Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - January 11, 2005
Bill Picture, Staff Writer
Gaskin's "Superstar Collection," which features famous faces pulled from the covers of supermarket checkout line showbiz gossip rags (and one or two from San Francisco's society pages) superimposed over some of today's best-recognized brand-name logos, will be on display at new mid-Market hotspot Blue Cube beginning Thursday.
The San Francisco native says "Superstar Collection," his first-ever solo exhibition, was actually inspired by a marketing or "branding" tactic now regularly employed at high-profile events such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars, where massive backdrops emblazoned with the names and/or logos of corporate sponsors are strategically placed behind the red carpet.
Celebrities are then interviewed on-air in front of these backdrops, subtly suggesting to viewers a connection between the famous faces on their television screens and the brand names being "hyped" in the background.
"It's basically just advertising," jokes Gaskin, who also hosts the weekly cultural news-magazine programs "Inside City Limits" and "Out Spoken" on Comcast Channel 23. "They want you to think, 'Oh, Colin Farrell drives a Ford' or whatever. So I thought, 'How much fun would it be to play with that subtext within the context of an art piece.'"
The faces and logos Gaskin has chosen -- Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chanel and Gucci, just to name a few -- are instantly recognizable. So it's not at all surprising that his work has struck such a nerve with the public.
Gaskin's work has become so popular, in fact, that one of his pieces, a black-and-white portrait of Madonna during her "True Blue" period superimposed over Louis Vuitton's famous "LV" logo, was stolen during an in-store exhibition at a Starbuck's in The Castro last September.
"It's kinda scary," says Gaskin. "I mean, I guess I should be flattered. Whoever took [the painting] obviously really identified with the image."
But because each piece takes so long to create (they're hand-painted several times to create a bold, graphic look), Gaskin says he just felt robbed.
"My work means so much to me that it's hard to part with," he explains. "Sometimes even payment isn't enough."
Nevertheless, Gaskin is donating one of his favorite pieces from the "Superstar Collection," a portrait of Mayor Gavin Newsom in front of a Nike Air Jordan logo reworked to read "Air Newsom," to be auctioned off at Thursday's opening night reception to benefit the San Francisco AIDS Emergency Fund.
"There's something about that piece," he says. "I think it's the irony. You know Gavin always wanted to play ball. Here he is king of the world still wishing he was Air Newsom. I guess we all have a dream, we're all sort of longing for a life other than our own."
Tim Gaskin: Superstar Collection
DATE: Opening night reception: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday, continuing through Feb. 24.
LOCATION: Blue Cube, 34 Mason St., San Francisco
TICKETS: $5 donation suggested (to benefit Save the Children's Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund)
CONTACT: Visit www.startsoma.com. Read more at www.timgaskin.com.
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