All posts tagged: De Grupo

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.27.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.27.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Rhyming and Stealing:
Trumps Furrowed Brow and a Wallaby’s Bounce

COVID returns,
a haunting refrain,
a city once healed,
now facing new pain,

Manhattan’s rich streets,
where fortunes are rife,
High prices, no mercy,
cut deep like a knife.

Bob Barker’s last bargain,
His century bright
When fighting for Fido
The price was just right

So Bloop’s in Ibiza,
and Martha hits Mostar
Ford’s running with money
but doesn’t get too far

Six new BRICS nations,
Allegiances knit
Concur with A. Oliver
The dollar ain’t sh*t

From southern Atlanta,
US history spun,
Trump scowls in his mug shot,
His efforts undone.

R. Rainbow sings Barbra,
Says its all funny, gurl,
and you’d like to laugh
but most likely hurl

But a wallaby at Coney,
over the weekend is happy
rescued from the boardwalk
with “a nice personality”


Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: De Grupo, JPS, The Postman, Savior El Mundo, DrscØ, Hektad, Buttsup, MCA, Fumeroism, Ottograph, and Lysefjorden.

JPS. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JPS. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A Jester did a side bust in Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The Postman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Savior El Mundo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fumeroism (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hek Tad (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MCA (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MCA (photo © Jaime Rojo)
This tagged billboard seems to be the product of various graffiti writers. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Detail from the above photo. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ottograph (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ButtSup (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dr. Scott (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dr. Scott (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
This Jimmy The Greek 50 seems like a tribute by an unidentified artist. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist spoof on Gucci. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lysefjorden, Norway. Summer 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 10.23.22

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.23.22

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Chris RWK, De Grupo, Eternal Possessions, J131, ToastOro, Dapo Da Vinci, Mai Gai, SRF, ANSO, NANA, Deepo, BEOR, A Very Nice, Master Moody Mutz, Vers 718, and Love Notes.

Eternal Possessions re-imagines Cardi B (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eternal Possessions gives Diana her wings. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chris RWK, A Very Nice, Master Moody Mutz, Vers 718, and Love Notes. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chris RWK, A Very Nice, Master Moody Mutz, Vers 718, and Love Notes. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chris RWK, A Very Nice, Master Moody Mutz, Vers 718, and Love Notes. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BEOR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Deepo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NANA (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ANSO (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SRF (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ToasToro (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mai Gai (photo © Jaime Rojo)
J131 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dapo Davinci (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 11.28.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.28.21

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Welcome to BSA Images of the Week. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and are hopeful for the upcoming holiday season. There are Canadians selling Christmas pines in the neighborhood already – there is no time for you to digest that turkey, you turkey. Also, prices are up 10%-30% on trees this year. Speaking of which, the official Rockefeller Center tree lighting is Wednesday to see the 79-foot tall tree from upstate Oneonta set alight. That event, like so many events in NYC, is completely free.

But we know that times are tough for a lot of New Yorkers – and people elsewhere – and it can really put a damper on your holiday enthusiasm. In fact, according to a recent study by Deloitte, a record number of Americans (11.5%) won’t be buying anything for Christmas this year. – almost double last year’s number. Money is tight, bro. Even the Dollar Tree Store has announced its raising prices to $1.25.

And as you have undoubtedly heard, New York is in a State of Emergency as of Friday since the new governor declared it – ahead of an expected surge of illnesses due to the Omnicron variant of Covid that may overwhelm our hospitals. It’s not here yet but Gov. Kathy Hochul says “It’s coming.”

Grab a mask, do the right thing. We love ya.

This week we’re headed to the Miami Art Week – and we hope to see you there. We’ll interview Brooklyn Street Artists Faile onstage at Wynwood Walls Wednesday if you want to make sure to say hello. We’re excited to see a new slate of graffiti and street art and mural work – and have heard of some surprise installations sure to garner attention. Not that Miami is about garnering attention…

Our interview with the street today includes ASAP, Cramcept, De Grupo, Duster, Huckleberry Fuck Up, Marycula, Modomatic, Nat At Art, Pear, Sam Crew, Soli, Ultramarine Dream, and Wild Boys.

Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sam Crew in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sam Crew in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Duster and other unidentified artists put up a handful of stencils outside the unpermitted Banksy exhibition in NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo, Pear, Wild Boys, ASAP (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Huckleberry Fuck Up in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Marycula in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Marycula in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Marycula in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ultramarine Dream in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Soli in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nat At Art in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cramcept (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 09.12.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 09.12.21

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week. Our hearts and minds are heavy and quiet this weekend as we contemplate the two decades and lost lives and liberties since September 11, 2001.

It’s impossible to know what the world would have looked like had those fateful events not taken place twenty years ago, and only a handful would have predicted that it would have been used as a springboard for more wars that cost more lives. As the country pulls out of Afghanistan so badly and obviously, a real examination of the soul is taking place. There is no real purpose served by trying to extricate the pain of loss locally from those sufferred globally as a result of the events of September 11th, except for us New Yorkers to reflect on how our city is forever changed. Thankfully, New Yorkers prove time and again that we are also forever determined to overcome and to come together.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring BAT, Below Key, BK Foxx, Chris RWK, Chupa, De Grupo, Early Riser NYC, Fumero, Futura, Hand Up, Manik, Modomatic, Naito Oru, Pope, Rezo, and Toofly.

Fumeroism (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fumeroism (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toofly (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Early Riser NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Early Riser NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hand Up (photo © Jaime Rojo)
XXX (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CP Won (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fat Jay (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rezo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BKFoxx (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Below Key (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chris RWK in collaboration with Naito Oru. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bat, Manik, Pope, Chupa… (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Manhattan, NYC. September 2021. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)
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Mid-Summer Discovery: Burgeoning Magnet Wall in Manhattan Boasts Bounty

Mid-Summer Discovery: Burgeoning Magnet Wall in Manhattan Boasts Bounty

We like findings spots that feature walls slammed with street art in a most organic way, the aesthetic signature of a current ecosystem mid-evolution. These spots are often a magnet for street artists to get up in NYC, L.A., Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Barcelona, Mexico City, Miami, Boston, London, and beyond. Usually illegal, they allow the artists a quick way to safely leave their imprint on the chaos of the city, a welcome to international artists on their spraycation as well as locals who relish the feeling of standing among peers. The art is usually limited to small original pieces, stickers, and posters, wheat pastes.

De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We call them “magnet walls” – and NYC has had its share of them. Now, however, they are increasingly endangered because of Gentrification and the voracious real estate market in the city with its apparent never-ending appetite for building new soaring soul-free glass towers. One spot is still welcoming artists to its walls: Freeman Alley. This favorite enclave, composed of two long walls along a narrow corridor in the Lower East Side, is constantly updated in an organic way with contributions by local and international artists. We have surveyed it for years, often publishing our findings in the popular “BSA Images Of The Week.”

C0rn Queen (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Last week we rolled by the alley again and to our surprise, we discovered a gate ajar; one that leads the lobby of a relatively new hotel. Usually locked with a code, this secret Bowery spot instructs guests to enter through the alley. Once inside, they’re greeted with a nicely landscaped, small-scale courtyard leading to a lobby. Surprisingly, it is now bursting with new stickers, posters, stencils, paintings, collages, wild imaginings. Technically, this is a legal magnet wall – but most of the artists whose work is on display here can also be found illegally on the walls of the alley.
Here’s a fresh selection just for you:

Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Drecks (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dewei (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dewei (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dewei (photo © Jaime Rojo)
General View (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eye Sticker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Timmy Ache (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Timmy Ache (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Timmy Ache (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (the fire hydrant is real) (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Voxx Romana (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Little Ricky (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
General view (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Vegan Club (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Poor Mike. Probably feeling sad about labor conditions in sweatshops. Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Early Riser NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
David Puck (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sticker Maul (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sticker Maul (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Make Art!
Savior Elmundo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
RAD and friends (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 08.15.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.15.21

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Here we are, precisely on the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s shocking removal of the dollar from the gold standard. Seems like everything is going well with fiat currency and the banking system, right?

Ah, never mind, there’s gold in these here streets.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring 4sakn, Adrian Wilson, Against Dgrams, Billy Barnacles, Captain Eyeliner, Corn Queen, De Grupo, DLove, Eye Sticker, Goblin, Mister Alek, Moka, More Less Eveything, Plannedalism, Sara Lynne Leo, Stikman, Sule, The Art of Will Power, Trace1, Werd Smoker, and Winston Tseng .

Goblin (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Midnight Cowboy’s Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. Goblin (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The beloved Biz Markie, who passed in July. The Art of Will Power (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Biz Markie gets his wings. The Art of Will Power (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sule Cant Cook (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Corn Queen (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Corn Queen (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Corn Queen (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Moka (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Against Dgrams. Mister Alek. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Adrian Wilson in collaboration with The LISA Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Billy Barnacles (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sara Lynne-Leo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
4sakn CBS. Trace1. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
More Less Everything (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Winston Tseng (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Winston Tseng (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Werd Smoker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Collaboration between Eye Sticker & Billy Barnacles. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Collaboration between Eye Sticker & Billy Barnacles. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DLove (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Captain Eyeliner (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Captain Eyeliner. Some rascal edited the text by adding and subtracting letters. The original text read: “Oh no I look incredible”. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Still life with Queen Anne Lace & Sunflowers. Summer 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Governor Cuomo Resigns: Street Art May Have Seen it Coming

Governor Cuomo Resigns: Street Art May Have Seen it Coming

Art on the street may have foretold this old tale; men using power and pride to let their hands and words wander.

De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We aren’t gloating with this news, simply adding it to the very contemporary list we all have; full of gruesome details of aggressors and victims from the last few years, from Dr. Larry Nasar abusing gymnasts to Jeffrey Epstein luring underage girls to his private island for his pleasure and the pleasure of his famous guests to the movie producer Harvey Weinstein insisting on sexual favors in exchange for movie roles, to Scott Rudin verbally abusing his assistants, to Roger Ailes demanding to sleep with newsreaders, to a certain former president boasting about grabbing “pussy” and getting away with it.

Now it’s Governor Cuomo of New York State who resigns; damaging to his father’s name no doubt, and to his three daughters as well, tainting the legacy of his own accomplishments.

SacSix (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

Faced with the mounting possibility of getting impeached by the State Legislature today he opted to give us a lecture about the government’s role on behalf of its citizens, then resigned matter of factly.

He didn’t mention what men in power are not supposed to do; harass and intimidate and fondle, as he is accused of. Instead, he mentioned cultural boundaries and norms that are all too new for him to be hip to. And no one buys it. In a stilted and uncomfortable manner, he appeared to blame everyone and everything else in the universe, this fearless leader.

De Grupo (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

The system shouldn’t protect predatory behavior, and from accounts of people in his circle, there were many in positions of power who didn’t speak up for years. If that is true, then that is part of our problem that we collectively need to improve and in doing so the victims who bravely come forward will hopefully be protected and supported as well. We’ll leave it to the professionals to dissect his character but we wonder how often men lose their moral compass in part because of the people they surround themselves with.

When we were kids some peoples’ mothers warned, “Tell me the company you keep and I’ll tell you who you are”.

Unknown artist (photo ©Jaime Rojo)

If the multiple and varied accusations are true, Cuomo has no excuse for his behavior, and resigning was the only option – at least to preserve the dignity of the office we granted him.

Unknown artist (photo ©Jaime Rojo)
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COVID-19 365 Days Later; Art in the Streets That Narrated a Pandemic

COVID-19 365 Days Later; Art in the Streets That Narrated a Pandemic

What the hell just happened? Has it been a year? Or has it been 10 years? Or just one long nightmare/daymare? Or has it been 10 years? Did we already ask that?

In March 2020 we awoke to a world that was transforming before all of our eyes, yet we felt so cut-off from it and each other. The first days seem so long ago as we mark the first anniversary of the pandemic. Still, the initial shock of those days resonates in our chests so strongly that we confidently talk about a collective global trauma that has indelibly marked a generation.

Pobel. Stavanger, Norway. March 14, 2020. (photo © Tore Stale Moen)

From Stockholm to Mexico City to Barcelona to Bethlehem to New York to LA, BSA brought you street art that was responding with fear, derision, critique, hope, and humor to the never-static, always evolving barrage of Covid news. Stuck inside and afraid to expose ourselves to each other, we New Yorkers became accustomed to experiencing the outdoors only through our windows, connecting with neighbors we’ve never met who were also banging pots and pans or clapping and waving and yelling.

We listened to ambulances screaming past our windows every half hour or so during those first weeks, imagining the torn families, the terrified fellow New Yorkers now being rushed to the hospital and separated from their loved ones without a goodbye, gasping for air. We wondered if we would be next.

Jilly Ballistic and Sack Six. Manhattan, NYC. March 23, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When we did go to the streets, they were empty – or nearly. In New York this was unheard of. In this bustling, noisy metropolis, we experienced a daily disconcerting quiet. That is, until the killing of George Floyd by cops finally pushed the anger/anxiety into the streets all summer.

The deadly hotspot of New York quelled, but the fires of Covid spread west, grabbing communities who thought they would avoid impact. At the same time, local, state, and national leaders fumbled and argued or famously callously ignored the desperation of citizens, occasionally admirably filling the shoes they were elected to occupy, often misstepping through no fault of their own.

Pure Genius. Manhattan, NYC. March 23, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We have no particular wisdom to offer you today beyond the obvious; this pandemic laid bare inequity, social and racial and class fault-lines, the shredded social net, the effect of institutional negligence, the ravages of 40 years of corporate privatization, and the power of community rising to the occasion to be in service to one another in ways that made us all more than proud.

Here are some of our favorite Covid-themed street art pieces from over the last year, a mere sampling of the artistic responses. Interspersed we paste screenshots of the daily events (via Wikipedia) in 2020 that shaped our lives, and our society.

We mourn the losses of family and friends and the broken hearts and minds in all of our communities. And we still believe in the power of art to heal and the power of love to balance our asymmetries.

Trusto Corp. Los Angeles, CA. March 26, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Lapiz. Hamburg, Germany. March 30th, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Tag Street Art. Tel-Aviv, Israel. March 31, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Phlegm. April 6, 2020. London, UK. (photo courtesy of the artist) Phlegm created a visual diary of his experience with the Pandemic. We published his diary HERE
Don Langrend for USA Today Network. On April 13, 2020, we published a compilation of political cartoons with views on the Pandemic. Click HERE to see the whole collection.
Alessio-B. Padua, Italy. April 15, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Banksy. London, UK. April 19, 2020. (photo Instagram)
Shepard Fairey. Los Angeles, CA. April 20, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Banksy “The Girl with a Pierced Eardrum” Bristol, UK. April 23, 2020. (photo © Reuters/Rebecca Naden)
Cake Stencils. Bethlehem, Israel. May 10, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Almost Over Keep Smiling. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Captain Eyeliner. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SacSix. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Oliver Rios. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Teo Vazquez. Barcelona, Spain. May 25, 2020. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Adam Fujita. Brooklyn, NYC. May 25, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. Queens, NYC. June 2nd. 2020. (photo © Just A Spectator)
Russian Doll NY. Manhattan, NYC. June 6, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gianni Lee. Manhattan, NYC. June 13, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Various & Gould. Berlin, Germany. June 19, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artists)
Sara Lynne-Leo. Manhatttan, NYC. June 27, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman. Manhatttan, NYC. June 27, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentifed artist. Brooklyn, NYC. July 18, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo. Manhattan, NYC. August 1, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sticker Maul. Manhatttan, NYC. August 6, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fintan Magee. Queensland, Australia. August 16, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Persak. San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. August 23, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Novy. Manhatttan, NYC. August 29, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Asbestos. Cork, Ireland. September 8, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)
1111 Army. Brooklyn, NYC. September 12, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Brooklyn, NYC. September 12, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Raddington Falls. Manhattan, NYC. September 26, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faust. Manhattan, NYC. September 26, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pure Genius. Manhattan, NYC. October 31, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
I Heart Graffiti. Manhattan, NYC. November 14, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
UFO 907 in collab with MUK 123. Manhattan, NYC. December 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The Creator. Manhattan, NYC. December 28, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
City Kitty. Manhattan, NYC. December 28, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Karma. Barcelona, Spain. January 4, 2020. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pobel. Stavanger, Norway. February 11, 2021. (photo © Tore Stale Moen)
Aya Brown. Brooklyn, NYC. February 27, 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Manhattan, NYC. March 06, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)
Paolo Tolentino. Manhattan, NYC. March 07, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Manhattan, NYC. March 07, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

As NYC went on complete lock-down and New Yorkers were ordered to remain in their homes in complete isolation the city’s residents organically joined together in a collective 7:00 pm ritual in support to the first responders. To the nurses, doctors, paramedics, trash collectors, public transportation, police, fire fighters, supermarkets workers etc…with their services and sacrifices we, the residents of this megalopolis were able to keep out hopes for brighter days to come.

Video of four former presidents urging people to “roll up your sleeve and do your part” and get the vaccine.

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BSA Images Of The Week: 01.31.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 01.31.21

A few weeks ago we saw a populist uprising invade one of this culture’s most sacrosanct public institutions out of anger and disillusionment, among other factors; generally a repudiation of what was perceived as a corrupt cabal who ignores the will of the people. Within days the news was full of stories of the State tracking down and cracking down on the dangerous insurgents and tracing their words and actions. Alliances were suddenly severed, fingers were wildly pointed, threats were issued, straw men swiftly collapsed. An historic quake, the tremulous ground is still shifting.

This week we witnessed another social-media-fueled populist uprising that is shaking the opaquely vexing market of stock trading. Again we hear that this is an unwelcome ambush – one that is fanning the class rift between self-styled ivy-league “elites” and everyday workers (or out-of-workers) who radically barge into a space they are not welcomed in. With access to the wheel, seemingly moments later, Robin Hood puts on the brakes for traders, stemming a hemorrhage for the wealthy. Wall Street warriors are at once calling for regulations on an industry they have steadily de-regulated for decades. The financial and rhetorical upheavals apply great strain to the very foundations again. Everyone is incredulous.

We’re don’t intend to oversimplify here, but you have to admit there appear to be parallels in these stories.

In the end, we see the ripples through street art. Actually, sometimes we see the antecedents to events like these as well – but we may not recognize them as such until later. One cryptic prophet and cultural critic from the street art world, Don Leicht, passed away this week after a very trying illness. His original use of the digitalized Invader predates the high profile street artist of the same name; his comic/cutting assessments of modern hypocrisy echoed across walls of New York as early as the inception of the video game itself. A long time trusted friend and creative collaborator with street artist John Fekner, Leicht was quickly memorialized with this new installation on the street (below).

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring 1UP Crew, Bastard Bot, Below Key, CRKSHNK, De Grupo, Don Leicht, Duke A. Barnstable, Ethan Minsker, Freedom, John Fekner, Maks Art World, Nick Walker, No Sleep, and Young Samo.

A tribute for artist Don Leicht, conceived by Adrian Wilson.
In a collaboration with John Fekner, Wilson used his original stencils. The project was coordinated by Wayne Rada and Ray Rosa at the L.I.S.A. Project in Manhattan.
John Fekner. In Memoriam. Don Leicht. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Reposted from John Fekner:

“Don Leicht (October 12th, 1946-January 22nd, 2021)Don was my fierce older Libra brother, colleague and collaborator throughout almost fifty years of friendship. Don was a passionate and devout painter who played by his own Bronx cool rules; whether as a teacher in the public school system in the South Bronx, or in his hand-written personal writings or hand-cut metal, plastic or cardboard sculptural works, all visually charged with a deep meaning and social purpose. His imagery could spark a laugh or a smile; but were intended to cause a reaction within a viewer’s heart, mind and soul.

Don was a steadfast bridge to carry me through my sometimes unwieldy behavior. He would provide answers with care, understanding and positivity; whether it was in person or through a 10-minute or hour phone call. Within our conversation (and with many of his friends), he would always repeat the message as to be sure that you ‘got the message’ and would act accordingly. Don always had a simple soothing solution: ‘Get one thing done by the end of the day.’

Don was preceded in death by his wife Annie; and he will be deeply missed by his two sons, Anthony and Nicky, who helped their father throughout his overwhelming health issues, especially in this past year.

Walk on dear friend. We celebrate your life work!”

Another street memorial to radio and television talk show host Larry King by Maks Art World. Larry King 1933 – 2021 “Those who have succeeded at anything and don’t mention luck are kidding themselves. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Freedom is back! Actually Freedom never left. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bernie and friends…(photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bastard Bot combines the death of rapper MF Doom, who fashioned myriad masks, with the Bernie Inauguration meme. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The Pandemic Twist! Bastard Bot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ethan Minsker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Russian Doll NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Below Key (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Trump with a big black dot blotting his visage. McConnell peering out through the splatter to see a raging fire. Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CRKSHNK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
No Sleep (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Young Samo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
1UP Crew (photo © Jaime Rojo)
We wish Duke A. Barnstable good luck with his New Year Resolutions… (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo likes Pele. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 01.10.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 01.10.21

Now that the orange man has been censored by social media he’ll have much more time to pack his boxes and do some deep vacuuming of the living room furniture.

All tolled, this week was perhaps the most effective public demonstration of white privilege on parade for everyone to see – and one that was beamed across the world, including into the countries who once looked to the US for leadership and promise. BLM could not have made a more powerful and impactful statement about the systemic inequality that is baked into American society. Did you see all those video split screens of how police treated the different crowds?

Trump is on his way out, but as the author Thomas Frank likes to say, Trumpism is here to stay.

Ahhhh, but the future is unwritten. Where’s you marker?

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Adrian Wilson, Bastard Bot, De Grupo, Ethan Minsker, Gane, Glare, HeartsNY, Lunge Box, Timothy Goodman, Wane, Winston Tseng, and You Are Loved. Yes, you are loved.

Unidentified Artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bastard Bot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bastard Bot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bastard Bot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Winston Tseng (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Winston Tseng (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Winston Tseng (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Timothy Goodman. In Memoriam. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Timothy Goodman for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HeartsNY (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bastard Bot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Adrian Wilson for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
You Are Loved (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ethan Minsker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lunge Box (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gane, Wayne, Glare. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 11.29.20

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.29.20

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving, although it is hard to imagine anyone feeling like it was great, considering that we now have long food lines around the city on a daily basis as more and more people are going hungry.

In our own Brooklyn neighborhood during a Thanksgiving stroll we witnessed people cueing up to get into a local overpriced restaurant while one block later we saw 4 people – two middle aged women and two teenagers – opening garbage bags on the sidewalk and looking for 5 cent returnable bottles.

Remind us please: Is this a Republican failure, or a Democratic failure? The wealth gap has continued to grow no matter who was in office for the last few decades. We are better than this.

Looks like Trump has finally accepted that he lost and is now turning his attention to who he will pardon. Regarding his hometown New York City, Trump will probably come back like a rash, fielding lawsuits and bragging about one thing or another. Other recent articles are turning attention to his various brood and surmising things like “Ivanka Probably Isn’t Welcome Back in New York City.”

Here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring A Toy Shop, Allei Kelley, CRKSHNK, De Grupo, Downtown DaVinci, Eye Sticker, I Heart Graffiti, Tenderloin Television, and The Postman Art.

Downtown DaVacini – 7 Line Arts Studio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Downtown DaVacini – 7 Line Arts Studio (photo © Jaime Rojo)
I Heart Graffiti (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eye Sticker, De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tenderloin Television (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A Toy Shop (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Allei Kelley Art (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The Postman Art (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eye Sticker (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified Artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Old Post Office Building. Manhattan, NYC. 11.2020 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 11.15.20

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.15.20

Happy Diwali to all our Hindu neighbors here in Brooklyn and around the world. We hope you find some ways to celebrate safely over the next few days in this year of COVID-19. Diwali is a festival of lights that symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”. We need that for sure.

A week after the US election was called, the current president is trying to foment discord and raise funds for himself, but with war-loving folks like John Bolton and Carl Rove jumping ship, can it be much longer until a stampede of similar careerists and military industrialists follow suit?

And while certain yellow newsreaders on corporate TV were desperate for open warfare in the streets in the days around the election, most people are just waiting until the inevitable capitulation. This has hardly been a bloody revolution, but keep trying Rachel and whatsisname?

Street art is reflecting the current mood in broad strokes and pointed ones. New Yorkers can never keep their big yaps shut, so the level of discourse may sometimes be crude and brash – but it can also be insightful, enlightening, and even an invitation for thoughtful exchange. It’s times like these you can be proud of the voices on the streets, which very likely will persevere.

Here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Baston714, Cake$, City Kitty, Dan Bennett, De Grupo, Faile, I Heart Graffiti, Lunge Box, Pure Genius, Reisha Perlmutter, Rubin 415, and Sac Six.

De Grupo positions Biden as Freddy Mercury singing “Weeeee are the champiiiiooons, my friend…”. Of course, there is no comparison. But you get the point. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sac Six interprets Kamala Harris, the Vice President-Elect. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Democratic National Committee darling and Georgia Representative Stacy Abrams gets a tiara from I Heart Graffiti (photo © Jaime Rojo)
I Heart Grffiti pictures the reluctantly departing Trump on a bed of green leafy Covid-19. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A bit more of a direct take-down from Pure Genius (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bela Lugosi or Rudy Guliani? Same difference. De Grupo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cake$ in The West Bank sprays a very unlikely silhouetted scene in Palestine. No child could possibly lift that wheelbarrow. (photo © courtesy of the artist)
Math, from Dan Bennett (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Scenes from a street debate – Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Scenes from a street debate – Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Reisha Perlmutter (photo © Jaime Rojo)
City Kitty, Lunge Box (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile says 2020 hit a pothole. Wonder what happens in ’21? (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rubin 415 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rubin 415 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Baston 714 goes over himself. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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