Roq la Rue is very pleased to present a very special show devoted to the bewitching and sundry charms of Polynesian Pop and Tiki! Curated by urban archeologist/ tiki aficionado Otto Von Stroheim (of Tiki News and several outstanding Tiki Art Now shows), this show will be an outstanding exhibit featuring work by some of the genre's top artists. Hailing from all over the globe (including The US, Canada, Germany, and Japan) artists include Shag, Lisa Petrucci, Bosko, Tim Biskup, Mr. G, Brian Barneclo. Wayne Coombs, Davey (Dave Wong), Crazy Al Evans, Dawn Frasier, Thorsten Hasenkamm, Munktiki Paul & Stuckie, Tiki Tony, Heather Watts, and Derek Yaniger.

Want more? No problem, we will have a special limited edition edition tiki mug made especially for us by the tiki mug geniuses at Muntiki! We've seen the prototype and it's fantastic. We'll post an image soon as we can. We will also have special limited edition tiki t-shirts for both men and women at the opening (and during the run of the show) as well!
In addition, there will be a fantastic catalog of the show on hand, Tiki Art Now! Vol. 3...Published by Slave Labor Graphics, the catalog features an introduction by pop culture historian, arts writer, and velvet painting enthusiast Larry Reid, and foreword by Tikimiester Otto von Stroheim, publisher of Tiki News. This catalog will have full color images of all of the art featured in this exceptional tiki art show.

A little bit about Tiki Style
What is Tiki?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Tiki as "a wooden or stone image of a Polynesian God."
While fans of Tiki Style might border on religious fanaticism in their love for all things Tiki and their obsession for collecting Tiki mugs and menus, the Tikis they worship are wholly American artistic creations.
In its heyday the decor, food and music used in Tiki bars was referred to as South Seas, Polynesian, or Exotica and later simply as Tiki. Today, the umbrella term Tiki is used to describe the entire gamut of Pan Polynesian arts that were applied in those restaurants and bars from the late 1930s to the mid 1970s. Book of Tiki author Sven Kirsten dubbed it "Polynesian Pop." I prefer to call it Tiki Style and recognize it as a bona fide art movement. Whatever you call it, it's back and it's getting bigger.~ Otto Von Stroheim

The Coming of a New Art God
Despite Tiki's mainstream popularity in the 50s and 60s, no one had recognized Tiki Style as an art movement or gathered the creations into a gallery show. In 1996 I co-curated "20th Century Tiki" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. It was the first Tiki art gallery show ever and spawned many others around the country. The success of that show and the publicity it generated sparked the current Tiki art movement. In 2004 I curated Tiki Art Now! to showcase the breadth of the movement. For this exhibit, I chose a handful of artists whose work I not only enjoy but highly respect as excellent examples of the movement. Some of the artists are well-known, integral figures within the Tiki movement (Bosko, Crazy Al, Tiki Tony, etc.), while some of them may not necessarily be associated with Tiki art but have been uniquely inspired to create beautiful Polynesian Pop pieces (Lisa Petrucci, Tim Biskup). I am also excited to be presenting for the first time in a west coast gallery the art of Wayne Coombs of Mai Tiki. Wayne has been making his living off carving Tikis since being released from the State Pen in 1975. he's known as the father of the Florida style of Tiki having served as mentor to dozens of now-professional Tiki carvers. Also of special note are the vintage velvets of Tyree. A contemporary and protege of Edgar Leeteg, Tyree's technique and composition arguably surpassed that of the legendary master of velvet. Rarely seen on exhibit or for sale, these are a valuable piece of pre-Tiki art history. ~ Otto Von Stroheim