All posts tagged: White Cocoa

Anthony Lister Talks to BSA : Analysis and Constant Consideration

“I’m like a hairdresser I guess.”

Painter Anthony Lister is also a Street Artist. His surreal pop and celebrity culture-infused abstractions are candy encrusted apples which may have something sharp inside. Many are figurative studies and wire frames bending wildly into characters who cavort and mock with blunt swipes of color, overlaid by costumed sexual role play… or is that a personal projection?  Did I mention elegance, defiance, wit? Wait, there is so much here!  Truth is, his work can be a cock-eyed psychological tempest, jarring to the head, strangely sweet.

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A decade of discovery under his superhero belt, Mr. Lister continues to analyze and build his creative practice and it always includes work inside the gallery and outside on the street. He’s currently preparing for his solo show in Sydney called  “Bogan Paradise” at Gallery A.S. At the same time he’s part of a group show with a gaggle of his Aussie expats on view at 941 Geary in San Francisco for “Young and Free”, including Kid Zoom, Dabs & Myla, Dmote, New2, Ben Frost, Meggs, Ha-Ha, Reka, Rone, Sofles and Vexta.  Not to mention his participation in our show last month in Los Angeles at C.A.V.E. with Thinkspace, “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories“.

The artist took some time recently to talk to Brooklyn Street Art about his practice;

Brooklyn Street Art: How much of one of your painted portraits is autobiographical? In other words, what portion of Mr. Lister is super hero, super model, furtive schoolboy, or Homer Simpson?
Anthony Lister: I don’t really think about myself when I paint. My figurative works are more like reflections of characteristics I absorb from real life day to day.

Brooklyn Street Art: If you were to wear colored glasses, which color do you think you would most likely screen the world through?
Anthony Lister: Pink, like John Lennon.

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Francis Bacon said, “The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness.” Would you drink that cocktail?
Anthony Lister: Nice words. I agree.

Brooklyn Street Art: What role does analysis play in your creative process when bringing a painting to fruition?
Anthony Lister: Analysis is the outcome of considered processing. Constant consideration is crucial.

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: A big piece you did on Metropolitan in Brooklyn – you reworked that face a couple of times over a period of months, producing what appeared as a slowly morphing image. Were you covering up tags, or were you unhappy with the original, or maybe combating the effects of age with a little nip and tuck?
Anthony Lister: When I re-work street paintings I think of it like I am a hairdresser. When something is in the public it has a different existence to something living privately in a residence. I’m like a hairdresser I guess.

Brooklyn Street Art: You have spoken about your work as reality, or a reaction to realities. What realities are you depicting these days?
Anthony Lister: I just finished a body of work for a solo show in Sydney. This next body of work is about contemporary Australian culture. The exhibition is titled “Bogan Paradise.”

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: When you consider the Street Art scene that evolved around Melbourne, how would you characterize its nature in a way that differentiates it from the work in other cities around the world?
Anthony Lister: No different. This whole street art thing has sprung up post the turn of the digital revolution so it is on the Internet quick and the artists who inspire others and the ones who are easily inspired are constantly swimming in the same aesthetic pools of consciousness. Not to mention that most of the prominent artists travel lots so it is easy to see work of the same artist in multiple cities around the world at the same time.

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: The titles you give your gallery pieces are entertaining, instructive, illustrative. Do you ever want to place a placard near a piece you’ve done on the street – just to make sure the message gets across?
Anthony Lister: No. My street practice is less thoughtful and therefore needs less commentary.

Brooklyn Street Art: When is a painting complete?
Anthony Lister: When it tells me so.

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Anthony Lister in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Anthony Lister in Manhattan (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Anthony Lister in Miami for Primary Flight. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Anthony Lister in Los Angeles. LA FreeWalls (photo © Todd Mazer)

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Anthony Lister in Los Angeles LA FreeWalls (photo © Todd Mazer)

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Cry me a rainbow, Anthony Lister in Los Angeles. LA FreeWalls (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Anthony Lister in Venice Beach CA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Anthony Lister in San Francisco for Young and Free at 941 Geary (photo © Andrius Lypia)

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Want to see more work? Just “Lister” it.

www.anthonylister.com

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Living Walls : Albany Roundup

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RECAP – BSA and Living Walls : Albany

This weekend in Albany very important Street Art presentations were made at the New York State Museum during “Living Walls: Albany”, including one from Street Art duo Broken Crow, pictured here in custom made aluminum foil head gear that reflected light rays all around the Clark Auditorium.

brooklyn-street-art-broken-crow-jaime-rojo-albany-living-walls-09-11-web-4Mike has the remote for the Powerpoint show in his right antenna. Broken Crow at the New York State Museum. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

There were so many moving parts in this large and easy going cultural festival this weekend, and we were really happy to meet so many people in the street, at the Marketplace encampment, in St. Joseph’s Church, at the tile factory, and during our keynote lecture at the New York State Museum Saturday. Thanks to Samson Contompasis for asking BSA to partner with him for LWAlbany and a quick shout out to other local partners James Shultis at Grand Street Community Arts, Sivan Shimoni, the staff at NYS Museum, and local blogger KC Orcutt at KeepAlbanyBoring.com along with photographers Andrew Franciosa, Bob Anderson, MC3, Frank Whitney, and Ken Jacobie.  Also big ups to Monica Compana, who c0-spearheaded Living Walls Atlanta, which we covered a lot when it began last year.  For all the locals mentioned, they are just the tip of the iceberg of a large committed creative and professional community in the Upstate New York region who helped to pull this thing off with almost zero dollars and tons of planning and hustling. For the first year, it is/was a major achievement.

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Broken Crow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Of course our main focus is always the Street Artists and the creative spirit that is alive and well on the streets so it was a total honor to see the artists and see brand new stuff going up, like the last one before catching a train last night – Broken Crow’s ram under a bridge.  There are still some pieces being finished by NohJColey, Clown Soldier, Doodles, and one we missed from Michael DeFeo. Also coming up should be Hellbent and possibly some other artists this fall, so we’ll get back to you on that. Not all these pics are from Living Walls : Albany by the way — when you are combing the streets you find all kinds of stuff you didn’t expect.

Check out all BSA coverage on the archive page here.

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Broken Crow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Broken Crow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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White Cocoa (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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White Cocoa (photo © Jaime Rojo)brooklyn-street-art-artist-unknown-jaime-rojo-albany-living-walls-09-11-web

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Doodles at work on his wall. He explained to BSA that it will eventually contain 5 frames of a figure gradually being crushed under a backpack, which he will shake himself from and run into the wild. It’s meant to symbolize the fears and problems that can accumulate in life and our need to shake the “baggage” if possible.  — and some more esoteric descriptors that we can tell you about if you want to know.  Stay tuned for the finished piece. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Doodles at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Doodles wall in progress (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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NohJColey at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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NohJColey at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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NohJColey at work on his wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Cake, Infinity (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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(photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Overunder next to an old Radical! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Clown Soldier (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Michael DeFeo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Radical (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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N’DA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Take your own tour this fall with the Living Walls : Albany MAP

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Fun Friday 09.16.11

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FIRST, THE WEATHER FOR TODAY

Wooooo Hoooooooo! It’s Friday in Brooklyn! Great news in the mailbox from the postman this morning about a big Keith Haring exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum this April “Keith Haring: 1978-1982”. Guess it was meant to coincide with the big “Art in the Streets” exhibit that was moving from LA MOCA to Brooklyn in 2012 but was cancelled recently. That’s okay, we still get Keith, a patron saint of Street Art. And we are completely convinced that “Art in the Streets” will be coming to New York, so don’t be surprised.

Living Walls : Albany This Friday Saturday Sunday in New York’s Capital City

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BSA has been partnering with Living Walls : Albany to bring you the new Street Art and other stuff and today is the official kick off day, coinciding with a big Fall festival Albany has every year. Props go to Samson Contompasis for his unwavering commitment to artists and the creative spirit.

Yo, check the archive to see all the BSA coverage http://mim.io/5e3391 . Also follow the Twitter Feed at @LivingWallsALB .  The list of participating Street Artists includes  How & Nosm , Chris Stain ,Gaia, Cake ,Michael DeFeo, Broken Crow, Over/Under, Nanook, Jon Burgerman ,Veng, Depoe, Radical!, White Cocoa ,Evereman Scott, Michael Ackerman, Uneek, Clown Soldier, Marcus Anderson, Joe Iurato ,Papertwins, Jacqueline Brickman ,VRNO , Hellbent, ROA ,Gregory Maxwell, Dunn II, YARK, Army of One, Deacon Czar

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Saturday, September 17th
Located in the Clark Auditorium of the New York State Museum

3:30-4:45PM
KEYNOTE LECTURE
“Street Art Stories: A New Direction on the Street”

Presented by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, founders of Brooklyn Street Art

In Street Arts’ latest chapter, the storytellers are hitting up walls with all manner of influences and methods. More than ever before, formally trained and self taught fine artists are skipping the gallery route and taking their work directly to the public, creating cultural mash-ups and highly personal stories of their own, altering the character of this scene once again. Eclectic, individual, and as D.I.Y. as you can imagine, these Street Artists may have knowledge of who came before them or not, but they are determined to be a part of one art scene that is perceived as authentic, relevant, and alive.

Join Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, authors (“Brooklyn Street Art”, and “Street Art New York”, published by Prestel/Random House) and founders of Brooklyn Street Art (BrooklynStreetArt.com) and contributing Street Art writers for The Huffington Post ARTS, as they show and compare examples of work from New York’s streets today. Then join a lively discussion in a Q&A session to help explore this storytelling practice and discuss how it may be evolving what we have been calling “Street Art” for the last decade.

Hosted by “Living Walls : Albany”, Samson Contompasis, Director,  and Grand Street Community Arts, James Shultis, Executive Director.

Mexican Street Artist KRAKEN at Hold Up Gallery (LA)

KRAKEN’s solo show “Fantasmas” this on Saturday:

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For more information regarding this show please click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=24457

NECKFACE at New Image Art (LA)

Isn’t that nice? Neckface and his fine feathered friend “Fuck Life” have a dainty little show at New Image Art this weekend in West Hollywood.  Bring your Barbies!

brooklyn-street-art-neck-face-fuck-this-life-new-image-art-galleryFor more information regarding this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=23978

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Thanks to JUXTAPOZ for showing us the Tom Hanks Weather report GIF. See more of their GIF collection HERE.

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“Living Walls: Albany” Begins! Gaia, Nanook and a Rockefeller

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Over the next few weeks, New York State’s capital city, Albany, will be the site of a large scale Street Art show with many artists whom you are familiar with and a number of new ones on walls in desolate areas, historic districts, and even a church.

When local artist and visionary Samson Contompasis asked BSA to be partners with Living Walls last winter, we already knew about his reputation as a stalwart proponent of the creative spirit who opens doors for artists of many stripes. If Samson is in love with something, it’s going to happen.

Now “Living Walls: Albany” has grown to encompass not only multiple walls for Street Artists from around the world but the involvement of civic leaders, building owners, arts institutions, historical ombudspeople, electronic and print media, artists, musicians, galleries, a museum, and arts programming for kids and families. That was one sentence.

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

For our involvement BSA will help keep you up on all the walls with people we’ve worked with before and new ones too, bringing you regular updates from now until the big weekend of the 16-18th, which will have live art, music, symposia, and a keynote by your buddies here. Today we’d like to introduce two talents on the Albany scene who will be leading the way in our coverage, writer KC Orcutt, and photographer Andrew Franciosa as they were on the scene when Gaia and Nanook first started their new piece.

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Gaia and Nanook in Albany

Words by KC Orcutt, Images by Andrew Franciosa

A new livelihood is radiating around the colossal work of Gaia and Nanook, which debuted the Living Walls: Albany last week. Their vibrant piece adorns the side of a vacant, unroofed building currently aging on N. Pearl and Livingston.

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Ten minutes into my third visit, a handful of neighborhood children flocked in front of the massive brick before me to point out what they liked about the Street Art as two passer-bys curiously paused. The figure of a man pushing a contemporary piece of art (currently housed in the Rockefeller Empire Plaza Concourse) towards the face of Nelson Rockefeller is inexplicably alluring. The collective work is as perplexing as it is simple.

The merging of Albany landmarks in a notion of “pushing forward” is an attentively constructed kick off to the project this fall. One of the energetic neighborhood children, unaware of his metaphorical wisdom, looked at me and said, “I guess it’s a new day.”

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

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Gaia and Nanook collaboration (photo © Andrew Franciosa)

Living Walls : Albany

Participating artists include: Army of One , Broken Crow ,Cake ,Chris Stain ,Clown Soldier ,Deacon Czar , Depoe , Dwell & One Unit , Evereman , Gaia , Gregory Maxwell Dunn II , Hellbent , Jacqueline Brickman , Joe Iurato , Jon Burgerman , Marcus Anderson , Michael DeFeo , Nanook , Over/Under , Papertwins , Radical! , ROA , Scott Michael Ackerman , Skewville , Uneek , Veng , VRNO , White Cocoa , YARK

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Gilf! “Back Talk” Conversation

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To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.

Today we hear from Gilf!

One reason you make art: I make art to change people’s perspectives, and to bring awareness to major issues that face our whole planet. I also do it to make people smile. Street art is an amazing tool that allows me to speak to people with whom I wouldn’t get the chance in real life.

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Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Gilf!” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-gilf

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Rene Gagnon “Back Talk” Conversation

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To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.

Today we hear from Rene Gagnon.

The first record or CD you ever bought? The last album you downloaded?
“First has to be RUN DMC – with the Krush Groove jam. Eminem, ‘Relapse & Recovery.’ “

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Rene Gagnon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Rene Gagnon” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-rene-gagnon

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