Union City Artists Form Creative Design Firm, Host Art Exhibit Saturday

A group of local creatives have joined forces to form a new design firm offering everything from art and graphic design to film and music.

Comprised of 10 Union City artists, the collective known as the Haus of Godspeed will hold an open house group exhibit at their Oakland studio, located at 839 High St., this Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight.

“Back in the day, when people went on journeys people would tell them 'godspeed' to wish them luck,” explains co-founder Darren Chiu, 29. “This is our journey.”

Many of the various painters, digital designers, photographers, filmmakers and musicians can trace their roots to local mid-2000s hip-hop group Beautiful Music Baby and graffiti crew After the Clock. Since then, many of the artists have branched out and evolved, Chiu said.

“We thought: Let’s put it all together and put it on the table,” said Chiu, an artist who also designs clothing for Hayward-based company IMPRM.

Among the artists are Bryant Sina and Dominic Grun, former graffiti artists who have since taken their art to the canvas. Sina held his first solo art exhibit at Paddy’s Coffee House in 2008 and has since been featured in San Francisco galleries alongside Grun and others.

Others in the crew include Keane Dasalla, a filmmaker who has shot music videos for Bay Area artists as well as commercials and projects for companies such as Intel Gaming, and Albert Mejia, a member of the Champagne Clique production team who has made beats artists such as Los Angeles rapper Dom Kennedy and San Francisco rapper DaVinci.

Some members in the collective also design for San Francisco-based men’s clothing company Mister, Chiu said.

They hope to combine their talents to take on more projects as a creative design firm.

“What started as an art crew, we’re now trying to turn into an actual business,” Chiu said.

The group is inviting everyone to see highlights from their journey at their open house this Saturday. Merchandise, including their popular “GS” logo and Pegasus woodcut pins and pendants, will be on sale.

For more info about Haus of Godspeed, like them at www.facebook.com/HAUSofGS and follow them at www.twitter.com/HAUSofGODSPEED.

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