Remixing The Face in a Stinky Underground Subway Hallway

February 7, 2013

A walk through the neglected and crumbling grime-caked subway stations of New York City, with their epically peeling paint and the smell of smeared human feces rushing you through hallways to your next train, can be a nauseating and dispiriting.  Mayors come and go, but rats and garbage remain, helping New York to “keep it real”.

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Thankfully, despite continually rising Metrocard rates you are now treated to ever more advertisements on ever more walls, and the occasional ad-remixing prankster appears to keep things in focus, or disarray.  You may not have money for the admission to museums, but here you can take in this publicly curated interactive aspect of the expanding commercial gallery, and even affect the conversation.

In the connecting walkway between 6th and 7th Avenue on 14th Street you can usually hear some good music because of the enclosed reverberating tunnel effect that is free of of train disruption. Right now on display are a series of promotional posters for another TV program involving attractive people judging  others on their attractiveness.

In this locally targeted remix of the campaign, a blade-wielding passerby has given them a facelift. It’s a simple matter of switching selected portions of sticky vinyl, a technique that was popularized by a Street Artist/collective named Posterboy a couple of years ago. Sometimes it is effective. Other times, it fails. Either way, it catches your eye as you hold your nose.

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Poster Boy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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

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Cat People and Dog People ; Street Artists Bring Trusted Friends

February 6, 2013

Street Artists are just as attached to their pets as anybody else, and given their reputation for being sort of secretive loners, maybe more. It’s not common but the appearance of cats and dogs on the street without leashes happens once in a while in carefully rendered drawings, illustrations, paintings, stencils, wheatpastes and stickers.

C215 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Whether it’s the formal portrait studio quality of C215’s cat stencils, Tazz’s red-nosed glowering dog stickers, or the plump and wide eyed feline hunter wheat-pastes of QRST, these animals are an important aspect of the autobiographical nature of today’s Street Art scene.  It is said that observing a pet gives you a good idea about an owners disposition. If so, what would you say about the artist who uses an animal, whether as portrait, amulet, or metaphor – to tell their story on the public thoroughfare?

C215 wiht lil’ brother on the bottom by LMNOP. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

P. S. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jaz and Cern collab. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

QRST (photo © Jaime Rojo)

QRST. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Blu Dog (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Raemann (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow Toe cat got some company from KUMA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow Toe (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C215 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Le Raoul (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LNY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A happy flying kitty at the High Line Park. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

W (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WK  Interact. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Red Nose aka Tazz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Red Nose aka Tazz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

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

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Liqen and Nantu Shipwrecked in Equador: A Girl, The Ocean and Her Hair

February 5, 2013

Street Artists Liqen and Nantu just finished this wall in Tosunpa, Equador on the side of a small storefront. Using primarily black paint and paint brushes, the two create a reposed nymph looking skyward, her head surrounded by rolling waves, a somewhat tumultuous adventure on the high seas with dolphins, a whale, and a troubled vessel. For a necklace she wears a short string of small heads. Liquen says it is “an aperitif; an abstract idea about the ocean, a female, and the shipwreck in her hair.”

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl” Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl” Detail. Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl” Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl”. Detail. Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl” Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl”. Detail. Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

Liqen in collaboration with Raul Ayala AKA Nantu. “Oceangirl” Tosunpa, Ecuador.  January 2013. (photo © Liqen)

To view more of Liqen art click here

To view more of Raul Ayala art click here

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

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Signal Gallery Presents: “Two Plus Two” Bael, Joe Iurato, Michal Janowski and SPQR. (London, UK)

February 4, 2013

 2 + 2
Private View 21st February 6 – 9pm
Open 22nd February – 16th March.

2 + 2 = four very talented and contrasting artists and styles. Two being stencil artists alongside two more traditional painters. Also two of the group are well known to fans of the gallery, while the other two are new. As normal, we curate our group shows to demonstrate the range of work that we show, as well as breaking down the barriers between artistic labels such as ‘Urban,’ ‘Street,’ and ‘Fine’ art. We have given the artists a free reign to produce work that is currently exciting them and the result will be a dynamic mix of ideas, techniques and approaches.

http://www.signalgallery.com/events/two-plus-two

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Reed Projects Gallery Present: Vandals Valentine “Pop-Up” Special. (Stavanger, Norway)

February 4, 2013

A VANDALS VALETINE
Feb 1st-Feb 16th

In a desperate move to shift product related to public holiday’s, Re-Jects Gallery attempts to employ the same strategy of more cynical corporate retailers by pushing out work related to love and affection. Or giving you a guilt trip as it’s more commonly known. Expect to see exclusive works holding you to ransom from DOT DOT DOT, Dotmasters and Dolk. (We have a thing about D’s) as well as secondary market pieces from Banksy, Josh Keyes, Jeremy Geddes, David Choe, JR and many more…

https://www.facebook.com/reedprojectsgallery

 

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Stolen Space Gallery Presents: “Write & Repeat” Group Exhibition. (London, UK)

February 4, 2013
‘Write & Repeat’ Group show
21.02.13 – 10.03.13

A visually compelling show formed solely from text and pattern based pieces, Write and Repeat is a modern exploration of the two much celebrated forms.

Patterns are all around us. The repetition of shapes and colours form our environment, our natural and manmade landscapes. Even the landscape of our minds are built upon patterns and repetition; the habits and rituals, the ‘rites’ that we perpetuate.

 The use of text in art has drastically evolved over time, and has been used as a purely visual element, as a more direct form of artistic expression, a political tool, and as an art form in its own right. From blatant slogans to seemingly meaningless shapes, text in art offers a unique opportunity for expression.
By combining the two exclusively, we hope to create a visually and mentally captivating collection for January 2013.
Featuring:
Arth Daniels, Charlie Anderson, Chloe early, Cyrcle, D*Face, David Bray, Eelus, EINE, Hayden Kays, Jim Houser, Josie Morway, Julie Impens, Kai & Sunny, Lucas (Cyclops), Maya Hayuk, Mobstr, Nylon, Pete Fowler, Ryca, Sylvia Ji, Shepard Fairey, Tilt, Usugrow, Will Barras, Word To Mother and more.
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Laura Shechter, Painter of Graffiti

February 4, 2013

“I particularly feel graffiti beautifies blighted areas, and gives them style and dignity.” ~ Laura Schecter

Brooklyn born contemporary realist painter Laura Schecter takes cityscapes and graffiti into consideration as a formalist and you may even say with an element of romanticism. With abstract painter and “father of minimalism” Ad Rhinehardt as a teacher at Brooklyn College in the 1960s, Schecter says she evolved a philosophy of aesthetics.

In these paintings of building facades that are covered with graffiti in an urban environment, Schecter gives realist attention to the detail so accurate that at first glance most viewers will believe they are looking at the work of a graffiti or Street Art photographer who jumps fences, climbs rooftops, and follows train tracks to capture a shot. In fact, she can be equally enthusiastic about her regard for some of her finds. “I particularly feel graffiti beautifies blighted areas, and gives them style and dignity,” she says.

Laura Shechter “D’Art” (photo © Laura Shechter)

“Within contemporary realism, I consider myself a “perceptualist”, which I define as being more concerned with usual vision,” explains Schecter as she describes these paintings and her approach to the aerosol tattooed surfaces of the city. As most painters will tell you, it is about capturing the right moment when the sun and the ambient influences in the environment reveal character or a certain spirit.

“My cityscape paintings, which are photo-based, describe one moment of light. I have always been interested in decorative patterns and high key color.  So doing cityscapes with graffiti was a natural direction for my work to take. I render each graffiti artists’ work with the same care as I would a piece of satin or a handed painted 19th century porcelain piece.”

Laura Shechter “New Utretch Station” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Schecter says her work evolved during the feminist art movement and she incorporated some of its ideas, but is also influenced by northern Renaissance art, Indian Miniatures, and interacting with other contemporary realists.  “I traveled around the world in the late 1960s and 70s and the experience added complexity to my art work which seems so rooted in western painting tradition, but also includes the aesthetics of the east, notably, India.”

Laura Shechter “View from the 7 train” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Laura Shechter “5Pointz” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Laura Shechter “The Green Dumpster” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Laura Shechter “View from 9th Street” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Laura Shechter “Noel in Bushwick” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Laura Shechter “After the Rain” (photo © Laura Shechter)

Click here to see more of Ms. Shechter’s artwork.

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Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art Gallery Presents Gilf! “I Exam” (Brooklyn, NY)

February 3, 2013
Since her last show at Galerie Swanstrom this fall in New York, and Scope Art Fair during Art Basel Miami Beach this past December, gilf! has been tirelessly at work in the studio. Pulling inspiration from her recent travels to Berlin, and her large scale outdoor installation at Fountain Art Fair in Miami, she is proud to present a new body of work for her solo show I EXAM, with Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art Gallery this February. Please join us for an artist’s reception Thursday February 7th, from 6-9pm at 111 Front Street suite 222 in D.U.M.B.O, Brooklyn. The show runs from February 3rd- March 10th.
Created to challenge the viewer to see beyond distractions of the syndicated voice, I EXAM divulges an insightful response to the dizzying noise of our society.
These works consider the modern correlation between effort and understanding. In this age of digital preoccupation, we are trained by society to value speed, self, and efficiency. Our waning attention spans hinder us from being present, and from recognizing what is truly important in our communities. We stay on the surface, repeating sound bites, but not investigating the full story. We align ourselves with brands that we believe represent us, when we too often don’t take the time to find that true self.
Continuously inflated egos have narrowed our critical eye to a myopic lens focused on the self. We believe we no longer need one another for survival, and that an abstract number on an ATM receipt can measure success and happiness. As the bonds of community unknowingly disintegrate, we lose the ability to understand large-scale problems as unaffected individuals. These issues don’t immediately affect our daily lives, but instead linger in the shadows of a foreboding future.  Are we capable of looking beyond the noise to regain understanding of our true reality?
I EXAM challenges our inclination to blindly accept societal norms, rousing the viewer to wake from the comfort of that hypnotic state to embody reality in its most authentic form.
“Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew,
Which in sleep had fallen on you
Ye are many, they are few”
-Percy Shelley, The Mask of Anarchy 1819
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Asbjørn Skou “Science Fiction Archaeology” SDU / Centre for Art and Science (Odense, Denmark)

February 3, 2013

”Science Fiction Archaeology”

7. feb – 2. april 2013.
Opening: Thursday february 7th. 15.00
SDU, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M.

”Science Fiction Archaeology” er inspireret af en forelæsning v/kemiker Kaare Lund Rasmussen. Forelæsningen omhandler forsøget på at datere et meget kraftigt meteornedslag på øen Saaremaa (tidligere Øsel) i Estland, som i lang tid har været umuligt at tidsbestemme kemisk. Projektet bringer forskeren vidt omkring: Fra kemiske målinger af strata, til lakmustest i historisk materiale, fra krateret på Saaremaa, over Tacitus Germania, Pytheas fra Massalia, Kybele – Gudernes moder, Estlands tidligere præsident Lennart Meri og den mulige oprindelse af myterne om Thule og ragnarok.

”Udstillingen er en undersøgelse af videnskabelige og mytologiske præmisser for tro, identitet og billedliggørelse, siger Asbjørn Skou”. ”Den er en form for kunstnerisk kulstof 14-prøve. Akkurat som de første kulstof 14-prøver på Saaremaa er den lige dele dokumentarisk og associativ. Den samler et sammensurium af informationer i et fluktuerende rum mellem fakta og fiktion, i et grænseland mellem kunst og videnskab.”

Udstillingen består af store collager, objekter og semifiktivt arkivmateriale. Collagerne er opbygget af udvalgt billedmateriale fra en omfattende researchproces og sammensat i overlap, udsnit og brudstykker. De enkelte collager, hvoraf den største måler 2 x 5,5 meter, er opbygget af A4-ark, der er sammensat til store vægtæpper. Objekterne tager deres udgangspunkt i det dagligdags håndgribelige. Det er materialer som flamingo, cement, isolering, træ og plastik. Objekterne er alle blevet skulpturelt modificerede, så de på en gang bekender sig til deres oprindelige materialitet, og samtidigt søger mod en anden form for stoflighed end deres oprindelse.
Arkivmaterialet består af en længere tekst, der er opsat på plancher, og som i sin form på en gang er informerende og uigennemtrængelig. De samme metoder som finder sted i opbygningen af billederne gentager sig i teksten, hvorigennem den prøver at binde det mulige og umulige sammen.”

http://www.armsrock.blogspot.com/

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“The Organization of Celestial Coincidences:The Art of Jason Mamarella” New Paintings and Book Launch (Brooklyn, NY)

February 3, 2013

Dint Wooer Krsna

“The Organization of Celestial Coincidences. the Art of Jason Mamarella.” New paintings and book launch “develop your natural psychic abilities. express empathy for all individuals, all species.”  at 17Frost Gallery. March 9, 2013, 7pm. 17 Frost Street, Brooklyn, NY. vegan treats, and live performance by The Phonometricians on Cosmic Fire.

 

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Images of the Week: 02.03.13

February 3, 2013

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Astrodub, Bast, Cash4, Droid, Edapt, Enzo & Nio, Hot Tea, Icy & Sot, Kram, Kremen, Pablo Mustafa, Spur, Stikman, and UFO 907.

Top image > Icy and Sot go Commando (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kremen. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kremen big Cat. With other cats on the roof top Cash4 and Droid. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

UFO 907 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stikman camouflages against the city predators. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kram at 5Pointz Queens. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pablo Mustafa at 5PTZ has a bone to pick with PS1. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Spud (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hot Tea re-did his tag on this fence before he left for warmer climates. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Enzo & Nio drive home a point. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast goes over himself again. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Astrodub (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Edapt (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Park Slope 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Daze Talks About São Paulo’s 2nd Graffiti Biennial

February 2, 2013

2ª Bienal de Graffiti Fine Art

With an overview of a variety of styles and techniques used in the graffiti scene at the moment, São Paulo is hosting its 2nd international biennial of graffiti and fine art through February 17th. Along with a number of recognized Brazilian names, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura (MuBE) is hosting international graffiti artists and writers from countries around the world including Angola, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Peru, Portugal, Russia, and the US. With 150,000 visitors per year, you know that a lot of graffiti fans are going to get to see this show this month New York graffiti artist Daze was there to represent and he shares with BSA readers his experiences from the event, as well as some excellent photos he chose to represent some of the works in progress and some of the finished works.

“The museum architecturally is a wonderful place and one is encouraged to roam around the grounds and view sculptural works by various national artists. In existence since 1986, rumor has it a shopping mall was originally intended to be built on this site but, after much protesting, a museum was built instead.

ODeith, Portugal. (photo © Daze)

The biennial is curated by Binho Ribiero, or “Binho”, as he is more commonly known on the streets in Sao Paulo. A catalyst for many group exhibitions and events in the city, Binho is and old-school writer from the scene and his work can be seen everywhere in Sao Paulo. Arguably one of the most famous Brazillian graff writers, he’s a natural in terms of curating an exhibition of this size and scale.

It was really great to be a part of this and I was really impressed by the diversity in the show. Many of the artists have not had much experience showing their work in either galleries of museums but nevertheless the quality level was quite high. I also saw that all of the artists showed a level of camaraderie and respect that I haven’t seen in some time.” ~ Daze

Shalak, Canada. (photo © Daze)

Daze, USA. Process shot. (photo © Daze)

Daze, USA. Process shot. (photo © Daze)

Daze, USA. (photo © Daze)

Cranio, Sao Paulo. (photo © Daze)

Aira, Rio de Janeiro. (photo © Daze)

SWK, Rio de Janeiro. (photo © Daze)

Skorface, Angola. (photo © Daze)

Noe2 at work. (photo © Daze)

Eder Muniz, Salvador Bahia. (photo © Daze)

Eco, Rio de Janeiro. (photo © Daze)

ECB, Germany. (photo © Daze)

Daze didn’t know who this artist was but he liked his work. (photo © Daze)
Update: “It´s me Galo from São Paulo! It was so nice meet Daze here in São Paulo!”

From left to right: Congo, Fumaca and Binho. (photo © Daze)

Our very special thanks to Daze for sharing his words and photos with BSA readers.

 

2ª Bienal Internacional Graffiti Fine Art is at MuBE – Museu Brasileiro da Escultura from January 22 – Febr 17, 2013.

Admission is free.
Address: Av. Europa, 218. São Paulo
Information: 11 2594-2601, mube@mube.art.br/ www.mube.art.br

See Daze in the video of a local news story on the exhibition below.


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