Ari Marcopoulos: Now is Forever

The opening reception for the Ari Marcopoulos exhibition “Now is Forever” was a celebration of the past and the present between friends and admirers at Project Space. The event featured a combination of photo and video visuals as well as a look at the new Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag.

A Look Back: “Now is Forever” Opening Reception at Project Space

Last night’s opening reception for the Ari Marcopoulos exhibition “Now is Forever” was a celebration of the past and the present between friends and admirers at Project Space. The event featured a combination of photo and video visuals as well as a look at the new Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag.

The exhibition presented images from Ari’s new book via a wall mounted presentation constructed simply of actual pages from a copy of Now is Forever flush-mounted to plywood panels, creating a compelling visual narrative of the travelogue of images Ari shot around the world.

The event also highlighted “Moroso Crew”, a 60-minute cinema vérité documentary about illegal drag racing in Brooklyn and the Bronx that Ari shot in 1992. The film was projected onto a backdrop encompassing the Project Space storefront window, making it visible to both guests at Project Space and onlookers on La Brea Avenue.

Good company in attendance included Aaron Rose, Keith Hufnagel of HUF, Curated by Arkitip featured artist C.R. Stecyk III and artist Michael Leon.

Thanks to all who came out and to Ari for all his work on the product collaboration and the exhibition!

“Now is Forever” will be featured at Project Space through October 15.

Now is Forever Limited Edition Book

The Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag comes with Now is Forever, a limited-edition book of unpublished Ari Marcopoulos photographs.

Now is Forever takes the form of a travelogue with images from Italy, Japan, United States, France and England. Ari Marcopoulos looks for the familiar in everything; in doing so, he creates one new place out of many.

Ari Marcopoulos

Working with artist and photographer Ari Marcopoulos, we’ve created a limited-edition camera bag perfect for professional photographers and enthusiasts alike.

During the the last month of his stay in the area of Sonoma (about an hour away from the Golden Gate Bridge), Ari took photographer/cinematographer Lele Saveri and Giuseppe Furcolo on a tour of this beautifully quiet region where deer roam free and the moon shines bright at night.

A few weeks before moving back to the chaotic life of New York City, which he left 12 years ago, he took Lele and Peppe tree-climbing in the valley. They spent the day jumping into a deserted reservoir, hitting golf balls into an empty field, wandering through the graves of the small town’s cemetery and discovering all the spots where local kids hide away from adult eyes.

During this weekend-long journey, they had the chance of meeting both of Ari’s teenage sons, some of their friends, some local fans of Ari’s work, a beautifully proud 92-year old lady and a couple of Mexican men enjoying the shade on a sunny summer day.

Lele, Giuseppe and Ari worked together on the making of this video, surrounded by Ari’s life packed away in boxes ready to go his new home. While Ari showed all old photographs and videos that were discovered during his packing, the Italians were cooking some specialities with the fresh produce of the Californian countryside.

Photos by Lele Saveri.

Project Space Presents: “Now is Forever”

Project Space will host an opening reception for the exhibition “Now is Forever” featuring images from Ari Marcopoulos’ new book of the same name. Now is Forever is a travelogue of previously unpublished photographs from around the world. Premiering for the first time at Project Space will be “Moroso Crew”, a 60-minute cinema vérité documentary Marcopoulos shot in 1992 on illegal drag racing in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The exhibition also celebrates the launch of the Camera Bag collaboration between Incase and Ari Marcopoulos, available mid October.

Opening Reception: Thurs, Sept 23, 7pm – 10pm

Exhibition: Sept 23 – Oct 15
Project Space
603 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90036
+1-323-938-8818
Wednesday – Sunday
11am – 7pm

Introducing the Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag

Having collaborated on shoots over the years, we’re excited to announce our first product collaboration with renowned artist/photographer Ari Marcopoulos. Designed specifically to meet the needs of Marcopoulos himself, Ari worked hand-in-hand with our designers to create a camera bag that provides fast access to cameras and equipment in a highly evolved, easy to carry ergonomic design that re-imagines the functionality and style of a camera bag.

“My work takes me on the road several months at a time and lugging my equipment around is the most daunting part of traveling,” says Ari Marcopoulos. “It was an honor to work closely with the Incase design team to develop a bag that simplifies things. Their design approach, creating goods that are functional and low-profile, is exactly what I am looking for. The bag has become my travel companion just like my camera.”

To build a durable yet comfortable bag, we utilized heavy-duty canvas finished with a custom water-repellent coating to provide optimal weather resistance in nearly any condition. Additional coverage is found in the removable rain fly, which features a custom Marcopoulos print. Ari’s use of multiple devices at each shoot inspired the quick access point-and-shoot camera pocket with magnetic closure and the iPad interior slip pocket. Inside the bag are adjustable, padded SLR camera and lens compartments as well as a document pocket and zippered pocket for storage and organization.

“I have great respect for Ari’s work. He has pioneered an approach that has captured the creative minds and imagination of the individuals that follow him,” says Incase’s Chief Brand Officer Damon Way. “We are pleased to participate in this legacy with a signature bag that pushes convention.”

Designed for both professional photographers and enthusiasts alike, the Incase | Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag is now available for pre-order in our webstore. Each bag comes with Now Is Forever, a limited-edition book of new and unseen photographs by the artist, whose work can be found in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, SFMoMA and Berkeley Museum of Art.

This Thursday, September 23, Project Space will host an opening reception for “Now is Forever”, an exhibition featuring images from Marcopoulos’ new book of the same name, which is a travelogue of images from around the world. In addition to celebrating the launch of the collaboration, the event will also mark the premiere of “Moroso Crew,” a 60-minute cinema vérité documentary by Marcopoulos shot in 1992 about illegal drag racing in Brooklyn and the Bronx. “Now is Forever” will run through October 15 at Project Space.

Photographed by Ari Marcopoulos

All photos for the Paul Rodriguez slide show were shot by Ari Marcopoulos.

Photographer Ari Marcopoulos immerses himself completely in the individuals, personalities, visionaries and scenes he photographs.

Originally from the Netherlands, Marcopoulos came to New York City in 1979 where he printed photographs for Andy Warhol. He immediately became involved in the art and music scenes of the time. His rarely published photographs of Jean-Michel Basquiat from this period are perhaps the most intimate photographs taken of the artist.

The first book of his work, Portraits from the Studio and the Street, was published in 1988. At this time Marcopoulos turned his attention to New York’s vibrant hip-hop scene, becoming friendly with and photographing popular artists such as Fab 5 Freddy and Run-DMC. His photographs were used for the cover of the seminal Beastie Boys’ album Ill Communication.

In addition, Marcopoulos has directed numerous short films and exhibited work worldwide, including within the collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Detroit Institute of the Arts.

Marcopoulos currently lives in Sonoma, California.

In SD for the Agenda Show

This past week we showcased our new lineup of Life and Technology products at the Agenda Show in San Diego. Although this show has a much smaller footprint than Project in Vegas, it features an even more select grouping of streetwear and action sports brands with a strong emphasis in style, art, music and culture.

Views of our new booth. Black walls with the integrated Topo Pattern and the glowing light of our product gallery from within.

The activity inside the walls of our portable showroom. There was a steady flow of traffic at our booth and a great buzz about Incase around the show.

While we successfully worked with what we had at Project in Vegas the other week, with complete control of our environment at Agenda, we were able to provide an elevated experience for all who viewed.

Another peak at our EO Collection shown gallery style alongside some of our new nylon and canvas bags.

The focal point as you entered the booth was our Paul Rodriguez Signature Collection. Photo of Paul by Ari Marcopoulos.

And to top things off like sprinkles on a cake, we also previewed a fresh spectrum of case colors for Holiday 08 and Spring 09. You can view more pics from the tradeshow here.