All posts tagged: BR1

“Money & Followers” Heralds the Thinking Artists on the Street in Turin

“Money & Followers” Heralds the Thinking Artists on the Street in Turin

Turin, Italy remains a hotbed for free thought and experimental art in public spaces. Despite so many inroads toward capitalizing on the radical movement of street art in recent years, this part of Italy has been fertile soil for the ornery, complicated, political, and eclectic artistic impulses that first drew us to this scene. A summer show of street art veterans and more recent talents at the newly germinated NISBA Studio may be staking positions that have gotten lost in a scene sometimes awash with commercial brands and self-dealers. The studio calls itself an “observatory on contemporary society, a strategic place,” and says it is a venue and platform “within which connections are born between enthusiasts, visitors, collectors, companies, public and private administrators.”

Turin’s historical significance as a vital hub for Italian, European, and Egyptian art, including the influential Piedmontese Baroque art movement and its vibrant urban art scene, adds prestige to the city and perhaps gravitas to its opinion on the evolution of the street art scene. Its position in the development of the “urban art” scene across Europe has also had an impact, with names like Blu, Ericailcane, Alice Pasquini, Ozmo, and Lucamaleonte coming to mind.

ELFO. Money and Followers. Nisba Studio. Torino, Italy. (photo courtesy of Nisba Studio)

Using an ironic phrase that is a currency in the pinched views of a social media world, the exhibition “Money and Followers” is mounted in an inclusive space with no political affiliation, say organizers, welcoming all. The show features new works by Sten Lex, the renowned Roman duo who pioneered an innovative “halftone” stencil art. At the same time, Sam3 captivates with visually striking, black anthropomorphic figures that convey a fantastical vision. Elfo, representing an Italian avant-garde in graffiti and urban art, presents his on-point technically low-fi cultural lambast. Gec explores participatory public art and societal themes through web-based production, while BR1’s impactful posters delve into tackle themes of integration, identity, migration, and globalization.

BR1. Money and Followers. Nisba Studio. Torino, Italy. (photo courtesy of Nisba Studio)
SAM3. Money and Followers. Nisba Studio. Torino, Italy. (photo courtesy of Nisba Studio)

SABATO 10 e DOMENICA 11 GIUGNO 2023
DALLE ORE 14 ALLE 20
NISBA STUDIO
Via Po 25 (interno cortile)
Torino

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BSA Film Friday: 03.24.23

BSA Film Friday: 03.24.23

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

Now screening:
1. BR1 & GEC – Fieno e Asfalto (Hay and Asphalt)

2. Ai Weiwei – Studio Visit – Via Design Boom

3. Amy: Beyond the Stage Mural – Via The Design Museum

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BSA Special Feature: BR1 & GEC – Fieno e Asfalto (Hay and Asphalt)

Ready to witness an unauthorized intervention like you probably haven’t seen before? Italian artists BR1 & GEC take on the streets of the “Barriera di Milano” area of Torino with a bale of hay and dodge pedestrians and cars along the way. This action-packed adventure culminates in the final occupation of a parking spot, leaving people bothered and perplexed.

This performance isn’t just about having fun; there are layers of meaning, too- the paradox of the presence of a vital material necessary for city folks’ food production is comical in this context. However, the harsh response from people driving cars in the city is not quite as endearing. From exploring the relationship between natural and artificial landscapes to the rampant consumption of resources in urban centers, these artists touch on various current issues. At the very least, you think of the different uses of public space we take for granted and the rediscover activity that would be perfectly acceptable in rural areas. You may also say it is a form of resistance toward the modern world.

As you watch the calm and grounded progression of the wheel through city streets, you may consider the relationship between the artwork and the public space. The two artists often make ephemeral interventions in the urban context, and this is one more way to act spontaneously and without permission. With one simple, if not easy, performance, the viewer may consider the various symbolisms uprooted in the collective consciousness.

BR1 & GEC – Fieno e Asfalto (Hay and Asphalt)

Ai Weiwei – Studio Visit – Via Design Boom

“I choose things that I am not familiar with, which I can learn from, and which present me with a challenge.”

Amy: Beyond the Stage Mural – Via The Design Museum

To celebrate the anniversary of Amy’s birthday and the launch of the exhibition Amy: Beyond the Stage, a large-scale mural was hand painted on Camden High Street.

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“From Street To Art” (Italy to New York) & Hitnes on a BKLN Roof

“From Street To Art” (Italy to New York) & Hitnes on a BKLN Roof

New Gallery Show Opens at Italian Cultural Institute of New York

Ever the melting pot, New Yorkers take it almost for granted that we are going to hear 10 different accents just in the course of our day walking through streets, getting a cab, shopping in a store, going to the theater, attending an art opening. We’re always in a midst of a cultural exchange. We often may not realize that the art on our street walls, legal and otherwise, may be the work of a cultural emissary as well, created by artists who hail from almost every country in the world. Such is the magnetic power of this international cultural center that even our graffiti tour guides sometimes need to be interpreters.

One of the countries where BSA has a large and loyal following is Italy and we’re excited to be a part of a cultural exchange that opens this evening with Italian graffiti and Street Artists exhibiting for the first time together in a formal gallery show. “From Street to Art”, opening today at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, is a survey of this moment in the twenty-teens from the streets of Italy that adds to the voices of cultural exchange in this city that sparked so much of the worldwide graffiti and street art movements over the last fifty years or so.

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Using flat color and simplistic stereotypes demarked by clothing styles and associated characteristics of social types, the work of BR1 can evoke emotions and strong opinions on the street and in the gallery. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Organized by Public and Urban Art curator Simone Pallotta, “From Street to Art” continues the thread of sanctioned/unsanctioned artwork and continues his personal and professional route of drawing connections between contemporary art and the dozens of interventions he has overseen in his native country.

“From Street to Art” presents a good caliber of this “contemporary” scene, a collection of artists that reflects the variety one will experience on the street as well. Agostino Iacurci, Aris, BR1, Cyop&Kaf, Dem, Eron, Hitnes, Sten&Lex, Ufo5, and 2501 have each established a voice of their own during this first wave of the new global Street Art explosion.

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DEM (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA is honored to partner with the organizers and curator to get the word out about the nascent Italian street scene not only for its energy and talent today, but for the historical roots of a painting tradition from the middle ages to the Renaissance to contemporary times; revered for stunning and expansive installations of art upon walls inside and al fresco, private and per il pubblico.

One of the original organizers of the Festival “Memorie Urbane” in Gaeta, curator Pallotta has worked with names you are familiar with from his home country: Blu, Sten & Lex, Escif, Aryz, Agostino Iucurci. While a few of those names are represented in this show, Pallotta hopes to go a  step beyond the sizzling “Street Art” zeitgeist of this moment to re-consider the urban context of public work as interpreted by a new generation of artists whose practice is likely to develop into the future, authoring the evolving definition of public art.

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DEM (photo © Jaime Rojo)

By choosing a selection of conceptualists, muralists, illustrators, even social commentators, he presents a good cross section of experimentation and execution in a quiet gallery setting that may indicate where this art form is headed.

As you would expect, the gallery show (shown being unpacked here) is complimented by work out of doors as well and we had the opportunity to see HITNES on a roof in Brooklyn this week.

We also spoke with curator Simone Pallotta, artist BR1, and artist HITNES while he knocked out a wall on a roof in Bushwick .

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Agostino Iacursi (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA speaks with curator of “From Street To Art”, Simone Pallotta:

Brooklyn Street Art: What initially drew your attention to Street Art?
Simone Pallotta: In the 90s I was a graffiti artist and later on I went to university for 8 years to study Art History. I began to pay more attention to what was going on the streets and one day in 2004 I discovered the art of Italian Street Artist BLU. It made such an impression on me that at that moment I made the decision to focus my time and energies in supporting Street Artists and helping them get more exposure.

In the university I had learned about institutional Contemporary Art – and my experience seeing Street Art in situ helped me understand that the real Contemporary Art was happening before my eyes on the streets. This was a Contemporary Art that was not being taught in the classroom at the university.

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ERON (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: What is the attitude of the City of Rome towards Street Art?
Simone Pallotta:If by the City of Rome we mean the city as an institution, dealing with it in all matters of Street Art has become very hard to work with. Because the government changes so often there isn’t a state policy in place regarding Street Art so then we are left to work with single individuals in governmental departments that are receptive to Street Art. During the 90s many graffiti artists from all over the world came to Rome to write due to the lack of law enforcement.

From the late 90s to the early 2000s Rome didn’t have much Street Art so the laws remained as they were and weren’t enforced. In Rome it is relatively easy for Street Artists to put illegal work up but ironically, due to the intense bureaucracy, it is very hard to convince the people in power to authorize legal walls for Street Artists to put art on. Recently however the government has been more open to working with independent cultural organizations and foundations to promote art on legal walls.

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Cyop & Kaf (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: What would you like to communicate to viewers with this exhibition?
Simone Pallotta:I have been involved with Street Art for ten years now and when the opportunity to curate this exhibition was presented to me I wanted to select 10 artists with a strong urban background and attitude. With this exhibition I want to re-direct the focus solely on the merits of the art; the content, the style and the techniques employed to create it, without focusing too much on the street provenance.

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2501 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

BSA speaks with Street Artist BR1:

brooklyn-street-art-br1-jaime-rojo-06-2014-webBrooklyn Street Art: You address a number of religious themes on your work.  Can you talk about the importance of your perspective on religion in your pieces?
BR1: I’m drawn to religious themes mainly by the people who practice religion. It always interest me the lifestyle of people as a direct link with religious dogma. Institutional religions impose many demands on people – from the way they should dress to how they should behave in private and in public. The more that people associate themselves with a specific religion and become a part of that community, they may have little desire to explore life outside their religious bubble.

First I observe the people to be able to understand what are the things in their culture and life that have become religious symbols. In this case the burka is a dress but it is also a symbol. If the practice of an artist is purely social, more than political, it is important to show ideas in one’s work. With my work I would like  to question the viewer. I don’t want to create problems but I’d want to further the discussion to see if people are able to go outside their drawn lines and to engage positively and constructively with the other side.

Brooklyn Street Art: Would you call yourself a feminist?
BR1: Yes. In fact I have been invited by some feminists groups to come and talk about my work.

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BR1 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Why is it important to you to create work with issues that affect women in our society?
BR1: It is a hard question because when I began drawing I often drew women. In Italy and in many other countries women are not treated equally as men. They are discriminated against in the workplace and in society at large and I want to draw attention to this with my work. Also my work is about helping people understand that they have choices in life.

Brooklyn Street Art: Why are you attracted to put your work on the streets without permission?
BR1: The experience of Street Art is free and that’s what I liked about it. When I began doing Street Art I wanted to preserve the free spirit of it. When I first visited NYC I saw a lot of wheat pastes and some stencil work on the streets that were not legally installed. Now the trend is to go big on legal walls. For me placement is very important; art on the streets has to be in context with the surroundings.

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

During a hot day this week, BSA also got to speak with participating Street Artist HITNES as he completed a wall on a roof in Brooklyn in conjunction with the show “From Street to Art”:

Brooklyn Street Art: How do animals inspire your work?
HITNES: Animals are known forms of nature and like the alphabet you can work with them in any which way you want. I come from a family of biologists (and artists) and since an early age I was inspired by the books that were around me when I was growing up.

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: You started as a graffiti artist. Why did you switch to Street Art?
HITNES: I switched from letters to animals because it was quicker for me to do them.

Brooklyn Street Art: You obviously love color – where does your palette derive from?
HITNES: I was exposed to color with comics and cartoons and I liked them. For me the use of color is very important, it is as important as the form. But at the same time you need to be prepared to work with what you have and to be flexible.

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Hitnes (photo © Jaime Rojo)

This wall was made possible with the assistance of NYstGallery

“From Street To Art” is a group exhibition of contemporary Italian Street Artists including Agostino Iacursi, Aris, BR1, Cyop & Kaf, Dem, Eron, Hitnes, Sten & Lex, UFO5 and 2501. Curated by Simone Pallotta opening today at the Italian Cultural Institute. Click HERE for further details.

 

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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The 2013 BSA Year in Images (VIDEO)

The 2013 BSA Year in Images (VIDEO)

Here it is! Our 2013 wrap up featuring favorite images of the year by Brooklyn Street Art’s Jaime Rojo.

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Before our video roundup below here is the Street Art photographer’s favorite of the year, snapped one second before he was singled out of a New York crowd, handcuffed, and stuffed into a police car – sort of like the Banksy balloons he was capturing.

“Among all the thousands of photos I took this year there’s one that encapsulates the importance of Street Art in the art world and some of the hysteria that can build up around it,” he says of his final shot on the final day of the one month Better Out Than In artist ‘residency’ in NYC this October. It was a cool day to be a Street Art photographer – but sadly Rojo was camera-less in a case of mistaken identity, if only for a short time.

Released two hours later after the actual car-jumping trespasser was charged, Rojo was happy to hear the Chief Lieutenant tell his officer “you’ve got the wrong man”, to get his shoelaces back, and to discover this photo was still on his camera. He also gets to tell people at parties that he spent some time in the holding cell with the two guys whom New York watched tugging down the B-A-N-K-S-Y.

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What’s everybody looking at? Jaime Rojo’s favorite image of the year at the very end of the Banksy brouhaha. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Now, for the Video

When it came to choosing the 112 images for the video that capture the spirit of the Street Art scene in ’13, we were as usual sort of overwhelmed to comb through about ten thousand images and to debate just how many ‘legal’ versus ‘illegal’ pieces made it into the mix. Should we include only images that went up under the cover of the night, unsanctioned, uncensored, uncompromised, unsolicited and uncommissioned? Isn’t that what Street Art is?

Right now there are a growing number of legal pieces going up in cities thanks to a growing fascination with Street Art and artists and it is causing us to reevaluate what the nature of the Street Art scene is, and what it may augur for the future. You can even say that from a content and speech perspective, a sizeable amount of the new stuff is playing it safe – which detracts from the badass rebel quality once associated with the practice.

These works are typically called by their more traditional description – murals. With all the Street Art / graffiti festivals now happening worldwide and the growing willingness of landlords to actually invite ‘vandals’ to paint their buildings to add cache to a neighborhood and not surprisingly benefit from the concomitant increase in real estate values, many fans and watchers have been feeling conflicted in 2013 about the mainstreaming that appears to be taking place before our eyes. But for the purposes of this roundup we decided to skip the debate and let everybody mix and mingle freely.

This is just a year-end rollicking Street Art round-up; A document of the moment that we hope you like.

Ultimately for BSA it has always been about what is fresh and what is celebrating the creative spirit – and what is coming next. “We felt that the pieces in this collection expressed the current vitality of the movement – at least on the streets of New York City,” says photographer and BSA co-founder Rojo. It’s a fusillade of the moment, complete with examples of large murals, small wheat pastes, intricate stencils, simple words made with recycled materials or sprayed on to walls, clay installations, three dimensional sculptures, hand painted canvases, crocheted installations, yarn installations etc… they somehow captured our imaginations, inspired us, made us smile, made us think, gave us impetus to continue doing what we are doing and above all made us love this city even more and the art and the artists who produce it.

Brooklyn Street Art 2013 Images of the Year by Jaime Rojo includes the following artists;

A Dying Breed, Aakash Nihalini, Agostino Iacursi, Amanda Marie, Apolo Torres, Axel Void, Bagman, Bamn, Pixote, Banksy, B.D. White, Betsy, Bishop203, NDA, Blek le Rat, br1, Case Maclaim, Cash For Your Warhol, Cholo, Chris RWK, Chris Stain, Billy Mode, Christian Nagel, Cost, ENX, Invader, Crush, Dal East, Damien Mitchell, Dase, Dasic, Keely, Deeker, Don’t Fret, The Droid, ECB, el Seed, El Sol 25, Elbow Toe, Faile, Faith 47, Five Pointz, Free Humanity, Greg LaMarche, Hot Tea, How & Nosm, Icy & Sot, Inti, Jilly Ballistic, John Hall, JR, Jose Parla, Judith Supine, Kremen, Kuma, LMNOPI, London Kaye, Love Me, Martha Cooper, Matt Siren, Elle, Mika, Miss Me, Missy, MOMO, Mr. Toll, Nychos, Okuda, Alice Mizrachi, OLEK, Owen Dippie, Paolo Cirio, Paul Insect, Phetus, Phlegm, Revok, Pose, QRST, Rambo, Ramiro Davaro, Reka, Rene Gagnon, ROA, RONES, Rubin, bunny M, Square, Stikki Peaches, Stikman, Swoon, Tristan Eaton, The Lisa Project 2013, UFO 907, Willow, Swill, Zed1, and Zimer.

Read more about Banksy’s last day in New York here and our overview of his residency in the essay “Banksy’s Final Trick” on The Huffington Post.

 

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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Bushwick Is Hot Now. Hurry!

Bushwick Open Studios is Paved With Street Art

Brooklyn’s already percolating artists neighborhood called Bushwick continues to thrive despite the circling of real estate agents, lifestyle brands and celebrity chefs. Born in the mid-late 2000s as it’s older sister Williamsburg to the West began to professionalize, this noisily industrial and dirty artists haven got a reprieve from gentrifying forces when the deep recession slowed the rise of rents for artist spaces, which remained still relatively cheap by Manhattan’s standards. Today the area boasts a diverse influx of artists, students, cultural workers, and entrepreneurs who are experimenting and collaborating on projects and shows.

Spagnola (photo © Jaime Rojo)

That radical economic downturn probably also nurtured the nascent Street Art scene here, which was one of the early outliers of a cultural influx as artists and explorers began to skateboard to the local delis and stare at laptops for hours in the one or two cafes that offered  Wi-Fi. Outcroppings of this new art movement combined with old-school graffiti to pop up on selected concrete and corrugated walls, signposts, and deteriorated blocks where the authorities were disinterested and the neighbors only partially curious in their activities.

It’s an age-old New York story by now; a neglected or winding down post industrial neighborhood reacts to the incoming and odd-looking artists with a sort of bemused affection, happy that at least the block is getting some attention for a change. Puzzlement eventually leads to familiarity and then buying you a sandwich – and then asking you to paint a mural inside his foyer. While national and international Street Artists were already making Bushwick a stopping point thanks to some of the earliest galleries like Ad Hoc and Factory Fresh, the scene recently got newly shot in the arm by a local resident who is facilitating much desired legal wall space to a crowd of artists who otherwise would be hunting and hitting up less-than-legal spots.  Not to worry, there are plenty of aerosol renegades and ruffians scaling walls at night too; this is New York after all, yo.

Zimad (photo © Jaime Rojo)

But for now the Bushwick Collective, as it is newly christened by wall-man Joe Ficalora, has infused an adrenaline rush of creativity inside and outside the area that is roughly bordered by Flushing Avenue, Starr Street, Knickerbocker Avenue and Cypress Avenue.  The Collective has guidelines on content (nudity, politics, profanity) so the works are not completely unfettered in the true spirit of Street Art/graffiti, but most artists are happy for the luxury of time to complete their work and not look over their shoulder. With a selection of murals that are densely gathered and easy to walk through, the new collection has attracted attention from media folks (and tour guides) on the main island brave enough to venture into the gritty wilds of Brooklyn for a Street Art safari.

As Bushwick hosts its 7th annual open studios cultural event this weekend, intrepid pedestrians who march through opening parties, rooftop DJ jams, dance performances, live bands, transcendent costumery, sidewalk barbecues, open fire hydrants and more than 600 open artist studios will also be buffeted by a visual feast on the streets themselves. As long as the L Train is running (fingers crossed) you can just get off at the Morgan stop. From there it should be pretty easy for any curious art-in-the-street fan to be regaled with big and small works of graffiti, Street Art, tags, wheat-pastes, stencils, rollers, murals, and ad hoc installations all day and night.

Trek Matthews (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A shout out to Arts In Bushwick, an all volunteer organization that has steadily grown and fostered an open sense of community inclusiveness each year for Bushwick Open Studios and to the many volunteers who have contributed greatly to the success of many of the cultural workers here.  Without an open studios event many of these shy and quirky artists and performers would simply have stayed unknown and unknowable.

So far Bushwick still has the unbridled imperfect D.I.Y. enthusiasm of an experiment where anything can happen, but grey ladies with kooky bright colored spectacles have already begun to flip it over to inspect it with one hand while pinching their nose with the other, so savor this authentic moment.  Ethereal by nature, you know the Street Art scene is never guaranteed to you tomorrow – neither is the mythical artists bohemian hamlet of New York’s yesteryear.  For now we’re hopping on our bikes to catch a golden age of Bushwick before it’s repackaged and sold back to us at a price we can’t afford.

The first series of images are walls from the Bushwick Collective, followed by a series of walls that you may also see in the neighborhood.

MOMO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Solus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alice Pasquini (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Toofly and Col Wallnuts (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billy Mode and Chris Stain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nard (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder and LNY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pixel Pancho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brett Flanigan and Cannon Dill (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gats (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sheryo and The Yok (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here are a series of walls not related to Bushwick Collective.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A portion of a wall by the 907 Crew, Sadue. Don Pablo Pedro, Smells, Cash4, and Keely (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phetus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rubin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peeta (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BR1 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Apolo Torres (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris, Veng, RWK and ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cruz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Free Humanity (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Keely and Deeker (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kremen (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For a full list of activities, studios, schedules and directions for Bushwick Open Studios 2013 click HERE.

 

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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Images of the Week 04.14.13

Here’s our weekly interview of the street, this week featuring Ai WeiWei, B.D. White, Billy Mode, Bishop 203, BR1, Chris Stain, Duke A. Barnstable, Free Humanity, Ice & Sot, Indigo, JM, Mataruda, Meres, Billy Mode, NARD, ND’A, Os Gemeos, Palladino, PTV, Ryan McGinley, Shai Dahan, Shin Shin, and Specter.

Top image > Italian Street Artist BR1 in Brooklyn takes a look at shopping for what to wear under your burka (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A more conceptual installation by BR1 (photo © BR1)

Shin Shin picks the same color palette as many of the trees in New York that bloomed this week. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ryan McGinley “Blue Falling” 2007, looking good on a rainy day off the High Line Park in NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rubin at Low Brow Artique. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fill in the blank. Rambo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

PTV next to an old JM. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 B.D. White pays tribute to Ai WeiWei. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

B.D. White (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billy Mode and Chris Stain at Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Meres at Low Brow Artique. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Palladino (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Duke A. Barnstable (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Os Gemeos (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shai Dahan pays tribute to René Magritte (1898-1967). Subtopia, Stockholm Sweden. (photo © Anthony Hill)

Bishop203 and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NARD at Bushwick Collective (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Indie and Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mataruda with Specter at Bushwick Collective (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Free Humanity (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Stormy April clouds hover in NYC. The Bronx. April 2013. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Open Walls Gallery Presents: “Dissidents” A Group Exhibition. (Berlin, Germany)

The ongoing economic crisis and the rise of all kinds of populism in Europe demonstrate a dangerous backlash in 21st century history; meanwhile extreme industrialization, mass production & over consumption has led global warming to break all records. Quarrels over diminishing but vital natural resources and shrinking living space may well be the cause of future conflicts. However fucked up the situation our world is facing right now, there is still hope. To keep faith, we need to remember people’s abilities to protest and to resist. Protest is when I say this does not please me. Resistance is when I ensure what does not please me occurs no more. From the Arab Spring to the Occupy movement, the eastern and western worlds have both lately shown the capability to fight against establishment. Protest always starts in the streets, and so often does art. The street is a mixture of languages and a hotchpotch of voices, where the pictograms of road signs and the surreal messages written by street artists live side by side, and where the simple commercial communication runs up against the political. To the careful observer the street makes visible the underlying noise of our society.

Works by:

BR1, JUST, ALIAS, EMESS, VERMIBUS, GIACOMO SPAZIO, NEGATIVE VIBES

http://openwallsgallery.tumblr.com/

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New Art Center Presents: “From The City to The World” A Group Exhibition. (Newtonville, MA)

This is an INVITE-ONLY preview. The show will be open to the general public on April 1st, 2013.

Urban art –artwork that reflects on city life – by four visual artists and numerous writers and video makers will be featured in From the City to the World. The gallery and online exhibition is Pontius’ curatorial début. “I live in the City of Cambridge, and much of my art is about my urban environment, so I’m thrilled by the opportunity to present other artists who share my passion for city life,” said the first-time curator, whose photographs will also be on display.

The main gallery of the New Art Center is an 1800 square feet converted church with stained glass windows that provide an intriguing backdrop to the carefully selected urban art. The centerpiece of the show will be a monumental street poster, a 12-foot tall painting of an American woman peering into the burqa covered face of an Afghan woman, by the Italian artist known as BR1 (Turin, Italy). This exhibition will be his U.S. premiere. Echoing the lines of the painted burqa is a sculpture comprised of a tent with a cabin-like interior by Kevin Cyr (Brooklyn, NY). The sculpture conjures up ideas about temporary and permanent homes. Nearby, a photography installation by Pontius (Cambridge, MA) documents everyday objects left in a city park. Gabriel Specter’s (Brooklyn, NY) crucifix shaped sculpture inspired by hand-painted storefront signage is a reminder that the exhibit is in a church turned art space, a transformation that testifies to the ever-evolving nature of city life.

http://www.newartcenter.org/galleries/exhibit.aspx?id=57

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Open Walls: Itenerant Street Gallery. (Paris, France)

Open Walls
Open Walls

 

OPEN WALLS EN RESIDENCE A PARIS

OPEN WALLS s’installe à Belleville du jeudi 24 mai au mercredi 6 juin 2012 et décrète PARIS ZONE LIBRE pour une exposition et une série d’interventions urbaines qui réunira 5 artistes majeurs de la scène berlinoise, présentés pour la première fois à Paris.

BR1, SP38, ALIAS, VERMIBUS & TONA, 5 artistes authentiques et radicaux, légitimés par la rue, armés pour réveiller la capitale française.

BR1 (Décollage & Peinture)

Dans la lignée des affichistes du siècle dernier, cet artiste italien créée des affiches uniques, peintes à l’aide de couleurs vives et découpées à la main, représentant des femmes voilées dans leur quotidien de femmes. Il colle ensuite ses peintures dans les rues des grandes métropoles occidentales. Son emplacement de prédilection: les panneaux d’affichages publicitaires de grande taille.

En représentant des femmes voilées en mère de famille, en copines qui s’amusent, en activistes du printemps arabe ou bien simplement dans des scènes banales de la vie quotidienne, son oeuvre est un outil de transmission de messages sociaux et de prise de conscience entre les différents groupes humains. La démarche de l’artiste se veut donc sociale.

SP38 (Sérigraphie & Peinture)

Après la chute du mur de Berlin en 1989, la capitale allemande est devenue le refuge privilégié des artistes alternatifs et radicaux. SP38 s’y est exilé au début des années 90 et n’a depuis cessé de contribuer quotidiennement au développement du Street Art à Berlin.

Au fil des années, la ville s’est embourgeoisée mais le peintre s’y sent toujours à l’aise. Ses affiches clament des slogans ironiques tels que “Esacpe”, “Vive la bourgeoisie” , “I Don’t Wanna Be U’re Friend on Face-Book” ou plus récemment “Vive La crise”. Sa typographie unique, rouge sang, a fait le tour du monde. Il sera en Mai pour quelques semaines à Belleville.

ALIAS (Pochoir)

Figure emblématique du street art en Allemagne, anonyme et discret, son oeuvre est omniprésente dans les rues berlinoises depuis 10 ans et l’on reconnaît immédiatement son style. Alias travaille minutieusement chacun de ses pochoirs et soigne particulièrement la découpe. Sobre, il aime jouer sur les ombres et les reliefs, il utilise un éventail de couleurs réduit. Ses pochoirs représentent principalement des enfants et questionnent l’avenir de notre société.

Très attaché à son travail dans la rue, il a longuement hésité à travailler en galerie, un pochoir sur toile ce n’est pas très intéressant. L’artiste a donc décidé d’amener la rue dans la galerie et il attache un soin particulier au choix de ses supports. Chaque pièce, unique, est réalisée exclusivement à partir de matériaux trouvés dans la rue la nuit lorsqu’il travaille. Il affectionne particulièrement le bois et le métal.

VERMIBUS (Détournement Publicitaire, Peinture à l’Acide)

L’oeuvre de VERMIBUS commence et se termine dans la rue, qui joue un rôle essentiel dans la démarche de l’artiste. Né aux Baléares, cet artiste espagnol fait partie de la dernière génération d’exilés à Berlin. Il y collecte les affiches publicitaires dans le métro et les utilise ensuite comme matériau de base. Le processus de transformation commence dans son atelier: utilisant des dissolvants à base d’acide il efface les visages et la chair des modèles apparaissant sur les affiches ainsi que les logos des marques. Une fois la transformation achevée, il réintroduit ces affiches dans leur contexte d’origine et transgresse l’espace publicitaire.

Le catalogue de l’exposition est constitué d’une vingtaine d’oeuvres originales.

PARIS ZONE LIBRE
Vernissage Jeudi 24 mai à partir de 19h en présence des artistes.
Grolsch, fidèle à son engagement dans l’art, soutiendra cet évènement.

Espace “Frichez-nous la Paix” 22 bis rue Dénoyez, 75020 Paris. Métro: Belleville
Ouverture continue tous les après-midi du du Jeudi 24 mai au mercredi 6 juin 2012.
Accès libre.

Pour plus d’informations sur la galerie et nos artistes: http://www.openwallsgallery.com

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West Berlin Gallery Presents: “Dissidents” A Group Art Exhibition. (Berlin, Germany)

Dissidents

 

DISSIDENTS
Group Show, Opening November 17th 18:00
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. By acknowledging the social and political unrest of this year, West Berlin Gallery cordially invites you from 18:00 until 22:00 on November 17th, 2011 as we debut Dissidents, a Group Show featuring: ALIAS, SP38 , Prost, Emess, Rallito X, BR1, Linda’s Ex, Niark1, Jakob Tolstrup, and Giacomo Spazio.

In 1800s Europe, the rising food prices and high unemployment fueled widespread popular protests. Communist Europe in 1989, created frustration with corrupt and unresponsive political systems and provoked the fall of once powerful regimes. 2011 is spurring a similar chain of events, bringing people together and empowering us to grab our governments by the balls and demand what is rightfully ours, human rights.

Seeking truth and raising awareness, the artists that we have chosen for this show strive for non-conformity and create work representative of both political and social opposition, making them pioneers of dissident activity. Consciously or not, they seek honesty, challenge boundaries, then create art as a way of driving this message in to the minds of on-lookers.

About the artistsALIAS– Always keeping in mind the social and political activities and breaking through the boundaries of traditional art making, ALIAS delivers a great deal of gravity through his loaded imagery and mindful aesthetic. The self taught street artist never ceases to astound the public with his stencil work on recycled material.SP38 – Urban poetry is this Berlin based french artists’ speciality. Mixing silkscreen and paint, SP38 plays with words to create provocative sentences which are strongly related to both political and social events of their time. The more sophisticated look of his artwork, using his unique deep gold color, helps him reach a wide range of public, even those who his messages are directed to.

Prost –  From his “Prostie” smileys making witty social commentaries that always put a smile upon our faces, to denouncing misleading, abusive, sexist advertising by his adbusting actions, Prost has never ceased on challenging society.

Emess – His work is mostly motivated by political issues that he approaches using a wide range of medias, such as murals, prints and sculptures. Emess confronts the viewer with issues that would rather be swept under the rug.

Rallito X – The attitude of an alienated society manipulated by the media, has been this spaniards work theme since he started putting his work up on the streets. Rallito X refuses to follow society’s rules and shows his unconformity with unacceptable formed characters carrying politically incorrect messages.

BR1 – For the last years, this italian artist has been studying the figure of the Muslim woman: history, tradition, legal sources and development in contemporary society. Charmed by the image of veiled women, BR1 decided to take the risk of introducing religious elements on his posters and make us wonder why is this piece of cloth so controversial.

Linda’s Ex – A while ago Roland Brückner aka Lindas Ex asked his lover to come back to him in plastered posters and stickers throughout the city. Nowadays, his pleas have turned into social commentaries sprayed into canvases.

Niark1 – His characters rise like monsters or aliens on a dark world filled by details. Their infinite nature scares and hypnotizes as there is always space for new discoveries. Cutting and pasting strips of newspaper where he later paints, Niark1’s artwork brings his dreams and fears to surface.

Jakob Tolstrup – Mixed media and color crayons are Jakob’s favorite techniques to work with. His characters have a childish style giving a sweet and humorous feeling to his paintings, which take a bitter look into nowadays society.

Giacomo Spazio – The established Italian artist, lead of the Italian Street Art movement, creates pop images, with shocking fluorescent colors that shout out their presence, as loud as possible. Using old fanzines and punk imagery to create lo-fi styled artwork with a cynical and subversive intention.

Vernissage, Thursday November 17th, 18:00 – 22:00
Exhibition on display from November 17th, 2011 to February 24th, 2012

Brunnenstraße 56, 13355 Berlin, Germany

 

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