September 25 – December 14, 2012

Reception: October 5, 2012, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Founded originally as Baby Tattoo Books, a publishing company for underground illustrators and writers, Baby Tattoo has since evolved into a robust and diverse collective of contemporary artists and collectors. Held in conjunction with their annual private collectors’ event at the Mission Inn, RAM’s companion exhibitions have taken place for the past five years and continue to draw fans from across the globe.

This exhibition is grounded in the work of artists in the first generation of the ‘Lowbrow’ movement as well as many that may be considered on the fringes of or outside the movement today. Rejecting traditional notions of what is considered “fine art,” Baby Tattoo’s oeuvre draws on such influences as comic book art, hot rod culture, fantasy illustration, the macabre, retro nostalgia, science fiction, and psychedelia.

The art movements known as “Pop Surrealism” and “Lowbrow” have excited the public with their mixture of nostalgia, decadence, and humor. Originating as a hybridized “bastard” art movement, these movements have gained an increasingly mainstream fan base, championed by well known alternative art chronicle JUXTAPOZ magazine, as well as recent publications such as Hi Fructose, and numerous blogs and websites. Baby Tattoo Founder Bob Self describes the sentiments behind the group simply as, ‘Strange, fun art.’

Confirmed artists for this year’s exhibition include: Coop, Mark Frauenfelder, Brandi Milne, Nouar, Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Ragnar, and Rob Reger.