BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAYSpoke Art
Gallery
High Roller Society Presents: Skewville “Slow Your Roll” Solo Exhibition (London, UK)
Skewville
“Slow Your Roll”: a term commonly used by Skewville to keep themselves in check.
Growing up in the underground NY Art Scene was all about respect and paying your dues. After a decade of deviance, Skewville is as well known for their creative, aggressive questioning of this popular street art culture as they are for being a monumental part of it with their wooden sneaker mission. The growing popularity of this art movement has made Skewville check itself, always remembering why they started in the first place. Just as street art began as a way of reclaiming space from the advertising that had overrun it, Skewville reclaims the gallery space to communicate its thoughts on the loss of a counter-culture and the rise of consumerism. In a constant self battle to not “Sell Out”, while maintaining success in the art world Skewville presents… “Slow Your Roll”. Featuring selected artwork from previous years that will showcase the classic Skewville Style along with new paintings and sculptures that reveal their dedication to steadily evolving that Skewville Aesthetic.
The Outsiders Present: Woozy “I Don’t Care About My Face’ (London, UK)
Woozy
‘I Don’t Care About My Face’ is the first UK solo show by Woozy. The exhibition will showcase his most recent paintings and works on paper. Woozy is renowned for his street art which has graced urban landscapes all over the world. Woozy’s latest work, retains his signuture bright colourful forms, and experiments with texture, style and techniques.
The Private View is on Thursday 17th March 6 pm – 9 pm. Please RSVP with your name and your guest’s name by Wednesday 16th March.
‘I Don’t Care About My Face’ will run from 18th March – 9th April at The Outsiders | 8 Greek Street | W1D 4DG | Monday-Saturday 11 – 7pm | www.theoutsiders.net.
Mighty Tanaka Presents: “Ley Lady Ley”, a solo show by Matt Sewell (Brooklyn, NY)
Mighty Tanaka
Mighty Tanaka presents
Ley Lady Ley
A solo show by Matt Sewell
Imagine a mystical world where your inner child plays freely amongst the flora and fauna. Immerse yourself in a place where people and animals roam freely together through the woodlands and hills. This is the tranquil world of Matt Sewell, as he brings back the dawn of the golden ages. Mighty Tanaka is proud to bring you our latest show, Ley Lady Ley, a solo show by Matt Sewell, as he transforms the gallery into his peaceful and idyllic vision.
Ley Lady Ley represents an era when people connected with Mother Earth and worshiped the land. Men and women joined in a celebration of nature and praying to the deities. Through fertility dances in oak groves and the cycle of life, death and rebirth, the artwork for Ley Lady Ley forges a sacred bond that is all but lost in modern society.
Matt Sewell has gone all out for this event, creating ten brand new works of original art on site for the show. His color pallet is warm and inviting as he takes the viewer on an inspiring journey through another time. Also including a large-scale mural on the gallery walls, his art symbolizes reconnection to the Earth and offerings to the gods.
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, March 11th, 2011
6:00PM – 9:00PM
(Show closes April 8, 2011)
Mighty Tanaka
68 Jay St., Suite 416
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Email: alex@mightytanaka.com
Web: http://www.mightytanaka.com
(F Train to York St.)
José Parlá Writes His Diary on the Wall
For his current show at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Chelsea, José Parlá’s new paintings make you feel as if you were standing on a cold windy elevated Brooklyn subway platform waiting for a hulking rusted behemoth to scrape and scream around the curvature of the tracks toward you.
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Concentrate solely on the canvases in front of you and you might even hear the heroes of the railyards approaching. Like Ginsberg with no rhyme but a lot of reason Mr. Parlá’s poetic abstractions gently draw the viewer in for a close inspection.
“The whole blear world of smoke and twisted steel around my head in a railroad car, and my mind wandering past the rust into futurity: I saw the sun go down in a carnal and primeval world, leaving darkness to cover my railroad train because the other side of the world was waiting for dawn.”
— Allen Ginsberg
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Using a color palette of red, ochre, black and gray he mashes the colors with bold textures and exquisite, sinuous lines. Eroded, tattered surfaces and found objects are canvas to markers, aerosol, even charcoal. The gestural markings and strokes recall a hip-hop romance now abstract and calligraphic: some layers evoking a dark Mexican Baroque wooden altar, carved and gold leafed.
José Parlá. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. Parlá trained in the 1980s on the streets as a graffiti artist – and all of these elements exist elsewhere in the urban jungle, but Parlá has developed his own language to tell his story with these tools. Born in rebellion, the energy of his movement across the canvas is just as badass as any tunnel writer but with a timbre and depth that age and self-study can render.
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá. Close up of the painted hall wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
José Parlá (photo © Jaime Rojo)
At the show opening last Thursday an ad hoc duo of drummers set up shop outside the gallery and an air of raucous carnival and merriment permeated the night. A demanding New Yorker stopped to inquire just how long they would continue. The musicians gently answered her questions and banged away. Walking away from the spot their beats disappeared into the cold night.
Photo © Jaime Rojo
“Wall Diaries and Paintings”, José Parlá
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery from March 3rd to April 16th
Know Hope “Bound By The Ties” Art Installation and Book Release (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Know Hope
From the radio silence and the stirring tides, I am sincerely excited to let you know that I will be releasing my second book titled ‘Bound By The Ties’ next week.
The book is composed of a collection of drawings, writings, photographs and other side-seen moments, some from the recent past, and some from very close to the present.
I sewed, folded and mended, retrieved and recited; tried to understand how we got to where we are now (sunken/sunken/sunken)
This is a book that contains a narrative that speaks of being born into debt, being overwhelmed in a heartbroken world and finding and recognizing eachother in these complexities.
It attempts to document our rituals-how and why they were created. It is a folk tale of some sort, collective memories compiled like a time-capsule, or fireworks in a jar.
So, here are the details:
-The book is independently published in an edition of 1000 and is comprised of 160 full-color pages.
-There is a limited edition of the book that have handmade covers; meaning that they bear hand-sewn drawings, photographs and collages, making no two books the same.
This edition is signed and numbered and is an edition of 75.
-The prices of the books are $35 and $120, respectively.
-The book will be released at an event taking place here in Tel Aviv on March 10th.
The event will include an installation of all the original drawings, photographs and texts used in the book allowing an organic and tactile experience of the books content.
-The book will be available at the event, and on at www.thisislimbo.bigcartel.com the very day after.
Robert Berman Gallery C2 Present: “REVOLUTIONS: THE ALBUM COVER ART OF SHEPARD FAIREY” (Santa Monica, CA)
March 6, 2011
Artists, California, Events, Gallery, Opening, Santa Monica
Shepard Fairey
| REVOLUTIONS: THE ALBUM COVER ART OF SHEPARD FAIREY |
OPENING RECEPTION:
MARCH 12TH, 2011, 8-11PM
EXHIBITION DATES:
3/12 – 4/23/11
ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY C2
2525 MICHIGAN AVE
SANTA MONICA, CA 90404
OBEY GIANT ART X SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS X ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY ARE PROUD TO PRESENT REVOLUTIONS, A PROJECT FEATURING THE ALBUM COVER ART OF SHEPARD FAIREY. ON EXHIBITION FROM MARCH 12TH THRU APRIL 23RD AT ROBERT BERMAN’S C2 GALLERY, WILL BE OVER 80 PIECES OF PUNK, ROCK, NEW WAVE, JAZZ, AND HIP-HOP INSPIRED ARTWORK BASED ON THE 12″ RECORD COVER FORMAT. TO MARK THIS OCCASION, TWO SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION ALBUM COVER PRINT BOX SETS WILL BE RELEASED FOR THE EXHIBITION. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE OPENING CELEBRATION ON SATURDAY, MARCH 12TH, 8-11PM.
“LONG BEFORE I KNEW ABOUT ART GALLERIES OR EVEN STREET ART, I WAS EXCITED ABOUT ALBUM COVER ART, IF ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE VISUAL COUNTERPART TO THE MUSIC ON THE RECORDS I LOVED. ALBUM COVERS CONJURED A EUPHORIC ASSOCIATION WITH THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE. MOST OF MY EARLIEST HOME-MADE TEE SHIRTS WERE STENCILS BASED ON PUNK ALBUM COVERS. I’VE HAD SOME VERY MOVING ENCOUNTERS WITH ART IN MY LIFE, ESPECIALLY IN THE STREET, BUT ALMOST NOTHING CAN COMPARE WITH THE FIRST TIME I HEARD THE BOOTS MARCHING AND FIRST CHORD OF THE SEX PISTOLS’ HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN, OR THE AIR RAID SIRENS LEADING INTO “TOO BLACK, TOO STRONG” ON THE INTRO TO PUBLIC ENEMY’S IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK, OR THE OPENING GUITAR SCREAM OF BLACK FLAG’SRISE ABOVE. THOSE SONGS DID, AND STILL DO, MAKE MY ARM HAIRS STAND UP. MUSIC IS VISCERAL AND ACCESSIBLE, BUT ALSO HAS THE ADDITIONAL POWERFUL LAYERS OF THE LYRICS, WITH THEIR CONTENT AND POLITICS, AND THE STYLE, POLITICS, AND PERSONALITIES OF THE MUSICIANS THEMSELVES. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I LOVE ART, OR TRY TO CONVINCE MYSELF OF ITS RELEVANCE IN SOCIETY, THE FACT REMAINS THAT MUSIC IS A LOT COOLER AND WAY MORE ABLE TO REACH PEOPLE’S HEARTS AND MINDS’ BUT I’M A POPULIST AND I LOOK AT THIS WAY: I MAY NOT PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, BUT I’M GONNA ROCK IT HARD AS NAILS ANYWAY. WITH MY ART I TRY TO CAPTURE THE SAME ENERGY AND SPIRIT THAT MAKES MUSIC SO POWERFUL AND DEMOCRATIC. REVOLUTIONS IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL THE GREAT MUSIC AND ACCOMPANYING ART THAT HAS INSPIRED ME OVER THE YEARS.”
– SHEPARD
Images of the Week 03.06.11
March 6, 2011
Artists, Brooklyn, BSA Images Of The Week, Gallery, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street, Week in Images
Our weekly interview with the streets also wanders into a few Art Fairs this week as many Street Artists were in town showing studio work and getting up on walls. It was great to meet so many people who are on fire about this grassroots, interactive, DIY, in-your-eyeballs world of street art and to talk about where it is going. While there were a slew of Street Artists banging a luan wall at Fountain, we also got to see some peeps at Scope and Volta.
So here we go with shots of Andy Piedilato, Dalek, DFace, How Nosm, Mark Jenkins, Ron English, Tes One, Tristan Eaton, TrustoCorp, and Typoe.
How & Nosm finish wall in Brooklyn for Contra Projects (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bask at work on his wall in Brooklyn for Contra Projects (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bask at work on his wall in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bask in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TES ONE at work on his wall in Brooklyn for Contra Projects (photo © Jaime Rojo). Meanwhile Sharktoof did a brand new piece in Bushwick, which we’ll show you next week.
TES ONE in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)
D*Face. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
James Marshall (Dalek). Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ron English. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TES ONE. Detail. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tristan Eaton has not shown such a fully realized piece on the streets and he unveiled this one after working for close to a year on it. He also told BSA that his brother Matthew has some serious art chops. Bring it on, Matt! Contra Projects at Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bask. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Now with 8 essential vitamins and religions! TrustoCorp. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
How & Nosm. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
How & Nosm. Detail. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
How & Nosm. Detail. Contra Projects. Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jennifer Catron and Paul Outlaw. Detail. Artists Wanted at Scope Art Fair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Andy Piedilato. Detail. Scope Art Fair. English Kills Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Typoe. Detail. Scope Art Fair. Spinello Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mark Jenkins at Volta Art Fair. Carmichael Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mark Jenkins at Volta Art Fair. Carmichael Gallery (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Galerie Gabriel & Gabriel Presents: “Artiste Ouvrier. Nostalgie du Temps Present” (Paris, France)
Gabriel&Gabriel
Black Rat Projects Presents: Brian Adam Douglas AKA Elbow-Toe “Due Date” (London, UK)
Elbow Toe
Never seen in public before, Brian Adams Douglas’ new massive (5 x 7) and three months in the making painting “Memory of You” will be the central focus of his new solo show.
Elbow-Toe
Brian Adam Douglas – Due Date
March 10 – April 8, 2011
Black Rat Projects
Through Cargo Garden
Arch 461, 83 Rivington Street
London EC2A 3AY
http://www.blackratprojects.com/
Black Rat Projects is pleased to present our next project with Brian Adam Douglas. Due Date, his first solo show in the UK, will be on view from March 10 – April 8, 2011. The opening will coincide with the launch of a book about his work, Paper Cuts, published by DRAGO.
Under the name Elbow Toe, Brooklyn based artist Brian Adam Douglas has been pasting his distinctive woodcuts, stencil work, large-scale charcoal drawings and collages onto the walls of cities all around the world throughout the past decade. His diverse practice is anchored by an interest in the human gesture as a powerful form of communication, one charged with unspoken narratives and he continually transforms public space into a stage for these private moments. The scenes in his most recent body of work focus on the bewildering act of parenthood. Just as he builds a finished image through the meticulous layering of tiny individual bits of coloured paper, so the meaning of the image is woven through layers of references to historically and culturally established narratives. This kind of intertextuality has become the foundation for the development of his distinctive style. The result is a sophisticated visual language where personal metaphors begin to communicate universal truths.
In Douglas’ work family life is a staged performance, animals are manifestations of human emotion, intense pattern breaks the jagged surface and functions like an ancient Epic storm: as his characters fight to find their balance the viewer holds their breath.
Artist’s Statement:
“For my first solo show in the UK, Due Date, I am exploring my preconceived notions of parenthood and the opportunities for growth that come through that process. I am presenting a series of narratives that flirt the line between fact and fiction; they are moments of autobiography that have been extrapolated to become allegories. As an artist in the process of trying to become a parent and living in one of the most parent-centric sections of NYC, I am keenly aware of the mania that strikes at the heart of parents young and old. In these paintings I am addressing fears (loss of individuation as well as of the proverbial unknown), the strengthening of bonds in times of crisis, the issues of trying to become a parent later in life and the wisdom gained through the process of parenting.
The work is divided into two groups: a set of images on panels, and a set of images on paper. In the more fully realized works on panel, all the actions are taking place in staged environments. The elements surrounding the figures are merely cardboard props, strictly for the purpose of giving the action of the figures a point of reference. The action of the figures is the reality of the image, everything else is just window dressing. The paint drips and splashes act as abstract gestures clearing things away yet never managing to obscure the events occurring on the stage. In the works on paper, the events being described are contained in a sea of white. By the very nature of the presentation the gestures and relationships are isolated and distilled.
The current body of work builds upon a process of art making that I have been refining for several years. I refer to the work as paper paintings rather than as collage. I see each piece of paper as a brushstroke rather than as a juxtaposed idea. Each brushstroke is selected for it’s color, value and texture, rather than it’s imagery”. Brian Adams Douglas
To read BSA interview and studio visit with Elbow-Toe click on the link below:
Armory Week NYC 2011: BSA Picks
March 2, 2011
Art Fair, Artists, Brooklyn, Events, Fundraising, Gallery, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street, Opening
Armory Week, the annual art deluge in New York is about art Fairs, Art Fans, and Fiddy Dollars, Daddy. While a fair bit of the traffic at the various fairs is about the benjamins, it’s also just about having a good time and getting out to see what your favorite street artist is up to in this milieu. In short – a whole lotta street artists are getting busy this year in the booths, on the walls, and in the streets to show you their stuff.
This year the NYC madness officially opens Thursday March 3rd. Here are some of the things we are looking forward to – you might like them too.
FOUNTAIN
A BSA favorite, Fountain is held in an old maritime vessel docked on the Hudson River on the West Side of Manhattan. Each year, and this is the sixth, the fair promises to rock at least a few boats.
Fountain is an excitedly directed directionless cacophony of hits and odd couple of misses every year. The hits usually are upside your head. We are looking forward to the 100+ feet wall of fresh Street Art as you enter and the Murder Lounge down below. As you wend your way past the bar and the flash bulbs at the Saturday night musical melee with Ninjasonik you will swear you are floating. Because you are.
An interior shot of the The Frying Pan, where Fountain splashes on the Hudson River at 26th Street. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
If you are lost, look for the mast. Fountain is the only water vessel based fair at Armory, baby (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Elle does final prep to her wall piece for Fountain (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hellbent installing his Fountain piece (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Joe Iurato installing his piece (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ellis G. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Highlights:
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Adding to Fountain’s signature overwhelming visual and sensory experience, visitors entering Fountain Art Fair will encounter a 100-foot long street art installation stretching along the entrance and exit—a massive collaborative installation by a number of street artists. It features Chris Stain, Dickchicken!, Faro, Gaia, Shark Toof, Clown Soldier, Love Me, Ellis G, Allesandro Echevarria, Lee Trice, Imminent Disaster, Elle, Hellbent, Joe Iurato, and Anthony Sneed. “The medium and movement referred to as Street Art has played an integral role in Fountain Art Fair’s development,” said David Kesting, Fountain Art Fair Co-Founder.
Location:
Pier 66 Maritime @ 26th Street & 12th Avenue in the Hudson RIver Park
March 3 – 6, 2011
General Public Hours:
March 4–March 6, 12pm–7pm
Special Events:
Thursday March 3, 12am – 5pm – VIP & Press Preview
Friday, March 4, 7pm – 12am – Opening Night Reception – Performance: Gordon Voidwell and Tecla
Saturday, March 5, 7pm – 12am – Performance: Ninjasonik
Go to Fountain official site to see the full list of exhibitors and to learn more details about the special events and full program:
SCOPE
A mouthwash and an art fair, we’re checking out Scope mainly to see the new collaboration called Contra Projects, put together by brothers Tristan and Matthew Eaton – comprised of some rockin’ Street Artists who will be taking their show on the road around the globe this year. We’ve had a blast watching them put up new work on Brooklyn streets this week, and can’t wait to see the installations at Scope.
TYPOE
Also you will want to check out the sculpture work by Miami graff artist Typoe, whose friend have been saving their caps from spray cans for a minute. He laughs when he talks about graffers mailing them to him too and as a co-founder of Primary Flight, Miami’s original open air museum and street level mural installation, he’s got plenty to work with.
TYPOE | Fountain, 2011| Confetti Death Series
Represented by SPINELLO GALLERY
To see the full list of exhibitors, details of the programs and fees to enter go to the Scope Art Fair site:
http://www.scope-art.com/Index.php/
Location
320 West St (West Side Highway)
Across from Pier 40
New York NY 10014
Opening Schedule
FirstView
(For VIPs and Press
or $100 donation at the door)
Wednesday | March 2 | 3pm-9pm
General Admission Fair Hours
Thursday | March 3 | noon – 8pm
Friday | March 4 | noon – 8pm
Saturday | March 5 | noon – 8pm
Sunday | March 6 | noon – 7pm
VOLTA
California’s Carmichael Gallery is showing new work by Street Art brain jammer Mark Jenkins, whose well-placed human installations in public places cause people to stop and ponder. Apparently, his work has a similar effect on cats.
Mark Jenkins, Family Room
From the press release;
“Mark Jenkins’ installation at VOLTA NY will transform Booth A1 into an unconventionally furnished family room. “I’ve been doing a lot of experimentation with resin and fiberglass,” says the artist of this new series, which includes five and a half life-size sculptures and a range of smaller pieces, “finding more original ways to make hand casts and improving structural solidity through new bracing techniques.” For the first time, Jenkins will present his works within a site-specific environment purposefully created to provide greater contextual authority and definition to his aesthetic and thematic considerations. “An empty space can feel sterile,” he observes, “as if a giant eraser has removed all context. The works become more like pinned butterflies. I have taken a different approach with (the presentation of) Family Room. This time it’s about creating a place for the sculptures to live in, so, in addition to clothes, I’ve been thrift store shopping for plants, drapes, rugs and chairs.” Both individual works and the installation as a whole will propose non-traditional commentaries on the institutions of family and home.”
Booth A1
7 West 34th Street
between 5th and 6th Avenue / 11th floor
New York, NY 10001
USA
To see the full Volta exhibitors list and details of all events please click on Volta’ site:
To learn more about Carmichael Gallery please click on the gallery’s site:
http://www.carmichaelgallery.com/
PULSE
Brooklyn’s David Ellis at Joshua Liner is one painter/sculptor/film maker always worth checking out. As a founding Barnstormer, Ellis continues to stretch and swerve with painterly illustrations and installation.
VISIT
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair at http://www.pulse-art.com/ or contact by phone at +1 (212) 255-2327.
| FAIR HOURS | |
| Thursday March 3 | 10am-1pm |
| Press and VIP Private Preview | |
| Thursday March 3 | 1pm- 8pm |
| Friday March 4 | 12pm – 8pm |
| Saturday March 5 | 12pm – 8pm |
| Sunday March 6 | 12pm – 5pm |
::ADMISSION TO ALL VERGE ART BROOKLYN
EXHIBITION LOCATIONS IS FREE::
PUBLIC HOURS
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 3 – 5 March, Noon to 10 pm
Sunday, 6 March, Noon to 6 pm
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Thursday, 3 March, 2011, 10:00 pm to 4 am
TOMORROW’S ART TODAY: THE INAUGURAL ART BROOKLYN
Coming Thursday, March 3, Verge Art Brooklyn invites you to experience a paradigm shift in art fairs as we know them, a show that recovers the standard of an art fair as a platform for presenting the best work by living artists. Art Brooklyn throws open the doors for attendees to a whole new universe of artists, music, art, and community. Verge Art Brooklyn is proud to announce a list of exhibitors that includes gallery exhibitors, resident DUMBO galleries and Brooklyn Art Now participants for a combined total of over seventy gallery exhibitors at nine locations, nearly forty participants for “Material Issue: Artist’s Projects Spaces” and fifty artists for “Tomorrow Stars: The Art Brooklyn Open Call Exhibition.” Chosen by a distinguished panel of jurors, “Tomorrow Stars” represents the brightest and best Brooklyn has to offer, as selected by Courtney Wendroff of the Brooklyn Arts Council, artist and former president of the NYC chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers Stephen Mallon, blogger and art critic Steve Kaplan, and Danny Simmons, chairman of the NYC chapter of the National Conference of Artists. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own the work of tomorrow’s stars today!
GALLERY EXHIBITORS
81 Front Street, Ground Floor / One Main Street, Ground Floor ANTIDOTE, Brooklyn, NY, Albrecht Art Enterprise, New York, NY, Art Project International G77 Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY, G2 Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, MoCADA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Cue Art Foundation, New York, NY, Firecat Projects, Chicago, IL, Stilllife Gallery, New York, NY, Fine Art Consultancy, London, UK, Arch 402, London, UK, A.R.T. Module R, Brooklyn, NY, Mayjune Gallery, Seoul, South Korea, Brooklyn Art Project, Brooklyn, NY, and others TBA.
BROOKLYN ART NOW: 2011 SURVEY EXHIBITION CURATED BY LOREN MUNK/JAMES KALM
111 Front Street, Second Floor, Suites 200, 204 & 222 Tabla Rasa Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Audrey Anastasi, “Spoken Birch.” BAC Gallery selected artist(s) work, RahulAlexander, “Golden Chamber”, Greg Lindquist, “ntitled.” Like The Spice Gallery selected artist(s) and work, Jenny Morgan and David Mramor, “View Quan Yinha.” Micro Museum: Selected artist(s) and work, Kathleen and William Laziza “THE KISSING INSTALLATION 2.0.” Open Source Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Peter Feigenbaum, ”02″, Katerina Marcelja “02.” Camel Art Space: selected artist(s) and work, Rob de Oude, “Hither fro Yonder”, Carl Gunhouse, “Development Nashville, TN.” MoCADA: selected artist(s) and work, Jeff Sims, “Straddle 72.” WORK Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Eric Ayotte, “Protest Painting”, Karin Stothart, “Ileostomy Drainage.” Central Booking: selected artist(s) and work. Despo Magoni, “The Thousand and One Nights series”, Lothar Osterburg, “Zion Homestead.” BRIC Rotunda Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Jeesoo Lee, “Darkening Blue”, Pinar Yolaçan, “Untitled (from Mother Goddess series), Lael Marshall, “Compact Florescent.” Famous Accountants: selected artist(s) and work, Meg Hitchcock, “Nausea, The Sunyatasaptati (Seventy Verses on Emptiness) by Nagarjuna, from Neasea by Jean-Paul Sartre”, Ben Godward, “Shhh! I live here.” Spring Gallery: selected artist(s) and work Charles Lahti, “First Eyes on Jura.” Front Room Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Tom Broadbent, “Floating Camouflaged Pants” Manhattan Bridge Tunnel proposal, Stephen Mallon, “Virginia Placement”, Patricia Smith, “Mapped Location of Pronounced Situation Density.” Janet Kurnatowski: selected artits(s) and work, Craig Olson, “Murcury in the Philosopher’s Egg (Oh! Hospitable Jupiter! And the Trust)”, Ben La Rocco, “Minerva’s Pallette.” English Kills Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Don Pablo Pedro, “jpg #1”, Andrew Hurst, “EOS Digital Rebel ETi.” 440 Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Tom Bovo, “BOVO_TOM_02”, Richard Eagan “EAGAN_RICHARD_01.” LUMENHOUSE: selected artist(s) and work, Jeremiah Teipen, ” Untitled, digital video with screen and player.” Side Show Gallery: selected artist(s) and work, Shari Mendelson, “Bumpy Blue-Green Vessel”, James O. Clark, “Orestes 2006.” Parker’s Box: selected artist(s) and work, Steven Brower, “Child Astronaut Test Suit 1999-2000”, Joshua Stern, “Untitled V” Patrick Martinez “Jesus video.” In addition, a list of Special Projects for Brooklyn Art Now is forthcoming.
PUBLIC HOURS
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 3 – 5 March, Noon to 10 pm
Sunday, 6 March, Noon to 6 pm
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
Thursday, 3 March, 2011, 10:00 pm to 2 am
To read more details about Verge Art Brooklyn click on the link below:
http://www.brooklynartfair.com/
Non-Art Fair Recommendations
Brice Wolkowitz Gallery Presents: José Parlá “Walls Diaries and Paintings” (Manhattan, NYC)
José Parlá “Order, Pattern, Organization, Form and Relationship”. Image Courtesy of the gallery.
Mint&Serf Present: Well Hung: The Chelsea Chapter at +ART. A Fundraiser for Free Arts NYC
Augustine Kofie in Studio
March 1, 2011
Artists, California, Canada, Features, Gallery, Interview, Los Angeles, Opening, Studio Visit, Valentines
Graffiti writer and fine artist. Old Skool Bomber. Wildstyle. Mid-Century Abstractionism. American Modernism. Choose One and Stick with it, right?
You find the evolution of artists of the streets can go in many different directions with time. As the current generation of wild teens and art school grads claim a hip-hop birthright to get up on public walls across cities everywhere, we are reminded of 1970s New York train-writing graff artists like Lee Quinones and Futura who eventually evolved their skills into galleries, private collections, museums. And they are only two. It has happened enough times now for it to be identified as a natural progression for some artists ‘of the street’, and in many cases, to incredible effect. It is a worthwhile point to consider if not labor over; the street has proven a valuable training ground for an increasing number of our great artists; With or without, and sometimes in spite of, our participation.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Augustine Kofie began as a writer in Los Angeles in the 1990s and has always had a deep love for illustration and linework. Today he has a studio doing markedly different work from what he developed on the streets – and it is a direct result of his evolution as an artist and as a person.
Todd Mazer recently visited the studio of Kofie and talks here about what he saw:
“Tucked away in the sleeping hills of Filipino town in Los Angeles, just a stones throw away from an Emergency Room entrance where Bob Dylan’s immortal words “He not busy being born is busy dying” are literal, you’ll find Augustine Kofie. This meeting of degradation and downfall with birth and uprising seem to be principle themes that play out in this ongoing story. It’s a story that eloquently eludes those who question the direction, proximity and order of the beginning to the end.
Kofie will be the first one to tell you that we are a product of our environment. Upon entering his work/living space it becomes nearly impossible to find the separation point between his environment and his work. A quick scan across the dimly lit room offers the realization that these aged manuals, endless sketchbooks and found artifacts are like records to a beat-maker and that Kofie is creating his own version of soul music on canvas”
~Todd Mazer
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Kofie talked with Brooklyn Street Art about his work and his inspirations;
Brooklyn Street Art: The clean architectural lines and shapes in your work fit together as if they were a floor plan. Have you had experience designing buildings?
Augustine Kofie: None at all. I’m inspired by preliminary design, drafting, architectural renderings and pre production concepts revolving around visual futurist design. I wouldn’t be opposed to an actual build out based on my work at some point but it’s not where my heads at right now… sticking to what I know.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Brooklyn Street Art: Why is it important to incorporate found items into your work, when you obviously could create them yourself.
Augustine Kofie: I’m taken by their texture, color and age, plus I enjoy the archeologist/ ‘digging in the crates’ aspect of collecting. Sampling is the best way to put it.. It is like finding a strange soundscape from a record or film, then twisting, manipulating and layering it with other found bits to create a new component, both audio and visual. They possess lost histories and past stories all their own so it feels appropriate and truthful to use such ephemera instead of recently produced papers. The up cycling and reinterpretations are endless.
Brooklyn Street Art: What kind of object catches your eye and forces you to bring it back to the studio?
Augustine Kofie: Usually outdated garage and office items from estate sales make me geek out. Anything that ‘contains’. Old wooden boxes, metal file boxes and hand made cabinets from an old mans garage workshop. Drafting based items. Paper wise, the more fatigued and yellowed the better but not to the point of crumbling. Engineering and accounting paperwork is nice as well. Yardsticks definitely get scooped.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Brooklyn Street Art Your work is vintage and futuristic – vintage in that jazz modernist warm way, and futuristic in its 1960s complex precision. Do you feel some nostalgia for that period and what does it represent for you?
Augustine Kofie: When I was a kid my parents played old jazz and soul records. This became the soundtrack to my life and I created my own perspective of a time-period that I only experienced as a child. That combined with the Futurist viewpoint of Syd Mead as well as the Futurist Movement set the foundation for what I do today and who I will become in the future.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Brooklyn Street Art Your studio working environment really parallels the clean lines and warm tones of your work. Could you create this same work in a different place (like a chaotic and messy one for example), or is it not important at all?
Augustine Kofie: To me my studio is a place of comfort, meditation and inspiration. I prefer a ‘workshop’ environment over a living room setting. I have been working on my aesthetic for long enough that as long as I’m given paint and a surface then I could create a style that is mine, anywhere. The energy and execution of the art is always influenced by my surroundings, though.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Brooklyn Street Art: Your earlier graffiti contained foreshadowing of the abstract approach you are using now. At what point do your pieces stop being called graffiti and start being Street Art? Or does it matter at all to use terms like this?
Augustine Kofie: This is a strange place for me, this sort of limbo between titles. I just want to contribute my work as a man and as a whole, regardless of its contemporary title or standing. Confusing or not it is what it is.
My work and I are in constant progression. Evolution is mandatory. There is no seam that defines a beginning or ending to who I am and what I wish to produce. I do both the Graffiti and ‘art on the street’ depending on the moment and situation and especially moods. I’m a moody cat and I tend to gravitate to what I want to do to ease my restlessness. A different attention and energy is given to each form of expression here. Sometimes I want to blast on a crew production with classic characters/ letters & background scenarios. Other times I want to take a 20 year old can of outdated American spray-paint to a refused and abandoned surface and paint triangles, circles and lines without lettering, just getting loose on the foundations of line-work. I feel like Graff gave me a voice and I’ve contributed to this art form, now I have to contribute further and test my styles as well as change my own mindset and preconceived ideas of what this art form is as much as where its going.
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
Augustine Kofie (photo © Todd Mazer)
On Saturday March 5th Augustine Kofie will be part of a group show curated by Indigo at the Becker Galleries in Vancouver, Canada. To learn more details about this show click on the link below:
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