House Boi celebrates its 3rd year, so I decided to update my Yelp. :)

http://www.houseboisandiego.com/

Happy Birthday House Boi!

Under a French Quarter balcony and the auspicious black and white striped entry awning lay the enormous windows of House Boi, occupying a New Orleans architectural revivalist building. The interior basks in the signature citrusy shade of permanent green light, and several vignetted sitting areas have clothing and merchandise carefully/casually laid out, showing its potential place in your home. Modern pieces of metal and resin commingle with earthy, wooden exotic furnishings. The entire feel evokes a sense of Western romance (buckles and leather goods), meets rocker (studded black jeans and wristbands), an aesthetic concept that is immediately upscale Californian cowboy, with metro-grooming but still deliciously scruffy, who also travels the world.

Between major Hillcrest streets Center and Richmond, tucked between CoShow realty and Cohabitat, and just down the block from Bite and Mama Testa’s, lies the year-old neighbour House Boi. House Boi has been a presence in the tri-community area (North Park, University Heights and Hillcrest) for three years, once occupying a place further up University Avenue at the foot of the hill near Georgia, and happily moving into its new home in 2009. Part of the move was an expansion of floor space, opening the door to more merchandise. House Boi now has, among its established brands, Hard 8, Gypsy 05, La Familia, True Honor, Fender & English Laundry and partnerships with many San Diego-, Phoenix-, LA- and San Francisco-based jewelry, accessory and visual artists.

Cinema Review: "Exit Through The Gift Shop," a Banksy film.

by Marcel Reyes

Image used is the Mister Brainwash Madonna piece that was used as cover art for her Celebration greatest hits collection.

Though ostensibly to be about the work of Banksy and street art at large, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" is a film about fanatic emulation, obsession, and deconstruction. Very funny, and at times offensive to artists and art scholars, it makes a sharp incision into the contextualization of contemporary art. The film is mainly about the life and work of Thierry (pronounced Terry) Guetta, a floater of sorts whose deep emptiness due to tragic loss and general alienation causes him to latch on to whatever has the strongest flavor nearby. In this case, Thierry is immersed in the world of street artists, who take to his gung-ho enthusiasm and his knack for recording everything on camcorder (evolving into a fabrication in which Thierry is gathering material for a first-of-its-kind documentary about street art).

From under the wing of one street artist (Space Invader)