“This project represents an innovative attempt to solve one of the biggest problems when exhibiting street art,” says Berlin-based street artist Vermibus, “- the lack of its original context.”
True, something about our previous curated exhibitions of street art – even our current show of Martha Cooper’s photography work at Urban Nation Museum here – loses the feeling of the street once it enters the museum doors.
“I truly believe this way of experiencing and conserving Street Art will be the inevitable future.”
Vermibus
Perhaps the advent of 360° audiovisual experiences with illegal artworks in their original locations, complete with sound and movement, will finally bridge that space between the viewer and the art. By donning VR goggles, which can vary in price from $20 for a Google Cardboard to $800 for an HTC Vive, a Vermibus ad takeover can be experienced now as a full train-station immersion, if you will.
For those art collectors who have been buying NFTs these last few months since public knowledge finally caught up to the concept of art on the blockchain, Vermibus is now offering four brand new hi-res experiences in Berlin’s U-Bahn. He likes to call this subway station futuristic and brutalist, and what better aesthetic to view the harshly beautiful pieces he installed at station U-Bhf. Schloßstraße? The campaign lasted about 5 days before being replaced by advertising.
Still, it was enough for Vermibus and Experience Designer Juanca Cardell to create new 360° records of the installations and encode them on the Ethereum blockchain. Launched through V’s wallet, he’s calling them his “U SCHLOßSTRAßE” Collection.
Explaining the work and his excitement to Brooklyn Street Art, Vermibus says, “I truly believe this way of experiencing and conserving Street Art will be the inevitable future.”
See FULL GLOSSARY of Blockchain terminology at end of article.
Use your mouse or pad when viewing the videos to get the 360 effect. If you happen to own a pair of VR glasses you’ll be able to get the immersive virtual reality effect when watching the videos.
The collection is available for purchase from Opensea’s Vermibus profile. All NFTs are launched through Vermibus’ wallet.
An NFT (Non-fungible token) are types of digital assets that are intended to represent ownership of something that is unique and scarce. These tokens are validated by third parties through the blockchain and can be traced back to the original creator, thus certifying their authenticity.
They can simply be certificates of authenticity themselves or contain images, music, videos or other files, depending on the platform and language used.
Blockchain is a system of recording information that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack or cheat the system. A blockchain is essentially a digital chain of transactions that is dupli- cated and distributed throughout the network of blockchain computer systems. Each block on the chain contains a number of transactions, and each time a new transaction occurs on the block- chain, a record of that transaction is added to each participant’s chain.
A smart contract is a computer program or transaction protocol whose purpose is to automatically execute, control or document legally relevant events and actions according to the terms of a con- tract or agreement.
Immersion into virtual reality (VR) is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. The perception is created by surrounding the user of the VR system in images, sound or other stimuli that provide an engrossing total environment.
Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. Unlike traditional user interfaces, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. REFLECTIONS: Guido Van Helten and The Wellington Dam Mural 2. Mear One in Los Angeles via Bird Man 3. Telmo Miel: Tunnel Vision in Brussels
BSA Special Feature: REFLECTIONS: Guido Van Helten and The Wellington Dam Mural
A trip today to Wellington Dam, a jewel in the national park in Southwest Australia, only a couple of hours from Perth. Queensland Artist Guido van Helten took care to study the history and people from the dam area to understand their connection to it better – and in the process, it found a more profound connection to the water by some of the people who have lived there for many years.
“It’s just weird to feel like you’re this ‘issue’ in society and that the world is divided with how much they should care about you or how much they should listen to you or should be concerned with issues around your life. It’s weird to be like a battleground,” says co-director and subject Kwesi Thomas says in the opening of the film.
Using a bespoke swing stage, the artist painted the 8000 square meter mural with the help of serious engineering talents from the dam authority, who moved him 30 times to paint in enormous strips of texture and memories.
“I was basically painting while it was moving up and down, up and down,” he says. Part of The Collie Mural Trail that consists of 40 murals throughout the town, Guido says that “Reflections” is inspired by local stories and photographs. In addition to the sheer size and impact of its focus, the video also tells a rather moving story.
Behind the scenes: The making of the Wellington Dam Mural by Guido Van Helten
Mear One in Los Angeles via Bird Man
The Melrose alleys in LA provide inspiration here in this video shot and directed by Birdman – of the tribute to the Czech painter, illustrator and graphic Alphonse Mucha by graffti/muralist Kalen Ockerman, known as Mear One.
Choosing the goddess Gaia as muse, Mear One talks in his over-narration of what he say as Mucha’s treatement of the feminine and how it was reflected in the beauty of nature, its harmonious design, function and aesthetic. “I always loved how he expressed visually the spiritual and mystical,” he says. The clarity of his focus is apparent here as he pays honor to the artist as well as science, art, and philosophy.
Telmo Miel: Tunnel Visionin Brussels
Here is a tunnel in Brussels artists Miel (Amsterdam) and Telmo (Rotterdam) painted a human chain metaphorically connecting the neighborhoods of Machelen and Diegem. The public work is meant perhaps to ease among residents amid news reports of increased vandalism, drug use, and traffic nuisances among some. As in many western countries, it may have something to do with economics, race, and class. Says organizer All About Things, a private gallery-fueled public cultural initiative that has locked in many international street artists to beautify the area, “this mishmash of people indicates that we are stronger together.”
A certain sunkissed and saucy lust is coupled with all manner of vice for the frolicking senior set that is often featured in scenes by the muralist, painter, and illustrator Marina Capdevila from Barcelona.
Born in the mid-1980s, she nonetheless favors wrinkled grandpas who are playing with cigarettes and giggling grandmas who have their eyes on the pool boy, peering at him from under a large bamboo hat and over a frozen margarita.
Here in her hometown of Falset in Spain, her newest festive partiers are celebrating all things wine, as is the practice of this place that hosts one of the more important festivals del vino in the country.
Of course, Covid is ruining this event again this year, but presumably, some people here are tipping a glass of Tinta o Blanco. “It’s a mural that pays homage to the traditional wine fair,” she says, “which this year will not be held, but at least you can enjoy this work.”
“The revolution will be the flowering of humanity as love is the flowering of the heart” Louise Michel, revolutionary, activist, and significant figure of the Paris Commune.
TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)
Montmartre, Belleville, and all those poor neighborhoods in the 11th, 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements all shake with the memory of the Paris Commune as we mark the 150th anniversary this spring of the short-lived self-governance ended by a “Bloody Week.”
To mark those events and the thousands killed when the rich fled, we share with you new public works from artists of the TWE Crew in collaboration with the Black Lines movement – and in association with Art Azoi in the heart of the 20th arrondissement of Paris. A combination of street art, graffiti, mural art, and illustration influences all join forces in black and the bloody red that stood as their flag. Figures depicted may be contemporary or of the period, but their universal plight appears devastatingly on-point.
TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)
“Working men’s Paris, with its Commune, will be forever celebrated as the glorious harbinger of a new society. Its martyrs are enshrined in the great heart of the working class,” said Karl Marx. Professor John Merriman speaks in his book “Massacre” of that eclectic revolutionary government that held power in Paris across eight weeks between 18 March and 28 May 1871 and says that the crushing of the poor who were unable to escape the city sadly anticipated the horror shows that would follow in the 20th Century.
In other words, they were killed because they were too poor to get out.
TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)
Conversely, in many ways, the Commune created a template as well for social and political justice movements that would come – proposing in their city council such things as economic laws, workers rights, separation of church and state, abolishing the death penalty and mandatory conscription, and labor’s self-management. From these brutal times and events, you may wish to salvage many of those radical ideas – the only spoils of victory, if you will.
TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)
But even today, a century and a half later, conversations about how to remember the Commune are divisive.
“It was a populist movement. And in the current state of France and the world – when in Paris we have the yellow vests and in Washington they’re storming the Capitol – I do not think we should be celebrating people who burned down our city hall.”
Participating artists are @lasktwecrew, @kwim__t.w.e, @kracotwecrew and @al_zoyer of the @blacklinescommunity
TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)TWE Crew and Black Lines movement in association with Art Azoi. Square Henri Karcher, Paris. (photo courtesy of Art Azoi)
Shots today from last month’s Shepard Fairey “Future Mosaic” at Dubai’s Opera Gallery. With works on canvas, paper, wood, and metal, as well as examples of iconic images and repeated motifs from the breadth of his art and design history, Fairey was very much present for his first solo show here. In a grueling schedule of just 9 days he also managed to install two huge murals facing a skate park in a commercial district of the city, the d3 (Dubai Design District).
Shepard Fairey. “Future Mosaic”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)
Rise Above Peace Dove and Rise Above Peace Fingers incorporate what appears as a richer vibrant palette and pulsing graphic interplay than previously, perhaps due to more dense hues and the fact that his core crew of Dan Flores, Luka Densmore, and Rob Zagula were on hand along with Jon and Marwan offering additional help. Staying clear of strident language or slogans, the new works are largely representational and universal in themes of “justice, peace and human rights.”
Shepard Fairey with the dream team ready to work. “Future Mosaic”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)
Fairey withstood criticism on social media for even working in the region, it would appear, let alone lending his name to an effort that they saw as hypocritical in light of his previous vocal stances on human rights, for example.
He took to Instagram to address his critics, “I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but it’s not a perfect place, but perfection does not exist and certainly not in the US. However, without this experience, I would not have been able to engage in robust discussions with the great people I met in Dubai. There’s nothing more relevant to my inside-outside strategy than traveling there and doing public art conveying harmony and positivity.”
Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)
Elsewhere in another post, he wrote, “It is very important for me to do public art when I travel because it engages people outside of the art world, but it is not easy to secure public walls in Dubai.”
The opportunity to show and share and sell your art is something we want for any artist. In the case of Fairey, judgment metrics would need to include his two decades of generous acts promoting and supporting all manner of environmental, social justice, and civic participation efforts. We’ll confidently observe that year after year, his impact can far outstrip the average street artist and certainly most art collectors by miles. We dare say he’s unmatched. Let that be your goal.
Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)
“The show was massive, with 159 works that utilized the gallery space with a rhythm of scale and concentration,” he says. “My art practice focuses on the work’s cumulative effect, both visually and conceptually, so I was pleased with the final result.”
Shepard Fairey. “Future Mosaic”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. Skectch for “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Dove”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Dove”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Dove”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong) Shepard Fairey. “Rise Above Peace Fingers”. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)
Everywhere you look today it seems like there is a storm of papers and forms for you to complete – you may even feel like this Surinamese ballerina dancing in a whirlwind of official documents in Leidseplein, Amsterdam.
The topic drives this new mural by JDL, who chose a ballerina because she observed how few persons of color make it into the arts as well, and she wonders about those same prejudices at work in other forms of bureaucracy.
“The Netherlands has come a long way, but there is still a lot of work to do,” she says. “This piece is a small reminder and dedication to keep dancing in bureaucracy. With awareness comes change, and by constantly addressing the issue we will collectively walk towards a brighter, more equal future.”
This project was realized with the contributions of: Yourban2030, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Airlite, Won Yip and Humberto Tan.
This week we wandered off the streets onto the train tracks to catch some graff in the wild. As we did we thought about photographer Jim Prigoff and how he told us that he relied upon the “graffiti gods” to lead him in the right direction to catch photographs. He was so right when he shared that jewel – an adviso to follow one’s intuition and trust your instincts. It was during this same adventure on the tracks that we learned of Jim’s passing, which was a very sad addendum to the exploration, at first. Then we realized that Jim is now one of those “graffiti gods” and he will lead us to find the next piece, burner, paste-up, sticker, poetry on the street.
May Jim and his instincts always be with us.
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
– Mae West
Take it from Brooklyn’s own Mae West to give us the dry-eyed wit that pushes us further forward, boldly and without reservation.
So New York graffiti and street art continues to run apace – from Red Hook to Ridgewood to Williamsburg to Chelsea in Manhattan – we are dumb-founded by the new work that is covering Gotham. It is also notable the preponderance of LETTER-based street art and graffiti there is everywhere. Letters and their deconstruction, reconstruction, re-imagining have always been a part of the graff tradition of course, but it looks like many artists are talking at you from the wall right now.
So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring: 2 Much, Adam Fujita, Al Diaz, Aneko, Healer, Jeff Roseking, Jet, Jowl, Lunge Box, Mega, Panic, RAKN, Riisa Boogie, Sac Six, Seo, Timmy Ache, UFO 907, and Wokem.
James Prigoff signed all of his emails with one word in Spanish: “Paz.” (peace)
It was deliberate, intentional, and with that one word, he created a tag for himself that spoke to his commitment to peace on the street and across the world. Looking over his decades of dedication to exploring and documenting, one sees a sincere commitment to understanding and identifying with other cultures and embracing others as brothers and sisters.
Known foremost in the graffiti world for being the co-author of Spray Can Art with Henry Chalfant in 1987, he captured 100,000 photographs worldwide over five decades. His professional sense of curiosity and self-education drove him to persevere in his documentation of the graffiti scenes of the Western US but eventually spread worldwide.
Today we recognize the personal sacrifice and pride that went into that publication or his subsequent publications and honor the dedication. With his efforts and others like him, the graffiti/street art/mural art cultures received much greater recognition and validation. Serious discussion of the contributions of these practices can be directly attributed to the massive platform his work provided the scene.
Along with Subway Art by Chalfant and Martha Cooper, Spraycan Art is annually sighted as a powerful inspiration to thousands of artists worldwide who needed that encouragement to express themselves as artists. That alone is a reason to celebrate his life and be thankful for his work and deep dedication to the culture.
Spraycan Art by Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff and published by Thames & Hudson on September 1, 1987.
Jim Prigoff and Henry Chalfant at Chalfant’s retrospective Henry Chalfant: Art Vs. Transit, 1977-1987 at the Bronx Museum, 2019
It was in the early 1970s “I became fascinated with the political nature of the art in the streets,” Jim wrote in perhaps his last personally written essay and publication here on BSA Writer’s Desk just last month. The inaugural opinion/editorial of the monthly series provided him the opportunity to talk about his life, formal and street education, his observations of artists and movements in culture and politics during the last 7 of his 9-plus decades. A civil libertarian and champion of the rights for the equality of people across the spectrum, he was happy to make “good trouble” even suing the federal government over an unconstitutional surveillance program in the mid-twenty-teens.
An avid observer and analyst, we prized Jim as a friend and confidante because he knew how to connect the dots between larger socio-political movements and to put the art and artists within context. Astutely diplomatic and wise, he advised us on navigation and perspective in this vast creative world of graffiti, street art, and mural – lessons we will not forget. He also shared his theory about photographers being led by “the Graffiti Gods” with a smile and a glint in his eye.
Jaime Rojo, James Prigoff, Steven P. Harrington, 2015, NYC
His empathy was never far from any topic, despite his strident views and opinions. Even during this last year of Covid he wrote to check on us;
“Not an easy time to be shut down in NYC. Hope you are doing OK.”
Only two weeks ago Jim wrote to us with his concern that Gen Z was not getting vaccinated at the rate of the rest of the population and he wondered aloud if street artists were helping to reach out to them on the street.
Less able to travel as freely in recent years, he attended big exhibition openings near his home of Sacramento and Miami and New York – usually with one of his gentle and patient children pushing his wheelchair. Each time he was enthusiastic and opinionated and, well, joyful. Last summer, during Black Lives Matter protests across the country, he was thoroughly following events and their effects on art on the street. He was also eager to share what he found with the world.
He shot photos from the open window of a car driving through Oakland, eager to share what he found – which we published. Jim often commented on our daily postings to us in emails – and we are proud that he shared his writing and photos on several occasions with BSA readers. Always more interested in people than profit, Jim understood our platform and mission better than many.
Our hearts are sorrowful to bid goodbye to Jim Prigoff now, but we are comforted to believe that he is joining his dear Arline, with whom he spent 72 years as husband and wife. An absolute pillar in graffiti, street art, and mural history, documentation, and archiving – Jim was a scholar, an ardent peace activist, an author, lecturer, community activist, a fervent supporter of so many, and a kind person. Our deep condolences to his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his graffiti/street art family, and his colleagues. We are grateful to have called him a friend.
Jim’s last published essay was on Brooklyn Street Art as the inaugural essay for BSA Writer’s Bench in March, 2021:
Selected quotes from hundreds of social media commenters across Facebook and Instagram
“Jim’s good work is done, may he rest in peace.” Henry Chalfant
“Jim was so good to us. He allowed us access to hundreds of rare East Bay photos and couldn’t have been any more generous. Jim loved the East Bay and knew most of the writers by name. His only hope was that his photos would be seen and we intend to make that happen. Rest in peace to a great human being and true graffiti devotee. You will be missed. Much love, Will & Jake” from East Bay Archive
“The coverage Henry and Jim gave to Goldie in Spraycan Art provided a massive worldwide boost to his career and encouraged him to think globally.” Martin Jones
“Pictures that meant so much to so many. Those pictures was part of so many people’s phase of growing up and becoming those who they are today. People such like myself. Thank you Jim.” Tatu Moisio
“Spraycan Art was, is and will remain alongside Subway Art as the Bibles for anyone interested in graffiti. I’m from North-East Scotland, and it certainly had a huge influence in my life.
Not to mention being one of the most stolen books OF ALL TIME!
RIP Jim, and thank you.” Eddie Grady
“A worldwide generation were introduced to a new breed of heroes who became a catalyst to our lives, and for those whose work was featured by Henry, Jim and Martha, their lives were forever changed. Take a moment to imagine a world where your work never existed… … that truly provides an awe-inspiring perspective. A life lived with huge contribution. Rest In Peace Jim!” Gordon Barrett
“We went on a 6 hour tour around Chicago together. Fascinating conversation about art and life, thru the years. Very enriching conversation for a youth of 17. A Gentleman and a Scholar truly. Risen In Perfection.” Tyr Dem
“It’s so Strange. I was just going through Spraycan Art this morning.” Lars Skouboe
“I am saddened by the news of the passing of a champion of graffiti culture.” Gonzo 247
“Spraycan Art introduced us to other graffiti legends in across the country and internationally.” Carlos Tiangco
“This guy gave us kids access to a culture that shaped us, our futures and our world. Thanks James / Jim Prigoff. 1927-2021.” Sunk One
The graffiti community lost an advocate and documentarian yesterday. Thanks for all your years of dedication to documenting us all Jim. He was one of a kind. I’m glad to have known him. Rest well.” Alan Ket
“Rest in Peace James Prigoff — Spraycan Art was the first book I ever looked thru as a teen to learn about graffiti. It is where I saw Lady Pink for the very first time!” Toofly
“This was our culture. What we offered the world. The birth of a culture. A culture that became a world wide phenomenon. Last night one of our documentarian passed. RIP James Prigoff. A great guy who shared with the world through his photos this culture we created. Yo James..
“AND WE DONT STOP!” TKid
“My Heart is still breaking from the passing of our friend and historian, author and photographer Jim Prigoff whom I was in constant communication with until 3 days ago.” Portia Gail McHenry-Ogburn
“This book changed the course of my life forever… as well as tens of thousands of youths across the world throughout the 80’s – 90’s. Thank you #JimPrigoff for your passion and dedication. #JimPrigoffForever.” Revok
“Saddened to hear of Jim’s passing, my condolences to his family and friends.” John “Crash” Matos
“Wow. This is sad… he would stay at my dads house and do you Friday night slideshow sessions with popcorn when he would come to town.
Jim will would always remind me how lucky we are and to never throw food away. This has stuck with me to this day.” Carlos Rolon
“So sad to hear about the passing of one of the greatest – graffiti and street art photographer, author and peace activist Jim Prigoff.
I met him in Los Angeles where he took me on a tour to photograph graffiti. We shared a panel in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). He supported me so much with my books, contributed an amazing photo of female graffiti artist Reminisce to my Graffiti Woman book and even wrote a foreword for my last book Street Messages.
Through him I ate the American version of coleslaw for the very first time.
He was an amazing and inspirational person. He influenced the whole world with his book Spraycan Art (together with Henry Chalfant), that sparked a main flame for the widespread graffiti fire.
Thanks so much for all the time you shared with me, my thoughts are with your family and friends. May you rest peacefully.
Paz.”
Nicolas Ganz
“I have so many photos and emails from Jim from over the years. This man was a force and driver in the culture. If he was a kid when writing started he would have been a writer for sure. It’s nice to read all the stories about the him. This photo of me holding his book is from the beginning of 2020 when he had a showing in San Francisco. I told him i couldn’t believe after all these years i didn’t have a signed copy from him. He hooked it up in classic Jim style. I salute you to a full impactful life and thank you for helping a lot of writers careers one way or another. Rest in power” Apexer
“Yea man heavy hearts right now. That book man was the west coast bible!” Aaron De La Cruz
“Our dearest Jim.
When we last saw you two weeks ago you said the single most amazing technological advancement (in your opinion) was the ability for photographs to be shared via email. You said that you imagined that it was even more impressive to you than the automobile had been to your parents. Despite your awe of the invention of digital photography and email, you took on this miracle as you did all things you were passionate about, with gusto.
How lucky are we that you lived you in the era of the modern day camera. You took an art form that was inherently temporary (graffiti) and made it permanent. You took an art form that was the voice of an entire generation, who could not find a platform to be heard, and shared their voice with the world. You knew that “Art is power” and you never failed to use your privilege in this world to ensure that that power could be amplified for change.
You are a legend, who left the world a better place not only through your photographs but also simply through your presence on this planet.
To us however, you will always be our Grandpa Jim and our very small world will forever be just a bit sadder everyday now that you are no longer an email away.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. BATTLEGROUND. A short film by Mark Bone and Kwesi Thomas 2. RIPDMX Via @NYCGRAFF.HEAD 3. Gigantic Graffiti by Ellr and Khol, via Montana Colors
BSA Special Feature: BATTLEGROUND. A short film by Mark Bone and Kwesi Thomas
“It’s just weird to feel like you’re this ‘issue’ in society and that the world is divided with how much they should care about you or how much they should listen to you or should be concerned with issues around your life. It’s weird to be like a battleground,” says co-director and subject Kwesi Thomas says in the opening of the film.
A film purely of this moment, Battleground treads on soil that has been contaminated for centuries, the current inhabitants the inheritors of a heritage of racism. This week’s conviction of a white officer for killing a black civilian was only fraught with tension because the system doesn’t guarantee it and because it’s an exception rather than a rule.
“I wanted to make the film because I wanted to change that for other people.”
Born from conversations that followed the death of George Floyd, Kwesi Thomas & Mark Bone break silences, make themselves vulnerable, continue this painful conversation that is necessary for change.
BATTLEGROUND. A short film by Mark Bone and Kwesi Thomas
#RIPDMX Via @NYCGRAFF.HEAD
A tribute of wholecars to rapper DMX needs only the soundtrack of the steel wheels screeching on the rails.
Gigantic Graffiti by Ellr and Khol
“A small piece may look good in a picture but to look good in reality it needs to have size.”
50 meters should be sufficient for this new piece by Swedish writers Koll and Ellr. Montana Colors, who sponsored the wall, says the two are “drawing influence from some of the more sophisticated trends of Scandinavia and New York.”
Land artist, street artist, and scientist Andreco has given the Earth a gift of trees to celebrate Earth Day.
Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Together with citizens, environmentalists and researchers, he’s created a work of Land Art here in Rome, and he calls the project Aula Verde.
“The work is alive, and over the years it will take shape and as it grows it will return innumerable benefits to the territory,” Andreco says, “currently it is studied by the researchers who are involved in the project, both for the purification of the water and the redevelopment of the surrounding greenery.”
Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
A more positive approach to community involvement in actively helping the air, soil, and water is hard to imagine, but Andreco never ceases to amaze with demonstrations like these; a parade of people of all ages marching to a field to plant trees together.
The name Aula Verde comes from the shape of the work, he says, “made up of poplar and willow trees, Polulus Alba and Salix Alba, arranged on two large concentric centres with a diameter of forty metres that forms a sort of Green Pantheon which can be accessed freely.”
Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Aula Verde is part of FLUMEN, a movement of climate actions for rivers and parks in Rome, and a project intersecting art and science conceived by the artist Andreco and organised by the cultural association Climate Art Project. A multifaceted initiative, FLUMEN includes the environmental monitoring of the waters and the ecosystems of the two rivers of Rome, the Tiber and the Aniene, as well as workshops, performances, exhibitions and tree plantings.
SEE VIDEO BELOW
Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)Andreco. Aula Verde. Earth Day 2021. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)
The originators of Art in Odd Places have reliably embraced fully aware of the spirit of inclusivity that art on the streets originally embraced. For its 16th iteration on May 14-16, AiOP the street festival will again launch a series of installations along a vast expanse of 14th Street.
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was…”
Taking inspiration from the quote by the author, poet, spoken word artist, and social justice activist, the show is called NORMAL. It is curated by artist Furusho von Puttkammer, who agrees that “normal” is a difficult concept that is not necessarily a sought-after goal, even if we could define it.
“Boldly pushing its way through pandemia, where social constructs warp to reveal discriminatory realities,” she writes in the manifesto, “corporations relentlessly claw at tax-payer dollars while citizens are made homeless, and the police continue to brutalize the black community, NORMAL confronts the term with artistic work.”
For AiOP (not to be confused with the much smaller and recent private project with the very similar name Art in Ad Places), von Puttkammer has selected a wide range of artists working in different mediums – and says she is aiming for an anti-elitist vibe. Borrowing from street artist credo over the last decades, she says, “The art world has become inaccessible and elitist. We take art outside of the galleries and museums and bring it out onto the streets of New York City.”
So many basketball courts have been used as canvasses these last few years. Here we have a small city in Marche Hills, Italy where street artist Giulio Vesprini says he has just painted his third.
A student of architecture and illustration, he says his influences come fromland art and all manner of urban culture as well. It’s a bright palette of abstract geometry, owing as much to the courts’ function as the energy of the city.
“It’s a popular place for boys and girls who play basketball,” he tells us, and he wanted to bring back the area that has fallen into disuse. “I wanted to recreate a meeting point between culture, sport, nature, and people.”
The artist wishes to thank the City Hall of Monte Urano city, Mayor: Moira Canigola, Public works Assessor: Federico Giacomozzi. Support by: Associazione Culturale ZacZac and his whole team.
Street art welcomes all manner of materials and methods, typically deployed without permission and without apology. This hand-formed wire piece …Read More »
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
