Marco Almera
Encyclopedia
Life
Marco Almera's artistic career emerged from the Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
surfing, skateboarding and rock ‘n’ roll subculture of the late '80s. As a Southern California native, the artist was inspired by the do-it-yourself style of this subculture, and began by creating his own graphics and fine art. The artist has many influences and references that show up in his work: the surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and beach subculture, skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, rock 'n' roll and underground music
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
, the iconic "California Girl", hot rods, iconography and the timeless coastal lifestyle. Marco Almera has spent his career working independently creating t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
designs, album covers, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
posters, commercial graphics and commissioned paintings. Over the years, he has enjoyed much success with his art and hand-printed serigraphs in Japan, Germany, England, The Netherlands and all over the United States.
Exhibitions and collections
The artist began showing his fine artFine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
in galleries in 1999, and has since participated in many solo and group shows, mostly on the West Coast. Galleries that have shown his work include The Copro Gallery and La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a commercial art gallery located in Los Angeles, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow Art Movement, Kustom Kulture, and pop surrealism.-History:...
Gallery in Los Angeles, The Laguna Beach Art Museum, the Track 16 Gallery Santa in Monica, 111 Minna Gallery and the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, the Huntington Beach Surf Museum, the Huntington Beach Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Art Institute of California San Diego and Roq La Rue Gallery Seattle. In 2000, 2001 and 2002 the artist had a series of gallery and local art shows in Antwerp, London, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. The artist is planning on returning to Europe in 2012 to plan another series of shows in Hamburg and Berlin.
Media coverage
The artist has been interviewed and featured in many art and surfing magazines in the U.S., Europe and Japan; most notably Surfer Magazine, Skateboarding (Germany), and Juxtapoz MagazineJuxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine
Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine is a magazine created in 1994 by a group of artists and collectors including Robert Williams, Fausto Vitello, C.R. Stecyk III , Greg Escalante, and Eric Swenson to both help define and celebrate urban alternative and underground contemporary art. It was edited from...
. He has also been interviewed and featured in a few hardcover books. The "Art of Modern Rock” published in 2004 included both an interview and a series of Almera rock posters. The artist also had a few rock posters included in the book “Rockin’ Down the Highway”, by the same author, Paul Grushkin. “Kustom Graphics 2”, following-up “Kustom Graphics” book published by Korero Books also features Marco Almera and showcases some of his newer work. Recently, the artist has been included in La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a commercial art gallery located in Los Angeles, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow Art Movement, Kustom Kulture, and pop surrealism.-History:...
Gallery’s 25th Anniversary Group Show and accompanying hardcover book. The artist will also be featured in the upcoming publication, “The Ska Scrapbook”, featuring the art and graphics of the ska & punk movement in the 1990’s.