Individual Sole

“Young Mind, Old Soul” is a solo exhibition by Word to Mother, an illustrator and painter from the U.K.   Inspired by his past and the world around him, Word to Mother transforms one man’s trash into his very own treasure by giving new life to discarded objects. “Young Mind, Old Soul” Young Mind, Old Soul sees Word To Mother’s unique emotive figures existing within a world of carefully selected aged materials and nostalgic items, embodying the artist’s deep affinity with yesteryear.  WTM says, “For me, the idea of having a Young Mind and an Old Soul is about retaining the freedom of youth, the creative and unrestricted energy to continue to question things and to educate yourself, whilst living with a respect and understanding of the past.”
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Issue 102 of Juxtapoz Magazine, the Brazil Issue, reviews the contemporary art scene in Brazil.  To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, and to coincide with Juxtapoz’s Brazil Issue, Upper Playground is giving away a paid trip to São Paulo, Brazil.  The trip includes:
•    Round trip plane tickets for two to São Paulo, Brazil;
•    4 nights at a hotel in São Paulo, Brazil;
•    Day tour of São Paulo with local artists William and Herbert Baglione;
•    Private tour of the Choque Cultural (Culture Shock) Gallery with the curators;
•    $500 Upper Playground Online Store Gift Certificate;
•    There is only one Grand Prize and one winner who can choose a travel guest.

The São Paulo Super Summer trip will be scheduled for early August.  To enter, fill out the registration form online.  The winner can take a friend so the more friends you tell to enter, the more chances you have to win.  The contest is open for 2 weeks and a winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 8th.  For details, rules and more information please visit the Upper Playground website.  Enter HERE.

Tiffany Bozic views her artwork as a means of communication, a way to work through questions, present commentary, and offer her experiences to others. Heavily inspired by nature and science and laden with Art Nouveau elegance, her works are built of what she refers to as “complex simplicity.” A distinct balance, intricacy, and acute interest in symmetry run through her pieces. Tiffany Bozic’s work has been displayed in exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. Watch the interview from “Dithers,” available for the first time to the public for free, on  Upper Playground’s Walrus TV.

Just in time for summer, and to celebrate its 10th Anniversary, Upper Playground has created a special edition pair of Locs sunglasses. From Kid Frost to Eazy-E, Locs have been the eyewear of choice for West Coast wise guys. The Upper Playground Locs feature an engraved Upper Playground script logo on the left arm of the glasses. Limited to 50 pairs, the Upper Playground Locs come packaged in a handcrafted wooden slide-top crate that is branded with the Upper Playground logo. The Upper Playground Locs are available at all Upper Playground retail stores and online at the Upper Playground web store.

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Upper Playground is proud to present the newest in a series of vinyl figures slated for release in 2009 – Dragon Boy designed by Sam Flores.  Known for his signature characters and fusing them with Asian motifs, Flores’ Dragon Boy fuses his influences in this new groundbreaking figure.  “I’ve been traveling [to]…a lot of places in Asia; I pick up a lot of things, styles and aesthetics. I’m infatuated with the beauty and architecture…the lines and attention to detail of everything.” (Interview with Modart).

Unlike most other vinyl figures, the Dragon Boy is made up of 3 pieces creating the illusion of the dragon floating through the clouds.  The figure measures 10” tall and the head, midsection and tail feature extremely detailed gradient blends.   Dragon Boy will come housed in a double-sided window box with a scenic insert card.  Limited to 500 units, Dragon Boy is slated to release in early September but is available for presale beginning Monday, June 15, 2009, on the Upper Playground web store.

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Just in time for summer, you can keep your head in the shade with two new hats from Upper Playground.  The June New Era 59FIFTY Upper Playground hats feature the artwork of Sam Flores and FIFTY24SF.  Flores’ Lowrider Rainbow is embroidered in full detail on the dome of a light gray New Era.  The other is designed by the FIFTY24SF team and it’s called the Betting Card hat, that features one sure way to win or lose big. Either way, you’ll be equipped for the game.  Both hats are available at Upper Playground stores and on the Upper Playground Web Store.

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