“In true form, GAIA found himself in some of Chicago’s worst neighborhoods during one of the bloodiest summers on record,” says Nick Marzullo, owner of Pawn Works Gallery. According to most news reports the city has suffered the most violence in years, and the summer heat seems to exacerbate the duress. “Homicides are up by 38 percent from a year ago, and shootings have increased as well, even as killings have held steady or dropped in New York, Los Angeles and some other cities,” writes Monica Davey in the New York Times, and while July’s total of 49 murders represented a drop, it is hard to feel safe on many streets.
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
How a Street Artist decides to put up work in a dangerous neighborhood is not clear, or what motivates the work. Sometimes it is to activate a space, to humanize it. Other times it is merely an opportunity to get up. These pieces somehow feel contextual, especially the large floating head. While the portrait may not be a direct commentary on the violence, we know that many of the dead in these crimes are fathers, brothers, and sons.
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
Gaia. Englewood Chicago, August 2012. (photo © Thomas Fennell IV)
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Community murals give opportunities to young and old to try their hand at self expression and go big on a wall. Here in this municipality in Catalonia, the duo called Pouvelle say, “We like to t...
What’s the name of the original Street Artist? That’s right brothers and sisters, it is Mother Nature. While we all are stumbling and climbing on the streets now, digging out of a snow storm for the r...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening: 1. Sofles / Kawaii. The artist paints a piece for his daughter Violet.2. ACBR and ZONE take Ric...
ALL BOLD CAPS. Early graffiti train writers knew they could gain their widest audience on elevated train tracks the same way cigarette manufacturers broadcast from billboards looming above streets. B...
Soon, the temple will open its doors. Borondo. "Merci" Le Temple des Chartrons. Bordeaux, France. May 2019. (photo courtesy of Borondo) We’re accustomed to watching artists interact with t...