Tom Forget’s untitled painting is part of heavy-metal-inspired show at Giant Robot
AN ARMY OF ARTISTS PAYING HOMAGE TO HEAVY METAL
Giant Robot
437 East Ninth St. between First Ave. & Ave. A
Through March 3, free
212-674-4769
www.grny.net
Harder-edged than usual, Giant Robot’s current show, “Metal Mad,” features more than fifty works from twenty-six artists, all paying homage to the heavy metal aesthetic in their own unique ways. Skulls, violence, monsters, pentagrams, and paeans to the Prince of Darkness and Doom prevail, as well as a few pretty funny vignettes. French, Aeron Alfrey, Skinner, and Paul Lyons revel in evil demons, while Matt Nelson and Bigfoot turn to KISS for inspiration (an embroidered Gene Simmons?). Metalheads will also be proud of Aaron Brown’s homage to guitar god “Yngwie Mangosteen.” A wry sense of humor lies behind Matt Furie’s “Chainsaw Dad” and Albert Reyes’s untitled swordfight between Ronald McDonald and a guy on the run with his girlfriend, while Buff Monster goes for the jugular with his cyclopean nurse shooting laser beams out of her eye in front of a pink background. Among the more accomplished — and expensive — works are Prodip’s “Monster Pit,” Tom Neely’s “Wolves in the Throne Room,” and Tom Forget’s untitled portrait that is half beauty queen, half rotting skull, ranging from $800-$1,500. Meanwhile, we can’t believe that Joe the Artist is selling his excellent black-and-white works for a mere $60 to $100. As always when you visit Giant Robot, be sure to check out the latest graffiti books, cool T-shirts, Ugly Dolls, and Japanese toys.