It's a cavalcade of darkness and whimsy at Hollywood and Vermont, as Peter Shire: Hokkaido Story Revisited: Late Spring and POP-SEQUENTIALISM: Great Comic Book Art of the Modern Age both open at the definitive emporium of all things lowbrow, pop surrealist and wacko — La Luz de Jesus. Legendary artistic innovator and prolific maker of ceramics both critically acclaimed and functional (a neat trick), Shire celebrates the launch of his new book with an exhibition and signing party at his brother Billy's place. His quirky, high-energy work is known for its hyperstylized forms and bold colors and patterns — making it the ideal counterpart to the concurrent exhibition of iconic superhero-based comic art. Featuring preparatory drawings and panels showcasing the often psychologically profound, cinema-influenced work of generations of serialist artists, “Pop-Sequentialism” brings together an epic survey of rare prints and collaborations that could stop any fanboy in his tracks. Superfun pottery and avant-garde superheroes come together to do what La Luz does best — subverting expectations, upsetting norms and keeping the pop in popular art.

Mondays-Sundays. Starts: May 6. Continues through May 29, 2011

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