Jose Luis Cabrera’s fourth exhibition, Noctuary, opens October 23 at Robert Bills Contemporary, 650 West Lake St. in Chicago. The opening reception takes place between 4-7 p.m.  In the last three years Cabrera has been exhibited around the world (Switzerland, Dubai, Central America). He has also been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the University Club in Chicago.

He has also won a slew of awards including Young Artist Award at Art Basel in Miami, Society of Artists Gold Award in NYC and first prize for student work at Miami Dade College. As a native Floridian I attach most importance to the first and third of these.

He is my one sentence description of the paintings I have seen by Cabrera; They are bright and dark at the same time. Yeah, yeah, not profound. Go see his work yourself, even if you cannot buy you can see and that is part of what art is kids.

For more info or to see more paintings by Cabrera go HERE.

Toys are art sometimes aren’t they? I know I thought my Star Trek dolls were when I was a kid. Mark Nagata agrees with me. He has the biggest collection of Ultraman toys outside of Japan.

Morikami Museum & Gardens are about to be invaded by these kaijū this coming Wednesday and Nagata and Professor James B. Levy, also a collector of these Japanese vinyl toys, will speak about them. The toys, first made in the 60s and 70s, were seen as throwaways but over the years have become collector’s items because of their design and artistry.

The cost is $10 or $7 for members. The Consulate General of Japan collaborated on this event as did Tate’s Comics, who are supplying prizes.