Fun Friday 02.10.12

February 10, 2012

1. Giants Fans in Manhattan Streets (VIDEO)
2. “F*ck Art” at Museum of Sex
3. CASA DE EMPENO at Anonymous (Mexico City)
4. “Love & Hate” Group Show at Stolen Space (London)
5. CREEPY at Okazi Gallery (Berlin)
6. Chris Stain and H. Veng Smith at C.A.V.E. Gallery (Los Angeles)
7. Winter Group Show at White Walls Gallery (San Francisco)
8. Zes and Retna new show “Excavated Revelations”
9. German duo Herakut paint a mural at Big Art Labs (VIDEO)

Giants Fans in Manhattan Streets (VIDEO) Weeeeeeeee are the CHAMPEEEEENSSSS

Streets in Manhattan were bloated with about a million crazy football fans this week as the Superbowl-winning New York Giants had a parade and almost everybody skipped school and work to go see their heroes. Office workers literally dumped garbage cans of shredded paper out the window en masse while fans poured into the city from every direction, including nearby states, to roar as the players rode by. Some people were well behaved, but they were hard to see or hear because of all the hooligans raising holy hell. Here’s a video taste of it –  some seriously funny sh*t. Watch out for unbridled testosterone fueled aggression, swear words and Giants inspired freestylin. NSFW, but okay for the street.

F*ck Art at Museum of Sex

The Museum of Sex new show “F*ck Art” is open to the general public. With a group of 20 Street Artists participating from different cities and countries the show includes: AIKO. Andrew H. Shirley, B-rad Izzy, Cassius Fouler. DICKCHICKEN. DROID, GEN 2, OZE 108 of 907, El Celso, Jeremy Novy, JMR, LUSH, Miss Van, MODE 2, Patch Whisky, ROSTARR, RTTP: Nathan Vincent & Bryan Raughton, Tony Bones, William Thomas Porter, WOLFTITS, and Wonderpuss Octopus.

Lush (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further details on this show click here

Click here to read our article and interviews with the curators and some of the artists.

CASA DE EMPENO at Anonymous (Mexico City)

In Mexico City Anonymous Gallery new group show “Casa de Empeño” opens today to the general public. Centered around the themes of a Pawn Shop the show includes internationally recognized Street Artists Judith supine. Maya Hayuk and Davil Ellis among others.

Judith Supine (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

“Love & Hate” Group Show at Stolen Space (London)

“Love & Hate” the new group show at Stolen Space Gallery in London opens today to the general public. With the participation of several Street Artists from different cities including: D*Face, Dan Witz, Miss Van, Ronzo, Toshi, Will Barras, Word To Mother, Jeff Soto and EINE among others.

Ben Eine (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

CREEPY at Okazi Gallery (Berlin)

Kyle Hughes-Odgers AKA Creepy new solo show “If We Can’t Control the Boat, Let’s Control the Ocean” opens today at the Okazi Gallery in Berlin.

Creepy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

Chris Stain and H. Veng Smith at C.A.V.E. Gallery (Los Angeles)

Chris Stain and Veng go to Little Venice, CA for the opening of their new show this Saturday at C.A.V.E. Gallery.

Veng and Chris Stain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Click here to read our article on Chris’ new works for this show.

And a preview of Veng’s work on The Street Spot.

For further information regarding this show click here

Winter Group Show at White Walls Gallery (San Francisco)

The White Walls Gallery new show “Winter Group Show” opens this Saturday in San Francisco with the participation of well known Street Artists including: Eine, Blek le Rat, Apex, Know Hope, Above, D*Face, Augustine Kofie, D Young V and Ernesto Yerena among others.

Blek le Rat (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

Also happening this weekend:

Zes and Retna new show “Excavated Revelations” opens this Saturday at Known Gallery in Los Angeles. Click here for more details on this show.

German duo Herakut paint a mural at Big Art Labs (VIDEO)

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Known Gallery Presents: Zes/Retna “Excavated Revelations” (Los Angeles, CA)

February 9, 2012 , , , , , ,

Excavated Revelations

EXCAVATED REVELATIONS
Featuring: ZES & RETNA

Opening reception: February 11, 2012 | 8 – 11 pm
Show runs: February 11 – 25, 2012

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

 

“Back in the day, there were these old buildings in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway Street that were abandoned, but they were so beautiful.  Zes and I wanted to climb them no matter how high they were, just so we could write on them.  They might not have been paintings, but to me, they were still works of art.” – RETNA

Known Gallery is proud to present Excavated Revelations, a dual exhibition featuring new work by Los Angeles-based artists ZES and RETNA.   Introduced in their youth by their mutual friend AYER, ZES and RETNA led parallel lives through an upbringing in graffiti. Utilizing a fluidity and precision they mastered by painting some of the most coveted walls in the city, their refined technique is now exemplified in this fresh body of abstract work.

ZES began his career at the young age of thirteen and gained recognition for his determination to climb some of the city’s most challenging locations, stealthily navigating the streets of Los Angeles and commandeering its obscure walls at night. Growing up in the heart of the city, by the age of fifteen, ZES became one of the youngest members of the legendary MSK crew and has helped define the contemporary graffiti movement. Widely respected for his innovations to West Coast wild style, his determination to overcome the obstacles the nature of graffiti presented resulted in a fervent approach to his modus operandi.  His longevity has allowed him to produce a substantial amount of work on the streets, making him one of the most influential and recognized graffiti artists not only in the city, but also internationally, along with his contemporaries AYER, REVOK, and SABER. He has traveled from coast to coast in search of new environments that challenge him to climb higher and paint pieces that express his creative intensity.  To this day, ZES can still be found on rooftops, ledges and fire escapes.

RETNA is always brimming with new ideas.  This past year alone, his work has been spotted everywhere from tail wings of jets to the walls of the Museum of Contemporary Art.  RETNA continuously pushes personal, artistic and physical boundaries as demonstrated in Excavated Revelations.  In this exhibition, he challenges himself with various methods including etching, the most esteemed technique used for master printing.  The age-old process utilizes zinc plates, produced and manipulated through washes and resists and placed in a bath charged with an electric current that physically “etches” the plate. An impression is then printed by running the plate and a sheet of paper through a press at about 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The result is beautifully embossed into the paper.

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com
310-860-6263

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Mighty Tanaka Gallery Presents: “Inside-Out” Featuring Works by Don Pablo Pedro and Cake (Brooklyn, NYC)

February 9, 2012 , , , , ,

Inside Out

Mighty Tanaka presents:
Inside Out
Featuring the artwork of Cake & Don Pablo Pedro

Look in the mirror, what do you see? Does your reflection smile back at you? Or does it hide behind layers of doubt? As each of us interprets the notion of self differently, the ways in which we choose to outwardly express ourselves varies greatly. For some, personal identity cannot always be communicated simply with words alone, so other means are utilized to translate the inner dialogue. Mighty Tanaka is pleased to bring you our next show, Inside Out, featuring the artwork of Cake & Don Pablo Pedro.

Inside Out is the outward expression of ones innermost feelings. The figurative and symbolic imagery relates to the personal struggle for understanding and emphasizes the desire to be heard. It’s the rare insight into the mind of another, a visual representation of an individual’s emotions. In essence, Inside Out is the exploration of self.

Cake & Don Pablo Pedro, two artists who’s work both compliments and conflicts, juxtapose each other in a complimentary way. From the soft touch of muslin fabric to the rigid edges of a wooden panel, their chosen materials are representational of their message, as they open themselves to the world.

OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, February 17th, 2012
6:00PM – 9:00PM

Mighty Tanaka
111 Front St., Suite 224
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Office: 718.596.8781

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Flying Dogs in Chicago : Skewville Throws (VIDEO PREMIERE)

February 9, 2012

You’ve seen at least one pair of Skewvilles dogs dangling in cities around the world, an unusual mimicry of a city custom where people throw their old kicks over wires for one reason or another. The brothers began custom designing and hacksaw cutting out their wooden versions in the 90s and flinging them. But it ain’t easy, and many times they miss the wires completely. It’s tricky.

Recently in Chicago, photographer and video maker Brock Brake followed Skewville around to see how it’s done, and how it’s missed. Says Brock, “I just wanted to focus on that as its own video because I think that’s one of the most important traits of Skewville is this weird shoe tossing phenomena.”

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Ron English Goes to Detroit With the Family (and wheat paste)

February 9, 2012

Street Artist Ron English has played many a visual trick on unsuspecting passersby, reflecting normalized consumer culture back through a funhouse mirror to illuminate the darker, more hypocritical aspects of unconscious living. Like the skits on Saturday Night Live, English’s brand of “POPaganda” has to stretch into the outlandish to lampoon the new normal, all for some social commentary that goes down with a spoonful of artistic sugar.

And now, for your voyeuristic edutainment, the reality show format is employed to take you on the revered “road trip” across the U.S. with the new American family: Ron, his wife, and kids (and assistants). Combining stunningly well-appointed suburban normality and bombed out urban abandonment, the gas-guzzling white flight this time is reverse back to the hood for a bit of wheat pasting, cameras in tow.  The final part of this brand new trilogy ties it all together, but you’ll notice the juxtapositions almost immediately along with the mundane and satirical. It’s just hard to know which one is which.

Part1:

Ron English in Detroit Part 2:

Ron English in Detroit Part 3:

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“F*ck Art” Opens Wide at Museum Of Sex (Not Safe for Work / School)

February 8, 2012 , , , , , ,

Be Sure to Ride the 14 Foot Long “F*ck Bike”

“F*ck Art”, an undulating and adventurous group show by New York Street Artists opens its arms and legs to you at the Museum of Sex (MoSex) tomorrow and whether it’s the human powered penetrating bicycle or the glass bead encrusted dildo, it endeavors to satisfy.

Miss Van. Detail. Oil on Canvas (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Co-curated by Emilie Baltz (Creative Director) and Mark Snyder (Director of Exhibitions), the show selects 20 current Street Artists who have pushed notions of propriety into provocation on the street and it invites them to let it loose behind closed doors.  Not that Miss Van needs anyone’s permission; her sensual role-playing painted ladies have been playfully preening on graff-piled walls and blue-boarded construction sites for much of the 2000s.  Similarly the powerfully stenciled sirens by Street Artist AIKO have been bending over in high heels on walls all over the world with just a hint of the geishas from her native Japan for over a decade.

Aiko. Detail. Collage on canvas. (photo © Jaime Rojo).

The “Fuck Bike #001”, a pedal operated plunging machine by William Thomas Porter and Andrew H. Shirley, has at its conceptual base an ode to the lengths a guy will go to reach his natural objective. The two artist met at a Black Label Bike Club event called “Ridin’ Dirty” in 2010 and later schemed together to make an entry for a bike-themed group show in Bushwick, Brooklyn that featured many Street Artists like DarkClouds, Ellis G., UFO, Noah Sparkes and Mikey 907. “I approached Tom with the idea of creating a kinetic bike sculpture which you could f*ck someone with,” remembers Mr. Shirley, “Tom is a very gifted artist and bike engineer, it took a few days for him to build our design.”

Andrew H Shirley and William Thomas Porter “Fuck Bike #001” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Visitors to the show are invited to mount the bike and take it for a spin. “This bike is more sculpture oriented, but still functions sexually. It’s also totally interactive,” explains Mr. Shirley, who has displayed the bike in cities in Europe and America, most recently at Art Basel in Miami in December. So the bike has gotten around and Shirley happily recounts stories of intimate encounters it has had with both genders. (See the very Not-Safe-For-Work film of the bike in action below.)

The street has certainly seen an increase of fairly graphic sex related Street Art in the last decade or so as people have become more comfortable with such themes and much of this show can often be seen throughout the city without the price of admission. Gay couple Bryan Raughton and Nathan Vincent have been putting large and small scaled paste-ups of sexually themed imagery as a Street Art duo called RTTP for about two years on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Short for “Reply To This Post”, the line-drawn torsos and spread eagles are all part of their collaborative Street Art project that explores the desires of men seeking men on Craigslist.

 

RTTP. Collage directly on wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Describing the work, Vincent says it’s a process of lifting the mystery off of a just-below-the-radar Internet dating game – and pasting it on a lightpole. “Users post an ad with an image, title, and a short description of what they are looking for tonight. The photograph they post of themselves is drawn and titled with the ad’s title.” By putting these erotically based desires on the streets, Vincent thinks “they magnify those desires that often seem to live at the edges.” Says Raughton of the project, “We see it as an interesting way to take people private desires to the public street.”

 

Lush. Spray paint directly on wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In discussing the origins and underpinnings of a show like this, the co-curators reveal a more academic and sociological grounding than the prurient and salacious sauciness one might infer by a display of so much “F*ck Art”.  We asked Baltz to give us a sense of the context for a Street Art driven sex show.

Brooklyn Street Art: What is your favorite part of curating a show like this?
Emilie Baltz: Seeing the different interpretations and energy that each artist brings to their work is always the most interesting part of curating – with this topic, especially, it’s the fact that they are all pushing the limits of their medium by creating such provocative statements.

 

Wonderpuss Octopus. Sex toy with paint buildup and glass beads applique. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: While these pieces are behind closed doors available to a certain audience, Street Artists typically put their work out in the public. Do you think the work should change depending on the audience?
Emilie Baltz: We don’t think it’s about changing the work, it’s about how the work changes the environment it lives in. Street art has a long history of revealing different perspectives on its surrounding environment and by placing this work in a museum it creates a certain energy and visual provocation that changes the relationship we traditionally have to the museum-going experience.

Wolftits. Painted floor mat on rubber.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Do you think there has been an increase in sex-related street art in recent years, and if so, why?
Emilie Baltz: There definitely is an increase in sex-related conversations in recent years. It’s not that there is more content suddenly, it’s just that culture is actually ready to start talking about it now, rather than ignore it.

 

Tony Bones on wood affixed to wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: We have noticed that themes of sex and sexuality are often quickly destroyed on the street, while other pieces remain for months. Is this a form of selective censorship by the public?
Emilie Baltz: Street art is a dialogue. Its creation is about expression and commentary, and therefore can become a barometer of cultural consciousness (or unconsciousness). The intimate and emotional nature of sexual content can obviously elicit strong feelings in viewers, and, given that street art is an environmental medium, either you have to live with it or get rid of it. Sex walks a fine line between acceptance and rejection. Public response to this kind of art is potentially a mirror into how our society relates to the topic.

Brooklyn Street Art: What surprised you the most about putting this show together?
Emilie Baltz: The enthusiasm from the public. People are genuinely excited to talk about sex in public space and it’s an incredible honor to be able to help facilitate that discussion.

 

Patch Whisky. Detail. Diorama with spray paint, paper collage and painted mannequins. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dickchicken. Detail. Hand colored wheatpaste directly on wall with painting on wood panel. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Droid, Gen 2, Oze 108, 907 Crew. Detail. Spray paint directly on wall with image on a light box. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Celso. Paint on Lucite. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cassius Fouler. Detail. New piece painted directly on wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Bike on Display in the Window at The Museum of Sex (NOT SAFE FOR WORK OR SCHOOL)

<<<<>>>BSA<<<>><><>>BSA<<<<>>>BSA<<<>><><>>BSA<<<<>>>BSA<<<>><><>>BSA

F*CK ART
A Street Art Occupation at the Museum of Sex in New York City, opens February 8 and will run through June 10, 2012.

Emilie Baltz, Co-Curator, Creative Director, F*CK ART
Mark Snyder, Co-Curator F*CK ART, Director of Exhibitions, Museum of Sex
Meghan Coleman and Alex Emmart of Might Tanaka Gallery in Brooklyn served as Chief Advisors.

Participating Artists:

AIKO. Andrew H. Shirley, B-rad Izzy, Cassius Fouler. DICKCHICKEN. DROID, GEN 2, OZE 108 of 907, El Celso, Jeremy Novy, JMR, LUSH, Miss Van, MODE 2, Patch Whisky, ROSTARR, RTTP: Nathan Vincent & Bryan Raughton, Tony Bones, William Thomas Porter, WOLFTITS, and Wonderpuss Octopus

 

 

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“Wrinkles” Revisted, Revealed : JR New Mini-Doc

February 7, 2012 , , ,

A year ago on BSA and Huffington Post we brought you the new installation by French Street Artist JR on the streets of Los Angeles called “Wrinkles in the City”.

At the time the installation was still unveiling on walls across a swath of LA, greeting morning commuters and puzzling image-conscious plastic surgeons in the city of angelic youthfulness. The city was anticipating the soon-opening “Art in the Streets” exhibit at The Museum of Contemporary Art, and the artist himself had just garnered a TED prize.

Today we get a look at the new mini-documentary about the “Wrinkles” series and learn much more about the people featured in the gargantuan images plastered on walls everywhere. A sensitive portrayal of the subjects, the pacing of the doc allows stories to unfold before you. Following the video are images of the LA street show by Todd Mazer and Jaime Rojo.

JR Los Angeles (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

JR Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JR Los Angeles. LA Freewalls (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JR Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JR Los Angeles. LA Freewalls (photo © Todd Mazer)

JR Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

See our article of JR “Wrinkles in the City” with great photos by Todd Mazer on the Huffington Post HERE

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Siren Studios Presents: Gregory Siff “There and Back” (Hollywood, CA)

February 6, 2012 , , , , , ,

Gregory Siff

GREGORY SIFF  | THERE & BACK

March 1, 2012

6:00 – 11:00pm

Siren Studios 6063 W. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA

RSVP must be made at rsvp@sirenstudios.com

On Thursday March 1, 2012, Siren Studios’ artist series platform; Rooftop Sessions will present Gregory Siff | There & Back. Having just come down from his first, and highly successful solo show with The Site Unscene, Gregory is back with a new body of work. In There & Back, Gregory reveals the private moments of his journey through the past two decades, exposing his range of emotions as well as those who had an impact on him along the way. Gregory’s unique technique and application of ink stains, spray, marker tags, knife etchings and poetry, visually express the maps of his reality; drawing from experience, conquest, loss and love. There & Back follows Gregory’s struggle of coping with the fracturing of a dream and the transformation to something greater once that fracture heals.

Most recently collaborating with street legend and artist Risk from The 7th Letter. Gregory has been commissioned by The Standard Hotel and The De la Barracuda Wall; has exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, London, Dublin, Italy and Vancouver; and has appeared at MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch’s Art Parade, in Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, Paper Mag, LA Canvas, Complex and Glamour. An exclusive Twelve Bar tee shirt, designed by Gregory, will be available the night of the show.

For There & Back, Gregory will also be collaborating on an installation with students from Communities in Schools, a non-profit organization that works within the public school system to determine student’s needs and establishes relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers, and parent and volunteer organizations to provide needed resources. Gregory is a dedicated supporter of planting success in children through the arts and will donate 10% of all proceeds from There & Back to Communities in Schools.

Siren Studios is located at 6063 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA. For Gregory Siff’s There & Back, Siren Studios’ Rooftop Session has teamed up with curatorial director Eli Consilvio of The Art Reserve as well as curators JB Jones and Wil Atkinson from The Site Unscene. Siren Studios created Rooftop Sessions, a periodic artist platform that extends their current contribution and support to the art scene in Los Angeles

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Physical Goods Gallery and The Site Unscene Present: A HISTORY OF QUEER STREET ART (Hollywood, CA)

February 6, 2012 , , , , , ,

A History of Queer Street Art

A HISTORY OF QUEER STREET ART opens for a limited engagement in Los
Angeles with an opening reception on February 9th from 7-11pm.

Location: Physical Goods Gallery – 1621 1/2 Cahuenga Blvd. – Hollywood, CA 90028

A History of Queer Street Art opens for its month long engagement at Physical Goods
Gallery in the heart of Hollywood, CA on February 9th and will run through February 29th 2012. Originally curated and exhibited in San Francisco by SF based street artist Jeremy Novy, the exhibit is re-imagined and brought to Los Angeles by LA’s own Homo Riot.
A History of Queer Street Art, first presented in 2011 at the SOMArts Center in San Francisco, documents the work of queer and pro-queer street artists from around the world. Spanning more than two decades of work, the collection includes pieces by notable queer street artists as well as showcasing present day street activists.
At the heart of the History of Queer Street Art is a timeline of works collected by Novy which incorporates prints, stencils, stickers, photos, street pasters and even the gallery’s walls — creating a “street art experience” from a queer perspective. The Los Angeles version of the exhibition, produced by Homo Riot, will also feature new works by well-known European street artists like Paul Le Chien, Adrian & Shane, as well as American mainstays like Prvtdncr and Jilly Ballistic, and many other young and emerging queer street artists. Homo Riot has curated video presentations as well as art installations throughout the Hollywood gallery to further enhance the experience.

“It was important for me to bring this show to Los Angeles. Not only is LA one of the most
influential cities in the world when it comes to street art but historically, the city has been the site of many central movements in the struggle for LGBTQ equality. I hope this show will be seen as an important milestone in the queer artistic history of LA.”…Homo Riot

“It’s important to celebrate our history and to know the outstanding LGBT artists past and
present who are bold enough to express themselves in public. I hope this show inspires future artists to create art for the world to see,” Brian Meiler of Physical Goods Gallery.

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M-City Meets the Commercial Buff in Mexico City

February 6, 2012

Nobody expects to “run” forever. That’s the nature of Street Art and everything else. If your work is not gone over by another artist or buffed by a private or municipal roller, the rain and wind and sun will eventually erode your enthusiasm. That’s the nature of this ephemeral art.

Graffiti writers and Street Art makers are sometimes lulled into thinking their principle audiences are each other, but there is always the arm of the law and property owners, and more often than ever it is the arm of commerce that swings through and bats everyone aside with a message brought to you by a manly deodorant.

Last week Polish Street Artist M-City got his work buffed by sneakers.

He’d put it up last summer in the Gustavo A. Madero district in Mexico City completely legally as part of a cultural project. The trucks and scenes of industry he stenciled excited the local kids and paid tribute to the monsters that roar through the modest neighborhood.  Using multiple layers of stencils, as he has done in cities like  Warsaw, Jakaarta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Stavanger (Norway) in the last few years, M-City created his boldly dense geometry of the symbols of production on a red brick home in Colonia 7 de Noviembre.

The original state of the building in was not remarkable. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

The organizers of the program which brought him there, Gonzalo Alvarez of Mamutt Arte and Carlos Cruz of Cauce Ciudano in Mexico City, have hosted Street Artists like ROA, Broken Crow, JAZ, EVER, Sego, Saner, XAM, Liquen and Dhear over the last two years to create cultural programs for at-risk youth and burgeoning young artists.

The M-City piece paid tribute to the businesses in the area. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

“Obviously I was super angry at the house owners, but I understood that a little extra help in these tough times is always good,” explains Alvarez as he describes his initial reaction to seeing M-City’s work replaced by a flat one color illustration of a sneaker.  It raised his ire at the company that showed no sensitivity to the efforts of the neighbors, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do about it. “It took me and the Cauce people like three days to kind of understand if the brand was wrong or we were wrong.” Ultimately they decided to write a two-page letter to Converse to raise awareness there about the impact it’s had.

The M-City work going up last August. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

In their letter they explain that their joint project has worked closely with local community, civic, and international organizations to create their program, “painting in areas with problems of violence and delinquency (painting on peoples houses and businesses) … a space where gangs can coexist without violence, helping to build peace, we show that this expression can become a job and a piece of art.”

Local youth participated in the mural’s creation and passed it daily. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

Since sending the letter to Converse Mexico offices and to media in the Street Art community, Alvarez and Cruz have received a lot of feedback. “All of the opinions we have received via different ways (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, phone calls, etc) are sympathetic to our point of view and understand exactly where we are coming from, even if they are not even interested in art.”

The stencil artist draws upon a collection of approximately one hundred hand cut stencils. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

You can’t characterize art on the street as anything less than an ongoing conversation; which includes all the subtleties and ramifications the metaphor implies. In this case, it looks like there will be more to say.

The new facade. (image courtesy M-City, Mamutt Arte, and Cauce Ciudano)

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