All posts tagged: Broken Fingaz

The Crystal Ship – Collection from Past Editions

The Crystal Ship – Collection from Past Editions

Yesterday, we shared with you the current edition of The Crystal Ship, a Belgian street art festival located in Ostend, which is located in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The collection of images that we presented was taken by photographer Martha Cooper, a frequent collaborator of BSA, during her recent trip to Ostend as a special guest of the festival.

Adele Renault. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

In line with her usual practice, Ms. Cooper did not limit her work to capturing photos of the murals being painted for this year’s festival edition; she also endeavored to take as many photos of murals painted during previous editions of the festival. We are pleased to present a selection of these murals, painted over several years, with photographs taken by Martha Cooper herself.

Miss Van. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

This selection of murals is an exciting representation of the diverse and captivating street art that has been featured at The Crystal Ship Festival throughout the years, much of it creating a gallery of contemporary artists whose work is arresting and appealing to a general audience. The dedication and hard work put forth by Martha Cooper in capturing these pieces in all their artistic glory is genuinely commendable. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the festival’s vibrant history and the incredible art showcased in the public square in Ostend over the years.

BEZT. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Escif. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
BUCK. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Guido van Helten. The Crystal Ship 2016. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
C215. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Alex Senna. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Phlegm. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
DZIA The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Joachim. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Husk Mit Navn. The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Matthew Dawn. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Broken Fingaz. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Paola Delfin. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Zenith. The Crystal Ship 2020. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Erin Holly. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Hyuro. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
TelmoMiel. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Case Maclaim. The Crystal Ship 2020. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Colectivo Licuado. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Helen Bur. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Helen Bur. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Iñigo Sesma. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Leon Keer. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
David Walker. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Franco Fasoli. Detail. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Franco Fasoli. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Maya Hayuk. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Aryz. The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Aryz. The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

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“Beyond The Streets” On Paper Opens in Southampton

“Beyond The Streets” On Paper Opens in Southampton

This time of year, it is hard to find people in Manhattan on the weekends – they’re “weekending” in the Hamptons, darling.

Khari Turner, Hands

Not exactly the original setting you might associate with graffiti, street art, hip-hop, punk rock, zines, and underground art culture but where else can curators Evan Pricco and Kim Stephens sell these works on paper while sipping cool drinks poolside?

“Beyond the Streets” carries the mobile party to Southampton Arts Center this Saturday with a wide swath of styles – 500 works from over 100 artists in an art fair-sized venue. It may remind you of the Urban Air Fair tried in Manhattan in summer 2017, but this one has something that one didn’t: Roger Gastman.

Shepard Fairey, Elysium Lotus

If it’s here, it’s because it is quality work and has a connection to the roots of these subcultural scenes usually as well. Expanding now to the more nebulous category of Contemporary, you may be surprised to see more accessible interpretive variations on the themes. Let’s see that paper, people. 

Jane Dickson, Fourth of July 2

Artists include: Action Bronson, Addam Yekutieli, agnès b, AIKO, André Saraiva, Andrew Schoultz, Andrew Thiele, Andy Rementer, Aryz, Bert Krak, Brandon Breaux, Broken Fingaz, Bryant Giles, Camille Walala, CES, Cey Adams, Charlie Ahearn, Chloe Early, Chris FREEDOM Pape, Clark Fox, Cody Hudson, Conor Harrington, Craig Costello, CRASH, DABSMYLA, Daniel Rich, David “Mr StarCity” White, DAZE, DEFER, Emily Manwaring, Eric Haze, Ermsy, Escif, FAILE, Faith XLVII, Fucci, Greg SPONE Lamarche, Gustavo Zermeno, Hilda Palafox, House 33, HuskMitNavn, Ian Reid, Icy & Sot, Jaime Muñoz, Jamilla Okuba, Jane Dickson, JEC*, Jeremy Shockley, Jillian Evelyn, JK5, John Konstantine, Julian Pace, KATSU, KC Ortiz, Kelsey Brookes, Khari Turner, Kime Buzzelli, LeRoy Neiman, Linas Garsys, Liz Flores, Lucy McLauchlan, Lujan Perez, Maripol, Mark Mothersbaugh, Martha Cooper, Marshall LaCount, Matt McCormick, Maya Hayuk, Michael Vasquez, MIKE 171, Mister CARTOON, Neena Ellora, Nehemiah Cisneros, Nettie Wakefield, NUNCA, Otto183, Paije Fuller, Paul Insect, POSE, Rebecca Morgan, Reko Rennie, Rello, Richard Colman, RISK, Ron English, Ryan McGinness, Sage Vaughn, Saladeen Johnson, Scott Campbell, Sean from Texas, Senon Williams, Shantell Martin, Shepard Fairey, SJK 171, Sofía Enriquez, SNOEMAN, Spacebrat, STASH, Steve ESPO Powers, SWOON, TAKI 183, The Perez Bros., Timothy Curtis, Todd James, Troy Lamarr Chew II, Umar Rashid, Victor Reyes, Wasted Rita, Wulffvnky, Yarrow Slaps, Yusuke Hanai, ZESER, ZOER and 45RPM.

BEYOND THE STREETS on PAPER
July 17—August 28, 2021
Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, New York, 11968

For more details, schedules, etc. click HERE

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“Beyond The Streets” Comes To Brooklyn in June

“Beyond The Streets” Comes To Brooklyn in June

Gastman’s Massive Graffiti and Street Art Show Arrives at Epicenter.

“I’m really excited to bring this show to New York,” says curator, graffiti historian and urban anthropologist Roger Gastman, “because the city plays such a pivotal role in the origin and evolution of the culture. The iconic images of covered subway cars made graffiti famous worldwide.”

Style Wars Car by NOC 167 with Door Open, Man Reading Newspaper, 96th Street Station, New York, NY, 1981. (photo © Martha Cooper)

He’s talking of course about “Beyond The Streets” the hybrid exhibition that he mounted in LA last year featuring the work of 150 who have proved to be pivotal to the evolution of a fifty year global people’s art movement that includes graffiti, street art, and urban contemporary art. Filling over 100,000 square feet of new space in Brooklyn, this two-floor cross-section survey will feature artworks by many of the same vandals, graffiti writers, Street Artists, and art activists who hit NYC streets, created dialogue with passersby, and were sometimes chased by the authorities. To see them showcased here is to recognize that there is not just one route to take – in fact there are many.

Guerrilla Girls at Abrons Art Center, New York, 2015. (photo © Andrew Hindrake)

“We have an incredible roster of artists for New York,” Gastman tells us, “and a brand new space in Williamsburg that has a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline as our backdrop.” Notably the lineup includes artists whose work BSA has documented on the streets in this very same neighborhood over the past two decades, including Shepard Fairey, Faile, Swoon, Bast, Invader, Aiko, and others. Ironically the appearance of free-range Street Art in the neighborhood has been seriously diminished since that time.

The exhibition is one more verification that a significant portion of the scene is being widely recognized for its cultural contribution and value in the contemporary art canon – a significantly fluid scene fueled by discontent and a desire to short-circuit the established routes to audience appreciation. Like large survey shows elsewhere, the takeaway is the significant impact street culture and its tangential subcultures continues to have on the culture at large.

Lil’ Crazy Legs during shoot for Wild Style, Riverside Park, NY, 1983. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Gastman says the New York version of “Beyond The Streets” will take an additional interest at the role of music and art activism on the street, along with immersive installations, a tattoo parlor, a special Beastie Boys installation with artifacts and ephemera, a new 30th Anniversary Shepard Fairey project “Facing The Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent,” and large scale works by Gorilla Girls, Futura, Cleon Peterson, and Takashi Murakami. 

More news coming on programming and events, but the important opening date to know right now is June 21st.

“All in all, it will make for a really special show this Summer,” says Gastman.


BEYOND THE STREETS TEAM

Curator: Roger Gastman

Co-Curators: Sacha Jenkins SHR, Evan Pricco, David CHINO Villorente

Producer: Ian Mazie & Pressure Point Creative


Tickets and hours of operation can be found at: BEYONDTHESTREETS.COM


FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE:

A-ONE, AIKO, Al Diaz, Alexis Ross, Alicia McCarthy, André ​Saraiva, Barry McGee, BAST, Beastie Boys, Bert Krak, Bill Barminski, Bill Daniel, BLADE, Broken Fingaz, Buddy Esquire, buZ blurr, Carlos Mare, Carl Weston, Cey Adams, C.R. Stecyk III, Charlie Ahearn, Chaz Bojórquez, Claudia Gold, Cleon Peterson, COCO 144, Conor Harrington, Corita Kent, Craig Costello, CRASH, DABSMYLA, Dan Witz, Dash Snow, DAZE, DEFER, Dennis Hopper, Dondi White, Doze Green, EARSNOT, Estevan Oriol, Fab 5 Freddy, FAILE, Faith XLVII, Felipe Pantone, FREEDOM, FUTURA 2000, Gajin Fujita, Glen E. Friedman, Gordon Matta-Clark, Guerrilla Girls, HAZE, Henry Chalfant, Herb Migdoll, Husk Mit Navn, INVADER, Jane Dickson, Jason REVOK, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jenny Holzer, Jim Prigoff, John Ahearn, John Fekner, John Tsombikos, Joe Conzo, José Parlá, KATS, KC Ortiz, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Kilroy Was Here, LADY PINK, LAZAR, LEE Quiñones, Lisa Kahane, MADSAKI, Maripol, Mark Gonzales, Mark Mothersbaugh, Martha Cooper, Matt Weber, Maya Hayuk, Michael Lawrence, MIKE 171, MISS 17, Mister CARTOON, Nina Chanel Abney, NOC 167, Pat Riot, Patrick Martinez, Paul Insect, POSE, PRAY, Rammellzee, Randall Harrington, RETNA, Richard Colman, Richard Hambleton, RIME, RISK, Ron English, Ruby Neri, SABER, Sam Friedman, SANESMITH, Sayre Gomez, Shepard Fairey, SJK 171, SLICK, SNAKE 1, SNIPE1, STAY HIGH 149, Stephen Powers, SWOON, Takashi Murakami, TAKI 183, TATS CRU, TENGAone, Tim Conlon, Timothy Curtis, Todd James, Trash Records, UGA, VHILS, and ZESER

The show is developed in partnership with Adidas and Perrier. Additional support provided by Modernica, Montana Colors, NPR, NTWRK, Twenty Five Kent and WNYC.

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BSA Film Friday: 01.18.19

BSA Film Friday: 01.18.19

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. Tats Cru on the Houston Wall in NYC
2. Broken Fingaz Crew In Mexico: “Si Desaparezco Rompe El Cochinito”
3. Lee Quinones, Brooklyn Studio Visit. December 2018
4. Lili Brik // 12 + 1 Project // Contorno Urbano Foundation. Barcelona

BSA Special Feature: Tats Cru on the Houston Wall in NYC

New York graffiti heroes the Tats Crew have endured – and withstood – and prevailed – during the onslaught of Street Art during the 2000s and 2010s. Writers of an important narrative of city life as it continues to evolve, the Bronx trio of Bio, Nicer and BG 183 continue to keep it real – and have been going hard with style this week on the famed Houston/Bowery Wall this week. We are honored to catch them at work, especially when Martha is in the mix and it feels like family, like community – with friends and writers stopping by to catch a tag or tell a story. This little bit of homemade footage is just a taste of how its done…big game writing with New York at the center.

Broken Fingaz Crew In Mexico: “Si Desaparezco Rompe El Cochinito”

Israeli Street Artists / graffiti writers Broken Fingaz Crew are rocking their Dad Hats and 90s skater style in this new vid of a spraycation in Mexico. Slow pans of local faces with character give a real flavor for the location, and the BFC are maturely observant of their host culture, incorporating a street portrait among the motifs that reference Mexico – aside from the shout out to their hometown of Haifa. Later on AB&B with their lady friends they practice still lifes and figurative painting by the pool.

Lee Quinones, Brooklyn Studio Visit. December 2018

Of course we felt lucky as hell to spend time with Lee Quinones in studio to talk about where he’s at right now and his preparation for a solo show. This small collection of footage featuring his wit and wisdom proved to be a jewel in this new year so far. See the full interview here:

Lili Brik // 12 + 1 Project // Contorno Urbano Foundation. Barcelona

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BSA Film Friday: 07.20.18

BSA Film Friday: 07.20.18

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. Broken Fingaz Animates Video by Beck & U2
2. ResistanceX in Bilbao, Spain
3. Jeremy Fish: “The Whine Train”
4. Dan Witz: “Punk And Freedom” from “Beyond The Streets”
5. Manifiesto #FaltenPintades

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BSA Special Feature: Broken Fingaz Animates Video by Beck & U2

Israeli graffiti/Street Art/multi-dimensional art crew Broken Fingaz comes out swinging with this new fully animated video by U2, as remixed by Beck. Just goes to show you how graffiti is frequently a gateway drug to other creative pursuits. Beware!

“We used two animation techniques we never tried before,” they say as they describe the top shelf story-telling here, “the classic animation is made up of 1,200 (!) acrylic paintings and for the stop-motion we teamed up with the amazing ZAZ animation studio to create a world from plasticine.”

An instant animation classic, this is the first time the Tel-Aviv base Broken Fingaz Crew have used animation on any of their projects. Some how they managed to entangle love, death, sexuality, yearning, and hope into their narrative tale – breathing life into everything.

ResistanceX in Bilbao, Spain

The Basque country as depicted in Bilbao here is glitch-trippy and light-footed with a bucket full of sexy public art and murals. Produced to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of SC Gallery. They call it ResistanceX and this festival has brought over the years artists like Aryz, Axel Void, Fefe Talavera, Laguna, Remed, Eltono, Michael Grudziecki, Size Paredes, SpY, Suso 33, Velvet, and Zoer Frederick Battle.

 

Jeremy Fish: “The Whine Train”

Artist Jeremy Fish breaks it all down for you about the multiple references that were running through his mind and whiny heart when he created this commission for the Napa Valley Wine Train.

 

Dan Witz: “Punk And Freedom” from “Beyond The Streets”

Somehow they manage to jam his entire career into one minute. Did they mention he is a genius with oils and with light? Dan Witz is all of this and much much more.

Manifiesto #FaltenPintades

Art and activism meet in the name of free expression in Spain in the next few days as a number of Street Artists, graffiti writers, and muralists join together for an upcoming action on July 21 and 22 to paint and protest. ‘No Callarem’ is the call in response to censorship – “We will not shut up”.

The collective says that “the only walls we can and want to admit are the ones that can be painted on, with freedom of action and expression, using criticism and satire.”

Here is a video announcing their manifesto and the upcoming days of paint and protest.

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Sneak Peek “Concrete to Data” at Steinberg Museum

Sneak Peek “Concrete to Data” at Steinberg Museum

Curator and artist Ryan Seslow has pulled off an overview of art on the streets and the practices employed, minus the drama. So much discussion of graffiti, Street Art, and public art practice can concentrate on lore and turf war, intersections with illegality, the nature of the “scene”, shades of xenophobia and class structures; all crucial for one’s understanding from a sociological/anthropological perspective.

“Concrete to Data”, opening this week at the Steinberg Museum of Art on Long Island, gives more of the spotlight to the historical methods and media that are used to disseminate a message, attempting to forecast about future ways of communicating that may effectively bridge the gap between the physical and the virtual.

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Joe Iurato. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Seslow has assembled an impressive cross section of artists, practitioners, photographers, academics, theorists, and street culture observers over a five-decade span. Rather than overreaching to exhaustion, it can give a representative overview of how each are adding to this conversation, quickly presenting this genre’s complexity by primarily discussing its methods alone.

Here is a sneak peek of the the concrete (now transmitted digitally); a few of the pieces for the group exhibition that have gone up in the last week in the museum as the show is being installed.

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Chris Stain. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Cake. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Lady Pink at work on her mural. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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John Fekner. Detail of his stencils in place and ready to be sprayed on. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Henry Chalfant. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Billy Mode. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Oyama Enrico. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Col Wallnuts. Detail. Concrete To Data. Steinberg Museum of Art. LIU (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

CONCRETE to DATA will be exhibited at the Steinberg Museum of Art, Brookville, NY January 26th 2015 – March 21st 2015.

Opening Reception – Friday, February 6th  2015 6PM -9 PM 

Follow the news and events via – http://concretetodata.com

Follow @concretetodata on Instagram – #concretetodata

Curated by Ryan Seslow@ryanseslow

Museum Director – Barbara Appelgate

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GIFFITTI and the Eye Popping Animations of Ryan Seslow

GIFFITTI and the Eye Popping Animations of Ryan Seslow

You think that maybe the animated GIF is the equivalent of graffiti on the digital wall?

Artist Ryan Seslow has been experimenting for a little while with that hyper eye-blitzing looping tag called the animated GIF – and today you’re getting splendid platter of GIFs like holiday cookies glistening before you. With bright visual references to graffiti history, culture and art, Seslow manages to simplify the vernacular in a poppy way that pushes the work into a playful cartoon realm – like the stuff on subway cars in the 70s. If the connection to Street Art isn’t clear, he has also been doing artful collaborations with a number of figures you may have seen on the street and in subway stations.

“It has been great fun so far working with Cake and Jilly Ballistic and we are making more!” says Seslow of this collaborative approach to GIF making. “I wanted to work with them both because they have great contrasting work that translates well on the street, subway tunnels and as digital images online.”

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

So far Seslow has been “trickling out the gifs one at a time” on his blog and as a project with RJ Rushmore of the blog Vandalog. They will be exhibiting their project entitled “Encrypted Fills” at the end of January for Concrete to Data in the Steinberg Museum of Art.  Seslow’s GIF animations will include a host of other graffiti and Street Artists including Stinkfish,  Broken Fingaz,  General Howe,  Caroline Caldwell,  Abe Lincoln Jr.,  Gaia,  Enzo & Nio,  John Fekner,  Olek,  Ryan Seslow,  Swampy,  Peter Drew,  Adam VOID,  Rone,  Enzo Sarto, and Leon Reid IV.

In the meantime all these jolting lights may make you think of the first night of Hannukah (tonight) as well as all the Christmas lights that are blinking from apartment windows overhead wherever you go on the street. Enjoy!

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with CAKE. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with CAKE. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with Jilly Ballistic. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with Jilly Ballistic. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with Jilly Ballistic. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with Jilly Ballistic. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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Ryan Seslow in collaboration with Jilly Ballistic. (gif © Ryan Seslow)

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BSA Film Friday: 12.06.13

BSA Film Friday: 12.06.13

Broken-Fingaz-BSA-Screen-Shot-2013-12-05-at-11.18

 

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :

1. BROKEN FINGAZ “La Fabrica”
2. Half Way To Nowhere with Risk, Insa, Meggs, Echo and Steve Martinez
3. RONE Paints a Baby Grand in Miami for Basel 2013

BSA Special Feature: BROKEN FINGAZ “La Fabrica”

Just released, this is a stop animation by Broken Fingaz and a small crew in Mexico – that drips with green goo that overflows and slimes down the sides of barrels, walls, pipes, and out of holes. A well done adventure in a former factory, some have compared it to a famous aerosol stop action by the Italian Blu a few years ago, but this has its own distinctive personality and a stunner of an ending.

Half Way To Nowhere with Risk, Insa, Meggs, Echo and Steve Martinez

Birdman continues to shoot photos and has this week entered storytelling with this video of a handful of artists on a hike through modern ruins, spending the day in an abandoned water park outside Los Angeles. Dry heat like this has turned many a town into a dustbowl in the west, and when you add 100 degree farenheit and scantily clad painters to a day of aerosol fumes you experience a certain delirium.

RONE Paints a Baby Grand in Miami for Basel 2013

Hop on the SPRAY CAM to watch RONE paint one of his signature beauties for an event called Pop-Up Piano Miami.

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Unbridled Berlin Street Art : Spencer Elzey in Europe

Unbridled Berlin Street Art : Spencer Elzey in Europe

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Berliners are hard to crack, they say, but probably not for New Yorkers. We “get” them because of their no-nonsense frankness, sometimes sharp tongues, and because their “creative types” are unhinged in a way that New Yorkers have been historically.

When it comes to the volume and variety of art that is being loosed in Berlin these days, they are setting some standards that many are still catching up with. Right now when you look at the freewheeling expression that bolted out from a broken wall more than 20 years ago and never looked back, you realize that Street Artists in Berlin are not hard to crack, they may simply be a little bit cracked.

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Various & Gould (photo © Spencer Elzey)

In the third city of our series this week for Spencer Elzey’s residency on BSA, we visit Berlin, which some argue is the preeminent scene for urban art right now. It does appear to have a perfect mix for vibrant arts growth – a creatively permissive atmosphere and affordable lifestyle prevails in this city of design. And while uncommissioned public art is not legal, it is also not verboten.

The kids may come for the music and the art collectives and the dance parties, but they stay for the aerosol and the expressive faces and figures that accompany you while you walk. So far, people seem happy to let this arts scene continue to evolve and not surprisingly, tourists are magnetically drawn to it.

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Victor Ash (photo © Spencer Elzey)

As you walk through certain neighborhoods you may prepare to have your pre-conventions subverted and inverted. Awash with a decade plus of unbridled art, the scale, style, influences, and techniques of pop, illustration, and graffiti are all truly playing with each other.

Where a large spate of legal mural work has monopolized creative energies of many Street Artists in New York recently, some players have commented that the content is being tamed and neutered and the resulting scene is less risk-oriented stylistically. As you look at the work Elzey found in Berlin, you are reminded what it looks like when art laborers don’t have to self-censor or look over their shoulder. Also, it is still affordable for artists. Oh, wait, did we already mention that?

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Robi The Dog (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Out of the cities I visited the one that contrasted the most with NY was Berlin. It felt like a beautiful lawlessness with graffiti and rollers everywhere,” says Elzey as he tries to put his finger on the attitude of exploration and discovery that floods large areas of the city.

“Berlin by far had the most graffiti and Street Art in its most raw and authentic form, which is how I think it should really be experienced. It felt more free and genuine. Besides RAW and Urban Spree, which are commissioned areas, Berlin felt like a giant playground. There was graffiti and rollers everywhere and lots of abandoned factories to explore and have fun in.”

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Blu (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Berlin has been an international draw for artists and arts institutions for the last decade at least and many of the Street Art world make sure to head here at least once, sometimes staying months and couch surfing and partying an staying out all night.  Since the graffiti scene and the Street Art scene are not so polarized in the minds of people here there is also a freedom to experiment without fear of upsetting your peer group.

Luckily for BSA, local Street Artists Various & Gould were very hospitable and more than helpful and willing to tour Spencer around some of the hot spots and to give him some background on the Berlin streets. “Meeting someone you admire, be it an artist, musician, or actor, is always a special experience,” he says about being with V&G, “It feels a little different when that person is a Street Artist, or at least it does to me. The fact that part of their job means that they do illegal things, being trusted enough to be welcomed into their inner circle has deeper meaning.”

 

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Blu. Detail. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

So he was in good hands with these two who have deep roots with the artist community and who frequently challenge themselves to look at their own work with new eyes – and to find new ways to engage with passersby with their art and a bit of theater. “In the case of Various & Gould in Berlin and C215 in Vitry I was able to meet these artists on their own turf. They showed me some of their new work in their studios and then toured me around the neighborhoods that they know best,” he recalls with some delight.

“While seeing art on the streets is one thing, getting the first hand history behind it makes it more meaningful,” he says. “You get more history and depth that way.”

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Blu (photo © Spencer Elzey)

How long Berlin will continue to be a petrie dish for experimentation and discovery? Forever. Just kidding. But for the moment this ephemeral art movement is fiercely alive and more independent than many cities. Artists have always made life a bit of a moveable feast. Today its Berlin, tomorrow it could be Mexico City, or Lima, who knows?

“I think I would recommend it if you were a younger artist who was trying to break into the game and establish a name for yourself,” says Elzey.

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Blu (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Blu (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Blu (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Alaniz (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Herakut (photo © Spencer Elzey)

 

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Various & Gould (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Various & Gould (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Os Gemeos (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Nunca (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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JR (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Cooked (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Vhils (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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MTO (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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MTO (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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MTO gives Alias a shout out. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Klone (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Neurotitan (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Vidan The Weird (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Tafe (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Reaktor and Paulo Ito (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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G (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Inti (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Ema Jones (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Klub 7 (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Broken Fingaz (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Blek le Rat (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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BLO (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Maclaim (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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ROA (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Otto Schade (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Nychos (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Our sincere thanks to Various & Gould for their hospitality and time.

 

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Fun Friday 06.29.12

1. XCIA “Street Artist Unite” (NYC)
2. “Letters From America” at Black Rat (London)
3. Broken Fingaz in Vienna
4. “The Crest Hardware Art Show” 2012 Edition (Brooklyn)
5. Tumbleweeds in Brooklyn – A group Show from El Paso
6. Kid Acne Solo at C.A.V.E. (Los Angeles)
7. Pamela Castro AKA Anarkia Boladona @ Bob Bar
8. “Summer In The Street” @ Maximillian (West Hollywood)
9. “Sea No Evil” @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium (CA)
10. Lush’s Lethal Beef-Defense System (VIDEO)
11. BSA Supports This 3-Mural in Baltimore (VIDEO)
12. Poland Summer Solstice with Thousands of Lanterns Flying (VIDEO)

XCIA “Street Artist Unite” (NYC)

Photographer Hank O’Neal AKA XCIA opened a solo show “Street Artists Unite” this week in the East Village at The Dorian Gray Gallery. Of particular interest are the collaborations: Hank’s photos of Street Artists stretched across a frame and painted on by some of the current crop. Be sure to check out the one of a Richard Hambleton piece on the street that has been re-faced by Jean-Michel Basquiat and now accompanied by Chris from Robots Will Kill. Gives you a sweet brain freeze to contemplate it. The show is meant to highlight the photographic work of XCIA on the street and accompanies this springs roll-out of his book XCIA’s STREET ART PROJECT: The First Four Decades.

XCIA (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

“Letters From America” at Black Rat (London)

Yesterday’s US Supreme Court ruling on the health care legislation that BIG MONEY has fought tooth and nail against in the US highlights the relevance of this show opening on July 4th at Black Rat Gallery. Street Artists/Graffiti Artists RISK, Ron English, SABER, and TrustoCorp participate in this show with SABER leading the way with 3 canvasses, including “The Flag Of The National Health Service”, shown here.  The graffiti artist knows of what he speaks – the current US corrupted for-profit healthcare system has deemed the artist “uninsurable”, epilepsy be damned.

 SABER, The Flag Of The National Health Service, 2012

For more information, please contact Black Rat Gallery here.

Broken Fingaz in Vienna

In Vienna, Austria the Inoperable Gallery has invited the Israeli Crew Broken Fingaz to come and raise hell. This show is now open for the general public. You’re probably going anyway, so here’s your preview.

Broken Fingaz on the streets of Vienna. (photo © courtesy of Inoperable)

For further information regarding this show click here.

“The Crest Hardware Art Show” 2012 Edition (Brooklyn)

And this is the time of the year where the intersection of hardware and art comes in to play the right way (not that hardware, Nick). Joe Franquinha and Co. know how to put on a party for all ages and creeds. Come out this Saturday from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm to Williamsburg and enjoy an art show in his family’s hardware store: “The Crest Hardware Art Show”. This art show should be taken as a model for all small family owned business that want to give back to the community and make art part of the everyday experience. In addition to the art show, Joe brings in bands and food in the courtyard and all proceeds go to help a local little museum, The City Reliquary Museum.

Travis Simon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Click here to see BSA preview of the show.

And for further details regarding this event click here.

Tumbleweeds in Brooklyn – A group Show from El Paso

“Tumbleweeds” opens this Saturday at the Sunset Surf Club with all artists hailing from yonder El Paso, TX including localito Street Artist El Sol 25.  Enjoy some Tex-Mex hospitality and have an unheard of opportunity to see first hand a border town show before it flies south.

El Sol 25. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

Kid Acne Solo at C.A.V.E. (Los Angeles)

After his introduction to LA during BSA’s “Street Art Saved My Life” show last year, British Street Artist Kid Acne is now having his first solo show “Stand & Deliver” at C.A.V.E Gallery in Venice Beach, California.

Kid Acne (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

“12. BSA: Something you do when you’re procrastinating?
KID ACNE: You mean procrasturbating?

See our interview with Kid Acne on Juxtapoz for the “Back Talk”

Also happening this weekend:

Pamela Castro AKA Anarkia Boladona is showing at the Bob Bar in Manhattan. Click here for more details on this show.

The Maximillian Gallery in West Hollywood, California invites you to a “Summer In The Street” Exhibition this Saturday. Click here for more details on this show.

“Sea No Evil” is an art show at The Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California. This show is a benefit for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to preserve our oceans. Jeff Soto and Shepard Fairey are just but a couple of artists whose work would auctioned on Saturday. Click here for more details on this show.

Lush’s Lethal Beef-Defense System (VIDEO)

BSA Supports This 3-Mural in Baltimore (VIDEO)

Poland Summer Solstice with Thousands of Lanterns Flying (VIDEO)

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Inoperable Gallery Presents: Broken Fingaz Solo Show. (Vienna, Austria)

Broken Fingaz

The Israeli crew will be making their way to Vienna for their next show. The boys were just in London where they presented a selection of past and present works along with some great installations. Parts of this show will now migrate into the walls of INOPERAbLE.

INOPERAbLE

Nathalie Halgand & 401RUSH (aka Nicholas Platzer)

Burggasse 24
1070 Vienna, Austria

Operable Hours: Tu-Fr 13-18h, Sa 13-17h

http://www.inoperable.at/

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