Flukemen and Believers at the iam8bit X-Files Art Show
iam8bit yesterday unveiled their X-Files art show, Conspiracies, Monsters, and Mythology, a must-see homage to the newly-revived cult favorite TV show. The gallery features contributions from over thirty artists, re-envisioning favorite moments and choice creatures.
by Tori, on instagram @miniature_xfiles_office
We Are Not Control by Dee Chavez
The X-Files Art Show Signals a Grand Revival
Los Angeles conspirators and cryptozoology fanatics alike were treated to a unique art showcase highlighting that mammoth of cult sci-fi television, The X-Files, whose return to television has been met with adulation from critics and fans alike. It all just goes to show that since the 90s, we haven’t become less paranoid–unless you’ve been living in a bunker for the past few decades (in which case, I’m assuming you are deeply paranoid) it seems the public’s thirst for answers to the unanswerable has surged in intensity. Hence, Conspiracies, Monsters, and Mythology is all too welcome to help open the floodgates.
X-Files by Ben Mcleod
Believe by Jango Snow
The Things We’ve Seen by Chris Malbone
A Series Bursting with Icons
The X-Files art show ran the gamut from parody to homage, shocking series highlights to subtle mood pieces, all with a clear message: X-Files is back, and it’s here to stay. Older fans might remember the series as among the edgiest primetime television accomplishment of its time, while younger audiences might only remember the eerie opening sequence, the theme song, and nothing more. But the beauty of the series is that its entire premise is encapsulated in the least of its part. This is because X-Files, which follows two FBI agents in their paranormal pursuits, is bursting with icons, symbolic objects and imagery that tap deeply into our subconscious fears and suspicions, whether it’s the butt of a cigarette, a blurry saucer, an X taped over a window-pane, or just a staid, black suit.
SCULLAAAAY by Alex Griendling
The New Adventures of the X-Files by Lehr Beidelschies
The Obvious Fan-Favorites
It’s easy to spot the series’ most enduring characters; Cigarette Smoking Man was present in full-force, which should surprise absolutely nobody. He was the series’ prime antagonist, the archetypal silhouette in the shadows, the man holding the smoking gun at every major political assassination, whose trademark look, the craggled face behind curling nicotine fumes, encapsulates so eloquently all the corruption, power, and impersonality that he’s come to represent. The other huge fan-favorite is, of course, the Flukeman, the series’ most famous creature creation, whose popularity is all the more incredible for the fact that it had nothing to do with the main plotline–it’s simply just a super-creepy monster, and fans today and past absolutely love him.
The Flukeman by Rich Davies
Trust No One by Rodalfa Reyes
Cigarette Smoking Son of a Bitch by Doaly
The Smoking Man by Samuel Ho
Huge Thanks to iam8bit
iam8bit has a made a name for itself with a variety of pop culture projects, from immersive art installations, to underground videogame release parties, to music events. You might call it an ongoing effort to bring pop culture to life in every imaginable medium; past projects have involved themed galleries similar to the X-Files art show, underground Street Fighter tournaments to Conan O’Brien’s I’m With Coco campaign. Their art shows are uniformly impressive, free to the public, and occupy a spacious back-gallery behind their storefront. In a city that seems to have more pop culture art galleries than public parks, iam8bit still manages to stand out.
