December 2009

Wish #10: Martha Cooper

Wish #10: Martha Cooper

10-Wishes-for-10No 10Names_Martha

10 Wishes for 2010, #10, Martha Cooper

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Martha Cooper, photographer and ethnographer, who has documented New York street life since the days when steel-wheeled galleries of graffiti rolled all-city and “rap” was something your mom did with her hand upside your head for tagging the fridge.

“I wish for a year filled with colorful, creative, sweet and reasonably priced surprises.”

 

© Martha Cooper

© Martha Cooper

 

Read more

Wish #9: ElbowToe

10-Wishes-for-10No 9Names_Elbow_Toe

10 Wishes for 2010, #9, Elbowtoe

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from ElbowToe, a poet of the streets and figurative line drawer, who conjures stories, pays homage to classics, and renders bended every-people.

“MAY YOU HAVE SPACE FOR REFLECTION.” – ELBOWTOE

WG News + Arts Dec.
Straight from ElbowToe’s sketchbook. “The drawing is part of my subway series, warm up drawings I do every day on the subway for an hour.”

Read more

Wish #8: Broken Crow

10-Wishes-for-10No 8Names_Broken_Crow

10 Wishes for 2010, #8, Broken Crow

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish for 2010 comes from Broken Crow, a duo of stencil animals whose metaphorical bears, horses, porcupines, and others from the natural world draw our attention to human’s impact and folly.

“In 2010, we wish to somehow acquire around 10,000 x-acto blades, 55 rolls of 36 inch wide butcher paper, a pallet of duct tape, a 160 foot tall cherry picker, 1000 cans of flat black spray paint, 600 gallons of exterior flat latex paint, a 2 month supply of sunblock, and funding for 5 months worth of prep work. We need all these things because for the last few months we’ve been in talks with the owner of a two-block-long abandoned industrial complex here in Minneapolis, with the intention of painting the largest site specific mural installation the Mid-West has ever known. The project has the support of the owner of the site, as well as local community organizations, and we are now in the process of securing funding and supplies.”

adf
The industrial behemoth in all it’s splendor; “the largest site specific mural installation the Mid-West has ever known.”

To get an idea of Broken Crow’s work, watch this video below of them with Overunder this year in Brooklyn, directed by Maria Juranic.

Broken Crow and Overunder with BrooklynStreetArt.com in NY from Maria Juranic on Vimeo.

Read more

Wish #7: Jef Aerosol

10-Wishes-for-10No 7Names_Aerosol

10 Wishes for 2010, #7, Jef Aerosol

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Jef Aerosol, who painted his first stencil in 1982 and is widely credited as being one of the original street artists in Paris, along with artists like Blek Le Rat and Miss Tic. January 2010 brings him to New York for “All Shook Up”, a powerful new solo show of cultural icons at Ad Hoc in Brooklyn.

“I wish one very simple thing : let’s all open our eyes and realize once and for good that all human beings on earth are brothers and sisters…
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one !”

© Jef Aerosol

© Jef Aerosol



Read more

Wish #6: Hellbent

10-Wishes-for-10No 6Names_Hellbent

10 Wishes for 2010, #6, Hellbent

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Hellbent, a street artist whose Freud’s jaw, half skull, and writhing fire snake are frequently laying on a bed of lace.
“I wish my father would find a job. I wish that this economy/country turns around and all the people who are out of work can get back to work, so they can continue to do things that don’t define them by a “job.”

Image courtesy artist. © Hellbent
Image courtesy artist. © Hellbent

Read more

Wish #5: Specter

10-Wishes-for-10No 5Names_Specter

10 Wishes for 2010, #5, Specter

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Specter, whose large scale hand drawn and painted wheat-pastes have championed the homeless, the worker, the marginalized in unconventional unusual locations all over. What one may not guess is the sense of humor behind them. Here’s Specter’s wish for the new year;

“If had only one wish for the new year I would have to say I would want to be this guy if only for a few days — a chick magnet!”

Image courtesy Specter

Image courtesy Specter

Read more

Wish #4: Cake

10-Wishes-for-10No 4Names_cake

10 Wishes for 2010, #4, Cake

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Cake, who makes one-of-a-kind portraits with color washes.
“I wish for a series of good days; I wish for my niece to always be healthy and warm; I wish to be clean for one more day; I wish my dentist would lay off and lastly, I wish everyone a loving holiday.

© Cake

© Cake

Read more

Wish #3: FKDL

10-Wishes-for-10 No 3Names_FKDL

10 Wishes for 2010, #3, FKDL

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from FKDL, whose animated black figures and forms dance and bend, frequently composed of a collage of 50’s/60’s-era fashion and lifestyle advertising.
“I place all my hopes on diversity, mixing and sharing culture. We must maintain this freedom that allows us to express ourselves in the street, trying to continually produce quality work; surprising, inventive, and hopefully work that makes people happier everyday.”

FKDL (middle) collaboration with Titi From Paris (outside)
FKDL (middle) collaboration with Titi From Paris.

Read more

Wish #2: Chris Stain

10-Wishes-for-10No 2Names_Chris_Stain

10 Wishes for 2010, #2, Chris Stain

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Chris Stain, a Baltimore born stencil artist whose portraits focus on city folk, working folk, kids, moms, and every day heroes.
“I wish for a job with steady pay. After that is taken care of I can work on the rest of the world.”

The new Chris Stain oil pastel and acrylic wash piece stands at 12'H by about 20'W.
This piece by Chris Stain is an oil pastel and acrylic wash piece at a fundraiser at Art in General features his son and two friends as models.  (courtesy the artist)

Read more

Wish #1: Logan Hicks

10-Wishes-for-10No 1Names_logan

10 Wishes for 2010, #1, Logan Hicks

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

The first wish for the new year comes from Logan Hicks, stencil master, former headbanger, and workhorse.
“My wish?- To continue onward and upward”

image © Logan Hicks

image © Logan Hicks

Read more

Christmas Greetings Get Destroyed

Sometimes you can’t catch any luck, even when you are bringing good cheer to the people on the street. The Destroy & Rebuild guys (2 of them anyway) are selling their art on the street in Soho and get Scrooged!

Somebody grab a hot mop, we got an eggnog spill over here.

Read more

Winter Chill? Burn Your Art!

A few weeks ago Street Artist Celso and some of his friends decided to have an art show in Miami Beach during the much ballyhooed Art Basel show.

As a response to the aforementioned ballyhoo, and perhaps as a commentary about the romance with and commercialization of street art, the culmination of the “Art Burn” show was to light all of it on fire and grin mischievously. As an additional dystopian thrill for the assembled pyro-artiacts, a copy of Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was torched also, after memorizing of course.

Thanks to Hargo for the excellent atmospheric pics – and to learn more about the project check out fabulous Carolina Miranda at C-Monster.net

s
With a fire extinguisher at the ready, and a gallon of water, and a beer (photo © Hargo)

k
For fire-tagger Ellis G., this particular event was not too much of a stretch. (photo © Hargo)

fhj
Debbie Harry has not been this hot since the 80’s (Billi Kid) (photo © Hargo)

lkj
Kids plus fire equals good times. Where’s that bag of marshmallows? (photo © Hargo)

vsfg
Art radicals, pavement and fences …. now just add 5 tires to the fire and you’ve got yourself a G8 Summit!  (photo © Hargo)

c
Skewville’s demand has gone up since some of their supply was burned (©Hargo)

Read more