Reception: Saturday, January 9, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Giant Robot is proud to present Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That, a solo show featuring new works by Philip Lumbang.

The Sacramento-born, Los Angeles-based artist has made a name for himself by painting what has been become known as "polite bears" on public walls around Los Angeles. Providing contrast to typically macho graffiti, his life-sized characters wave, smile, and are accompanied by word balloons that say things like "Have a nice day" and "Don't worry, be happy." While the warmth-inducing pieces are bold enough to smite passers-by in buses, bikes, and cars, closer inspection reveals a painterly hand. What might be mistaken for stencils from afar turn out to be the products of a confident brush worthy of a gallery setting.

For his first solo show in San Francisco, Lumbang is preparing more than 30 mixed-media works featuring his trademark bears, as well as elephants, raccoons, and other creatures. In his studio work, he often incorporates found metal, wood, and other materials--transforming junk into vessels of hope the same way he affects the urban environment of his adopted hometown.

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, as well as an online equivalent.

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