The Hukilau 2010's special guest: Shag / Josh Agle

Josh Agle is a California painter and designer who is probably better known by the name he signs on his paintings, “Shag.” Agle has spent the last decade creating a body of work based on his idiomatic aesthetic preference, a world of mid 20th century modern architecture and design, populated by hedonists, supplicants, and indifferent women.

Since the early 1990s, Shag’s paintings have depicted tiki imagery: bar scenes, tropical settings and Polynesian kitsch. Agle is considered a pioneer in spurring the resurgence of interest in tiki culture, and has created designs and art for Disneyland, Trader Vic’s, the MGM Grande and Coca-Cola.

Shag’s work has been featured in collections and museums worldwide, including the Naples Museum of Modern Art in 2009, the Riverside Art Museum in 2008, and the Laguna Art Museum in 2007. Several books have been published about his art and design, including the recently released “Autumn’s Come Undone,” (2009, Baby Tattoo Press).

Shag begins 2010 with a January solo exhibition in São Paolo, Brazil, his only show before Hukilau. In addition to displaying new artwork, Shag will also be designing special merchandise for Hukilau 2010 including clothing and barware. Shag is looking forward his first trip to both the Hukilau event, and the Mai-Kai. “Since it is the grandest remaining Tiki Temple, the Mai-Kai has been on my list of places to visit. Partaking in Hukilau will also give me a chance to practice what I preach in my paintings: unbridled hedonism” states Shag who will be embarking on a three-city series of openings in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, directly after his Hukilau appearance.

website | www.shag.com