July 2014

Amanda Marie and X-O: “Beautiful Times” in Denver

Amanda Marie and X-O: “Beautiful Times” in Denver

Amanda Marie and X-O have begun a road trip across the US – a summer spraycation for two artists who approach public space from different perspectives yet are complimentary somehow. It is not completely unheard of to trek across country painting – just ask any number of freight riders. It is probably kind of rare to name the campaign like and raise money for charity.

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Amanda Marie. “Beautiful Times” Greeley, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

It would be cool if they had some kind tour t-shirt with all the cities on the back:

“Beautiful Times” Summer 2014 Tour

Denver

Boulder

Philadelphia

Beacon

NYC

They didn’t do that unfortunately but they make a Kickstarter for it, which is equally smart. So if you are inspired by the work here, go over and drop a dolla in their cup.

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Amanda Marie. “Beautiful Times” Greeley, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

So, “Beautiful Times” is underway in Denver, and they already had a small venue change. Amanda Marie found a wall in nearby Greeley, and she began what X-O described as “quickly smashing a wall with one of her dreamy dream scopes.” While she was busy doing that, X-O was scoping for random wood to build his piece, or what he calls doing “recon”.

“I was busy doing recon to collect the wood and other random materials necessary for building my ‘Lost Object’ piece in the garden of Futuristic Films in Denver.  Whilst grabbing my coffee at the local caffeine haven, Crema Coffee, owner Noah Price offered a tour of a space across the street where they are starting a large bar and food truck renovation… looks amazing… and had pretty much everything X-O might ever dream of for materials … recon successful,” he reports.

So here you can see Amanda at work on her dreamy dream scope and X-O on his “Lost Object” piece. Looks like beautiful times indeed.

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Amanda Marie with stencils scattered about. “Beautiful Times” Greeley, Colorado. (photo © Amanda Marie)

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Amanda Marie. “Beautiful Times” Greeley, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

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X-O. Process shot. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

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X-O. Process shot. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

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X-O. Process shot. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

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X-O. Process shot. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Joe Lee Parker)

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 X-O. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Brandon Carter)

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Amanda Marie. Mural in progress. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Brandon Carter)

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Amanda Marie. Mural in progress. Night shot. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Brandon Carter)

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X-O. Detail. “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Brandon Carter)

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X-O “Beautiful Times” Futuristic Films. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Brandon Carter)

“Beautiful Times” is a collaborative project between artists Amanda Marie and X-O. Their goal is to raise awareness about the world we live in and to protect our children and wild flowers. To learn more about “Beautiful Times” Click HERE. To donate HERE.

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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!
 
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Kashink Uses Hairy Four-Eyed Men to Examine Gender Assumptions

Kashink Uses Hairy Four-Eyed Men to Examine Gender Assumptions

The international Street Art scene boasts a small percentage of women artists and KASHINK may perplex even that statistic with her mustache. It’s the same mustache you’ll see on many of her big hairy four-eyed men that she paints in Europe and North America that look like “badass yet sensitive gangsters,” as she describes them. Similarly, her own mustache is drawn on with a marker or paint brush. It’s the absurdity of gender role-play that she likes to examine in her colorful comical way and the Paris-based KASHINK says she considers her street art to be an expression of activism that questions it.

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With the same vivid colors and absurdly intelligent wit that Gilbert and George might use to make fun, KASHINK takes her paintings into a folkloric milieu and adds superhero flatness, depicting her (mostly) men as probably well-meaning dolts, if also conflicted and sensitive. As with most comedy there may be a critique as well.

As an activist the artist has lent her art and her support in a very big and public way to the cause of Marriage Equality in France, where hundreds of thousands of angry anti-gay marchers thronged through the streets to stop its passage. With characteristic wittiness (and fortitude) KASHINK created nearly 200 murals depicting many a gay couple gazing dreamily at one another over a big ornate wedding cake; a series she humorously named “50 Cakes of Gay”.

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Kashink. ActUp. Paris, France. (photo © Kashink)

Recently in New York, a number of her men showed up on walls on the street, and we had the opportunity ask her some questions about optimism, gender conventions, the French love for old skool graffiti and hip-hop, and those two black marker lines above her lip.

Brooklyn Street Art: Your characters have similarities to illustrations found in comic books from the thick lines and bold colors to multiple eyes and the comedic sense they have. Even your name “KASHINK” has a comic book sound. Did you hide in the attic with a stack of comic books when you were a child?
KASHINK: KASHINK is definitely onomatopoeic; I’ve always been fond of comic books. In France there is was always a really big scene and as a teenager I was also into American superheroes as well.

I still buy comics and illustrations and I have a lot of comic book artist friends. I recently painted a wall with JANO, an old school artist who was very famous in France the 80’s; I loved his work when I was a kid. It was pretty cool to teach him how to spray-paint!

I guess I got inspired a lot by all these, but I also get inspired by traditional crafts from around the world. These thick lines and bright colors are quite similar in many different countries.

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Kashink. Paris, France 2011. (photo © Kashink)

Brooklyn Street Art: Speaking of gender, most (all?) of the characters you create are male, and many have a mustache like yours. Societies have experimented with the fluidity of gender and roles over history. Are you continuing that experimentation?
KASHINK: When I started painting walls, I quickly decided not to paint women. It seemed really complicated to me to paint a female character free from any kind of aesthetic codes. I also noticed that there was a strong tradition of female street artists painting really sexy female characters, and I didn’t relate to that trend, I wanted to do something more personal somehow.

I’ve always been interested in the absurdity of gender representation. Since I was a kid I always felt like a tomboy but I also loved to get dolled up and look nice, in my own style.

I’m very interested in the amazing diversity of humanity, and how easy it is to break the codes in a fun way. The characters I paint are mostly male, preferably fat and hairy. Even though they look quite manly I like to put them in unexpected situations where they would express their feelings. They fall in love, they call their mom on the phone, they are sad or scared. It’s just a funnier and more meaningful experimentation than another representation of a tough female.

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: There are some references to queer culture in your art. Would you describe any of your work as “activist” in nature? Or are you just depicting life/imagination?
KASHINK: I’m an activist, not only as an artist but also as a person. This moustache I wear every day is the best example I guess. I think it’s fun to underline the absurdity of traditional female make up. Two black symmetrical lines as eyebrows or eyeliner are perfectly accepted, but the same lines 4 inches lower on the same face are not. I also like the idea of playing with this very old school typically male ornamentation code.

My personal life and my tendency to paint sensitive big hairy guys also led me to paint gay men in obvious situations. In 2011 I even had a solo show I called GAYFFITI. Then I worked with Act Up for a little bit and started painting walls related to gay marriage and equal rights. In December 2012, the first protests started in Paris. It was very shocking to see all this aggressiveness and all the energy some people were ready to put in order for other people not to have rights, especially in France.

I thought it was interesting to start using a strong symbol that anybody could understand and relate to positive memories. Everybody loves cake. So I started my project “50 Cakes of Gay”. At first I thought I’d paint only 50 in total but I’ve been painting more than 200 now in 9 different countries, and there are more to come!

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Where did the text come from that appears on the new series of hand painted posters you put up in Brooklyn recently? News headlines? Songs? Stories?
KASHINK: I’ve been adding text to my characters for a while. Especially on these paste-ups I call “The Johns”. I like the idea of starting a story and encouraging people’s imagination. These phrases could be interpreted in many ways; they could all be part of very different stories, like a part of a comic book. Sometimes they also are lyrics of my favorite songs, depending on my inspiration.

I’ve been wheat pasting those for a little while, and when I visit a different country I write the text in the local language. I did some in French of course, but also some in Polish, Greek, Arabic and Basque for example.

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Kashink with Lister hovering. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Why is it valuable to put art in public spaces?
KASHINK: Well I guess we need to keep in mind it’s not valuable for everybody. Some people are not that interested in art and don’t really see the point. As an artist, I like the idea of sharing my stuff and make it visible, it’s a good way for me to share my ideas as well; in that way it seems valuable to me at least.

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Your drawings appear very optimistic and full of color. Would you describe yourself as generally optimistic?
KASHINK: I’m definitely an optimistic person. I realized recently that since I was born I’ve constantly heard about deforestation, pollution, ozone holes, economic crisis, unemployment, and all kinds of disasters.

I think that nowadays we’re at the crossroads of our history, many things changed drastically in the past 50 years and it’s going faster and faster. I’m very curious about the coming next 10 or 20 years, and I don’t want to be pessimistic. Of course we’re all going to die, but I want to believe things can also evolve in a good way somehow.

I see more and more people who want a better quality of life, who quit a job they hate for something else, where they might get less money but a better environment.

There are more and more people of our generation who are not interested in consumerism, who don’t want a TV, who try to think for themselves. It’s pretty interesting.

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Many French art fans are very loyal and enthusiastic followers of the original 70s/80s New York graffiti artists and hip hop scene. Growing up in Paris, did graffiti culture interest you as well?
KASHINK: I guess that the French hip-hop scene has probably been the biggest in Europe. I grew up in what they call “la banlieue”, and I would take the train to go to Paris. The tracks were covered in throw ups, and in the city there always was a lot of tagging. I was attracted to graffiti and to the music as well, I remember when the Wu Tang started being known in France, I also liked Onyx and A Tribe Called Quest a lot. But I was a metal head, and back then it was weird to like both in France.

When the original soundtrack of “Judgment Night” came out, I was thrilled to see that my favorite metal bands and rappers could collaborate. It was awesome !!! Then Ice T came out with “Body Count,” which was very exciting too.

But I guess I was already more attracted to characters than styles back then. I remember seeing some pieces from Honet when I would go to Paris as a teenager; they were very different from what I was used to, in a way I got inspired by his style.

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Kashink (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Last year we did an extensive article on Wynwood and its first all-female artists edition. How was your experience in Miami painting along such an internationally known group of intelligent, talented, opinionated and fun-loving women?
KASHINK: Being in that show was an amazing opportunity, it was also very cool for me to get to meet all these great artists. I was actually very curious to ask them about how it feels to be in that game for a longer period of time. Most of them are older than me and some got tired of painting walls after a while, some others still paint but not necessarily only their own stuff. I spent a few hours smoking spliffs with Lady Pink on the roof of our hotel and asking her about all this, it was really interesting.

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Kashink collaboration with Foxx Face (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Kashink collaboration with Foxx Face (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Kashink with CB23 trying to pass unnoticed on the bottom. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

 

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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!
 
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This article is also published on The Huffington Post.

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Wall Therapy 2014

Wall Therapy 2014

Wall\Therapy has concluded in Rochester again, this year with a focus on portraits and today we bring you an update from some of the talented photographers on the scene in this north western New York town. Essentially a mural project that is beautifying the city with a very eclectic mix of artists working in styles across the board, Wall/Therapy had a smaller roster this year, and perhaps a more local focus. Here’s a snapshot of some finished walls.

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Sam Rodriguez. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Tomas Flint)

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Omen. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Josh Saunders)

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Omen. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Omen. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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David Walker. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Mark Deff)

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Jarus. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Jarus. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Josh Saunders)

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Caitlin Yarsky. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Shawn. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Alice Pasquini. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Shawnee Hill. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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John Perry. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Alice Mizrachi. Detail. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Alice Mizrachi. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

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Elicser. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

BSA would like to thank the organizers, photographers and volunteers at this year’s edition of Wall\Therapy for sending these exclusive images to us to share with our readers.

 

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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!
 
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Dede Discusses New Site-Specific Stencil Series In Tel Aviv

Dede Discusses New Site-Specific Stencil Series In Tel Aviv

“Site-specific” is a term employed by some Street Art conceptualists often today, but the relevance of location to the piece on the street may not be as clear to the viewer as the artist would have intended even when it is the product of a high-minded process for selection. This is not the case in Tel Aviv where Street Artist Dede is taking “site-specific” quite seriously in a new series of pieces where a stenciled view of a city scene appears precisely where this view can also be observed with the bare eye.  By producing this visual double-take, the location and stencil placement instantly invoke a closer examination and consideration of just what is being called into view, and perhaps to ask why.

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

It could be a scene you otherwise would have overlooked, but somehow now it is elevated by the fact that the artist has taken the effort to cut and spray a stencil here and probably did so with purpose. It’s a highly effective method of sharpening our focus and we’re glad that it has brought Yoav Litvin to BSA today to share his recent interview with Dede about the series as well as to discuss his views on life in Israel during this time of intensified conflict with Palestine. Yoav also shares his photos from these new site-specific installations as well as other examples of the artists’ stylistically eclectic offerings.

 

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Belonging, Territoriality and Healing in Israel: An interview with Dede

by Yoav Litvin
 

Whenever I visit a city, I try to dedicate time to venturing on the streets in search of art as a way of assessing the local and current creative vibe. By chance, I was in Israel when the most recent violent conflict erupted between the Israeli army (the IDF) and Hamas in the Gaza strip. During my two-week long visit there, I spent countless hours arguing against violence and for peace and reconciliation; against the powerful interest groups and for the people.

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Dede. Close up. (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Together with Dede, a local street artist, I walked through various neighborhoods in Tel Aviv in search of art. Seeing the beautiful and at times chaotically colorful walls, I once again felt the positive and potentially healing power of art, even more so in this dire context of war. I have always believed street art can represent a creative, non-violent form of rebellion. It can serve to challenge the powerful, the violent and the selfish and offer an unfiltered, free and raw voice- from the people to the people! As composer and playwright Jonathan Larson epitomized in his famous quote: “The opposite of war is not peace… it’s creation!”

Here I talk with Dede about his current series of site-specific stencils, and how these may reflect some of the realities in this troubled town and part of the world. Additionally we see his most recent large-scale murals, which revolve around relevant issues of belonging, displacement and escape.

Yoav Litvin: What’s your thought process behind these site-specific installations?
Dede: I began this ongoing site-specific series of stencils at the end of 2013. It stems from many thoughts/ideas on technique and the ways in which we are exposed to street art today. Importantly, I was very much influenced by a text written by the cultural critic Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction and its ramifications on our modern way of life.

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Yoav Litvin: Why did you choose the locations you did?
Dede: Every location has its own reasons, each attempting to focus attention on an important issue within our modern urban reality. These include the housing crisis in Israel, urban development and restoration of historical landmarks/buildings.

Yoav Litvin: There is a long-standing conflict surrounding territory in Israel. Do your site-specific installations address it? How?
Dede: There is always conflict on territory/resources, perhaps everywhere in the world but I see it clearly here in Tel Aviv. Just like in any capitalist society, real estate here is bought and sold in accordance with personal interests and therefore can be controversial in a community. For example- see my stencil of the tower that was built in Neve Tzedek in Tel Aviv (below). The rest of the neighborhood is only two stories high and many residents were against the construction of such a tall building- there were petitions and protests but eventually those with money won out. Land is expensive and Tel Aviv is prime real estate in Israel. There is a constant increase in housing prices and this is making Tel Aviv a city exclusively for the wealthy.

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 Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Yoav Litvin: I had a lot of fun shooting these stencil installations, trying to capture the art together with its subject. Are you trying to create a dialog between artist and documenter? How do you view street art documenters within the scene, especially with the central role of the Internet, social media and photo sharing?
Dede: Documentation is extremely important for street art, because of this art form’s inherently ephemeral nature. However, seeing a photograph can never replace the feeling of standing in front of a piece and personally experiencing it. Documentation conveys the idea as best as possible without experiencing it first hand. In this series of stencils, documentation is a central theme.

Stencils are regularly cut based on photographs, and this series was sprayed at the location the pictures were taken. Thus, the photographer has a central role in capturing both subject and the art it conveys. My notion was to challenge the documenter and in turn, the viewer of the photo. This work was intended for an audience that relies on social networks for its street art consumption.

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Yoav Litvin: How has your art evolved since last we spoke? Is it becoming more personal or do you feel you are reaching out to the public with relevant issues to the community?
Dede: This is a question I ask myself all the time. Honestly, I cannot really say what has changed in my art. I let my art lead me, and do not try to lead it. I feel I am trying to evolve in both realms you mention, focusing on my personal style, but also my interaction with the community, both locally and globally.

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Yoav Litvin: I find street art to be an excellent device for an artist to communicate with the surrounding communities. Do you try to appeal to a strictly Israeli audience in Tel Aviv? How do you engage the Palestinian  population, for example in neighboring Jaffa?
Dede: Street art engages everyone everywhere, especially today in the age of the internet. As an artist in Tel Aviv, Israel, I am aware that my art reaches Palestinians as well as Israelis. In fact, I often correspond with Palestinian artists, and am pleased when they enjoy, interested and/or are emotionally touched by my work. I feel my work is a personal reflection that appeals to people everywhere, not just Israelis, Palestinians or any other category of people.

I love painting in Jaffa, and during your last visit we walked through an abandoned building in Jaffa in which I and friends painted. Local residents are very positive and appreciate street art. I wish art could bridge all gaps between peoples here and everywhere.

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

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Dede. Jaffa as seen from Tel Aviv. (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Yoav Litvin: One cannot discuss Israel today without addressing the current violence. Has it affected your art? How so?
Dede: The situation here is very complicated and disturbing. It is a conflict that has been going on for years. This conflict has affected my art and inspired me to create in many ways. I love Tel Aviv, but during wars it is a difficult place to live in. One of the central themes in my works is the need to escape to a safer place, whether in the physical or emotional realm. This stems from different motivations; mental, social and political. I do not believe any citizen should live in a state of fear anywhere, and my art conveys these notions.

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Dede and Latzi collaboration. (photo © Yoav Litvin)

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

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Dede (photo © Yoav Litvin)

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Dede’s studio. (photo © Yoav Litvin)

Interview written, edited and translated by Yoav Litvin. Mr. Litvin is the author and photographer of the recently published book Outdoor Gallery – New York City by Gingko Press.

For more information regarding Yoav Litvin click HERE. For more information regarding Dede, click HERE

 

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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!
 
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BSA Images Of The Week: 07.27.14

BSA Images Of The Week: 07.27.14

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Tragedy is grabbing world headlines again and we can’t help but be swayed by it as the downed passenger aircraft in Ukraine smells of a lawless future and the international community seems rather helpless to address it meaningfully. Simultaneously the Israeli / Palestinian crises flares for the seemingly millionth time along with international opinion, a fire now fed with large helpings of social media oxygen, buffeted by various marches in the actual streets around the world and here in NYC.

Our banner today is a relatively new collage/painting currently on view in the Italian Cultural Institute of New York by the Street Artist BR1, who depicts the strife in somewhat cartoonish exaggerated simplicity, flattening the complexity of history with two dimensional caricature. Comments some made when we ran it a couple of weeks ago for the opening of the show (before the current events had begun) made it clear that even art about the conflict seems radioactive.

Our top image this week is an actual street piece from Icy & Sot and it brought more comments on Instagram than most other photos, so strong are people’s reactions to it. As far as the Ukraine/Russia news, we haven’t seen any Street Art about that – except maybe for that Billi Kid caricature of Putin as a cowboy earlier in the year but you couldn’t really say it is directly related.

With this pall of strife filling screens and streets right now its no wonder the one image below of Ewok’s wall full of discontented people was shared so many times on our FB Fan Page this week. “Hey these grumpy faces make me happy,” said one commenter.

So anyway, here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Art is Trash, Atom, BustArt, Cold World, E.L.K., Ewok, False, GG, Gualicho, Icy & Sot, Kuma, Myth, Osch, Otto Schade, Post No Selfie, QRST, Sean9Lugo, Sebs, Sexer, Topaz, UFO907, Unvale, Wing, and Zaria.

Top Image >> Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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EWOK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sean9Lugo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Atom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Kuma . False (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sebs (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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BustArt, Zaria and Osch AKA Otto Schade . Detail. New collaboration in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (photo © Bustart)

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BustArt, Zaria and Osch AKA Otto Schade . New collaboration in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (photo © Bustart)

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E.L.K. for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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The housing boom, now broke. Unvale. Bethlehem, PA (photo © Unvale)

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Wing (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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QRST (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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QRST (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Art Is Trash (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sexer is thinking perhaps you have to hit people over the head with love. At The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Post No Selfie (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Cold World (and Chena, Lily, and Yusef as well). Not sure what this is about. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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UFO907 traced over UFO907 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Topaz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Myth (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Gualicho from Buenos Aires likes to merge organic with mechanic, natural with industrial, offering cross sections and diagrams from his imagination. This abstraction of a fish and water is in downtown Warsaw, Poland. (photo © Gualicho)

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Gualicho for Monumental Arts. Gdansk, Poland. (photo © Gualicho)

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GG spearing dinner for a nice fish barbecue. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Untitled. East River, NYC. July 2014 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

 

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JBAK in Berlin, a 32 Meter Human Totem and How it Got There

JBAK in Berlin, a 32 Meter Human Totem and How it Got There

Karl Addison and James Bullough, as JBAK, Share Their Trip With You

Berlin’s dedication to public art takes another leap with a newly completed mural by American duo James Bullough and Addison Karl, creatively partnered as JBAK. Nearly a year after the art and education initiative LOA Berlin (Lichtenberg Open ART) put out the call for submissions to hit this tower in the housing association HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH, the two guys find themselves exhausted and elated with their latest photorealist painting in this high profile location.

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JBAK (Karl Addison and James Bullough) and their new “Totem Mural” for Howoge LOA. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Just Photography)

“From meters away the seeping feeling of being proud and accomplished washes over. The kind words of passer-bys, neighbors and the local business owners. Making every long moment worth every second of it,” Addison tells BSA below as he recounts how personally affected they were by the process of pitching to be considered and eventually awarded above a competitive field of around 50 artists and artist teams from six countries.

And then there was the execution of the actual mural.

The average observer of a mural like this one in Lichtenberg, and Street Art or urban art in general, has little appreciation perhaps for the psychological/ spiritual / physical energy that can go into the process for any given artist or project. In fact, many artists don’t realize the effort until they endeavor to try. When the project is formalized to the degree that this one is, many artists simply choose to not apply at all, so intimidating and resource intensive it the process. Not to mention the setbacks, sudden turns, revisions, and problem solving on the fly. But of course, it happens all the time and people who create art in the streets can be pretty scrappy and resourceful.

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JBAK (Karl Addison and James Bullough) and their new “Totem Mural” for Howoge LOA. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Just Photography)

 

With a generous sense of sharing some insight on the process, Addison gives BSA readers personal view of the experience from an artists perspective, revealing the costs involved to merely to be considered for a public/private works project such as this where a variety of voices are involved in the conversation before an ultimate decision is made. It reads like a personal journal, but it is a template for many who would try to make the transition to professional artist.

“ ‘For the long haul’ – it’s one of those things you hear about from a good friend and exceptional fellow artist. At first glance the whole experience seems a bit overwhelming but then you put your head down and buckle down for the application process. What to show, how to explain – will the work stand-up by itself? Some times you may complete 10-15 applications like this per month – it is always the beginning with very little turnover to actual work or the creation of beautiful things to come.

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JBAK (Karl Addison and James Bullough) and their new “Totem Mural” for Howoge LOA. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Just Photography)

“ ‘Maybe this one is different’. After a few months we received a nice letter of acceptance. Surprised, happy – and ‘oh shit’ are all simultaneous reactions. Now the grind of what comes next – so many factors to include; the building, the audience, the people who live there, the colors, my collaboration with James Bullough, HOWOGE (the ones organizing the whole project under LOA), my own interests, passion, the scale and much more.  Then there is ‘The Unknowing’ ; is this the best artwork I can create for this project – will it be accepted – can I do better? Every question leads nearly to no answer, but 45 more questions.

‘It is the winter months and we’re working online and in a studio going back and forth as to the possibilities and composition. After a long day of taking hundreds of mock-up photos somehow the very last photo taken has the concept we need. We begin planning out the colors, the theory and the collaboration aspect of the painting. We make a full canvas piece in the proportions of the wall to get the right details.

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JBAK (Karl Addison and James Bullough) and their new “Totem Mural” for Howoge LOA. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Just Photography)

“ The time has come for us to present our idea – in a room sits many people loaded on every side except directly behind James and I. We’re overwhelmed because there are three times more people in the room then we expected to be there. Pushing forward, we begin to discuss and present our artwork and concept. It does not go well. We leave discouraged and feeling all the holes of our artwork for this project. A week or so goes by – and again to our surprise we get another nice email asking for some revisions to our artwork.

“Back to the studio, we’re trying to fill those holes in – and to fix what we can with the work. We come to a point where the collaboration is happy – we have both created something in over three years of doing projects together and we are both happy with this. The artwork compliments both sides – it is strong and subtle with room for the imagination and interpretation of the viewer. It has a strong positive message for it’s new home on Landsberger Allee 228b in Lichtenberg. With fingers cross we send in the second proposal.

‘Waiting….. waiting….. waiting… doubt…. waiting…..

“An email comes in – I read it once, twice and for a third time. It sinks in. The Totem Mural is accepted! In an instant we have been selected for the next Howoge LOA mural. I’m sitting on my couch in my studio when I read it, lucky for me. I’m nearly speechless as I show the computer and email to one of my best friends Adrian – and he is screaming with excitement.

“Because of all the work we did during all this process – we have already addressed such a huge part of the painting : everything is nice planned out, prepped and nearly ready to go. The only things left are the logistics about the painting, the materials and how to get up a 32 meter wall. We get the help of a good friend Dennis G. to help us organize the installation – then we plan for the next 4 weeks of work.

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JBAK (Karl Addison and James Bullough) and their new “Totem Mural” for Howoge LOA. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Just Photography)

“ It takes long days and nights, two nights to outline – the first going from sundown to sun up. We focus on keeping the artwork in proportion as we do it in three sections and from different locations. Without sleep we are back up to do it again the next day. The first week is long and unsure and our lift breaks three times,  we have some rain delays and down time until we change machinery. Our schedule for the next month is 6 days a week, 12-14 hours a day. There are late nights coming home when I feel barely able to stand. But then there is the rising up early every morning and getting to work and feeling the warmth of the wall radiating from the sun throughout the day. After four weeks of nothing else, the Totem Mural is finished.

“From meters away the seeping feeling of being proud and accomplished washes over. The kind words of passer-bys, neighbors and the local business owners. Making every long moment worth every second of it.”

 

For more about Lichtenberg Open ART (LOA Berlin) and HOWOGE please click HERE.

 

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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!

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BSA Film Friday: 07.25.18

BSA Film Friday: 07.25.18

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :

1. Our Nation’s Sons – Joe Caslin
2. Ludo: The Chaos Theory
3. Stinkfish Smashes Austrian Bus
4. Tom Herck: Searching for Light
5. The Landfill Harmonic Orchestra Fashions Music from Garbage
6. Mary Poppins Says “Raise the Minimum Wage”

BSA Special Feature: Our Nation’s Sons – Joe Caslin

“As a nation we have pushed a significant number of our young men to the very edges of society and created within them feelings of neglect and apathy. It is now time to empower these young lads and give them a sense of belonging,” says artist Joe Caslin of his Street Art project in Ediburgh, Scotland entitled “Our Nation’s Sons“.

The project that addresses marginalized youth is captured with a moody cinematic flair in this new video featuring the most recent wheatpaste of Joe Caslin’s drawings in Galway.

 

Ludo: The Chaos Theory

A one minute promo of Ludo in studio as he presumably prepares for his big show at Lazarides in October.

 

Stinkfish Smashes Austrian Bus

The world is just in black and white until Stinkfish sets it alive in color, completely smothering a huge Graz city bus in paint to promote the Livin’ Streets Festival in Graz, Austria.

 

 

Tom Herck: Searching for Light

A stained glass tribute by artist Tom Herck on the side of this decommissioned hospital has more meaning than this simple video can imply.

The image is a tribute to his mother who he says was rescued from the street as a child by the nuns at St-Anna hospital (St-Truiden Belgium), and who also worked here for more than 45 years as a cleaning lady.

“The hospital is closed now and I wanted to do a tribute to my mother,” he tells BSA.

 

 

The Landfill Harmonic Orchestra Fashions Music from Garbage

D.I.Y. as a means of survival is not the same as art school graduates joining a knitting circle on Wednesday nights. This community lives on a landfill and has ingeniously, no, miraculously, produced musical instruments from refuse. The resulting music and sense of pride is mountainous and the reason we stay in this beautiful journey to discover the creative spirit.

 

 

Mary Poppins Says “Raise the Minimum Wage”

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Stovington23 Hi-Jacks the Sofa Store (and a few more)

Stovington23 Hi-Jacks the Sofa Store (and a few more)

Ever Get The Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?

Hi-jacking of billboards and signage is part of the grand legacy of Street Art and one that we consider part of the daily conversation on the street. From the Billboard Liberation Front to the Situationists to Jenny Holzer and John Fekner, the simple act of re-framing public/private space and the messages within it began at least forty or fifty years ago, and the critiques continue apace today with various forms of culture jamming and high-minded/low brow hijinks.

 

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Stovington23. Bedford, England. March 2014. (photo © Stovington23)

It’s an ongoing struggle to claim what is called public space, physically as well as what advertisers claim as the real estate of our minds. These artists are thinking first, then hoping to short-circuit, questioning our learned acceptance of commercial ideas and views of the world. Some say that this activist form is successful only if it raises questions and awareness. If it falls short of those goals, it may be interpreted as a prank, a cryptic insider joke, or form of poetic conceptual art evoking feelings of ennui.

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Stovington23. Feltham, England. April 2014. (photo © Stovington23)

The Street Art collective Stovington23 from the UK engages the spirit of détournement by employing the simplest of forms, the stencil letter, in some of the most banal pseudo public spaces like shopping centers. In black and white photos that they provide here it appears that they add a well placed rejoinder or slogan very near the names and slogans that greet you as you enter the store, or see from the highway as you drive by.

“We want to take advertising techniques – the crafted slogan, the well-chosen billboard spot – and turn them against the admen’s corporate paymasters,” they tell BSA when describing the motivations for this conception.  As always, work like this is open to interpretation, and we would love to be in the parking lot with a sound recorder interviewing people about their impressions upon first seeing things like, “One Day This Will be a Bombsite,” or an earlier installment of the Johnny Rotten quote “Ever Get The Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?”

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Stovington23. Leeds, England. March 2014. (photo © Stovington23)

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Stovington23. Romford, England. April 2014. (photo © Stovington23)

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Stovington23. Staines, England. May 2014. (photo © Stovington23)

 

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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!

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Exploring Lisbon as a Street Art Tourist

Exploring Lisbon as a Street Art Tourist

“Street Art Tourism” Is Capturing More Attention

Eco-tourism is so popular for vacation travelers right now. You know, treading light and your carbon footprint and all that. Then there is Plastic Surgery Tourism for those whose nose is slightly twisted or who otherwise feel your personal epidermal brand could use a “refresh”. For half the price of back home why not travel to a fashionable cosmetic surgery destination and you won’t have to worry about someone seeing you buying brie at Balducci’s with a bandaged beak.

Liposucation anyone?

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Erica Il Cane (photo © Stephen Kelley)

In the wake of the global growth of interest in art in the streets, one form of tourism that may soon be blowing up could be graffiti excursions, street art sightseeing, or even mural journeying. New York has been a magnet for years for aerosol artists calling us to help them hit up walls while they are on “spraycation”, but this is just the opposite.

You may wish to plan your trip abroad hunting the elusive wheat-pastes, stencils, fill-ins, hoping to capture an exotic local throwie. And why not take a few selfies with your favorite works by Street Artists that you only previously saw on Instagram?

Street Art photographer Stephen Kelley went on his own art safari last month in Lisbon, Portugal with his fiancé and he checked out a lot of the work that has been organized during the past couple of years by the internationally known local VHILS and some of his friends in a project entitled Underdogs.

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Os Gemeos . Blu (photo © Stephen Kelley)

Underdogs is an international working platform based in Lisbon, Portugal that aims at creating space within the contemporary art scene for artists connected with the new languages of urban visual culture,” say the organizers, and they have curated a program of some large-scale pieces around the city in an intelligently grand and contextual manner that makes them seem like the installations have been there for decades, not a handful of years. Urban or contemporary, it has serious fans.

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Os Gemeos . Blu. Detail. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

Today Mr. Kelley shares with BSA some of the shots he got during a relatively short trip to Lisbon, along with some of his experiences and observations.

“In preparing for the trip we used the Underdogs project as one of the references for the map,” he says. “I was able to convince my travelling partner and fiancé to rent an apartment in the Bairro Alto area. This was a good central point for the spots I wanted to hit. We were only in town for 3 days so I had to balance your standard tourist locations with my off-the-beaten-path art spots.  She appreciates the work and is incredibly patient but I can only get away with dragging her into so many back alleys and train tracks.”

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Os Gemeos . Blu (photo © Stephen Kelley)

“Immediately after leaving the airport the taxi unintentionally drove us by a block-long Os Gemeos, Blu, Sam3, Ericailane, and Lucy Mclauchlan mural.  We told the taxi driver that I was in town to shoot art in the streets and in buildings.  He mentioned I should check out this street where a group of artists painted a series of murals about the local government administration.  I put that on the list,” says Kelley.

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Lucy McLauchlan . M-Chat (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Sam3 (photo © Stephen Kelley)

“We decided to take a taxi to the area where I had located some C215 work.  The taxi driver asked why we were going to that location/area,” says Kelley. “Once we arrived at the location I brought him with us to show him the art.  He was incredibly impressed with the C215 mural I showed him and said he’d bring driving in town for 25 years and had never been on that street or never seen the artwork.”

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C215 (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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C215 (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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C215 (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Skran01 . Tape (photo © Stephen Kelley)

“One evening in town we took a ferry over to Almada with a great view of the 25 de Abril Bridge (the same architect who designed the Golden Gate Bridge),” says Stephen. ” You can walk up the coast toward the bridge and there are two quaint eateries that make for a perfect sunset meal or drink.  The waterfront is covered with graffiti and is a good representation of the art in the area.”

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PISD (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Artist Unknown (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Yesh (photo © Stephen Kelley)

As with any vacation, planning your means of transportation is key – and Kelley and his girl realized Lisbon is not quite as pedestrian friendly as other cities, mainly because of the topography. “One of the first spots we hit was the harbor area for the Pixel Pancho and Vhils collaborations. After that, with intentions to continue to explore, we had our first encounter with the hills of Portugal,” he says. “The taxi driver had reminded us that Portugal is the city of seven hills. He was not kidding, walking the streets of Lisbon is no joke and a workout and a half.  We quickly realized public transit or taxi was the best way to see Lisbon.”

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Vhils and Pixel Pancho masterful collaboration. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils and Pixel Pancho (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils and Pixel Pancho. Detail. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils and Pixel Pancho (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Pixel Pancho (photo © Stephen Kelley)

Like most tourists on vacation, the events that make the most impact may be the unplanned surprises, like actually seeing work in progress. Stephen explains, “One day we started to head toward the Belem Tower and a How Nosm mural. On the way we ran into Vhil’s in progress working on a water tower outside the World Photo Press exhibition at the Museu da Electricidade.  I tried to wait for more action shots but he was taking a break and I couldn’t wait.”

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Vhils work in progress. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils work in progress. Detail. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils and Crono collaboration. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Vhils and Crono. Detail. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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How & Nosm (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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How & Nosm. Detail. (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Gregos (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Copy Art © (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Artist Unknown (photo © Stephen Kelley)

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Artist Uknown (photo © Stephen Kelley)

“I also recommend taking a trip up to the castles in Sintra.  It’s a 30-minute train ride from the center of Lisbon.  The castles are breathtaking and shouldn’t be missed.  Sintra was one of the highlights of the entire stay.  The train ride also gave me an opportunity to see all the trackside graffiti that is quite common in Europe.  The highway and train graffiti are very common, which was much different than what I am accustomed to in the US,” says Kelley.

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Dope (photo © Stephen Kelley)

 

 

 

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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!

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This article is also published on The Huffington Post

 

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Li-Hill: Thrust and Parry In BKLN

Li-Hill: Thrust and Parry In BKLN

Reprising some of the same thrust and parry action recently on display in his site specific installation at the Portsmouth Museum of Art in New Hampshire, Street Artist Li-Hill brought the same asymmetric energy, minus the lumber, to this Brooklyn wall this week. Living in New York at the moment, the Toronto based artist has experimented with graffiti in his exploration of painting, design, graphic design, and illustration.

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The kinetic fencing tableau depicted here weaves and dodges and leans forward, echoing through duplication of layers like frames of an action, effectively a painted stop-action of planes and atmospheric waves. When describing himself Li-Hill says he is attempting to “decipher the complexities of the rapid development in our modern age.”

Using the full physical range of all his limbs in New York’s July sunshine, the artist directs his energy to the gestural and engages in a purposeful postmodern dance with paint and a wall — that may recall high-tech CGI scenes from The Matrix — in effect mastering the elements even while veils of separation dissolve before our eyes.

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill at work on his new mural for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill. Detail. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Li-Hill. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

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Street Poet Opiemme Honors Nobel Laureate in Poland

Street Poet Opiemme Honors Nobel Laureate in Poland

Italian text worker Opiemme just finished this ode to letters, words, and poetry in Gdansk, Poland for the Monumental Art Festival. A lover of the language, the muralist and public artist hopes to garner attention for the written word.

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Opiemme. Detail. Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

“I hope to spread poetry and create curiosity, to push people towards reading,” he says as he describes this new 10 story wall that is partitioned into outer space, the sky and the earth. “Like the energy of the sun, the letters radiate, transmitting in different languages knowledge, legends, and customs. They give “color” to our communications like light gives color to things.”

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Opiemme. Detail. Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

The mural is intended to honor the Polish poet and Nobel Prize winner in literature Wislawa Szymborska, and it includes a passage from his work,… Truth, do not pay me too much attention. Solemnity, be magnanimous toward me …” from Under a Certain Little Star.

The nearer the words fall to earth, the more he hopes he will capture the interest of young readers. He says the words are simply sliding down the streaming drips of colors made from pouring bottles of paints.  Using the eye candy as a seductive player, he says, the piece “is designed to attract the attention of adults and children in order to bring them closer to poetry”.

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Opiemme for Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Lukas Glowala)

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Opiemme. Detail. Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

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Opiemme for Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Lukas Glowala)

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Opiemme for Monumental Art. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opimemme)

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Opiemme. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

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Opiemme. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

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Opiemme. Gdansk, Poland. July 2014. (photo © Opiemme)

 

Click HERE to learn more about Monumental Art.

 

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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!

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BSA Images Of The Week: 07.20.14

BSA Images Of The Week: 07.20.14

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Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring 907 Crew, Ainac, Aero, Afrodoti Galazios, Blanco, Bleeps, Cash4, Daek, Dasic, Elbow-Toe, Fecks, Icy & Sot, IDT Crew, Mike Makatron, Miss 17, Mr. Penfold, Overunder, Seth, Sheryo, Smells, Sonni, Sweet Toof, The Yok, Tripel, UFO 907, Wolftits, and You Go Girl!.

Top Image >> IDT Crew. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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IDT Crew. IDT is a Chinese Crew. It reads on the background “5ive” to celebrate their 5th anniversary piece. Miss 17 on top was a later addition. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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You Go Girl (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sweet Toof. Smells. Cash4. UFO907. Please help ID the rest of the tags. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mike Makatron with an assistant at work on his recent mural in Williamsburg. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mike Makatron  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Elbow Toe. The stencils below are by Ainac and Tripel. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Icy & Sot (we think) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Bleeps new piece in Athens, Greece. (photo © Afroditi Galazios)

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Blanco new piece in Saratoga Springs, NY. (photo © Blanco)

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Blanco. Detail from the piece above. (photo © Blanco)

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The Yok, Sheryo, Daek and Fecks for Zoetic Walls in Cleveland, Ohio. (photo © Pawn Works)

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DAEK for Pawn Works/NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sheryo with Sonni on the background for Pawn Works/NY  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sonni for Pawn Works/NY. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Mr. Penfold for Pawn Works/NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Aero for Pawn Works/NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Dasic (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Wolftits is even more Art Brut than ever. 907 Crew. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Rarf! Seth in Baton Rouge for The Museum Of Public Art. (photo © Overunder)

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Untitled. Gowanus Canal. NYC. July 2014 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

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