November 2009

ART BURN: The Most Combustible Art Show in the World International Contemporary Art Expo & Immolation

To be held in Miami’s Wynwood District at sunset on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009***

(New York, NY) — ART BURN, the most combustible art show in the world, will combine an international selection of original art with fire. Original works on canvas, wood and paper by a selection of more than three dozen international artists will be displayed and then flambeed in Miami on the evening of Thursday, December 3, 2009 at sunset. The exhibition/grilling, curated by NYC artist El Celso, will take place in the Wynwood Arts District, within walking distance of Miami’s lesser contemporary art fairs.

An exclusive selection of more than three dozen exceptional pieces by the hottest renowned artists and sizzling, cutting-edge newcomers will be displayed from 1pm until sundown. After the brief exhibition, all of these original works will be burned for the public’s viewing pleasure. Nothing is for sale.

We will be exhibiting and burning new works by:

El Celso
Aurora Robson
infinity
Nick Fortunato
Skewville
Jayne Surrena
Darkcloud
Fabian Pena
Elbow-Toe
Rex Dingler
LA II
Royce Bannon
Leonardo Furtado (Brazil)
Rednose
Anne Karsten
Gore-B
Buildmore
Abe Lincoln Jr.
Cake
Paul Kostabi
Ellis-G
Avoid Pi
Stefano Pasquini (Italy)
Keely
Destroy & Rebuild
Matt Siren
Veng
F. Trainer
Joanne Mattera
Deeker
Dean Radinovsky
Die Dose (Germany)
Billi Kid
Evelyn Metzger
Robots Will Kill
Adam Vincentz
Garrison Buxton (Peripheral Media Projects)
Michael DeFeo
James A. Willis
Ray Bradbury & very special guests TBA

Venue
TBA
Duration and opening hours
Thursday, December 3, 2009
One day only from 1pm to sunset.

Media Reception
Thursday, December 3, 2009
5pm to sunset

ART BURN Miami is the toastiest hot spot for the international art world. We look forward to burning for you at ART BURN Miami 2009.

SPONSORS

c-monster.net
Visit http://c-monster.net/ the official media sponsor of the ART BURN VIP Lounge

HYPERALLERGIC
Visit http://hyperallergic.com/ the official blogazine, critic and beer sponsor of ART BURN

BROOKLYN STREET ART
Visit http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/ the official street art and corporate snack sponsor of ART BURN

KINGSFORD® Charcoal
Visit http://www.kingsford.com/ the unofficial grilling partner of ART BURN

For more information on how to become a sponsor and for all press inquires, please contact El Celso at celso@elcelso.com or at 212-532-5980.

For the latest updates on ART BURN Miami, visit http://elcelso.com/
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/elcelso and http://twitter.com/cmonstah

Read more

Primary Flight : Blue Print for Space

PrimaryFlight

a  lot of amazing artists involved….

orld’s Largest Street Art Mural Installation Expands for Art Basel Miami 2009

Miami-based Street Art collective Primary Flight today announced the addition of a gallery show, Blue Print for Space, that will take place in conjunction with its annual event in Miami’s Wynwood Art District during Art Basel Miami Beach. South Beach’s ArtCenter/South Florida will host the noteworthy event.

MIAMI, Florida – 31 August, 2009 –
After all the frenzied art enthusiasts have disappeared, and temporary exhibition sites have been dismantled, Miami residents are left with a lasting souvenir of the international art phenomenon under the umbrella called, “Art Basel.” Miami-based collective, Primary Flight, is responsible for the expanse of colorful concrete installations throughout the Wynwood Art District. The organization has succeeded in developing community and bequeathing the city of Miami with a priceless collection of Street Art.
Since its inception in 2007, Primary Flight has hosted site specific, street-level, outdoor mural and performance art projects in Miami’s Wynwood Art District during Art Basel each year. This global arts and community collective project combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of street exhibitions, parties, and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Primary Flight’s annual event in Wynwood is the world’s largest, multi-site, street-level mural installation. In just three years, Primary Flight has grown quickly from 15 to over 100 artists, the majority of whom travel to Miami for Art Basel. Founders of the street, stencil, graffiti, and skate art movements headline the annual event. Artists collaborate on strategically located walls throughout the Wynwood Art District. Maps outlining the installation are circulated, providing patrons with an opportunity to view street works in process.

Notable participating artists have included Augor, Bask, Blek Le Rat, Boxi, David Choe, Crome, Cycle, Michael De Feo, Dare, Depoe, Dolla, Ellis G, El Mac, Ewok, Frerk, Logan Hicks, Andy Howell, Kofie, Lady Pink, The London Police, MSG, Kenton Parker, Retna, Revok, Reyes, Risk, Santiago Rubino, She Kills He, Chris Stain, TCP, Tes One, Typoe, WK Interact, Marc C. Woehr and Agustina Woodgate. Primary Flight is a launch pad for some Street Artists, and a homecoming for others, such as Shephard Fairey and Ron English, both of whom transitioned from Street Art to the Fine Art arena.

Shepard Fairey comments, “There is an immense pool of talent that travels to Miami for the art fairs and many of them prefer to share their work with a broad audience on the street. The Primary Flight project is an ambitious endeavor to allow artists to create murals on sanctioned street spots. I was fortunate enough to be provided with a great wall near the Scope show and I not only received great feedback about my mural during the art fair, but continuously ever since. With the recent increased interest in street art from the fine art world, it is great that Primary Flight has created a program to legitimize and broaden the audience of Street Art.”

The 2009 edition of Primary Flight is sponsored in part by Miami’s Margulies Collection. Curator Katherine Hinds said, “Primary Flight brings a dynamic and exciting dimension to the Miami art scene and we are very pleased to serve as one of the sites for this year’s Street Art installations. Many Contemporary artists have drawn on the urban landscape Primary Flight for subject and inspiration, Basquiat, Walker Evans, Barry Mcgee to name a few. The artists in Primary Flight add a new voice to the urban genre in a big bang of painting, poetry and pavement.”

This year, Primary Flight broadens its reach with the addition of Blue Print For Space, a collection of contemporary Street Artists and Graffiti Writers, hosted by ArtCenter/South Florida. The art exhibition that complements to the Wynwood installation will showcase over 25 of today’s most active and unique street artists. Blue Print For Space proposes that these “Street” artists’ works are not just thought provoking or visually pleasing, but are also the voice of a contemporary generation.
During Art Basel, ArtCenter/South Florida will serve as the venue and co-organizer for a gala opening, panel discussions, book signings, private viewings and additional collaboration for artists. Event sponsors include MTV Latin America, The Margulies Collection, Majestic Properties, Lombardi Properties
and Miami Spaces.

Primary Flight founder, BooksIIII, commented, “The Street Art movement has become a standard, reaching out to almost every city across the globe, empowering any person with an interest to ‘get up’ in the street with an unofficial license to do so. This year’s exhibition at ArtCenter/South Florida will be a transition from the street to the gallery, but will nonetheless maintain the same edge and voice that wails in the street each and every time we go to sleep.” Through this annual project, Primary Flight provides a basis for dialogue and interaction among a diverse group of social players: world-renowned artists, property owners, gallerists, collectors and community residents. The unique and exciting Street Art that is left behind has become a Miami attraction, providing a destination for tourists, film crews, fashion photographer and art lovers.

ABOUT PRIMARY FLIGHT :

Primary Flight is a collaborative curatorial organization dedicated to the production of site-specific, street level, mural installations. Since its inception in 2007, Primary Flight has brought together over 100 of the world’s most influential Street Artists to install their bodies of work live in the streets of Wynwood. These projects provide a catalyst for burgeoning arts communities. Two books about Primary Flight events are scheduled to be released in the summer and winter of 2009, through Ginko Press Publishing.
ABOUT ART/CENTER SOUTH FLORIDA: Established in 1984, ArtCenter/South Florida (located at 800, 810 and 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach) is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization that provides subsidized studio and exhibition space as well as teaching opportunities for emerging and career artists in their facilities at 800, 810 and 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. The mission of the ArtCenter is to advance the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture in South Florida while providing affordable programming and work-space for professional artists. ArtCenter/South Florida is open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. For further information please call 305.674.8278 or visit the website at www.artcentersf.org.

Contact:
PRIMARY FLIGHT: BLUE PRINT FOR SPACE @ ArtCenter/South Florida:
Therry Norton / Dejha Carrington
Phone: 954.609.6496  Phone: 305.751.9641
e-mail: pr@primaryflight.com e-mail: dejha@treskoipr.com

http://www.primaryflight.com http://www.blueprintforspace.com

Read more

Mighty Tanaka Presents: “Hybridism” – NEW GALLERY


Mighty Tanaka Presents:
Hybridism: Where Raw Meets Refined
Premier Exhibition in New DUMBO Gallery Space presents an array of mediums, techniques


New York, NY – November 24, 2009 – Mighty Tanaka (http://www.mightytanaka.com) is proud to announce
Hybridism, the premier show within its new DUMBO project/gallery space, opening with a reception on December 3, 2009 through January 7, 2010. There’s a growing creative movement that we’ve dubbedHybridism: a blend of both street art and fine art – a hybrid – as the raw meets the refined. It is the juxtaposition of genres, which both compliments and conflicts; the balance between these otherwise artistic opposites. Hybridism, the show, captures a collection of both twisted fine art and underground street art in a span of mediums: vivid photography, collage, and rich oil & acrylic paintings on everything from canvas to found wood.


Alex and Caleb have been working so hard to make this thing happen!

Alex and Caleb have been working so hard to make this thing happen!


From classic oil paintings of alcohol-blurred nightlife, a squirrel riding a two-headed goat, and a trippy diorama of the industrialization age, to street-style satanic mummies, tribal paintings on book covers, and graffiti-influenced silkscreens on newspapers – Hybridism displays the atypical and the urban within one space.

“I always look to accentuate the idea of hybridism, and of pairing opposites together; this will be common thread in all of my shows, despite their varied themes,” says Mighty Tanaka owner and curator, Alex Emmart. “My goal? To bring this burgeoning and exciting artistic movement to the next level.”

Featured artists include: Adam Miller, Alexandra Pacula, Alexis Trice, AVOID pi, Bruno Perillo, Destroy and Rebuild, Don Pablo Pedro, FARO, Hellbent, Infinity, JMR, John Breiner, Josh McCutchen, Katie Decker, KOSBE, Lionel Guzman, Mari Keeler, Miss Marlo Marquise, Max Greis, Mike Schreiber, Peter Halasz, Reginald Pean, Robbie Busch, Royce Bannon, Skewville, Vinny Cornelli. 

M
ighty Tanaka’s Hybridism opening reception coincides with DUMBO’s Culture 411 First Thursday Gallery Walk on Thursday, December 3, 2009, from 5:30PM-8:30PM at Mighty Tanaka Studio on 68 Jay Street, Suite 416, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

# # #

About Mighty Tanaka

M
ighty Tanaka (http://www.mightytanaka.com) is Alex Emmart and Caleb James: an independent curatorial organization dedicated to the advancement and integrity of the urban arts. Through the utilization of skilled curating and various media techniques, we strive to create a stable foundation for artists operating within the urban environment. Mighty Tanaka is driven by urban inspiration and is clearing the way for this emerging art movement to expand beyond the city walls and into our personal lives. Our mission is to provide a myriad of curated and production services. 

Contact

M
ighty Tanaka Studio
68 Jay St., Suite 416
Brooklyn, NY
11201
Hours: M-F 12PM to 7PM, weekends by appointment only 
Office: 718.596.8781

For questions, info or interviews, please contact Alex Emmart at alex@mightytanaka.com or (718) 596-8781.


Read more

Luna Park Photo Show NYC

Sorry for the last minute notice, but I’ll be showing some photos at a friend’s open studio this coming Friday. If you’re in town, I’d be happy to see you there! I’ll be selling limited edition poster prints for $25.
Best,
Katherine
********************************************
luna park
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunapark/
http://twitter.com/lunaparknyc
http://www.thestreetspot.com

Friday, December 4th, 6-10pm
245 East 37th Street #6B
New York, NY 10016

Read more

Ad Hoc in Miami Basel BKMIA

Celebrating the holidays, Ad Hoc Art is in Miami for art’s annual all-you-can-see smorgasbord. We have an amazing list of artists on board, making it one of Miami’s most energetic showings. From over forty of today’s brightest stars come pieces of creative genius, many never seen before this exhibition.

Please go to Ad Hocs site, www.adhocart.org, to see the press release and invite flier for BKMIA, Ad Hoc’s Miami show in collaboration with AE District {Miami} and Eastern District {Brooklyn}.

The exhibition opens Thursday, December 3rd, noon to 5pm, with the Opening Reception / Party following that evening from 7pm – 11pm. If you or anyone you know is going to be in the Miami hood, please come see this outstanding art in a beautiful space. AE District asked Ad Hoc Art to showcase a strong representation of the art Ad Hoc Art has supported over the years. We aimed to deliver and brought together an amazing lineup of some of NYC’s finest as well as some friends from other blocks on the globe.

BKMiA is located in the Moore Building, a gorgeous historic Art Deco building in Miami’s Design District. We’ll be in good company, as Russell Simmons is doing something in the same building

The address is: The Moore Building/Miami Design District – 4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 103 {Zip: 33137}

If you have any questions regarding this exhibtion, please contact Ad Hoc Art at info@adhocart.org or 917.602.2153.

Many blessings,

Ad Hoc Art
Garrison Buxton – Owner / Director

Exhibiting Artists {more details on our website}

• Avoid Pi
• Buxtonia {Alison & Garrison Buxton}
• Cahbasmn
• Cash4
• Celso
• Cycle
• Dan Taylor
• DarkClouds
• Dennis McNett
• Destroy & Rebuild
• Eastern District Collective
• Ezra Li Eismont
• Faro
• Flying Fortress
• Frank Russo
• Fred Harper
• Gaia
• Imminent Disaster
• Infinity
• Jim Kiernan
• Joe Vaux
• John Breiner
• John Fekner & Don Leicht
• Jonathan Villoch {DEPOE}
• JuseOne
• Keely Brandon
• Keith Haskel
• Kevin Brady
• Lady Pink
• Logik One
• Lucas
• Mario Brothers
• Martin Mazorra & Mike Houston {Cannonball Press}
• Martina Secondo Russo
• Michael Alan
• Mike De Feo
• Molly Crabapple
• Morning Breath
• NohJColey
• Peat Wollaeger
• Peripheral Media Projects
• Pez
• Poster Boy
• Rafel Fuchs
• Robert Steel
• Ronin
• Royce Bannon
• Ryan Doyle and UFO 930
• Scott Draves / The Electric Sheep
• Skewville
• The London Police
• The Senator
• Thundercut
• Tod Seelie
• Uhuru Design

About the BKMIA Team:

• Garrison Buxton (Principal Curator) is the owner & co-founder of Ad Hoc Art and Peripheral Media Projects, Inc., Brooklyn.

• Alison Buxton (Co-Curator) is a co-founder of Ad Hoc Art, Brooklyn.

• Michael Cabrera (Co-Curator) is the owner and founder of Eastern District, Brooklyn.

• Max Pierre (Creative Director) is the owner and founder of AE District, Miami.

Gallery Hours during Art Basel Miami Beach:

• December 3, 2009 | 12PM to 5PM

o Opening Night Party: December 3rd: 7PM – 11PM with special performances TBA

• December 4, 2009 | 11AM to 7PM

• December 5, 2009 | 11AM to 7PM

• December 6, 2009 | 11AM to 5PM

o Closing Night Party 7PM – 11PM with special performances TBA

BKMIA | 4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 103 | Moore Building | Miami, FL 33137

For more on BKMIA, visit www.BKMIA.COM

Read more
Week in Images 11.29.09

Week in Images 11.29.09

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_1009Our Weekly Interview with the Street

Specter
Voy!  Delivery!  (Specter) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Specter (detail)
Specter (detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster
Somewhere between drawing the drapes and playing “I’m a little teapot”, Emma’s hair began to grow and curl like a Victorian furniture, causing her head to become heavy.  (Imminent Disaster) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster (detail)
Imminent Disaster (detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Overunder
OverUnder (photo Jaime Rojo)

General Howe
Thanks to nanotechnology, soldiers can be shrunken and posted in fairly well hidden locations (General Howe) (photo Jaime Rojo)

"Vintage" Elbow Toe
Okay, everybody push your chair away and stand up from the Thanksgiving table and reach for the ceiling with me.  One, two, three, streeeeeeetch!  (Elbow Toe) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Read more

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

We’re taking some time off to be Thankful!

Also want to give a shout out to The Doe Fund:

The Doe Fund in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is feeding 500 people for Thanksgiving. This organization helps the people in our community who have fallen to get back on their feet. Here’s a link for donations. http://www.doe.org/donations/

Hope you enjoy this video of one of our favorite songs by some of our favorite artists!

Read more

The London Police and Galo in “Fresh Geezers” at Factory Fresh

Fresh Geezers

Featuring The London Police and Galo
Show Opens Thursday, December 10, 7-10pm

This December, Factory Fresh pulls out all the stops as we welcome The London Police and Galo as they return to New York to celebrate more than a decade in the game.

Known for their iconic characters collectively these artist work have respectively graced streets and galleries in 35 countries and have been feature in numerous publications throughout the globe. The artists will be showcasing new canvas, featured films of the artist and installation works created site specifically for Factory Fresh.

Show Runs till January 10, 2010.

——————————————————————————————————————————

For more info on Factory Fresh and it’s upcoming shows go to www.factoryfresh.net or email info@factoryfresh.net

Read more
Logan Hicks Creates “Sailor” His Largest Stencil Piece Ever

Logan Hicks Creates “Sailor” His Largest Stencil Piece Ever

“The Workhorse” gallops through Brooklyn and Sets Another Record

Stencil artist Logan Hicks completed his largest stencil to date today on the streets of Brooklyn. Then he posed for a few photos and ran off to his next art gig.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

As he goes he leaves in his wake a 30′ x 8′ mural dedicated to somebody that keeps Logan’s horse power pumping at full speed, titled simply “Sailor”.

Fresh from his trip to Toronto for a show with another modern stencil master C215 and just before heading to Miami for Primary Flight to do the world’s largest site-specific street level mural with artists like D*Face, Shepard Fairey, Chris Stain, and the London Police, Logan Hicks gave his biggest present to his current hometown of Brooklyn and to his family.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

Moving away from subject matter involving city canyons, tunnels and teaming crowds that he has been closely identified with over the last couple of years, Hicks has been feeling lately like it is time for him to concentrate on the stuff that really matters to him. Family, art, sanity.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

The 5-layered piece required about 150 stencil plates to execute, and we watched what a logistical bad dream can ensue just laying out all the pieces on the sidewalk and following the plan.  Not to mention how wind can whip those well placed plates down the sidewalk toward the East River.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

Curated by Brooklyn Street Art for Espeis Outside, this mural is a hot blast of Logan Red to take us through the impending winter holidays and into the new year.  Not that the burly plain-talking-force-of-nature stencil master has any plans for 2010.

Unless you count the shows he’s scheduled to do in Hong Kong, Paris, Gambia, London, Rome, Vienna, Miami and of course The People’s Republic of Brooklyn (at the Opera Gallery).

“Next year is going to be a little nuts. So basically I am not going to sleep until 2011. I keep telling myself that this is the life that I asked for. The stress gets to be a little much, but I think I secretly like it.”
Logan Hicks

Logan is pretty psyched to be working in what he calls “vector-based” stenciling, and his process is quite complex, even when planning a portrait of a boy with a toy train (photo Jaime Roj0)

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Logan-3

Logan Hicks

Adding a layer, Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art was really happy to hang out with hard-charging but surprisingly somewhat normal Hicks for a couple days this weekend, even helping out with a paint brush once in a while. The sun was pretty bright although it’s duration brief, and the wind did keep everybody humble – but the continuous racket of skateboarders in this industrial neighborhood kept the pace of work lively.  Below is an interview where Logan let’s us know what the story is behind the piece he debuted here.

Logan Hicks

Yep, Brooklyn is part of the Empire State. (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Your earlier subject matter tended toward architecture and large anonymous crowds on the street.  More recently you have become more personal in your work. Where did you get the inspiration for this piece?
Logan Hicks:
My son – Sailor Hicks, and watching him grow. The funny thing about time is that you don’t realize how fast it is passing until you have a kid to remind you. Each day my son grows, and although I love watching him sprout up, it reminds me of how quickly time is passing. Because I communicate with so many friends through email, I don’t normally realize that so many months have gone by when I see them in the flesh. Now though, when I see someone, I can take note “I haven’t seen you since Sailor started walking” or “I haven’t seen you since he started talking”.  It really punctuates how quickly things go by.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks putting the black frame on to finish the piece (photo Jaime Rojo)

So watching him, it has made me reflect on my life. Made me thing about how much I am changing. Not so much in the physical aspect, but mentally. Striving to refine my craft. Striving to sustain stability. Striving to be a good parent. All this makes me want to be a better person. I look at myself 6 years ago, and I don’t even recognize that guy any more. So with this mural, I just think of it as a quick snapshot of my life. It give me a chance to pause and appreciate my life as it exists now.

Logan Hicks

Father and son. (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Does Sailor know he’s going to be immortalized?
Logan Hicks:
No, but I don’t think he’s too pressed to take note of anything other than trains, letters, toys, and cars. I wouldn’t have it any other way. One of my reasons for doing this piece is because of an early conversation I had with C215. When I first met C215 I noticed that he kept doing a stencil of this one girl. I asked him who it was and why he kept doing stencils of her. His response floored me. He said that it was his daughter. He didn’t have full custody of his daughter and didn’t get to see her as often as he would like. He said he did at least one stencil a week of her because he didn’t want her to ever think that he forgets about her. That punched a hole in my heart. It was the most brutally honest comment that he could have said. I was amazed that he opened his life up so quickly and said something that was so personal. I guess for me I have always been a bit guarded. The older I get though, the more I realize that I’d be better if i shared more, instead of trying to protect it.

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks with the original illustration he did taped to the mural (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How can an artist put something so personal out in the public?
Logan Hicks:
How can an artist NOT put something that is personal? For so long I feel like I have been striving to hone the craft of using stencils. I have worked on the technical side of things and I feel like in the past year or two I have, for the most part, conquered that. So now the question becomes, not how you make it, but what you make with it. For me. I feel like I have started back at square one. I have started to speak about what is most personal to me. I am tired of trying to be witty or technical or vague.

I am trying to filter out all the background noise in my life and make my art. All the haters, all the fans, all the blogs or magazines, or other artists. I think it’s gotten to a point where the best thing that I can do is just retreat into myself and speak honestly about what I am going through. For so long I have worked to gather information. Information about galleries, artists, processes, blogs, magazines, curators, etc. Lately I realized though that none of it matters. The only thing that matters is the here and now. The only thing that matters is what I am going through.

Brooklyn Street Art: How many layers are involved in this stencil?
Logan Hicks:
There are 7 colors, but only 5 layers of stencils.

Brooklyn Street Art: What are some of your goals as an artist who works on the street sometimes?
Logan Hicks:
Just to do a good job

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Logan-2

Logan Hicks

Logan Hicks (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Does Sailor know he’s going to be immortalized?
Logan Hicks:
No, but I don’t think he’s too pressed to take note of anything other than trains, letters, toys, and cars. I wouldn’t have it any other way. One of my reasons for doing this piece is because of an early conversation I had with C215. When I first met C215 I noticed that he kept doing a stencil of this one girl. I asked him who it was and why he kept doing stencils of her. His response floored me. He said that it was his daughter. He didn’t have full custody of his daughter and didn’t get to see her as often as he would like. He said he did at least one stencil a week of her because he didn’t want her to ever think that he forgets about her. That punched a hole in my heart. It was the most brutally honest comment that he could have said. I was amazed that he opened his life up so quickly and said something that was so personal. I guess for me I have always been a bit guarded. The older I get though, the more I realize that I’d be better if I shared more, instead of trying to protect it.

 

fgds

It’s an artist’s tradition to use their own life for inspiration. (photo Logan Hicks)

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Logan-H

Brooklyn Street Art: How can an artist put something so personal out in the public?
Logan Hicks:
How can an artist NOT put something that is personal? For so long I feel like I have been striving to hone the craft of using stencils. I have worked on the technical side of things and I feel like in the past year or two I have, for the most part, conquered that. So now the question becomes, not how you make it, but what you make with it. For me. I feel like I have started back at square one. I have started to speak about what is most personal to me. I am tired of trying to be witty or technical or vague.

I am trying to filter out all the background noise in my life and make my art. All the haters, all the fans, all the blogs or magazines, or other artists. I think it’s gotten to a point where the best thing that I can do is just retreat into myself and speak honestly about what I am going through. For so long I have worked to gather information. Information about galleries, artists, processes, blogs, magazines, curators, etc. Lately i realized though that none of it matters. The only thing that matters is the here and now. The only thing that matters is what I am going through.

Logan Hicks

Writing the dedication (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How many layers are involved in this stencil?
Logan Hicks:
There are 7 colors, but only 5 layers of stencils.

Brooklyn Street Art: What are some of your goals as an artist who works on the street sometimes?
Logan Hicks:
Just to do a good job

Logan Hicks

“Sailor”, by Logan Hicks  (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How important is risk-taking in art?
Logan Hicks:
Guess it depends on how you define risk. For me I just want to feel like i have accomplished something. I want to feel that i have done a service to my craft. to my trade. I want to feel that I have spoken honestly about my work, and done the best that i can. One of my favorite quotes is by Paul Rand, who designed the logos for companies like IBM, ABC, UPS, Westinghouse even Enron.  He said “Don’t try to be original. Just try to be good.” That’s a motto that I have sort of lived by. I just try to do a good job. If that means that there is risk involved, so be it, but I don’t search out risk. It’s the sort of thing that you drive by on your way to the final destination.

>>  <<<   > <<< >>>> <<<<<   >>>

Check out the time-lapse we did with Mr. Hicks – and at the end you’ll see the Sailor himself in action with his train.

Read more

Welcome to the show! You’re Under Arrest

First, the important news,

Oprah is retiring.

In 18 months! OMG.

So if you need to confess to an eating disorder or that you were molested by the mailman or if you have a book on self-empowerment for toads, you better call your P.R. agent and get yourself booked because in 2012 the world as we know it simply ends.

I saw the entire story from multiple perspectives on CNN today in the dentists’ waiting room as I counted the minutes till my wisdom tooth was scheduled to be yanked (OOOWWWWW).

Incidentally CNN had a little story about the US Senate debating the passage of the largest federal program in United States history.  That 90 second story was sandwiched in between Oprah graphics and and heated conjecture about what the future without Oprah would look like.

And now it’s time for FUN FRIDAY!

Fun-Friday

WK Turns His Opening Into a Perp Walk

At his recent opening at Subliminal Projects in Los Angeles, 200 people were arrested.

He's such a blast, isn't he?
He’s such a blast, isn’t he?

Usually at an art opening the artist is (A.) lingering around the gallery uncomfortably answering questions about the work, posing for a picture in front of it, collecting phone numbers of groupies.  Unless you are the shy type, in which case (B.) you are huddling in the back office taking nips out of a flask, doodling on the desk calendar, and waiting till the gallery starts turning out lights.

Recently apprehended guest flattens himself against the wall and is photographed by the authority.
Recently apprehended art fan flattened against the wall and photographed by WK.

OPTION (C.), if  you are WK Interact, is you think of almost everything as performance art, and every person as part of an installation.  Then at YOUR opening you criminalize any willing participant and arrest them and put them through some playful militaristic institutional dehumanizing.

Filling out forms
After finger printing there are some forms to fill out.

“I was really impressed by the turn-out and the audience enthusiasm to partake and let me ‘book’ them. Almost 200 people [about half the audience] waited in line to be fingerprinted and have their mug shot taken, incorporating another sense into the interactive experience: touch. It’s not often I get to be that intimate with the viewers, who actually became a part of the show through their participation and who are now part of the  installation that hangs in the gallery for the duration of the show,” said WK.

sfadf
Who knew jail could be so much fun? “I  simply did a mug shot that night and I let the crowd be part of my show.”

The artist posed in costume and ran the guests through the penal mill with dry wit and gentle but firm authority. According to attendees, at first the experience was disconcerting, then funny, then funnier (that could have been the wine).  WK himself at first tried to keep a mean-looking demeanor but clearly was having too much fun.  This is why I always meet him in a public cafe, preferably with a bodyguard around the corner.

After booking, the criminal records were posted publicly.
After booking, the criminal records were posted as a public safety measure.

Brooklyn Street Art asked WK what was the procedure for processing the criminals in attendance:

“I  simply did a mug shot that night and I let the crowd be part of my show. Then I put their arrest record on the wall …..  each one was finger printed and I Polaroid-ed them. I ask them their age and height in a typical arresting scenario. I recreated a desk at the entrance,” he recounted with satisfaction. And what was the reaction of the gallery guests? “The crowd was very enthusiastic!,” he reports. And for the officer on duty?  “It was busy night of 4 hours’ work.”

His firearm was how big?
His firearm was how big?

I’m not sure if there will be more audience interaction and role playing at WK’s next opening, but for this group, it was certainly captivating.

The arresting officer with guests.
The arresting officer with guests.

Thank you to WK Interactive for these photos.

HERE is a good video to further describe the criminal records theory.

WK INTERACT at SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS from Joshua Gibson on Vimeo.



How To Blow Yourself Up NOW ON VIEW

SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS

New Works by WK Interact through December 5, 2009

Read more

PANKABESTIA Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities A retrospective of “Swimming Cities of Serenissima”

PANKABESTIA. Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities

As the 53rd Venice Biennale enters its last days and the world’s art community reflects, Anonymous Gallery, curator Spy Emerson and the artist SWOON provide a glimpse of what critic Jerry Saltz called “…The most moving moment I had at the Biennale…”

“Pankabestia: Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities of Serenissima”, is a retrospective of artist Swoon’s “Swimming Cities of Serenissima”, her recent invasion of the Venice Biennale. Traveling from the Karst region of Slovenia to Venice, Italy, Swoon and 30+ artists braved the waters of the Adriatic Sea and navigated a fleet of three intricately hand crafted vessels. The exhibition opens on November 20, 2009 and includes artwork, objects, and a series of performances based on the “Swimming Cities” invasion.

The environment/experience will include large-scale wall drawings, original Swimming Cities boat installations, portions of the ships, found objects acquired from sea, performances from the original members of the journey, beautiful photographic documentation from artist Tod Seelie, and art from Spy Emerson, Monica Canilao and many others.

Seelie, whose portraiture (www.todseelie.com/serenissimaportraits/ )will be featured in “Pankabestia,” documented the journey from Slovenia to Italy. His documentation of the journey can be found at www.todseelie.com/serenissima.

Money raised with this campaign will go to the production of the exhibition, theater performances and the series of peripheral events in New York and Miami that will coincide with “Pankabestia.”

The following prints will be offered as a part of this campaign:

Swoon:
Switchback Sisters – www.justseeds.org/blog/images/switchbacksisters.jpg

Tod Seelie:
Print 1 – www.todseelie.com/serenissima/content/_MG_9011_large.html
Print 2 – http://todseelie.com/serenissima/content/_MG_0517_large.html
Print 3 – www.todseelie.com/serenissima/content/_MG_8038_large.html

For a full calendar of Pankabestia events and performances, and availability of tickets, please visit www.anonymousgallery.com from November 1, 2009 on.

Curator Spy Emerson’s thoughts on the experience:

“Pankabestia”- what the Italian villagers called us when we floated into town on our junk rafts. It translates to “punk beasts”, and by all accounts we were – magical, grubby, unruly creatures carrying out an enchanted mythical scene, looking like bits of broken dreams, drifting.

The townspeople were apprehensive along the rural canals to Venice. They locked their doors and windows when we stopped in town, and they watched. The beauty of the rafts was captivating, the poetic pilings and forced perspectives, stairs spiraling upward, and tiny pagodas with corrugated reflections. The brave came to look… then the curious, and before long all people were welcoming us with gifts and food. In a remote fishing village, a woman told me in broken English, we kissed a breath of life into her old home, and we will not soon be forgotten.

The Swimming Cities of Serenissima was Living Art, designed by SWOON, and executed by 30 individual artists known for their abilities to make unreal things happen. Constructed was a reality without right angles, standard rules did not apply there. Alice, Maria, and Old Hickory were the protagonists of our story, and our traveling homes. Living on the rafts, the crew became a visual part of the large moving sculptures, and participants in the mad drama flourishing in turbulence, primal urges, euphoria and fear.

In retrospect, I see that we were punk beasts. We raided dumpsters, slept on the ground, shat in the woods, and laughed in the rain. We let loose our social restraints to be free to create and experience something profound,
to drag our fingertips along the underside of bridges, and jump the fences of the Venice Biennale.”

spy emerson
curator

Anonymous Gallery 169 Bowery New York, NY
Opens Nov 20 6-9pm

Read more
Inside the “ShineBox” With Rae McGrath from Brooklynite

Inside the “ShineBox” With Rae McGrath from Brooklynite

A truly original and dynamic group show draws attention to what it means to survive in a shrinking economy. Shoe- shiners and Artists to the rescue!

Man in Curitiba - Brazil
Creative Commons License photo credit: Adam Jones, Ph.D.

While you are waiting for Obama to do something Rooseveltian to replace the jobs our economy has been hemorrhaging for years, Rae and Hope McGrath at Brooklynite Gallery suggest you pick up a shoe-shine box and get to work.

I can’t even tell you how many artists I know who are out of work, and consequently how many are working harder than ever on the stuff that makes them happy and gives their life meaning – their art.

Like many New Yorkers watching their options dwindling, The Bushinomic Bank-zaster of ’08-’09-’10 has given many artistic types a lot of time to sharpen their skills, decide what needs to be done to survive, and to work together.  One possible result, BSA is predicting, is an even bigger All-City BOOM in street art right around the corner.  As jobs continue to evaporate and gallery doors close, the gallery of the street beckons a little louder each day to those who have a creative voice but no where to speak it.

Destroy & Rebuild stock their box with the essentials...

Destroy & Rebuild stock their box with the essentials…

What does it mean for an artist to “survive” in a tough economic climate? – That’s the question Brooklynite Gallery in Bed Stuy posed to 100 artists when putting this show together. Focusing on the box of supplies that a shoe-shiner uses, Rae and Hope asked a very diverse group of street/graff artists to create a box of their own to express their approach to work and survival.

Anu Schwartz takes readings of the mind and heart globally.

Anu Schwartz takes readings of the mind and heart globally.

The truly eclectic results reveal not just entrepreneurial aspirations, but psychological profiles expressing values and dreams and inner-workings of the artistic process.  Symbolism abounds, and because of the limitations imposed, meanings densely packed alongside personal aspiration.  To appreciate the intensity, plan your calendar to see the show twice.

Various and Gould created a beat box.

Shinebox goes beatbox, literally. “VARIOUS & GOULD (with KUUK)’s box is stunning.  Drop a coin in and make some beats.  Completely captures the essence of this exhibition,” says Rae McGrath, owner of Brooklynite.

With the global economic downturn and the hardship it has caused, this show is clearly a tribute to, and an attempt to give voice to, the hard-working people who labor to make a living.  By asking artists and fans to meditate on these realities, Brooklynite is pushing us to think outside our own drama and consider the meaning of work, and to see the shoeshine box as survival box.

CAKE

Street artist Cake intimates a psycho-sexual-medical realm.

Brooklynite owner/curator/visionary/artist Rae McGrath took a break from installing the show to talk about his original inspiration for the show, and how it has evolved:

Brooklyn Street Art: Didn’t the shinebox go out with the icebox? What was the impetus for the theme of this show?
Rae McGrath:
Last time I heard the term “icebox” I was well into my 11 hour of The Honeymooners Marathon they run on New Years Day.  BUT -shinebox’s never go out of style.  Everyone enjoys compartmentalizing things don’t they?  Mostly for the wrong reasons but they do…  However this exhibition goes beyond shine boxes and shinning shoes.  It deals with working in the most stripped down, basic sense of the term.

 

Paper Monster adapted an actual shinebox.

Paper Monster adapted an actual shinebox.

The project stems from my love for shoeshine boxes.  Traveling through Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, etc., I was always impressed with how these things were built, mostly by kids.  Any materials they could find held together with rusted nails and recycled bottles for dyes and you’re good to go.  So out of that, combined with this f&*ked up economy I wanted to take it one step further and ask artists from around the world–  “If you had to take to the streets to survive in this economy, what would you do?”  I asked that each keep the “survival object” inside a square foot.  It could be found, bought, modified, etc. We wanted to try and unify graffiti artists with street and contemporary

FRANK DUVAL

FKDL uses a collage of yesteryear imagery.

FRANK DUVAL (CONTENTS)

FKDL created part art supply, part sewing box (contents)

Brooklyn Street Art: How does the current financial crisis in the country play in the psychology of this show?
Rae McGrath:
A lot of artists we approached with the concept said it really resonated with them.  Some live off their work and lost studios, commissions, etc. It sucks.  Art is considered a luxury item to most– but we don’t necessarily see it that way.  Art inspires and motivates.  Makes people think and study.  To us that’s no luxury.  It should be the norm.

JEFF AREOSOL

Iconic stencilling from one of the Paris originators, Jef Aerosol

JEFF AEROSOL

With an eye toward total transparency, Jef Aerosol tells us what it takes.

Brooklyn Street Art: Logistically, getting a hundred artists to create and deliver their pieces must have been like herding cats…
Rae McGrath:
The logistics of this show have been pretty hectic.  I also think that most people in my neighborhood believe I am a drug dealer at this point.  Everyday another small package showing up.  Strange and cool at the same time.  But what makes it worthwhile is when you open a package and a true gem comes out.

I think the biggest feat when doing a show of this magnitude is making sure each artist get their work seen– Hence the video we just put out.  We are not very fond of your run of the mill group show that focuses on a key word or something.  We tried to keep the guidelines here a bit more rigid.

 

KNOW HOPE

KNOW HOPE adorns the box with a storyline

Brooklyn Street Art: Did every artist take a shine to your idea?
Rae McGrath:
Yes. EXCEPT for the ones that were afraid of working in 3 dimension.

 

A rather suggestive joy-stick tops this "Peep Show" by 3TTman

A rather suggestive joy-stick tops this “Peep Show” by 3TTman

Brooklyn Street Art: What box is blowing your mind?
Rae McGrath:
There are several boxes blowing my mind for different reasons…  Some because of the design, others the concept and some for both.  VARIOUS & GOULD (with KUUK)’s box is stunning.  Drop a coin in and make some beats.  Completely captures the essence of this exhibition.  They also did the hand-made flyer for the show and limited edition prints.  3TTMAN’s peep show is a thing of beauty.  KOSBE, TEN13ONE.  I know I’m leaving some killer ones but– wait this isn’t print— Not trying to save trees— BEN FROST has a clever piece, Destroy & Rebuild …  Look man just get over here and see them.

LISTER

Anthony Lister goes 360

LISTER

Smile and the blockheads smile with you. (Anthony Lister)

Brooklyn Street Art: Are any of them functional, practical, usable?
Rae McGrath:
Some are functional in a practical sense others in a spiritual one–  That part of the theme was open to interpretation and heavily expanded upon.

SKEWVILLE

A strong stylization of the theme, Skewville keeps it real Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Street Art: The title sounds like an exhortation; “Go Get your Shine Box” are you telling us roll up our sleeves and get to work?
Rae McGrath:
Hell yeah.  Maybe the name should be “GO GET YOU ASS TO WORK”.  Seriously I think we all know where that title came from….  Or should at least.

Brooklyn Street Art: BTW, I usually wear size 10.5 black wingtips.  Can I drop them off anytime after Nov. 21? I’ll need them for Thanksgiving.
Rae McGrath:
Oh sounds nice. We actually have the same size shoe…  Drop them off .

"GO GET YOUR SHINE BOX" SILK SCREEN POSTER

“GO GET YOUR SHINE BOX” silk screen posterby Various and Gould

Opening Reception: November 21 7-10 p.m.

Brooklynite Gallery HERE

gallerypage

Artists in the show include:

MISS BUGS, JEF AEROSOL, SWEET TOOF, PURE EVIL, BEN EINE, DAIN, INKIE, BEN FROST, STEN, LEX, JACE, LUKE INSECT, VARIOUS & GOULD,KUUK, CEPT, WILL BARRAS, 5003, DDOCK, PHIL ASHCROFT ,JOE BLACK ,THUNDERCUT, K-GUY,ANTHONY LISTER, AIKO,GAIA,DAVID WALKER,RYCA,SKEWVILLE,PENNY,BILLI KID,SADDO,PAPER MONSTER,DANIEL LUMBINI,3TTMAN,OZMO,PERU ANA ANA PERU,REMED,FEFE TALAVERA, EVOL, SPECTER, ZBIOK, MYMO, LUDO, ELICSER, KNOW HOPE, BROKEN CROW, GAETANE MICHAUX, AUGUSTUS THOMPSON, COLLIN VAN DER SLUJIS, KOSBE, SPQR, M8, HUSH, DEREK SHUMATE, ZOOT, FUMAKAKA, JORGE GALVAO, MEDO, EL MATO, AJAMU WALKER, PRESTO, RODRIGO LEVEL, EMA, NONOSE, MIKE FALES, IVICA CAPAN, PLIMSOUL, JO PEEL, THE KRAH, RAFAEL SLIKS, BLO, DESTROY & REBUILD, JAW, KAN, LIME, OSIK, ANU SCHWARTZ, JACE RIVERA, SOWAT, ROSTONE, TIKA, RICHARD DIX, JOAQUIM STEVENSON-RODRIGUEZ, CELSO, CAKE, AME72, BRUSK, GEOMETRIC BANG, DARKCLOUD
, MARVIN CRUSHLER, LEAST WANTED, MANO DE PAPEL, TEN13ONE, KLONE, KNOX, FKDL, ROBOTS WILL KILL, RAE

Read more