All posts tagged: Axel Void

Poliniza-DOS Elevates the Intervention Art Form in Valencia, Spain

Poliniza-DOS Elevates the Intervention Art Form in Valencia, Spain

Festival d’Art Urbà Poliniza Dos may have an online presence that is difficult to access for the average street art fan. Still, the murals created for this ongoing urban art festival at the Polytechnic University of Valencia speak for themselves.

Slim Safont. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Brilliant productions and unusual investigations are created in and around the campus, engaging students and the local community to consider the role of art in the public sphere, its pertinence and meaning, and our relationship to it. Its direct and scholarly approach means that the public is invited, and artists are given an opportunity to share their practice with an appreciative and considered audience.

Slim Safont. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

For more than a decade, this competition has selected from an open call for submissions and invited many of Spain’s curious thinkers, experimenters, interventionists, trouble-makers, street artists, and muralists to create new pieces for consideration, discussion, and appreciation. This program is where the work is done on the wall, inside the mind, and in the heart.

Recently photographer Luis Olive captured these murals from the 2021 and 2022 editions of PolinizaDos, and he shares what he found today with BSA readers.

Escif and Axel Void. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Guzman/Subterraneos. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Guzman/Subterraneos. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Subterraneos. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Eddith Chavez. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Taller Burro Press. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Mari Mariel. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sucri / Furyo. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sucri / Furyo. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Edoardo Ettorre. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
MOHA. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
MOHA. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Lula Goce. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Berni Puig. POLINIZADOS Urban Art Festival. Polytechnic University of Valencia. Valencia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Learn more about Poliniza Dos on their Instagram account.

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Fanzara Art Festival 2022

Fanzara Art Festival 2022

The storied, busy, festive Spanish city of Valencia lies about an hour south of Fanzara, and the difference between the two could not be more pronounced. One of many across the country, this small town has been aging, shrinking in population, a shadow of its former charming self. Since the Fanzara Miau Mural Festival began about a decade ago, that direction has been slowly reversing, with an infusion of murals all over town.

The tourist trafficked has become notable, and that youthful demographic once again wanders through the winding streets, greeting old timers and taking photos of the murals and of course, posing for selfies in front of them.

Ceciro. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

The artworks are quite varied, with street artists now often formally trained studio professionals and those working in the advertising and commercial art industries. Thankfully the feeling remains free spirited, and many artists appear to await inspiration for their subject matter until arriving, preferring to be inspired by their new environment and creating something that initiates dialogue with their surroundings.

Bault. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

From the classically figurative to naïve, illustrative to photorealistic, the natural world to daily life, the common thread is thoughtful and considered work that is far from the hype of other street art festivals – and safely far from commercial gloss.

Today we have new photos from the 2022 edition by frequent contributor Lluis Olive Bulbena.

Bault. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Bault. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Axel Void. Fanzara Art Festival 2020. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Slim Safont. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pedro Kouba and Cesar Goce. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pedro Kouba and Cesar Goce. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pedro Kouba and Cesar Goce. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sokram paints an artist walking the tightrope. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isaac Cordal. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isaac Cordal. Fanzara Art Festival 2020. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Manuel Martin. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
EL NIÑO DE LAS PINTURAS. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
EL NIÑO DE LAS PINTURAS. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Zesar and Meri. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Zesar and Meri. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Huariu. Fanzara Art Festival 2022. Fanzara, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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Tunisian Mural Miracle: An Outdoor Museum and Archive of These Times

Tunisian Mural Miracle: An Outdoor Museum and Archive of These Times

Recently we brought you coverage of Shepard Fairey’s newest work for the Djerbahood project on the island of Hara Sghira Er Riadh in Tunisia. A gradually-building project curated over the last decade or more by the Tunisian-French owner of Paris’ Galerie Itinerrance, Medhi Ben Cheikh, there must be nearly 200 artists from 30+ nations represented here now.

As each year passes we become more aware that the collection represents an era, a vast survey of a time when street art was graduating to murals worldwide. Some of these artists have risen in prominence in the street art/contemporary art world, while others have declined, or have shifted their attention to something else entirely. In that respect, Djerbahood is an archive for all to investigate and analyze.

Seth / Pum Pum. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)

Sensitive to local cultural values in terms of content, the various expressions of creativity may not follow one aesthetic – but they invariably are complemented by the predominant white stucco walls that define this pristine haven for street art murals. While some have aged quite beautifully, others have shown the passage of time and the elements, gently weathering the overall aesthetic.

The project is documented in a beautifully edited and printed book, which we reviewed here.
To reacquaint you, below are a few selections from the project:

To reaquaint you, below are a few selections from the project:

C215. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Ethos. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
M-City. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Alexis Diaz. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Inti / Axel Void. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Btoy. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
KAN. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Jasm1. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Saner. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Sebas Velasco. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Mazen. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
ECB. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Laguna. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Stinkfish. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)
Brusk. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo courtesy of Itinerrance Gallery)

Click HERE to learn more about the project.

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Axel Void: Ode To the Spirit of Andalucia

Axel Void: Ode To the Spirit of Andalucia

The unbridled joy and adventure of youth! Axel Void has captured both in this new street diptych in a Student dormitory in Seville, Spain, called Livensa Living Sevilla.

Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)

With roots in Haiti, Miami, and here in Andalusia, Void invites viewers to access their own childhood through distinct lenses that are at once nostalgic and contemporary by way of interpreting photographs of young daredevils jumping into the sea from the Carranza Bridge in Cádiz. The framing of the works is an outstanding example of working with the architecture to create works that strongly suggest much more to the surrounding community than their content.

Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)

Axel says that he hopes the murals inspire a certain spirit of the residence itself, connecting the future residents with the city and the students living there. With these new works, he is returning to his own roots, invoking the spirit of play and the natural and manufactured environment, highlighting the little things that enrich the quality of life in this region. The murals lie between Antonio Maura Montaner and Genaro Parladé streets.

Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)
Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)
Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)
Axel Void. In collaboration with Seleka y Laura Calvarro/Delimbo Gallery and Temprano Capital. Livensa Living. Sevilla, Spain. (photo © Miguel Jimenez)
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“Change” A Short Film By Doug Gillen in Kosovo

“Change” A Short Film By Doug Gillen in Kosovo

“This is a celebration of them directly,” artist Helen Bur says as she describes her new six-story high painting in Ferizaj, Kosovo. Warm and idiosyncratic, it is a candid photo of local youth whom she paints in this once war-torn area. Even today, about 20 years after the end of hostilities and with the enormous “peace-keeping” US Camp Bondsteel nearby, a mixture of Albanians, Serbs, and Roma all are rebuilding a common life in the shadow of not-so-past events.

Axel Void and Helen Bur. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Besart Bega)

Given such taut social politics that govern the memories and leave their mark on the daily lives of residents, Scottish film maker Doug Gillen jumped in to record the observations and experiences of artists and local creators who were there for a mural festival. One current fashion for murals created for these public art events is to be “responsive” to the community. Undoubtedly you can see that many of these are reflecting the environment – including more literally the botanicals of the region.

Local Musician. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Elsewhere Gillen captures the stories of locals, including one resident who recalls being ‘usurped’ by a ‘hooligan’ who took over her attic and who brought sex workers there during the conflict. You can sense the relief she feels to finally tell her story in a public way. These singular stories provide clarity and can be rather jewel-like.

Muralist Ampparito touches on the denial that is also in play as he describes his mural which addresses the ultimate non-controversial topic bound to engage a respectable constituency: weather.

Aruallan and Axel Void. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Aruallan)

“When you arrive at a place that you don’t know and you want to talk about serious stuff” the artist explains with a smile, “I think you have to be careful.” For both the sensitive and the coarse, it is a given; whether its political or personal self-censorship, it will enter the life of an artist at one point. “It’s like when you don’t talk about something, sometimes you say more than if you don’t talk about it.”

You can see how the commitment to acknowledging and participating with community is realized by a talented collection of artists – like the aforementioned Ampparito, Aruallan, Micheal Beitz, Helen Bur, Emilio Cerezo, Doa Oa, Alba Fabre, Ivan Floro, Maria Jose Gallardo, Retry One, Zane Prater, Vlada Trocka and Axel Void.

A local on Ferizaj. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Artist and organizer Axel Void may embody similar contradictions as he describes goals of the pro-artist organization named after himself. “In a way it’s a similar idea to every, like, Void Projects – which is pretty much trying to cut out the middle man and trying to have a more direct interaction between the artist and the people.” That being said, the annual mural festival relies on private and institutional partners, staff, professionals, and the efforts of volunteers to mount it as well as a biosphere of media professionals and amateurs and private platforms to help Void and the artists get the word out about their creations around the globe.

Executive producer Lebibe Topalli rests her finger carefully upon the local pulse, and she parses words gently when describing the challenges of mounting this event today as she thinks of Kosovo of two decades ago. To even have considerations regarding the ‘art world’ at an earlier time “would have been a luxury,” she says. 

“The difference is best recognized by the people who have experienced it.” As the debate in the street art world continues about the elusive ideal mix of factors for the perfect mural festival, filmmaker Gillen helps capture those who struggle as well with their sense of responsibility to the community.

Produced by Fifth Wall TV in collaboration with the Kosovo Mural Festival and Void Projects

Film Executive Producer Charlotte Pyatt

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Axel Void’s “Homeless” Project Comes “Home” in Miami

Axel Void’s “Homeless” Project Comes “Home” in Miami

Doug Gillen’s New Video Captures “Homeless”

Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)

“The aim is to create quality shows outside of the conventional art scene, cutting the middlemen, galleries or institutions,” says Axel Void’s mission statement for “Homeless.”

When his Instagram following gets big enough, will he add art websites and magazines to that list of superfluous middlemen/women?

Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)

In the meantime, here’s London based filmmaker/vlogger and Radio Juxtapoz co-host Doug Gillen with his take on the “residency” that Void (Alejandro Dorda) hosted this year in Miami during Art Basel. As his craft evolves, more of his subjects are emerging; his languorous takes are fulsome, his pacing creating space.

It’s a meditation on what “home” means for 15 or so artists who are in Void’s house “to eat, sleep and create together”. The construction of that phrase suddenly makes this residency sound a LOT more interesting.

Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)

For Axel Voids’ project, the location is North Miami and the temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the architectural era in the 1920s. From the looks on the face of this crew of international painters, “home” has a lovely barefoot-in-the-grass quality, a sun-drenched smokey Arkestra of soul and silliness. 

When you look at these paintings and these people and think of this environment you may ask yourself, “What is home?”

Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo © Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo © Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo © Doug Gillen/FWTV)
Void Projects. “Homeless” Miami, 2019. (photo still from the video by Doug Gillen/FWTV)
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“Neo-Muralism” for TÀPIA in Spain

“Neo-Muralism” for TÀPIA in Spain

B-MURALS PRESENTS TÀPIA BY AXEL VOID

A Neo Muralist Movement. Is this what we’ll call it?

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Artist/curator Axel Void is framing it this way when inviting 24 artists to Barcelona for TÀPIA (“walls” in Catalan). Figurative muralism also comes to mind as you look over these new walls of Nau Bostik.

Graffiti writers, Street Artists, contemporary artists: all of these participate in this impermanent show, each in their own expression of realism, and poetic realism, as long as we’re feeling like coining a term.

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Traditionally in ‘street art’ these walls and spaces have presented themselves as vulnerable to the interventions of artist,” say organizers. “Blurring the edges of this physical, yet metaphorical division, between the idea of private and public.”

We’re pleased today to present original photos of the murals that were executed outdoors in conjunction with the exhibition.

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

“Tapia” is currently on view at B-Murals in Barcelona. The exhibition ends February 29 2020. Click HERE for more information and to see the artworks in the exhibition.

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BSA Film Friday 08.30.19

BSA Film Friday 08.30.19

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. Don Rimx x Owley “Olor A Azucenas El Perfume Del Barrio”
2. Street Art Singapore (VICE)
3. LATINO Legends STREET ART in my BACKYARD! | Los Mendozas
4. Kitt Bennett “Sleeping Giant”


BSA Special Feature: Don Rimx x Owley “Olor A Azucenas El Perfume Del Barrio”

New Yorker/ Puerto Rican Street Artist Don Rimx illustrates his world and ours with his historical people, characters, and archetypes. For this recent piece in Brooklyn he focused on the guy who sells flowers, and the perfumeric effect he has on summer streets.

The mural symbolizes “a cultural bridge”: a flower vendor famous to San Juan, Puerto Rico. As Owley continues to develop his film-maker craft, his own personality is also beginning to emerge; a certain warmth and appreciation for his subjects readily apparent.

Street Art Singapore (VICE)

A quick study of the scene in Singapore at the moment, featuring a graffiti group of style writers and illustrators called RSCLS and a more traditional muralist named Yip Yew Chong. The vandalism laws are strict and violent, yo! So how do you get around them. Carefully. Also heavier topics like institutionalized racism, the surveillance state, and censorship are all hit on.

Respect to Vice for capturing these folks and their stories.

LATINO Legends STREET ART in my BACKYARD! | Los Mendozas

Santana, Selena, Vicente Fernandez, and Frida?

They are all heroes of Hispanic heritage in the house of Instagram comedian Jay Mendoza in Los Angeles. With the help of muralist Gustavo Zermeño Jr these neighbors get together to paint in Jay’s backyard.

Join the #LosMendozasFamily

Kitt Bennett “Sleeping Giant”

Yes, it will remind you of Ella & Pitr. And yes, Melbourne’s Kitt Bennett is impressive nonetheless.

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Vermibus x Moniker x BSA

Vermibus x Moniker x BSA

In advance of Moniker in Brooklyn this May, we are interviewing some of the artists who are influenced both by street practice and fine art as the contemporary urban art category continues to evolve. Today, BSA is talking to Vermibus.

Readers of BSA will know that we have written about Vermibus many times for a number of years, so it is great to see him here in New York for Moniker. The Berlin-based Spanish artist takes a full frontal attack on advertising in the beauty and fashion fields primarily, using a paint solvent to dissolve features of high fashion models to disrupt idealized standards of beauty.

A veteran of countless takeovers of public bus shelters and kiosks here and across Europe, the results are shocking and confusing to passersby, who perhaps wonder if they are seeing something official and fashion forward or if its a viral ad using surrealist melting forms.

Vermibus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

To quote one of our own many texts, Vermibus is using solvent “to paint his critique of the corrosiveness of a commercial beauty culture that tears down and divides, glorifies consumerism for its own sake, belittles and relentlessly attacks self esteem and plays on negative emotions to enforce normative values about appearance. He takes the posters back to a studio and selectively eliminates words, logos, facial features, even entire faces — and then carries them to another city to repost on new streets. Sometimes he also takes them to an art framer.”

BSA: How would you describe your work to someone who is seeing it for the first time?
Vermibus: With my work I talk about 3 main topics.

It’s a critique of advertising, a reflection about beauty standards and an investigation on the complexities of the human being, not necessarily in this order.

Vermibus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: What is your intersection with Brooklyn and it’s history of Street Art and graffiti?
Vermibus: I haven’t spend enough time in Brooklyn to be able to answer this question properly.

All I can say is that for those who come from the graffiti scene we are obviously very influenced by NYC and Brooklyn in particular.

BSA: What’s most important to you?
Vermibus: Keep on standing up every time I fall.

Vermibus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Are graffiti and Street Art allowed to change, or should there be a strict definitions they adhere to?
Vermibus: I don’t think graffiti can change and still be graffiti, same like I don’t think street art can change and still be street art, will be another thing.

I believe in evolution and I think is not only good but necessary, but labels are made to define things. If things change then we’ll need more labels.

BSA: Moniker says your work has been influential and/or fundamental to urban & contemporary art’s growth. Can you see their point?
Vermibus: I guess for some people I could have been very influential and I think my work has the ingredients to open new perspectives in the scene.

But only people with a great overview of the scene can say and only time can confirm.

So far, Moniker has been very good at observing and guiding the scene over the years, so I’m happy they see my work as such.

BSA: Name one artist whose work you admire today.
Vermibus: Axel Void.


For more information please go to Moniker Art Fair HERE.

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12 Finalist Artists Announced for Contorno Urbano Mural in Barcelona

12 Finalist Artists Announced for Contorno Urbano Mural in Barcelona

Almost 300 artists and collectives from around the world (42 countries) have entered the 2018 Contorno Urbano competition for this wall/residency/7000€ prize in Barcelona! It is astounding how many high caliber artists are at work today in cities everywhere, bringing innovative new techniques and unique perspectives to public space like never before.

After reviewing all applications and submitted materials during a process begun this summer, today we are excited to announce that this list has been narrowed to just 12 finalists. Next month their names will go to the final stage of selection in Barcelona with esteemed co-jurors from organizers and creators in the areas of art academia, mural art, public art, and Street Art to narrow the list to one.

The 12 premiere finalists for the Mural de la Salut in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain) are:

Axel Void
Borondo
Colectivo Licuado
David de la Mano
Escif
Guido Van Helten
Hyuro
Innerfields
Millo
Otecki
Sabotaje al Montaje
San

Congratulations to each artist! It wasn’t an easy task for the pre-selection committee to decide the best from 300, but your work rose to the top 4% of the applications according to the selection criteria.

#MuralSalut: Finalistas – Finalists from Contorno Urbano on Vimeo.

Among the considerations for selection were academic studies, experience and history creating murals in public space, previous internships or residencies, and suitability of artwork style to the central purpose of this 400 square meter mural.

Each of the 12 finalists will be asked to submit a sketch and a written proposal.

The final stage of the selection will be on November 15th and 16th, with the following professionals travelling to Sant Feliu de Llobregat:

Monica Campana (Cofounder of Living Walls and project manager for the urban art exhibition Open Source),
Fernando Figueroa (PHD in History of Art and independent researcher specialized in graffiti and urban art),
Esteban Marin (President of Contorno Urbano and mural artist),
Jaime Rojo (co-founder of Brooklyn Street Art and curator), and
Veronica Werckmeister (painter and muralist, curator).

The mural will commemorate the neighborhood’s fight 30 years ago to have this public square created for the neighbors instead of building a gas station. After meeting with the Association La Salut and the neighbors who live in the area, members of the jury will review previous artworks and experience of the 12 finalists to help them to select the artist who is best suited for painting the mural.

The winner will receive an artistic residence beginning in Spring 2018 and will receive a 7000€ prize. The wall will be painted after an artistic residency in order for the artist to become acquainted with the historic context of the project and the city itself.

The project is a collaboration between the municipality (Ajuntament) of Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Fundacion Contorno Urbano and Kaligrafics.

Kaligrafics: Founded in 1999, it’s the oldest non-profit organization dedicated to graffiti and street art in Cataluña, and a significant record of experience in Spain.

Contorno Urbano: The first Foundation in Spain to be fully dedicated to street art and graffiti. The team has over 10 years’ experience organizing murals and urban art dissemination locally and internationally.


Following in no particular order are the 12 finalists:

Guido Van Helten / United Kingdom

Guido Van Helten for Nashville Walls Project. Nashville, TN. June 2017. (photo © Eric E Johnson)

Borondo / Spain

Borondo for Urban Nation this spring (UN) in the Tegel section of Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Escif / Spain

Escif. Living Walls Atlanta. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Daniel “SAN” Muñoz / Spain

Daniel Muñoz. The curtain ( 983 followers). The Highlands, Scotland. (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Axel Void / USA

Axel Void. Los Muros Hablan. El Barrio/Spanish Harlem. NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hyuro / Spain

Hyuro. What In The World PM/12. Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin, May 19, 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Colectivo Licuado / Uruguay

Colectivo Licuado. Lisbon, Portugal. (photo © courtesy of Colectivo Licuado)

Millo / Italy

Millo in Kiev for Mural Social Club Festival/NGO Sky Art Foundation. (photo © Maksim Belousov)

Innerfields / Germany

Innerfields for ArtUnitedUs in Kiev, Ukraine. (photo © @dronarium)

David De La Mano / Spain

David De La Mano. Urban Nation Musuem For Urban Contemporary Art. Berlin. September 2017. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sabotaje Al Montaje / Spain

Sabotaje Al Montaje. Los Alcazares. Murcia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Otecki / Poland

Otecki. Urban Forms. Lodz, Poland. (photo © Courtesy Urban Forms)

 

 

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Selections From “SHINE” Mural Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Selections From “SHINE” Mural Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Here are new images from St Petersburg, Florida, where The SHINE mural festival was thrown in September for the 3rd year in a row.

Kryptk. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

“Shine is a good example of a mural project when the community is involved,” says an organizer Iryna Kanishcheva, who has had a great deal of experience working with Street Artists in the last few years, including a very successful program in Kiev.

Regarding this Floridian community she says, “They started in 2015 with many local artists and family-friendly public activities. The event received good support from the community, so much so in fact that produced more murals next year.”

Mikael B. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

Included this year are names you’ll find familiar like Cryptic, Hueman, Joram Roukes, Lauren YS and Yok & Sheryo. You’ll also find a fair share of local talents at SHINE because the festival makes a point to keep the mix local and international.

“They try to keep the ratio 5:10 local artists versus traveling artists, thanks to curator Chris Parks,” says Kanishcheva.

Axel Void . L. E. O. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

So what stood out in 2017?

The difference in this year’s edition is an exhibition, a group show called “Outside In” with large-scale installations by The Yok and SheryoJames OlesonThe Artwork of Ricky WattsVitale Bros.Sentrock and artwork by many more,” says Kanishcheva. “I’d like to acknowledge Axel Void’s piece, which is based on a series called ‘Nobody.’”

“A few years ago Axel painted a mural in Atlanta and he used a portrait of a boy – a random image from the Internet. Months later he received an email from a man in the original photo – his sister had alerted him to it after spotting it in a magazine. Axel Void kept in touch with him and even developed an idea for the film, show and canvas series. One of them is here in the ‘Inside In’ collection.”

See the original Axel Void wall shot by Jaime Rojo at “Living Walls” in Atlanta that year here; Living Walls 2013 ALIVE in Atlanta

Hueman. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

Jose Mertz. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

Jujmo. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)

Joram Roukes. Shine Mural Festival. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 2017. (photo © Iryna Kanishcheva)


2017 SHINE artists:

Axel Void & L.E.O.,Cryptic, Daniel “R5” Barojas, Herbert Scott Davis, Hueman, James Oleson, Joram Roukes, Jose Mertz, Jujmo, Lauren YS, Mikael B, Ricky Watts, Sentrock, Sam Young, Stephen Palladino, Suarezart, Thirst & Zulu Painter, Vitale Bros., Yok & Sheryo.


We wish to thank Iryna Kanishcheva for sharing her observations and photos with our BSA readers. Please visit http://kanishcheva.com/ to learn more about Ms. Kanishcheva projects.

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Street Artist StrØk in Indonesia Ready to Catch Orangutans

Street Artist StrØk in Indonesia Ready to Catch Orangutans

Activism in the practice of Street Art and murals continues to inject itself into different situations, adding to its own definition, and perhaps challenging ours.

Part of a larger campaign called “Splash and Burn,” today we have Norwegian stencil artist Strøk, aka Anders Gjnnestad, with a brand new piece he did in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The image of a huge net is not remarkable except for Strøk’s characteristic play on perspective and planes, and the fact that the subject is Orangutans, or rather, an increasing lack of them.

Strøk for Splash & Burn Project. Sumatra 2016. (photo © Strøk)

EcoTourism has become such a huge industry in the last decade and a half thanks to Westerners longing to do something meaningful and engaging on their vacations aside from going to an amusement park or lying by the beach. Unfortunately, irresponsible development, untrained “guides” and uncaring tourists have trampled over the natural areas, changed the natural behavior of wild animals and endangered their future – with Orangutans in Bukit Lawang as a prime example. The lure of tour money and the behaviors of visitors ignoring even basic rules like “don’t feed the wild orangutans” has created a lot of aggressive animals who are now dependent on you for food and the uncontrolled hordes of visitors have damaged the living environment.

“I just found that what I wanted to create was a mural about Orangutans and one of the main problems they are facing – destruction of habitat,” says Strøk of his new piece.

Reference photo. Rescuers working for  Sumatra Orangutan Society or SOS for its initials in English prepare a net to catch an Orangutan about to fall down from a tall tree. (photo © Andrew Walmsley)

With a desire to educate himself about what orangutans are like and how some of them need rescuing and relocating, the artist went to the Orangutan Information Centre headquarters in Medan and met with the people working there. “While being given a presentation of their work, I got the idea of what I wanted to paint. They showed us photos of how they work with the SOS (Sumatran Orangutan Society) to rescue and relocate orangutans in trouble,” he explains. “Orangutans travel great distances almost daily, in search for food. If the jungle is cut down around them and they get stuck in a small pocket of trees, that’s bad news for them.”

“Basically, OIC/SOS have a hotline that people can call if they see a distressed orangutan. Then the OIC/SOS gets together their team that is on standby, go to the location and they shoot the Orangutan with a sedation dart. When it sleeps and falls down from its tree, they are standing below it, breaking the fall with a net – much like the old school fireman rescue method. Then the orangutan gets checked by a vet, and depending on its condition it is either relocated into the wild, or taken to a rehabilitation facility.

Strøk for Splash & Burn Project. Sumatra 2016. (photo © Strøk)

The new stenciled and sprayed wall piece was created to evoke the image of the animal falling to safety and as a larger metaphor about our collective responsibility to care for nature and its other inhabitants. Strøk says he really liked the location he worked with, and after taking photos while standing on a roof of local guys holding the net, he created the stencils and started painting.

“I was free to do whatever I wanted, on whatever wall or surface I preferred and that we could get permission to paint. On top of my list was a rusty old tourist agency billboard with a barely visible map of Sumatra that was along the main road as you enter the village. I integrated the oil palm tree that was already directly behind and leaning over the billboard into the composition of my painting,” he says

Strøk for Splash & Burn Project. Sumatra 2016. (photo © Strøk)

This might be a bit of a sidenote, but I wanted to include this photo of the construction I was standing on to paint. “I´ve always had massive respect to people who can put together something good and solid, in an effective way. This construction was put up for me by two local men in about an hour, and proved to fit me and the work I needed to do, like a glove. I am glad they got a look at me before they started, though, as I am about 1,5 times the height and at least double the weight of an average Indonesian. They tailored it so I could stand up straight on the middle level and climb up and down with confidence.”- Strøk

Strøk for Splash & Burn Project. Sumatra 2016. (photo © Strøk)

The palm oil tree that reaches over the front of the new piece is significant because this installation is part of a larger campaign about the palm oil industry begun by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, who raised money for Strøk and six other artists this January by selling a special lithograph print called “Splash and Burn

Other artists like Mark Jenkins, Isaac Cordal, Pixel Pancho, Gabriel Pitcher, Bibichun, and Axel Void all participated in the first series of installations, and Zacharevic intends to develop the project further to raise awareness about the negative impact that our often unregulated industrial world is having on the natural one, and the people, animals and ecosystems that depend on it. For more information on “Splash and Burn” check out the new article just published in The Guardian.

“For this project I knew I wanted my work to connected on more levels, to tell a more specific story in a way,” StrØk tells us. “I wanted to create a work about Orangutans without painting one. It was a challenge, but a very welcome one.”

To read about an unregulated industry of ecotourism that is not eco-friendly and is very possibly ruining the habitat for orangutans, go here.


Our sincere thanks to Charlotte Pyatt for her help in the project and with this article.

 

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