Will Rise: The Seventh Letter Crew @ Yves Laroche Art Gallery

Last night I attended Will Rise at Yves Laroche Gallery's new location up on St Laurent Blvd, the first Canadian group exhibition by the infamous Seventh Letter Crew. The show featured captivating works by Norm, Revok, Push, Pose, Reyes, and Retna. as soon as I walked into the new Yves Laroche Gallery locale I was immediately drawn to a three piece canvass set by Retna that had me completely taken for a couple of minutes until I bumped into a couple of familiar faces. Revok had a couple of interesting mixed medium pieces on wood just to the right. The gallery was packed full of eager on lookers, enthusiasts, artists and writers both local and visiting, and other interested parties shuffling about admiring the works and chatting about with each other. DJ Sagewondah (French Connection) was kicking out some easy beats next to an impressive and colorful series by Pose while the regular wine and Boris table was set up next to the controlled confusion of lines and color by Push. Adorning the back wall were several pieces by Norm and Reyes providing a strong back bone for this ridiculously talented art exhibit.

The new gallery location is larger and more modern than their previous one in Old Montreal, that, although was a little cramped and stuffy for larger events, had a certain character that just fit the type of art on the walls. This new location is fresh and certainly gives more space for the growing artist list that Yves Laroche carries, and thankfully, is air conditioned with more than enough room for larger events and more art, especially larger pieces. Besides the fine works that were up last night by the artists for the current show, the gallery still has pieces up by the other artists it supports such as Turf 1, Shepard Fairey, Blek the rat, Mac, Omen, and a host of others. I've tossed in a couple of extra flicks just to boot. I'm sure that future events and the artists represented will benefit from these improvements. 

The Seventh Letter is more than just a crew, it is a urban art collective having roots in graffiti, tattooing, sculpturing, graphic design, music, and other creative areas. LA based, The Seventh Letter was created to fulfill an intermediary role between writers and artists from MSK (Mad Society Kings) and AWR (Art Work Rebels/Angels Will Rise) graffiti crews and burgeoning outside (corporate and art) interests. Over the years this collective has grown to over 100 members and spread across the globe having shows in Korea, United States, Spain, Italy and other select locations. Now, for the first time in Canada, in conjunction with Basta! and curated by Norm AWR this is a show not to be missed. Check it out until September 15th 2010 at Gallery Yves Laroche at 6355 St. Laurent Blvd. near Beaubien metro. For more information check out their web site at www.yveslaroche.com or call 514-393-1999. 

Enjoy these shots from the opening night but do yourself a favor and go check it out!

I wish I had taken more shots! Go see this show! You will not be disappointed.
Finished pics from UP 2010 soon!