Throughout the world, you'll find a connection between art and culture, art and politics and consciousness. A cultivator of timely artistic expression, artist, director, author and curator Aaron Rose blurs the lines separating art and society to create a society of art.

Rose comes to Milwaukee Friday night to speak at Hot Pop Shop in the Third Ward. The event includes a book signing, live art and refreshments.

Curator of the "Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture" art movement and subsequent co-editor and co-director of the collected art book and documentary, Rose has exposed and influenced the world of urban art and street expression.

The "Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture" exhibit displays the works of artists like Barry McGee, Steven "Espo" Powers, Harmony Korine and Shepard Fairey; a small subset of artists whose style reflected a confluence of surf, skateboard, graffiti, punk and hip hop subcultures first in the early '90s.

Above all, Rose seeks to share the personal stories of artists whose work mirrors their own internal and external reality of life. His desire to expose a snippet of time through art is both sociological and anthropological in nature but more importantly, blurs the fine line separating underground and mainstream culture.

"Aaron Rose has exemplified the development of street art and a successful career path that began through his street art roots," says Adam Bauer, event marketing representative.

The exhibit toured the United States in 2008 and is on tour in Europe for the remainder of 2009.

Rose's outward success by no means begins and ends with "Beautiful Losers." Rose owned Alleged Gallery in New York City for 10 years, created Alleged Press and currently works as a freelance curator with the Undefeated Billboard Project in Los Angeles.

Alleged Press, a collaborative creation with Italian publisher Damiani Editore, highlights the work of young graphic designers, photographers, artists and filmmakers whose creative style represents current times.

Hot Pop, which opened in 2008, doubles as a retail space and event space. Still in its first year of business, the store has been active in Gallery Night, community events and artist showings.

"We want to bring high caliber artists to Milwaukee; specifically urban, street, self-taught artists who are pushing the envelope. We really want to be a part of the community," says Margaret Martin, owner of Hot Pop.