COMING SOON – First Thursday art opening, October 6th | 6p-9p, with Alex Chiu and Itokin Park.

Alex Chiu is a cartoonist that lives in Torrance, California. Alex lives with his wife, A’misa Chiu, and enjoys riding bikes and eating burritos. He and A’misa publish a zine called Eyeball Burp. Alex’s artwork consists of laser eyes, rainbow clumps, poop, guts, and veiny eyeballs.

Alex Chiu interview:

What is your average day like?

I haven’t had regularity in my day to day routine for years. I try to make my life as interesting as possible. If I get an opportunity to meet new people or visit a new place, I’ll usually do it. My ideal day would consist of riding my bike, doodling in a coffee shop, meeting up with a friend, eating a burrito, watching a movie with my wife, and passing out cold without brushing my teeth.

When we met i instantly got a good vibe from you. Where do you draw your positive energy from?

I’ve learned a lesson early on that the energy you give off in the world is the energy that the world will give back to you. I do my best to be generous, help others, be hospitable, and smile. I’ve observed that people start treating me better when I do this. Similarly as an artist, I believe that creating positive and joyful art will bring positivity and joy into my life.

Along the same lines what inspires you?

As a kid, I loved Super Mario Brothers and Mega Man. I used to create my own villains and bosses for these games. I’ve always liked cartoons and I’ve never grown out of it. I would have to say that Grass Hut was a big influence on me when I found out about it in college. I started seeing artists like Luke Ramsey, Marc Bell, Andy Rementer, and Bwana Spoons. During the same time period, I started seeing more art zines that published similar styles of artwork. I felt like something cool was happening and I wanted to be a part of it.

Where would you like your art to go?

At this point I still think there is much I need to learn, art I need to see, and people I need to meet along my artistic path. I’ve been working hard with my wife to build a creative community around us. We’ve been hosting art events and curating shows for a couple years now in the LA area. We publish a zine and have created an artistic platform called Eyeball Burp. This is mainly to establish relationships with other creative people that inspire us. All in all I just want to be involved in the culture that affects, defines, and informs us. I like to feel like I’m a part of something bigger and more important than myself. I would like my art to open new doors for me and allow me to see and experience new things.

Tell me a childhood story good or bad?

I used to pretend that I was a ninja. I’d spend recess kicking the hand ball court wall. I used to see how many times I could kick the wall while I was still in the air. I could never kick it more than four times.

stop by the new hut this saturday from 6-8 for a little impromtu meet and drink and hang out with stellar photographer of skate and life- Sergej Vutuc this saturday. Celebrate Sergej’s new book Something In Between, a beautiful hardcover volume of awesome!

Will post it up soon with some pics.