Ryan Humphrey

SUPERSTORE - October 1st to December 3rd, 2005

SUPERSTORE: a prototype storefront for the mock corporation Humphrey Industries. This venture is influenced by the independent rock band Fugazi, Diane Von Furstenburg’s multi-use, party space/apartment-boutique, and Keith Harring’s pop shop.

The self-produced, self-managed and artist run store has co-opted the retail design of fashion boutiques that attach themselves to gallery districts like barnacles on ships. This experiment in entrepreneurship is a “DIY” approach to engaging the art public directly without the aid or hindrances of gallery representation.

This is a call to arms: Eliminate the middlemen. Deal direct. Forge your own cultural vision and promote it yourself.

Humphrey Industries has no full time employee’s, no child labor factories in China, no giant Times Square billboards, or glossy fashion magazine ads, and hardly any actual product.

Humphrey is more influenced by the inventiveness of David Lee Roth era Van Halen and the feats (and defeats) of Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel than any visual artist living or dead.

Ryan Humphrey will be exhibiting his wares in the Kantor Gallery New York window located at 259 10th Avenue. Exhibit will run from October 1st to December 3rd. For more information please call 323-933-6976.

Special thanks to Vans shoes, and A’me grips for this project.

On view in the space:

*18 self portraits of the artist as Clark Kent changing into Superman.
*An edition of 300 Humphrey Industries Bicycle grips.
*Van Saarinen – a vintage Saarinen chair painted like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar
*Several miniature skateboards
*Humphrey Industries Soda
*Humprey Industries Product boxes
*Editioned Humphrey Industries stickers
*Humphrey Industries t-shirts
*Several small Humphrey Industries logo paintings
*Humphrey Industries book – a Printed Matter publication
*Somebody Call Me a Doctor.” – a vintage rotary phone painted like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar and housed in a glass cake tray.