“Busky”

BOZOMAG is pleased to announce, “Busky” a two-person exhibition featuring Robert “Bob” Branaman and Allegra Samp at Driveway LA.

This show features historic work by Branaman from the 1980s & 1990s and new, embroidered work by Samp in a unique, multi-generational presentation.

Bob Branaman was born in 1933 in Wichita, Kansas. After attending Wichita State University, he joined several friends in what is now known as the “Wichita Vortex”, that took Bruce Conner, William Burroughs, Stan Brakhage, amongst others, to San Francisco in the late 1950s. In the Bay Area, Branaman exhibited at the Batman Gallery located at 2222 Fillmore. Batman, which was run by William Jahrmarkt, hosted multiple exhibitions by Branaman, along with shows by Jay DeFeo, Joan Brown, George Herms, Ray Johnson, Bruce Conner & Manuel Neri. This loose assortment of artists (many of whom had studios on Fillmore, near Batman Gallery), were known as the “Rat Bastard Protective Association”. By the 1970s, Branaman was settled in Big Sur; making paintings, collages, reliefs & films. After an extended stint raising his family in the Bay Area, Branaman relocated to Southern California in the 1980s. Working for the Santa Monica City College, Branaman focused heavily on print-making, etching, mono-prints & poetry. At this time, he also worked intensively with Josephine Press with fellow teacher, John Greco. Branaman was Beyond Baroque’s “artist-in-residence” from 2010-2020, during which he curated dozens of exhibitions at the “Mike Kelley Gallery”. In 2023, Branaman was awarded the Alexandra Garrett Award for Service at Beyond Baroque’s 55th Anniversary Gala. Branaman most recently was featured in exhibitions at Parker Gallery, The Landing, Karma International, and BOZOMAG. In 2020, Branaman moved to the Palisades in Los Angeles with his girlfriend where he worked until his passing in 2024.

Allegra Samp is a Los Angeles based textiles artist. She received her BFA in Textiles from California College of the Arts in 2019. Samp confines her figurative embroidery to traditional stretcher bars, challenging the historical divide between craft and fine art. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she takes great inspiration from her surroundings and the pop culture of her childhood; exploring memory, femininity of thread, masculinity of painting and material language through layered, tactile compositions. By foregrounding labor-intensive processes traditionally coded as decorative or domestic, she repositions textile techniques within a contemporary context.

“Busky” will have an opening reception on Saturday, June 13th from 5-9PM, with additional open hours on Sunday, June 14th from 12-5PM.

DM for Address!