All posts tagged: East Village Walls

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.18.24

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.18.24

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul wants to classify some graffiti as a hate crime. The arts and culture press has been writing alarming headlines about this new proposal by the Gov, but the burden lies on the lawyers who need to prove that the intention of the graffiti writer was to target a protected class of people with a hateful screed. Wonder if they will hand out tickets for poor handstyles, too.

Meanwhile, guess it’s still okay to steal from graffiti writers and street artists.

New York neighbors and peers of the orange man tried years ago to warn the country against him – and yet he was elected. Now Trump has to pay fines for “ill-gotten” gains totaling $453 million. He really hit the jackpot when the judge barred him and his two sons Friday from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation. Leading the country, presumably, is still fine.

A day after the verdict, he was hawking golden Trump sneakers. Let’s see, $453 million divided by $399.00…

Coming up next month in this never-ending reality crime series, Trump Hush Money Criminal Trial Set to Begin March 25 in Manhattan.

Here is our weekly conversation with the street, this week including Stikman, Homesick, BK Foxx, Calicho Art, Werds, Goog, LA2, TBanbox, ICU463, Propa, NAY183, Bukse, Joser, Vicer, Faire, Shicks, Angel Ortiz, Mr. Doodle, and Albie.

BK Foxx for East Village Walls. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Calicho Art (photo © Jaime Rojo)
icu463 pondering a Picassoesque problem? (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Angel Ortiz AKA LA2 in collaboration with Mr. Doodle. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Angel Ortiz AKA LA2 in collaboration with Mr. Doodle. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SHICKS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
WERDS. GOOG. VICER. FAIRE. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JOSER (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HOMESICK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BUKSE (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NAY183 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tbanbox (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Propa (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Albie (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Photo © Jaime Rojo)

In winter’s chill, where frost does bite,
Lost gloves lie, a somber sight.
Left behind in snow’s embrace,
Their warmth gone without a trace.

Untitled. Winter 2024. Brooklyn, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 02.11.24

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.11.24

Happy Lunar New Year! Happy Chinese New Year!

And welcome to BSA Images of the Week.

New Yorkers are having a grand celebration this weekend as the Year of the Dragon begins, and traditional lion and dragon dances wend their way through Chinatowns in Manhattan and Queens. You’ll be seeing lots of red, hopefully getting some money in red envelopes (hongbao), and eating dumplings (symbolizing wealth), fish (representing surplus and abundance), and sticky rice cakes. To all our neighbors celebrating, “恭喜发财” (Gōngxǐ fācái), which means “Wishing you wealth and prosperity.”

Later this week, we’ll all profess love for one another on Valentine’s Day. Looks like red is the color for New York this week.

Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Homesick, Toxicomano, ERRE, CP Won, Qzar, Hektad, Jappy Agoncillo, ToastOro, Senk, Stesi, CASH RFC Crew, OSK OSK, NAY, and Kosuke James.

OSK OSK in collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Homesick (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CASH RFC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NAY (photo © Jaime Rojo)
STESI (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Senk (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HekTad (photo © Jaime Rojo)
QZAR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CP WON in collaboration with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kosuke James (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jappy Agoncillo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toastoro (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toastoro (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toxicomano in collaboration with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ERRE in collaboration with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
#ceasefire (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Red Love (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #9: Year of the Rabbit

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #9: Year of the Rabbit

We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA Readers, Friends, and Family for your support in 2023. Picked by our followers, these photos are the heavily circulated and “liked” selections of the year – shot by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo. We’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street. Happy Holidays Everyone!


The rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture, and The Lunar New Year will now be observed in all public schools in the state of New York, following legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Here on the wall of Dr. Sun Yat Sen Middle School 131, we see two local celebrities, Bunster and Larry, in a mural by BK Foxx and Claudio Picasso. Celebrating each other’s cultures and traditions is something New Yorkers are always given the opportunity to do, so lucky are we in this city where as many as 800 languages are spoken, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

BK Foxx for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 12.03.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 12.03.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

The war rages again in Gaza, and the street art in New York reflects the cultural response with more pieces every week. New York’s Fifth Avenue will be closed on three Sundays this month to allow more foot traffic to enjoy the holidays and avert car deaths now that the tree and skating rink are open at Rockefeller Center. Our esteemed New York politicians keep doing us proud this week, with George Santos getting expelled from Congress, and Trump being forced to face criminal charges like everyone else. We say goodbye to the first female Supreme Court Judge Sandra O’Connor, and to a person whom most of the world’s press contend was one of the biggest international war criminals responsible for millions of deaths, Henry Kissinger. Remarkable for some that Jimmy Carter outlived him.

Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Optimo NYC, Kram, Gats, Eternal Possessions, Muebon, El Hase, Stay Busy, Words on the Street, Alex Itin, Madison Storm, Jocelyn Tsajh, Homer, Siomo, Clams, Celeb, and Under Control.

Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gats (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CLAMS, CELEB, OPTIMO NYC, and a vintage GATS. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Madison Storm (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KRAM – SLOMO (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KRAM – SLOMO (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KRAM – SLOMO (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Under Control? (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Words on The Street – Alex Itin (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Words on The Street – Alex Itin (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jocelyn Tsaih with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
El Hase (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stay Busy (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Texting death mouse. Muebon (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HOMER (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eternal Possessions channels an Elizabethan Cher as she (lip)sang her new single at this weeks Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting “DJ Play a Christmas Song.” (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Yasss Queen. Eternal Possessions (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 11.12.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.12.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

A Chagall painting is stolen from a midtown gallery, Fab Five Freddy is in Vanity Fair, Carlo McCormick opened his curated “Wild Style” show at Deitch, the Christmas tree is going up in Rockefeller Center, the mayor’s phones have been seized in a mystery investigation, students are walking out of class and people are hitting the streets at Columbus Circle, Grand Central, and the Brooklyn Bridge to demand a ceasefire in Israel/Gaza. The frenetic muse is you, trying to make it make sense.

Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Faile, Stikman, Elle, Queen Andrea, CRKSHNK, Shiro, Espo, Homesick, DeGrupo, Michael Alan, Dark Clouds, Gats, Manik, Drones, ICU463, El Chalvo Del Ocho, Saxgraf, Smart RIS, Bianca Does New York, Uloang, and Chespirito.

Steve ESPO Powers (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CRKSHNK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ULOANG’s portrait of Chespirito as El Chavo del 8. A beloved character from one of the most popular shows on Latin American television ever. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Drones (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Saxgraf and Shiro collaboration. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SMART RIS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bianca Does New York (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Elle and Queen Andrea collaboration (photo © Jaime Rojo)
GATS for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dark Clouds (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HOMESICK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HOMESICK, Degrupo, Manik and KimSHT. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ICU453 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ICU453 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ICU453 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist’s portrait of David Bowie. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Last Sunday’s edition of BSA Images Of The Week included a WIP photo of Michael Alan’s new mural. Here’s the completed version. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Stockholm’s Vegan Flava Tests NYC Street Environment, Finds His Balance

Stockholm’s Vegan Flava Tests NYC Street Environment, Finds His Balance

Punk Rock Politics, an Arctic fox, a Circumpolar Biome

New York, a city that never sleeps, truly comes alive in the summer with an influx of international street artists and graffiti writers adorning its walls with fresh ideas and paint. Among them, Vegan Flava, a Swedish artist of global repute, seized his inaugural trip to unveil his unique approach—a synthesis of activism, urban aesthetics, and environmental consciousness. Over the past three decades, his artistic journey has been a contemplative exploration of art’s societal role, driven by his unwavering commitment to illuminate both local and global environmental and social issues. Woven through the fabric of hardcore punk music, veganism, environmentalism, graffiti, and urban art, Vegan Flava’s oeuvre emerges as a profound dialogue on societal complexities, hoping to stimulate your contemplation as well.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Vegan Flava’s artistic themes crystallize with clarity. He perceives his art as a mirror reflecting society’s nuances. He advocates for a shift in environmental awareness—a transformation that goes beyond human-centric perspectives to embrace a broader ecological responsibility. With an astute focus on the interconnectedness of all life forms, he delves into the intricate relationships between species and ecosystems. During a sweltering summer sojourn to New York, we had the privilege to engage with Vegan Flava, learning about his perspective on the natural world’s interwoven tapestry, our place within it, and the reverberating impact of even a solitary species’ disappearance.

BSA: Tell us a little about yourself, where you live, how long you have been an artist on the streets, other information you would like to share.

VF: I live in Stockholm between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. I’ve been an artist ever since I could hold a pencil. I discovered graffiti when I was 11 years old in 1989. I sprayed my first wall two years later. I painted graffiti during the 90’s, which evolved into urban art after the millennia. I’ve attended several art schools and graduated with a Master’s in fine art in 2005.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: How did you conceive of being Vegan Flava, and what does it mean to you to adopt this moniker? 

VF: It’s something that’s been interesting to explore. My alias Vegan Flava, has been a long-time art project where I’ve looked into how art can reflect society and influence it through urban art. I took this alias 25 years ago, and I was confronting the human-centric world with it.

I’ve noticed along the way that my alias sometimes affects people’s ability to appreciate my art. Art is a wide and open space for complex ideas, and what I’ve experienced is that my alias can be a narrow door that tends to close instead of opening into the broad thoughts, ideas, and topics my art explores. At the moment, I’m considering how my work would be affected if I start using my real name moving forward.

In the early 90s, the day after being at my first hardcore punk concert in the neighboring town of Vänersborg, Sweden, my friends and I formed our city’s first hardcore band. Beginning in 1993, I was active in the hardcore punk music movement, which brought my attention to many social issues. There were songs about how animals were treated in the meat and dairy industry, and at the merch tables at the concerts, info was spread through zines, pamphlets, and books.

The songs questioned human dominance, but it wasn’t until 1998 that I switched to a plant-based diet, and I started to write ‘Vegan’ in my graffiti. Later, I added the word ‘Flava’ to my street alias. In the hardcore scene, I learned that music and art can be used to reflect, change, and build society and not merely be experienced for pleasure. I was greatly affected by the visual language on all printed matter, such as concert posters, band t-shirts, CD covers, and booklets. Parallel to this, I was deeply into skateboarding and graffiti, which all had connections and were different forms of youth-oriented DIY culture with strong visual aesthetics.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Your earlier work often featured skeletal remains and dark imagery. Has that changed for you, and if so, how?

VF: Yes, I moved on from it a few years ago. I’ve been working on topics from nature around my hometown, animals, and flowers from the Swedish Arctic. A few years ago, I became interested in how much Swedes know about how the climate crisis affects Sweden. So, I focused even more on exploring local topics.

The Baltic harbor’s porpoise is critically endangered and is the only whale species living in the Baltic Sea. I’ve painted it in several artworks as a symbol for the critical state of the Baltic Sea, which has the largest dead sea floor area on the planet.

In February this year, my solo exhibition had the title Tears Of The Cryosphere and explored the many effects of the loss of water in frozen form. The cryosphere is basically the planet’s cooling system and is deeply part of Swedish identity. I’ve done several land-art pieces on snow-covered frozen lakes with large poems and motifs of endangered animals.

In paste-ups primarily in European cities, but now also in New York, and in murals and studio work, I’m looking into the movements of nature. As the climate warms, plants and animals in the biosphere must adapt to the new environmental conditions – or emigrate if they can. This is also the reality for many humans.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Is this the first time you have painted in New York? Can you describe what the experience was like for you?

VF: Yes, and I enjoyed every moment of it. It’s been a long-time dream to travel to the US, and I finally made it. My main goal was, of course, to paint a mural, and thanks to East Village Walls, I got the opportunity to paint a small mural in Manhattan. I was happy to meet people from the community and the many photographers who came by my wall and artists and curators from the NY urban art scene during my stay. The city’s art ecosystem was hard to enter, but I really loved New York, and I’m hoping to get an opportunity to go back soon.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Can you speak about the arctic fox in this image and its connection to Finnish or Swedish culture and ecology? 

VF: The mural’s title is ”Rooted above the taiga,” and it depicts an arctic fox that lives far north above the tree line in the arctic tundra. Taiga is a circumpolar biome, an enormous pine and fir forest belt stretching through Russia, Alaska, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Due to the warming climate, the nature of the tundra is changing and decreasing. I’m painting the Arctic fox as a representative of this biome. It is not a threatened species in North America, but it was hunted to extinction in Finland, and in Sweden, it is listed as critically endangered.

In Sweden, the winter season is shorter, and it often rains in places where it used to snow. Winter trails that used to cross through frozen lakes can now be too weak. It changes the living circumstances of animals, plants, and humans. I’m concerned about the effects of the changing cryosphere, with melting permafrost and glaciers and the decreasing lake and sea ice.

In my art, I’m exploring topics and raising questions about species loss and changing planetary systems. Many species risk extinction before we even get to know them, such as the unique Baltic Harbour porpoise. I often face the question of what happens when some species disappear. Is it really a problem? What benefits do we lose when they are extinct? A species is often linked to several other species, so losing one affects others. We might not see what is already evident for other species. If the entire biomes of the tundra, the taiga, and the cryosphere could ask us, what is your reason for being? How would you answer that question?

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Artists have myriad roles in society. How do you see your role as an artist who works on the street and whose paintings remain there long after you have finished?

VF: I’m interested in creating my art in dialog with the surroundings and in places that are not always necessarily designated spaces for art. Places where art can be intertwined with daily life and can be discovered in a spontaneous way. The art experience becomes a natural and simple part of the day instead of an active, planned, and conscious choice for a few. I also see public art as a language that expresses something non-commercial and can be a parallel dialog about something else. During my whole life, art of all sorts has challenged and inspired me to evolve as a person, and that’s what I hope my art can be a part of for others.

In Ukraine, Russia has bombed theaters and art schools and ruined public art and artworks. The Kyiv Soloists string ensemble was in Italy when their nation was invaded, and they decided to stay on tour to let the world hear Ukrainian music. Art collectives in Kyiv started producing bulletproof vests in their workshops, and Ukrainian poets and artists were voices of their culture in news channels worldwide. What this clearly shows is that art is producing identity; it is a home.

Vegan Flava. ”Rooted above the taiga”. East Village Walls. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Vegan Flava. New York City, June 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 08.20.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.20.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Back in dirty old Brooklyn from squeaky clean Norway, nothing has changed, and everything has changed. The Pokémon GO Fest is bringing 70,000 players to Randalls Island and elsewhere in the city, city government is banning TikTok from all official devices, and stabbings are up by 26% so Stay on your A-game out there people. The city is still beckoning you to Summer Streets, and we do too because wherever you go in New York, there is always a show, and sometimes you are it.

Back at home we have around 100,000 new immigrants from Mexico over the last year, central and south America this year because of buses full arriving from the southern border, and the city is struggling to find them sufficient shelter, let alone housing. Now the governor is joining league with President Biden to tell the mayor that it’s his problem. The paucity of vision here is regrettable, especially when, A. the city benefits greatly from new immigrants, B. the money is nearly pouring into the Ukranian war daily, now reaching at least 78 billion in aid (with a new 24 billion just proposed) only so Blackrock can sweep in and take all the contracts to rebuild when it is finished, C. New York has a surplus of office space ready to become residences, and D. NYC is historically a highly diverse city of immigrants who have kept us in business and made us culturally rich beyond belief, brothers and sisters. Not everyone has forgotten what made us great, even today. It’s us.

We lead the images this week with street artist Nimi’s poetic interpretation in Stavanger of Norway’s famous cliff Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock. There are not sufficient words to describe certain examples of natural beauty, so it is more fitting that a street artist address it – in this case possibly creating a parallel between its scale and the depth of love the artist has for his family. According to online accounts, the subject is his daughter Sophia.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Praxis VGZ, BK Foxx, Snik, Calicho Art, Sonny Sundancer, Nite Owl, NIMI, Pinky, Heal Hop, and Silvia Marcon.

Nimi’s poetic interpretation of Norway’s famous cliff Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock. Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lysefjorden. Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock. Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nimi’s poetic interpretation of Norway’s famous cliff Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock. Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lysefjorden. Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock. Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Snik. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Silvia Marcon’s portrait of the Mona Lisa was made with mosaics. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pink is hot this summer, thanks to BlackPink, Barbie and Messi. Houston/Bowery Wall, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Houston/Bowery Wall, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx for East Village Walls. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sonny Sundancer for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sonny Sundancer for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sonny Sundancer for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sonny Sundancer for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Heal Hop (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nite Owl (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Calicho Art (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Praxis (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Windmills off the coast of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Summer 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 06.18.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 06.18.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! These are our longest days of the year. Savor them, luxuriate in them, celebrate the light. The trees, the grass, the plants, all richly green. The breezes are smooth against your cheek, the sound of kids screaming as they play in the park is like music.

The ebb and flow of humanity washes across the pavement daily here in our gritty city – forlorn, inquisitive, raucous, opinionated, gentle, buoyant, clever, blunt, wonderous, rarely neutral. Our murals are mighty, our styles can be wild, illustrative, fantastic, inertly corporate, romantically impressionist, electric and eclectic. Unlike many downtowns, this collection is organic and unmediated – perfectly imperfect. As inhospitable as this city can feel to a newcomer, remember this; You are welcome. Do your thing.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Faile, Joe Iurato, Queen Andrea, Dasic Fernandez, Optimo NYC, CES, Hef, Spot, KMS Crew, Ange, Bekah Bad, Logan Hicks, Hiraku, Agud, Lexi bella, and Jeff Hernandez.

Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jeff Henriquez (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Agud (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Agud (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dasic Fernandez and a portrait of DJ Kool Herc (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dasic Fernandez (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dasic Fernandez (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dasic Fernandez (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hiraku. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lexi Bella. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Looks like Joe’s son is getting bigger. Joe Iurato & Logan Hicks. Detail. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Joe Iurato & Logan Hicks. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Optimo NYC and friends smashing the Houston Wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile dipping back to one of their early images, updated with hand rendered “1986” (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CES. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bekah Bad for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ANGE. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HEF & SPOT. KMS CREW. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HEF & SPOT. KMS CREW. Detail. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HEF & SPOT. KMS CREW. Detail. The Bushwick Collective Block Party 2023. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Summer 2023. Hot Pink Hollyhock. New York City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week 06.04.23

BSA Images Of The Week 06.04.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Remember last summer when you realized it was already August, and you didn’t go to the beach or for a hike yet? I vow not to let that happen this summer. New York is full of summer fun opportunities; getting outside the city, even for a day is revelatory. If you want to catch street art, step outside in many neighborhoods across the five boroughs. If you want your art viewing experience to be accompanied by live Hip Hop performances and plenty of places to grab a drink amongst the live aerosol painting on the street, just go to the Bushwick Collective’s annual block party, which is happening right now.

As we enter Immigrant Heritage Month, the city is absorbing our newest immigrants, or trying to. “There are now about 45,800 migrants – or about half the city’s shelter population – spread between hotels, respite centers, transitional shelters, humanitarian relief centers and upstate hotel rooms,” says Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom. The official number of arrivals is estimated at 72,000 people. The mayor and governor are taking heat for not doing enough or doing too much or for asking communities to find space for all the new folks arriving by bus from the southern border – with the latest announcement of a 500-cot shelter in a JFK warehouse this week. If the humane view of the story isn’t enough for you, then perhaps you will be comforted to learn that new arrivals accounted for a major portion of US economic growth in the last 12 months. Ask Forbes, or the US Senate. The open secret is that Western societies have been benefitting from the contributions of immigrants for decades. We shudder to read verbiage that attempts to dehumanize these humans, who are the living example of those seeking the “American Dream”.

Similarly, we shudder to see campaigns to humanize the robot “dogs”, like this puff piece in the New York Post featuring an office visit to normalize them – in fact using one to create a painting.

“The robots march across canvasses with paint-covered paws.

Pilat’s works have become a favorite of Silicon Valley’s tech arrivistes.”

Uh, it’s not a dog, and it will probably be weaponized against you in the future. C’mon Sport! Let’s play catch!

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Skewville, Matt Siren, David Puck, Martin Whatson, Loose, Anso, Rham Bow, Narol, Forever Up, Fuckz, 156 CRU, Ebony, Aims Pukers, Feye, and Sper.

We start the collection this week with this new one marking the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride month by David Puck, honoring drag persona Sasha Colby, as curated by The Dusty Rebel (WIP shot). David Puck (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Artist, model, and sometimes canvas Rahm Bow (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Narol (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Forever Up (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ANSO LOOSE (photo © Jaime Rojo)
You Are Not Alone (photo © Jaime Rojo)
FUCKZ (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)
156 CRU (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Norwegian street artist Martin Whatson is in town. He’s been painting since the early 2000s and is known for his distinctive style that combines traditional stencil techniques with graffiti and urban art elements. Martin Whatson (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Martin Whatson. Detail. In collaboration with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Martin Whatson. In collaboration with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Matt Siren sidebusts Optimo NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
AIMS PUKERS. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
FEYE (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SPER (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Upstate, NY. May 2023.(photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 04.23.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 04.23.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Eid-ul-Fitr 2023!

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: City Kitty, 1UP Crew, Blade, Rae, Kai, Dirt Cobain, Ollin, Qzar, Optimo NYC, Eternal Posessions, Shoot Me Jade, Chelsea Lewinski, Carla Torres, Brent Estabrook, Kern, Enzyme, Misstencil, OASE, Doex, Stroke, Crome, and FLD.

Dirt Cobain painted this portrait last week, coinciding with the 7th anniversary of Prince’s death this past Friday the 21st. Prince Rogers Nelson, commonly known as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer.(photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dirt Cobain (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shoot Me Jade. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
RAE keeping up in Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chelsea Lewinski. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Check out the bling! Eternal Possesions. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eternal Possesions (photo © Jaime Rojo)
1UP Crew. Wynwood Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Carla Torres (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Brent Estabrook. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KERN uses two techniques on the street. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
QZAR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
OLLIN. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Optimo NYC takes it to the bridge. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ENZYME (photo © Jaime Rojo)
KAI (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Misstencil. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cats are going crazy. City Kitty for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
OASE. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A real throwback from Blade with the Museum of Graffiti. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Doex. Stroke. Crome. A tribute to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the South California Kustom Culture warrior – an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
FLD. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Spring 2023. NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Martin Luther King Day 2023 : You Know What Time It Is

Martin Luther King Day 2023 : You Know What Time It Is

We take this day to reflect upon how far we have come and how very far we have to go to achieve parity. Our systemic racism and broken minds enable inequality to exist, and persist. Thanks to street artist Dragon 76 for reminding us that it’s in our hands.

Martin Luther King Jr. by Dragon 76 with East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The time is always right to do what is right

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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BSA Images Of The Week: 11.20.22

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.20.22

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Leading up to Thanksgiving this Thursday, we can say that we are thankful to you for your support and encouragement. Thanks to the artists for the inspiring ideas and the loosely woven ecosystem that keeps them going – gallerists, festival organizers, brands, museums, curators, and fans. We’re happy to bring you more fresh stuff this week too.

The first female speaker of the House announced her retirement from the role this week – and it looks like both the House and Senate may be lead by Brooklynites if Hakeem Jefferies gets his wish. A new meaning, in that case, to ‘Brooklyn is in the house!’

This week has been busy with graffiti and street art events and announcements – many not related to Banksy! A new photography collective of heavy hitters in early NY hip hop/graffiti documentation announced themselves at the International Center for Photography (ICP), Swoon and Jeffery Deitch played to an overflow crowd for their talk at Deitch’s gallery to launch her second book, and Al Diaz curated and opened the new City of Kings: A History of New York City Graffiti – along with additional curation from graffiti archivist and artist Eric ‘DEAL CIA’ Felisbret and art educator Mariah Fox. On the west coast, people are talking about the new Beastie Boys show that’s curated by Roger Gastman and Beyond the Streets and which runs in December and January.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Stikki Peaches, Homesick, Drecks, Rime MSK, Bust Art, Le Crue, Sinclair, Duel1, La Nueva Era, Hugus, and Aine.

Stikki Peaches (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bust Art is in town – with this collabo with Wandart. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Aine (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Aine (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Le Crue for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nils (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Drecks (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Homesick (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A very animated and animating RIME MSK vertical install (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Duel1 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hugus (photo © Jaime Rojo)
La Nueva Era (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A few scrawls around the Williamsburg neighborhood like this feel suspicious like they are not by a concerned citizen but part of a propaganda campaign. Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sinclair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untititled. Fall 2022. NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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