLOS LASZLO.

CARLOS LASZLO'S WORK DERIVES FROM HEROIN BLACKOUT AESTHETIC RESOLUITIONS, WHISKEY AND COCAINE ROCK AND ROLL MANTRAS AND MARIJUANA DAYDREAM HEDONISTIC OBSERVATIONS ON REALITY, A REALITY HE SUCCEEDS TO CAPTURE AND REGISTER IN A UNIQUE WAY.

A LARGE PART OF LASZLO'S OUVRE COMES FROM DAILY RECORDINGS OF HIS LIFE. HE FILMS HIMSELF AND HIS SORROUNDINGS UNDER THE SUBLIME UNCOUNCSIOUSNESS OF OPIATES. THEN, ONCE THE STUPOR HAS PASSED, HE EDITS ALL THIS FOOTAGE AS AN EXCERSISE IN TIME COMPRESSION OF VISUAL NARRATIVES TROUGH THE DEAD LANGUAGE OF THE MAGNETIC TAPE. IN THE PROCESS OF EDITING OF HIS FOOTAGE, HE SUBVERTS THE STRUCTURE OF ENCODING, STORING AND RETRIEVAL OF EVENTS AS IN THE INFORMATION PROCCESSING PERSPECTIVE OF MEMORY.

WHEN HE WORKS WITH FOUND VIDEO, OFTEN MAKING COLLAGES, HE TRANSFORMS EACH SEGMENT AND LAYER OF THE PIECE PASSING IT THROUGH A FILTER OF SIMULTANIOUS ALTERED MINDS STATES. LASZLO'S WORK CONVEYS THE PSYCHOTIC HEIGHTS OF PSYCHEDELICS AS MUCH AS IT EXPRESSES THE JOYFUL LOWS AND ECSTATIC NUMBNESS OF OPIATES.

IN RECENT, MORE SCRIPTED WORK, HE DISSECTS CURRENT EXPRESSIONS OF THE DENIAL OF DEATH AS IT IS EXPOSED IN THE ECCENTRIC AND THEATRICAL SEXUAL AROUSAL CHARACTRISTIC OF MODERN FETISHES.

'GOD GAVE ME A DICK SO I COULD CUT IT OFF' COMPRISES A NEW SERIES OF XEROX PIECES THAT ARE PART OF AN ONGOING STUDY OF BOTH THE LANGUAGE OF MODERN ABSTRACT PAINTING AND 20TH CENTURY POETRY.

THESE XEROX PRINTS ARE CREATED FROM THE THE SCRAPS MADE BY THE TEXT GRID GENERATED FOR THE POETRY PIECES. BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY, THEY ARE CREATED BY GAPS IN DATA, AS THE SHADOWS AND DEPTH HAPPEN IN THE ABSENCE OF POSITIVE FORM IN THE XEROX SCAN BED. THEY ARE MADE UP OF THE PARTS OF PAGES OF BOOKS FROM WHICH THE TEXT IS ALL CUT OUT.

CARLOS LASZLO WAS BORN IN LOS ANGELES. HE RECEIVED HIS BFA FROM BARD COLLEGE, NEW YORK AND FROM GOLDSMITH'S UNIVERSITY IN LONDON. HE HAS EXHIBITIED HIS WORK IN LOS ANGELES, MEXICO, LONDON, NEW YORK, EINDHOVEN AND MEDELLÍN.

PRETEEN GALLERY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE 'PLASTIC ONO KUCHI KAIAI', A NEW GROUP EXHIBITION WITH WORKS BY LAURA BROTHERS, NICOLAS SASSOON, YOSHI SODEOKA AND MARIO ZOOTS.

1. I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE YOU KNOW FEARING SO BECAUSE OF ME YOU'RE GONNA LET ME KNOW TAKE ME TO THE SKY LOVE HAS GOT ME HIGH.

2. RAIN OR SHINE OR LIFE OR DEATH.

3. TIME TO SHARE FEELING FOR YOU AND HOW IT GROWS SO STRONG YOU TOLD ME THINGS I DID NOT DOT OR EVEN KNOW WE PLAYED, WE LAUGHED, WE LOVED WE SHARED SECRETS OF OUR LIVES.

4. IF HE FINDS HIM IN THIS LIFETIME HE WILL KNOW WHEN HE LOOKS INTO HIS EYES.

5. AND DIDN'T KNOW WHY OH WHY FEELING HIGH, FEELING FOR YOU I WANNA KNOW WHY OH WHY.

6. WHY DO I ROAM WHEN I KNOW YOU'RE THE ONE WHY DO I RUN WHEN I FEEL LIKE HOLDING YOU.

7. IT'S LOVELY LOVE BETWEEN US SHARING WHAT WE HAVE AS ONE LOVERS SOMETIMES DO GET WEARY BUT OUR LOVE SHINES BRIGHT AS THE SUN.

8. IF SHE FINDS HER IN THIS LIFETIME SHE WILL KNOW WHEN SHE PRESSES HER EAR TO HER BREAST.

9. I WANNA KNOW WHY OH WHY I'M FEELING HIGH.

10. WHY DO I ROAM WHEN I KNOW YOU'RE THE ONE WHY DO I RUN WHEN I FEEL LIKE HOLDING YOU.

LAURA BROTHERS' (NEW YORK) WORK IS INTRINSICALLY COMPUTER-BASED. OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, HER OUTPUT HAS EXPANDED INTO THE MATERIAL REALM THROUGH PRINTED WORKS. SHE HAS SHOWN HER WORK IN EXHIBITIONS IN LOS ANGELES, BALTIMORE, NEW YORK, BERLIN, MEXICO AND MUNICH. HER WORK CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE AT OUT4PIZZA.COM.

NICOLAS SASSOON (VANCOUVER) MAKES USE OF VARIOUS COMPUTER-BASED AESTHETICS TO GENERATE FANTASIZED VISIONS OF ARCHITECTURES, LANDSCAPES AND DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTS. HE HAS SHOWN IN VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL VENUES AND EVENTS SUCH AS THE MIAMI ART FAIR (US), THE TOKYO ART FAIR (JP), TODAY ART MUSEUM (CN), PORTLAND ART MUSEUM (US), 319 SCHOLES (US), EYEBEAM (US), EVERY LETTER IN THE ALPHABET (CA), CHARLES H.SCOTT GALLERY (CA), TINBOX CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY (FR), LMD GALERIE (FR), THE BERLIN FASHION WEEK (DE), AND MU EINDHOVEN (NL).

YOSHI SODEOKA (NEW YORK) IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST AND MUSICIAN. SODEOKA'S PSYCHEDELIC VIDEO ART—INFORMED BY HIS BACKGROUND AS A PAINTER, PUNK ROCKER, AND ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN—IS A DYSTOPIAN CLASH OF NOISE AND BEATITUDE. SODEOKA'S PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SHOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM LONDON'S TATE BRITAIN, NEW YORK CITY'S DEITCH PROJECTS, PARIS' FESTIVAL NÉMO, EDINBURGH'S MU, SÃO PAULO'S ROJO NOVA, BARCELONA'S OFFF, BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART, LONDON'S ONEDOTZERO, BARCELONA'S SONAR FESTIVAL, HAIFA MUSEUM ISRAEL, BERLIN'S TRANSMEDIALE, POLAND'S KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL, WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICA'S ART ARTPORT.

MARIO ZOOTS (DENVER) IS ENGAGED IN THE EXCAVATION, REIMAGINATION AND MANIPULATION OF CONTEMPORARY CYBER CULTURE AND NETWORKED POPULAR CULTURE. HIS IMAGERY PRESENTS A STEADY STREAM OF POP-DATA THAT HAS BEEN ABJECTLY OBSCURED IN SOME WAY, THE CONTENT AND IMAGERY BECOMES HYPERLINKED AND JUMBLED LEAVING VIEWERS QUESTIONING MEDIA REALITIES AND ONES PERCEPTIVE LENS. ZOOTS IS CO-FOUNDER OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PUBLISHING PROJECT, DRIPPY BONE BOOKS. MARIO ALSO CREATES THE IDENTITY AND VIDEO ART FOR THE PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE MODERN WITCH. HE HAS EXHIBITED HIS COLLAGE AND VIDEO WORKS IN DENVER, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, SAO PAULO, AMSTERDAM AND BERLIN.

PRETEEN GALLERY IS PLEASED TO PRESENT ‘FAGGOTS’, THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN MEXICO OF BERLIN-BASED ARTIST DEAN SAMESHIMA.

DEAN SAMESHIMA’S WORK DERIVES FROM AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION ON POST-STONEWALL POPULAR DEPICTIONS OF HOMOSEXUAL DESIRE, PARTICULARLY THOSE OF GAY PUBLICATIONS THAT CIRCULATED IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1970’S.

HIS CHOICE OF IMAGES COMES FROM A TIME WHEN THE GAY COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES HAD MOVED FROM REPRESSION TO CELEBRATION, FROM SHAME TO JOY. A TIME OF AN ON-GOING SEARCH FOR LOVE, NEW FRIENDSHIPS, A FEELING OF BROTHERHOOD, CRUISING, SEX IN PUBLIC PLACES, DRUGS, BARS AND SEX CLUBS. THIS WAS A TIME OF A FLOURISHING SEXUAL REVOLUTION, A TIME BEFORE THE HORROR OF AIDS.

SAMESHIMA APPROPIATES THIS DISTINCTIVE HOMOEROTIC IMAGERY BUT INSTEAD OF PORTRAYING JOY AND OPTIMISM, THE WORK SUGGESTS FEELINGS OF SOLITUDE, MELANCHOLY, AND A LONGING FOR A GLORIOUS PAST. THE SEEMINGLY FREE FLOWING LIBIDINAL PULSION FROM WHICH THESE IMAGES ORIGINATED SEEMS NOW FRUSTRATED AND REPLACED BY AN ANXIETY BROUGHT BY THE THOUGH OF DEATH. IN THIS WAY, SAMESHIMA NOT ONLY COMMUNICATES A PERSONAL STRUGGLE WITH THE EXISTENTIAL VOID AND THE ANGUISH THAT UNDERLIE DESIRE, HE ALSO SCRUTINIZES HISTORICAL NARRATIVES THAT OUTLINE QUEER DESIRE IN THE WESTERN WORLD.

‘FAGGOTS’ COMPRISES FOUR NEW SILK-SCREENS OF SAMESHIMA’S ONGOING CONNECT-THE-DOTS SERIES. THE ARTIST HAS BEEN COLLECTING THESE PUZZLES FROM 1970’S SEMINAL GAY LEATHER MAGAZINE DRUMMER. IF THE DOTS WERE CONNECTED, A SEXUALLY CHARGED IMAGE WOULD BE REVEALED. THE SCANT ABSTRACTION OF THESE PAINTINGS SUGGESTS A POTENTIAL PROGRESSION TOWARDS REPRESENTATION AND ACTIVATES THE ANXIOUS ANTICIPATION THAT CHARACTERIZES DESIRE.

DEAN SAMESHIMA'S WORK IS INCLUDED IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES.

DEAN SAMESHIMA HAS BEEN FEATURED IN ART FORUM, FLASH ART, MODERN PAINTERS, ART IN AMERICA, I-D MAGAZINE, INDEX, FLASH PHOTO, I-D, SOMA, AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. INSTILLED AND LOST, FEATURING SELECTED WORKS, WAS JUST PUBLISHED BY PERES PROJECTS. HE WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CREAM 3, 2003 CATALOGUE AND VITAMIN PH, NEW PERSPECTIVES IN PHOTOGRAPHY, 2006.

DEAN SAMESHIMA CATALOGUES INCLUDE HYSTERIC SEVEN (2002), AND YOUNG MEN AT PLAY, VOL. 1 & 2.

PRETEEN GALLERY PRESENTS 'BENT COCK', A SOLO EXHIBITION BY NEW YORK-BASED ARTIST MARCELO KRASILCIC.

LET'S SIN ON A TIGER SKIN OR IF YOU PREFER WE COULD ERR ON A DIFFERENT FURR MEGA BITES WAS WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DID AND GIG WAS A SHOW AT NIGHT A RAM WAS A RANDY MAN OR GOAT WINDOWS JUST LET IN THE LIGHT AN APPLICATION WAS FOR EMPLOYMENT A PROGRAM WAS A TV SHOW A CURSER USED PROFANITY AND A KEYBOARD A PIANO MEMORY WAS SOMETHING YOU LOST WITH AGE A DISC WAS ROCK OR BLUES AND IF YOU HAD A 3 INCH FLOPPY YOU'D BE PEEING ON YOUR SHOES LOG ON WAS FUEL ON THE FIRE HARD DRIVE WAS TO INVERNESS A MOUSE PAD WAS WHERE A RODENT LIVED AND A BACK UP AN AWFUL MESS CUT YOU DID WITH A POCKET KNIFE PASTE YOU DID WITH GLUE A WEB WAS WHERE A SPIDER LIVED AND A VIRUS WAS THE FLU.

MARCELO KRASILCIC IS A BRAZILIAN AMERICAN ARTIST BORN IN SAO PAULO. HE MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1990 TO STUDY ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.

SOON AFTER GRADUATING FROM NYU, HE STARTED EXHIBITING HIS ART WORK AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE EARLY EFFORTS OF MAGAZINES SUCH AS PURPLE, DAZED & CONFUSED, SELF-SERVICE AND VISIONAIRE.

MARCELO CONTINUES TO LIVE IN NEW YORK, AND HE TRAVELS EXTENSIVELY WORKING IN-BETWEEN THE FIELDS OF ART, PORTRAITURE AND FASHION.

PRETEEN IS PLEASED TO PRESENT ‘SOMETHING TO DANCE TO’, AN EXHIBITION BY NEW YORK-BASED PAINTER LANDON METZ.

TIGHT FADED MALE ARSE DECADENCE AND ANARCHY HE SAID HE SMILED SOMETHING TO DANCE TO A CERTAIN STYLE SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE MEAT ANIMALS SMILED SMILED PATCHWORK JACKET FROM THE TOP OF HIS EARS SHAVED RELATION WITH FELLOW AGE GROUP AND OPPOSITE BIRDS SMILES WANTS ANARCHY SMILED THE CLUB NERVE AND POSES PHYSICAL AWARENESS SMILES TAKE THE CHICKEN RUN TAKE THE CHICKEN RUN TO THE TOILET IN THE ABOVE DESIGNED FROM ABOVE CLUB MAKES GINGER GO ON YOU CAN DO IT SMILE SMILES WANTS ANARCHY SMILED IS THE FUNGUS DAMP IN THE CELLAR POSITIVE G B H SMILES WITH HIS FRIENDS ASK FOR CIGARETTES SMILES SPARKS OFF REPEAL GUN LAWS IN MY BRAIN SPARKS OFF GIVE US A GUN IF I GOT ONE DAMN GRIN DAMN GRIN UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP SMILE SMILED WOULD ASK FOR A LAGER IN THE TOWN OF AUSCHWITZ SMILES DESIRES TRAVEL WELL FED IN A WELFARE WAY SMILES SMILED SMILES LOUSY CELEBRITY MAKES JOKE RECORD LICKSPITTLE SOUTHERNER WAITING FOR NEXT HOLIDAY BY GAS MISER SMILES SMILES POSITIVE G B H ROAR ENCORE SPECIAL VEXATION PROCESS WELL FED IN ROMAN NERO WAY LIKE THE WAY YOU IMAGINED IN THE ROMAN AND NERO KODAK FILMS.

PRETEEN IS VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ‘EVERY WEBSITE IS A MONUMENT: MEXICO CITY,’ A SOLO EXHIBITION BY ATHENS-BASED ARTIST ANGELO PLESSAS.

IN HIS WORK, PLESSAS COMBINES ANIMATED DRAWINGS WITH DOMAIN NAMES TO CREATE WEBSITES. HE TREATS WEBSITES AS PLACES WHERE WE CAN IMAGINE MEANING AND EXPERIENCE OBJECTS, THE SAME WAY WE CAN ADMIRE A SCULPTURE IN A PUBLIC SPACE. THIS BECOMES PARTICULARLY URGENT AT A TIME WHEN THROUGH LIVING PART OF OUR LIVES ONLINE, WE QUESTION AND OFTEN BLUR WHAT IS PRIVATE AND WHAT IS PUBLIC. VISITING A WEBSITE BECOMES AS PUBLIC AS VISITING A TRADITIONAL MONUMENT. AT THE SAME TIME HE IS FASCINATED WITH TRADITIONAL MONUMENTS BECAUSE THEY ENGAGE US WITH SYMBOLS OF NOSTALGIC TENSION. IN THIS WAY WEBSITES SUGGEST A NEW KIND OF MONUMENTALITY WHERE NOTIONS OF CLASSICAL TIME AND SPACE ARE BEING QUESTIONED.

PRETEEN GALLERY IS PROUD TO PRESENT 'A 21ST CENTURY IDEA OF UNHAPPINESS,' SHOWING THE WORKS BY IAIN BALL, MICHELLE CEJA, HOPE EPOH, ADAM JACONO AND EMILY JONES.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE WISH FOR OBJECTS CRITICISM, ALIENATION, HUMAN FAITH IN MACHINES AND MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS, GOOGLE AS AN ORACLE, THE REVITALIZATION OF ANCIENT SPIRITUAL ART ICONOGRAPHY THROUGH SOFTWARE INTERVENTION MAKE UP 'A 21ST CENTURY IDEA OF UNHAPPINESS.' A YOUNG, VULNERABLE, MISINFORMED CENTURY IN CRISIS BORN ON 9/11.