You could practically hear the sharpening of claws in the Guardian office when the Last Gasp-published Hi Fructose Collected 3 boxed set arrived on our proverbial doorstep. For fans of quirky, dark arts, this was the motherload: a tidal wave of a book stuffed with visual artists from around the world, all accompanied by a sweet bear (sheep? I say sheep. There was debate) mask by Mark Ryden, ready to be fastened on one’s face with a lightly-colored ribbon. There was a velvet-flocked triptych by Martin Ontiveros, Skinner, and Junko Mizuno. A fantasy city on a poster. Stickers. All of it.Count on us then, to be lined up to have our copy signed at YBCA tomorrow (Tue/5) during the museum’s free day. Our fave freaky Bay Area cake artist Scott Hove and a host of others whose work is in this magical bundle will be signing books, all while Swiftumz plays a DJ set. We caught up with Collected 3‘s editors to gush and ask stupid questions.
Behold, the answers by Hi Fructose’s Annie Owens and Attaboy. And some pretty art thangs you’ll find in the boxed set.
Fuco Ueda
SFBG: I wonder what kind of language you use to describe the work Hi Fructose profiles? I know I’m seeing something distinctive, but dammit if I could put a genre on it.
Annie Owens: ‘New contemporary’ seems to be a good catch-all umbrella for most things under the high art radar, but even high-art is a line we cross sometimes.
Scott Hove
SFBG: Draw some lines for me — who are some artists who would never appear in Hi Fructose? Someone who you’ve never worked with that would be a fantastic inclusion. Living, dead, mythic beasts are all acceptable answers.
Attaboy: We’ve got some mythic folks lined up for the coming year, don’t want to ruin the surprise.
AO: Never say never. Even Thomas Kinkade has his appeal! [Artists we’d like to work with include] Hieronymus Bosch, Charles Addams. As for live ones, we’ve had the pleasure to have some of our favorite art legends, who we won’t mention here, say yes to an upcoming project so there’s that!
Gabriels
SFBG: Please recommend a usage for the mask enclosed in box set.
A: On someone’s else’s face. So you can poke fun of them.
Hi-Fructose Collected 3 launch party
Tue/5,5:30-7:30, free
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission, SF