Dear Pennies & Pens,
Some of you may remember that last year, I attended the Dallas Observerās Artopia. If you donāt check out the post here: Press Pen: Dallas Observer Artopia 2015. I am happy to report that I attended the event again this year. That said, I present to you, Pen’s Eye: The Dallas Observer’s Artopia 2016.
As it states on the website, āArtopia is a celebration of Dallas Culture & Art that incorporates food, drink, art, music and fashion into one evening. This one-night fete celebrates the exciting, vibrant Cultural scene in Dallas.ā
Artopia was once again held at Centennial Hall in Fair Park. The space is large enough to accommodate all the eventās activities but small enough that you can still navigate the event. I enjoyed Artopia and was able to reconnect with Nobodyyy and Adam Jones who I interviewed last year.
Nobodyyy and Adam both had new pieces on display so I was excited to see their latest creations. I chopped it up with Nobodyyy for a few minutes and he told me about his latest series titled, āYoung & Ambitiousā. The pieces feature the late Hip-hop/R&B icons, Tupac, Aaliyah, and The Notorious B.I.G.
While Nobodyyy and I chatted, he told me that it took him 10 hours just to paint Tupacās face! Pretty dope, right?! And if you look at the painting up close you can see that he truly captured Pacās essence. Each painting looks like a photo thatās how realistic looking they are. Itās a sight for sore eyes.
I also had a chance to speak with Adam Jones briefly and his work is now available at Lab Art. Adam also has new work that I truly enjoyed seeing. He has his own unique style that is both visually stunning and interesting.
Overall, I had a great time at Artopia. I didnāt sample any of the food (since I figured the vegan options would be slim) but I did grab some dranks and those were delish! If youāre in the Dallas area or if you would like to know more about Artopia, visit the website here: Artopia
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
