Wish #3: FKDL

December 24, 2009

10-Wishes-for-10 No 3Names_FKDL

10 Wishes for 2010, #3, FKDL

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from FKDL, whose animated black figures and forms dance and bend, frequently composed of a collage of 50’s/60’s-era fashion and lifestyle advertising.
“I place all my hopes on diversity, mixing and sharing culture. We must maintain this freedom that allows us to express ourselves in the street, trying to continually produce quality work; surprising, inventive, and hopefully work that makes people happier everyday.”

FKDL (middle) collaboration with Titi From Paris (outside)
FKDL (middle) collaboration with Titi From Paris.

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Wish #2: Chris Stain

December 23, 2009

10-Wishes-for-10No 2Names_Chris_Stain

10 Wishes for 2010, #2, Chris Stain

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

Today’s wish comes from Chris Stain, a Baltimore born stencil artist whose portraits focus on city folk, working folk, kids, moms, and every day heroes.
“I wish for a job with steady pay. After that is taken care of I can work on the rest of the world.”

The new Chris Stain oil pastel and acrylic wash piece stands at 12'H by about 20'W.
This piece by Chris Stain is an oil pastel and acrylic wash piece at a fundraiser at Art in General features his son and two friends as models.  (courtesy the artist)

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Wish #1: Logan Hicks

December 22, 2009

10-Wishes-for-10No 1Names_logan

10 Wishes for 2010, #1, Logan Hicks

For ten days we’re presenting ten artists and their wishes for the new year, 2010, in no particular order.  Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people who are part of the giant explosion of street art in New York.  Individually, each has added their expression of the creative spirit to the decade now ending.

The first wish for the new year comes from Logan Hicks, stencil master, former headbanger, and workhorse.
“My wish?- To continue onward and upward”

image © Logan Hicks

image © Logan Hicks

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Christmas Greetings Get Destroyed

December 21, 2009

Sometimes you can’t catch any luck, even when you are bringing good cheer to the people on the street. The Destroy & Rebuild guys (2 of them anyway) are selling their art on the street in Soho and get Scrooged!

Somebody grab a hot mop, we got an eggnog spill over here.

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Winter Chill? Burn Your Art!

December 21, 2009 , ,

A few weeks ago Street Artist Celso and some of his friends decided to have an art show in Miami Beach during the much ballyhooed Art Basel show.

As a response to the aforementioned ballyhoo, and perhaps as a commentary about the romance with and commercialization of street art, the culmination of the “Art Burn” show was to light all of it on fire and grin mischievously. As an additional dystopian thrill for the assembled pyro-artiacts, a copy of Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was torched also, after memorizing of course.

Thanks to Hargo for the excellent atmospheric pics – and to learn more about the project check out fabulous Carolina Miranda at C-Monster.net

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With a fire extinguisher at the ready, and a gallon of water, and a beer (photo © Hargo)

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For fire-tagger Ellis G., this particular event was not too much of a stretch. (photo © Hargo)

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Debbie Harry has not been this hot since the 80’s (Billi Kid) (photo © Hargo)

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Kids plus fire equals good times. Where’s that bag of marshmallows? (photo © Hargo)

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Art radicals, pavement and fences …. now just add 5 tires to the fire and you’ve got yourself a G8 Summit!  (photo © Hargo)

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Skewville’s demand has gone up since some of their supply was burned (©Hargo)

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Images of The Week 12.20.09

December 20, 2009

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_1009Our Weekly Interview with the streets

Avoid for Sale
It’s official. Avoid Pi is for Sale (© Jaime Rojo)

5003 DADA
5003  & Hobby Horse (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast
The never bashful Bast (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Deeker
Honey, why do you still go with that man?  You know he’s just trash! (Deeker) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster
Imminent Disaster (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kosbe
Kosbe is rocking it  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kosbe (detail)
Kosbe is a detailed mess of color (detail) (© Jaime Rojo)

Horse Imminent Disaster (detail)
Horse Imminent Disaster (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster (detail)

Imminent Disaster (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster (detail)

Horse Imminent Disaster (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Police
New technology aids the crime fighters. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Paper Monster
Paper Monster made this hot babe in a fur trimmed winter coat to keep her warm. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon
Swoon is chained to the gate.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (detail)
Swoon (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peru Ana Ana Peru
See no evil, see no evil (Peru Ana Ana Peru) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We Are Coming
Simultaneously? (photo © Jaime Rojo)

UFO 907
UFO 907 is blasting off in all kinds of directions these days; All hail the alien. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK
A very funny move toward cut outs in this piece by Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Gaia Hand Paints a Red Roll-up

December 20, 2009 , ,

Street artist Gaia is often thought of primarily for wheat-pasted lino prints of animal/human mashups as metaphor, but it’s nice to note that adept hand-painting is also in Gaia’s quiver of skills.

It's a red-rooster rollup! Gaia (photo ©Keith Schweitzer)
It’s a red-rooster rollup! Gaia (photo ©Keith Schweitzer)

Here’s a brief motion collage of a hand-painted installation a few weeks ago on a roll-up door in Chinatown, NYC. Photographed by Keith Schweitzer and invited by No Longer Empty, Gaia creates a rooster portrait, where the proud sitter penetrates the passerby with an intense gaze.

Or is it a blank stare? I never know.

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Fun Friday 12.18.09

December 18, 2009

“I Want My Ninja Turtles, and Turn Mommy’s Lights Back On!”

RUN DMC puts BSA in the Holiday Spirit, yo.

MOMO at Nelly Duff

A wheat-pasted fixture on construction sites (usually overhead) in Brooklyn for many years, Momo is now selling work online.
A wheat-pasted fixture on construction sites (usually overhead) in Brooklyn for many years, Momo’s bright geometric overlayed shapes are understated and mute somehow. They don’t seem to have any agenda in their cheerful modernist abstract sort of way.  Now Momo is offering some on the Nelly Duff website.- just click the pic and check them out.

New York Holiday Sightssssss 2009

If you are not from this city, you may not have an opportunity to just walk the streets and see the lights, smell the smells, get yelled at for being in my f*&king way! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, it’s the holiday spirit, peeeepul!

This guy caught NYC at an exciting time of year and made a pretty good collection of the things you’ll see if you were a tourist in ’09. It includes Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Garden, Macy’s windows, Radio City Music Hall, Lord & Taylor Windows, Saks Fifth Avenue windows and light show, Fuse, Sixth Avenue, Downtown Manhattan, Time Warner Center, Empire State Building, The UNICEF Snowflake, JAF Station Post Office, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and the Haydenettes Skating Team.  Warning: In this video there are no street-walkers, crackheads, or homeless shelters….

TrustoCorp Sign Sighting

Someone sent us this pic from the West coast. Looks like TrustoCorp doesn't it? Hmmmm.
Someone sent us this pic from the West coast. Looks like TrustoCorp doesn’t it? Hmmmm. P.S. BSA doesn’t encourage vandalism. It’s totally not in the Christmas spirit.

Bells are Ringing in My Ears!

Free Print of Manhattan from Jailbreak!

Artist Karen O’Leary made this Manhattan map and married it with a barcode.
Artist Karen O’Leary made this Manhattan map and married it with a barcode. Their extending the contest for a free poster for BSA readers till Dec. 25.  Hooray!

CASIO DEATHBEAT

This isn’t holiday related, but I still feel a little warm and fuzzy at the end.

Don’t ask me who Casio is, I’ve never heard of them, but this video is strangely futuristic, low-fi, and even romantic at the end with the flocks of birds. People have been taking pictures of these birds that swarm around over certain buildings at dusk in Brooklyn for years.  It looks like it is shot around Brooklyn with a cell phone.

They say it was filmed with a vhs-c and dubbed online with a webcam.  Help me out, people, that was English right? Okay I know Casio is the synth, so don’t hit me, but the video portion, dunno. All I know is, you don’t need the latest hi-tech gadgetry to make cool things. Also, it is mercifully short for todays’ short attention spans.

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Book Thug Nation Print Show & Book Release, DEC 18

December 17, 2009 , ,

JustSeeds Collective featuring Chris Stain and Josh MacPhee

Artists Josh MacPhee and Chris Stain and the Just Seeds crew will be having an informal relaxed event in Williamsburg tonight – Chris promises new prints!

Print Show and Book Release by Just Seeds Crew

Print Show and Book Release by Just Seeds Crew

There will be new work by the Justseeds artists on display and for sale, free snacks and drinks.

Friday, Dec. 18th
8-11pm
at Book Thug Nation
100 N.3rd St.
Brooklyn, NY

Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative is a decentralized community of artists who have banded together to both sell their work , to collaborate with each other, and create art in support of social movements.  We believe in the power of personal expression in concert with collective action to transform society.

Outside the new Book Thugs store

Outside the new Book Thug Nation store

About the book:
Paper Politics: Socially Engaged Printmaking Today
Josh MacPhee (ed.) (PM Press, 2009)
Paper Politics: Socially Engaged Printmaking Today is a major collection of contemporary politically and socially engaged printmaking. This full color book showcases print art that uses themes of social justice and global equity to engage community members in political conversation. Based on an art exhibition which has traveled to a dozen cities in North America, Paper Politics features artwork by over 200 international artists; an eclectic collection of work by both activist and non-activist printmakers who have felt the need to respond to the monumental trends and events of our times.

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Tristan Eaton’s Wild Beauty at Primary Flight

December 17, 2009 , , ,

Getting Up in Miami with Tristan

After partially white-washing the image, Tristan retraces and pulls the subject forward.

After partially white-washing the image, Tristan retraces and pulls the subject forward.

Tristan Eaton of New York’s Thunderdog Studios was working last week in Miami during the Primary Flight exhibition with many of his peers and yet-to-meet friends. The show was an opportunity for people to show their skills, gain appreciation from a new audience, and enjoy the pleasures of a sanctioned wall.

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“The background was wheat pasted, then white washed, then hand painted with enamel, brushes, markers and mop tops, ” says Tristan.

Brooklyn Street Art: How did you get this wall in Miami?
Tristan Eaton: I got it from my pal Books who organized all the artists and walls for Primary Flight. It was on Easy Street Gallery which was founded by Crome of MSG.

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A Wild Beauty, Indeed!  (Tristan Eaton)

Brooklyn Street Art: Can you talk about the inspiration behind the project?
Tristan Eaton: It’s gonna sound really corny, but I was inspired by something my Mother said about ‘Wild Beauty’. Before painting, I had no pictures or layouts of the wall, so I couldn’t really plan what to do in advance. I had to make it all up on the spot over the course of 3 days and hope for the best.

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Tristan Eaton

Brooklyn Street Art: What kind of preliminary work did you have to do before getting there?
Tristan Eaton: I normally get my giant photocopies (for background) made here in the city then cut them out by hand at my studio in LIC. We prepared about 1,000 square feet of wheat paste graphics for this mural and general bombing and stuff.

Ron English stops by to talk and pose for a pic.

Ron English stops by to talk and pose for a pic.

Brooklyn Street Art: Did you get hit by the rain or have other distractions?
Tristan Eaton: Yes! We had torrential rain on and off over 2 days. We kept having to stop and wait it out. Luckily it only rains for about an hour in Miami! On top of that you have legends like Futura and Ron English are just walking around town all week at Art Basel, so we’d stop to BS every once in a while when someone came to visit our wall.

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Brooklyn is always in the mix.  (Tristan Eaton)

Brooklyn Street Art: Are you satisfied with your final project?
Tristan Eaton: I think so. Working on that scale in that time frame, little things always go wrong. It’s not supposed to be perfect I guess, so I’m okay with a certain amount of messy mistakes. I’m most satisfied with the response from locals so far. Even if I could of done better, they love it!

Friends stop by for immoral support. Pictured are Phetus and KaNo in front, Alex of Easy Street, Tris, Den & Sket in back (photo courtesy T. Eaton)

Friends stop by for immoral support. Pictured are Phetus and KaNo in front, Alex of Easy Street, Tris, Den & Sket in back (photo courtesy T. Eaton)

All images courtesy Tristan Eaton.

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