November 2012

“Articulate: Baltimore” Hits the Streets

November 26, 2012 Artists, Baltimore, On the Street, Street Art Festival

The City of Baltimore just got hit with its second large scale mural project in one calendar year as Articulate: Baltimore joined Open Walls Baltimore during a five week period this autumn.

Chris Stain . Billy Mode. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

A mixture of local artists and some Street Artists who are known internationally, the project is sponsored by a collection of public, private, and tourism development concerns as a way of activating a small selection of the city’s huge inventory of vacant spaces to “increase the visibility (of) the new westside district and encourage more visitors to frequent its venues”. With this sort of laser-sharp urban renewal employed in a very confined area, we may be witnessing the splintering of so-called Street Art festivals into more focused venues, employed in a more selective way to achieve specific ends.

Baltimore natives and well known Street Artists Chris Stain and Billy Mode get to do something at home for a change. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

The list of artists in Articulate: Baltimore includes artists Ways & J. Digital, Jessie Unterhalter & Katey Truhn, Indigo, HKS 181, Chris Stain & Billy Mode, Pixel Pancho, and 2501. Co-curated by Maryland-based artists Stefan Hauswald and Jesse James, the full collection covers roughly a two-block area that is very near the center of downtown. The whole initiative appears to be one conceived with rejuvenation in mind, as public art often does for previously moribund areas. According to the website for Articulate, all of the artists realize that their work isn’t meant as a permanent installation and may be replaced at any time. “The artists expect their impact to be powerful but limited in duration— they expect that their work will be replaced over time, perhaps a matter of months or years.”

Many thanks to photographer Martha Cooper, who was there to capture official images of the installations, and she shares them here, including some that are exclusive to BSA.

Chris Stain . Billy Mode. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Combining the colorful 3-D letterforms of Mode and the stencil-styled portraiture of Chris Stain for Articulate, Baltimore. 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Canada’s INDIGO. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

INDIGO. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Pixel Pancho. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn bring a D.I.Y. aesthetic by using additional materials for a poppy hand-made collage effect. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jessie Unterhalter . Katey Truhn. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s 2501. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

2501. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

Having pink eye in this case is something good. HKS 181. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

HKS 181. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

WAYS – J. Digital. Articulate, Baltimore 2012 (photo © Martha Cooper)

For more information about Articulate Baltimore click on the link below:

http://www.articulatebaltimore.org/

Images of the Week 11.25.12

November 25, 2012 Artists

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Butless Supreme, Cunning Linguist, EKG, Enzo & Nio, Inkie, JC, Tara McPherson, Miyok, Nervous, Russell King, Skewville, Swamy, Tone Tank, Zor.

Inkie at Bushwick Five Points (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swampy and Butless Supreme (photo © Jaime Rojo)

McPherson (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville puts you on notice. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ZOR (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ZOR. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

RX (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rusell King (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nervous (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Puppet (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Enzo & Nio (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Miyok . Tone Tank (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cunning Linguist (photo © Jaime Rojo)

EKG has a close encounter of the third kind. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. SOHO, NYC. October 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Bamboo Replaces Billboard on LA Freeway

November 24, 2012 Artists

“Imagine floating, globally connected urban forests growing where billboards stand. Artist Stephen Glassman and his team are doing it.”

Here’s a unique breath of fresh air by artist Stephen Glassman, an LA based sculptor who has worked many times with bamboo for large projects in the public realm. Here he has an idea for designing and engineering a green project that reclaims one of the thousands of billboards in Los Angeles and turns it into an oasis of bamboo.

Image © Stephen Glassman

With an eye toward bamboo’s resiliency, Glassman creates here a welcome metaphor for the man-made environment and our ability to adapt it to our changing needs and evolving understanding of our internal and external environments.

“UrbanAir transforms existing urban billboards to living, suspended bamboo gardens. Embedded with intelligent technology, UrbanAir becomes a global node – an open space in the urban skyline… An artwork, symbol, and instrument for a green future.”

You can donate to his Kickstarter page to help make it happen.

All images © Stephen Glassman

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Fun Friday 11.23.12 – VIDEO Request Edition – Chosen by You

November 23, 2012 Artists

It’s the BSA Reader Video Request edition of Fun Friday for all us peeps who are not shopping today. We asked our Facebook friends and fans for their favorite street art related video flicks and give them to you here- in no particular order. Peace out and have a great Black Friday everybody.

1. Vhils in Germany
2. Wild Style Part 1
3. Open Air
4. In Bed with Invader
5. En Masse in Miami
6. Berlin Street Art as Lyrics (Emus Primus)
7. Shai Dahan new Ted Talk “Beyond Borders”
8. TEJN LOCK ON STREET ART – Street Art Sculpture by Tejn
9. Burn – Episode 3
10. Graffiti Verite Part 1
11. Japanese Stencil
12. BLU – BIG BANG BIG BOOM
14. Hanoi Lantern Bearers – Vietnam with The Yok
15. Bomb It

Vhils in Germany

The Portuguese Street Artist at work, produced by Euromaxx, recommended by Crist Graphicart (German language)

Wild Style Part 1

The classic Charlie Ahearn movie as recommended by Nahua Prince Huitzilin

Open Air

“In 2006, we created this short for the University of Southern California’s Public Arts Studies Program.

This documentary explored the studios and methods of six of the top street artists in America: Faile, Skewville, Mike De Feo, Dan Witz, Espo and Tiki Jay One.” Recommended by Lou J Auguste

In Bed with Invader

H Veng Smith likes this one with Invader.

En Masse in Miami

“At the end of November (2011), the En Masse Art Initiative flew down to Miami to take part of the Miami Art Basel events. With the help of Sodec Quebec and Galerie Pangée, EM teamed up with Scope Art Fair, Fountain Art Fair, Safewalls, Primary Flight and the Found store to create multiple work of art. During 10 days, the team grew exponentially, adding members from all around the globe; Tel-Aviv, Montreal, Brooklyn, Woodstock, Staten Island, San Fransico, San Diego, Miami etc.” – recommended by Beth Tully

Berlin Street Art as Lyrics (Emus Primus)

Emus Primus and photography of Berlin Street art, set to music. As recommended by Da Andal

Shai Dahan new Ted Talk “Beyond Borders”

The keynote is about my travel into Palestine. Considering what is going on there – Being that everyone is talking about the violence, this video can reflect a bit of light on how there are some ways to find peace. It may not find the sort of wide peace we hope to all gain there, but through the message in the keynote, I hope people can see that Israel and Palestine can share a common beauty: Street-art.” Shai Dahan

TEJN LOCK ON STREET ART – Street Art Sculpture by Tejn

Suggested by Mogens Carstensen

Burn – Episode 3

“The third episode of BURN graffiti video series. Best episode so far! Featuring rolling freight, live painting and more! As recommended by Beyond The Rail Photography

Graffiti Verite Part 1

“Part 1 of the 1995 Los Angeles graffiti documentary directed by Bob Bryan. Featured artists include Duke, Skept, Tempt, Prime, Mear, Relic, Cre8, and Design9.”

Japanese Stencil

A stencil artist creates a piece as a tribute to Japan in the wake of the destruction it suffered last year. – As recommended by Crist Graphicart

BLU – BIG BANG BIG BOOM

“an unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life … and how it could probably end. direction and animation by BLU.” This one recommended by Martha Becker

Hanoi Lantern Bearers – Vietnam with The Yok

In Vietnam on a roof. As recommended by The Yok

Bomb It

The full documentary – “Through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action on 5 continents, BOMB IT tells the story of graffiti from its origins in prehistoric cave paintings thru its notorious explosion in New York City during the 70’s and 80’s, then follows the flames as they paint the globe.” Recommended by Orson Horchler

Happy Thanksgiving From Your Friends at BSA

November 22, 2012 Artists

May the harvest be bountiful and your life filled with love, friends and inspiration.

Union Square Green Market. Manhattan. November, 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As we celebrate the fall harvest in New York and prepare for the cold months of winter, we are happy to count you among the blessings.

We also remember the many who are hungry and just getting by, anxious or just bummed out today. And we send you love.

This following photo essay was inspired by a Wednesday visit to the Union Square Green Market in Manhattan where many were searching for home grown harvest to prepare a feast.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Union Square Green Market. Manhattan. November, 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bathroom Graffiti on Canvas With Mint & Serf

November 21, 2012 Artists, Interview

New canvasses celebrate the graffiti-covered bar bathroom and its aggressive lack of style.

A quick snort, a scribbled tag, and you my love.

Now that you are caked with sweat and nearly deaf from gyrating and slamming your body to the music at your favorite jam-packed downtown dive, it’s time to hit the line for the unisex bathrooms and wait behind frat boys, saucy girls, and a couple of drag queens.

The closet-sized bar bathroom is barely big enough for a toilet and sink and may have been cleaned sometime in the last week. This one was last remodeled in the 1970s probably – and has been a thin slice of respite, however tawdry, for years – shunting many guests away from the rumbling roar of a New York nightclub and providing a private moment.

An actual bathroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the left. Detail from a new canvas by Mint & Serf on the right. (both photos © Jaime Rojo)

With battered and buckling flooring underfoot and one bare light bulb overhead, it’s a good place for guests to fix their hair, snort a line of coke, perform a rushed sex act with a new friend, or perhaps to barf. If you happen to have a juicy black marker in your boot you can scream a quick tag across the pileup of graffiti that smothers the walls, or slap a sticker on it, before zipping up and pushing your way out the door to find another beer.

For Mint & Serf, this is inspiration.

And now they are bringing it to the canvas.

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Like when you go to some Williamsburg bathroom and you see this pile of tags – that’s the aesthetic. That’s the graffiti,” explains Mint during a recent in-studio visit, “ because graffiti to me is this aggression, this turbulence. The beef, the sex, the fame. You know what I mean?”

The new collection is still evolving, and it began initially with spreading canvasses out and inviting friends to hit them up whenever they visited the studio. “(It’s been) an ongoing therapy session where a lot of our friends would come in and start doing fill-ins and tags. Then about a month or two ago we started taking them down and focusing more on each one,” says Serf.

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When viewed on their own, each of these canvasses does look like a sawed off chunk from a sleezy restroom wall, but not like a Banksy. While the guys appreciate that Street Art and commercially successful graffiti artists have their place, this bathroom aesthetic is from the CBGB punk era perhaps, rather than the MTV polished rebelliousness that followed. Raw, aggressive, unstyled – it’s a return to the gestural, the raw markings of graffiti, in an effort to strip it back to the nerve endings. If the campy stylings of latter day Banksy are Green Day, Mint & Serf are evoking the Dead Boys or Sex Pistols. Not that early punks were unstyled, and neither are these deliberately raging canvasses.

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As they talk, there are references to some of the 20th century painters whose work was repulsive before it was revered, and these 30-something graffiti artists are not afraid to disgust you while pursuing work that feels real. “Because there is beauty in ugliness,” Mint opines as he talks of initial responses to Bacon, de Kooning, and Picasso. With time, he says, people realized “They actually are masterpieces, you know.“

But you may hear them bracing for some criticism, even as they appear confident in this direction. “I know it’s probably gonna be kind of hard to swallow for a lot of people just because they are used to seeing graffiti work nowadays being very precise and calculated,” says Serf, “But it is what it is. It is probably the most honest work we have done to date.”

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The stripping back, the lack of artifice, the aggression – it all comes through here on this collection that is not yet ready for public display. For guys who have had commercial success as graphic artists creating more stylized installations for hotels and night clubs and who have a solid track record in product and lifestyle design, this new work is a return to what originally attracted them to doing graffiti on the street.

“One of the reasons I got into graffiti is because of the crazy stories I’ve heard about it. About jumping rooftops, stealing paint, staying out late, going to raves, getting laid – all this shit. The turbulence of that lifestyle, that’s what turned me on. Not doing a piece for 20 hours,” says Mint as he stares up at the cacophonic canvasses.

He continues, “For us it’s taking an existing portrayal of graffiti, which is these beautiful, colorful pieces, and just stripping it down to graffiti.”

And as a specific reference point, Serf couldn’t be clearer, “It’s all about the bar bathroom.”

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mint & Serf in studio, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mint & Serf, Pablo Power and Jacuzzi Chris at The Broadway Chapter. February – August 2012, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In studio with Mint & Serf, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Graffiti and stickers cover the walls of a bathroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Inspiration: Graffiti and stickers cover the walls of a bathroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Graffiti and stickers cover the walls of a bathroom in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

REKA’S Ladies in Bushwick, Homage to Sandy

November 20, 2012 Artists

Australian Street Artist Reka was in town in the wake of the hurricane named Sandy and he found his plans for painting disrupted by flooded train lines, but eventually got up in three places in Brooklyn. On tour from his native Melbourne since July, Bushwick is just one more name to be tacked onto the list of places for Reka (or Reka One or James Reka) along with Amsterdam, Berlin, Bristol, London, Milan, Paris and the countryside in France.

REKA. Bushwick Five Points, Nov, 2012 NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here he brought his signature abstract portraits rendered in ochre, beige, moss, brown, black, white, rusted crimson and spice red. Typically illustrative of the female form, these figures are full of action with limbs and hands and elbows akimbo, gesticulating into air, flustered and animated with limbs bending from rivets at the joints. With wavelets of the darkest hair spilling and often with breasts barely pinned in or spinning free to make waves, Reka’s ladies in Brooklyn are unhinged consternation, contemplative and concerned, somehow heavy in their cubist side/front viewed expressions.

REKA. Bushwick Five Points, Nov, 2012 NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The forms photographed here by Jaime Rojo may be cognizant of the destruction that New York is still dealing with, where homes are being bulldozed, many school buildings are permanently closed, checks are lost in the mail, and many families are reliant on others for food and shelter. Rendered in colors we associate with autumn, these new Reka figures are of this moment in Brooklyn, even as the artist moves on in search of his next spot to paint.

REKA. Bushwick Five Points, Nov, 2012 NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

REKA. Bushwick Five Points, Nov, 2012 NYC . Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

REKA. Bushwick, Nov, 2012 NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA In THE BONEYARD

November 19, 2012 Artists

Here are some new shots of the planes in the boneyard in Arizona and of ROA’s contribution to the project, exclusively for BSA readers. In the Tucson desert over the summer when the temperatures are at their highest, it’s really almost impossible to get work done during the daytime. Maybe that’s why ROA painting at night is what gives the video at the end of the post by Jason Wawro such an eerie clandestine quality, and makes the very act of painting seem illicit.

Also, calling it a boneyard helps.

ROA is the latest in this ever growing project by Eric Firestone and he follows some other names you will recognize like Retna, How & Nosm, and Faile. Stay tuned for more!

Video made by Jason Wawro from the Boneyard Project.

Special thanks to Eric Firestone.

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Modus Fine Art and Cheryl Hazan Contemporary Art Present: TMNK AKA Nobody “Songs Of My Soul” (Paris, France)

November 18, 2012 Afghanistan, Artists, Events, France, Gallery, Opening, Paris

TMNK

Opera Gallery Presents: Paul Insect “Out of Chaos” Solo Exhibition (Manhattan, NYC)

November 18, 2012 Afghanistan, Artists, Events, Gallery, Manhattan, NYC, Opening

Paul Insect

“Out of Chaos”

Opera Gallery NY is thrilled to present Paul Insect’s first NY show

Private viewing and opening reception on Thursday November 29th 6PM-9PM

115 Spring St. NY, NY 10012

London-based Paul Insect is one of cult art’s most recognizable and prominent artists.

As one of street art’s trailblazers, a movement marking a new era in art history,

Insect’s work can be spotted anywhere from the streets of London to LA, from Stockholm to Sydney.

Paul has worked alongside a host of today’s most established artists and helped many with graphically

developing their work, including Banksy and Jamie Hewlett. In 2007, INSECT joined these and other

POW artists painting the controversial separation wall in Palestine.

That same year “Bullion” his first major show in London was entirely bought-out by Damien Hirst

before opening to the public. This galvanized Insect’s position as a groundbreaking artist,

“Bullion” is now featured as part of Hirst’s “Murderme” collection of contemporary art.

“Out of Chaos” is Paul Insect’s first show in New York City and features a series of striking new works

projecting a world out of control, visions of both helplessness and hope. How do we emerge out of this chaos?

Insect’s work demonstrates the power of art as the solution.

” When you work on the streets as long as we all have, there are few artists who’s work stands out

as fresh and captivating. Since first seeing Paul’s work in London some 10 years ago,

we’ve been struck by his raw and graphic iconography. He’s got a masterful touch

walking between the lewd and the ludicrous. Paul’s work continues to evolve –

proving he can push the boundaries of portraiture while still dancing with rats at night. “

Faile 2012 – New York

Images of the Week 11.18.12

November 18, 2012 Artists

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, featuring Avoid, Bast, Cekis, Enzo & Nio, JM, Ludo, Numb Nuts, Paul Insect, Rone, Spanky, and Swampy.

Parisian Street and Fine Artist LUDO shared these exclusive images of his new installations outside Paris. Says the artist, he decided to see how his stuff would look outside the typical urban settings. Also, he just wanted to get out of the city, “just the need for fresh air,” he says.

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Carlo McCormick at Nuart 2012

November 17, 2012 Artists

One of the best parts about a celebration of Street Art culture like Nuart in Norway is that there sometimes is an opportunity to speak with and listen to people who make it their mission to put it into context. New York art critic, curator, editor, and writer Carlo McCormick has an exhaustive knowledge and enthusiasm for the scene that evolved on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1970s and 80s concurrently with the evolution of graffiti into a celebrated art form. As Street Art continues apace, having perspective on some of its precursors is imperative and McCormick knows how to bring it alive.

An moment of elation with Carlo McCormick while he addresses the Nuart audience in his keynote presentation Re:mark. (image still © Nuart 2012)

To hang out with Carlo on the street is a joy because he can ground your current observations with his knowledge of their antecedents and yet become as equally appreciative of the new artists on todays’ scene whom he hasn’t heard of. During this talk he gave this year at Nuart in a very conversational somewhat meandering unscripted way, Carlo reveals the mindset that is necessary to keep your eyes open and appreciative of the new stuff without feeling territorial or enslaved to the past. We appreciate him because he recognizes that the march of graffiti, street art, public art, and it’s ever splintering subsets is part of a greater evolutionary tale that began before us and will continue after us.

Carlo speaks about New York artist Haze and the distinct parallels between corporate branding with the practice of developing and distilling one’s tag for repetition on the street. (image still © Nuart 2012)

During his presentation McCormick dedicates a significant portion of his remarks to the historical practice of subverting advertising and official forms of messaging – referring to the Situationists, “détournement” and similar methods of playing with perception and turning it on it’s head. Here is an uncredited image from his presentation of a Times Square scene where artist Yoko Ono’s billboard toyed with the perceptions that the Vietnam war was inevitably unending while also alerting a compliant citizenry to it’s role in the matter. (image still © Nuart 2012)

“As I do my best as a really bad scholar to investigate this history of graffiti and mark-making – kind of prior to the official history – the greatest evidence that I find of stuff is in the real canon of fine art photography. Just about every famous photographer turned – I mean it’s not incidental – turned their attention to this illicit anonymous practice., ” Carlo McCormick at Nuart.

BSA Hits The North! – See You Soon in Belfast, Northern Ireland
April 23, 2024
We are excited to announce that BSA will be part of the exhilarating ‘Hit the North’ 2024 festival in Belfast! …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week: 04.21.24
April 21, 2024
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! “It’s the only time of the year when New York City smells good,” …Read More »
Barcelona Tributes for The Amazing SKE
April 18, 2024
Today, we pay tribute to an iconic figure from the Puerto Rican graffiti scene, Eliezer “SKE” Pagán Torres. Born on …Read More »
Elfo Declares “I’m a Figurative Painter”… and I’m the Queen of England!
April 16, 2024
Elfo, the ever-witty Italian street artist, strikes again with his latest work scrawled across an abandoned building in Italy. Known …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week: 04.14.24 / “Return2Burn” in Hunts Point, Bronx
April 14, 2024
Welcome to BSA’s Images of the Week. We decided to dedicate this weekly survey to the artists of “Return 2 …Read More »
Martha Cooper and Seth in Kibera. Kenya: Part 2 / “We Are One”
April 11, 2024
Nestled within the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera is a testament to its inhabitants’ challenges and its collective indomitable …Read More »
“Tiempos Muertos”. Idle Time With Isaac Cordal in Madrid
April 9, 2024
“Idle Time has become that free moment we have between one task and another in the production process. Productive inertia …Read More »