Acid Test

Lowbrow art isn’t a movement that has been embraced exactly by art critics and museums. But this genre has been catching the attention of the Everyman since its origin in 1994, with its profoundly populist appeal and deep roots in wholly Californian subcultures, like the hot-rod sect or the underground-comix scene. At the center of all these underground artists and their underground art was the San Francisco-based Juxtapoz magazine, dedicated to giving a voice to the movement and all it entails. “In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz Factor,” named after a dizzyingly surreal piece by Robert Williams, explores the works of more than 150 popular but critically unacknowledged artists including Sandow Birk, Neck Face, Shepard Fairey, Rick Griffin, Don Ed Hardy, Takashi Murakami, Irving Norman, Raymond Pettibon, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Mark Ryden and more. The inspiration of lowbrow art is the everyday—influenced by every aspect of pop culture. It’s universally appealing, captivating, genuine . . . and easily one of the coolest things to come to Orange County.
June 22-Oct. 5, 2008