The constant rebooting of science fiction franchises – Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall – left gallery owner James Monosmith missing the classics. To fill that void, he's holding a show called Rayguns and Robots! dedicated to art influenced by the sci-fi stylings of the 1940s and 1950s.
"When I set out to come up with the ideas for our shows, I always try to think of themes that are original but more importantly what I enjoy," Monosmith said in an e-mail to Wired. "In the wake of yet another renaissance of sci-fi in pop culture, I just thought it would be really cool to do a show that pays tribute to all the classic influences."
Rayguns and Robots!, which opens Saturday at Monosmith's Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle and runs through July 22, will have new works from 41 artists. There will be more than 70 pieces on display – mostly paintings, but also some sculptures and vinyl toys. Even though some were clearly influenced by classics like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Trek and Blade Runner, some of the artists created their own sci-fi worlds.
The exhibit is being curated by Chris Jackson, art director of Acme Archives – publisher of art from Pixar, Disney, The Simpsons and other franchises – and also frontman for indie rock band Nice Guy Eddie.
"The artists were picked from a lot of different sources," Jackson said in an e-mail to Wired. "Many of them were people that I had worked with in the past, others were people that I planned on working with in the future and others still were brand new discoveries.... The beauty of this kind of event is that I am free to contact anyone and everyone."
One of the show's artists – illustrator, painter and cartoonist N.C. Winters – is one of those who ventured out on their own rather than interpreting a sci-fi classic. His In Case of Killbots painting, viewable above, depicts "Zappy" – his interpretation of a 1960s-era raygun.
"I've been in a super old-school decorative mode lately, and I wanted to make something as simple and direct as possible: a retro raygun," Winters said in an e-mail. "When Killbots attack, Zappy will come in most handy."
Check out Zappy as well as a few other great selections from Rayguns and Robots! in the gallery above.
