the LOST Underground Art Project Opens to the Public

The oddly named Ronie Midfew Arts (hmm, could it be an anagram?) presented the LOST Underground Art Project in its entirety at Gallery 1988 on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 15th, opening its doors at 7pm.

After nearly 4 months of LOST inspired artwork being created and sold as prints on damoncarltonandapolarbear.com, the 16th and final piece (by Taylor Stout) was revealed at an exhibition of all the original works, along with dozens of additional LOST artwork done in various mediums by an amazing and diverse collection of artists. The concept of LOST-inspired fan art was presented almost 5 months ago at the final San Diego Comic-Con LOST panel by comedian Paul Scheer playing the part of an overzealous fan (was he REALLY just playing a part?) forcing the odd but transparently named Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear velvet painting upon the executive producers (the velvet artwork was actually done by the artist Misha, but pulled from the mind of Scheer). Little did the fans know at that point what would be born out of that manic presentation back in July… an online scavenger hunt with cryptic clues leading to random locales all over the world, limited edition prints selling out within seconds of being offered, and eventually an exhibit put on by the people of Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles with executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse in attendance along with a number of more anonymous LOST creative staff and many of the artists who contributed the art adorning the walls that night.

Some fans lined up for more than a day to be the first to witness the unveiling and get access exclusive LOST goodies, including a t-shirt based on one of the most popular prints. All artwork was available for purchase (often at prices crafted from the show’s ubiquitous numbers, such as $815 or $1516), signed by the artist and LOST Lindelof and Cuse. For those that missed the event, the work will be on display exclusively at Gallery 1988, 7020 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90038, through December 24th, 2009. For information on gallery hours and more, go to Gallery 1988.

To see images of every single work of art (and their prices), go to lostundergroundartshow.blogspot.com. You’ll also find pictures from the event: the art, the crowd, and the best Team Jacob shirt ever on the popculturegeek Flickr site.

Music in the video is by Geronimo Jackson, a band made famous on the LOST tv series. © 2009 ABC Studios. No infringement is intended.