All posts tagged: Arizona

Jetsonorama on the Rez, ROA in Mexico (Video)

June 9, 2011 , , , ,

On the Navajo Reservation the built environment tends more toward the horizontal than say, Manhattan.  The similarity is that the man made structures for both are constructed on soil first belonging to the proud tribes of people we now call “Native Americans”.

brooklyn-street-art-jetsonorama-navajo-reservation-2 Mary Reese, by Jetsonorama (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Arizona based Street Artist Jetsonorama calls the Navajo Rez home and it is here where he plans most of his installations of wheat-pastes.  The flat lands and sun parched structures, sometimes crumbling back into the dust, provide a suitable open-air gallery for his photos.  The images are not somber, rather they are pulsing with life and possessing some urgency as if to remind you that these places are very alive and life stories are unfolding here.

These recent pieces are at the Cow Springs Trading Post. Judging from the scene, not much trading takes place there nowadays but Jetsonorama enlists its walls one more time to display the inhabitants of the area.

brooklyn-street-art-jetsonorama-navajo-reservation-1

“Deshaun”, Jetsonorama.  (photo © courtesy of the artist). “While installing at cow springs, we met a local youth named Deshaun.  His skateboard broke while he was showing us a trick.  We’re going to get him another one but he doesn’t know that yet.  Thanks for the love Deshaun” Jetsonorama

Brooklyn-Street-Art-740-Jetsonorama-bryson-with-owen

Bryson with his nephew Owen. Jetsonorama (photo © courtesy of the artist)

ROA EN MEXICO : Un Video Nuevo

Belgian Street Artist ROA visited Mexico in January (see “ROA’s Magic Naturalism”) and now we have a video of his large installation in Mexico City. Whether in the detritus of the big metropolis or the bucolic country landscape, his unique and now iconic images of dead and alive animals rendered in perfect monochrome palette are never out of tune with their surroundings. Perhaps one key element in achieving this sense of context is ROA’s insistence on using as subjects the animals native to the land where he is painting.

ROA was invited by the art promoter MAMUTT ARTE in collaboration with the Antique Toy Museum Mexico (MUJAM). In the country for 3 weeks, ROA left  about 15 murals in various locations like Mexico City, Guanajuato and Puebla and also collaborated with Mexican artists Saner & Sego.

Read more

Mad One Presents: “Sticker Phiends IV: A celebration of adhesive art” (Tempe, Arizona)

March 6, 2011 , , ,

Mad One
brooklyn-street-art-mad-oneHere is the run down of “Sticker Phiends” IV presented by” Mad One and some fliers to post if you all could do that would be greatly appreciated!! Send them out in your newsletters, blogs, sites etc..

Sticker Phiends 4
“A celebration of adhesive art”
Presented by: “Mad One”

April 8th 2011 Opening Reception
Featuring art by today’s top street artists, graphic designer’s and sticker makers & others!

Art By:
Abcnt
Age
Cryptik
Dolla
DumperFoo
123 Klan
Griffin One
Clown Soldier
Mad One
Matt Curran
20 MG
Obey
Pez One
Sike’
U.W.P.
Seizer One
& MANY OTHERS!!

Funky beats by:
-Sweaty Hot Junk
-Sick Duppy
-One Son
-Awb

FREE HANDOUTS provided by our sponsors
ALL ART for $ale!
Limited Merch for $ale!
Drinks with ID – 21+

Opens at 8pm April 8th!
Cartel Coffee Lab
25 w. University Dr.
Tempe, AZ.
480-225-3899

Read more

Ernesto Yerena: Art Without Borders

November 11, 2010 , , , , , , , , ,

Ernesto Yerena knows about borders. The Mexican-American has been crossing them since he was born on the national border in tiny El Centro, CA. Now the 24 year old is crossing the border from Obey Giant studio assistant to featured artist in his first solo show at White Walls Gallery in San Francisco this Saturday.

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-3
Photo © Todd Mazer

For the past few months Ernesto has been at work in his garage/studio in Los Angeles preparing. With help of the talented photographer Todd Mazer, we get to see these exclusive images of Ernesto finishing his final piece for the show, “Ganas 20/20”.

For someone with an acute eye and the sensitivity of an artist, growing up in a border town 15 minutes from Mexicali, daily life in such a culturally rich and tumultuous environment can also be a wellspring of inspiration. The mundane, daily crossing over the border after school as a boy to visit with his grandmother and family in Mexicali, gave him insight into the complex lives of families who just happen to be geographically sprouted along an invisible political dotted line. Today that dotted line has razor wire that cuts everyone it touches.

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-13
Photo © Todd Mazer

Ernesto began some cutting of his own when he received a stencil cutting set for his tenth birthday from his grandfather. During time away from his business painting cars and doing auto-body repair, his father encouraged the boys’ painting projects and showed him how to cut stencils. As a youth Ernesto felt motivated and supported by his family to go to art school and sharpen his artistic skills.

As he got older, the geopolitical realities of the harsh cultural and social landscape where he was growing awakened his intellectual curiosity and desire to better understand his social surroundings.

A teen listening to his own bi-national music collection including Public Enemy and Mexican rockers Mana, he got a better handle on the underlying racism and social inequities that plague the American landscape. When his artistic chops got him an opportunity at age 19 to work alongside Shepard Fairey, the street artist known for frequently incorporating social justice and political themes into his work, Ernesto found a stronger voice.

Ernesto’s world of two countries, difficult border life, socially conscious music, a deep interest in history and human rights have prepared him to face, as an artist, the recent fierce issue of immigration in this country and in Arizona in particular. In collaboration with Shepard he produced, at his imprint “Hecho Con Ganas” or HCG,  one of the posters that protesters in Arizona have used as a tool to denounce the racist and demonizing rhetoric coloring the immigration debate as well as SB1070, a bill that codifies racial profiling into law.

This Saturday night Ernesto crosses another invisible border as the White Walls Gallery provides a space for his new work in his first solo show.

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-1
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-2
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-6
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-9
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-10
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-12
Photo © Todd Mazer

brooklyn-street-art-ernesto-yerena-todd-mazer-11-10-11
Photo © Todd Mazer

Click on the link below to visit Ernesto’s “imprint” HCG (Hecho Con Ganas)

Hecho Con Ganas

Ernesto’s solo show “Ganas 20/20” Opens this Saturday, November 13 at the White Walls Gallery in San Francisco. The gallery is located at 835 Larking Street. San Francisco, CA. 94109

Thanks again to photographer and videographer Todd Mazer for these images he shot exclusively for Brooklyn Street Art.

To see more of Todd Mazer work click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legenddairy/

Read more

Yote: “The Bienvenidos Campaign” Update

October 18, 2010 , , ,

brooklyn-street-art-election-2010

Political postering has a long tradition in the public space – from slick to goofy to earnest to comic, everyone can get into the game of smacking their opinions on a wall or staking it onto a patch of grass. Street Artist Yote has jumped into the ring this year by putting his hand-painted signs amidst the forest of political missives along streets in Arizona.

In Yote’s case, it’s more of a plea for tolerance and brotherhood rather than a shill for a specific vote. Always a fanastic money maker for politicians and even religious leaders, the flames of good old fashioned racism have been fanned again this year. Here’s to the one-person campaign to dampen their enthusiasm.

brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-14-web

Yote spoke to BSA about the background for his personal/political campaign called “Bienvenidos”.

“A few days after Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law she signed HB2281.  2281 bans all ethnic studies programs in public High Schools in the state of Arizona. 

Last Thursday and Friday were two events for Ethnic Studies Week here in Prescott, AZ.  I donated t-shirts I silk screened saying “Eduquémonos,” meaning “Educate Ourselves.” As well as some “Bienvenidos” stickers for them to sell.  I was excited to hear that hundreds of dollars were raised for the Ethnic Studies Defense Fund from those two events.  I also donated 50 “Bienvenidos” yard signs for the defendants and students to take back to Tucson.

brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-00-web

As the sunset on Saturday Night a couple friends and I descended into Phoenix to add our voices to the political dialogue. Methodically we followed the light rail from North Phoenix to Mesa installing yard signs at every intersection already littered with political campaign signs.
brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-69-web
We continued on to Guadalupe, a small town that in part inspired this project.  My friend who runs The Garage Bike Shop there had told me a lot of people had left over the summer.  Moved on to other places where they would have more security. In the shopping center where his shop is they were down to only a few business still open.  Leaving about 20 vacancies. When I was there last fall every storefront was open.  There was so much life and abundance then, now its just quiet.  But my friend tells me the people who are here, are here to stay. They are ready to ride out whatever else is coming.
brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-15-web
Then we headed north to the arts district and hit a few more spots in central Phoenix before finally ending the night on McDowell in West Phoenix.  Over 100 signs were distributed throughout Phoenix. Keep an eye out for more appearing all over the rest of the state leading up to the November 2nd election.
brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-83-web
Arriving home just before sunrise I was exhausted but felt elated to be participating in the immigration debate.  As the election nears I hope “The Bienvenidos Campaign” can help shift the Immigration debate into a more constructive conversation.  I also hope businesses and communities embrace the image to represent the hope for safer and healthier communities.
brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-87-web
Here is a great trailer for a new documentary about some students experience in the Raza Studies program in Tucson, AZ. http://vimeo.com/15062646
To Support the Bienvenidos Campaign go here:
A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the Ethnic Studies Defense Fund.
brooklyn-street-art-yote-10-10-88-web

Text and Images ©Yote

Read more

“Bienvenidos”: Street Artist YOTE Puts His Art Where His Heart Is

September 15, 2010 ,

Hospitality is one of our virtues throughout history…  Along with periodic phases of racism and immigrant bashing.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Bienvenidos-on-fence

For Fall 2010, brown is the new black and Arizona is working the runway with Jan Brewer on the catwalk!  But let’s not all lose our heads, neighbors. Street Artist YOTE is firing up the grill and putting the ignorance on ice to welcome the Spanish speakers for an Indian Summer barbecue in Arizona (which used to be part of Mexico).

“Bienvenidos”; It’s Biblical, for those who profess to live by the teachings of that book. Judeo-Christian values. Welcome, Bienvenidos. The Pilgrims certainly relied on those values when arriving to Plymouth for a better life and the American Indians practiced hospitality even without reading the guests’ holy book..

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Bienvenidos-stencil

Since this is campaign season in the US and Arizona symbolizes the most recent immigrant-bashing wave, Street Artist YOTE has created colorful messaging to at least divert some of the hate toward a more sane and healthy discussion about immigration in this country. The “Bienvenidos” Campaign posters are meant to remind the kind-hearted among us to speak up and practice hospitality to the newest immigrants in our midst. To raise funds for his signs (as all real campaigns must) he’s got a limited edition of signed posters for your house. The proceeds of the sales of this poster will help him fund his project.

brooklyn-street-art-yote-bienvenidos

YOTE describes the campaign:

“Over the summer of 2010 I have experienced very contradicting feelings for the state of Arizona. It was not hard to see how laws like 1070, 2281 and 287(g) have caused fear to spread through local communities, the state, and the rest of the country. By juxtaposing the Arizona state flag with the word “Bienvenidos”, I hope to spread a positive and affirming message throughout our communities. This symbol will appear as a political campaign sign leading to the November 2nd election. Additionally this symbol will appear as a sticker for residences, business and rebels who wish to express that all people are welcome in their homes, stores and communities. My intention is that the “Bienvenidos” symbol will spread throughout the state to be both a visible resistance to laws like 1070 and a representation of the hope for safer communities in the state of Arizona and beyond.  All proceeds from the limited edition of signed posters will go to the production of “Bienvenidos” campaign signs and stickers. Thank you.”

brooklyn-street-art-yote-bienvenidos-1

VOTE FOR YOTE

Here’s a LINK to his “Bienvenidos” print:

Read more

Yote, Jetsonorama and Joerael: Fertility on the Range in AZ

July 12, 2010

Brooklyn-Street-Art-HEADER-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0159

Street Artists in sunny Gray Mountain, Arizona took a trip to the Navajo Reservation this weekend to hit one of their favorite abandoned sites. The juxtaposition of their work on the storage tanks as sculptures against the AZ sky somehow makes their impact profound.  Add to this the fact that the three hadn’t realized their individual pieces would all carry a central theme of fertility until installing them, and the site could take on a mystic quality. Or maybe they were just freaking themselves out chewing on some peyote.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-0143

The unplanned coincidence began to take on an added dimension as Joerael worked on his fertility medicine man character and Jetsonorama installed the mother and child image. Yote’s rabbit, a traditional symbol of fertility, and ear of corn, a symbol of harvest, finished the theme.  Whether the theme arose from the land or from like minds, this co-incidental installation is further evidence of the fertile soil that the current street art crop is planted in.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0142Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0175

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0159

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0154


Read more

Featured Video | Martin Wong’s “Houston Street”

Recent Articles on BSA