All posts tagged: Jaime Rojo

Photos of BSA #3: Telmo’s Toilet Rolls and Sparrows

Photos of BSA #3: Telmo’s Toilet Rolls and Sparrows

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!


“Uh, they’re toilet rolls,” Miel says plaintively.

Don’t ask us, we just report what we see. And really, this mural captured the attention of many on our site and social accounts – so it appeals to, or puzzles, many.

This year, the painter, who is one-half of Telmo Miel, gave us the background of this attenuated portrait placed upon an apartment complex. “I don’t know. I was photographing my son, um, and took these from him, uh, with him looking through the holes of the toilet rolls.” The sparrows fit nicely, he told us, possibly inspired by the themes of freedom, autonomy, nesting, and natural beauty. Later he looked at the shots of his son and decided to include him in triplicate.

Telmo Miel. Nice Surprise Festival. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of BSA #4 : Kjell Pahr-Iversen Receiving Compliments

Photos of BSA #4 : Kjell Pahr-Iversen Receiving Compliments

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!


“One of them gave me the honor of saying, ‘I like your painting,’ so I am satisfied.”

Norwegian artist Kjell Pahr-Iversen recalls a simple, yet meaningful chat he had with some school kids frolicking in the playground he had painted. Known worldwide for his unique mix of minimalist and abstract expressionist styles, Pahr-Iversen values getting feedback from unexpected sources. This photo, capturing a moment between him and a young child – their ages separated by roughly 80 years – as they examine a new painting, really highlights the reason behind our work.

Kjell Pahr Iversen. Nice Surprise Festival. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Surprise Collab on Three Walls: Kjell Pahr Iversen & Atle Østrem in Stavanger

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Photos of BSA #5 : Mike Makatron and an Astronaut in Bushwick

Photos of BSA #5 : Mike Makatron and an Astronaut in Bushwick

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!


“I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”

– First man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, in a speech to Congress, September, 1969. In a speech to Congress (16 Sep 1969).

Mike Makatron for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #6: A Fox’s Tale of Resilience in NY’s Chinatown

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #6: A Fox’s Tale of Resilience in NY’s Chinatown

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!


As we bid farewell to this eventful year, Vegan Flava’s mural “Rooted above the Taiga” in New York’s Chinatown, created in June 2023, stands out as a poignant reminder of our interconnectedness with nature. Depicting an Arctic fox, a creature surviving in the harsh yet delicate balance of the taiga and tundra, Vegan Flava not only brings attention to the plight of this often-overlooked species but also symbolizes the broader challenges of climate change and environmental stewardship.

Vegan Flava (photo © Jaime Rojo)

This piece, resonating with the themes of adaptation and resilience in the face of changing climates—both literal and metaphorical—speaks to the core of our shared experience in 2023. As we step into the new year, let’s carry the hope that, like the Arctic fox, we can find our balance and thrive amid the transformations our world is undergoing. Vegan Flava’s work, rooted in activism and empathy, is a call to embrace our role as guardians of our planet, a theme that has been crucial this year.

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Merry Christmas From BSA

Merry Christmas From BSA

Hello Friends! Best wishes to you and yours for a Merry Christmas, from us at BSA. Happy Holidays to all!

Charlie Doves, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
XX DOS XX and ArtYek in Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Optimo NYC and friends at The Houston/Bowery Wall in Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PLK in Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #7: “Two Jaguars and a Giant Fire Snake”

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #7: “Two Jaguars and a Giant Fire Snake”

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 two jaguars and a giant fire snake seen here by Brazilian artist Tito Ferrara symbolize so much for the artist – possibly providing the strengths needed to face this next chapter of global upheaval. Jaguars are seen as symbols of physical strength, prowess, and agility. Ferrara’s symbol of a fire snake surrounding these two Jaguars is not commonly referred to in ancient stories, perhaps because the artist has fashioned it to fit his hybridized pathway.

“In Brazil, especially Sao Paulo, there’s a lot of immigration from Japan since the beginning of the century – and a lot of Italian immigration as well. So I am half Japanese and half Italian and all Brazilian. And I really like to put this into my work also because Brazil, it’s this mess,”

Combining the symbols of snakes and fire, we surmise it is a powerful, potent, and dynamic form of transformation, this wending snake, one that could also be a destructive and dangerous force, both perils of misused knowledge or power. Attractive motifs or meaningful symbols, the beauty is in the complex intertwining. Ferrara told us this year that his work results from his effort to find universal truths while forging identity tools from a distinctly modern life.

“Japanese animation, botanical illustration, graffiti lettering, old-school computer graphics seen on television and film, and the Pixação he regularly encounters gracing the walls of São Paulo, his native city – all these elements coalesce to form his unique creative style. This fusion, representative of a digitally interconnected and culturally diverse world, accompanies him to cities like Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Toronto, and just before arriving in Stavanger, he was immersed in a project in Italy. The ongoing collaboration of styles and influences is as cultural as it is autobiographical.”

Tito Ferrara. Nice Surprise Festival. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #8: “The Marathon Continues”

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #8: “The Marathon Continues”

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 photo here is that of a mural in LA featuring an image by photographer Estevan Oriol, vividly capturing the resilience of everyday individuals. Estevan, an LA native with Mexican heritage, focuses his lens on the city’s urban landscapes, lowrider culture, street life, and its residents. Renowned for his dedication to authentically and respectfully representing those often overlooked or misrepresented, Oriol’s work is a testament to the genuine stories of these communities.

Nipsey Hussle portrait by Downtown Daniel in collaboration with Estevan Oriol in Los Angeles. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The subject of this portrait is Nipsey Hussle, a rapper and community activist who was celebrated for lyrically chronicling life in Los Angeles, especially his experiences in the Crenshaw neighborhood. His untimely passing in 2019 sparked profound sorrow among fans, fellow artists, and locals. In a time when many face increasing challenges, including homelessness and limited opportunities, his admirers often reference his enduring philosophy, “The Marathon Continues.” The phrase embodies a commitment to sustained effort to reach justice, and a tenacious will to continue long term no matter the obstacles. Sprinters need not apply.

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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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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #10: Huetek’s Hip Hop Roll Call of 520 Sedgwick Ave.

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #10: Huetek’s Hip Hop Roll Call of 520 Sedgwick Ave.

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!


You heard it all year in 2023 – this has been the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. There has been an endless parade of commemorations taking many forms all over the city, although people like KRS-One want to know where everybody was during the first 49. But that train already left the station, so scold all you want.

This summer in Bushwick, Brooklyn, artist Huetek unveiled a mural that’s a true nod to the origins and icons of Hip Hop. Crafted in the vibrant lead-up to Joe Ficalora’s annual block party, this piece is a treasure trove for those steeped in Hip Hop lore. At its heart is 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, revered as the cradle of Hip Hop.

Huetek’s mural is more than just a visual feast—it’s a homage, encapsulating the essence of Hip Hop through a montage of iconic images. Each numeral of the address transforms into a canvas, featuring recreations of photographic documentation of pioneering artists who represent the raw, early days of the scene. These snapshots provide us a precious visual legacy of legendary performers.

For some it is a roll call of Hip Hop royalty. You’ll find the Bboy spirit alive in the depiction of Ken Swift, immortalized by Martha Cooper’s lens. Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers, captured by Joe Conzo, represents the Emcee. The Dj element features Kay Slay (Dez), as seen through Henry Chalfant’s photographic eye. And the Graffiti Writer? None other than Dondi White, again through Martha Cooper’s documentation.

Huetek’s work is a vivid reminder of Hip Hop’s roots and a celebration of its cultural pillars. It’s a visual journey through the genre’s history, inviting onlookers to delve deeper into the stories and faces that have shaped Hip Hop culture. This mural isn’t just a piece of art; it’s a slice of history, painted on the streets of Bushwick, waiting to be discovered and appreciated by those who understand its deep-seated significance.

Huetek for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #11: SNIK “Overcome” in Norway

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #11: SNIK “Overcome” in Norway

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!


Street art duo Snik provided one of the lovely and haunting images this year when they were in Norway to install a program of pieces on the island of Utsira and finished with this one in Stavanger. They call it Overcome, referring to the reclamative behavior of nature to take over our human creations as time progresses. A second meaning of the title could also interpret the sitter’s demeanor of apprehension that affects much of the world as banks, corporations, and war-making industries overcome governments, communication platforms, traditions, and local laws. We, the ever-hopeful, are hanging in the balance as well.

Snik. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #12: Shepard and Vhils and a Tale of 2 Truths in LA

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #12: Shepard and Vhils and a Tale of 2 Truths in LA

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!


In street art photography, there are at least two truths to keep in mind. Firstly, art doesn’t need to be freshly created to strike you as new. Our recent visit to LA proved this point. It had been some time since our last trip, so when we encountered the collaborative work of Shepard Fairey and Vhils for the first time this October, it left a lasting impression. We recalled their earlier partnership – possibly their first – seen in Lisbon. That piece was more vertically oriented, nestled tightly within a narrow street in a neighborhood. In contrast, the Los Angeles piece enjoys the luxury of space, allowing it to breathe and extend its impact.

Second truth: There are times when the unexpected intrusion of elements in your photograph can be surprisingly welcome and appropriate. Untrimmed palm trees, even when they sprout haphazardly in front of a mural, bring a certain tropical charm. Likewise, the diagonal lines of telephone wires slicing through the scene can enhance the mural’s collage-like quality, especially when it’s already interrupted with a window and a doorway. Los Angeles today mirrors this eclectic mix; it’s a city where contrasts hang heavily, a shattering of the myths. The sprawl of massive tent encampments and the random upcropping of people living on sidewalks, in cars, and under bridges – all these elements contribute to the city’s Dickinsonian “Tale of Two Cities” character in 2023. Writ larger, America today is extreme wealth and poverty side by side, with rumors of revolutions scattered about. Here, the portraits capture the Fairey glamour and the Vhils grit, each layer vividly entwined and textured, a visual echo of a jackhammer pounding away at the facade.

Shepard Fairey and Vhils collaboration in Los Angeles. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Photos of 2023 on BSA – #13: The Bowery/Houston Dialogue Continues

Photos of 2023 on BSA – #13: The Bowery/Houston Dialogue Continues

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!


In Manhattan, at the corner of Houston Street, the Bowery Wall has reclaimed its voice in the visual dialogue of the streets this year. Marked by a vibrant array of characters, letter styles, and slogans, the wall has transformed from just another graffiti-covered surface to a vehicle for promotion and commerce, a vociferous platform for protest and argument, a landmark of artistic expression that is with and without permission. Originating in past decades as one in a sea of graffitied walls, it served as a laboratory for many artists, including the famously renowned Keith Haring.

During the go-go 2010s, the wall underwent a change that shook and reshaped its character. Owners and real estate champions of the arts Tony Goldman and later his daughter Jessica, transformed it into a more formally curated showcase. This shift occasionally sparked controversy among local graffiti enthusiasts due to its blend of artistic and commercial interests, attracting a surge in bombers and detractors.

This year, with a relaxed approach to curation, the wall has witnessed a resurgence of street-led creativity. The result is an ever-evolving, organic display of visual artistry – a dynamic and eye-popping chaotic showcase that continually engages the New York audience. A notable figure in this artistic whirlwind is Optimo NYC, a native talent often seen at the forefront, almost like a de facto Mayor of New York, complete with his signature top hat and tails.

Optimo NYC. Houston/Bowery Wall takeover. Manhattan, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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