Luke Chueh may paint pictures of anthropomorphic bears and bunnies, but his work definitely isn't for kids. You've probably seen his adorably macabre images on skateboards, album covers and bootlegged T-shirts. A Los Angeles artist with a cult following, Chueh juxtaposes the "cute and the brute": his little bears stand alone in empty stark spaces, often bloody or breaking apart or on fire, evoking loneliness and discomfort but also a sweet ironic humor.
Organized chronologically and strung together with brief commentaries by the artist, gallery owners and celebrity fans, Bearing the Unbearable showcases Chueh's work from 2003-2009. It's a beautifully formatted book, and Chueh's simple images are all the more striking on big glossy pages.
"This is an art movement of icons and relatability," writes one contributor--like Chueh, a member of the "pop surrealist" movement. "And Luke has created some of the strongest icons of all." --Hannah Calkins