All posts tagged: Brooklyn Street Art

Lab Art Gallery Presents: Q & A “Legal Walls” A Conversation (Los Angeles, CA)

February 2, 2012 , , , ,

Legal Walls

LAB ART Presents Q&A – LEGAL WALLS

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN STREET ARTISTS AND LA CITY OFFICIALS

January 27th, 2012, Los Angeles, CA – LAB ART, the largest art gallery in North America dedicated to Street Art, opens up a new era in the Los Angeles art scene by creating a dialog between LA City Officials and Street Artists with their new panel discussion ‘Q&A – LEGAL WALLS.’ LAB ART is thrilled to bring a new conversation to the LA art scene where LA City Officials sit down with Street Artists and discuss how the policies they created really affect the Artist.

Representing the City of Los Angeles is ‘Tanner the Planner’ the well known Los Angeles city planning official who is cited by LA Weekly as single-handedly raising the issue of the 2007 controversial public mural moratorium and helping to rewrite the Mural Policy to lift the moratorium. Showing the support of the Los Angeles City Counsel for public art will be Council Member John Darnell of District 5.

Lydiaemily, Activist & Street Artist who was arrested by the LAPD and made an example of by the District Attorney for practicing her craft on the streets of LA, now gets a chance to create a practical dialog with the City that arrested her. Not something to miss.

“Our society seems to have a difficult time accepting responsibility, and as a guy who paints on walls I guess that means that I do as well.  As our attention span shortens from our sugar high, democracy has been replaced by capitalism. Rome is falling again. Hold on. Meanwhile let’s play in the streets and have a good laugh.” – DOC

Exclusive Street Artist DESIRE OBTAIN CHERISH (DOC) will be rounding out the panel as an artist who straddles both the urban world of street art and the high concept world of advertising as a graduate of Parsons. He recently contributed to the international Street Art scene by taking part in the Madrid Street Advertising Takeover (MaSAT) in Spain.

Starting @ 7PM till 9PM ‘LAB Art Presents Q&A – LEGAL WALLS, a A CONVERSATION BETWEEN STREET ARTIST AND LA CITY OFFICIALS’ will feature the following talking points.

– The Question of Materials : Who creates the official guide for muralists?

– Subject Matter : Who sets the ‘acceptable standards’ for independent walls?

– Existing ‘illegal’ Murals : How does the new policy effect existing murals? Will there be a ‘grandfather’ clause?

– Sponsor Art : What are the guidelines to distinguish ad from art? Where does sponsored art fall?

‘Tanner the Planner’ will be starting the night off with a quick presentation covering the following –

 

  • new murals have been banned in LA since 2002 due to an attack on LA’s public art exemption by the outdoor advertising industry.
  • In October 2011, the City Council voted to advance a “time/place/manner” administrative permit for murals;
  • City planner Tanner Blackman has the responsibility of drafting new mural regulations, workshopping the proposals with the public, and guiding the new ordinance through the legislative process.

About LAB ART –

LAB ART Los Angeles is dedicated to an alternative exhibition of street art and installation. The gallery features works of more than 30 of the most prominent and up-and-coming names of the Los Angeles Street Art scene and beyond. Spanning 6,500 square feet of gallery space, LAB ART offers art collectors and art lovers a dynamic roster of vibrant and thought-provoking exhibitions.
Tanner Blackman –
Tanner Blackman is a planner for the Code Studies Section of the City of LA’s Department of City Planning and an adjunct professor of urban planning at USC’s Price School of Public Policy.  He has taught in the Future Initiatives Program (SCIFI) at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.  He is responsible for drafting LA’s citywide mural ordinance.
Lydiaemily –
Lydiaemily Archibald is a political activist, and both a street and fine artist. Her fine art has been shown in galleries world wide. She has produced murals throughout California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

DESIRE OBTAIN CHERISH  (DOC) –

DESIRE OBTAIN CHERISH lives and creates in Los Angeles. He graduated from Parsons and has won awards creating advertising campaigns, composing music, and art directing fashion magazines. DOC has gained respect for his sharp wit and graphic style on both the streets and in galleries. He has been attracting an international reputation as well by contributing to the Madrid Street Advertising Takeover (MaSAT) in Spain 2011, as well as numerous gallery shows across the US.

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Stolen Space Gallery Presents: “Love & Hate” A Group Show (London, UK)

February 2, 2012 , , , , ,

Love and Hate


Featuring:

Arth daniels
Chloe early
D*Face
Dan Witz
David Bray
Kai & Sunny
Miss Van
Ronzo
Sylvia Ji
Toshi
Will Barras
Word To Mother
Von
Jeff Soto
Pete Fowler
EINE
Josie Morway
Kelly Allen
Charles Krafft
Ramon Maiden
Ryan Callanan
Curtis Kulig
William Stevenson

STOLENSPACE GALLERY
Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
United Kingdom

P: +44 (0) 207 247 2684
info@stolenspace.com

OPENING TIMES
Tuesday – Sunday
11:00am – 7:00pm

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Skewville Turns 80: The Retro-Retrospective of the Year

February 2, 2012

Like a lot of the artists crawling around Bushwick, Brooklyn today, Street Artist duo Skewville were once hustling to get a show in a gallery or “art space” – only to find out that few people showed up, understood their concept, and almost nobody bought it. A testament to youth and bravado and their persistence, they eventually wore us down.

Industrious Skewville. Hype from The Spring Street show in 2006. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Now as he’s rummaging through his crates and boxes of Skewville memorabilia, Ad Deville has a wry smile on his face. DeVille, along with his twin Droo, has made a lot of work since they first started throwing their screen printed jig-sawed shoes (dogs) up over electrical wires around New York and the world in the 90s. This week Ad’s a busy man again at Factory Fresh gallery as he’s preparing for their joint birthday party, because he’s dragging it all back out and nailing it to a wall.

“I feel nostalgic of course but at the same time as I pull old stuff out I realized how much initially people didn’t care, how much people didn’t get it. We hardly ever sold one piece at the first shows. Instead of feeling bad that made us work harder to come out with different ideas and make new stuff”

Their 80th Birthday Retro Retrospective Friday night will be an opportunity for you to tell Ad and Droo how much you totally “got it” from the very beginning. You’ll see things like a metal version of the dogs they once experimented with, a door slammed with stickers from the gallery he and Ali Ha had on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side, and examples of their newer hardware inspired sculptures.

As he’s pulling trunks, shopping carts, crates and boxes out of the basement and poking his head inside the walk-in freezer looking for “vintage” Skewville pieces, you can see that their output throughout the years has been prolific and the mess of creativity makes you feel overwhelmed with joy as well and alert to the need for hand sanitizer.

When we asked him how felt opening all of those boxes he remarks,”When I was 28 I felt old and bitter. Now that I’m older I feel like 28 but I’m not bitter. Being bitter is not productive.” So there you have it. He’s no longer bitter. Just really old.

The signs grew larger as desperation set in. Skewville’s signs for the Orchard Street Gallery, circa 2002 and 2003. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nostalgia slapped Adam upside the head as he talks about this sticker covered door from the gallery on Orchard Street. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. A D*Face wooden piece taken from the streets of London. Abe Lincoln Jr and London Police are in there. Who else? (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

 A rare Pufferella sticker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. A Stikman family day at the circus sticker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz, Plasma Slug, and a meditation on Jesus’ fiscal practices. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. Art for the “Coast to Coast” show in California in 2002. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. A custom “Dogs” box for the “Coast to Coast” show. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. The “Dogs” came with their own custom tissue paper. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. Dog throwing for dummies. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. Art for the Basement Aire Gallery in 2005. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville pops a wheelie on this do-catcher. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

A one-armed wooden mannequin displays the Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

This message brought to by Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. The original price of these Dogs? $25. Today’s price? Priceless. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. Like a box of chocolates. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. Reclaimed garbage cans from the Spring St. Carriage House. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zorro the house cat reviewing the inventory list. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

For more information about the Skewville Retro-Retrospective/80 Birthday Party click here

 

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Okazi Gallery Presents: Kyle Hughes-Odgers AKA Creepy: “If We Can’t Control The Boat, Let’s Control The Ocean” (Berlin, Germany)

February 1, 2012 , , , , ,

Kyle Hughes-Odgers

“IF WE CAN’T CONTROL THE BOAT,LET’S CONTROL THE OCEAN”
Kyle Hughes-Odgers – Okazi gallery Berlin.
Vernissage – February 10th – 6PM  with attendence of the artist


These new works explore the futility of an uncontrollable existence, shown in moments of clarity and small gestures of resistance.

Kyle Hughes-Odgers is an Australian artist. His working approach encompasses a range of mediums. Primarily muted warm acrylics on wood, canvas and large scale street work.

Focusing on ideas of nostalgia and story telling through figurative, pattern and abstract imagery. His work is inspired by ideas of communication, chaos and memory.

He has exhibited throughout Australia, as well as internationally in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. His street art and installations have been seen across the globe. His work has previously featured in publications such as Street Art New York (Prestel 2010), Kingbrown, and Empty magazine. In 2010 he completed a 45m public art commission for the Murdoch university art collection in Western Australia.

– OKAZI GALLERY –
OPENING RECEPTION – FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 | 6PM
EXHIBITION RUNS FEBRUARY 11– 28
TÜRSCHMIDTSTRASSE 18 | 10317 BERLIN | S-NÖLDNERPLATZ |S-OSTKREUZ| TRAM 21 –
MARKTSTRASSE OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY | THURSDAY | SATURDAY 2–6PM

www.okazigallery.com
www.kylehughesodgers.com

 

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Shea & Ziegler In Conjunction With The Warrington Museum Present: “International Woman” A Group Show (Warrington, WA1 1JB. UK)

February 1, 2012 , , , , , ,

International Woman

International Woman – Warrington
2012
Exhibition Design, Fine Arts, Painting
Following the success of ‘Gossip Well Told’ group exhibition that launched the first Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, Frankie Shea & Tina Ziegler return to Warrington Museum in March with an exhibition called ‘International Woman’. In conjunction with Moniker Projects, ‘International Woman’ brings together a stellar roster of more than 15 artists from 10 countries, being the first exhibition in the UK that highlights the cross-over of the Pop Surrealism and Urban fine art movements under one roof. Working in underground art movements these women have forged names for themselves by pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, experimenting with new mediums, ideas and visual concepts. Individually they have enhanced the overall direction of these underground movements, and as a collective they have changed the way women are viewed in urban culture today.Exhibiting artists: Catalina Estrada, Cheryl Dunn, Elizabeth Mcgrath, Faith 47, Hera, Kukula, Mel Kadel, Miss Van, Pam Glew, Sarah Joncas, Stella Im Hultberg, Swoon, Tara Mcpherson and Xue Wang.Curated by Frankie Shea and Tina Ziegler
Opening reception: March 29 th 2012. 6pm
On display until 7 July 2012
Museum Street, Warrington, WA1 1JB. United Kingdom
www.warrington.gov.uk/museum
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Optimo : Hometown Primo in a Top Hat

February 1, 2012 , , , , , ,

Optimism Straight Outta NYC

BSA doesn’t spotlight too much graffiti because we’re not very smart about it, and there are a lot of geniuses on graff out there. Plus the S-A part of our name precludes much BS on the graff tip. But some artists straddle the edge of graff and Street Art, and one artist who keeps catching our eye because of his placement and the light-hearted comedic quality of his character is Optimo, sometimes referred to as Werds (depending where you are surfing).

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Short for Optimo Primo (best cousin), the graffiti artist Optimo grew up as a boy in Chelsea in the 1980s excited and ignited by the colorful graffiti he saw on trucks and trains around him.  As a true original New Yorker, he names some of his stylistic influences as 1990s graffiti writers including Wolf1, Revs & Cost, Seen, Reas, and Sabe.  His signature character has been on the streets since 2006, the American flag bandana as a symbol of free expression and the First Amendment, and the showman top hat something the artist likes to wear as well.

Now a full time artist selling his stuff on the streets of Soho, Optimo has showed his work in a gallery setting with a 40-piece show at  Revolution Studios in Chelsea last summer and in a group show at Brooklyn Fire Proof in Bushwick as well as Culture Fix on the LES in the fall. His soft spot is box trucks, which he says he’s painted over 100 of, according to his bio on Tumblr, and he aspires to retain his signature style of “optimism”.  Here is a BSA collection of images of work in New York and Miami by Optimo NYC.

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo. Werds (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Blanco Visits Beijing and Shanghai

January 31, 2012 , , , ,

China has it’s own graffiti and Street Art scene, but you don’t hear too much about it. You can get a tour of local Street Art and graffiti in Beijing, check out sites like FatCap and of course the pool on Flickr. New York graff legend Daze even had a show at a gallery here a couple of years ago. According to some state media reports, portions of the Great Wall were the focus of a 2004 archaeological study showing graffiti was popular a long time ago, as crafted by wives of soldiers, who “decorated parts of the wall with images of clouds, lotus blossoms and ‘fluffy balls’ (xiuqiu), ‘symbols of peace and love’.  Right now it appears to be a common practice of tourists to carve their names into the bricks, which seems a bit more damaging than a Krinks marker, to tell the truth.

New York Street Artist Blanco did a little touring around Beijing and Shanghai last week and took a few pictures to send back home during the tour. He liked finding some familiar names in an unfamiliar country, and he was even surprised. Along with a few quick pictures he caught on the way, he wrote to tell us about what he saw. Here’s what he says:

“I went to the Great Wall like all tourists do and I discovered Neckface tags on almost every garbage can I walked past.

Nasty Neckface in Beijing one the Great Wall (photo © Blanco)

In comparison to Beijing, which seems bureaucratic like Washington DC, Shanghai seems to be a lot like NYC, with more going on culturally, massive apartment buildings sprouting up all over, and a lot of money running through it.

A door with several tags by Utah and Ether in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

In Shanghai I went to the French Concession neighborhood  and I found a door with several tags from Utah and Ether, which made my day. It was kind of cool because I also found a Utah tag when I was in Rome three years ago and I don’t know Utah but just knowing that she is from NYC and has been in the same exact places as me is kind of comforting.

Blanco in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

The next day I went to this art neighborhood that has a graff wall where it’s legal to paint and there were some pretty good pieces but I get a little bored with legal pieces.

Vhils in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

After some more walking I turned a corner and found an amazing piece by Vhils and a little while later, in a more secluded spot, I found a second Vhils piece. Unfortunately it is kind of blurry – I couldn’t get a great picture of it because it was getting dark and it was in a dimly lit hallway with only one exit. I was alone and I could hear someone moving on the second floor of the abandoned building so I took a couple shots before I got scared and left but both pieces were pretty cool.” ~ Blanco

Vhils in Shanghai (photo © Blanco)

 

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Hush Levitates in San Francisco

January 30, 2012 , , ,

Rising deities in a darkened house of worship, the new geisha-like figures silently rise above your earthbound concerns and hover, gestural hands signalling a blessing for all who enter. These new works by Street Artist and fine artist HUSH at 941 Geary impart a serenity even as they swirl in patchwork brocades and Maypole strips of holy aerosol tags. Well lighted and well appointed, these near theatrical figures pierce the veil, solemnly, in search of a shabby gilded cosmos as Hush’s marrying of styles ultimately creates a new one at this show.

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH installation shoot. (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

HUSH (photo © Rachael & Hugh @ Studio Hush)

For further information regarding this show, sales inquiries, gallery hours and location click here.

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Images of the Week 01.29.12

Images of the Week 01.29.12

January 29, 2012 , , , , , , , , , ,

The streets have been seeing an uptick in socio-political messages recently, whether because of the Occupy protests, or because artists are exercising their speech in low cost, low-tech, person-to-person methods. The very personal nature of this kind of messaging actually feels impactful when it catches your eye with a sense of intention, grabbing you by the ear and making you think. This week we have Street Art  commentary about housing, class inequality, the abuse of poser, erosion of privacy and fears of a police state. It makes sense that art on the streets is reflecting us back to ourselves.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Buff Monster, Cash4, Cope, Dirty Teddies, Ema, Enzo & Nio, Essam, Faile, Hush, Ment, Shiro, XAM, and XXX.

ESSAM. A more conceptual culture-jamming series of new signs in certain New York neighborhoods is meant as a way to raise awareness by an Iraq war veteran turned civil libertarian, according to news reports published recently. This sign warns about alleged plans for Police surveillance drones could be ubiquitous in society. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Wolf rides, anyone? Faile (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hush gets to know some of the local neighbors while busy at work in San Francisco (© courtesy Hush)

Hush has been on the street in San Francisco this week (photo exclusively for BSA © courtesy of Hush). Stay tuned for a Hush special feature on Monday of his current show.

Ema (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The billionaire Mayor of New York is taking a hit here from this Street Art poster by Enzo & Nio. Styled as Marie Antoinette, Michael Bloomberg is portrayed as a haughty royal who is disconnected from the rabble, and cares not a wit. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A masters graff wall in Miami (photo © Jaime Rojo)

XAM is addressing the ongoing bank mortgage crisis in the US with this street sculpture installation on Skid Row in Los Angeles (photo © XAM)

Cash4 with Ment (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You see! XXX (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You can always spot the tourist dinosaurs with their fanny packs in Times Square. Dirty Teddies (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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“Making Faces” at Opera : A New York Party

January 28, 2012 , , ,

“Making Faces” is as much about mix mastery as it is happenstance – kind of like walking on the street in New York. The boldly unmatching collection of portraits on view at Opera Gallery in Soho is sometimes thrilling, even challenging in it’s dismissal of category. There is this new crop of many of the Street Artists you’ve seen in the wild these last few years hanging with stars of the Chinese new wave, early 20th century European revolutionaries, an historic leader of impressionism, a surrealist – you know, a gamut. You could call it cleaning out the closets, or you could call it “Girl Talk curates the gallery”.  Either way, it can be thrilling to see these pieces in this context; sparring, harmonizing, both.

The divine madness of Street Artist Judith Supine loses none of it’s wild energy here. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Street Art springs at you when you are in ratty decayed lots in Bed Stuy, and similarly here you have rely on your own intellectual strengths to process the work in it’s surroundings, analyzing and imagining the coupling, or tripling.  Is this a master or a pretender? You’ll figure it out eventually but the stimulation lies in your ability to let go of hard classifications and surprise prejudices to re-assess the faces and appreciate an occasional revelation at this New York mixer.

b. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

b. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Yue Minjun (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alexandros Vasmoulakis (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lita Cabellut (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Paul Insect (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kid Zoom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rostarr (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artists include Yasmina Alaqui, Marco Guerra, Karel Appel, B., Jean-Michel Basquiat, BAST, Simon Birch, Bernard Buffet, Lita Cabellut, Marc Chagall, Sas Christian, Mauro Corda, Dinorah Delfin, Jean Dubuffet, Lori Earley, Ron English, Paul Insect, John John Jesse, Kid Zoom, Li Tianbing, Bengt Lindstrom, David Mach, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Phiippe Pasqua, Pablo Picasso, Gerard Rancinan, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rostarr, Judith Supine, Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Tom Wesselman, Yan Pei Ming, Zhang Xiaogang.

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