Los Angeles Spends 3.7 million Dollars to Remove Largest Graffiti Tag in America
NO, this was not a story lifted from The Onion, although it sounds like it. I don’t think the total amount is for that one tag, but rather the whole L.A. River.
Brooklyn is on the opposite coast of the US, so we don’t really know what it’s like to see the graff on the concrete of that river.
But California, the world’s 8th largest economy, is on the brink of financial calamity, school classes are ballooning to 45 students, and the rising price of fish tacos on the beach is negatively affecting the surfers. Is today UPSIDE DOWN DAY?
As reported by Ed Fuentes in BlogDowntown.com, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers hired contractors to spray over the giant tag and made a big show of it, complete with a press conference.
“At 2,000 feet long by 60 feet tall, the MTA tag near the 4th street bridge was said to be one of the largest graffiti tags in the United States.
On Thursday it proved plenty large enough for a press conference that included the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, a pair of City Councilmembers and the L.A. Sheriff’s department.” More here…
NYC Mayoral Race ’09 HEATS UP with Bloomberg, Thompson, and Mr. Burns
Why limit the race for mayor to only ONE BILLIONAIRE? Spending like a drunken sailor during Fleet Week, Mike Bloomberg, the richest man in the state, has reportedly spent $16 for every $1 that his opponent Bill Thompson has. Not so fast, Mike! Here comes Mr. Burns, a real leader of the people and believer in democracy.
photo David Hershkovits in Papermag.com
In a press conference Mr. Burns attacked the end-run Bloomberg did around election laws to get himself on the ballot for a third term. “The man shows no guts, he should have simply declared himself king over these slack-jawed troglodytes, I mean good citizens. But that’s democracy for you”
Recently these campaign posters for Mr. Burns have been appearing all over New York, indicating that he is taking the race very seriously.
“…And Then We Jumped into the Abyss of Numbers: Memories in Absurdity From the Bowels of Peru Ana Ana Peru” opening October 17 at Brooklynite Gallery
Brooklyn-based street artists Peru Ana Ana Peru see action on the street as cinema in progress, full of color, adventure, and absurdity.
In fact, with their fantastical approach they are telling us what we already know; the logic of the street is illogical, so why begin to explain it. To embrace the swirling and jagged movement, color, texture, smell, sound, and architecture of the street is to embrace chaos theory. You can tell that Peru Ana Ana Peru find it invigorating.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
While graffiti culture has become somewhat codified in many respects, the rules of street art are being written before our eyes. Art theorists, facing ever-increasing irrelevance and impotence, find explanations being flushed out into the ocean as they clutch institutional inner-tubes to stay afloat. Street Art, or any name we finally settle on, is not going to be that easy to explain for a while.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
While a public gallery curated by chaos is unsettling to many, Peru Ana Ana Peru have jumped into the abyss and brought riotous color and an ever twisting fantasy narrative that makes sense to – them?
Peru Ana Ana Peru (photo Jaime Rojo)
Embracing the “traditional” wheat pasting is only one option, and while it may be the most pragmatic, don’t be surprised if they move their multi-media paintings, drawings, sculptures and video installations into the public sphere more in the future. And they will not be alone, if nascent trends in projection art (and technology), installation art, performance art, and flash mobs are an indication. Individuals are simply taking their voice to the street and claiming public space more than before.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy Brooklynite)
Maybe the only irony in this first solo show by Peru Ana Ana Peru at Brooklynite Gallery opening is that it is located in a formalized gallery at all. Bringing the abyss inside 4 walls, a ceiling, and a floor feels limiting. But maybe that’s just my need to define Peru Ana Ana Peru and their work. Obviously the energy and vitality that steams out and around the colorful collection suggest that the idea of venue is no concern to PAAP’s adventurous minds. The calliope plays merrily on.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy the artist)
Brooklyn Street Art:Do your street pieces express fantasy or reality?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: We are heavily drawn to the fantastic in our work, be it in street art, or even film to a certain extent. Perhaps this is an extension of our beginnings in the avant garde film/video scene more than anything else, but it’s something that seems to have stuck with us. More than that though, we find ourselves repeatedly drawn toward things of a more whimsical nature in our work, things that might express a ‘joy of life’ aspect of things, rather than a heavy handed ‘real life’ aesthetic. In addition to this, we are shamelessly addicted to color, and lots of it, so perhaps this lends itself rather nicely to the realm of fantasy
Brooklyn Street Art:What is the importance of cinema in your work?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: We consider ourselves to be primarily filmmakers/video artists first, and artists/street artists after that. It is the medium that we are most comfortable in, and in which we feel we have the most to offer. In this sense, cinema is our most important undertaking, and we are most happy when we are working on our films.
Peru Ana Ana Peru (courtesy Brooklynite)
Brooklyn Street Art: If Peru Ana Ana Peru had only one medium to express itself in, would it be painting, drawing, sculpture, or video?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: It would most likely be film/video, but with the exception that inside the video we’d use paintings and drawings and sculpture and what not.
…And Then We Jumped into the Abyss of Numbers: Peru Ana Ana Peru even made a promotional video for their first solo show (above)
Brooklyn Street Art: How would you characterize the experience of mounting your first solo show?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: Dizzying.
Three new pieces waiting to be hung for the show (photo courtesy the artist)
Brooklyn Street Art: Do the streets of New York have a particular personality that you speak to?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: It feels like New York has different personalities that speak differently to everyone. And quite frankly, it wasn’t really until after our foray into the street art/graffiti world that we realized where we fit in to the whole scheme of things. It would seem that graff/street artists can be lumped into a category of people that, when it comes down to it, just want to be noticed, just want to be seen, by anyone really. And from this point, it would seem that New York’s personality is one of indifference, like a rude bartender in a busy bar, and that by trying to put your name out everywhere, you’re really just saying, ‘hey, bartender, get me a beer.’
Peru Ana Ana Peru (detail) (courtesy Brooklynite)
Brooklyn Street Art:What messages would you hope the viewer will walk away with after seeing the work at Brooklynite?
Peru Ana Ana Peru: That we are just getting started.
And guess what? That’s right homie-lera, they have street art.
But that should not be a huge revelation to you by now.
Like my barber Pedro Fantilipaz says, “Street Art eees all ovah tha wooorrrrrl!”
Mundano, a street artist from the other BK, makes monster-type faces, and elongated forms using fat caps and thin ones, a smooth hand, and a playful eye. They are extreeeeeme closeups with flaring nostrils, big frowny lips, and ever-searching eyes. Sometimes 4 eyes, sometimes more.
“Líquen Vermelho” / “Red lichen” by Mundano at Factory Fresh (photo Steven P. Harrington)
Mundano was here in July doing a show with two other Brazilians, Loro Vez and Apollo Torez, where they installed a show at Factory Fresh Gallery, called “Lichen”. Add these three dudes to the two Os Gemeos, and this summer it was like the Brasil World Cup of aerossolistas right here in Nova Lorque!
“You Are a Slave of Consumption” – a bit of wisdom for the birds.(Mundano) (photo by Mike Ion)
Back home he makes many creatures everywhere, and he writes slogans and messages that harshly question the policies of the government regarding social policy. It was no surprise to see him muster enough English to make an observation about our materialistic society on one of his pieces here.
Mundano’s recreation of a cart commonly used by recyclers on foot in Brooklin. (photo courtesy Factory Fresh)
Right in the middle of the gallery in Bushwick, Mundano had installed a cart that was a facsimile of a cart (or “carroceiro”) that is commonly used in his town for people to gather discarded items and materials for recycling, an appreciable business there. While they were trolling our streets in a van looking for stuff to stock their gallery carroceiro, Mundano and his buddies were pretty shocked to find that here people throw out perfectly good stuff!
Keep your eyes open – This one is on lockdown in Brooklyn (Mundano)
Yeah, I know that for sure, because that was my first apartment; one man’s broken Barcalounger is another man’s throne. Most college students and newly arrived immigrants in New York can easily furnish their entire apartments from discarded furniture and other stuff that people drag to the curb. Even so, Mundano’s wild-eyed surprise and shock at how wasteful we are was an eye-opener for me too.
(Mundano) (photo Mike Ion)
Now Mundano’s back in Brooklin and making new stuff there, where people have a different approach to his art on the street. He had a great time here and got to put up some entertaining pieces while staying in New York and he’s looking forward to his next visit, “I really liked New York, and I will be back for sure.”
Is Smoking Relaxing? Mundano made a Musico puffing on a cigarro next to this anti-smoking ad in Brooklyn. (Mundano) (photo Mike Ion)
Some days I come up Jack, Zilch, Nada – Nothing new from me on the “street art” tip.
Damn, son, sometimes I just wanna sit at a desk and skip across Magic Interweb-Land and look at porn look for incredible art-related videos that I think you’ll find inspiring and titillating educational.
And when I round the corner on that imaginary interweb street, I have no idea what I’m going to find. So, it’s kind of like street art, except I don’t have to get off my arse.
This music video includes ink drawings and cut-out figures, inspired by illustrator Edward Gorey. It was developed this year during an animation workshop at UCLA’s Department of Theater, Film and Television.
But it’s just an OPTICAL ILLUSION! He’s not really going down on a big space missile. Get your mind out of the gutter, people! Honestly. That would be vulgar and I would not post such a thing!
And Finally, the Formation of the World in One Minute
The majority of today’s New Yorker’s have ADHD and absolutely no patience, or time, to wait around to see the formation of the world so Chris Cox jammed it in a minute for you.
And as AN ADDED BONUS, if you endure an additional 20 seconds you can see how the world all comes together in 250 million years, which is about how long it takes Joe at Fratellis deli to get me a coffee sometimes.
We have so much fun every day with Brooklyn Street Art. But sometimes you are too busy to read the ol BSA blogaroo, because, uh, you’re busy!
We’re starting a helpful service for you called the BSA Newsletter! You can get it all once a month condensed down to the most scintillating images, insightful insights, and mind-numbingly meaningful hard-hitting street art journalism this side of the Gowanus Canal!
If you’re not on the mailing list, here’s a perfecto tuniopperty to Sign Up! We’ll be hitting you up with truckloads of meaningless spam in no time. Kidding! You can also click “unsubscribe” anytime if we’re being obnoxious.
There are so many messages flying at you every day –
Messages from your neighbor “Turn that thumping music down!“,
your boss,”Going forward we’re going to need you to be more proactive in this area“,
your mom,”I love you, honey“,
and of course, advertising, “You’re in good hands with Allstate, Reach out and touch someone, The quicker picker-upper, A little dab’ll do ya, Please don’t squeeze the Charmin, It’s Miller Time, Drivers wanted, and Some times you feel like a nut, some times you don’t“
This image from Canada shows a campaign to question postering – even if it is dancing bears doing ballet! (photo Loozrboy)
While you may limit the messages from your mother, it seems less likely you can limit the ones from advertisers every day. They are even posted over urinals in bathrooms, for crying out loud. There are messages from advertisers on your phone, at the checkout counter, on the floor in the subway, on lightposts, on websites, – holy Jesus and Mohammed they are everywhere!
A mural by artist Conor Harrington was plastered over by advertising in Soho recently. (animation Steven P. Harrington)
How do those messages get to you on the street? There are laws for these things, and there are certain spots that are approved by the public, and certain ones that permission is denied for. But what happens a lot these days is that big outdoor ad companies make more money if they can erect more posters and billboards, and they know that they won’t be punished most of the time. If they are, it will take a long time and the penalty will be a tiny amount compared to how much money they make.
Gotta love the tourists! Times Square is a rapid and continuous bombardment of advertising messages, and sometimes you just have to snap a picture of the good ones. (photo Steven P. Harrington)
And don’t even compare this sheer quantity of illegal billboarding happening to the amount of illegal street art there is – it dwarfs it in square footage and paper and paste and hands and feet by 10,000 to 1 (not scientific but I’m guessing). But of course, it’s all up for discussion.
This Grey Gardens campaign was splashed across construction sites all over lower Manhattan in the spring. Of course a lot of New Yorkers love the movie, but was the postering approved by the City?.... (Edith 'Big Edie' Bouvier Beale: Aren't you going to feed, uh, Whiskers, Edie? Come on, go feed Whiskers. No, don't eat it; give it to Whiskers, please!)
So, in the past few years some people have been drawing attention to the fact that slowly but surely all of your public space is being covered by private companies messages. And there is a gradual awareness of this fact, and a movement to re-claim public space, or at least reclaim the space that has been taken without permission.
Last month this wall had a poster from a community group in Chinatown protesting illegal and unethical behavior of landlords and real estate developers. It was probably illegal. (photo Steven P. Harrington)
And here's the same wall today with tons of commercial posters - ? (iphone photo Steven P. Harrington)
Here’s a video about one group, Public Ad Campaign, that took a proactive and positive pleasant approach to reclaiming public space last spring in New York. They identified locations of outdoor advertising that had not been approved by the City, and replaced the images with hand-made art by a few of the thousands of artists who live here. Amazingly, most of the advertising was replaced in a day! Wow!
POSTER SCHMOSTER! The Bayer Company’s former Headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany is now a so-called “Media Facade” Built by ag4 media facade GmbH and GKD AG, the massive display apparently consists of 5.6 million LEDs that cover the entire 17,500 square meters of the building, and which can be lit up at will 24 hours a day. How does that affect the people in a city? (original source Public Ad Campaign site)
DATE: Friday, October 23, 2009 at 7:00PM | Share Event
Dick Chicken Presents ‘GIRLS & SNACKS’
October 23, 2009, 7 to 10 p, FREE admission
Join us for the Launch of our new space at 573 Metropolitan Avenue & the unveiling of a Dick Chicken mural & exhibition! This is your chance to learn more about the man behind the cock, preview the new space, and drink complimentary cocktails & Colt 45 & dance to DJ Alden Fonda.
It’s the most infamous tag of the moment. And we all know he’s prolific in his ability to hit every open surface this side of Williamsburg Bridge, but what does it all mean?! From his mouth to God’s ears:
“Here DC is doing what he/she does best, having fun. Is there a larger metaphor at work? Is this work social commentary? Is it about our unsustainable food industry? Does it speak of the lust, avarice and greed with which we have squandered our human potential? Does this work point to a larger method of subtle control put into play by those who stand to gain from it’s practice? Do you need something that heavy attached to it to enjoy it and have a good time? Maybe it is about whimsy, the idea that something can affect you on a base level. You can laugh and dance and play, without looking for meaning, like when you hear a good song…Maybe it’s about none of those things. I can tell you this though, there will be dickchicken, GIRLS & SNACKS.”
Opening Party / Halloween Costume Party: Saturday October 24th, 7-10PM
213 Bond Street Brooklyn NY 11217
Joe Simko, Ed Repka, Sarah Sheil, Scott Holloway, The Death Head, Dennis McNett, Matt Siren, Nicole Steen, Mark Riddick, Aaron Tompkins, Mary Doyle, El-Rana, Martina Secondo Russo, Frank Russo
MF Gallery has been in the forefront of NYC’s Underground Pop Art Scene for the past six years. Artists / curators Martina Secondo Russo and Frank Russo opened the first MF Gallery in the L.E.S. in June 2003, when the neighborhood still had a bit of its underground flavor. MF Gallery quickly became a meeting point where all kinds of misfit artists, freaks, and art collectors could enjoy new art, with surprise appearances by Zombies, Monsters or Mega-Sized Robots playing Death Metal!
Five years later, due to space restrictions and increasing gentrification, MF Gallery closed the doors on its L.E.S. location. But Martina and Frank have kept busy in the meantime, curating shows in alternative spaces around the city, and even opening an MF Gallery overseas, in Martina’s hometown of Genoa, Italy. Now the duo are returning to the Big Apple with a bigger and badder MF Gallery, (A.K.A. The “Mighty” Fortress MF) once again pioneering an up and coming neighborhood- this time the underground arts area of Gowanus, Brooklyn.
The first show in the new space will be MF Gallery’s Seventh Annual Halloween Art Show. With artwork that is dark and scary, while still maintaining a Pop Art sensibility, this is a yearly group show that MF Gallery has kept up since the very beginning. This year’s Halloween Themed Art was created by a group of International artists such as: Joe Simko, Ed Repka, Sarah Sheil, Scott Holloway, The Death Head, Dennis McNett, Matt Siren, Nicole Steen, Mark Riddick, Aaron Tompkins, Mary Doyle, El-Rana, Martina Secondo Russo, Frank Russo, and others; many of whom will be present at the Opening.
The Opening Party / Halloween Costume Party will be on Saturday, October 24th from seven to ten PM. Admission is FREE and open to All Ages. Refreshments will be served to a punk rock / heavy metal soundtrack. All guests who come dressed in a Halloween Costume will get FREE BEER all night!
MF Gallery is located at 213 Bond Street (between Butler and Baltic Streets) in Brooklyn, NY. The Gallery can be easily reached by Subway- Take the F or G trains to Bergen Street, (Exit at Bergen and Smith, walk 2 blocks east on Bergen street. Turn right on Bond street. Walk south on Bond street for 3 blocks.) the A to Hoyt/ Schermerhorn, (Exit at Schermerhorn and Bond. Walk South on Bond street for 8 blocks.) or take or take the R train to Union Street. (Exit at Union and 4th ave. Walk west on Union for 3 blocks. Turn Right on Bond street. Walk North on Bond street for 4 blocks.) MF Gallery’s Seventh Annual Halloween Art Show will go on until November 21st. Gallery hours are: Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 7 PM, or by appointment.
The new MF Gallery itself will be an ongoing work of art. Murals by MF Gallery artists are planned for the hallways and a giant skull will be constructed to adorn the facade of the building. For more information, appointments, interviews, or high resolution photos, contact Martina or Frank at (917)446-8681 or info@MFgallery.net
New Train Company Hires Well-Known Street Artists/ Graffiti Artists to Paint Trains
Vandalog Blog Writer Publishes New Book About Upcoming Street Art Show in London: “The Thousands”
Veng from Robots Will Kill painted this image one week ago in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Now it is going to be in the book “The Thousands”, by RJ Rushmore
Michael “RJ” Rushmore, founder of Vandalog, and bloggy friend of BSA, is still toiling in the fields of street art, turning out an impressive exhibition of street art next month called “The Thousands”, featuring work by some better-known street art names as Faile, Skewville, Banksy, Chris Stain, KAWS, Robots Will Kill, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Herakut, and Barry McGee. To accompany the show RJ has written a cool book called “The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In.” It is so up to date it features an image of Veng’s mural from last weeks MBP Urban Arts Fest! Damn son, those pics travel fast!
Says RJ on his blog “I am ecstatic. This is a street art book with all the artists I’ve always wanted to see in a book together. Plus, it’s not just me writing standard bios for the artists (though there is a bit of that), a lot of the book was written by other contributors. Mike Snelle from Black Rat Press wrote the forward (did you know he is an amazing writer?), Panik ATG wrote about Burning Candy, Know Hope wrote about Chris Stain, Gaia wrote about Know Hope… the list goes on.”
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
photo credit: ChrisGampat
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 7:00PM
