SPACE 242 , Boston’s lowbrow destination, proudly announces its May 2009 exhibitions: WIDE-EYED & GHOSTLIKE, featuring new illustrative paintings by Joe Keinberger, CARTOON CAULDRON, featuring new mixed media paintings by Michael Lehman, and HOMUNCULUS, featuring new transformative dolls by Matthew Towler. The exhibitions, on view May 29 through June 19, feature a variety of new work by these three artists.

The opening reception, Friday, May 29, runs from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Boston’s South End, 242 E. Berkeley Street, 2nd floor (between Albany Street and Harrison Avenue). The artists will also host an artist talk Thursday, June 18, from 7:00 to 8:00p.m. RSVP required for attendance at either event at ww.space242.com. Regular gallery hours are Friday evenings, 6:30-8pm, and by appointment. No RSVP is necessary for visiting during regular gallery hours.

Joe Keinberger creates paintings, illustrations, sculpture, comic strips, and apparel design. According to him, the work sometimes reeks of “frightening images of the impending apocalypse.” His characters include “obsessive compulsive phantoms, misguided and disillusioned anthropomorphic root vegetables, and woodland creatures living as self-important, self-made saints. They are a “sad menagerie of booze-addles, overburdened, melancholy flora and fauna, on a solemn and cheerful death march into obscurity.” His work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, throughout the Boston area and in publications, record albums, rock posters, and websites. He cites influences including Ralph Steadman, Camille Rose Garcia, Marcel Dzama, Egon Schiele, The Handsome Family, Lungfish, Nick Cave, Edward Gorey, and Chris Mars. Originally from Hingham, MA, Keinberger studied at Massachusetts College of Art, and resides in Medford/Somerville.

Matt Towler works in pencils, ink, paint, photography, and sometimes, dolls. Generally these “spooky dolls” begin unadorned, turning into a state of decay, with cracked, rusting, or otherwise altered flesh. The dolls become characters, including clothes, wigs, makeup, tattoos, and sometimes wings, and other accessories. In their final metamorphosis, the dolls receive their names, inspired by mythological stories of goddesses and demons. According to Towler, “they become the physical representation of the altered state they depict, the plastic smiles of the original dolls showing through.” Inspired by dinosaurs, strange creatures, and Star Wars, he describes his work as “somewhere between beautiful and decaying.” He has created artwork for CD and book covers, and his work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, Towler, also a dj, resides in Malden.

Michael Lehman’s debut exhibition features painted illustrations and graphics. Working with acrylic paint and collage on wood, canvas or the occasional found object, Lehman creates bold and iconic imagery with strong ties to classic cartoons and 2D animation. Like many kids in the 70’s and early 80’s, he devoted himself to the highly anticipated ritual of cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. Favorites included Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and anything directed by cartoon demigod Tex Avery. When not glued to the set on Saturdays, Lehman entertained himself by drawing his own cartoon characters (Trampoline Dogs, Pogo People, and Mr. Lips to name a few). Also, he spent time cutting out various heads and bodies from magazines or newspapers and recombining the mismatched parts. Both activities never failed to provide him with hours of hysterical laughter.

Lehman’s work is inspired by many cartoon-style illustrators of the day like Gary Baseman and Ralph Steadman as well as dreams, art, music, movies, books, pop culture, chance, jokes and “the never-ending struggle to resist growing up.” His painting technique as well the foreground/ background aspect is tied to principles found in nearly all classic 2-D animation. Main characters and layouts are carefully designed and refined into a simplified, iconic representation. Paper collage materials are gathered, randomly placed and fixed to the painting surface. The collage is then washed over with a unifying color as a subdued groundwork for the painted foreground imagery. Painted foreground characters are based on simple shapes and defined by bold, black line-work with varying layers of opaque and transparent color.

Lehman works as a commercial freelance designer and his art has appeared in The Weekly Dig, The Boston Phoenix, and Guitar Player Magazine. His design was selected for the art annual Spectrum 5 : The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. He earned his BFA in Illustration at Syracuse University and lives in Somerville.

WIDE-EYED AND GHOSTLIKE, CARTOON CAULDRON, and HOMUNCULUS are sponsored in part by Harpoon, The Weekly Dig, and ArtScope Magazine.