Specter: The Gentrification Series

January 21, 2010 , ,

To use a mangled metaphor, it looks like street artist Specter has thrown his terry cloth headband into the basketball ring in the ongoing Atlantic Yards dispute between pro-development and anti-gentrification forces in downtown Brooklyn.

Specter
Street artist Specter’s “A Nightmare on Atlantic” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For those of you who have been living under an IKEA, gentrification has been plowing through New York City since at least the 1950’s and it went on steroids in the 1990’s as developers began mowing down anything in their path by brandishing a legal claim of “Eminent Domain”.

Specter
Closeup of Specter piece (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

Don’t take my word for it, even conservative stalwart George Will wrote about it’s perceived mis-use a few weeks ago in the Washington Post.

Specter

Specter's "Caucasian Invasion" (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

For my money, and I’m broke, social critique doesn’t get richer than this, and this series will get tongues wagging if these posters stay up for any period of time before being bulldozed.  Start the clock!

Included in the Atlantic Yards plans are new condos and a giant shiny new stadium for the basketball team The New Jersey Nets (huh?). That is helpful to know when looking at these hand made posters that have appeared in the affected neighborhood; the gentrifying forces of the moneyed class are depicted as parodies of movie genres; a Kung-fu movie, a horror movie, and a high-stakes pimps-n-hos movie.

Specter (detail)

Specter (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The genres are employed effectively, and point clearly to topics not usually so blatantly discussed when talking about gentrification – I’m thinking specifically of the one called “Caucasian Invasion”. That one might get some of our more socio-politically astute neighbors in a frothy choked-up indignation.

Specter
Bling!  (Specter) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Specter (detail)
Up close, not so much. Specter (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As you can see across the bottom of the pieces, the hand painted posters are also for an art show at the MoCADA gallery in two weeks.  But these are more than merely advertisements.

Specter
Specter (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The one styled as a high-end gourmet grocery store poster also hits home – I need to get one of those locally-grown pineapples! Maybe Dean & Deluca?

Read more

How Much Do You Give? How Much Do You Have?

January 20, 2010

We’re all getting hit from all directions about the need from our Haitian brothers and sisters for help.  Suddenly our worries about our own economy are less important when we know people are actually suffering.

While we keep hearing on the news and from some friends who are there that the logistics of landing at a broken airport, driving through broken “roads”, avoiding buildings that are waiting for one more tremor before crumbling, and about the aid getting stuck in bottlenecks while people languish, we also hear good news here and there.

"Spray for Haiti" by street artist and stencil artist Joe Iurato.
“Spray for Haiti” by street artist and stencil artist Joe Iurato.

In a media-soaked society that has very short news cycles and attention spans, I only hope that the helping hand from us continues for as long as they need it.

Artists can be a pretty self-centered lot, agreed.  I’m as narcissistic as the next one, sometimes.  But as a community, time and again we have seen artists put their entire heart out there to help, and there are countless individuals and groups in this city who are organizing to help right now.  Since Brooklyn has one of the largest Haitian communities outside Haiti, we feel the sadness especially hard, and the love too.

So please don’t tire of the news before the need is over. We’re going to keep bringing it up.

One street artist and stencil artist, Joe Iurato from New Jersey sat at the edge of his bed the other night contemplating all the simple things he had to be thankful for and decided to reach out by fundraising via Facebook to sell prints he made and send the profit to UNICEF. He called it “Spray for Haiti”.  He did it “because I have absolutely zero tolerance for watching a child suffer under any circumstance”. He sold them all within minutes.

The prints of a child praying created by stencil artist Joe Iurato sold very quickly through Facebook friends.
The prints of a child praying created by stencil artist Joe Iurato sold very quickly through Facebook friends.

Joe didn’t wait around – he designed another and marketed that one just via email. The seven layer cut stencil sold out in a short time.  Along the way, he discovered more generous people than he thought were there, and he’ll gladly tell you stories, though we won’t recount them here.

The main point is, no one had to tell Joe to use his talents to help others.  He just did it.

Spray for Haiti 2, by Joe Iurato
Spray for Haiti 2, by Joe Iurato

Read more

Urban Interventions: Personal Projects in Public Spaces

January 20, 2010
New book out in February

New book out in February examines the continuum of graff to street art to public art, much of it conceptual.

From our friends at nuart09.blogspot.com

Releasing in February from Gestalten, Urban Interventions highlights a group of artists whose work is (in essence) a progression from graffiti and street art. Larger in scale, these works challenge viewers to rethink their notions about the urban environment. The volume is edited by R. Klanten, S. Ehmann, and M. Huebner.

I always hate it when a big piece of gum gets stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

I always hate it when a big piece of gum gets stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

Evolving from graffiti and street art, urban interventions are the next generation of artwork to hit public space. Using any and all of the components that make up urban and rural landscapes, these mostly spatial interventions bring art to the masses. They turn the street into a studio.

Zippity doo da, zippity dayyyyy.

Zippity doo da, zippity dayyyyy.

Nuart has the rest of the story...

Read more

C215 – BEEJOIR – MISS BUGS – EELUS slated to participate in auction organized by Brooklynite for HAITI Relief

January 19, 2010 , ,

From Rae and Hope at Brooklynite Gallery

Street artists C215, BEEJOIR, MISS BUGS, and EELUS have donated pieces to an auction that is still being planned as a fund raiser to help an orphanage in Haiti called “Chances 4 Children”

http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/donate/get_involved

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The four confirmed participants in the auction so far are the following:

"High Hopes" by EELUS,
“High Hopes” by EELUS, Screen print on 500x700mm heavy art paper. Number 2 of a signed and stamped edition of 75. This image is of the original (print version to come)

The auction, which is still being put together is entirely for the benefit of the orphanage.

100% of the PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE ORPHANAGE. CHECKS / CHARGES WILL BE MADE DIRECTLY TO THE CHARITY.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Refugee Kid" by C215, (based on a Salgado photo) spray and acrylic on solid wood 31cm by 11cm.
“Refugee Kid” by C215, (based on a Salgado photo) spray and acrylic on solid wood, 31cm by 11cm.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Beejoir "Oil Can Special"

Beejoir "Oil Can Special, Double Can Edition" - this is not the exact image, the actual image will be coming shortly.

According to Rae, Brooklynite has an indirect link to the orphanage because very good friends of theirs were in the process of adopting two children when the earthquake hit.

The story has been covered on CNN and in the Daily News.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Mother" by Miss Bugs

"Mother" by Miss Bugs

To find out more information about the auction and/or this story email them at info(at)BrooklyniteGallery.com

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”-MLK

Brooklynite Gallery

Read more

Mr. Brainwash Splashes Mondrian for Haiti

January 19, 2010

As usual, the artist community has jumped in feet-first to help others by donating their work.

Mr. Brainwash, who is having a show next month in New York in a 15,000 sf space in the Meat Packing district of Manhattan, is donating a portion of the sales of his new print to the Red Cross.

4 of the eight prints that Mr. Brainwash will donate a portion of the sales for the Red Cross
4 of the eight prints that Mr. Brainwash will donate a portion of the sales for the Red Cross.

The eight color screen print and spray paint pieces are on archival art paper.  Each print is hand finished, signed, and numbered by the artist – with a thumb print on the back too for additional authenticity and the personal touch.

A portion of the proceeds from each print sold will be donated to the Red Cross for Aid in Haiti.  Click on the picture to go to the site – The Print will go on Sale January 20 .

Read more

NEW JAY-Z! Jef Aerosol Gives Props to NYC, BKLN, and JAY-Z with New Iconic Stencil

January 18, 2010 , ,

Street Art Stencil Artist Jef Aerosol unveils a brand-new stencil of Jay-Z for his upcoming Debut Show in New York.

A five layer hand-cut stencil of Jay-Z by international street artist Jef Aerosol will debut next week at the Ad Hoc show.
A five layer hand-cut stencil of Jay-Z by international street artist Jef Aerosol will debut next week at the Ad Hoc show.

Aerosol is well-known for his other rock and roll icons in the 30 years he’s been getting up all over the globe with stencils: Dylan, Jagger, Bowie, Vicious, Morrison, Lennon and Yoko, Hendrix, Cobain,  — and of course there are New Yorkers like Patty Smith and The Ramones.

Now, as he prepares to make his debut solo gallery show in New York in 2010, Aerosol is in an EMPIRE STATE OF MIND and pays tribute with this fresh new portrait of rapper Jay-Z.

Every era has it’s icons, and with a 20-year old son of his own, clearly Aerosol has his eye on one of today’s best known music pillars.  Now with more Number 1 Albums than Elvis Presley, it only makes sense that Brooklyn’s hometown hero has passed into the icon pantheon of Aerosol.

Have you ever seen the steps it takes to make a stencil? Jef Aerosol shows you inside his studio:

To build up the dimension of the image, Aerosol cut 5 different layers of stencils.
To build up the dimension of the image, Aerosol cut 5 different layers of stencils.

The ink glistens on the background silhoette.

The first layer of glistening paint creates the silhouette of the image.

Each

Each stencil is cut slightly differently to create the whole image.

Slight variations in hue also add the illusion of dimension.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-WEB-JAY-Z-Jeff-Aerosol-All-Shook-Up1

The new Jay-Z by Jef Aerosol.

Here’s the Press Release for the Upcoming Show at Ad Hoc January 29th.

Read more

“Style Warz” at the Sullivan Room

January 18, 2010
Street Artist Royce Bannon will be part of tonights event

Street Artist Royce Bannon will be part of tonights event

Come and bear witness to the Style Warz. This event is the official art/electronic/hip hop exhibition that will present to its guests the unification of three creative forms on a historic date of amalgamation, MLK’s birthday. We will gather to enjoy each other’s company, and also see artwork being exhibited and created live, by renowned and talented artists including Royce Bannon, Elizabeth Stewart and many others!!! DJs Dennis Sebayan and Hollywood Holt will be showcasing their respective electronic and house skills on the 1s and 2s, and New York’s Donny Goines and DC’s M1 Platoon will be performing. Art exhibition begins at 4pm and the party keeps rockin’ until midnight!

Venue: The Sullivan Room between 218 Sullivan st. ( W. 3rd and Bleecker)

Sullivan Room: http://www.sullivanroom.com/sullivanroom/ClubInfo.html

Jan 18th, 2010

RSVP : Stylewarz2010@gmail.com

Read more
Images of the Week 01.17.10

Images of the Week 01.17.10

January 17, 2010 , , , , ,

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_1009

Our weekly interview with the streets

Aakash Nihalani

Aakash Nihalani's new green piece (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JC2
JC2 has taken the image originally wheat-pasted and turned it into a sign post.  Don’t recall seeing something this large bolted before, do you? (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris RWK
The Blues Robot Brothers (Chris RWK) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Clown Soldier
Clown Soldier makes his first entry on the New York Top Forty this week at number 32, with “The Gentle Clown from Verona” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

EMA
EMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gaia and Deeker on top
Gaia and Deeker (or is that GoreB?) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sam McCurdy
Sam McCurdy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Trusto Corp
Trusto Corp (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

Graffitti Soup
It’s easy as ABC (Graffitti Soup) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KId Acne
Oh, where where, has my little kid gone?  (Kid Acne) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pet Bird
Pet Bird has found a nice nesting spot inside this dumpster (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read more

Broken Crow “The Lion Man”

January 17, 2010

From Mike Fitzsimmons and John Grider, two street art stencil artists known as Broken Crow, comes this colorful mural called “The Lion Man” that they created last summer.

A recurring theme in the Broken Crow approach to story-telling is a reclamation of the man-made world by the natural one. Realistic animals express distinct personalities and opinions about what our grand blind ineptness. In a merging of the animal kingdom with ours this piece uses the body of Charlie, their model, and supplants his head with a lions’ as he crawls along the wall on all fours.

Aside from the coolness factor, the benefits of seeing how work is produced in a time-lapse video are myriad for both the fans as well as the artists. Questions about technique that you may have had can be quickly answered, and subsequent murals can be improved by the artist by observing themselves in action.

This video is really nicely done by Benjamin Clasen of Saint Paul, the sister city of Minneapolis, MN, where Broken Crow hail from.

Read more

Recent Articles on BSA