All posts tagged: Doze Green

“Wall & Frames”, Today’s Street Artists, Tomorrow’s Masters

There is an uneasy reluctance among some artists in the graffiti and the Street Art community to let themselves be seen hanging with art collectors or even entering galleries sometimes because they might lose credibility among peers for not being ‘street’ enough. Seeing well manicured men in pinstripes and shrieking birdberry women with tinted/straightened/plumped everything looking at your shit hanging on a wall and asking vaguely patronizing questions about it like you are an exquisite curiosity could make you go out and slice their tires after downing a few white wines.  Not surprisingly, “keeping it real” sometimes translates to keeping it out of private collections.

Even as there is an every-growing recognition of art and artists who work sometimes illegally in the street, it’s a sort of high-wire act for anyone associating with art born in margins, mainly because it forces one to face the fact that we marginalize.

Sociological considerations aside, over the last decade there is a less traditional definition of Street Artist entering the fray. The graffiti scene originally boasted a sort of grassroots uprising by the voiceless and economically disempowered, with a couple of art school kids and the occasional high-minded conceptualist to mix things up. It’s all changed of course – for myriad reasons – and art in the streets takes every form, medium, and background. Now we see fully formed artists with dazzling gallery careers bombing right next to first time Krinks writers, graffiti writers changing gears and doing carefully rendered figurative work, corporations trying their hand at culture jamming (which isn’t a stretch), and all manner of Street Art referred to as an “installation”.

A new book by Maximiliano Ruiz called “Walls & Frames”, just released last month by Gestalten, presents a large collection of artists who have traversed the now permeable definitions of “street”, gallery, collector and museum. Admittedly, this may be a brief period of popularity for Street Art, if the 1980s romance with graffiti is any indication, but there is evidence that it will endure in some form.  This time one defining difference is that many artists have already developed skill, technique, and a fan base. Clearly the street has become a venue, a laboratory for testing and working out new ideas and techniques by fine artists, and even a valued platform for marketing oneself to a wider audience.

A spread of work by Conor Harrington in “Walls and Frames”.

The resulting work, whether hanging on a nail inside or painted on a street wall, challenges our previously defined boundaries. The current crop of street art stars and debutantes, many of the strongest whom are collected here by Ruiz, continue to stay connected with the energy of the street regardless of their trajectory elsewhere. Some are relatively new, while others have been evolving their practice since the 70s, with all the players sliding in and off the street over time. The rich and varied international collection is remarkable and leaves you wanting to see more work by many of the artists. All considered, “Wall and Frames” is a gorgeously produced book giving ample evidence that many of today’s artists in the streets are tomorrow’s masters, wherever they practice.

Augustine Kofie in “Walls and Frames”.

 

Sixe in “Walls and Frames”.

Remed in “Walls and Frames”.

Anthony Lister in “Walls and Frames”.

Judith Supine in “Walls and Frames”.

Alexandros Vasmoulakis in “Walls and Frames”.

D*Face in “Walls and Frames”.

Interesni Kazki in “Walls and Frames”.

Jorge Rodriguez Gerada in “Walls and Frames”.

M-City in “Walls and Frames”.

 All images © of and courtesy of Gestalten and Maximiliano Ruiz.

Artists included are Aaron Noble, AJ Fosik, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Alexandros Vasmoulakis, Alëxone Dizac, Amose, Andrew McAttee, Anthony Lister, Antony Micallef, Axel Void, Basco-Vazko, Base 23, Ben Frost, Blek le Rat, Bom-K, Boris Hoppek, Boxi, C215, Cekis, Conor Harrington, D*Face, Dan Witz, Daniel Muñoz aka San, Dave Kinsey, Der, Dixon, Docteur Gecko, Doze Green, Dran, Duncan Jago aka Mr. Jago, Eine, Ekundayo, El Mac, Evan Roth, Evol, Faile, Faith 47, Fefe Talavera, Gaia, George Morton-Clark, Herakut, Herbert Baglione, Interesni Kazki, Jaybo, Jeff Soto, Jeremy Fish, Jesse Hazelip, Johnny “KMNDZ” Rodriguez, Joram Roukes, Jorge Rodriguez Gerada, Josh Keyes, JR, Judith Supine, Katrin Fridriks, Kevin Cyr, Kofie, L’Atlas, Lightgraff, Logan Hicks, Ludo, M-City, Mark Jenkins, Mark Whalen aka Kill Pixie, Maya Hayuk, Medo & Demência, Meggs, Miss Bugs, Miss Van, Morten Andersen aka M2theA, Mr. Kern, Mudwig, Nicholas Di Genova, Okuda, Patrick Evoke, Paul Insect, Pedro Matos, Peter Owen, Pose, Pure Evil, Remed, Remi/Roughe, René Almanza, Retna, Ripo, Ródez, Sam3, Sat One, Shepard Fairey, Sixe, Smash 137, Sowat, Sten & Lex, Stephan Doitschinoff, Tec, Tilt, Troy Lovegates aka Other, Turf One, Vitché;, Wendell McShine, Will Barras, and Zosen.

 

The launch; “Walls & Frames” will be presented at Gestalten Space Berlin on December 15th.

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Addict Galerie Presents: L’Art Urbain 2″ A Group Show (Paris, France)

Addict Galerie
brooklyn-street-art-addict-galerie-web
brooklyn-street-art-addict-galerie
Avec AIKO, ALEX, Boris Hoppek, John “CRASH” Matos,
DOZE GREEN, Daniel Tagno, Mambo, Mist, Smash137, TOXIC.

Exposition du 4 décembre au 18 janvier 2011 / Exhibition from december 4th to january 18th 2011

Vernissage le samedi 4 décembre de 18 à 21 h / Opening on saturday the 4th, december 6 – 9 pm

Le succès rencontré par la première exposition consacrée à l’art urbain …du mur a l’atelier, avec des artistes tels Gérard Zlotykamien, Lady Pink, John Fekner et Don Leicht, Jean Faucheur… a encouragé Addict Galerie à poursuivre son panorama dédié à un mouvement de l’art contemporain. Si notre première proposition mettait en valeur le passage en atelier d’artistes qui proposaient une variété de techniques usant des matériaux les plus divers, il s’agit cette fois de laisser découvrir des peintres encore fortement ancrés dans le paysage urbain et pratiquant aussi le travail sur toile. Cette approche cherche à souligner la réussite éclatante de cet art.

Dans ce deuxième volet, l’influence du graffiti est plus forte comme le montrent les talents toujours aussi variés, qui partageront les murs de cette exposition.

Pour toute demande de visuels – Contacter la galerie : +33 (0)1 48 87 05 04 / info@addictgalerie.com

Images available upon request – Contact the gallery : +33(0)1 48 87 05 04 / info@addictgalerie.com

ADDICT GALERIE
Laetitia Hecht
14/16 rue de Thorigny
75003 Paris – France.
T: +33(0)1 48 87 05 04
info@addictgalerie.com
www.addictgalerie.com

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Museo De La Ciudad De Mexico and Anonymous Gallery Presents: “Draw” (Mexico City)

DRAW

Draw

Draw

DRAW is the largest contemporary drawing exhibition to emerge from New York City. It is a must-see art exhibition featuring original drawings by more than 350 artists influenced by the illustration, graffiti, tattoo, literature, design, animation, skateboard, music, psychedelic art worlds. The show is a tribute to the often-underrated but fundamental building block of visual and graphic art: the drawing.

Artists whose original works are in the show include :  Chris Johanson, Terence Koh , Dan Colen , Aurel Schmidt , Benjamin Cho , DAZE , R. Crumb, Alex Grey, HR Giger, Clive Barker, Robert Williams, Mark Ryden, Wes Lang , Eric White , Rich Jacobs, Barry McGee , Rick Griffin, Ron English, Neck Face, Tim Biskup, Ed Templeton, Benjamin Cho, Mark Gonzales, Jack Rudy, Derek Hess, David Byrne, Mark Dean Veca, Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) , Kevin Long/Spanky, Hank Williams III, WK Interact, Jose Manuel Schmill, Shawn Barber, Doze Green, Kevin Llewellyn, Bast, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Greg Lamarche, Kostas Seremetis, Swoon, Tom Sachs, and hundreds more.

After four years of gallery exhibitions, DRAW will have it’s museum debut at Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, one of MexicoCity’s finest museums. The opening is on June 19, 2010 and will exhibit through August 15, 2010. To coincide with the exhibition, the museum will be publishing a book for worldwide distribution to contemporary museum bookstores around the world. Carlo McCormick, one of the most respected art writers and curators in the U.S. will be writing an introductory essay for the book.

DRAW is curated by Erik Foss and Curse Mackey with guest curators Tim Barber, Miguel Calderon, Lisa Lebofsky, Jacaebor Kastor, Justin Giarla, Jamie O’Shea, Matt Campbell,  Damian Weinkrantz, Les Barany, Sto, D* Face, Jonathan Levine, Tony Cox, and Anonymous Gallery Founder and Director, Joseph Ian Henrikson.

Anonymous Gallery’s curatorial contributions include artists such as: Bast, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Greg Lamarche, Tom Sachs, Kostas Seremetis, and Swoon For more information, please contact info@anonymousgallery.com or visit www.anonymousgallery.com or visit http://www.fusegallerynyc.com/DrawTour/tour.html

A N O N Y M O U S G A L L E R Y
www.anonymousgallery.com
www.anonymoushop.com
info@anonymousgallery.com
o.  646.238.9069
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Leo Kesting Gallery Presents: Dead Letter Playground: A Collection of Contemporary Street Art

Leo Kesting Gallery

Chris Stain (detail) Image Courtesy of Leo Kesting

Chris Stain (detail) Image Courtesy of Leo Kesting

Leo Kesting Gallery Presents:
Dead Letter Playground:
A Collection of Contemporary Street Art
June 24 – July 18, 2010
Opening Night Reception: Thur, June 24 from 7-10pm
812 Washington St (at Gansevoort) NY, NY 10014
8th Ave A, C, E and L train Stop or 1, 2, 3 to 14th St
Tue – Sat 11am – 7pm, Sun 1 – 6pm
Admission is free to the public
Phone: 917-650-3760 / 917-292-8865
http://www.leokesting.com

View the Catalog

Having left the gallery model for free form street installations, a narrative of artwork is grouped and reconstructed in a reverse white wall format late June at the Leo Kesting Gallery. The collection of prints, illustrations, paintings and installations takes its name Dead Letter Playground as a reference to the tactile paper quality of most works and the open letter format that street art has embraced as building dialog with the public.

”This collection adheres to the gallery’s principles of showcasing the most contemporary urban figurative works. These artists alter their surrounding environments, using public install as catalyst for positive reform,” states gallery co-director David Kesting. ”In contrast to dead letters not reaching their readers, these artworks embrace a playground of viewer’s eyes and an earnest public wanting more.”

“Publicly placed works last only as long as the elements or the public allow,” explains John Leo gallery co-director, “Dead Letter Playground is an opportunity to see these works in an urban-gallery environment.”

Dead letter Playground features the work of Carolyn A’Hearn, Chris Stain, Clown Soldier, Dain, DickChicken, Doze Green, Elbowtoe, Elle, Ellis G, Faro, Gaia, Head Hoods, Imminent Disaster, Jen.Lu, Jordan Seiler, Know Hope, Laura Meyers, Lee Trice, Love Me, Matt Siren, Mister Never, Nicola Verlato, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Phil Lumbang, Shark Toof, Anthony Michael Sneed and Sweet Toof.

Leo Kesting invites you to join us as we unveil Dead Letter Playground with an opening night reception for the artists on Thursday, June 24 from 7:00 – 10:00pm. The work will be on display until July 18.

Leo Kesting Gallery launched in 2003 and developed an aggressive campaign to introduce new figurative artists to collectors and art supporters. Leo Kesting offers the art viewing public an opportunity to see forthcoming talents in an intimate setting where undiscovered, cutting-edge artists are presented to the contemporary art scene.

Leo Kesting Gallery is located at 812 Washington Street at the corner of Gansevoort in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District. A, C, E or L train to 14th Street. Summer gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11am until 7pm and Sunday 1-6pm, the gallery will be closed on Mondays until after the Labor Day weekend

Leo Kesting Gallery
gallery is located at 812 Washington St New York NY 10014
phone: 917-650-3760
at the corner of Ganesvoort St
8th Ave 14th st A,C, E and L train Stop

http://www.leokesting.com

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Fun Friday 06.11.10 on BSA

Fun-Friday

Fundraiser, Print Show, New Gallery Opening in Brooklyn

99percent

Don’t miss the opening and fundraiser tonight of Brooklyn’s newest gallery, called 99%. The silent auction will feature new prints by Swoon (left) and Gaia (right) as well as Bast, Chris Mendoza, Cycle, Dennis McNett, Doze Green, Ellis G, Eric White, Esao Andrews, EZO, Ian Kuali’I, Imminent Disaster, Jeremiah Ketner, Jose Parla, Kenji Hirata, Lady Pink, Martha Cooper, Martin Wittfooth, Maya Hayuk, Mel Kadel, Morning Breath, Nathan Lee Pickett, Orlando Reyes, Rage Johnson, Ricky Powell, Rostarr, Ryan Humphrey, Skewville, Tara McPherson, Tono Radvany, Voodo Fe, Xiaoqing Ding, Yuri Shimojo

See our interview with gallery owners Andrew Michael Ford and Mikal Hameed HERE.

For more info go to http://www.ninetyninegallery.com/

Collabo With Blu and Os Gemeos for Crono festival in Lisboa (Portugal)

see the finished wall here:
http://cargocollective.com/crono
Os Gemeos blog:
http://osgemeos.com.br/
about Blu:
http://blublu.org

Guy Denning and David Walker Show Tomorrow

brooklynite

The Village Voice said it’s good and that’s all that matters. More info about the Guy Denning and David Walker show at Brooklynite here.

GUY DENNING • DAVID WALKER
June 12 – July 10

Musical Guest: DJ REKHA

Happy World Cup!!!! Here is Tsatsulow,the Best Soccer Freestyler in the World

FIGMENT on Governors Island – Interactive Art for Everybody (Free Free Free)

Figment

The Figment Festival on Governor’s Island boasts so many live arts and activities for free this weekend that it is guaranteed to relax and exhaust you simultaneously. A number of street artists are going to be there performing live, as well as a number of interactive installations and performances to challenge and titillate.

Governors island continues to expand and grow, and FIGMENT this year is no exception. Check the ferry schedule (free). There are ferries from Brooklyn again this year. Visitors are encouraged to bring bikes and food.

Figment all Weekend http://figmentproject.org/2010/events/figment-nyc-2010-event-projects-artists/

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How Fast Can You Paint a Portrait?

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Brooklyn’s New “99%” Will Serve Street Art Fans and Many More

Brooklyn’s New “99%” Will Serve Street Art Fans and Many More

99% Perspiration, 1% Inspiration

Brooklyn-Street-Art-99-percent_WEB-Header_copyright_Steven-P-Harrington-L1080701

Anyone in New York will tell you that the adage holds true if you are trying to get your dream to happen in this city– a band, a restaurant, a store, a website, a clothing line.  It could be a genius idea, but you’re going to have to work for it. Gallerist/curator Andrew Michael Ford and artist Mikal Hameed, both in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg since 1999, have put in plenty of perspiration getting separate projects off the ground over the last decade in NYC.  This spring as their shared dream of an art center and gallery in Billyburg gathered momentum, they redoubled their efforts and called every artist and source they knew.  Tomorrow, their dream, called “99%”, will open with a community fundraiser auction of prints by those artists. Ford and Hameed are going to do the necessary perspiring to make it happen.

Common Dreams, Rooted In Respect

Together, the two partners (along with a silent 3rd ) have discussed this gallery and community art space for a year and a half.  Studio talks about formal goals, bar-stool wisdom about esoteric ones, and serious footwork finally secured this location in a Brooklyn neighborhood considered a Street Art destination for artists and fans since the late 90’s.  Formerly an artist enclave, the neighborhood is rapidly changing as rezoning from 2005 allowed gentrification to rapidly bland the bohemian vibe, even as the change was slowed by the speed-bump of a huge recession.  Ironically, as the street art in the neighborhood is gradually disappearing, 99%, a gallery that celebrates it, opens it doors.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-99-percent_WEB-MIKAL_M11X_HAMEED

Mikal (known professionally as M11X), an innovative ingenious creator of art merging furniture and stereos, came from a graff background on the west coast writing as SMUGE with the WCA crew as a youth.

“So I was a writer, then I was an MC, a break dancer, whatever – all 5 elements. I started to gradually change and become well connected with people who are part of the street art scene,” says Mikal as he recounts his path to this place. He recalls how he ran a gallery called Headquarters in San Francisco and Oakland before coming to New York and running MJH’s gallery in Williamsburg.

“This is just part of my whole evolution. It’s been building up inside of me for so long. “

As he speaks about his goals for 99% he talks about the life of an artist. You can tell that he sincerely wants to bring a greater command of the craft to the newer graff and street artists out today – people he refers to often as “The Kids” .

Ford, a gallerist best known for his work as gallery director at both the pivotal Street Art gallery Ad Hoc Gallery in Bushwick and for the Dark Pop and Pop Surrealists at Last Rites Gallery in Chelsea, hopes to merge his affinities for any number of current art movements, most considered “outside” or lo-brow by the established gallery scene.

“Yeah, I think it’s more about ‘the work’, the skill levels, and the imagination.  The artist may also put up work in the street or do comic books for a profession or they are a professional illustrator but they have such a desire to do personal work.  A lot of galleries will look at them as simply an illustrator and not an artist, and I think those kinds of distinctions are ridiculous. An artist is an artist and they want to express themselves creatively and they want to have a place where they can do that. ”

Me and my shadow. Andrew Michael Ford stands by a much loved wall in the studio and a view of his portrait by Street Artist Ellis G. on the door

Me and my shadow. Andrew Michael Ford stands by a much loved wall in the studio and a view of his portrait by Street Artist Ellis G. on the door

Street Art, comic books, illustration, pin-up, animation, new media, graffiti, tattoos, folk art, – these terms pepper-spray through the conversation as Andrew, an enthusiastic conveyor of ideas about the current state of art and the gallery scene, barely keeps up with his own ideas. Clearly he hopes to create a gallery where unsung and marginalized art forms are given the respect he thinks they’ve missed. Street Art may be hot at the moment, but labels are not going to be the determining factor for whether 99% Gallery works with an artist or not.

BSA: Are we going to retire the term “Street Art” at any time in the near future?

Andrew: That obviously is a public debate, and obviously that is something that everyone should be involved with as far as what’s going to happen with these other terms like “low brow”, “pop surrealism”, “street art” and similar terms.

Mikal: They asked the same question about graffiti in the late 80s and I don’t think we were ever able to retire it.

BSA: So is there such a thing as “Street Art: Phase 2”?

Mikal: I think we are at Phase 3 or Phase 4 at this point.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-WEB-copyright-Steven-P-Harrington-99-percentL-MIKAL-ANDREW

An Educational Component

But it’s not just going to be a gallery. The guys want to create an art space that serves and educates, along with showing cutting edge art.

Sketching out their plans for the near future, Andrew explains, “We’re not talking about traditional education here – we’re talking about re-examining how the work is presented to people. I would say first phase is about lectures and talks, and we can work our way into workshops and classes down the road.”  The ideas for educational topics run the gamut, but they often touch on the basics that both partners feel have been missed by many of today’s artists.

“Yeah, kids need to learn how to do their own framing, make their own stretchers”, says Mikal, “I wish somebody taught me how to do that.”

Sounding like he is creating a new class on-the-fly, Andrew jumps in, “I do have a traditional art education background, — it was so much conceptual stuff, so much theory. There wasn’t a whole lot of practical stuff.  It was amazing that I could have this degree and yet it was after school that I had to learn a lot of stuff on my own.  It seems like a simple thing but I have this conversation with people all the time; What is the difference between a Giclée print, a hand silkscreened print, and what is a serigraph?”

A grassroots, populist philosophy enters the conversation again and again, and it becomes evident that the focus will be on the person, their approach, and the talent –rather than the formal educational background or pedigree of an artist.

“Yeah we want to create an equal playing field for a lot of artists,” stresses Mikal.

What playing field are they trying to equal out? Mikal responds, “Sometimes it just comes down to skills and imagination. You may not have the proper education but you have your passion and your motivation about this whole movement – you should be recognized as well.  Your sh*t should be up right next to the other stuff because your education could have come from somewhere else beside school.”

How often do you see this? Doze Green and Martha Cooper catching a tag on the wall of the new gallery.

How often do you see this? Doze Green and Martha Cooper catching a tag on the wall of the new gallery.

So the men have a lot in store, and they have what can only be described as a healthy dose of mutual respect.

Andrew praises Mikal’s talents and explains what he brings to the partnership, “One of the most important things is that Mikal is a very vibrant active artist who is doing shows regularly and has a different relationship with people than me because he is a working artist. It is really important to me to have Mikal because we are really good sounding boards for each other. I might be thinking a little more about the business side of things and how we are going to present it and he is thinking more about the specific piece of art and where the artist is coming from. He could say to me, ‘You may want to consider this because this is how the artist is going to feel’. I think it is a really really good match”

For his part, Mikal sounds solid in his dedication, “The people that work with Andrew just have straight up respect for him and they know that he’s the main guy in this business right now but he just needed his own platform to show everybody what’s up.”

Is this place big enough for all their dreams?

“No, but it’s a start. There is no place like that,” says Mikal.

Andrew agrees, “I’m really grateful for the fact that it is a tremendous starting point and an incredible location. I think it is going to benefit everybody that we work with”.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-WEB-copyright-Steven-P-Harrington-99-percentL1080682

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images of Andrew Michael Ford and Mikaal Hameed © Steven P. Harrington

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99% Gallery and Art Center

99 North 10th (between Berry and Wythe), Brooklyn, NY 11211

OPENING RECEPTION: JUNE 11TH, 7-11PM

FUNDRAISER PRINT GROUP SHOW SILENT AUCTION to benefit 99% and the artists.

$5 COVER

Participating artists for the print show  include:
Bast,Chris Mendoza,Cycle,Dennis McNett,Doze Green,Ellis G,Eric White,Esao Andrews,EZO,Gaia,Ian Kuali’I,Imminent Disaster,Jeremiah Ketner,Jose Parla,Kenji Hirata,Lady Pink,Martha Cooper,Martin Wittfooth,Maya Hayuk,Mel Kadel,Morning Breath,Nathan Lee Pickett,Orlando Reyes,Rage Johnson,Ricky Powell,Rostarr,Ryan Humphrey,Skewville,Swoon,Tara McPherson,Tono Radvany,Voodo Fe,Xiaoqing Ding,Yuri Shimojo

For more information about the auction

CONTACT:info@ninetyninegallery.com
WEBSITE: www.ninetyninegallery.com

32010_122553237781314_119424814760823_116437_3034853_n

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99% Gallery and Art Center : Debut and Fundraiser

OPENING RECEPTION: JUNE 11TH, 7-11PM

FUNDRAISER PRINT GROUP SHOW SILENT AUCTION for the new…

99%
Gallery and Art Center

99 North 10th (between Berry and Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY  11211

$5 COVER

The first opening will be a print group show fundraiser, to benefit the new space.  All prints will be available for purchase via a silent auction.  First bid MUST be half of the retail price of the print.  Each bid thereafter must increase my increments of $20.  Cover: $5

If you are unable to physically be at the gallery, but would like to bid on prints from the show, e-mail: info@ninetyninegallery.com

Participating artists for the print show so far include:
Chris Mendoza
Cycle
Doze Green
Ellis G
Eric White
Esao Andrews
Gaia
Ian Kuali’i
Jose Parla
Kenji Hirata
Martha Cooper
Mel Kadel
Morning Breath
Nathan Lee Pickett
Orlando Reyes
Rage Johnson
Rostarr
Ryan Humprey
Skewville
Swoon
Tara McPherson
Tono Radvany
Voodo Fe
Xiaoqing Ding
Yuri Shimojo

ABOUT 99%

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.  This old adage still makes sense in 2010.  We at 99% Art Space produce the 99% perspiration, allowing the artists we work with to focus on the final 1% inspiration.  We want to do the work to create a space which will be conducive to not only art exhibiting, but also to art appreciating, art learning and in the end art creating.  We believe in the artist and the artwork they produce.  This is the reason we, or any other art space for that matter, even exists.  It’s about the artist and the inspiration and enlightenment their final art embodies.

99% is dedicated to doing everything in our power to support the artist and the work they create.  We are also dedicated to art learning, through our upcoming series of lectures, classes, workshops and so much more.  Of course we also are dedicated to working with the artists we want believe in to produce a regular schedule of exhibitions throughout the year.

Lastly, 99% is dedicated to underdogs.  We will exhibit artists who been inspired by the worlds of comic books, animation, new media, graffiti, tattoos, illustration, folk art and many other forms of pop, subversive and outsider imagery.

99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.  We like the way that sounds.  We like the idea of working hard to create an environment for our artists to engage with comfortably, as they change the world one idea at a time!

P.S. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the number on our building is 99!  😉

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Barnstormers Coming to Joshua Liner in March

BarnStormers! Yee Hawwwww!

Famed Barnstormers!

Famed Barnstormers!

I first saw an iteration of this collective at their 2001 installation at SmackMellon in Dumbo, Brooklyn in an old spice factory – think David Ellis was doing a residency there...  Anyway, the roster and locations and breadth of projects that the Barnstormers were involved in has evolved over the last decade, but the wild-eyed no-holds-barred inventive quality stays solid. This is a show I’m not missing.

The new group exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery will feature works in a variety of mediums: painting, photography, video, mixed media works and installation.  Here’s a half hour presentation, or rather, performance piece from 2005.   An actual barn is involved.

Artists exhibiting at Joshua Liner will include:
Alex Lebedev, Alice Mazorra, Bluster One, Che Jen, Chris Mendoza, Chuck Webster, David Ellis, Dennis McNett, Doze Green, GION, Guillermo Carrion, James Lynch, Joey Garfield, Jose Parla, Kenji Hirata, Kiku Yamaguchi, KR, MADSAKI, Manny Pangilinan (WELLO), Martin Mazorra, Maya Hayuk, Mikal Hameed, Mike Houston, Mike Ming, Miyuki Pai Hirai, Naomi Kazama, Pema Brush, Romon Kimin Yang (Rostarr), Shie Moreno, SWOON, West One, Yuri Shimojo and more.
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 W 28th St. 3rd Floor
New York, New York 10001
212-244-7415
joshualinergallery.com


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Doze Green at Jonathan Levine Gallery

Doze Green

N.O.O.N.

Boriken Detail by Doze Green (courtesy Jonathan Levine Gallery)

Boriken Detail by Doze Green (courtesy Jonathan Levine Gallery)

Opening reception – Saturday, October 18th 7pm-9pm

Jonathan Levine Gallery

October 18, 2008 through November 15, 2008

NEW YORK, NY (September 30, 2008) — Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to announce N.O.O.N., a solo exhibition of new works by Doze Green. The artist returns for his second solo show at the gallery, having created a new series of original charcoal drawings and mixed media paintings on canvas and wood panel. Using a variety of materials such as ink, gouache, metallic pigments, and collage, Doze Green speaks in a creative voice from the collective consciousness, applying a symbolist approach to metaphysical concepts. Often compared to Basquiat, his urban background and involvement in the early hip-hop graffiti movement of NYC in the late 70’s, early 80’s, led him to transition from creating art in the streets and subways into the gallery setting.

In N.O.O.N., Doze Green’s signature style of figurative abstraction and use of letterforms remain prominent, yet the organic cubist quality of his images has evolved. The high-contrast fluid line work characteristic of earlier paintings is now rendered in a fuller, more tonal palette, complemented by the introduction of an element not seen in his work previously—layers of collaged imagery. The artist’s genealogy inspires many of the themes he explores, his aesthetic influences include a mixture of ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures, including his own Afro-Caribbean roots. His totem-like human and animal figures are conceptually based on various polytheistic deities. These divinities represent sentinels, the guardians of universal truths. Immortal warriors warning mankind of dangers society has manifested, looming on the horizon and threatening to destroy us.

The show title, N.O.O.N., stands for No One Observes Nibiru. This references the planet X prophecy of a cataclysmic cosmic shift occurring in the year 2012, causing dramatic effects to life on earth. Also a prominent year in the Mayan and Hopi calendars, 2012 marks the end of our current solar cycle, signifying transition into a new age. Inspired by these theories, there is a transitional quality to the artwork. Movement, migration and transformation of form combine to form enigmatically kinetic narratives. Portals and beams of energy, layered over collaged media clippings, surround Green’s figures which echo social diaspora of the past, yet also seem to be preparing for a futuristic voyage of sorts—a survivalist evacuation plan for the great escape from doomsday.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
A New York City native, Doze Green began painting the streets and bombing subways in 1974. He joined the infamous Rock Steady Crew in 1977, as one of the original members during the birth of hip-hop, b-boy break dancing and graffiti writing culture. The Crew danced at galleries and art exhibitions in Soho and the Lower East Side throughout the early 80s. They were an integral part of New York City’s developing underground scene. Graffiti and later forms of street art have since spread into what has become very much a global movement, and Doze Green has evolved into a well-respected fine artist, whose work can be found in public and private collections, worldwide.

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