GR2 Gallery 20 Year Anniversary “8×8” Group Exhibition [Los Angeles]

From 1994 – 2010, Giant Robot operated as a physical bi-monthly magazine with a focus on Asian and Asian-American pop-culture. The subject matter contained in its pages ranged from history, art, and music to film, books, toys, and technology. Eventually, they began using the internet to sell the sort of products that they already promoted in their publication. Then, in 2001, founder, Eric Nakamura, took the natural next step and opened a brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles. Two years into slanging everything from housewares to toy figures and making a name for themselves as the go-to for Asian Pop Culture products stateside, Nakamura got the idea to open a gallery to host exhibitions by the type of artists that Giant Robot has showcased over the years. It has now been 20 years since they first cracked the doors on that gallery and, to celebrate the achievement, Giant Robot 2 (GR2 Gallery) is hosting a group exhibition, which officially opens today, October 28th, 2023.

Nakamura elaborates on how the gallery came about and more:

“In a blink of an eye, GR2 turned 20. Our humble opening in 2003 began with an idea that the spot across and down the street from Giant Robot Store would make a great gallery space. It had a tiny sign that read “Plant Control Center” and was in shambles. From then until today, we’ve done our best to showcase who we think are great artists. Some may be on the way up and some are well seasoned, and we’d like to think that they’re all part of our world. Yet the best part of the GR2 ride isn’t only the artists, it’s the folks who came to support. The hellos, smiles, and nods have said it all. Thank you much, and see you there.“

With so much chaos in the world, I love how, every time I turn my head, it feels like another anniversary or milestone is being celebrated. We just saw The Breeders touring in support of the 30th Anniversary reissue of their Last Splash LP and Melvins, who we caught last month, are celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band. Meanwhile, WEEN has already hinted at a 30th-anniversary show for their classic Chocolate & Cheese album next year, and, in San Francisco, 111 Minna Gallery just opened their own group exhibition honoring 30 years in the business. Each of these institutions has left its own unique impact on the world and GR2 is obviously no different.

For this 20th Anniversary show, Giant Robot has gone with a simple theme of “8 x 8” tasking artists with contributing modestly-sized art pieces restricted to 8 x 8 inches (for the most part). In the mix of participants are some impressive names like Luke Chueh and James Jean with whom Giant Robot has forged lasting relationships.

With so much going on, this event slipped past me and I wasn’t on top of things enough to give you more of a heads-up. That said, those in the Los Angeles area that are interested in attending, the opening reception takes place at the gallery tonight from 6-9pm. The good news for those who can’t make it is that the full exhibition was just published on the Giant Robot website for anyone who is interested in seeing the pieces and/or purchasing anything in advance.

Check out a selection of preview images below, after the following event details.
[Note that the character in the James Jean piece is missing an arm and a leg, perhaps eluding to the cost of the painting itself. ZING!].