New Characters Emerge from Emily the Strange Creator Rob Reger
November 8, 2010. Rob Reger, the force behind the iconic Emily the Strange character, opens a solo show at Switcheroo in Pasadena on November 20. The show titled: FACING STRANGE: the Characters of Rob Reger showcases Reger’s recent painting series of interlocking characters and whimsical design. The opening reception is from 7-10pm; Reger’s experimental band Beno + Minnie will play a short set that evening. The show runs through January 15 by appointment.
In this body of work, Reger’s trademark bold graphic design is repurposed and dosed with a colorful serving of psychedelia to reveal a world of new friends and beasts. Subtle narratives emerge, playfully tapping into mysticism, optical illusions, and hallucinations. In a similar vein as Reger’s love of word play, hidden messages, and backward masking, FACING STRANGE demonstrates a balance of opposing forces with characters and shapes all intended for viewing in multiple directions.
Switcheroo is run by artists Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura. It’s located near the intersection of South Raymond and California, in Pasadena.
FACING STRANGE: the Characters of Rob Reger
Opening: Saturday, November 20th (7-10 PM)
November 21- January 15, by appointment
Switcheroo Workshop & Gallery
543-b S Raymond
Pasadena, CA 91105
www.myswitcheroo.com
Gallery contact: hi@myswitcheroo.com
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ROB REGER
Rob Reger is the founder, owner, creative director and president of Cosmic Debris - a design house based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rob and Cosmic introduced the world to Emily the Strange, now an international icon for empowering young alternative girls. Rob has been designing Emily for over a decade and has generated millions of fans of the character. Emily’s voice and image can be found in at 37 countries, through the outlets of Chronicle books, series of Harper Collins novels, Dark Horse Comics, an Epiphone guitar, a clothing line, and an upcoming live action film with Universal Pictures and the Producer of the Hellboy series, 30 Days of Night, and The Mask.
Reger and Cosmic Debris grew out of the DIY punk and guerrilla art aesthetic of the eighties in Southern California, and a fondness for the surrealist art movement. He continues to mix bold graphic design with a pop culture sensibility. Reger holds a B.F.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.F.A. in printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute. His paintings, printmaking, watercolors, and collage have been shown in galleries around the world. Outside of Emily and art-making, Reger plays music with his fiancé Aimee Friberg in their experimental band Beno + Minnie.
