All posts tagged: Jaime Rojo

New SWOON Storytelling on Battered Brooklyn Walls

October 26, 2015 Artists

Like leaves scattered into the street by a gust of wind, new large wheat-pasted linotype prints have appeared across some fatigued facades in post-industrial Brooklyn this autumn. Hand cut and painstakingly spot colored, you may recognize a familiar face or two among them as these characters and their stories have appeared on walls previously, eventually faded, decayed, and dissipating, leaving no trace but possibly in your memory.

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon followers will recognize folks like Kathryn G, a neighbor of hers in Braddock, PA, as well as Edline, a girl she met in Haiti who participated in a community art program there. Brand new on the scene appears a portrait of George, whom Swoon says through social media is one of the guys she worked with in the Philadelphia Mural Arts Guild Program and with whom she bonded after sharing stories of their similar backgrounds. Whether you know these stories or not, the work stands on its own, until it disappears.

Swoon. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. A different version on the above piece on a corrugated fence. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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BSA Images Of The Week: 10.25.15

October 25, 2015 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

This is the harvest season when all the fruits of Street Artists labor are on display for everyone to admire – and just before the frost transforms all the leaves and turns the grass brown and your cheeks red, it is time for you to go outside with your camera. There is a new talented crop of artists on the street that has been maturing these last few seasons and of course there are the perennials on display as well. New York in the autumn is always dramatic; the perfect stage to unveil new productions, new art shows, new movies, new musical compositions, and new standards being set. If the pickings for this weeks BSA Images of the Week are an indication, Autumn is at full peak right now, pure splendor.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Billi Kid, City Kitty, City Rabbit, Danielle Mastrion, Dee Dee, Elbow-Toe, Ernest Zacharevic, Hiss, Kai, Myth, Olek, Phoebe New York, Pixote, Sean9Lugo, Spider Tag, Tom Fruin, Tony De Pew, WK Interact, and You Go Girl!

Top image above >>> Dee Dee (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dee Dee (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Danielle Mastrion (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hiss (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Myth (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sean9Lugo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tony DePew (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WK Interact (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Haring motif on vinyl sheets was applied to this doors apparently for a themed party inside the building. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ernest Zacharevic’s third collaboration with Martha Cooper. Mr. Zacharevic used one of Ms. Cooper’s photos as an inspiration for this piece, which includes a real paint brush. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Kitty (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Rabbit (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billi Kid (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You Go Girl (photo © Jaime Rojo)

OLEK says “Rule #1 Never be #2. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

I hear that! Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KAI (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow Toe brings an old favorite back to the streets. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Homer (photo © Jaime Rojo)

PIXOTE (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phoebe New York (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Spider Tag in Athens, Greece. October 2015. (photo © Spider Tag)

Spider Tag. Detail from the piece above. (photo © Spider Tag)

Tom Fruin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Manhattan, NYC. October 2015 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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Sisters Sojourn to Kingston to Update the Truth with Jetsonorama

October 24, 2015 Artists

Two new wheat-pasted and hand painted murals by Jetsonorama in New York State’s first capital call to memory the work of the abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth, who at one point called Kingston her home. Born as a slave she had a handful of white masters and endured untold sufferings for nearly three decades before escaping to freedom in 1826.

A powerful feminist and human rights activist who began her vocal advocacy in her 50s until her death at 86, Sojourner became an inspirational pillar of the peoples’ movement in the history of the United States and her words and life continue to be relevant and inspirational to many in our current generation of black women.

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

Working collaboratively with artist Jess X Chen, Jetsonorama bring today’s voices to the fore, writing the words of poets as halos around their heads and pasting their photos here as part of the O+ Festival.

“Over the course of a week Jess and I photographed the poets, created the composition, got the work printed, prepped and pasted,” says the artist about the portraits they did of three poets who speak their truth a century and a half after Sojourner: Mohogany Browne, T’ai Freedom Ford, and Jennifer Falu.

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

The artists ran out of time before mounting Falu’s mural, but will do so at a later time. Each of the poets were chosen because of the power of their expression to move minds and hearts today and because of their lineage to the legacy of Ms. Truths impact on the culture.

“In 1851 she delivered her best known speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio,” says Jetsonorama. “The speech was known as “Ain’t I a Woman?” in which she compares the value of her life as a hard working black woman to that of any man. Jess and I wanted to honor the legacy of Sojourner Truth in her hometown and we approached the 3 poets about contributing poems that speak to the challenges of black womanhood.”

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

From Mahogany Browne the came the poem called “Black Girl Magic,” from which this is an excerpt.

“You are a threat knowing yourself.
You are a threat loving yourself.
You are a threat loving your kin.
You are a threat loving your children.

You Black Girl magic.
You Black Girl flyy.
You Black Girl brilliance.
You Black Girl wonder.
You Black Girl shine.
You Black Girl bloom.
You Black Girl, Black Girl
And you turning into a beautiful Black Woman right before our eyes.”

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

T’ai Freedom Ford contributed a poem entitled “i sell the shadow to sustain the substance”, she says is dedicated to Glenn Ligon and Sojourner Truth.

“as black woman i am untitled – nameless
my heart a faint glow of neon wire
buzzing toward some shameless demise.
i stand against walls looking nonchalant.
flashbulbs mistake me for celebrity or bored whore,
same difference.

as black woman i am installation art as negress.
my heart a black plastic bag ghosting streets.
what parts of me ain’t for sale as woman?”

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

For more on Sojourner Truth, you can begin HERE

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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BSA Film Friday: 10.23.15

October 23, 2015 Artists

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :

1. 3 Minutes in Brooklyn
2. NUART at 15 on 2015
3. Vegan Flava: Arms Factory in Lisbon
4. FAILE: “Wishing On You” Times Square 2015 NYC
5. Sandra Chevrier. The Aftenblad Wall
6. Winter is Coming, All My Single Ladies

BSA Special Feature: 3 Minutes in Brooklyn

Bruno Maltor at Votre Tour Du Monde recently came to Brooklyn and made a short video of his experiences here. It’s a huge borough (2.6 million inhabitants) and he got just a little taste but he did manage to hit DUMBO, Bushwick, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, downtown, the Botanical Gardens, the Brooklyn Museum, caught some performers on the subway, and Damien Mitchell painting a mural. Ah Brooklyn, you heart breaker, you love maker, you land of a million dreams and possibilities.

NUART at 15 on 2015

A splendid melange of words and images from this years Nuart festival in Norway, its 15th.

Vegan Flava: Arms Factory in Lisbon

“The roof and walls of every factory will molder away by rain and wind.” Vegan Flava discovers a former arms factory in Lisbon and does a tribute to pain and suffering of the people who were killed by its’ industry.

FAILE: “Wishing On You” Times Square 2015 NYC

We debuted this video by Priest Fontaine live for the Brooklyn Museum audience with Faile and actual chills went up people’s spines. No lie. Now you can see it too here online Capturing the current Times Square as county fair with mountains of screens flashing images around the Selfie Stick Forest, all corporate creepy and still sleezey – Fontaine evokes the magic that Faile is, as well as the pure industry that it takes to make their art work. Also good to remember that it was a hot and humid overnight installation that started at 8pm and ended around 10 the following morning.

What Happened with BSA + FAILE at the Brooklyn Museum?

Sandra Chevrier. The Aftenblad Wall

A special project the organizers of Nuart did with the local newspaper, this is the inaugural piece by Sandra Chevrier.

Winter is Coming, All My Single Ladies

ABOVE Goes Below for His Largest Mural Ever

October 22, 2015 Artists

To see ABOVE you will have to go way down below. Like near the bottom tip of Africa. South. Africa.

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

That’s where street artist ABOVE just completed this new upward pointing mural for the City of Gold Festival in Jeppestown. It is entitled “Incognito” much like the California man himself, featuring a layered geometry of the symbol he has called his own since on the streets around the world for this century.

ABOVE tells us it is his largest mural to date, at 33 meters by 17 meters. “I think I used over twenty different colors and it took me six full days to paint it.” You may see some guy hanging around the mural in dark sunglasses trying to looking cool – but don’t bother to look for Mr. Incognito himself. He’s already on to his next adventure somewhere in Israel.

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Click the link below for more on City Of Gold:

http://www.cityofgoldfestival.co.za/

“Monument Art” Murals Sing of El Barrio in 2015

October 21, 2015 Artists

Some of these new murals are definitely monumental. As are some of the social ills addressed by themes such as immigration and the world refugee crisis. With a dozen international artists painting over the last two weeks, the debut show of the Monument Art Project in the New York neighborhoods of El Barrio, East Harlem and the South Bronx, some logistics have been equally immense, but finally the job is complete and people are talking about the new works they watched being painted.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Not quite street art and not quite your local community mural, these finished opus works are more poetic than activist, more visionary than purely aesthetic; occupying a modern mid-way between those archetypes of public art we call the “New Muralism”.

Following on the success of the Los Muros Hablan festival staged a couple of years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico and New York, organizers Jose Morales and Celso González expand their international reach and bring it back home with the stalwart and vehement support of New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Argentina, Belgium, Los Angeles, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa – an admirable list of participants for a festival this size. What this dispersed program has that many recent commercial “Street Art” festivals have been lacking is a cognition of community, a connection– however refracted – to the people who are going to live with it. MonumentArt is aiming to engage the community with images and themes that resonate with many of the members – perhaps sparking conversations among chance encounters.

Here El Mac channels his influences of Caravaggio and Chicano culture to collaborate with Cero on a portrait evocative of haloed church icons. This serious and thoughtful figure rising high above everyone’s head is the well known Nuyorican writer Nicholasa Mohr, who has told many stories of Puerto Rican women, their travails and ascendency in the Bronx and El Barrio.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Notably Viajero’s boy in a handmade boat of newspaper pages addresses the dangerous figurative and literal waters that refugees are facing today, including children. With his back turned to us and his distrustful glance over the shoulder he may be questioning our commitment to saving those poor and needy in country that congratulates itself for its religious roots.

While quite different stylistically the mural reminds us of a 3-D installation done by Lituanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic in Norway’s Nuart Festival just last month.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The topic of immigration is hammered home by Mexican muralist Sego as well as he strips away the skin of the Statue of Liberty, as if in an attempt to see what lies beneath that oxidized copper exterior in New York harbor symbolizing “welcome”. Look again and see the points of her famous crown are transmuted into a feathered headdress, similar to those of the continents’ original citizens. In a nation of immigrants, New York’s multitude of populations typify the immigrant life and their plight is intrinsically tied to our history.

The quality of work is here, as is the articulation of ideas and themes. Curated thoughtfully and selected carefully, the MonumentArt collection gives back to the community it is nested within.

Argentinian artist Ever appropriated local kids as inspiration along with photos taken by Martha Cooper of immigrants in the 1990s and themes related to Puerto Rican independence and the US occupation of the island of Vieques. His signature kaleidoscope visions and voices pile and wind around the head like folkloric waves of energy.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

But even working directly with the community, Ever tells us that things don’t go as smoothly as you might expect. He also discusses how intrinsic the topic of immigration is to his piece and to the story of New York.

Brooklyn Street Art: The top figure on your mural is of boy. Can you tell us who he is?
EVER: This is funny. I was here doing some research and these kids were playing basketball on the courts and I saw one of them and he caught my attention and I decided to approach him. It was kind of hard for me since I’m not from here and I didn’t think I’d have the right words to talk to him so I was a bit nervous.

I told him my pitch and his first reaction was “No I don’t want you to take my picture”. So it was hard for me because he was the one I wanted to paint on the wall. And he told me he didn’t want to be a part of it. So I said cool. But when his friends, one by one came forward and told me that they would like to do it and got excited he then at that moment he changed his mind and told me he wanted to do it.

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

I was very happy but when I told him he had to pose of a photo first he said, “OK but take only three pictures”. I said to myself, ‘Come on you are like Madonna.” Finally he posed and I got my photo.

Then for the other kids I went to Martha Cooper’s studio to do some more research on East Harlem and to find more photos related to the neighborhood. The other two figures are from photos Martha Cooper took in the 80’s and 90’s in El Barrio. One was taken during a Latin-American parade more than 20 years ago.

Faith 47. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When I was on the plane coming here I had an idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to talk about the issue of immigration in my piece. For me is insane that in the 21st Century we are still having problems with immigration. I’m a product of immigration. My parents came to Argentina from Spain. Most cities in most nations are created by immigrants. So it is crazy that there are still some people who see immigrants like the enemy. They are talking about people who live next to them, people who are their neighbors. So we must accept immigration as a reality of all nations and New York is a huge example of different cultures living together without big problems. In New York one can breath freedom. And that’s the subject I wanted to approach.

We all move to different places all the time. As humans it is in our nature to be nomads. When we look up at the sky we see the birds flying around without papers, without limits. And we humans we have to be limited to a piece of paper that determines if we are allowed in or not.

Faith 47. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

These three figures on this mural represent the future of this country: The next generation. It is absurd to hear politicians when they talk about immigration and they make the immigrants their enemies. This is a beautiful country and for the most part people who come here are trying to find a better future. Furthermore I think that most people dream of someday being able to go back to their countries of origin.

I was recently in Tijuana and I noticed two individuals having a conversation but they were separated by this fence, this wall. You could see the two families on two different sides of the fence and it was something that made a big impression on me.

Luis R. Vidal. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SEGO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Viajero. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Mac and Cero. Detail. Collaboration on this Mosaic and paint portrait of poet Nicholasa Mohr. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Mac. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CERO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Mac and Cero. Collaboration on this portrait of poet Nicholasa Mohr. The mosaic portion was done by Cero and the portrait by El Mac. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!
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This article is also published in The Huffington Post.

A Tidal Wave of Lodz Reborn: “Lodz Murals” Distinguishes Polish City

October 20, 2015 Artists, Interview

New work from DalEast, Borondo, Alexis Diaz

“My aim is to create a permanent exhibition of great art in the public space of Lodz,” says Michał Bieżyński, founder of Lodz Murals in the Polish city of the same name. It is highly likely he will after six years curating Galeria Urban Forms, for which BSA has been a media partner. Since 2009 Bieżyński has been selecting and organizing artists from around the world to create almost 45 murals throughout the city for permanent exhibition by people like Os Gemeos, Aryz, Roa, Vhils, M-City, Etam Cru, Inti, Remed, Daleast, Sat One, Kenor, 3ttman, and Nunca to mention just a few.

Dal East. Lodz Murals. Lodz, Poland. October 2015. (photo © Maciej Stempij)

“Now I don’t want to create any new festival, any new brand – just want to keep the name as simple as possible,” he says of Lodz Murals, an ongoing program that functions year round rather than focusing specifically on a short-term festival. With all responsibilities for organizing, promoting, and working with city and private business under one roof, Michał says that his vision is to create the same sort of iconic image of Lodz with murals as Paris with the Eiffel Tower.

“I would like that people on the global scale would think of Lodz as a city with exceptional public art,” he says grandly while acknowledging that public art shines in many other cities as well. “When you are thinking about public art, one of the first places that you will see in your mind’s eye is Lodz. Of course, comparing the mural project to the one of the most important “pearls” of modern architecture is pure overstatement, but I would like to create this type of mechanism, this type of association.”

Dal East. Lodz Murals. Lodz, Poland. October 2015. (photo © Maciej Stempij)

And he is well on his way with nearly year-round tours of the city’s existing murals by various organizations and more artists currently painting and en route. Is he still committed to inviting top talent artists to Lodz regardless of their fame?

“Yes of course, for me the quality of art is the most important,” he says. “Last year I invited Morik, a great artist from Russia and he was not that famous. His art is just really high-quality, it is as simple as that.” He is thinking in terms of programs – experimental and classical among the themes.

Dal East. Lodz Murals. Lodz, Poland. October 2015. (photo © Maciej Stempij)

“This year we are doing an amazing project with Cekas – the sculptor from Wroclaw, Poland. He will install almost 1500 metal pieces to the surface of the wall, creating a permanent installation that will work with the sun and it will change depending on the angle of the sunbeams. It’s still something on the wall, but it’s a step forward.”

In the mean time he is in the middle of more pieces and artists and walls that he hopes will become iconic in a Lodz sort of way. “I’ve got the plan, I’ve started to talk with some artists, I’m trying to do my best. Now, we’ve just finished the piece with Daleast (China), Alexis Diaz (Puerto Rico) and Borondo (Spain). I’m waiting for Cekas and Agostino Iacurci (Italy) and I’m focused to organize the pieces with them.”

Borondo. Lodz Murals. Lodz, Poland. October 2015. (photo © Maciej Stempij)

Alexis Diaz. Lodz Murals. Lodz, Poland. October 2015. (photo © Maciej Stempij)

For more on Lodz Murals:

www.facebook.com/lodzmurals

https://instagram.com/lodzmurals

Boijeot & Renauld: Update #3 (9th Street and Broadway)

October 19, 2015 Artists

Today completes the third weekend in a row that French public performance artists have invited you over for coffee on Broadway in New Yorks busiest borough. Boijeot, Renauld and their trusty photographer Clement just awoke from one of their coldest nights (36° F, 3° C) in their handmade pine beds on the Great White Way.

Stopping by to carve some early Halloween jack-o-lanterns, we saw their noses were red and tongues a little less chatty as they sat at the wooden table recounting the days/weeks events here, just around the corner from Astor Place barbers. As we talked and traded stories, one by one they each slipped away to go to a nearby gym to take a hot shower and returned smiling and content.

The last week brought them to Times Square, Herald Square, Union Square – each uniquely different and overrun with hundred-a-minute crowds, creating a potherous plume of activity swarming around them as they hang out and have coffee unfettered.

And the questions keep coming: “Is this a demonstration?”, “Are you guys selling this furniture? Who made it?”, and “Can I ask you what this is all about?”. Fatigue has begun to manifest and even though they probably explain their project in their sleep as cars whiz by at night, Sabastian looks somewhat mournfully at us to see if we will jump in with the answer this time. “These are two French artists doing a public interactive performance on Broadway. They have been traveling south on Broadway five blocks at a time for 23 days. You are welcome to come have a seat at the table if you like.”

They talk about an interview they did here with a reporter from Le Monde, about a surprise visit from two of their best friends from back home in Nancy who walked up and tapped them on the shoulder. They reminisce about all the people who have happily helped carry the many pieces of furniture a few blocks with them. They marvel about the variety of prices of tobacco in New York with a security guard who walks by to check out the pumpkin carving. “Yo, these (cigar) prices are Manhattan prices man. I have my girl from down south bring me my cigars.” He brandishes a box of ivory plastic tipped medium sized brown cigars. “Depends on the neighborhood you are in – these can run you 8,9 dollars. These right here are 5 across the street.”

As they head toward Houston Street today they know soon they will be Soho and then Chinatown. By Saturday night it will be Battery Park if all goes well. You still have time this week to stop by for a cup of coffee and a chat.

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.18.15

October 18, 2015 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

Groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon….

This week was full of great Street Art stories – the main one everyone was talking about was fake TV graffiti by the Egyptian Street Artists who hacked the propagandic “Homeland” drama, in the process revealing the producers’ utter xenophobia by merely writing critical messages in Arabic – the language of the land the show was supposedly so expertly depicting. No one from the show caught it before it aired.

Elsewhere JR thinks Street Art might change the world, Retna scored the cover of the new Justin Beiber album, and the French performance artists Boijeot Renauld were profiled on the Today show and in The New York Times. This week they made it through Times Square and are somewhere just below Union Square now – living on Broadway en route to Battery Park by the end of their sojourn next weekend. Speaking of Times Square don’t miss the very cool Juxtapoz news stand on display right now in the middle of the Selfie-Stick Forest. Today is the last day for that installation.

You may also like to check out this piece we did for a car rental site about non-vandalizing Street Art

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring #364xLos43, Apple on Pictures, Damien Mitchell, Grotesk, Skeindreamz, LoSbieco, Momo, Paul Richard, Pupo Bibbito, Pyramid Oracle, Totoro, and Wane.

Top image above >>>#365xLos43 “Their Pain Is Our Pain, Ours is Their Outrage As Well” refers to the 43 Mexican students kidnapped and killed one year ago. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Juxtapoz T.SQ Newsstand designed by Kimou “Grotesk” Meyer. This project is in conjunction with Times Square Arts. Today is the last day to visit the stand. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pupo Bibbito and LoSbieco painted this piece in an abandoned factory in Reggio Emilia, Italy. This factory produced the R60 tractor. The factory was fully operating from 1904 through 2008. In October 8, 1950 workers occupied the factory to protest the imminent dismissal of 2100 workers. The artists wanted to pay tribute to that fight for workers rights with this mural. (photo © Pupo Bibbito)

Skount, Laguna and Cerezo and Their Delusions of Quixote

October 17, 2015 Artists

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

A three man mastery of madness here for you to enjoy from Barcelona with this delusional tribute to Don Quixote by folk spiritualist Skount and and his expressionist friends Laguna and Emilio Cerezo. Onward, to where we cannot know.

brooklyn-street-art-skount-laguna-emilio-cerezo-barcelona-10-15-web-2

BSA Film Friday: 10.16.15

October 16, 2015 Artists

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :

1. Welcome To America Owen Dippie by Erin Dippie
2. Covert To Overt: Photography of Obey Giant by Jon Furlong
3. Taken By Storm: The Art Of Storm Thorgerson And Hipgnosis Trailer
4. Sobecksis Mural “Motion” in Mannheim

BSA Special Feature: Welcome To America Owen Dippie by Erin Dippie

A nice homemade video this week by New Zealand painter Owen Dippie’s talented wife Erin, who documented his trip to New York and LA. Without the hype this gives you an idea what it is like to be a tourist here, and it is good to see the experience through the eyes of a loving partner.

Covert To Overt: Photography of Obey Giant by Jon Furlong

A unique way of promoting a book and a photographer, this video introduces us to Jon Furlong, who has been trailing Shepard Fairey for about a decade and has become a trusted and valued member of the team.

Taken By Storm: The Art Of Storm Thorgerson And Hipgnosis Trailer

Commonly called “The Best Album Designer in the World”, Storm Thorgerson was the guy most responsible for many teens twisted and sublime view of the world before video was the normal accompaniment for popular rock music. These artists all had many album covers conceived and executed by Storm over roughly five decades: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nik Kershaw, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Al Stewart, Europe, Catherine Wheel, Bruce Dickinson, Dream Theater, Anthrax, The Cranberries, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Alan Parsons Project.

Sobecksis Mural “Motion” in Mannheim

In September in Mannheim the artist duo SOBEKCIS put up a new wall in this “City of Music” as part of the Stadt.Wand.Kunst Project.

Swoon and 20,000 New Roof Tiles: “Braddock Tiles” Project Takes Off

October 15, 2015 Artists

We’re all about this project.

Street Artist Swoon and many friends and volunteers are getting this huge community art project in full swing and it is more than just a feel-good project. This impacts people first-hand and builds something that can house a community.

And you can support it right now.

The Braddock Tiles project – designing and making 20,000 tiles to fix this old church and make it into a community center is underway and you can be a part of it.

“As artists who spend our lives attempting to build spaces that induce wonder and bring people joy, we felt we were the right people to work together with friends and neighbors in North Braddock to help invent a new life for the building. Our goal is to reopen this building as a living work of art that is in service to it’s neighborhood. To do this, the first thing we need is a new roof.”

Simple enough! You get great swag too. Everybody is jumping on this — your turn.

Check out the KICKSTARTER Campaign and Get Amazing Swoon and Braddock Tiles stuff.

Thank you for your support.

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Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. A different version on the above piece on a corrugated fence. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Top image above >>> Dee Dee (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dee Dee (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Danielle Mastrion (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hiss (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Myth (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Myth (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sean9Lugo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tony DePew (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WK Interact (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WK Interact (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Haring motif on vinyl sheets was applied to this doors apparently for a themed party inside the building. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ernest Zacharevic’s third collaboration with Martha Cooper. Mr. Zacharevic used one of Ms. Cooper’s photos as an inspiration for this piece, which includes a real paint brush. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Kitty (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Rabbit (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billi Kid (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You Go Girl (photo © Jaime Rojo)

OLEK says “Rule #1 Never be #2. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

I hear that! Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KAI (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow Toe brings an old favorite back to the streets. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Homer (photo © Jaime Rojo)

PIXOTE (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phoebe New York (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Spider Tag in Athens, Greece. October 2015. (photo © Spider Tag)

Spider Tag. Detail from the piece above. (photo © Spider Tag)

Tom Fruin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Manhattan, NYC. October 2015 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

Working collaboratively with artist Jess X Chen, Jetsonorama bring today’s voices to the fore, writing the words of poets as halos around their heads and pasting their photos here as part of the O+ Festival.

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

The artists ran out of time before mounting Falu’s mural, but will do so at a later time. Each of the poets were chosen because of the power of their expression to move minds and hearts today and because of their lineage to the legacy of Ms. Truths impact on the culture.

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

From Mahogany Browne the came the poem called “Black Girl Magic,” from which this is an excerpt.

“You are a threat knowing yourself. You are a threat loving yourself. You are a threat loving your kin. You are a threat loving your children.

You Black Girl magic. You Black Girl flyy. You Black Girl brilliance. You Black Girl wonder. You Black Girl shine. You Black Girl bloom. You Black Girl, Black Girl And you turning into a beautiful Black Woman right before our eyes.”

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

T’ai Freedom Ford contributed a poem entitled “i sell the shadow to sustain the substance”, she says is dedicated to Glenn Ligon and Sojourner Truth.

“as black woman i am untitled – nameless my heart a faint glow of neon wire buzzing toward some shameless demise. i stand against walls looking nonchalant. flashbulbs mistake me for celebrity or bored whore, same difference.

as black woman i am installation art as negress. my heart a black plastic bag ghosting streets. what parts of me ain’t for sale as woman?”

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

Jetsonorama . Jess X Chen for O+ Festival in Kingston, NY. October 2015. (photo © Jetsonorama)

BSA Special Feature: 3 Minutes in Brooklyn

NUART at 15 on 2015

Vegan Flava: Arms Factory in Lisbon

FAILE: “Wishing On You” Times Square 2015 NYC

Sandra Chevrier. The Aftenblad Wall

Winter is Coming, All My Single Ladies

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Above for the City Of Gold Urban Arts Festival. Johannesburg, South Africa. October 2015. (photo © Cale Waddacor)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faith 47. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faith 47. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Luis R. Vidal. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SEGO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SEGO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SEGO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SEGO. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Viajero. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Viajero. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA. Monument Art Project 2015. El Barrio, East Harlem, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“You are a threat knowing yourself.
You are a threat loving yourself.
You are a threat loving your kin.
You are a threat loving your children.

You Black Girl magic.
You Black Girl flyy.
You Black Girl brilliance.
You Black Girl wonder.
You Black Girl shine.
You Black Girl bloom.
You Black Girl, Black Girl
And you turning into a beautiful Black Woman right before our eyes.”

“as black woman i am untitled – nameless
my heart a faint glow of neon wire
buzzing toward some shameless demise.
i stand against walls looking nonchalant.
flashbulbs mistake me for celebrity or bored whore,
same difference.

as black woman i am installation art as negress.
my heart a black plastic bag ghosting streets.
what parts of me ain’t for sale as woman?”