99% Gallery and Art Center Presents:
Born Under A Bad Sign
99% Gallery and Art Center Presents:
Pandemic Gallery Presents
“AMALGAMATIONS”
a solo show by Eddie Ochoa
A Texas native, Ochoa has previously exhibited at Fl!ght Gallery in San Antonio; since relocating to New York, Ochoa also participated in a group show at 21LUDLOW in the Lower East Side.
Gustavo Talks About New York and Colors, While Martha Cooper Shows You Her Os Gemeos Shirt Designed by a Friend of the Twins
BSA: When did you arrive in New York?
Gustavo: Here in New York, a week ago.
BSA: You are always traveling – When do you have time to go to Brazil and relax?
Gustavo: We were in Brazil one month ago and we started traveling again and we have been traveling for about a month.
BSA: You came straight from San Diego and the “Viva La Revolucion” show?
Gustavo: No, we went from San Diego to San Francisco, then here.
BSA: What is the thing you like the most about painting outside?
Gustavo: The relationship between the art and the public. We like to do free paintings for the public.
BSA: What motivates you personally when you are painting and you see people are admiring …when you go home and go to sleep how do you feel about your work?
Gustavo: We don’t know how to talk about this because we are very “inside” of our paintings. It is difficult for us to go outside and see what is happening. We don’t know, we are really really very inside of what we are painting. But we know that a lot of people are happy with the work we do. They like it. We know the people are feeling happy, like the neighbors here, they really love it.
They say, “Hey you guys have to paint the whole neighborhood, and make more pieces.” People like this. People are missing this. You know, New York back in the days was more colorful. Now everything is grey.
BSA: So is that why you paint so colorfully? Or is it because you are from Brazil?
Gustavo: The cities have to be all colors. The whole city has to be in color. Everything, the streets, everything.
BSA: Do you feel very welcome in New York City?
Gustavo: Oh yes, very welcome. There are some cities that are very special and New York is very special for us.
BSA: Do you consider yourselves cultural ambassadors from Brazil or do you see yourself more as “World” painters?
Gustavo: We are just two guys, Brazilian brothers, artists that like to paint. People can say what they want. I don’t care. We always try to not just put our name, but Brazil’s name out there wherever we go to do something. Down there (Brazil) we also have some nice artists, not only us; People who are really good. And we also show respect because respect is the base of everything.
BSA: Can you talk about this piece with Futura? What is the relationship between all the flags and the kid?
Gustavo: It’s difficult to say because we are still in process, you know. We are still working. Maybe later we can explain it better.
BSA: So you are continuing to improvise on the piece even now? You do not have a set plan?
Gustavo: The drawing yes, but the way we paint is all improvised.
BSA to Martha Cooper: How are you enjoying this experience?
Martha Cooper: Oh I love it. I love to see them work you know. It’s my favorite thing. And they are so cute. They are the most adorable twins.
BSA: When did you meet them first?
Martha: You know I met them in Germany about 2004 at some Street Art event when Hip-Hop Files came out. They were actually quite a bit younger then. See this shirt I’m wearing? Gustavo was wearing it in Miami last fall, I admired it and he gave it to me. This shirt is covered with their pieces and it was designed by one of their friends.
AKANYC and 12ozProphet are both design studios involved in this project.
Specter is in London presiding over the opening of his solo show at Pure Evil Gallery on Thursday. That of course was not the only intent of his trip. Really what keeps Specter moving is a decrepit, decaying wall staring back right at him.
He is not all too keen on clean, smooth and pristine surfaces to place his street pieces. It is a challenge that he’s mastered. This is most evident in his work on the streets of New York. His hand tinted wheat pastes of people- often everyday workers or homeless or ordinary people are placed so perfectly that when you see them you think they were always a part of the wall or of the abandoned store front sign he uses as a backdrop/canvas.
The new exclusive images below are a perfect example of his art and placement- which goes beyond contextual to almost urban camouflage. What is it? Fabric painted on an old store front sign. The crimson folds against the old fading lettering makes the whole sign come back alive without making it look new. It stays the same: Old and abandoned and somehow romantic.
Now, if we could just figure out that “Faile” lettering…
The Herbert Gallery and Museum
MEDIA RELEASE
Banksy comes to the Herbert …
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum will host the UK public premiere of
Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A a new touring exhibition
including works by celebrated street artist Banksy…
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry will be taking inspiration from the street this autumn as it showcases work from some of the best, freshest and most controversial street artists around. The UK premiere of the new temporary exhibition Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A opens on 9 October, 2010 and is completely FREE to see.
This brand new touring exhibition explores the ways street art has moved away from the painted wall into the medium of printmaking, creating distinctive, exciting visuals along the way. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s internationally renowned collection of prints, Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A showcases established and emerging street artists, both British and international, including names such as Banksy, D*Face, Eine, Miss Tic, Swoon and Shepard Fairey. A piece of Eine’s work was recently gifted to Barack Obama from David Cameron.
The Herbert has commissioned six emerging artists on the UK street scene to create new works of art that will be displayed in a second complementary exhibition Fresh Paint. Pahnl, SPQR, Lucy McLauchlan, Ben Slow, AsOne and Newso have all created pieces that have not been seen before, and will not be seen together again.
Contextual images showing street art in its original settings have been provided by Very Nearly Almost magazine.
Dominic Bubb, Exhibitions Officer at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum said “Being the first venue to show the V&A’s exhibition is amazing for us especially with the Banksy pieces. We wanted to add an extra element to make this exhibition unique to Coventry so we’ve commissioned six works from up and coming Fresh Paint artists. Add to this the street images supplied from the VNA Magazine and you’ll see that this is a wholly exclusive exhibition that will never be seen anywhere else again.”
Street artists produce work in a variety of media, including the works on paper seen in this exhibition. Street art prints offer the opportunity to collect and preserve this otherwise ephemeral art form, which now moves between the street and the gallery. Street art prints are an interesting development, both within the medium of printmaking and within urban art. Although street artists produce work for exhibitions and galleries, most still continue to work outside the gallery system, or in some cases, creating galleries of their own. This exhibition explores the recurring themes within the genre, such as historic and current subjects, traditional methods of image-making and styles familiar from art history.
The art will also be heading out of the gallery and spilling over onto the street through a range of special events, activities and unique artworks hidden around Coventry. Shoppers in the city centre and the bus station should keep their eyes open and look out for miniature scenes and artworks which can then be photographed and shared on the Herbert’s Flickr site.
Between 11:00am and 4:00pm, on Saturday 11 September visitors can meet some of the artists taking part in the exhibition and see demonstrations of live spraying, painting, pasting and stencilling at Street Art Saturday, they will then have the opportunity to walk away with a FREE new and unique artwork in Take it, it’s yours.
Street art is a growing world-wide phenomenon where artists have taken their art outside of the traditional galleries and exhibitions and created a new platform with which to showcase their work. Walls, doors, derelict buildings, pavements, rivers and railings have all been used creatively to display an artist’s work.
Whilst most street art is produced illegally and without permission, it is a movement which has developed into recognised art form with street artists becoming well-known and respected among their peers and within the art world.
For further information on these and other FREE family events, exhibitions, talks and activities visit www.theherbert.org or join our family mailing list at www.theherbert.org/mailing-list.
Exhibition Extras
Street Art Saturday – FREE
Saturday 11 September 11.00am – 4.00pm Meet some of the artists taking part in our Street Art exhibition. For one day only we will have live spraying, painting, pasting and stencilling taking place in the University Square, just outside the Herbert |
It’s Yours, Take It – FREE
Saturday 11 September 12.30pm The Herbert is giving visitors the chance to take part in a worldwide phenomenon. It’s Yours, Take It is a great way for people who wouldn’t generally think about owning art to get a piece for FREE, from the artists taking part in Street Art!
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Street Art Launch – FREE
Thursday 7 October 7.00pm – 10.00pm Be the first to see this exhibition from the V&A alongside new works from amazing regional artists , DJing, live animation projection and a serious live art battle, where locals will take on outsiders, and the audience help decide the winner.
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10 Minute Tour – FREE
Every Tuesday from 12 October – 11 January 12.30pm An informal, drop-in tour with a member of our exhibitions team bringing history, context and a little insider information to the exhibition. |
Exit Through The Gift Shop – £5
Thursday 21 October 7.00pm – 8.30pm Exit Through The Gift Shop is the groundbreaking film from Banksy – the world’s most famous graffiti artist; a global phenomenon with a fiercely guarded anonymity. An eccentric Frenchman tries to film and befriend Banksy, only for the artist to turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results.
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Our Street – FREE
Monday 25 October – Friday 29 October 10.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm – 3.30pm Hands on drop-in workshops inspired by the area that we live and some of the fantastic techniques used in the Street Art Exhibition. Suitable for all ages but particularly 5+ and their adults. |
Contemporary Arts Conversation – FREE
Thursday 28 October 6.30pm – 7.30pm Love it or loathe it most people have an opinion on Street Art, and it often comes down to the contentious issue of graffiti. Councils spend thousands of pounds a year removing graffiti, stickers and paste-ups but they are fast becoming one of the greatest forms of modern art. Join us to tackle the thorny issue of art v vandalism. Arrive at 6.00pm for tea and coffee. |
Against the Wall – FREE
Wednesday 3 November 12.30pm – 1.30pm A talk by acclaimed journalist and photographer William Parry about his stunning book of photos which captures the graffiti and art that has transformed Israel’s wall into a living canvas of resistance and solidarity. Featuring the work of other artists including Banksy, Ron English, Blu and others, as well as Palestinian artists and activists, the photos express outrage, compassion touching humour, and illustrate the wall’s toll on lives and livelihoods.
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Our Street Workshop and Mural Day – FREE
Saturday 6 November 12.00pm – 4.00pm Using the creations made at today’s and Friday 29 October’s Our Street workshops, families can contribute to a fabulous 3D street scene in a workshop led by local artist Ben Sanderson. |
Herbert Illuminations: Street Art – FREE
Tuesday 16 November 12.30pm – 1.30pm British street artists Eelus and Lucy McLauchlan offer an insight into a project they are involved in to transform a rural village in The Gambia through art workshops and street painting. They aim to bring art to a community the survives through farming, and ultimately encourage tourism and development. |
Whole Train – FREE
Thursday 9 December 7.00pm – 9.30pm Whole train’s edgy editing, pulsating soundtrack and exploration of the secret universe of the graffiti scene make it a film experience not to be missed. The four protagonists observe the hierarchies, values, rules and codes of this rarely documented scene. But as another crew appears on the scene, and the four feel challenged and a creative battle ensues. The Director will be available after the performance in person or via Skype to answer questions about how he made the film and its content!
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If you want any further information, images or interviews please contact Sally Johnson on 024 7629 4735 or email sally.johnson@theherbert.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
MEDIA RELEASE
WANTED: ART
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum seeks artist donations for
Coventry’s First It’s Yours, Take It event
Donations of art works are being sort by the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum for a one-off event taking place on Saturday 11 September at 12:30pm. It’s Yours, Take It gives visitors to the museum the opportunity to leave with a piece of artwork for FREE.
The Herbert is asking for artists to take part in the worldwide phenomenon of It’s Yours, Take It by donating a piece of their work to the event. Works can be produced on any material including canvas, reclaimed wood and cardboard, they can be of any style, shape or inspiration but need to be of a quality standard.
Work has already been donated by up and coming street artists Pahnl, Newso and AsOne, and has been sent in from as far as St Louis, Missouri and Tehran in Iran.
Donated items will be included either during this one-off day, or, it may be hidden somewhere in Coventry during the Street Art exhibition for passers by to pick up and take home. By submitting pieces of work, artists will be given the opportunity to have their work and name seen by everyone visiting the Herbert on that day.
Work needs to be sent to Dominic Bubb, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP by Friday 10 September.
It’s Yours, Take It is a great way for people who wouldn’t generally think about owning art to get a piece for FREE.
Jamie Perry Head of Marketing and Communications at the Herbert commented ‘This is a great opportunity for local people to get involved with the Herbert, see some ground breaking art and have the chance of walking away with a piece to hang on their walls. The kind and generous donations of artists worldwide ensures that everyone has the chance to become a collector, appreciator and owner of truly inspirational art. I would urge everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity’.
It’s Yours, Take It has been organised to complement the Herbert’s new exhibition Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A which opens on 9 October. Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&A explores the ways street art has moved away from the painted wall into the medium of printmaking, creating distinctive, exciting visuals along the way. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s internationally renowned collection of prints, this exhibition showcases established and emerging street artists, both British and international, including names such as Banksy, D*Face, Eine, Miss Tic, Shepard Fairey and Swoon.
As an addition to the V&A exhibition, the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has commissioned six emerging artists on the UK street scene to create new works of art that will be displayed in Fresh Paint. Pahnl, SPQR, Lucy McLauchlan, Ben Slow, AsOne and Newso have all created pieces that have not been seen before, and will not be seen together again.
Contextual images showing street art in its original settings have been provided by Very Nearly Almost magazine.
For further information other FREE family events, exhibitions, talks and activities visit www.theherbert.org or join our family mailing list at www.theherbert.org/mailing-list.
The Lost Ones
Sunday was not a day of rest for the Brazilian twins and Futura as they worked on one of their “kids”. Armed with hundreds of cans of paint and two big cherry pickers they set the stage to begin work on building a wall-sized mural over 50 feet tall. They say it will take about a week to do the piece, which features flags from all over the world at PS 11 in Chelsea.
Seems like you just saw them in San Diego, and before that in about 10 other countries right? That’s because you did. The twins never stop. We asked Octavio yesterday during a break while he was on the ground if they ever rest. Octavio responded, “Yes we don’t rest. We like to paint and that’s what we do”.
Stop by all week to see the progress and play some hoops while they labor. BSA will be documenting the mural’s progress as it continues to develop into it’s final shape.
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Ron English, El Sol 25, $howta, Kid Zoom, Anera, Alive,QRST, Shepard Fairey, and Quel Beast.
Samantha’s been on holiday and returns this week with a stunning find by stencil artist C215. The fine Frenchman has been exploring color over the past year or so and the results are quite effective, as in this portrait outside the Signal Gallery in London.
Image of C215 © RomanyWG, courtesy of Stencil History X
C215 is coming to Brooklyn next month at Brooklynite Gallery with Eelus
Living Walls Atlanta
A GRASS ROOTS COLLOQUIUM
An exhibition and conference focused on street art and its role in engaging public space.
We are bringing in the works of an international selection of artists who typically make use of the streets to showcase their work. We have also sought artists that re-appropriate the public realm, attempting to take charge of their media space.
Artists will be asked, along with submitting artwork, to present some form of documentation of their other works as well as their process in order to illustrate via pictures, video, sketches, words, etc, the scale and context in which the artist typically works in public space.
Fun Friday 08.06.10
Interviews with Ron English, Skewville, Gaia, and Logan Hicks, and captures a bit of the flava last weekend.
Curator Frankie Velez has a show on West 36th Street in Manhattan that offers itself as a bit of a missing link between a graff, street art, and fine art. Here’s a stern voiced review.
Gaia’s posted his sketch for his piece “should be like a twenty foot wall when done with it. Its skulls from dance with death, acorns, oak leaves, cabins, american stars and possums. All ATL baby!”
Check out Living Walls August 13-15
Nuff said.
Say what?
Remember the lazy days of summer when we were kids, running around in August with our pack of friends making up sh*t to avoid boredom and to look busy so our parents wouldn’t make us do chores?
The excitement of July has passed and August will last forever.
All the stickball, hide-n-seek, and doctor games have gone a little old, like the garbage piled on the curb. The days of August require more creativity to keep us entertained: we insist on building bigger bike ramps, staging grander battles, concocting more complicated schemes that border on true mischief. Those thoughts came rushing back when we discovered the amazing art-fest that Overunder, ND’A, White Cocoa, Gawd and Labrona just smacked up. Imaginations are running wild.
Like a rambunctious pack of happy sweaty kids they are darting around behind trees and corners, counting to 20 and announcing, “Here I come!”. We want to be in the Secret Club of art making – where’s the tree house? Or is it a tepee? Or just somebodies older sister’s bedroom, covered with posters of Katy Perry and Young Jeezy? This new output is generous and inspiring. In a recent interview with Overunder he said “collaborations allow me to drop the draw-bridge and open up the work to new concepts, aesthetics, even accidents.” This stuff show how the draw-bridge has dropped and the concepts are skipping forth.