To BSA’s Muslim brothers and sisters, we hope your Ramadan has been fulfilling as it draws to a close this Tuesday. Amid the spiritual calm, Friday’s earthquake and its aftershocks have certainly rattled us in New York and across the Northeast—a rare tremor that would barely raise an eyebrow in LA, given their familiarity with the earth’s whims. But for us, a 4.8 is no small shake! Adding to our week of natural spectacles, Monday brings an eclipse, inviting us all to don those dope glasses and gaze skyward as a celestial dance sweeps across the continent. It’s been quite a lineup: an earthquake to kick off the weekend, a celestial blackout to start the week. What’s next on the cosmic agenda? A swarm of locusts? Let’s hope the universe has checked off its list of surprises for now.
We start this week’s collection with a new text piece of unknown origin but one that strikes at the heart of life here in 2024 for many. Could this be an advertisement for the new album by Future and Metro Boomin? A spectrum of emotions and styles, the new collection is from two guys whose collaborative efforts have been making significant waves in the music industry for a half decade. Debuting at number 1, as an album “We Don’t Trust You” has been described as a monumental success, showcasing the synergy between Future’s distinctive rap style and Metro Boomin’s innovative production. The out of context graffiti message, “We Don’t Trust You,” captures a poignant irony: while distrust might seem like a safeguard, history shows that a society where trust is deeply eroded becomes fertile ground for manipulation by autocrats and tyrants.
And now, here are images from our ongoing conversation with the street, this week, including: Praxis, Homesick, Lexi Bella, Modomatic, Danielle Mastrion, Mort Art, Claw Money, Jorit, Isabelle Ewing, Paolo Tolentino, JG, Marthalicia Matarrita, Gia, and 1RL.
Happy St. Patricks Day to all our Irish brethren and sisteren (?) — unless you are unlucky to be a gaylesbitrans Irish resident of Staten Island: their official Saint Patty parade bans all of those other types. Our 5th borough always complains that it doesn’t get enough attention because Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens hog the spotlight. So bigotry, because why not? But Manhattan shouldn’t bray too loudly; we’re old enough to remember the LGBT bans by The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) at the beery 5th Avenue parades for decades.
And now images from our ongoing conversation Specter, Cern, Homesick, Peter Phobia, Dzel, REW, Folk, Appear 37, BRK. Nover NYC, GUS, Hand of Tess, 1krlOs, Pirdb!, Kool Hand, Croke, Regae, Nova44, and Spyee.
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Set your clocks forward an hour!
Guess you can’t bite a graffiti artist and expect to make bank – without getting bitten. This new Nekst campaign on the Manhattan streets appears to have Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith putting their best face forward, aside from the streams of wrinkles caused by the wet wheat paste. Time is a cruel mistress, even as our nostalgic memories of the 90s are suddenly aflame when seeing these large-scale posters and images on the catwalk named New York.
This takes the fashion labels’ accused theft of Nekst’s tag to a new level – and back to the street, where the best fashion houses traditionally find creative inspiration. The deceased graffiti writer was bold in his command of high-profile spots, and his output was profligate, giving him a reputation that current writers still pay homage to a decade after his passing. With the fashion label Guess, Inc. publicly traded, one wonders if this restyling of their brand in a fashion capital will hit them in the ticker, especially when it appears they directly ripped their style from a self-made artist/vandal and took it to the cash register.
This act highlights the ongoing debate about the street’s raw, authentic creativity and the fashion industry’s appropriation tactics. The situation questions the consequences for a major brand like Guess, primarily when the originality in question stems from the underground art world.
As Daniel Cassady from ARTNEWS and Deborah Belgum from WWD illuminate, the recent uproar in the street art/graffiti community is not merely about the misuse of street credibility but a deeper infringement on street artists’ intellectual and cultural property. Cassady discusses the blatant replication of Nekst’s signature by Guess, bringing to the forefront the fashion industry’s recurrent pilferage from street art’s raw, unfiltered energy without due homage or consent. Meanwhile, Belgum adds a familial and emotional layer, highlighting the distress caused to Nekst’s family by the unauthorized commercialization of his legacy, an act they describe as “horrifying.”
In a city where the lines of art, fashion, and identity blur, these incidents prompt us to question the ethics of inspiration versus theft. As we showcase these charged visuals, we invite our readers to ponder the fine line between tribute and exploitation in the ever-evolving narrative of street art. This is not merely about images on a wall or polished cotton; it’s a testament to the indelible impact of artists like Nekst on the fabric of urban culture and the complexities of their posthumous relationships with the commercial world.
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.
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…
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.
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.
It’s always a fun week when The New York Times quotes Brooklyn Street Art, like today’s riveting analyses of one New York celebrity outlaw everyone can agree upon, Flaco the Owl. So this week, we will not insult the corporate legacy press because we are in league with them, obviously.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Faile, Homesick, Below Key, Degrupo, UNO, Dirty Bandits, Pear, MeresOne, Qzar, BG183, NYC Hooker, Tats Crew, Albertus Joseph, Rari Grafix, Notice, Toney, Fear, Horn, Lare, and OTM Crew.
Jaime Rojo has built an impressive collection of photographs of these, capturing the essence of New York’s streets through his lens with an array of box trucks that weave and jolt their way through traffic, often seen opening their gates to load and unload amidst the noise of city life. These trucks, adorned with cryptic and crazily painted graffiti, have become pivotal platforms for urban expression, succeeding subway cars as the canvas of choice after the MTA’s crackdown on trains. Rojo’s vast archive features hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these nomadic art pieces, transforming ordinary vehicles into a main showcase for artists’ narratives and tributes to urban royalty, with eclectic themes and styles that span all five boroughs.
These mobile galleries, nestled on private property and often commissioned by the owners, navigate a legal grey zone, untouched by state or city regulations. They offer a transient exhibition space, constantly in flux, moving across bridges, navigating the FDR, or idly sitting in traffic, right beside you. Each truck is a fleeting installation, a snapshot of the city’s dynamic art scene that you may know or not.
Back in the wild days of 2014, we published a small survey of the ubiquitous box trucks roaring through the streets of NYC. Most commonly used by movers helping residents move in or out of their homes, these trucks obviously serve a more lofty purpose. You can see HERE our article from 2014.
As we present a new installation of this collection once more, we delve into the latest series of box truck artworks that continue to serenade New York’s streets. This ever-evolving display captures the spirit of the city, revealing stories and visions that are as mobile as they are momentary, reflecting the vibrant, shifting nature of urban life through the eyes of famed photographer Jaime Rojo. Step outside and enjoy a moving art fest on the street just for you.
Is it even possible to take a personal inventory when it looks like the world around you is going off kilter? It’s worth a try. It may be the thing you depend on most in the future.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Pork, Sara Lynne Leo, Homesick, Clint Mario, Pear, Girlty, Georgia Violett, and Max Grax.
The New Year has been good so far, except if your country is in a war and is being pulverized.
We captured some exceptional street art during our visits to Miami last month. It’s encouraging to see that, despite commercial pressures, the artists’ untamed creative spirit continues to shine through. To balance the collection, we have dirty old New York pieces that pull no punches, and tell no truths, I mean lies. Happy to share these new and dynamic pieces with you.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring Tats Cru. Homesick, Werds, Deih XLF, Melski, West, Dase, Banksy Hates Me, Wizard Skull, Johann Art, Arlex Campos, Professorx, d1a5, Salute, Urban Ruben, HITC, Heat, and Kane.
Great to see everyone last night at the Museum of Graffiti for the book launch of Mana Public Arts. Somehow, the guest list ballooned, and suddenly, we needed half a football field to fit everyone in. Right next door, the Hip Hop 50 museum had a breaking (break-dancing) expo, and the museum was broadcasting a live podcast in their glass booth for passersby to watch, and @0h10mike was walking through the museum doing one-line portraits so the streets on the periphery were very crowded. The energy at Art Basel this year waxes and wanes; rather excited, subdued, and tense, perhaps because everyone is talking about the wars, the economy, plastic surgery, the soulless co-branding of the grassroots graffiti/street art movement, the persistence of the man bun, and the political polarization that grips the country and much of the world. Nonetheless, the wide variety of artists and artworks on the street in Miami is still exceptional, the party scene at night is still pumping, and Martha still loves her margaritas.
Here is our weekly interview with the street – a collection from New York, LA, and a little Miami- more Miami to follow: this week featuring Homesick, HOACS, Eternal Possessions, Such, Stanley Donwood, XSM, Tom Boy NYC, Trades only Bro, Slasher, Skeam, Kanos, Vokles, Tinta Rosa, Michael Relave, Las Chicas Que Pintan, and Indo 093.
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.
Nobody was out Friday night when we went to see “Stop Making Sense” on the screen; the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn at 10 pm were rather lightly attended, possibly because everyone was recovering from a mid-week Halloween/Day of the Dead blast of drunkenness, revelry, laughter, and tears. Sometimes, even New York turns into a series of bedroom communities standing vertically.
The New York City Marathon is here today, with about 50,000 runners sprinting from Staten Island to Central Park, traversing neighborhoods, bridges, boroughs, and millions of spectators. It is two hours for the head of the pack – although it lasts all day, with some people still running/walking/rolling through the street when the sun sets. And, of course, it really lasts your entire life if you let yourself become engulfed by the human spectacle of it, which we often have and still sometimes do.
The world is still tense and angry and nervous and mournful about the events in the Middle East as we all feel like we have reached a never-before-seen turning point that is changing the world’s perception of that region and our roles in it. New York is showing signs of this stress as well.
Here is our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring City Kitty, Homesick, Modomatic, Eye Sticker, Michael Alan, Jenna Morello, OSK, Mue Bon, Keoni VGN, Salto, BH, BAKA, and Swed Oner.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
