http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/03/25/s-f-art-show-to-exalt-all-things-nicholas-cage/

Nicolas Cage, perhaps the most meme’d actor of his generation, has finally made the jump from the silver screen to the vaunted world of high-class art, as his likeness will be the subject of anart exhibition in the Mission next month.

The show will consist of art completely dedicated to, though not affiliated with or attended by, Nicolas Cage — photos, paintings, digitally altered images of the actor, etc.

The exhibition is being put on by Ezra Croft, a 35-year-old Bed Bath and Beyond employee who moonlights as a DJ and event planner and came up with the idea after attending an art show in San Jose that he didn’t much care for.

“The art was really good, but it was just kind of boring,” Croft said. “Art needs to be more fun.”

After going home and watching what he described as a “pretty terrible” movie starring the Oscar-winning actor, Croft was inspired.

“I thought to myself, let’s take something that isn’t anything and make it something,” he said.

From there, Croft just need to find the art. He began posting to Craigslist forums all over the world asking for submissions. The response was overwhelming.

“I’ve gotten submissions from just about everywhere,” he said. “From Japan to Africa, with art from more than 130 people.”

One piece that connoisseurs may want to look out for, Croft said, is a photo he received from a woman in Nigeria depicting a tribal elder standing next to a cardboard cutout of Cage.

The show will be at Balancoire on Mission Street on April 12 at 7 p.m. The website — which declares/asks “Nicolas Cage is God!?” — promises “one of San Franciso’s most interesting and off the wall art expositions, EVER!” It also promises that there will be a bar and a number of musical acts.

Tickets are $10.

Hi Enzo and Royaltraveler, thanks for posting. I am going to merge this thread with the one I already started on the same topic.

More about the art show, and some great images of some of the artwork that has been submitted. 

http://time.com/45297/nicolas-cage-art-show/

This Nicolas Cage Art Show Is Sure to Be a National Treasure

Kara McNarry

Even when he’s uttering absurd lines like, “Not the bees!,” Nic Cage’s unflagging commitment to the craft of acting has inspired one art enthusiast-slash-hero to throw a Nic Cage art shindig in San Francisco

Nicolas Cage is more than just an incredibly prolific and notoriously evocative actor. He’s also an icon who’s generated more memes and Reddit threads and viral video montages than just about anyone.

Behind this exhibition — which will feature paintings, music, glitch art, live sketch performances and more — is 35-year-old Bay Area resident Ezra Croft. The idea came to him a few months ago when he was at an art show that seemed boring and stuffy. Art, he felt, should be more fun and more interactive than what he was used to seeing.

“Then, I began thinking about Nicolas Cage and how the Internet recently has been poking a lot of fun at him,” Croft says. “And he’s been in so many movies, and I just thought, this guy really needs an art show. There are so many facets people could pull from him.”

And so Croft, who works at Bed Bath & Beyond and moonlights as a DJ and event planner, began posting Craigslist ads all over the world seeking submissions. And soon enough, they came pouring in, flooding his inbox. Next, he found a venue that was willing to host the exhibition, chose a date and voilà: the first Nicolas Cage art show was born.

The show will feature plenty of local art but will also include works from countries as far as France, Nigeria and Japan. The goal here, Croft says, was never to poke fun at Cage, but to celebrate him and his career in a lighthearted way.

“None of it is mean-spirited,” Croft says. “It’s kind of like when you’re in grade school and you draw a picture of your teacher with a horse body or something funny like that. That’s about as mean-spirited as it gets.”

Anyone who’s feeling inspired is welcome to submit their work ahead of the April 10 deadline. The only real criteria are as follows: the art must be fun, interesting or introspective, and must aim to look at Cage from a unique perspective. All types of art are fair game: illustrations, photo montages, video art, live skits, paintings, etc.

Croft is already at work planning another celebrity-themed art show. This one would center on Bill Murray, whose face Croft just so happens to have tattooed on his arm. He’s also toying with the idea of a Law & Order show and a mustache-themed show.

The real highlight of the show, though, would be if Cage himself showed up. Croft has left messages with his manager and agent inviting the actor to attend, so fingers crossed. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at some of the many incarnations of Cage featured in the upcoming show:

Alice Brerton Steven Holliday Marguerite Kalhor Timothy Tang Peter Letourneau Tania Ku Steven Holliday William Bronson