January 2012

Blanco Visits Beijing and Shanghai

China has it’s own graffiti and Street Art scene, but you don’t hear too much about it. You can get a tour of local Street Art and graffiti in Beijing, check out sites like FatCap and of course the pool on Flickr. New York graff legend Daze even had a show at a gallery here a couple of years ago. According to some state media reports, portions of the Great Wall were the focus of a 2004 archaeological study showing graffiti was popular a long time ago, as crafted by wives of soldiers, who “decorated parts of the wall with images of clouds, lotus blossoms and ‘fluffy balls’ (xiuqiu), ‘symbols of peace and love’.  Right now it appears to be a common practice of tourists to carve their names into the bricks, which seems a bit more damaging than a Krinks marker, to tell the truth.

New York Street Artist Blanco did a little touring around Beijing and Shanghai last week and took a few pictures to send back home during the tour. He liked finding some familiar names in an unfamiliar country, and he was even surprised. Along with a few quick pictures he caught on the way, he wrote to tell us about what he saw. Here’s what he says:

“I went to the Great Wall like all tourists do and I discovered Neckface tags on almost every garbage can I walked past.

Nasty Neckface in Beijing one the Great Wall (photo © Blanco)

In comparison to Beijing, which seems bureaucratic like Washington DC, Shanghai seems to be a lot like NYC, with more going on culturally, massive apartment buildings sprouting up all over, and a lot of money running through it.

A door with several tags by Utah and Ether in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

In Shanghai I went to the French Concession neighborhood  and I found a door with several tags from Utah and Ether, which made my day. It was kind of cool because I also found a Utah tag when I was in Rome three years ago and I don’t know Utah but just knowing that she is from NYC and has been in the same exact places as me is kind of comforting.

Blanco in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

The next day I went to this art neighborhood that has a graff wall where it’s legal to paint and there were some pretty good pieces but I get a little bored with legal pieces.

Vhils in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

After some more walking I turned a corner and found an amazing piece by Vhils and a little while later, in a more secluded spot, I found a second Vhils piece. Unfortunately it is kind of blurry – I couldn’t get a great picture of it because it was getting dark and it was in a dimly lit hallway with only one exit. I was alone and I could hear someone moving on the second floor of the abandoned building so I took a couple shots before I got scared and left but both pieces were pretty cool.” ~ Blanco

Vhils in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

 

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Unit 44 Presents: “New Arrival” by Philp Lumbang (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK)

Philip Lumbang

Friday February 03 Advance Preview. RSVP to Danny@unit-44.com

Unit 44’s latest exhibit New Arrival by Philip Lumbang opening 6 February 2012 to the general public. The illustrator and street artist will be presenting a brand new body of work at the Newcastle space for his first UK solo show. Incorporating his childhood fascination with cartoons, pop art and logo designs, Lumbang will showcase an array mediums including found objects, tiled pieces, haind painted characters and limited edition screenprints. Formerly infamous street artist Shepard Fairey’s assistant, Lumbang has forged a name for himself with his involvement in LA’s premiere collective The Hundreds creating work and streetwear that has become a cult favourite among fans.

Hoults Yard, Unit 44, Walker Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 2HL.

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Hush Levitates in San Francisco

Rising deities in a darkened house of worship, the new geisha-like figures silently rise above your earthbound concerns and hover, gestural hands signalling a blessing for all who enter. These new works by Street Artist and fine artist HUSH at 941 Geary impart a serenity even as they swirl in patchwork brocades and Maypole strips of holy aerosol tags. Well lighted and well appointed, these near theatrical figures pierce the veil, solemnly, in search of a shabby gilded cosmos as Hush’s marrying of styles ultimately creates a new one at this show.

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH installation shoot. (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

For further information regarding this show, sales inquiries, gallery hours and location click here.

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Images of the Week 01.29.12

Images of the Week 01.29.12

The streets have been seeing an uptick in socio-political messages recently, whether because of the Occupy protests, or because artists are exercising their speech in low cost, low-tech, person-to-person methods. The very personal nature of this kind of messaging actually feels impactful when it catches your eye with a sense of intention, grabbing you by the ear and making you think. This week we have Street Art  commentary about housing, class inequality, the abuse of poser, erosion of privacy and fears of a police state. It makes sense that art on the streets is reflecting us back to ourselves.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Buff Monster, Cash4, Cope, Dirty Teddies, Ema, Enzo & Nio, Essam, Faile, Hush, Ment, Shiro, XAM, and XXX.

ESSAM. A more conceptual culture-jamming series of new signs in certain New York neighborhoods is meant as a way to raise awareness by an Iraq war veteran turned civil libertarian, according to news reports published recently. This sign warns about alleged plans for Police surveillance drones could be ubiquitous in society. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Wolf rides, anyone? Faile (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hush gets to know some of the local neighbors while busy at work in San Francisco (© courtesy Hush)

Hush has been on the street in San Francisco this week (photo exclusively for BSA © courtesy of Hush). Stay tuned for a Hush special feature on Monday of his current show.

Ema (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The billionaire Mayor of New York is taking a hit here from this Street Art poster by Enzo & Nio. Styled as Marie Antoinette, Michael Bloomberg is portrayed as a haughty royal who is disconnected from the rabble, and cares not a wit. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A masters graff wall in Miami (photo © Jaime Rojo)

XAM is addressing the ongoing bank mortgage crisis in the US with this street sculpture installation on Skid Row in Los Angeles (photo © XAM)

Cash4 with Ment (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You see! XXX (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You can always spot the tourist dinosaurs with their fanny packs in Times Square. Dirty Teddies (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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“Making Faces” at Opera : A New York Party

“Making Faces” is as much about mix mastery as it is happenstance – kind of like walking on the street in New York. The boldly unmatching collection of portraits on view at Opera Gallery in Soho is sometimes thrilling, even challenging in it’s dismissal of category. There is this new crop of many of the Street Artists you’ve seen in the wild these last few years hanging with stars of the Chinese new wave, early 20th century European revolutionaries, an historic leader of impressionism, a surrealist – you know, a gamut. You could call it cleaning out the closets, or you could call it “Girl Talk curates the gallery”.  Either way, it can be thrilling to see these pieces in this context; sparring, harmonizing, both.

The divine madness of Street Artist Judith Supine loses none of it’s wild energy here. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Street Art springs at you when you are in ratty decayed lots in Bed Stuy, and similarly here you have rely on your own intellectual strengths to process the work in it’s surroundings, analyzing and imagining the coupling, or tripling.  Is this a master or a pretender? You’ll figure it out eventually but the stimulation lies in your ability to let go of hard classifications and surprise prejudices to re-assess the faces and appreciate an occasional revelation at this New York mixer.

b. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

b. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Yue Minjun (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alexandros Vasmoulakis (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lita Cabellut (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Paul Insect (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kid Zoom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rostarr (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artists include Yasmina Alaqui, Marco Guerra, Karel Appel, B., Jean-Michel Basquiat, BAST, Simon Birch, Bernard Buffet, Lita Cabellut, Marc Chagall, Sas Christian, Mauro Corda, Dinorah Delfin, Jean Dubuffet, Lori Earley, Ron English, Paul Insect, John John Jesse, Kid Zoom, Li Tianbing, Bengt Lindstrom, David Mach, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Phiippe Pasqua, Pablo Picasso, Gerard Rancinan, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rostarr, Judith Supine, Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Tom Wesselman, Yan Pei Ming, Zhang Xiaogang.

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The Pima Air & Space Museum Presents: “Round Trip: Art From The Bone Yard Project” (Tucson, Arizona)

Art From The Bone Yard Project

The Retna Plane (photo courtesy of the curators)

THE BONE YARD PROJECT | PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM | JANUARY 28 – MAY 31

The Pima Air & Space Museum is pleased to announce the opening of Round Trip: Art From The Bone Yard Project on January 28 in Tucson. Conceived in Spring 2010 by Eric Firestone, and organized with curators Medvin Sobio & Carlo McCormick, The Bone Yard Project resurrects disused airplanes from America‟s military history through the creative intervention of contemporary artists, taking entire airplanes and their elements out of aeronautic resting spots in the desert, known as “bone yards,” and putting them into the hands of artists. Re-imagined by Brazilian graffiti artist Nunca, an abandoned DC3 comes to life with a striking picture of an eagle leading men through the skies, and the idealized dreams of flight are able to soar once again in our collective imagination. With a nod to the airplane graffiti and „nose art‟ that became popular during WWII, the project offers a vision of the wonder by which humanity takes to the air through some of the most prominent and acclaimed artists working today.

Round Trip: Selections from The Bone Yard Project, will include selections from the previous exhibition along with more than a dozen cones interpreted by artists new to this project. It will feature five monumental works created on military planes by a dynamic selection of popular graffiti and street artists from around the world. The curatorial team includes Medvin Sobio, an independent curator and consultant, and Lesley Oliver of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, a longstanding figure on the Arizona art scene.

More than 30 artists have participated in Round Trip including DC Super 3 planes painted by graffiti artists How & Nosm, Nunca, and Retna, and a C97 cockpit by Saner, and C45 planes by Faile and Andrew Schoultz. Additionally, Nose Job artists Aiko, Peter Dayton, Shepard Fairey, Futura, How and Nosm, Mare, Tara McPherson, Richard Prince, Lee Quinones, Saner, Kenny Scharf, and JJ Veronis will be on display, along with new nose cones by artists Colin Chillag, Crash, Daze, Daniel Marin Diaz, Tristan Eaton, Jameson Ellis, Ron English, Faile, Eric Foss, Mark Kostabi, Lisa Lebofsky, El Mac, Alex Markwith, Walter Robinson, Hector Ruiz, Randy Slack, Ryan Wallace, and Eric White, among others.

The Pima Air & Space Museum is the largest non-government funded aviation museum in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. It maintains a collection of more than 300 aircraft and spacecraft from around the globe and more than 125,000 artifacts. The museum is located at 6000 E. Valencia Rd. , Tucson, and is open 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily. Round Trip is open to the public from January 28 through the end of May 2012. Further details may be found at www.pimaair.org.

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Dabs & Myla: Carlos Gonzalez Talks About His Video

Last month photographer and video artist Carlos Gonzalez tagged along with Street Art duo Dabs & Myla in Los Angeles to do a bit more than the typical mural project. Following them through the steps of their own tradition, Carlos captured some of their humanity along with their serious skillz with cans. Since illuminating different angles of the creative process that provide you with more insight is always a BSA value, Carlos has appeared on these pages many times as photographer and videographer. This time he’s thinking his newest project is a documentary. Let’s see what you think.

Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Brooklyn Street Art asked Carlos a couple of questions about his experience shooting on the streets and how many arms he would like to have:

Brooklyn Street Art: You like both stills and video. How do you divide your time when shooting a new installation between still photography and video. Do you wish you could have eight arms to cover everything that happens?

Carlos Gonzalez: I still lean more towards still photography even though I have a background in film and graduated from film school. I like the concept of freezing a moment in time. That’s something you can’t capture in video. When one remembers a certain moment from the past, it’s always an image or a single moment that comes to mind. It’s hardly ever a scene playing out entirely. At least that’s my experience. So I feel like photography captures moments that will never happen again in a more honest way.

Of course this complicates things when making a video because in essence, I have to choose between capturing those moments in stills or filming the moment. The best approach: Be ultra aware of everything that’s going on so when the special moment happens, you’re ready to capture it before it’s gone. What’s really interesting about this Dabs & Myla video, and one factor which didn’t hit me till later on, was how uniquely close the mural footage looked to my photos. In this instance, it was just a matter of predicting when those moments would happen and capturing them as soon as possible. So yeah, it’s a balancing act and at times, I do wish I had multiple cameras all running at once from 5 different angles. But even then, I’m sure I would still kick myself for missing out on a small human expression, a certain movement, a wink or a smile. Case in point, the shot where Myla’s hair is blowing amidst the wind. I wish I had photographed that moment as it happened. I still look back and think, “how did I not get that shot?”

 Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Brooklyn Street Art: You begin the video with the artists going to a grocery store and debating over purchases. At the end we find out what they are used for.  Can you talk about the experience from your perspective?

Carlos Gonzalez: The experience was really interesting and I felt privileged to be a part of it, mostly because I understood how important this tradition is for Dabs Myla. Before the mural even took place we got together and talked about the tradition, their reasons for doing it, and I even saw early sketches of the mural. From that moment I understood how special this project could be and it simply came down to capturing the whole experience in the most honest way possible. The entire process really came down to capturing as much footage as possible. Sure there were ideas of how to edit the video. But those concepts are always changing so you don’t worry too much about those technical aspects in the start. At least with this video, which I treated like a short documentary, I was just concerned with making sure I filmed moments that feel unique and that have a human element that we can all relate to.

 Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

I never once asked Dabs Myla to replay a certain moment just for the camera. I basically asked them to go through their routine as usual and pretend that I was never there. This feeling definitely comes through the video.  From the second they walk into the grocery store to the final shot of the film, it’s all real emotions and actions bursting through the screen. So in a way, this video is not so much about a mural, but rather it’s a story about helping one individual with street art as the backdrop. The last part of the process was to edit the footage in such a way that put a question in the viewers’ minds about what the tradition may be and you keep their attention till the very end so there’s an emotional payoff.

 Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Brooklyn Street Art: When you’ve hung out with artists creating murals on the street, have you had occasion to meet people who live there?

Carlos Gonzalez: I have had the chance to meet individuals whose properties or walls are being painted on. And they’ve always being very supportive of the art. I’ve only had one instance where certain people or neighbors feel like street art is affecting their neighborhood in a negative way. So yes, there’s a bit of stigma still attached to graffiti and street art, but it’s clearly changing and it’s more acceptable now than it ever was. And hopefully videos like this one and others can change more people’s perspective about how this kind of art can have a much more positive aspect across different communities.

 Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

 Dabs & Myla (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

 

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Rook & Raven Gallery Presents: “Nostalgia” A Group Show (London, UK)

Nostalgia

Various & Gould “Serendipity 2” Detail (Image courtesy of the gallery)

NostalgiaRook & Raven Gallery is proud to present ‘Nostalgia’, their first show of 2012, featuring an eclectic mix of artwork, games and ephemerae from a diverse collection of artists.

Artists exhibiting include:

Terry O’Neill
Dave White
DAIN
Rosie Emerson
David Shillinglaw
Various and Gould
Alex Daw
James Mylne
Stinkfish
Charlie Masson

Private view Thursday 26th January

Runs until 23rd February

For guest list please email RSVP@rookandraven.co.uk

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Urban Folk Art Gallery Presents: “The Collected Works of Adam Suerte” (Brooklyn, NY)

Adam Suerte

1st Anniversary of Urban Folk Art© Gallery
Adam Suerte:  The collected works
Presented by Urban Folk Art©
 
Date of Exhibit – Jan 27th-Feb 27th
Opening Friday, January 27th 7-11pm
 
Urban Folk Art© is proud to present at their first anniversary celebration, the collected work of the gallery’s head curator and founder of the Urban Folk Art© Collective.
 

Adam Suerte, Founder of Urban Folk Art© Studios and the UFA© Gallery, as well as co founder of Brooklyn Tattoo® will show painting, printmaking, illustration, and some mixed media, and artfacts from his 11 year tattoo career. Most of Suerte’s work consists of urban styled imagery often directly depicting the surrounding neighborhoods he grew up in. Adam was born and raised in South Brooklyn in the late 60’s and 70’s. He wrote graffiti as a teenager, attended Music and Art High School, and earned a BFA in Illustration at Rhode Island School Of Design. He returned to Brooklyn in the early 90’s and co-founded the artist collective Urban Folk Art©. In the late 90’s he apprenticed tattooing as tattooing became legal in NY in ’97. By 2001 he co-founded Brooklyn Tattoo® with his current business partner Willie Paredes. In Jan 2011 they set up the most current physical manifestation of the collective next door to the Tattoo studio. This show celebrates the first year of Urban Folk Art© gallery’s effort to  bring emerging, established and legendary artists of all mediums and backgrounds into view through their venue. There will be a limited edition ‘year in review’ gallery guide to the past years artshows available the night of the opening as well as other tshirts and merch adam suerte has been known to create.

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Pandemic Gallery Presents: “All Talk” A Group Show (Brooklyn, NY)

All Talk


“ALL TALK”

Feb.17th – March 11th, 2012

Opening Reception: Fri. Feb. 17th, 7-11pm

Featuring works by:

Aakash Nihalani

Andrew H. Shirley

Cassius Fouler

Destroy & Rebuild

Gabriel Specter

Isabel Lasala

J. Ralph Phillips

Jenna Hicock

Jesse Edwards

Jesus Saves

Map

Merk

NohJColey

“ALL TALK” features some of New York City’s boldest anti-heros, cynics and preachers. Those that run us through the gauntlet of fine art, design, and graffiti. From spray paint to oil paint to print making, this group of artists will display a collection of work to be hung in a gallery, but that can also be seen on the streets, walls and rooftops of New York. Their consistency and work ethic have been unparalleled in a scene that seems to be full of come and go artists looking for quick fame. This group has proved themselves time and time again to be among the most authentic and dedicated creators around. Engulfed with the love for what they do, they demonstrate their undaunted drive and creative dominance…………… unless it’s just all talk.

 PANDEMIC gallery
37 Broadway btwn Kent and Wythe
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.pandemicgallery.com
 
Gallery hours:
Tues.-Fri. 11-6pm
Sat. & Sun. 12-7pm
closed Monday
or by appointment 

L train to Bedford ave, J train to Marcy ave, or Q59 bus to Broadway/Wythe


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Banksy, Robbo, A Mallard, and The Rolling Stones

Team Robbo, the fun-loving anti-Banksy graffti Collective from South London who is not pleased with the appearance of work by the world-known Street Artist. Even in his hometown of Bristol, Banksy gets no respect from Robbo, and apparently The Rolling Stones are now buffing as well? Team Robbo employs a classic Stones lyric “Paint it Black” by way of engaging the public with a very open demonstration of tough street love and ironically, the only thing you may remember from the effort is the refrain.

Interviewed regarding this Street Art/Graffiti rivalry that sends bloggers and print journalists into paradoxisms of high alert, this local London duck was non-plussed.  While congenially posing for a photo opp on Regents Canal, Mallard seemed to know little about the whole home turf affair and wondered aloud if we had any bread crumbs.

Thanks to Garry Hunter for his in-the-field photography.

Banksy. Robbo (photo © Garry Hunter)

 

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