Featuring Shawn Crahan (Slipknot), Jay Weinberg (Slipknot), Wes Benscoter (artist – Slayer, AC/DC, Black Sabbath), Ed Repka (artist – Megadeth, Death), Dan Seagrave (artist – The Devil Wears Prada, Morbid Angel, Suffocation), Guy Aitchison (tattoo artist, painter), Mark Rudolph (artist – Decibel Magazine, Metal Hammer, Carcass, Broken Hope), Bob Tyrrell (renowned tattoo artist), Ryan Matthew Cohn (Star of Oddities), and Many More!
 
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 19, 2019, 8:00-11:30 PM @ Copro Gallery
Address: 2525 Michigan Ave. T5, Santa Monica, CA 90404
 
Exhibit runs January 19 – February 16, 2019
VIP Party Saturday After NAMM & LA ARTSHOW 
Copro Gallery presents a group art exhibit curated by artist Chet Zar and collector, author, musician Jeremy Wagner. ‘CONJOINED VS. GROTESQUE’ Celebrating the Denizens of the Dark… will feature sculptures, paintings, drawings and collector guitars with a slant towards the dark and grotesque! Rock and Roll art, gigantic oil paintings, bizarre and hyperreal sculptures, lifelike and life-sized models, surreal assemblages, mixed media paintings, twisted art toys and other conjoined work will all be featured. Many of the artists in the exhibit come from the dark contemporary art movement, as well as motion picture and music industry artists, special F/X technicians and others from all walks of life. All will exhibit their top-notch primary craft for this special jointly curated exhibition.
 
‘CONJOINED VS. GROTESQUE’ Celebrating the Denizens of the Dark… will feature these artists, with more TBA: Chet Zar (renowned visual artist), Kazuhiro Tsuji (special f/x makeup artist and hyperrealist sculptor), Shawn Crahan (director, actor, percussionist, creative force behind Slipknot),Jay Weinberg (celebrated drummer – Slipknot), Wes Benscoter (artist – Slayer, AC/DC, Black Sabbath), Chris Mars (artist, drummer [The Replacements]), Olivia (artist), Ed Repka (artist – Megadeth, Death – “King of Thrash Metal Art”), Lee Shamel (dark artist), Dan Seagrave (artist – The Devil Wears Prada, Morbid Angel, Suffocation), Andreas Marschall (artist, screenwriter, film editor/director), Scott Musgrove (painter, sculptor), Vincent Castiglia (artist, paints with blood), Shane Pierce (oil painter), Matt Dangler (artist), Guy Aitchison (tattoo artist, painter), Mark Rudolph (artist – Decibel Magazine, Metal Hammer, Carcass, Broken Hope), Zack Dunn (dark artist),Dominic Holmes (artist, tattoo artist, writer), Carin Hazmat (artist, designer), Magnus Gjoen(designer, artist, sculptor), Ronald Gonzalez (artist, sculptor), Bob Tyrrell (tattoo artist), Rob Smits, Claudio Bergamin (artist), Max Verehin (artist), Vincent Villafranca (sculptor), Dan Harms,Fabrice Lavollay (artist),Louie Becker (artist),Miroslav Pecho (dark artist), Tommy Lee Wendtner (tattoo artist), Ryan Matthew Cohn (Star of Oddities, oddities and antiques collector), Ave Rose (automata, still sculpture, fashion, jewelry), Kevin Estrada(photographer) and Gene Ambo (photographer).
 
In a statement, Copro Gallery offers, “This will be the sickest and most grotesque conjoined show ever! It’s even more epic with Jeremy Wagner as a guest curator, so put on your seat belts for a helluva ride!”
 
Meet the Presenters:
 
Chet Zar:
Zar’s interest in the darker side of art began in the earliest stages of his life. A natural fascination with all things strange fostered within himself a deep connection to horror movies and dark imagery. He could relate to the feelings of fear, anxiety and isolation that they conveyed. These are themes which had permeated most of his childhood drawings and paintings and are reflected in his work to this day. 

The combined interest in horror films and art eventually culminated into a career as a special effects make up artist, designer and sculptor for the motion picture industry, designing and creating creatures and make up effects for such films as, “The Ring”, “Hellboy I & II”, “Planet of the Apes” and the critically acclaimed music videos for the art metal band Tool. Zar also embraced the digital side of special effects as well, utilizing the computer to translate his dark vision with 3D animation for Tool’s live shows and subsequently releasing many of them on his own DVD of dark 3D animation, “Disturb the Normal”. 

Through the many years spent dealing with all of the politics and artistic compromises of the film industry left Zar feeling creatively stagnant. At the beginning of 2000 (at the suggestion of horror author Clive Barker), he decided to go back to his roots and focus on his own original works and try his hand at fine art, specifically painting in oils. The result has been a renewed sense of purpose, artistic freedom and a clarity of vision that is evident in his darkly surreal (and often darkly humorous) paintings.

“Chet’s art is beautiful and scary. His style has a modern twist crashing into a classical approach. I think Chet is a master painter on his way to making a great mark in our little world. Wanna do something smart with your money? Invest in a Chet Zar painting.” – Adam Jones (TOOL)
 
Jeremy Wagner:
New York Times Bestselling Author, Peter Straub (A Dark Matter, Ghost Story) says, “Jeremy is a pretty impressive dude.” Jeremy Wagner has released eight albums and has written lyrics to hundreds of songs with his international death-metal band, Broken Hope. He has a following of rabid fans worldwide, yet aside from his music career, Wagner writes dark fiction and short works full time. His published works include the best-selling debut novel, “The Armageddon Chord”, the story “Romance Ain’t Dead” for the anthology, Hungry For Your Love (St. Martin’s Press), the story “The Creatures From Craigslist” in the anthology Fangbangers: An Erotic Anthology of Fangs, Claws, Sex and Love (Ravenous Romance), the seasonal bio tale “When I Scared Myself Out of Halloween” (Shock Totem Books), his horror writing essay – exercise in the Now Write! Edition of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror (Bantam Books), and most recently, his short story “Pit Stop” in the A Tribute Anthology to Deadworld (Riverdale Avenue Books). Wagner’s novel, “The Armageddon Chord”, peaked at #4 on Barnes & Noble’s Top 10 paperback Bestseller List and peaked at #9 on B&N’s Top 100 overall Bestseller List in the first week of release. The novel also earned a Hiram Award, a first-round ballot Stoker Award Nomination, and received critical acclaim in Publisher’s Weekly and Rolling Stone magazine among many other worldwide media.
The Afraid imprint of Riverdale Avenue Books released Wagner’s newest novel, “Rabid Heart”, on October 4, and it’s been met with instant accolades with Publishers Weekly praising: “Rabid Heart evokes a mix of Misfits lyrics and grainy VHS horror classics. The plot draws parallels to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…”
Wagner is a serious collector of dark art, fantasy art, and lowbrow art. He lives in the Chicago area.
 
For more information on this gallery event, please contact:  
Gary Pressman, Copro Gallery Director
Ph: 310-829-2156 
E-Mail: CoproGallery@Live.com
Web: www.CoproGallery.com