A scintillating selection of images this week as we travel to a Jersey boardwalk and the erupting Brooklyn scene called Bushwick Collective. The trio of foxes by Bordalo is still rocking after a year, and the small flood of international and local talent has once again transformed walls in the formerly industrial, still gritty Brooklyn neighborhood that has welcomed about 400 artists to paint here since 2011.
We had the great honor of hosting a panel discussion with 5 Taiwanese street artists this Thursday as part of the first Artist Talk ever for Bushwick Collective’s 15th Anniversary. All week, those five plus one other OG from Taipei all painted walls here – ALLO, Vasstar, Candy Kuo, Colasa, Mr. OGay, and BLACK ZAO brought high technical skills and Taiwan flavor to the already international scene here. The long weekend events included roof parties, DJ sets, and a roiling, joyful open stage with hotly spit missives that pose and bear witness to life from some of our best rap and hip-hop artists who know the streets and rightly celebrate them. As usual, it’s so local, and so international here in Brooklyn.
Stylistically, the vertical rappellers have taken over NYC these last three years or so, and overnight Thursday, one of the highest focal points was taken over by a wildly striped crew of current visual kings with aesthetic and cultural currency – taking everyone by surprise with a rapid fire battle of styles side by side – see below.
Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Allo, Ashley Hodder, Black Zao, Bordallo II, Chris Haven, Dad Father Son, Dae Law, Degrupo, Dzel, EXR, H Kubed, Mad Vaillan, Mendoza, Nick Sweetman, Optimo, Psylent Mushroom, Robert Vargas, Shane, Smoe, Stuo Backup, Werds, and Zach Curtis.
Welcome to BSA’s Images of the Week – our selection of art on the streets that collectively document the evolution of the scene from our perspective.
It’s a rainy Memorial Day weekend in New York and many picnics, war memorial events, camping trips, hikes in the Catskills, shares on Long Island, and strolls to the park are impacted, with the dreary cold weather canceling many plans. We start our collection of photos by Jaime Rojo with a series of heroes and villains on the street – if only real life decoded the world so simply. Commemorations on Memorial Day often present a narrowed definition of loss – focusing primarily on people who fought wars in the military in defense of liberty, god, country, laudable ideals, or a mix of these. We also think of the so-called civilians who get killed during war, including those who are defenseless.
Here is our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Anna Frants, DARA, EXR, Frankie Botz, Fumero, Georgi Collagi, H Kubed, Ian Cinco, INFOE, Iris Van Harpen, Jeff Beler, Joseph Iroshi, Kams S Art, Katya Goltseva, Laser Cats, Lenna Art, Loretoh, Man in the Box, Manuel Alejandro, Nandos Art, Natural Eyes, Pressto, Sebastion Campnario, Trades Only Bro, and Zimer NYC.
Spring is in full swing, and so are the artists. We’re expecting a few international names to pass through New York this week, including Saype, who’s creating something extraordinary at the UN.
It’s also New York Art Week — a citywide celebration of contemporary art that brings together fairs, gallery openings, and museum shows across all five boroughs. Among the marquee events are Frieze New York at The Shed, Independent at Spring Studios, and NADA at the Starrett-Lehigh Building.
In fact, this week New York hosts Frieze New York, Independent Art Fair, The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, NADA New York, TEFAF New York, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Future Fair, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, The American Art Fair, and Clio Art Fair.
With so much happening against the backdrop of a turbulent political and economic climate, we’ll be keeping our eyes open for artists and artworks that speak with clarity, urgency, and heart.
So here’s some of this week’s visual conversation from the street, including works from City Kitty, Degrupo, Qzar, Ollin, Stu, Smile, Erotica, Son, H Kubed, VEW X, The Splasher, Never Satisfied, Salem, 1992 Crew, Brady Scott, Chris Bohlin, Frozen Feathers, and Monk.
“People have the Power” from musician and poet Patti Smith.
“Where there were deserts I saw fountains like cream the waters rise and we strolled there together with none to laugh or criticize and the leopard and the lamb lay together truly bound I was hoping in my hoping to recall what I had found I was dreaming in my dreaming God knows a purer view as I surrender to my sleeping I commit my dream to you
The people have the power The people have the power The people have the power The people have the power”
In the past two decades, Asbury Park, New Jersey, has undergone a dramatic transformation, evolving from a struggling, economically challenged city into a pleasantly eclectic one. This shift, driven by gentrification, has attracted a wealthier demographic, including professionals and artists from nearby New York City, drawn by affordable housing, a revitalized waterfront, and the promise of a burgeoning cultural scene. For many, it has become a trendy, artistic destination.
The Wooden Walls Project, launched in 2015, has been central to its evolution, thanks to Jenn Hampton and Porkchop of Parlor Gallery. A slew of artists—officially and unofficially curated— have regaled Asbury Park with many large-scale murals and street art installations. This week, you’ll see a few examples of work we caught down by the beach as summer slowly burns toward fall.
We’re also regaled by a few other pieces we’ve caught recently elsewhere.
Here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Logan Hicks, Joe Iurato, Pref, Beau Stanton, Hyland Mather, Ellena Lourens, Porkchop, Bradley Hoffer, H Kubed, Amberella, ONEQ, Ray Geary, Cameli, and Leaf 8K.
At fifteen years old, the Bushwick Collective has become a temporary city-state of culture—where hip-hop veterans, international muralists, neighborhood residents, …Read More »
“Water…..is a human right” We have grown accustomed to headlines about billionaires, agribusiness empires, and multinational corporations treating water as …Read More »
A Jahru portrait rarely stops at resemblance; it searches for character, purpose, and presence. His reputation for revealing the character …Read More »
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