We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!
In street art photography, there are at least two truths to keep in mind. Firstly, art doesn’t need to be freshly created to strike you as new. Our recent visit to LA proved this point. It had been some time since our last trip, so when we encountered the collaborative work of Shepard Fairey and Vhils for the first time this October, it left a lasting impression. We recalled their earlier partnership – possibly their first – seen in Lisbon. That piece was more vertically oriented, nestled tightly within a narrow street in a neighborhood. In contrast, the Los Angeles piece enjoys the luxury of space, allowing it to breathe and extend its impact.
Second truth: There are times when the unexpected intrusion of elements in your photograph can be surprisingly welcome and appropriate. Untrimmed palm trees, even when they sprout haphazardly in front of a mural, bring a certain tropical charm. Likewise, the diagonal lines of telephone wires slicing through the scene can enhance the mural’s collage-like quality, especially when it’s already interrupted with a window and a doorway. Los Angeles today mirrors this eclectic mix; it’s a city where contrasts hang heavily, a shattering of the myths. The sprawl of massive tent encampments and the random upcropping of people living on sidewalks, in cars, and under bridges – all these elements contribute to the city’s Dickinsonian “Tale of Two Cities” character in 2023. Writ larger, America today is extreme wealth and poverty side by side, with rumors of revolutions scattered about. Here, the portraits capture the Fairey glamour and the Vhils grit, each layer vividly entwined and textured, a visual echo of a jackhammer pounding away at the facade.
This week, we found ourselves amidst the vibrant energy of Los Angeles, uncovering hidden gems and reconnecting with old friends. One highlight was a visit to Roger Gastman’s dynamic ‘Beyond the Streets’ gallery, which celebrated its first year with a captivating show featuring Tim Conlon, HuskMitNavn, and Pose. A thrilling moment was when we had the privilege of moderating a panel that featured the artistic brilliance of Layer Cake’s duo – Patrick Hartl and Christian Hundertmark (C100), the iconic Chaz Bojórquez, recognized as the godfather of graffiti and the epitome of California Chicano artistry, and our host, the ever-passionate artist and activist, Shepard Fairey. The venue buzzed with artists and connoisseurs, each directly or deeply ingrained in the world of art in the streets. And as LA’s streets echoed with the spirit of Mexican Independence Day, the youthful beats of Mexican music star Peso Pluma serenaded us from passing cars. Truly, a week to remember.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Shepard Fairey, Vhils, Invader, Keith Haring, Nychos, El Mac, Add Fuel, Praxis, Hueman, Estevan Oriol, Hijack, Tempt, David Howler, Loks Angeles, Kook, Madre, and Downtown Daniel.
Urban Revolution. On view from July 21 / December 03. Lisbon, Portugal.
“Urban[R]Evolution: A Journey from Graffiti to Contemporary Art” is a large exhibition that marks the rise and popularity of urban art and features original installations by 18 renowned Portuguese and international artists. Curated by Pauline Foessel and Pedro Alonzo, this showcase takes place at Cordoaria Nacional in Lisbon, running from June 21st to December 3rd.
The historic and iconic building that once served as the National Rope Factory during the late 18th century, catering to the needs of the Portuguese Navy by producing ropes for naval purposes, is situated near the scenic Tagus River. With its imposing neoclassical and industrial design, the building stands as a testament to the city’s cultural heritage and is now a versatile venue for hosting events after its meticulous restoration. With free-standing booths carefully built not to endanger the historic structure, the flow of the exhibition offers a pod-like adventure to visitors to experience individual artists’ work and visions. Some utilize the spaces fully with installations, while others choose the homey quality of an artist’s studio with work in progress.
The exhibition brings together a lineup of artists whose work was featured in early graffiti images by photographer Martha Cooper, second-wave western street artists who have burnished their names in the commercial urban contemporary art milieu, and a collection of names more locally known – each with profound ties to the graffiti and street art scene. Among them are esteemed names such as Barry McGee, Futura, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Vhils, and Obey SKTR, to name a few. The curators thoughtfully selected these artists to narrate the fascinating development of urban art, tracing its origins from early tags, graffiti, and subway pieces to its current expression as street art and mural art.
Many of the artists are associated with previous projects of the curators and with one of Lisbon’s anchors of the street art scene, the artist and businessman Vhils. Aside from these connections and the common roots of early graffiti culture, it may be difficult for ticketed visitors to the show to discern the commonalities of the works on display. The connective tissue between the booths will be the many iconic photographs of North American photographer Martha Cooper, whose lens has captured the human experience in urban areas for about 50 years, immortalizing the origins and evolution of graffiti, street art, and urban art – when the scene was viewable directly on the train cars and streets of major cities like New York.
Another nerve center for the show is the installation by conceptual street artist ±MaisMenos± , known for his thought-provoking art pieces and street activations that sublimely challenge social norms and provoke critical thinking. Within this kinetic electronic display, a phalanx of screens emulates a bustling stock trading floor, listing street artists and graffiti artists and their market line charts bumping up and down alongside various commercial, academic, institutional, and cultural influencers and influences that have coalesced to foster their success.
In this exhibition’s composition of artistic expressions, each artist has the opportunity to tell their unique story through their installations and accompanying texts, reflecting on their journey from the streets to the contemporary art world. “Urban[R]Evolution” is a testament to the significance of Lisbon as a vital city for urban art, with the show embracing a dynamic mix of international pioneers and established/emerging talents from Portugal.
This major exhibition, presented by Everything is New and Underdogs Gallery, invites visitors on a dreamlike, poetic, and moving journey, oscillating between light and shadow, the humor and rancor of the street, expressing the heart of urban art’s evolution. It is an immersive experience into urban art’s origins and possible future, exemplifying a sample of the boundless creativity and diverse voices that have emerged from the graffiti and street art scene.
Our sincere thanks to exhibition participant and famed photographer Martha Cooper for sharing here her photos exclusively with Brooklyn Street Art, and to Vasco Vilhena, one of the exhibition’s official photographers.
The artist presented a video installation addressing the “market” for graffiti and street art, the intersection with art and commerce in a brilliant display.
“This took me to what is my thesis subject, where my work is the centerpiece of an eventual (or questionable) dichotomy between street art and the art market, the evolution from illegal, interventive and subversive work into a continuous institutionalization, mercantilization and commoditization, normalized with the (before pursued) but now consecrated and valuated (street) artists.
All of this materialized in an art industry (or market) of artist-companies, studios, galleries, festivals, fairs, museums, curators, collectors, political and media attention, touristic tours, financialization, etc, as so it is with the art world as a whole. Being this specific show, for its size, importance, where it is, its public, a realization of this “evolution”, or this stage of the urban arts. So I thought of an installation as a self-critique and self-awareness of this stage and present context of urban art (one of which myself and my work makes part), how capitalism kidnaps, agglutinates and transforms its (possible) critique and counter-culture, commodifying, massifying and selling it.”
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. Da Corte looks at Everyday Icons
2. Vhils – Jose Saramago
3. FUTURA on How To Think About Identity + Brand, and The Power of Collaboration. Via Idea Generation
BSA Special Feature: Alex Da Corte looks at Everyday Icons
“In a darkened gallery, artist Alex Da Corte appears projected on the wall in Slow Graffiti (2017) as Boris Karloff, performing as both the actor himself and his 1931 role as Frankenstein’s monster, blurring the lines between actor and character. In his work, the artist never appears as himself, but rather, embodies the larger-than-life characters who influence or intrigue him: Mr. Rogers, the Wicked Witch of the West, Marcel Duchamp, and the Pink Panther are but a handful. Studying these characters who exist in worlds of fantasy and cartoon and integrating them into his own expansive artistic vision, Da Corte hopes to gain a deeper understanding of them and learn new ways of thinking. Alex Da Corte was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1980 and lives and works in Philadelphia.
Da Corte creates vibrant and immersive large-scale installations, including wall-based works, sculptures, and videos. Colorful and surreal, his work combines personal narrative, art-historical references, pop-culture characters, and the glossy aesthetics of commercial advertising to reveal the humor, absurdity, and psychological complexity of the images and stories that permeate our culture.”
Alex Da Corte / “Everyday Icons” – Season 11 – “Art in the Twenty-First Century”. Via Art21
Vhils – Jose Saramago
“That is the virtue of maps, they show what can be done with limited space, they foresee that everything can happen therein.” José Saramago, The Stone Raft
FUTURA on How To Think About Identity + Brand, and The Power of Collaboration. Via Idea Generation
“What’s a good idea, what’s a bad idea…you gotta give both a shot”
“Street Art pioneer FUTURA started painting his name on walls as a coping mechanism to deal with his struggle with identity. But as he turned a signature into a brand, he quickly realized that it could also be a business. And that’s where things got interesting. From Lower East Side galleries to t-shirts and toys to collaborations with nearly every blue chip brand you can name, over the last 40 years, FUTURA has redefined what it means to be a pop artist.”
Behind the scenes at “Beyond the Streets London” is a hive of activity, with artists deeply focused on installing their work and seeking assistance with tools and equipment. Curators, organizers, and lighting professionals are bustling up and down the stairs, carrying props, or ladders, and communicating with vendors and artists via text message. Salespeople are diligently crafting wall texts to accompany the art pieces. It’s a few hours before showtime, yet everything is somehow accomplished just as the first guests arrive for the preview.
Photographer Martha Cooper is electrified by the activity at Saatchi Gallery. The event preserves the rich history of graffiti, street art, and commerce while pushing forward with new trends and directions. Cooper, who has documented this scene since the 1970s, has attended and exhibited in “Beyond the Streets” exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles – and we anticipate the next stop could be Shanghai. This particular iteration showcases an evolving mix of archetypes and invention, drawing on diverse influences from the US, UK, and EU.
Cooper observed many surprising music references at the show. Rock icon Eric Clapton was at the opening admiring a photograph of text declaring him to be God while filmmaker, musician, and BBC radio host Don Letts had a personal collection of his memorabilia/ephemera on display. Ron West, designer of the “Duck Rock” boombox, also made a sudden appearance at the opening, allowing guests to pose with his creation. Among the standout pieces was a Bob Gruen photo of Malcolm McLaren holding that boombox in front of Keith Haring’s Houston Street wall, a masterpiece of intersectionality, if you will.
Overall, “Beyond the Streets London” offers a smorgasbord of colors, flavors, and influences that are difficult to encapsulate in one show. However, Gastman, the visionary, gives it a good try, with a respectful nod to the many artists who have shaped this worldwide people’s art movement. Enjoy these behind-the-scenes shots from Ms. Cooper.
In Miami’s Wynwood District for a handful of days, we weaved through the humid, hot, dirty streets. We captured the chaos of new graffiti bombing, street art murals, stickers, commercial commissions of street artists, bland abstracts on massive facades, billboards posing as street art, and even some yarn-bombing. Every retail store is selling products that have been spray-painted with non-descript cheerful, sticky, drippy, stenciled, ironic messaging.
The construction cranes that soar overhead are nearly grazed by the low-flying 737s streaming to and from the airport, reaching ever higher, foretelling of higher rents and luxury condos. Meanwhile, a guy is pissing on the sidewalk behind a dumpster.
Nighttime escapades include chock-a-block clubs with big-gunned men and ropes out front and hostesses in bras and thongs, teetering on high heels. Because competition among these clubs is thick, they are yelling to you over the gut-thumping Shakira-Bad Bunny-Meghan Thee Stallion remixes blasted out to the street, “No cover charge! 2 for 1 drinks!” and other come-ons. The lines queue for the door with IDs in hand while a police cruiser lurks on the corner, throwing blue and red lights flashing across murals and dazed passersby.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: 1UP, Blade, Sac Six, Maxi Bagnasco, Terra Armstrong, NB Artistry, XIK, Resko-CMA and VHILs.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. Invader: Invasion Potosi, Mission 4000 2. A VHILS Reel edited by Jose Pando Lucas/Solid Dogma 3. Os Gemeos: “El dibujo es el alma de todo proceso” (Drawing is the soul of every process)
BSA Special Feature: Invader: Invasion Potosi, Mission 4000
Llamas, demons, Scoopy Doo, the Clash.
The French Invader, with his Western symbols painted with tiles takes you to Potosi, one of the highest cities in the world. “Located in Bolivia at 4000m above sea level it was a perfect place to install the 4000th space invader,” says the artist.
Invader installs his 4000 space invader in Potosi, Bolivia.
A VHILS Reel edited by Jose Pando Lucas/Solid Dogma
Os Gemeos: “El dibujo es el alma de todo proceso” (Drawing is the soul of every process). Via Domestika.
Miami awakens from a Covid-19 stupor this year with a bonified Art Week, featuring associated fairs and events like Wynwood Walls that are activated by the Art Basel behemoth. Some of the high-profile organizers of yesteryear may be on the ropes this time but you are sure to see many of your favorite and familiar art dealers, drug dealers, street artists, graffiti writers, djs, taco sellers, and lucite stiletto slide-ons. Cold weather birds love to fly here for the art fairs and a quick suntan and a Pina Colada just after Thanksgiving every year – it’s equal parts breezily laid back and sketchy and only slightly hedonistic, the gritty-glam blocks of Wynwood know how to keep it real, unless it was silicone to start with.
We’ve heard some solid talents are going to be in the neighborhood, of their own volition or by invitation, as is usually the case. Wynwood Walls is offering 11 artists painting the outdoor space and the Brooklyn art duo Faile mounting a large indoor exhibition of new works that are sure to shock and thrill new fans and those who have watched them from street to museum in and elsewhere in between in their 22 years as visual alchemists. We’re also interviewing them live onstage at Wynwood Walls Wednesday December 1st at 7 pm. We’d love to see you there and talk with you so please stop by and say hello!
With a theme of “Agents of Change” Wynwood Walls is bringing AIKO (Japan), Diogo “Addfuel” Machado (Portugal), Bordalo ii (Portugal), David Flores (United States), Scott Froschauer (United States), Joe Iurato (United States), KAI (United States), Kayla Mahaffey (United States), Mantra (France), Ernesto Maranje (Cuba), Greg Mike (United States), Farid Rueda (Mexico), and for the first time, Wynwood Walls will open one wall to a local artist in an “Open Call” competition.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. CROSSROADS: Life in the Resilient City from Nils Clauss and Neil Dowling 2. VHILS – MEXICO A Film by Jose Pando Lucas 3. OS GEMEOS: SECRETS – Episode 01 – All paths lead to São Bento
BSA Special Feature: CROSSROADS: Life in the Resilient City
To live anywhere for any period, one needs to develope a certain resiliency, maybe even a strong cortex. During the Seoul Biennialle on Architecture and Urbanism this year, responsible urban growth was focused upon like never previously – with people and systems at their core.
“Five cities. Five stories. This documentary looks at the urban experience from the perspective of people living at the interface of the changing world. In New York, Seoul, Mumbai, Paris and Nairobi creativity and imagination is necessary to survive and thrive as the cities they live in constantly evolve.”
This is the narrative based on CROSSROADS : Building the Resilient City by Dominique Perrault, General Director of Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021
CROSSROADS: Life in the Resilient City from Nils Clauss and Neil Dowling
VHILS – MEXICO A Film by Jose Pando Lucas
“I met a witch. The most beautiful of all witches,” begins the latest fable by VHILS, as he travels from his home in Portugal to this land, one of magic and realism. Directed by Jose Pando Lucas.
OS GEMEOS: SECRETS – Episode 01 – All paths lead to São Bento
Here is a secret from the twins that you may not have known: all paths lead to São Bento. There are more secrets to be revealed here as the retelling of the genesis tales of graffiti and hip hop culture continue to come forth and to take their rightful position in the history that formed our culture today.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. Vhils Explodes in Slow-Mo at Nifty Gateway 2. Giulio Vesprini: No Comply // Struttura G0055 3. RIDE a Film by Paul Bush
BSA Special Feature: Vhils Explodes in Slow-Mo at Nifty Gateway
The time elapsed between blasting a new artwork and destroying it? 2 seconds.
Thanks to documentation, you can luxuriate in this human/natural cycle of creation and destruction over two and a half minutes. Portuguese street artist VHILS explores the space in between, and the rapturous flight of atoms and molecules, volume, velocity, light and dark.
Giulio Vesprini: No Comply // Struttura G0055
Skate parks are sacred spaces for those believers whom you find there endless hours, meditating, catching air, lying prostrate. Giulio Vesprini helps us to understand his process for this artists commission to adorn the temple.
RIDE a Film by Paul Bush
Summer is prime season for bikes, no matter what kind. In a little more than 5 minutes filmmaker Paul Bush bowls us over with stop action bicycles, motorbikes, and your nostalgia.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. Invader: Djerba Invasion 2. Vhils Mounts “Haze” in Cincinnati 3. Okuda Takes Victory Lap of His Art/Life Accomplishments in 2020
BSA Special Feature: Invader: Djerba Invasion
A short film today from French street artist Invader on the island of Djerba. Previously painted by many international street artists a few years ago with the help of artist, businessman, and gallery owner Mehdi Ben Cheikh, here the adventures of the digital tile artist are documented along with his own observations translated into English. Few women appear on the streets or on the screen, but you’ll find many men approving of the context-appropriate pieces he affixes across cities of the island. All this art is sure to become part of a treasure map for tourists to discover street art.
Invader: Djerba Invasion
Vhils Mounts “Haze” in Cincinnati
in 2020 Vhils had a solo show “Haze” at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center. Filmmaker José Pando Lucas captured the process of the installation and Vhils’ technique in vivid detail.
Okuda Takes Victory Lap of His Art/Life Accomplishments in 2020
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening participants at Festival Asalto 2020: 1. Nychos “1111” 2. Meet Vhils / Leaders in Action Society 3. Jauria / Pack David De La Mano with Nicolás Almada Luraghi and Enzo Rosso
BSA Special Feature: Nychos Begins Again at “1111”
Life has its mysterious and unexpected ways of grabbing our attention. Austrian street artist, fine artist, and epic muralist Nychos may have been too busy to see the cycles he was in until, finally, a devastating physical and emotional series of events brought him to a baseline truth.
In some ways, his search was perhaps being played out before our eyes for those who experienced his art over the last decade: A relentless dissecting and peering into the contents and physical inner workings of the animal world and humans extended to metaphor as well – slicing apart and examining icons, monsters, dinosaurs, and pop culture detritus too. His works could often be accompanied by a certain clinical gore, a brightly illustrated and fascinating horror, a stylish rage, a riveting trauma, a gorgeously gut-wrenching drama.
Today, he tells us part of his journey that involves destruction and pain, of rage, release, clarity, and finally a healing. Brave, as ever, he shares it with us. Like all of us, these painful lessons will shape the path he forges into the future. We are thankful. And we wish him the best.
Nychos “1111”
Meet Vhils / Leaders in Action Society
A broader autobiography is given here by Portuguese street artist Vhils of growing up in a suburban part of Lisbon surrounded by the leftist politics of his supportive family and community in the 1990s at a time of great discord and difficult changes in society. “Graffiti is a game within a group of people who understand the language,” he says in one of the most succinct descriptions ever.
Jauria / Pack David De La Mano with Nicolás Almada Luraghi and Enzo Rosso
Neglected buildings often access and summon elements of your imagination. You may conjure scenarios of how people lived in, worked in, interacted in the rooms and hallways, and windows. Sometimes hearing music like this in an abandoned place gives the impression that it is literally pulling spirits of the past forward, filling the air with the music of the life, the life of the music. Harpist Nicolás Almada Luraghi and violinist Enzo Rosso here finely weave the silk and the lace that surely graced this space. Street artist David de la Mano not only adorns but brings walls to life with his flat figured illustration style and storytelling.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
