For about 17 years now, QUAKE, one of the most prolific, consistent, and influential graffiti artists in the SF Bay area has been both a best friend and a mentor to me through my entire life after high school. Over time, we have explored different directions and mediums art-wise, but we have been side by side the whole time, with Quake being 1 of the 4 vital owners and blood of Zerofriends, a company that we all started together 5 years ago. While I sit at home, or in a cave, or under a table with a laptop, or in a pizza parlor drawing dicks and big googly eyes with my girlfriend, Quake continues to juggle operating Zerofriends while traveling the world, pushing his aerosol skills incredibly, all while making a million friends and admirers along the way. Which is why I am excited to announce THIS...See you there!(and for fun check out some of our old work together,
Zerofriends is proud to present an enormous retrospective featuring 26 years of the continuous, uncompromising, vibrant pubic art of one of the Bay Area's most prolific and loyal artists, QUAKE. Showcasing hundreds of photos taken from around the world alongside sketches, relics, prints and a massive ongoing slide show, we will celebrate the insanely colorful career of not only one of our favorites, but one of our OWN.
Opening reception with the artist in attendance is this THURSDAY, MAY 31 from 7-10 PM and will be on display all through June.
Zerofriends Oakland
489A 25th St (at Telegraph)
Oakland, CA
(Above portrait shot by the incredible PUREBRED PHOTO team.)
and for fun check out some blasts from the past with some old times when Quake and I would adventure together in the middle of the night like awesome weirdos.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
In 1986, in an unknown locale, an ageless, faceless man was hunted and killed in the arms of a famous Necromancer, who, upon his death, whispered this to the man:
"All colors in your world have different powers when applied in different ways. I will resurrect you eternally on the sole condition that you dedicate every moment to painting as much of our world as possible. With every different color you apply, a different effect will take place in our world. Do not question these changes. With this power, you will alter the world....and stay alive." At this moment, that dead, faceless man was resurrected and given a name: Quake.
Spending the last 26 years unflinchingly and unquestionably performing exactly the task that he was given, Quake has travelled the globe, leaving his chaotic and beautiful marks in thousands of places with the intention of visually altering the world around him.
Throughout his travels, Quake has found inspirations for his artwork ranging from hip hop and heavy metal cultures, to alien conspiracy groups, Chaos magic, and tribes of train-hopping hobos. Over the course of his art-ventures, Quake has also managed to become not only a leader in the eyes of hundreds of other artists, but also one of the most consistent, prolific, and loyal Bay Area artists to ever hold an aerosol can.
He continues to live out his promise by traveling weekly, staying alive by staying creative, all while co-owning and operating ZEROFRIENDS, an art and apparel company that he started in 2007 with longtime friends and artists Alex Pardee, Darren Scott and Dave Correia.
Quake & I, circa 1996-1997
