Hold Up Arts Presents: Cryptik “Sacred Syllables” (Los Angeles, CA)

November 23, 2011 , , , , , , ,

Cryptik

Cryptik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CRYPTIK

SACRED SYLLABLES

With Live Screen Printing

by the Hit + Run Crew

OPENING RECEPTION ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011

From 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

at

Hold Up Art

358 E. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Exhibition will run through December 14, 2011.

 

Hold Up Art presents a new exhibition, Sacred Syllables, by Cryptik, whose bold calligraphy style and eastern-influenced graphics have become a Los Angeles street art staple. Inspired by the philosophies of the far-east and the historical importance placed on the written word, Cryptik’s wheat paste posters, stickers, and t-shirts, which feature traditional mantras and poetry, have become an artistic movement.

“The Cryptik Movement is a public art campaign dedicated to helping humanity evolve towards greater awareness and understanding through the use of compelling, iconic imagery that demands both scrutiny and reverie,” writes Cryptik in his manifesto. “The purpose of this organization is to facilitate the development of a deeper, more meaningful philosophy of life. Our main objective is to challenge people to think of other possibilities and to see a different reality; one that encompasses many ideologies, philosophies, and belief systems in order to help us better understand our place in the universe.”

Free of religious or political messages, Cryptik’s art is meant to provoke contemplation and act as a catalyst for a shift in consciousness. With an interest in concepts that don’t necessarily fit into any scientific paradigms, Cryptik plans to expand his exploration of words and imagery to include more esoteric and occult philosophies.

“If Art is a reflection of the artist’s soul, it is up to the artist to understand themselves before the audience can,” says Hold Up Art’s curator Brian Lee. “Cryptik is one of the very few artists in the street art scene who truly understands who he is, and how to visually communicate his message to an audience.”

Cryptik will be joined at the opening of Sacred Syllables by the Hit + Run Crew, who will be custom screen-printing throughout the event. Early arrival is suggested to guarantee custom printed shirt availability.

 

For more information about this and other exhibits,

please visit www.holdupart.com.

Read more

Above Second Avenue Gallery Presents: East West Connection. A Group Exhibition Curated By Arrested Motion (Hong Kong)

November 23, 2011 , , , ,

East West Connection
Nick Walker. Image Courtesy of Arrested Motion

Above Second Gallery is pleased to present East West Connect, a group exhibition curated by Arrested Motion (www.arrestedmotion.com) featuring the work of Luke Chueh, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Evah Fan, Stella Im Hultberg, Tat Ito, Akino Kondoh, Travis Louie, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Brendon Monroe, Edwin Ushiro, Nick Walker, and Yoskay Yamamoto. The exhibition will run from November 25th until January 12th with an opening scheduled for Friday November 25h (6-10 pm).

The showing, East West Connect, brings together thirteen participants chosen carefully from a diverse selection of artists covered by the online art magazine for their inaugural curatorial feature at the Hong Kong showspace. Each artist, despite differing ethnicities and nationalities, can either claim an Asian heritage and/or have utilized imagery inspired by the Far East in the past. Most of those included, although they have a common interest in the region, have not had major shows in Asia. By bringing their collective work back to its geographic “source,” so to speak, the exhibition hopes to deal with themes of identity for those who have dual cultural allegiances, explore the melding and fusion of artistic influences, and foster the discussion of the work when brought into local context when comparing audiences in the East and West. The vibrant city-state of Hong Kong, long considered to be the gateway between East and West, and now the epicenter of a booming art market in the region, seemed to be an appropriate location for this exhibition.

About Arrested Motion (http://www.arrestedmotion.com):

Arrested Motion is an art culture hub started up in 2008 by a group of collectors who saw the opportunity to share their love for artists they knew through extensive online and onsite coverage.  Along with the associated Artchival Forum (http://artchival.proboards.com/), the website has grown from its humble beginnings to over half a million hits a month while reporting on the contemporary, street/urban, and so called low brow art scene in all the major art centers of the world. Their goal is to provide unique and exclusive content while demonstrating that art is for people of all ages and socioeconomic groups.

About The Gallery (http://blog.above-second.com/)

Above Second is an artist-run gallery and studio space existing as a catalyst for the expanding new contemporary art movement exploding forth from the streets / art schools / design studios from around the world. Located near the Central District of Hong Kong Island, the gallery has cultured a network of local emerging young talent and international artists whose work is rarely exhibited in Asia.

Their Art Residency programs are designed to provide a space for the visiting artists, without any limitations, as a setting to be progressive and innovate. They are proud to have collaborated with artists from Denmark, Italy, Australia, USA, UK, Mexico, China, and locally. One of the most successful examples of this is their POW WOW (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/) event series. The first POW WOW was held in Hong Kong (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/2010/12/pow-wow-hong-kong-press/) and then most recently in Hawaii in February of this year  (http://welovecampfires.com/powwow/2011/04/pow-wow-hawaii-press/).

To RSVP or to be placed on the preview list, please email info@above-second.com. Further questions can also be directed to Hung-Hei Yung (hunghei@arrestedmotion.com) and Tanley Wong (tanley@arrestedmotion.com). Address: Above Second Gallery, 31 Eastern Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong.

Read more

Galeria Ignacio De-Lassaletta Presents: Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda Solo Exhibition (Barcelona,Spain)

November 23, 2011 , , , , ,

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerarda

 

JORGE RODRÍGUEZ-GERADA
SOLO EXHIBITION AT GALERÍA IGNACIO DE LASSALETTA

Opening Reception Thursday, November 24, 2011 from 7-10pm
On View November 24, 2011 – January 17, 2012
Rambla de Catalunya 47.08007 Barcelona, Spain
On Thursday November 24th, Cuban New Yorker and Barcelonaphile urban artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada will unveil his breathtaking and ground breaking new work at Galería Ignacio de Lassaletta. Presenting new pieces from the Urban Analogies charcoal drawing series created on 250 year old wall surfaces and the new Memorylithicssculpture series, using discarded historical architectural elements over 500 years old. All the work in this exhibition is based on the intangible memory that these materials possess and the passage of time that they portray. To celebrate the occasion a printed special edition catalogue of 1 to 500 numbered copies, including an insightful essay by Iván de la Nuez, will feature all of the exhibited works.Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada is a founder of the New York Culture Jamming movement and an innovator in the international urban art scene. Since the late 90´s he has been replacing the faces of cultural icons chosen by advertisers with the faces of anonymous people to question the controls imposed on public space, the role models designated and the type of events that are guarded by the collective memory. Rodríguez-Gerada´s unique direction was mentioned in Naomi Klein´s book No Logo and was a precursor of the use of anonymous portraits now common in street art. His spectacular interventions are created for the sake of bringing awareness to relevant social issues. His large scale time base works avoid negative impact on the environment, challenge the conformity in contemporary art and allow for a reflection that goes beyond the completion of the piece to focus in its concept, process, and the metaphor that comes forth because of the material chosen.

‘In spite of the growth in time periods and dimensions, and in spite of Rodríguez-Gerada never betraying his urban condition, his work does not ‘crumble’ in a gallery. It has its own presence that doesn’t really listen to a change of scale, nor acts as a mini-sized version of his usual work pattern. Like in all his itinerary, the point is to move a world into another world, a time into a different time, a meaning into an altogether ‘other’ meaning. For this, his pieces behave like a ready-made solution, willing to pay their debts with Art in general and with Urban Art in particular. Is it calling on Banksy or Blu? Both, but also on Duchamp, Brancusi or Picabia, as well as from Rosalind Krauss’ ‘expanded sculptures’, from Robert Smithson or Ana Mendieta.’
Iván de la Nuez. Essayist and Curator.

Read more

Sydney’s “OutPost Project” ReCap

November 23, 2011 , , , , ,
Our sincere thanks to BSA reader and New Yorker Spencer Elzey, who took a trip to Sydney at the beginning of the month and had the opportunity to check out the Outpost Project Street Art festival. Here’s his report.

Overview and a warning. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Cockatoo Island is the Governor’s Island of Sydney. The ferry leaves Circular Quay, motors beside the shimmering tiles of the Sydney Opera House, sweeps underneath the arching Harbor Bridge and the tourist who pay $200 for a chance to climb the upper deck above. Twenty minutes later, a large “No Trespassing” sign begins to become in focus. We have arrived at the Outpost Project.

Anthony Lister. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

The island, who’s past includes an old Imperial prison and one of Australia’s largest shipyards, welcomes each street art enthusiast with a detailed information brochure. The inner cover contains a fairly easy to follow map of what lies ahead. Right away three large inflatables (imagine a small grounded hot air balloon) greet you adorned with Anthony Lister’s iconic caricatures. The info packet says it best when describing the images; the “superheroes are never indomitable conquerors or unequivocal villains.” Straddled by two of these is a large piece by Belgium artist, and frequent Brooklyn talent, ROA.

ROA. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Follow the art around the corner through a mural-lined alley between two buildings and some familiar styles present themselves including the stick-figure arms by Perth Street Artist Creepy.

Creepy and Daek. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

The second floor of one of these buildings is the current home to a large private collection of work by Banksy. The OI YOU! Collection had an interesting start, but where it currently stands is 22 pieces by Banksy. Intermixed are items by Faile, Swoon and others. The husband and wife team collecting behind OI YOU!, George Shaw and his wife Shannon Webster, sold both of their cars and re-directed a home improvement loan to feed their need for owning more street art.

Kid Zoom…and documentation of the destruction of three Holden Commodores. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Inside the main building, known as the Industrial Precinct, MOX (Mark Cawood) is hard at work. After over 120 hours of intricate stencil cutting, his diligence is well on its way toward a completed final product. At the end of the hall, behind the small traffic jam of mangled cars, is a life size recreation of the childhood home of Street Artist and fine artist Kid Zoom.

Kid Zoom. “Home” The artist recreate a scale reproduction of his childhood home from early adolescent memory… (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Located deeper within the hall of the Industrial Precinct are two other impressive arrays; NEXT by T-World and Pastemodernism 3. Both of these installations, while serious in their scope, were whimsical at heart. The NEXT collection, overseen by “Melbourne-born T-shirt messiah Eddie Zammit,” asks 20 artists to assemble over 1,500 T-shirts to display. Local shout-outs included Barcade in Williamsburg and Katz’s Deli on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Pastemodernism 3, now in it’s third year at OUTPOST, is the self-proclaimed “largest celebration of ‘paste-ups’ in Australia.” Over 100 artists had a part in this collaboration.

A view of the T Shirt installation. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Traversing the Artery, a limestone lined subterranean tunnel, one passes by a “rogue gallery of 30 hand picked Australian street artists” including HA HA, Ghostpatrol, Numskull, Dmote and Yok, just to name a few.

The Art Gallery in the Tunnel. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Upon exiting, you end up back at the beginning, next to the “No Trespassing” sign and amongst a collection by Will Coles. His concrete cast items, usually adorned with a word or two, are lifelike enough even the Seagulls seemed a bit confused.

Will Coles. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Will Coles. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

New Rock Crew. 1976 Classic School Bus. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

New Rock Crew. 1976 Classic School Bus. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

New Rock Crew. 1976 Classic School Bus. Anthony Lister balloon on the background. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Shannon Crees. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Phibs. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Mini Graff. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Max Berry. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

We couldn’t read the artist’s signature. Please let us know if you know who this artist is. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Hazzy Bee. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

HA HA on the left and Shida on the right. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Ears. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Read more

Carhartt Gallery Presents: “Wallflowers” A Group Show (Weil am Rhein – Friedlingen, Germany)

November 22, 2011 , , , ,

Wallflowers

Parisian Artist LUDO is participating on this show. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The new exhibition, entitled «WALLFLOWERS» is opening on December 03rd, 2011 at the Carhartt Gallery.
The exciting exhibition presents a new take on urbanism, creating the dynamic feel of the city in a new and unique setting. 10 International Artists will be creating art directly on the walls of the exhibition structures. The complexity and energy of this modern art form will be revealed in all its facets, bringing color to the drab gray of winter!

Read more

Cern Paints Bruce Lee in Brooklyn

November 22, 2011 , , , ,

李小龍, the Chinese American martial artist and cultural icon otherwise known as Bruce Lee, is receiving a giant tribute by New York Street Artist Cern in Williamsburg, Brooklyn right now.

 

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Over the course of a couple of weeks, this psychedelic scene has unwound from the longtime graffiti artist Cern’s imagination, an interwoven gently surreal color spectacle of traditional Chinese imagery; dragons, pagodas and pines, combined with a frisky feline and fully formed Cern birds from the artists own visual vocabulary. The ephemeral dream washes across the facades of two buildings, framing the commanding image of the master. Brought along for the trip are the inflateable Cern paintings that the artist is experimenting with, and who bring a cheerful bobbing third dimension to the worksite, augmenting the process and producing a curious stream of onlookers. Or is that a stream of curious onlookers?

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We found Cern commanding his cherry picker, doing his mid-air wizardry on a beautiful autumn day perched along this wall that has been a very well known spot for Street Artists over the last decade or more. An abandoned piece of property while Williamsburg was of no interest to anyone but the artists who came here seeking large industrial spaces and places to create, many will recall these walls as a magnet to Street Artists like Cake, Feral, Dain, MOMO, Matt Siren, El Sol 25, Hellbent and many more, who were attracted to its beautiful decay and stately demeanor. With the advent of people with money (and strollers) moving in, the former dye factory is now becoming, what else, a martial arts center. With Cern’s help, the new work keeps artists in the mix.

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read more

ECB and Old Men in Bushwick

November 21, 2011 , , , ,

German Street Artist ECB recently finished painting this elongated white guys head on a 150 year old building in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. ECB says he likes painting wrinkles and ends up painting men because they have more. Additionally, stretching them out of proportion is a favorite technique, pushing the features and proportions like silly putty to cover as much space as possible. If you have been in Bushwick much over the past two years you’ve seen many of them wrapping around old warehouses and factory buildings.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

While inspecting the latest ECB, we got to meet the owner of the building, Franz, a senior gentleman who actually was so engaging that he gave an entire tour of it, such is the nature of some friendly people. As you walk from floor to floor seeing how the building is used, it might strike you that Franz could easily be a sitter for one of ECB’s pieces. He explains that this building used to be a family farmhouse an stable and a resting station for horses. Travelers on a long trip from the North would replace their tired team of horses with a new fresh team and continue their journey. On their way back home they picked their own team up and headed back home.

Franz, an emigrant from Austria and a Master cabinet maker, has been working with wood and making custom furniture for over 50 years. He purchased the Bushwick farmhouse 35 years ago for $85,000 once the seller agreed to put on a new roof.  Ask him why he still works so hard everyday and he looks at you like you’re crazy. He can build anything you ask, loves what he does, and has a staff of six assistants, one apprentice and an artist for faux wood finishing.

And what about the artists on the street? He said he likes to help out the young artists and is very happy to allow them to paint on the building’s front and sidewalls. He said he enjoys the murals, likes the crumbling paint on the bricks and wants things to stay as they are.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read more
Images of the Week 11.20.11

Images of the Week 11.20.11

November 20, 2011 , , , ,

Our Weekly Interview with the Street, this week featuring Cash4, Dain, Dan Witz, Ment, Miyok, Never, Troy Lovegates AKA Other, Stikman, and Stinkfish.

Troy Lovegates AKA Other (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A portrait of a Geisha from Lisa Enxing.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cash4 and Ment. An invasion of Jelly Fish from the East River on Bushwick…  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

…and Williasmburg.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Deatail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Penny for your thoughts, Thelma. Dain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain’s almost glam here. The mustache helps in the androgyny department. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Oh, wait, hold on. I hate when my contact slips. It’s like one eye is totally blurry. ” Dain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

All together now, say “disaster”. A photographic collage of World disasters by an Unknown Artist. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Miyok and the Church of Scientology. Also, Panties for Diamonds! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The artist “Never” paints this colorful Swallow on the facade of  the Swallow cafe in Bushwick. By the time you read this the “Morgantown” lettering will probably have been replaced. Some high minded arrivistes tried to re-name Bushwick with the pretentious sounding name of  “Morgantown”.  Despite their best efforts and claims of name coinage the title never took hold. Bushwick is what it is…dirty sounding, dirty on the streets and dirty elsewhere. Love it! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sometimes that pointy part of the head on a Stikman makes me think of the Pope. See what I mean? Stikman. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stinkfish. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read more

Swoon Prepping “Murmuration” for Black Rat

November 19, 2011 , , ,

Street Artist and fine artist Swoon has been laboring in London for the past weeks to prepare art for her upcoming show “Murmuration” at Black Rat Projects. The actual installation has just begun and Mike Snell says it’s “still early days” but they’ve sent us a few behind-the-scenes shots to give BSA readers a glimpse of the developing world of Swoon.

Swoon in action while rocking out to some jams. (photo © Mike Snelle)


Swoon. “Sambhavna” awaits installation at Black Rat  (photo © Mike Snelle)

Swoon. “Move it a bit more to the left…”  (photo © Mike Snelle)

Things are still a little unsettled in the orchestra pit, with violins and tubas and sheet music all akimbo. Swoon.  (photo © Mike Snelle)

Swoon soaring upward while an assistant helps with the installation  (photo © Mike Snelle)

Read more

Fun Friday 11.18.11

November 18, 2011

1. Occupy Wall Street This Weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Repeat)
2. The London Police at Opera Gallery
3. “Fresh Kills” Anonymous Gallery Opens in Mexico City
4. “Groundbreak” behind CBGB’s in the Alley Tomorrow
5. “Paperboys” at Pandemic Saturday (BK)
6. POSE and KC Ortiz show “White Wash” at Known Gallery
7. Sixeart at N2 Galeria in Barcelona, Spain
8. “Dissidents” A group show at West Berlin Gallery
9. “SelfEst” at Kind of – Gallery.
10. Bask solo show “Box of Fun” at William Rupnik Gallery
11. VIDEO PREMIERE! TEEBS by Brock Brake in Chicago
12. JM Rizzi “Day Dreaming Under Streetlights” (VIDEO)
13. Nuria Mora”2 Estrellas” (VIDEO)
14. New from Snyder : “Carlsbad Toreador” (VIDEO)

Occupy Wall Street This Weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Repeat)

Yesterday was the two month mark for this nascent people’s movement and the signs on the Street are bigger and clearer than ever. One of our new favorites is the addition of projection art, which has a powerful effect on the facade of iconic architectural structures, or non-descript ones. Dedicated projection art on the street simply takes a graphic, a hand truck, a projector, and a car battery. It is also non-damaging to property. In these new days of unbridled creativity set free on the street, you can’t beat a good D.I.Y. idea. Look ma, no cans!

Images © Chris Jordan

The London Police at Opera Gallery

“Who Cares Wins” opens to the public today, minus the Dandy Warhols singing songs about dogs like they did last night at the opening. The large show solidifies TLP’s place in Manhattan and the technical tightness belies a deep belief in the power of the fun, friendship, graffiti, architecture, and the imagination. Arrive in a playful mood and you’ll dig it.

 

The London Police (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here

Read BSA interview with TLP here

“Fresh Kills” Anonymous Gallery Opens in Mexico City

A downtown staple of inquisitive exploration, Anonymous Gallery is opening “Fresh Kills”, a group exhibition today in D.F., featuring their customary mixing of artists to create an ever more potent cocktail. The organizing principal for this show is the huge dump we have on Staten Island that will one day be a beautiful park for dogs to catch frisbees and teenagers to smoke pot in. NO LITTERING!

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artists include Richard Prince, Tom Sachs, Aaron Young, Agathe Snow, Hanna Liden, Swoon, Barry McGee, David Ellis, and Greg Lamarche.

For further information regarding this show click here.

“Groundbreak” behind CBGB’s in the Alley Tomorrow

Curated by Joyce Manalo of ArtForward & Keith Schweitzer of MaNY Project, this outdoor small group show will be waiting for you to come by tomorrow. Featured are Abe Lincoln Jr., Ellis Gallagher, and Jon Burgerman, who doodled the hell out of the sidewalk this week, bless him.

 

Ellis G (photo © Jaimme Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

“Paperboys” at Pandemic Saturday (BK)

Okay, time to haul out to the south side of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Saturday night. With this show, you are at an epicenter for a solid new direction Street Art is going to. Wouldn’t want to be so bold to say “don’t miss it”, but…

Featured will be brand new work by ND’A, Labrona and Overunder.

 

ND’A – Labrona (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

Here’s a bit of OverUnder to whet your snappy clappetite for more.

Overunder in preparation mode (photo © Overunder)

“Most of my contributions are gouache pieces referencing some of my favorite paintings and places. I feel so fortunate for being able to travel and paint so much the last 2 years. It has really been a blessing! But now I’ve begun sourcing all those past images and street pieces for this new body of work where I can combine the architecture features, the figurative wheat pastes, and the paper bird phrases. It’s been a real reflective period, which I think is beneficial for people like me that are constantly churning out work (whether good or bad) so that I can now begin to see it with fresh eyes.” ~ Overunder

Also happening this weekend:

POSE and KC Ortiz show “White Wash” at Known Gallery in Los Angeles. Click here for more information.

Sixeart at N2 Galeria in Barcelona, Spain. Click here for more information.

“Dissidents” A group show at West Berlin Gallery in Berlin, Germany. Click here for more information.

“SelfEst” at Kind of – Gallery. A group art event. Sydney, Australia. Click here for more information.

Bask solo show “Box of Fun” at William Rupnik Gallery in Cleveland, OH. Click here for more information.

VIDEO PREMIERE! TEEBS by Brock Brake in Chicago

BSA Video debut of Photographer and BSA collaborator Brock Brake of artist Teebs who was recently in Chicago for his solo show at Pawn Works Gallery.

 Brock Brake “Black Book”

JM Rizzi “Day Dreaming Under Streetlights” (VIDEO)

Nuria Mora”2 Estrellas” (VIDEO)

New from Snyder : “Carlsbad Toreador” (VIDEO)

Read more

Recent Articles on BSA