One of the many cool things about this LA experience is that artists took the charge of “Stories” in a variety of directions. The observation that we have had for a few years now, and the one we talked about to whomever we met last week, is that many of today’s street artists are telling personal or political or socially relevant stories with their work.

You’re looking at it! Futura’s piece called “Brooklyn Street Art” in the show “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

No stranger to experimentation and stretching his own creative boundaries, our most storied participant in the show of course is the graffiti writer and fine artist Futura. With a well documented career dating back to the late 60s and early 70s, the Brooklyn artist could easily be disinterested in whatever is happening on the street today, and no one would blame him. But rather than complacently re-telling stories about the past, you’ll find that Futura is just as engaged and inquisitive about others and about what is happening as ever.

Detail from “Brooklyn Street Art”, by Futura (photo ©  Jaime Rojo)

Futura’s mind is too alive, his wanderlust unsatiated, his sense of humor too sly to just lay back on his laurels.  In fact he pulled a fast one on us by creating a collage of stuff he pulled off of walls in Brooklyn! By peeling off stickers from other artists and pieces of  ads from walls in Brooklyn he re-created a piece of a wall or a door from 2011 and signed the back with his own tag.

A pretty edgy approach, and yet it couldn’t have been more appropriate – and timely as more of the scene than ever is pushed with stickers. One of the slaps he included actually is by another artist in “Street Art Saved My Life”! Can you identify it?

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See the description of “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” here.

See all of the pieces from “Street Art Saved My Life” in Los Angeles