It’s not often that a major city gives a spotlight to a graffiti / Street Artist and issues a formal proclamation about it, but that is exactly what happened Saturday in Los Angeles. AskewOne, a native of one of LA’s sister cities, Auckland, New Zealand , was honored by the City as his new mural “Under the Influence” was unveiled as part of the LA Freewalls Project.
“It’s much more likely in this city that a graffiti artist will be arrested than be recognized for positive contributions to the community”, as LA Taco reports, but really when you consider the major inroads that the LA Freewalls Project has made into the dialogue around the value of Street Art in LA’s local politics, it can’t be entirely surprising. It probably helps that the image itself incorporates the American flag into the composition– sort of disarms that whole negative rant that some politicos use when lumping Street Artists together with other social scourges like drug addiction, domestic terrorism, and the Ice Capades, doesn’t it?
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
“AskewOne is one of the world’s preeminent public artists, and one of the most accomplished contemporary graffiti writers,” says Daniel LaHoda, who spearheads LA Freewalls and who also hosted the inauguration of the new LALA gallery Saturday night with many of today’s best known Street Artist’s work on the walls. According to an official press release, the now famous LA mural moratorium will soon be lifted and “Kamilla Blanche, Senior Deputy for Arts and Culture, and the Director for Sister Cities, is excited about the possibilities to expand Los Angeles’ place as the national epicenter of public art.”
BSA is very pleased to be able to share with you these images of the new piece as shot by photographer Todd Mazer.
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
Askew One for LA Freewalls Project (photo © Todd Mazer)
To learn more about Los Angeles Sister Cities Program click here.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
If you want to learn how to do it correctly, you would be wise to study from a master. When it comes to stencil art on the street, this is a brilliant place to begin. C215 - The Stencil Graffiti M...
Scope! The verb, not the art fair. We will be hitting SCOPE shortly but in the interim we’ve been scoping for action or trouble; trolling around the streets of Wynwood and other selected odd locati...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : 1. PROCESS: BSA Raw Video with Tres Gauchos Elian, JAZ, Ever Siempre 2. "See Her" by Ann Lewis ...
With New York’s hallowed graffiti hotspot 5 Pointz buffed and freshly hit up with GILF! and BAMN's yellow gentrification tape installation, we've been thinking about the disappearing quantity of ratty...
Fabio Petani may win the prize for the most murals this season; Not that there is a prize for this honor, except your skill improves and you get to meet more people at more street art festivals… T...