A unique art show running August 20 through 22 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in San Diego features 25 artists renown in tiki and lowbrow/pop surrealism circles: Heather Watts, Tim Biskup, DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh, Isabel Samarasa, Crazy Al Evans, Claudette Barjoud aka Miss Fluff, Derek Yaniger, Jason Rodgers and Mia Rodgers, and Ken Ruzic/Little Lost Tiki who've created works using plaster casts of women's torsos -- including burlesque artists and tiki aficionados as their inspiration and canvases -- to raise awareness in the alt/underground scene about breast cancer prevention and detection. The event, part of Tiki Oasis weekend, benefits Keep A Breast Foundation and is free and open to the public. On Saturday August 21 from 1 to 2:30, there's a free artists and castees reception with live music and photo booth for posing with creators and their inspirations.
Tiki Oasis co-founder Baby Doe von Stroheim curated the show. She began the Tiki Oasis project by casting a dozen women from Tiki Oasis using Keep A Breast's plaster bandage wrap method, then approached artists in the lowbrow and pop surrealism scene, asking if they would be interested in participating, then adding other women's casts from Keep A Breast's portfolio as artist interest exploded.
Plaster casting art works are part of San Diego-based Keep A Breast Foundation's outreach program. The award-winning organization focuses on breast cancer awareness and education for those under 40; breast cancer that age group is much more aggressive and the rates are increasing. Keep A Breast worked to get the Early Act passed as part of health care reform, and is active in campaigning for the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. 