September 2017

“All Rise”, an Open Plea to Help Puerto Rico from Lee Quinones

“All Rise”, an Open Plea to Help Puerto Rico from Lee Quinones

“Heart in a Hurricane” 2009, by Lee Quinones. Image © Lee Quinones


As a response to the humanitarian crises that is unfolding right now in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, many New Yorkers are calling out for help to city, state, and federal agencies as well as their fellow citizens to help the people in PR. Naturally Street Artists and graffiti writers are joining in the debate and here we publish an open public letter from famed NYC graffiti train writer “LEE” Quinones, a life long New Yorker and Puerto Rican.


“All Rise”

Mi Gente, All people,

If you have not yet, please find the moral compasses in your hearts to rise up and help give to the dire needs of the people of Puerto Rico along with the rest of the Caribbean during these very dreadful and challenging circumstances.

Sure I’m proud to say that I’m a proud Puerto Rican, but I’m also part of the human race and that includes us all. Contrary to what we may believe that this is someone else’s problem, it’s we who will bare the burden of a spiritual guilt if we don’t help because it is we who claim to be good neighbors, a good people.

Please forward what you can to any of the charities below that I am standing with:

This was a storm that did not have any bias, it doesn’t know that fate, but we do. This storm has effectively invaded all of us, so for those who are standing or sitting in the safe periphery, to do nothing is truly an imprint of a real catastrophe. It is not Mother Nature’s so-called wrath that is to be feared, but more the lack of human decency to act and to act fast in light of such an awakening.

You want to argue the point of Americans exercising their rights to rightfully protest by POLITELY kneeling during the national anthem as un-American? The last I remember, kneeling was not a contested debate of being a disrespectful act, but of giving your heart to a standing majesty with a proposal, an idea, a pledge, or perhaps… a request.

In any argument, there is a halfway point. So let us fully agree on this; the act of kneeling is to be a discourse for a patient round table that has the luxury of time on its hands.

But to not give precedence to a humanitarian emergency that has no luxury of time, that in itself is below half way and is not American.

The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens first and foremost, and our first duty as fellow citizens giving to assist is already underway, but when all of this morphs into yesterday’s news it will be then that our second duty as Americans should commence and that will be to vote people into office that will do the right thing when the unthinkably wrong happens.

Thank you for your ears and may God bless the world.

Lee Quinones. 2017

 

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1st Mural By the Blind & Sighted in Brooklyn: Rubin415 & John Bramblitt for “World Sight Day”

1st Mural By the Blind & Sighted in Brooklyn: Rubin415 & John Bramblitt for “World Sight Day”

Brooklyn’s always breaking records – and today it can boast having the first mural collaboration between a Street Artist and a blind artist. Rubin415 and John Bramblitt have just combined their two uniquely different styles on a Bushwick wall to blast away misconceptions about art, blind artists, and the inevitability of people becoming blind.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Highlighting World Sight Day on October 12th, the new mural combines the modernly austere geometrical abstraction of Rubin415 with the striking realism and intense colorizing of John Bramblitt. The long thin wall at the base of a building in a lot provides a welcoming warmth and sophisticated decoding of the design complexity on display in our cityscape.

Blind/Sighted, Street/Studio, Finnish/American, Monotone/Vivid; It is a wonder that these two guys could work together at all. But as we found out during our interview at the wall last week, they forged a creative common ground – and a musical common ground that includes both being serious fans of  The Doors, the rock band from the classic era of the 1960s and 70s.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

On this bright and sunny late summer day in an empty Brooklyn lot, everybody was feeling the heat and looking for a cool place to sit while the street traffic charged by and receded into conversations, a gritty thick breeze gradually covering sweaty skin with a film of textured coating.

It’s not always easy to coordinate a small event like this, with artists, equipment, paint, a camera crew, and surprise visitors and inquisitive art fans, including neighbors and even the police, who came to investigate and give a message of support.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A project sponsored by the SeeNow campaign and executed by Purpose with JMZ Walls, the whole team want you to know that blindness can be avoided, eyes can be treated and, in cases like the artist John Bramblitt, obstacles can be overcome with fantastic results.

We spoke with the artists and organizers about the new mural, how Bramblitt devised a technique for painting, how they met and how they worked together.

BSA: Did you know each other prior to this project?
John Bramblitt: No. We met for this project – but I am a big fun of Rubin’s work.

BSA: Rubin did you know John’s work prior to this project?
Rubin415: No I hadn’t met him. They asked me if I wanted to collaborate with a visually impaired artist for World Sight Day on October 12th and I said “Sure!” It sounded interesting and I did some research about the organization and about John.

For me collaborating with another artist is all about the person, that is far more important than the work itself. Of course the work is also important – but it’s very important that I can connect and relate with the person. We also talked on the phone and yeah, we clicked. I have collaborated with many artists but never with any artist who is visually impaired.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: John, were you aware of Rubin’s work prior to this project? I am not sure when you lost your eyesight.
John: I wasn’t aware but I’m learning more and more about graffiti artists and street artists. I lost my eyesight in 2001 so it was quite a long ago – so the whole world on the street is incredible and yet I had no idea that all this time I have been walking through these cities and I haven’t been able to see the works and now I realize that I’ve been walking in an open door gallery basically. I was walking through a museum.

This makes me want to go back and revisit every city I have visited all these years since I lost my eyesight. It is incredible how a whole new world has opened up to me. With all this art that so many artists have been making the world is so much more beautiful and an interesting place to be. It’s like the mural we made here and the statement we want to make – we can take Art and make a great statement with art.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: John how is your memory?
John: When it comes to art is very good! (laughs) I can remember every painting I have made but when it comes to names my memory is not very good.

BSA: John Are you able to remember colors? How do you mix the colors?
John: It’s through touch. It basically works the same way with a sighted artist and how she or he would work when they mix their colors. With me, instead of using my eyes, I use my hands. Whenever I draw, I draw lines that I can feel. I know the lines are raised. For instance here on this wall the surface is very dry and grainy feeling so the paint that I’m using is slick. So it’s smooth and that makes it very easy for me to tell the lines.

It in my studio I mix mediums with the colors. With every color I actually build differently, like the red will feel differently than the blue because I mix it to feel differently. Here on this wall it’s a little bit different. I didn’t want to get crazy with the mediums; I wanted to be concerned about the weather and that the wall wouldn’t be damaged.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Were you trained by an expert to learn how to discern colors by using your hands?
John: No. I am the one who came out with the techniques for painting and one of the things that I do is go to the museums and I go to schools. I work with blind services all over and I try to teach visually impaired children – but there wasn’t anybody to teach me.

When I started I was lucky to learn about drafting and illustration and they were so supportive. So I’m just taking what I learned from that and from my traveling with my guide dog or with a cane. You learn techniques on how to touch and how to understand where you are – and where other things are. So I’m applying that to art. It is the same way I navigate a canvas or a wall. It is the same way I get around the city streets when I leave my house. The more I paint the easier it is for me to get around actually and the more I get around – the easier it’s for me to paint.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Rubin, was there a time at some point that you tried to describe your work to John?
Rubin: That’s a good question. You know what? Most of the time I forgot that John cannot see. We mostly talked about music and we kept painting listening to music – talking about music.

BSA: So are your musical tastes similar?
John: We actually like a lot of the same music, we were grooving on the same music actually.

Rubin: I asked John kind of a hard question. I asked if you were to pick you favorite musical artist who would that be? And you know he mentioned the same band that I will have chosen too: The Doors. I would also pick the Doors, it is a hard question but when John said that when we were talking about music I tried to go with my gut feeling and I knew that John and I will connect really well on that level.

BSA: It is fantastic that two plastic artists are able to connect and find common ground through a different artistic expression.
John: Oh my goodness. In my studio I have this technology where I can have a photograph and make it a raised line. I have 3-D printers and I can print things out. When Tony and I were talking about all of this I was able to feel his artwork. I was able to feel the lines, the geometry. The shadiness, of course, I couldn’t but the complexity I could. So as soon as I was feeling it I thought “Oh, I can’t wait to meet this guy. It’s just going to be so great.”

One concern I had because I cannot see when I’m working with another artist and I don’t know what they are doing – I don’t know what’s going on. But the moment I talked to Rubin and the moment I was able to feel his work – all of that went away. I thought “This is going to be brilliant. I cannot wait to get here and meet him and to see what he does on the wall, even though I worked on the wall as well. I also had the joy of being an spectator and to see his creative process.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: So the difference between the museums and the street is that on the street you can actually touch the works but in museums you usually cannot go and touch the works, can you?
John: Not usually but it depends. The museums that I work with – we try to make the artwork more of a visceral experience. On the tour that I’m a part of when I’m giving talks we may actually go and touch the sculptures, or we will learn some dance – anything that we can do to use any of our other senses. In life we use all of our senses to get around the world and to appreciate things around you, so when you go to a gallery or to a museum and suddenly they say, “No you can only use your eyes,” its so restrictive. So this is one of the great things about street art. People can come and touch the artwork. They can have a picnic in front of it if they want.

BSA also talked with Joonas Virtanen from Purpose, who is the Creative Lead of the project:

BSA: Joonas how did you get involved with this?
Joonas: We were asked to do something interesting to raise awareness for World Sight Day. We decided not to do a normal traditional ad campaign, instead we decided to try something different and raise awareness through art. We have seen John’s work online and he blew us away with his processes and we are also big fans of street art – so we felt like how crazy would it be to see if John would be able to do some street art and essentially make the world’s first Street Art piece painted by a blind person.

But we also wanted to make sure that John was comfortable and that the whole piece was actually interesting so we needed to pair him up with an actual street artist and we were looking through some different options. We wanted to find someone whose style is distinct enough from John’s so that it compliments it instead of competing with it and I have seen Rubin’s work, I live here in Bushwick. I thought that he would be the perfect partner for this because of his work with its geometric lines, monochrome colors whereas John’s work is more like super colorful in his style, so I felt like those styles worked really well together. The first time I talked to Rubin over the phone I knew that he was going to be a very good partner.

John Bramblitt . Rubin415 for World Sight Day in collaboration with JMZ Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)


See Now | The movement to end avoidable blindness

www.seenow.org

International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

On World Sight Day, the IAPB will be releasing new country-specific data on avoidable blindness in your country.

www.atlas.iapb.org

Editors Note: The interviews were recorded and slightly edited for brevity and clarity.

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BSA Film Friday: 09.29.17 NUART 2017 Special

BSA Film Friday: 09.29.17 NUART 2017 Special

bsa-film-friday-JAN-2015

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

Now screening :
1. Nuart 2017 – Re-Cap Fifth Wall TV
2. Carrie Richardt. Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV
3. ±MAISMENOS± Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV
4. Bahia Shehab. Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV

bsa-film-friday-special-feature

BSA Special Feature: 4 Films from Nuart 2017

A glimpse inside the urban art/Street Art/graffiti/mural festival from earlier this month, which included a powerful collection of artists, interventionists, existentialists, activists, academics, and poets, this collection of NUART 2017 videos can only point to the individual aspects of the events. We start off with Doug Gillen’s brief overview and first impressions and feature three individual portraits of artists who took part in this years Street alt-fest.

Nuart 2017 – Re-Cap Fifth Wall TV

 

Carrie Richardt. Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV

“For me art is just the way that I express myself. I think that we need to use all means possible,” says artist, activist and global citizen Carrie Richardt. In her opinion, we should all be activists in service of one kind or another, and art in the streets is one of a myriad ways that people can effect positive change. In her text messages via tile around town, she offers pithy and profound bonmots like “Civil disobedience is not the problem. Civil obedience is the problem.”

 

±MAISMENOS± Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV

Portuguese artist Miguel Januário goes by ±MAISMENOS±, a sort of avatar of interventionism that presents a critical eye on models of our political, social, economic orders. By willfully rearranging signposts of accepted norms in the public space, his installations echo in their disunifying qualities and often comedic effects.

 

Bahia Shehab. Nuart 2017. Fifth Wall TV

“Art is wonderful. It inspires. But it does not push for action sometimes,” says Egyptian professor and Street Artist Bahia Shehab, whose international acclaim for speaking up against tyranny links the act of art with the struggle throughout the world for liberation.

 

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Lakwena: “Lifting Us Higher” and #kindcomments At The Houston/Bowery Wall

Lakwena: “Lifting Us Higher” and #kindcomments At The Houston/Bowery Wall

Despite the impression you may have from exploding, car-chasing action movies, New York can actually be a very kind place. Yes, New Yorkers can be abrupt, opinionated, and unvarnished in their assessment of anything from the Mets to Trump – but if you need a hand or directions to Rockefeller Center, we got your back.

Lakwena. The crowd in front of the wall waiting for the official unavailing. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“I found all to be very respectful, really friendly, warm and welcoming. Not too interfering,” says Lakwena, the newest artist painting the Houston/Bowery Wall. “They are really nice to be honest.” The London based artist just completed the first wall for the opening salvo of Instagram’s new #KindComments campaign, according to COO of Instagram, Marne Levine, who was standing in front of the new mural to announce the initiative meant to promote kindness online and offline.

Lakwena with her sister and assistant Abimaro. Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With “Lift You Higher” on NYC’s mural Lakwena Maciver starts the dialogue on walls and on Instagram that will travel to murals in Dallas, Chicago, Washington, DC, Mexico City, Jakarta, Tokyo, Mumbai and more this September, October, and November. “I love the energy on the streets in New York and it reminds me of London,” says the artist who spent just about one week here with her sister Abimaro painting the famed wall that has hosted Street Art names like Haring, Fairey, Swoon, and Faile.

“It was nice having the builders just near by. We kind of interacted with them a lot. One of them even came and painted with us, which is very nice. There was one scene that was very cute when a guy was passing by with his dog then he stopped in front of the wall and sat the dog on a skateboard in front of the wall and took a portrait of the dog. I noticed a lot of dogs in NYC.”

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Photographer and Street Art curator Jaime Rojo, who spent a lot of time documenting the wall again this week covering two full days for famed photographer Martha Cooper, also remarks on the heavy construction that took place only yards away from the wall through much of the week – and how the construction workers were an instant appreciative audience for the painting action.

“It was the interaction between the city and the guest that impressed me,” he says. “It was the workers enthusiasm about art that was going up right before their eyes. They have in fact been working on Houston Street for so long that they have been witnessing several murals going up.

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“These builders were working on a water main replacement for the first two days of production right at the corner of Houston and Bowery by the wall working all day with heavy machinery digging dirt, cables and whatever skeletons are found in the depths of the city. They were also focusing on the mural.” Rojo says that the crew actually assisted with traffic when he, Lakwena and Rusty from the Instagram team were figuring out how to run an electrical chord across Houston to set up a projector one night on the median.

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“But it wasn’t just their assistance that made the days better,” says Rojo. “It was the workers enthusiasm about art that was going up right before their eyes. They have in fact been working on Houston street for so long that they have been witnessing several murals going up.

They have taken photos of them and when we were there they were showing photos of previous walls to the newcomers on the site. For them the art represents a possibility, a discovery beyond the depths of the city’s pavement, a welcomed distraction to the their grueling jobs and a soft breeze of air when they take a moment to rest or for lunch.”

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Of course, this wall in particular has been the subject of much controversy as well, with a recent installation even bringing protest on the street and stinging criticism online. Wall owner Jessica Goldman Srebnick appeared before this new wall this week as well speaking frankly about the past and happily about this new positive campaign and the talented Lakwena, who did her first large mural on the street only a few years ago at Wynwood Walls in Miami. “Today was an extraordinary day,” says Srebnick on her Instagram page. “A glorious mural by @lakwena and a moving performance by the cast of Dear Evan Hansen.” Yes, what would a New York announcement be without a live performance from Broadway?”

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cliff Hopkins, Instagram’s Global Head of Marketing, joined in to talk about the new #kindcomments initiative which includes artists Lourdes Villagomez, Dallas Clayton, Chocomoo, Diela Maharanie, Mikhaela Cherry Virginia Chandra, and Yessiow – an international collection of illustrators, designers, and mural artists who will bring new word-based pieces to public space in the coming months.

In New York, you can be sure, there is always another opinion, and the Houston wall has suffered some of the most voracious responses from graffiti writers in recent years. It’s all part of the game on the street.

Lakwena and Abi got a visit from #kidbreak and #bboymarcski. Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“I also realize that not everyone will be impacted by the wall,” says Lakwena of the “Lift You Higher” message. “A lot of people will just walk past it and go “whatever” – but some people will be spoken to by so it is well worth it.”

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. #kidbreak showing some moves. Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. Photographer Martha Cooper takes a photo of the three sisters. Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lakwena. “Lift You Higher” Houston/Bowery Wall. New York City. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hot Tea: An Undulating Fluorescent Apparition Takes You To Church

Hot Tea: An Undulating Fluorescent Apparition Takes You To Church

A fluorescent underwater sea creature is flobbing it’s tentacles in the ripply and unusual directions of the currents and cross currents, full of life and full of crazy ideas. This particular one is hanging over your head actually, but the breezes make it look like its under water.

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The levitating and waving installation in the sky must be confusing for Borås citizens who see the sugar hot pink, the blood red, the radioactive lemon and electric lime blob in the sky, especially because its in the church yard.

It doesn’t really seem like a piece of Street Art to those who are accustomed to thinking that festivals like “No Limit” are for murals only. But the director of this Swedish art gathering doesn’t worry much about restrictions like that – he knows that public art today has as many variations as it does practitioners.

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“I can stare at the HOTTEA installation forever,” says Shai Dahan, a Street Artist who has invited a healthy range of artists who work in the public sphere in the 3 editions of “No Limit”.

In fact, it is mesmerizing and time may collapse upon itself while you stare up at this ever-changing sky-sculpture from green grass of the yard, or from the pews inside Caroli Church while allowing your attention to drift out the window. It may appear as a vision, a sign, a holy spirit embodied in this cubic form just outside the glass. Hopefully the Vicar hasn’t found it too distracting for parishioners to listen to his Sunday sermon.

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

Hot Tea. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. Video via BrooklynStreetArt.com

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Anonymouse: Miniature Vignettes on the Street for “No Limit” Festival in Boras, Sweden

Anonymouse: Miniature Vignettes on the Street for “No Limit” Festival in Boras, Sweden

A new mouse on the street is bringing the world to you one little shop at a time.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Miniaturization on the street or in the museum (or in the street museum) causes you to focus on detail, draw closely, to recall your childhood ability to freely invoke a sense of fantasy.

“Since our visitors are mostly nocturnal, our opening hours are quite generous,” the artists known as Anonymous say in reference to their nighttime installations, sometimes glowing with electric light in the lee of a bridge column, or the shadow of a door. They reference the famous Swedish children’s book author Astrid Lindren in their work, and you can easily visualize a small mouse family or a business mouse or a house mouse or church mouse astutely moving through these vignettes, living their important lives.

Possibly one is currently occupied in a back room of one of these installations at the moment but they will be returning presently to greet their new visitor – you, with your big face. Don’t worry, they like you to get up close. They may even provide a magnifying glass for you to get a closer look.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When finding these new installations on the street in Boras recently during the “No Limit” festival, adults clamored to get close and examine each detail. For children the draw was more like a compulsion.

One inquisitive girl named Grace appeared to want to get inside the pieces, to live there full time. Unfortunately even a tiny person is too big for these miniature apparitions of a world that can loom so large in your imagination.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The artists say they consider themselves novices, but this level of execution and attention to detail suggests that their skills are far more accomplished then they are letting on. During our recent trip to Sweden we had the opportunity to see their work and ask a few questions to see if this mysterious collective(?) could bring a tiny lantern to shed some light on a few matters.

An illustration from Ilon Wikland for an Astrid Lindgren story. ©Ilon Wikland

Brooklyn Street Art: What is the conceptual idea behind these very detailed small worlds you create?
Anonymouse: The idea to construct mice-sized sceneries emerged in March of 2016, inspired by the stories of Astrid Lindgren, and the movies of Walt Disney and Don Bluth.We believe that at some point most children like to imagine that there is a world parallel to ours wherein small animals live quite like we do but using things that we have lost.And based on the response we’ve received it would seem like quite a few people feel the same way.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Would you call yourselves street artists?
Anonymouse: Not really no, we see ourselves as enthusiastic amateurs. Since we’d like our work to speak for itself and not focus on us, we’ve chosen to stay anonymous, and as such it’s also quite hard to become part of a street art community.

Brooklyn Street Art: Do you have a background in working in the public sphere previously? (graffiti, Street Art, public art, etc?)
Anonymouse: Nah, or well, a few of us have been part of some small projects, but not anything of notice.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Who do you think is your most enthusiastic audience – children or adults?
Anonymouse: Ha ha, good question. We think kids and adults see different things in the sets – children see the “magic” and accept the shops for what they invite.

Adults, if they like it, like the craftsmanship.

We encourage people build their own miniature sets and to place them all over their own cities. If we can do it, so can you!

Brooklyn Street Art: What a unique addition your work has been to “No Limit” this year.
Anonymouse: We’d just like to thank all the other artists doing absolutely amazing work in Borås. And to Shai Dahan, for the whole initiative.

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anonymouse. No Limit Boras 2017. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

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1UP, Martha Cooper, Jaime Rojo: The Print Pops

1UP, Martha Cooper, Jaime Rojo: The Print Pops

1UP . Graffiti Prints. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

It was May, there were birds singing in the trees, the smell of aerosol spray in the air, and steady traffic on the Bülowstrasse as we walked past the Urban Nation production offices up to the soon-to-be museum. We had heard that one of Berlin’s best known graffiti crews had come in the night and hit the construction walls outside the museum and hoped to get a shot of the new 1UP piece.

Infamous for their exploits and appreciated for their aesthetics, this was a chance to see fresh paint. As we crossed the street to get closer to the large new moniker we saw the masked men first, then the small crowd, then Martha.

1UP . Graffiti Prints. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

They had hit the spot the night before but now were back to tighten up the presentation. And man they nailed it. A month later Giancarlo Petrucci of Graffiti Prints asked our editor of photography Jaime Rojo if GP could use his photo of the 1UP piece to make a limited run print with the crew. Jaime said yes and this gorgeous thing resulted; a 12 color screen print on jet black plike paper with spot varnish on the 1UP. Even in these shots you can see how it pops right off the paper.

Ephemeral in nature as that moment was in time, this special print will help us remember that day at the UN with 1UP and Martha Cooper and Jaime, and we’re thankful.

1UP . Graffiti Prints. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

1UP . Graffiti Prints. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

1UP . Graffiti Prints. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

1UP Crew Hits Front of Urban Nation in Berlin

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BSA Images Of The Week: 09.24.17

BSA Images Of The Week: 09.24.17

BSA-Images-Week-Jan2015

Happy Autumn New York! To our readers south of the Equator, the spring birds must be singing by now, right? Meanwhile in dirty old New York there is a lot of new stuff – including two new walls going up by OsGemeos and UK artist Lakwena’s turn at the Houston/Bowery Wall.

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Anagard, Anthony Lister, Banksy, Brad Downey, D7606, Kai, Licuado, Martin Whatson, Mr. DiMaggio, Nafir, Nespoon, OsGemeos, Peter Phobia, Ron English, Silvio Alino, Voxx, and Zezao.

Top image: OSGEMEOS. Process shot. This WIP shot of the Twins shows one of two murals painted over the course of more than a week in Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nafir . Martin Whatson. Collaboration. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nafir . Martin Whatson. Collaboration. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ANAGARd. Urban Spree. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peter Phobia. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kai (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kai (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NeSpoon. No Limit Festival. Boras, Sweden. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NeSpoon. No Limit Festival. Boras, Sweden. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fake Banksy. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fake Banksy. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. Dimaggio. Urban Spree. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Licuado. “La Diversidad Es Nuestro Tesoro”. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Licuado. “La Diversidad Es Nuestro Tesoro”. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Licuado. “La Diversidad Es Nuestro Tesoro”. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Licuado. “La Diversidad Es Nuestro Tesoro”. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister. One Wall. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

D7606 collab with Silvio Alino. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zezao. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zezao. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zezao. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Voxx. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bathroom graffiti. Urban Spree. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brad Downey took over an art space in Berlin the week UN opened and reconfigured the facade to appear like a bricked will with a hole punched in the center. Brad is always seriously on another wavelength and we appreciate that. Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Church Tower. Boras, Sweden. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Vermibus: Ad Busting In Barcelona. Catalonia’s Desire to Secede from Spain

Vermibus: Ad Busting In Barcelona. Catalonia’s Desire to Secede from Spain

As the October 1st  referendum deadline looms ever closer, the tensions over Catalonia’s attempts to secede from Spain have dramatically taken to the streets – and Vermibus is adding his voice to the raucous dialogue in the Catalunya area of Barcelona. Using an interventionist technique that has become more popular in the last decade but dates back at least to the 1960s, the Spanish born Street Artist is taking over an advertising space to promote artful civic discourse rather than flogging shampoo that makes your hair shiny.

Vermibus. Barcelona Spain. September 21st. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

In news reports everywhere you learn that the central Spanish government and its supporters are accused of extraordinary efforts to quash the democratic efforts of the Catalan parliament to push for the divorce. Recent letters from MPs, more than a hundred academics, and other secessionists accuse the government of anti-democratic measures such as, “taking to court 700 Catalan mayors for allowing preparations for the vote to go ahead, seizing campaign material and ballot papers, threatening to cut off power to polling stations, arresting and charging a newspaper editor accused of aiding the preparations for the referendum and banning a public meeting called in Madrid to discuss the issue,” reports The Guardian.

Vermibus. Barcelona Spain. September 21st. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

For Vermibus, the issue is simpler: The government is hiding from the obvious, choosing not to see the truth and hoping it will go away. Similarly you may look at this image of a person putting their hands over their eyes and interpret it that seeing what is happening is painful and shocking.

As citizens who may look at the events from a patriachal/matriarchal perspective, you can also imagine average people hiding their eyes from witnessing their parents yelling and fighting with each other. As painful as it gets, hiding your eyes doesn’t make it disappear.

“Spain is facing the most complex identity issue of its short democracy,” says the ad-busting Vermibus. “The unity of this country is obviously broken and this problem has to be addressed urgently. The attitude from the central power is one of trying to solve the problem by ignoring it,” he says, “and with that the tensions between Catalonia and Spain are growing exponentially.”

For Fernando Alcalá Losa, the photographer who shares these photos with BSA readers today, the demonstrations and fighting in Barcelona streets right now looked like a perfect opportunity to work with Vermibus, who was in town to give a talk.

Vermibus. Barcelona Spain. September 21st. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

“I had met the Berlin-based Vermibus personally at the 1st edition of Urvanity Contemporary art fair this year. Everything went very fast. I contacted him when I found out that he was giving a lecture in the city, got some tools and tried to make this happen,” Fer says. “We almost failed because of several reasons, but, after some hesitation and logistical issues, the adbusting happened while tons of people were flooding the heart of the city and cops were everywhere. And let me say, it felt good.”

It’s a simple act, this claiming of commercial space for public commentary, but worth the risk for those who increasingly take over bus stops and myriad kiosks that take over the public sphere. For Alcalá Losa, times of civil discontent require civic involvement and this is a tumultuous period for the culture.

“For me it was the fact that the ‘Guardia Civil’, the police branch of the Spanish army, arrested several Catalonian politicians in different cities of the region, leading to a massive and peaceful response by the citizens taking to the streets protesting, demonstrating and claiming for freedom and the right to choose and being independent from Spain,” he says.

“All this political confrontation is not about independence anymore. It’s about freedom of choice, the right to vote and the right of having the chance of saying yes or not. Period.”

Vermibus. Barcelona Spain. September 21st. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

For his part, Vermibus says the problem is a self-imposed blindness and he hopes his small intervention is a reflection of it. “What happened recently in Catalonia is not a problem of identity anymore, or at least is not how I personally feel it. It is an attempt at democracy, and by not wanting to see it the problem won’t get solved on its own.”

Vermibus. Barcelona Spain. September 21st. (photo © Fer Alcalá)


This article is also published on The Huffington Post.

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BSA Film Friday: 09.22.17

BSA Film Friday: 09.22.17

bsa-film-friday-JAN-2015

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. This week we feature videos of installations and a tour of the “UNSTOPPABLE” exhibition by Jaime Rojo at the Urban Nation (UN) museum opening.

Now screening :
1. A BSA Tour Through the Show: “Unstoppable”
2. Pixel Pancho’s Installation for Urban Nation Museum
3. Hot Tea: “Bad Dreams pt.2” Installation for Urban Nation Museum
4. Borondo’ Installation with glass plates and moving images for Urban Nation Museum
5. Various & Gould. Mobile installation for Urban Nation Museum

A BSA Tour Through the Show: “Unstoppable” at Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary in Berlin

Pixel Pancho’s Installation for Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Via BSA

Pixel’s original installation was nixed by the city at the last moment but that didn’t prevent the Italian Street Artist from rallying to find another solution!

This new installation in the back courtyard was conceived of, designed, and constructed over a period of 4 days last week and became the secret surprise behind the museum for those who wandered there. Using landscaping techniques and botany knowledge that come naturally from his farm in Italy, the artist create a mise en scène of epic impact with his robotic folk-futurist sculptures. Night time lighting took it to another world, but you can see the details better here in this short video Jaime Rojo shot on site.

Hot Tea: “Bad Dreams pt.2” Installation for Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Via BSA

Hot Tea had been feeling like his new work “Bad Dreams Pt. 2” for the UN Art Mile was missing something and as the plan and installation came together over a few months he realized it was missing him. A direct partner piece to the one that hangs in the museum across the street for the “UNSTOPPABLE” show, this uses the connective thread of materials and wounds to tie them together. While one piece commemorates a physical wound, the other commemorates an emotional one. Here we see Hot Tea baring everything inside his art and inside this space for the outside world to get a glimpse, and to be free.

 

Borondo. Installation with glass plates and moving images for Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Via BSA

An astounding installation by Street Artist Borondo, this sculpture on the Urban Nation Art Mile under the train tracks this weekend blew the minds of many viewers for it’s scale, character, and ingenuity. Anathema to the ease of digital image-making, these three frames are composed of layers of glass, each scratched with a portion of the image and illuminated singularly in sequence to produce an animated sequence. Mesmerizing and imbued with an ethereal mysticism that often surrounds his work, Borondo is communicating something larger than simply what we see.

Various & Gould. Mobile installation for Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Via BSA

Berlin based duo Various & Gould often see people as the sum of there parts, perhaps as a way to better examine our individual characteristics and question our assigned meanings to them. By playing with the physical aspects that add to identity, they reveal the happenstance of genetic assignment and demote the relative value we assign to them. The overall effect can be a gained appreciation of our universal similarities and the realization that this outside stuff is basically interchangeable.

 

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The “Unstoppable” Works Inside : Looking to the Future at Urban Nation

The “Unstoppable” Works Inside : Looking to the Future at Urban Nation

A view inside at the inaugural exhibition of “UNSTOPPABLE” at Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art, opened September 16, 2017 in Berlin.


We never doubted that this museum would open. We only hoped it would look this exceptional.

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The elevated bridge walkway that wends up and down and through and above the spaces creates so many dynamic opportunities to see and re-see art. Painted all white for this inauguration, this is the first museum of its kind dedicated to Urban Contemporary Art, and with this show the house in Berlin Schöneberg has blasted the doors open with 150 of today’s Street Artists, graffiti artists, urban artists in a spirit of celebration and recognition for their contributions to an ever changing scene.

The labels we use today to describe the artists and the art rarely fit them very well and are frequently contested, derided, embraced. With thoughtful and informed planning, programming and curatorial decisions this place will showcase the work of progenitors, superstars, and unsung heroes over time.

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A scene born in rebellion and transgression on the streets of cities around the world for a half century now morphs into studio practice and more traditionally formal visual art forms. Often courting collectors passions, gallery shows, auctions, commercializing influences, and academics’ study, we know that the roots of this movement are much more than an object to behold in a frame under good lighting. But the scene and its roots and many branches contain these things as well.

No one said this would be easy for our studied, enthusiastic, knee-deep-in-it, world traveling curatorial team and Director Yasha Young to find a perfect balance with this collection, so ultimately we just trusted each other. Our consensus of course reflects us, the next show will reflect its curators. We agreed to present relevant artists and directions catalyzed in this moment with a respect for what came before; a cross section that we know leaves many out but contains works that speak for themselves about the multitude of rivers that flow through urban streets in 2017 out here, in here.

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With 150 artists inside, 40 outside, and hundreds curated into shows and walls and festivals across continents over the last four years leading up to this, this is one look at Urban Nation. A worldwide scene that took flight and merged with every form of art-making in public space, a scene where the majority of the artists are still alive and which continues to re-shape, to re-define itself.

Pedantic, cryptic, confusing or revelatory. The most you can hope for are moments that distill it like these, helping to make sense of a movement in motion. We’re grateful that Carlo McCormick agreed to do the contextualizing work of didactics in the exhibition and that Christian Omodeo is agreeing to help organize the Martha Cooper library with an eye toward archiving and scholarship.

As but two of the founding curators, we’re excited to foster the fullness of programming that teaches about the roots and the philosophies as well as the techniques of this generous Street Art/graffiti history, that invites communities to take ownership of their museum and to look forward. Along with the artist residencies offered in studios above the museum’s formal exhibition space we hope there will be room for scholars to study the materials here and to write, hold panels, publish works. Here’s to the future of Urban Nation, a place we can all learn from.

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

First level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Martha Cooper Library. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Martha Cooper Library. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Martha Cooper Library. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Second level. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, September 16, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)


Here’s a home made video showcasing the show in its entirety, via BrooklynStreetArt.com


A note of thanks:
This project took roughly five years in the making from its initial concept to opening night. We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Yasha Young the museum’s Artistic Director for her passion, for her unique commitment to the arts of the streets and for inviting us to be a part of this journey with her. Thank you to our fellow curators Marina Bortoluzzi, Marcello Pimentel, Johnathan Levine, Roland Henry, Andrew Hosner, Roland Henry, Charlotte Dutoit, Rom Levy, and D*Face a.k.a. Dean Stockton, for their insights, guidance, hard work and camaraderie.

To the Urban Nation team, those who are still a part of the team and those who have left, for their extraordinary patience, grace and endless hours working hard to help us make this dream a reality. To the production team at YES AND…productions who with their optimism and positive outlook labored tirelessly to make certain we had what we needed always. To Schrenk & Schrenk who organized all the auxiliary events and made sure we enjoyed the festivities, to Spring Brand Ideas for their assistance in the whole process, to Thomas Willemeit and Denis Hegic of GRAFT architects for such vision to showcase works and invite the visitor, and to project initiators Markus Terboven (Gewobag) and Hendrik Jellema (Berliner Leben Foundation) who have been there with us from the beginning.

To Martha Cooper for always being there and for inspiring us. Finally to all of the artists in all the venues for their talent, guts, and commitment to dig deep, take chances and to produce the best work possible for this multi-headed monster called UN.

With gratitude from Jaime and Steve.

 

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Naked Decision: Hot Tea & Bad Dreams at UN Opening in Berlin

Naked Decision: Hot Tea & Bad Dreams at UN Opening in Berlin

A common thread ties together two buildings and two art pieces by Street Artist HOT TEA for the grand opening of the Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin (UN); Bad Dreams. And he has decided to face them.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

One of the few artists in the inaugural program who was asked to create an indoor piece for the main museum as well as to do an installation outside it, the Minneapolis based artist used the opportunity to face old wounds with the hope of transforming them to healing.

Perhaps the only illegal yarn-tagger on the street, HOTTEA has made a space for himself where none existed: using non-destructive materials to write his name in a rotated 3-D geometric hand on city fences. Now an accomplished yarn artist who has done his signature installations for corporate brands, museums, and even recently the Mall of America, the artist wanted to address bigger personal issues in these two settings, presenting himself naked to the world in both.

 

Hot Tea. Process Shot. Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

HOT TEA’s collage in the museum features a flat 2-D character painting, a reclined self portrait viewed from above with a series of small needles crossing it, threaded to spell the title of the piece “Bad Dreams”.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams” Detail. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Across the Bülowstraße from the museum is a street level space viewable for passersby from multiple windows; a rainbow color-washed corner foyer hung with hundreds of white yarns in a grid hanging from ceiling to floor. One small space near the back of the ephemerous white cube is cut open, just large enough for the artist to stand sans vêtements, facing toward the glass double door, his illuminated image slowly moving as you walk the sidewalk past the installation on night-time streets.

Hot Tea. Process Shot. Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The optimistically colored installation is a surreal vision from the street for a few reasons. One is the stillness of the fleshy figure that is now activated like a Kraftwerk robot, slowly turning as you walk from window to window surveying it.

Another aspect is the seemingly shimmering box, this floating white cube that contains him, allowing you to view from many angles. The third bit of surrealism is the two boisterous and nearly hysterical sex workers who have just sauntered by the window and stop to gawk at a naked man inside a piece of art. Neither you nor they speak each other’s language, so the only connection you have is this puzzling view from the street.

Hot Tea. Process Shot. Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In both art pieces the artist as subject is void of expression, staring blankly forward and unmoving as if paralyzed, unable to act or react. The vulnerability implied is physical of course, but it is also emotional. HOT TEA considers this a very public practice that can excise private pain. This weekend in Berlin we witnessed observers closely studying each piece, perhaps attempting to decode the meanings, perhaps relating to an underlying sense of humanity within the abstraction.

“Both experiences were very traumatic and I feel these two pieces have helped me find peace,” HOT TEA tells us of the new works. BSA talked to him about the works and his approach to them.

Hot Tea. Process Shot. Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: The new pieces you created for both inside and outside the museum are related to one another and related to your personal experiences as an artist and a man. Can you talk about the pop-up installation?
HOT TEA: The two pieces are about two different events that happened in my life – which have made an impact on me for so many years. My canvas painting within the museum talks about a physical scar, where the installation talks about a mental scar.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: You have been refining your use of materials through many installations in ever-larger commercial, corporate and museum venues. How have you challenged yourself with yarn and color?
HOT TEA: I think an even bigger challenge than yarn and color is the actual space itself. Yarn and color come very natural to me – but sometimes when I am invited to a space it’s not one I would naturally choose.

These spaces are often hard to work in – because many times I find myself uninspired. What inspires me and gives the work life is often the process of creating the installation. The experience of the people I work with or certain events that have taken place during the time of the installation. Often times my installs are depictions of different moments in my life.

BSA: Standing naked and illuminated and partially obscured before a street audience who can peer at you from different angles on the street must have been an interesting experience. What was going through your mind? What visual associations with other artworks were you imagining?
HOT TEA: I was thinking about the experience that inspired the performance and how much I have grown emotionally since then. I also thought about my family, friends and those close to me who are no longer here.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: How do you see this installation as an extension of your street practice?
HOT TEA: I don’t see this installation as an extension of my street practice. I see it’s me grieving about traumatic experiences. All my work comes from the same mind and therefore I don’t distinguish my art from commissioned work and un-commissioned work.

BSA: As a former graffiti writer with aerosol you are well aware of your transition to Street Art and now public installations. How would you describe this evolution to another writer?
HOT TEA: It’s the process of growing as a human being and adapting.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Your axonometric tagging goes across the painting that is in the museum with thread and needles rather than yarn. Is this the first time you have tagged in a museum?
HOT TEA: My name actually doesn’t go across the painting – It reads “Bad Dreams” hence the title of the piece. As for having my work in a museum – I have never been one for labels because I have been called them my entire life. I don’t agree with places or people thinking they are higher or better than someone else because of their accomplishments or monetary value. My work has just as much meaning to me, no matter what the setting may be.

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams” Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Considering Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams” Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2” Store Front Installation. Art Mile. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 


HOT TEA was curated by the co-founders of BSA, Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo along with UN Artistic Director Yasha Young and the “UNSTOPPABLE” curatorial team for Urban Nation.


Hot Tea. “Bad Dreams pt.2 “Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 16th 2017. Video via BrooklynStreetArt.com

 


This article is also published on The Huffington Post

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