An updated version of his initial “Stay Melty” collection a half dozen years ago, street artist Buff Monster expands and shares with you more of his studio production, paintings, sculptures, murals and ever growing industry of collectibles in this photo book, a candy-coated volume of eccentricities that capture this moment in an artists’ evolution.
Carlo McCormick’s original text perseveres here as well, most possibly because it still captures so much of the dedicated madness that is Buff, afloat upon the detritus that demarcates our late capitalism era in dirty old New York. McCormick sagely comments on Buff’s take on “a realm of magical thinking in contemporary visual culture where a very few rare artists like Buff Monster can invoke alternate realities as palpably believable and emotionally transformative.”
You can see it in his American roots; Hawaii, Los Angeles, NYC – somehow you think he may be in Japan someday as well. For those who look upon this sweetened world full of comedic episodes as perhaps smooth sailing, the author shares a hint of the scene from behind the curtain.
“All the long and tiring days in the studio are worth it when I see the imagery resonate with a growing number of supporters. I’m fully committed to my work, often sacrificing other areas of my life in pursuit of creating the best expressions of these ideas. In spite of all the frustrations and setbacks, I’m still the same optimistic guy from Hawaii, driven to make colorful, honest and uplifting work and share it with the world.”
“I share this poster with you – so if you like it you can download it for free! We have a lot to do, but here we are all together working every day for change.”
“I am blessed to have wonderful women in my life who inspire me, help me, and above all, make me laugh a lot,” she says.
Taking the current Western hysteria regarding Vladimir Putin into truly Hollywood/graphic novel territory, a Baltimore based father and daughter team Mike and Daniela Kirby chalk it all up to wild-eyed evil.
The new fantasy styled scene positions the pure, innocent and unarmed Ukraine beauty rests upon the tongue of a diabolical president of Russia who is finally delivering on his promised response to NATO’s encroachment – with a well-armed military that is now destroying the country with weaponry. They even include nuclear warheads.
Calling themselves “Murals of Baltimore” Mike and Daniela say they wanted to create a public work on Broadway Square in Fells Point to express their position on the invasion, even if they knew their hard work would eventually be washed away by early spring rains.
“No one paid for this or sponsored it. We just winged it and tried to help as best we could. The mural was made with soft pastels,” he says. “It took 7 days to complete with about 60 hours of labor.”
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week. The outcry over the Russian invasion of Ukraine has overwhelmed all other news “coverage”.
In his State of the Union speech this week Biden even conflated sanctions with domestic inflation – but it was already 7.5% annually for a full year before the Ukraine invasion. Using that logic, Putin is also the reason you have no Medicare for All, and the reason there is no student loan debt forgiveness.
The horrible truth is Putin is destroying a country before our global eyes, in between commercials. And thankfully Condeleeza Rice is here to explain that invading a sovereign nation is a war crime.
New York has so many beautiful communities and we value our Russian and Ukrainian neighbors. We refuse to demonize a whole community collectively, and hopefully you do too.
However repugnant the idea, let’s look for a diplomatic solution on the world stage to this crisis if it is all possible. We all have too much to lose if we don’t try in this incredibly difficult moment in history.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Pear, Subway Doodle, Txemy, Calicho Art, V Ballentine, Under Wave Walls, Mike Raz, Tony Tuan Luong, Manuel Alejandro, Smetsky Art, Deborah Kass, Lady Vday, Sage Gallon, and Michael Neff.
In a space massive enough for a Dutch sea vessel, the Street Art Museum of Amsterdam (STRAAT) has one of the largest collections of today’s mural stars anywhere. During its official maiden voyage, curious street art/graffiti/contemporary art fans look to see if this ship is seaworthy. The brainchild of former graffiti writer, curator, and publisher Peter Ernst Coolen in the early 2010s, the D.N.A. of the museum is rooted in his forward vision as much as the ideal waterfront warehouse that showcases close to 200 international artists.
STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam.
Housed in a massive yet austere ship hull-welding hanger that closed in the 1980s, the airy space later hosted flea markets and similar events. Today the STRAAT is evolving into something more closely resembling a museum space due to recent structural and lighting improvements, but it hasn’t become a white box. If its origination story of punk culture, D.I.Y., and a well-loved graffiti Hall of Fame still holds water, this street art home by NDSM Wharf has the potential to be a world-class icon that retains credibility and out-paces other contenders.
The museum delivers a promise with a significant renovation, focused programming, public/private tours, an investment in marketing, branding/partnering, a sexy website, invited curators, and (no Banksy jokes, please) a gift shop. We’ve encountered the palpable energy of the select crew of creative directors, curators, content creators, and experience managers over the last few years. There is the desire to forge a soul of the new enterprise, as helmed by Coolen’s original business partner and civil engineer Peter Hoogewerf.
STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Kobra on the facade.
To appreciate where it may be heading, you now have a guidebook of works by the 200 or so artists who have created canvasses and sculpture here in the permanent collection. Given the wide span presented, the challenge will be to define a direction for this 8000 square meter shipyard space – aside from merely offering a broad survey of current names on the global stage.
STRAAT: Quote from the Streets (Lannoo Uitgeverij) is the name of the opening exhibition and a thick softcover tome of attractive art plates. It offers a collection of artists’ profiles, reflections, and artworks laid out in a spare and modern way, allowing the mind to wander or rest. With an intro by curator and founder of the Paris-based agency Le Grand Jeu Christian Omodeo, the travel/street art blogger Giulia Riva and writer Giovanna Di Giacomo are authors. Their essay explains that the STRAAT collection is organized here according to categories of Aesthetic, Ground, Empathic, and Conscious – with detailed descriptions of the respective characteristics and rationale laid out in the opening texts.
Sliks. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam.
The range of styles and techniques here mirrors many of the mural movements on streets around the world today. The writers give valuable contextual background for decoding what often are high-quality artworks. A unifying and concise overview of each artist is a supporting firmament with enough academic rigor to enlighten the reader – no small feat in a world populated with fanboys and pseudo-intellectualizing. Because of it, this introduction to the museum is more than average data reportage – helping to broaden understanding of this multi-headed hydra called the street art scene. With a firm grip guiding the rudder, this ship looks like it is ready to sail.
ASTRO. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Guido van Helten paints STRAAT’s Peter Hoogewerf. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Ben Slow. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Adele Renault. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Ever. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Mr. June. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Dan Kitchner. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Icy & Sot. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.Alaniz. STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.STRAAT Museum of Amsterdam. Lannoo Uitgeverij.
STRAAT MUSEUM: Quotes From The Streets. Published by Lannoo. Click HERE to learn more about STRAAT and to purchase the book.
Positions and opinions about war and conflict can be “mainstream” or they may be “fringe”, and historically they can switch positions after the wars are over. One thing is nearly always assured: General Dynamics, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin will be there to cash in on the opportunity.
Today as weapons are flowing into Ukraine and reportedly thousands of people are being killed and parts of Ukraine are being destroyed, Spanish street artist Escif creates a giant plume of smoke that emanates from a 100 Euro note in his newest mural in Valencia, Spain. Follow the smoke, follow the money.
ESCIF. “La Guerra Comienza Aqui”. Valencia, Spain. March 2022. (photo courtesy of the artist)
“La Guerra Comienza Aqui (The War Starts Here)” is the name of the mural he painted in the last few days in collaboration with Center Delàs d’Estudis per la Pau.
Organizers and the artist say the new work is meant to illustrate the fact that the military industry has a lot to gain in a climate of conflict and armed violence and has the support of governments and financial entities to do so.
“That is one of the readings that can be made of this mural: there are always those who profit from conflicts like the one we are seeing in Ukraine,” says Escif about the painted work near the old Fe de València hospital. “In the last week, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, we have seen the stock price of the large arms companies, located almost entirely in Northern countries, rise”.
ESCIF. “La Guerra Comienza Aqui”. Valencia, Spain. March 2022. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Sensible people may be looking for an off-ramp right now to avoid further escalation in this situation – perhaps even a way for Putin to save face so we can stop this before it spirals into a world war, a nuclear war, or both. But hope dims as you see a never-ending parade of corporate television “news” analysts representing the arms industry, who are rarely identified as such.
“The military path, continuing to spend on weapons and fueling the arms race between countries, can only result in war, never peace. As much as the opposite is repeated to us”, concludes Jordi Calvo, an economist who has a PhD in peace, conflicts and development, who researches the defense economy and is the coordinator of the Centre Delàs. One wonders if there is a path to peace in the current situation. The opposite, dearly beloved, is unthinkable.
ESCIF. “La Guerra Comienza Aqui”. Valencia, Spain. March 2022. (photo courtesy of the artist)ESCIF. “La Guerra Comienza Aqui”. Valencia, Spain. March 2022. (photo courtesy of the artist)
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to unfold street artists around the world are taking to the streets to express their sentiments for peace. According to those who have lived it and survived, war is hell, and in the end, everybody suffers. The ordinary citizens of both countries are affected by this conflict and will continue to be. Surely there is a way to stop this war?
The Welsh street artist who goes by the name “My Dog Sighs” shares with us his new painting in Cardiff, focusing on the reflection in a Ukrainian woman’s eye.
“We’ve all sat and watched this hideous situation unfurl and while it’s not much, I wanted to do what I know best (throwing paint) to highlight my sadness and anger over the Ukrainian invasion by Russia,” he tells us.
“I used two images to create the silhouette, the first, the beautiful place in the centre of Kyiv and the second a powerful photo that came up on my Twitter feed this morning of last nights attack.The tear speaks for itself. A horrid, horrid situation.I stand with you Ukraine”.
Sometimes it is a talisman who is having adventures on the behalf of an artist, a part of him/herself who stays behind and watches the area.
At other times it is a character seen through a mirror, an alter-ego who represents a fictional part of their inner world who has been set free onto the street to interact. It may be a branding element, a logo, or signature that lays claim to the artwork it is attached to. By itself it is often a form of marking territory; a practice begun by graffiti writers decades ago.
Whether it is a symbol or a figure, it is undoubtedly a personification of some part of the artists id, one that is so individual that you can spot it from a distance and if you are a fan, you’ll smile in recognition.
Many street artists have a discernable style, that is true; a hand-style, a recurrent motif, color palette, a topic that reappears, a technique of application, even a likely location in the urban landscape where they are most likely to appear.
Of that number, fewer have developed a character or a motif so well defined in our minds that it can stand alone, but we have found a few over the decades. Each is imbued with memory, with place, with personality, with character.
Painted in the stairway of Kunstlabor in Munich for their second Urban Art show, street artist and immunologist Lapiz brought his strong opinions and shares them with you here.
There is no Planet B
A searing damnation of the 1st world consumer mentality, Lapiz critiques the guy in this scene, finding him guilty of oblivious attitudes and self-serving behaviors.
“A man is sitting in a comfortable lounge chair escaping into the digital world. Maybe, he watches a documentary about the “green lung” – the untouched part of the Amazon rainforest on Netflix. As he is sitting there enjoying himself he does not pay any attention to his surroundings. The almond milk in his feel-good tote bag might protect dairy cows but their plantations demand so much water that vast areas are running dry. He doesn’t pay attention to the rose that is cultivated cheap in Africa and flown to Europe for Valentine’s Day (he is a romantic after all), nor the energy used to order his VR glasses or streaming. Instead of enjoying nature as it is, a parallel, untouched universe is consumed.”
Still Love and Wallporn For his second installation Lapiz says he wanted to question how the female body and sexuality are viewed in public.
“Commonly, the female body is sexualized in advertisements, media, pornography, or prostitution while female sexuality and normal bodily functions are deemed private or even taboo (period shaming, pinky gloves). Disguised as fancy wallpaper and hiding in plain sight are all sorts of sex toys: dildos, vibrators, etc. The flowers of the still life (“Still Love”) look a bit off as they show soft tampons, which are also often used by prostitutes to keep on working. My motive was to try and take these seemingly private things that are supposed to happen behind closed doors and show them as what they are – normal and beautiful.”
Also included in the show were Sebastian Bühler, Miriam Ganser, Patricija Gilyte, Julia Klemm, Eva Krusche, Lando, Lapiz, Christine Liebich, Loomit, Timur Lukas, Sophia Mainka, Daniel Man, Nina Annabelle Märkl, Bernhard McQueen, Marlene Meier, Ray Moore, Monika Morito, Matthias Mross, Ena Oppenheimer, Esther Irina Pschibul, Cornelia Rapp, Felix Rodewaldt, Sophie Schmidt, Magdalena Waller, Matt Wiegele, Zrok, and Ian Zak. Learn more about KunstLabor HERE.
Just as we were starting to feel a sense of relief that Covid is letting go of us….
Russia has invaded Ukraine. Not only is this a horror for Ukraine, this elective aggression may spread, resulting in retaliation.
If you want to help, we found this list from Fortune magazine:
Voices of Children Voices of Children is a charitable foundation that focuses on addressing the psychological effect of armed conflict on children. Founded in 2015 in response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Voices of Children provides art therapy, mobile psychologists, and individualized support to traumatized children. Individuals can donate through bank transfer, credit/debit card, or Apple Pay via its website.
The International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee has a long history of providing resources to refugees fleeing countries facing humanitarian crisis. Its leaders have responded to the situation in Ukraine by meeting with organizations in Poland and Ukraine to gauge the potential number of refugees and their needs so it can quickly mobilize and provide whatever assistance is needed. You can make a donation via its website.
CARE International humanitarian organization CARE has set up an emergency Ukrainian Crisis Fund with the goal of providing immediate support for 4 million people. Donations will go toward providing Ukrainians with water, food, supplies, hygiene kits, immediate support and aid, and cash. CARE notes that its prioritizing supporting women, girls, families, and elderly.CARE makes it easy to donate via its website using PayPal or a credit card.
International Medical Corps This nonprofit is focused on providing health-care services, psychosocial support, and care to citizens of countries dealing with disaster, disease, and conflict. It’s currently accepting monetary gifts that will go toward providing Ukrainians with better access to medical and mental health resources. You can make a donation via the website using a credit/debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.
Project Hope It’s currently sending medical supplies to Ukrainians. You can make donations via its website using a credit/debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Captain Eyeliner, Sonni, CRKSHNK, Kobra, Robert Janz, Goog, Degrupo, Suso33, Leviticus, Niagra, Homesick, Allan Molho, YNWA, Divock Okoth Origi, Emune, Lancelot, and Outersource.
Up-to-the-moment street art today from Polish artist M-City (Mariusz Waras), who converts the façade of a Gdansk warehouse into a social media primer on how to support the people of Ukraine. Sharing a border with this post-Soviet state which has just been invaded by Russian forces, Poland is acutely affected by the implications of possible further aggression – as are the Baltic states and the rest of Europe.
The short list asserts that many social media users may not be fully cognizant of the implications of their posting actions – especially during wartime. M-City took to the walls today to instruct some best practices in these painted advisory messages on how to create your digital ones.
In additional acts of irony, he posts these street art messages on his social media channels – and we publish them for the BSA audience as well.
BSA:Where is this located? M-City: It’s located in a very well-known building which part of Stocznia Gdańska, now Stocznia Cesarska. It is part of the Imperial Shipyard where the workers’ movement, Soliderność (Solidarity), was born.
BSA: What would you like people to understand? M-City: Our Social media landscape is full of fakes and is full of superficial messages. Because of this, many people have a bigger challenge to make their messages visible when they try to organize something and help the Ukrainians.
BSA:Did you create this for a local audience, or specifically an international audience. M-City: It’s in English because now this is a global problem. I wanted to create simple sentences so everyone can understand.
BSA:Are you personally affected by the invasion? M-City: No, it’s still far from us. But I have a lot of friends in Ukraine and I painted there a few times. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are next to our border. Many Ukrainian people are working here now. They arrived here mostly after the beginning of this conflict years ago.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. BSA Special Feature: Pejac: “SO FAR, SO CLOSE” 2. ‘APNEA’ Exhibition by Pejac. Berlin, Germany. 3. MadC – Mural Oasis
BSA Special Feature: Pejac: “SO FAR, SO CLOSE” The making of a print.
A recent print by street artist Pejac has a sudden additional resonance as we consider it. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is directly adjacent to Europe and NATO member countries, yet in another perspective, it feels far away for many Europeans.
In an interconnected world that is reliant upon trade and diplomatic ties, and one that is weighted with entrenched war industry interests, no one is far from it today.
“This delicate piece of art depicts a bird’s-eye view of a battle in an infinite trench. ‘‘Sometimes perceiving someone as a friend or foe is just a matter of perspective’, Pejac comments in reference to his artistic rendition of the absurdity of combat.”
“At the tail end of October 2021, a former train manufacturing site in Berlin was home to a 10 days-long exhibition. It was Pejac’s fourth self-produced solo show that saw the Spanish artist push his exposition practice to new levels. Having at his disposal eight different rooms and spaces, Pejac put on display over forty new artworks that literally came in all shapes and sizes.”
MadC – Mural Oasis
“MadC paints 3 murals for Mural Oasis at Prizm OPutlet in Primm, Nevada in 2019, video by Chop ’em Down”
This one caught our eye for the merging of classic graffiti nerve, blunt style execution, sentimental velvety roses, inspirational verses, …Read More »
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