Through the heart of every true Southern Californian, there flows a passionate mixture of blood, salt water and gasoline. “Kustom Kulture II” is a celebration of this Life and Style. Grab your sweetie and a blanket, revv the rod and head down to the sands of Huntington. If you are new or old school to our Southwest turf, Kustom Kulture II, now up at the Huntington Beach Art Center, is a beautiful night out. Art can be fun!

Robert Williams sits tall on the throne.

In 1993, the Laguna Art Museum laid it on the line with a show devoted to the surf and car culture. Then, a respectability had been growing for what we now define as Lowbrow art—stick yer pinkie out when you say that! This was art born from fevered dreams and doodles in high school notebooks, not academic sensibilities. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, artists such as Robert Williams, Big Daddy Roth and Rick Griffin were jamming the gears in a push for reputability. Something was going on, and it was building. By the dawn of the ’90s, a loud mob of artistic surfers, gearheads and rockers were waving torches, ready to rumble. Most frightening of all, many of them had gone to art school! Curators ran for cover. Finally, the bastions of Highbrow began to crumble from the bombardment. Kustom Kulture at the Laguna Art Museum was as loud as a whoopee cushion and twice as fun. The fallout from this cultural blast has yet to settle. Much of what we see today, on the streets and in the galleries, radiates to this movement.

The Munster Mobile by George Barris

Kustom Kulture II is thorough and expansive. The show of over 60 works celebrates its predecessor and aims for new ground. The legends and their oeuvre are well represented. Their offspring and the niche players are given context. Margaret Keane is not overlooked. The centerpiece of the show is art-car king George Barris’ Munster Mobile, a hearse hot rod hybrid from the classic TV show. The curators have used a wide brushstroke to cover their sensibility and then used a fine pinstripe brush to fill in the details. Case in point, the show includes a series of biker-gang calling cards. Those merry pranksters would stop and assist a vacationing family, stranded by the side of the road. The Good Samaritans would then present their card, laughing as they rode off. Who was that nice man? Holy Cranial Combustion! The card read, “Assisted by Colorado Deadmen Hell’s Angels. Fuck the World.”

Don Ed Hardy claims his place.

This show is beautifully curated and stands as a shining example to the discipline. With a wide lens for scope and a fast zoom to detail, Kustom Kulture II is very well hung. Kudos to Greg Escalante, C.R. Stecyk and Paul Frank for their refined efforts.

There is a lot of talent in this motley crew. Left to right: Son of George: Brett Barris, Photographer Michael Brown, artist Annie Adjchavanich, Kustom Kulture II kurator Greg Escalante, Living Legend and American Pop Culture Hero George Barris, Kustom Kulture II kurator Craig Stecyk

The show features the work of over 30 artists, all worthy of a long, happy gaze. The Huntington Beach Art Center offers an extended schedule for your summer pleasure. Information and Hours: http://www.huntingtonbeachartcenter.org/exhibitions.php Go! Drive!

All photos by Michael Brown