All posts tagged: Jason Botkin

Trans-graffiti and the Trans-National “Mextonia” Festival

Trans-graffiti and the Trans-National “Mextonia” Festival

Mexico and Estonia; an unlikely couple. But sometimes love is like that. In a time when orthodoxy globally is seemingly self-combusting and obviously falling short in meeting the needs of people, it is perhaps no surprise that the unique hybrids of shared strengths are those that arise and can lead.

Consider “Mextonia”.

Édgar Sánchez and Sigre Tompel. Mextonia Co-Founders. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

A cultural love child combining the traditions of these two nations has resulted in a surprising amount of cross-cultural exchange and mural making in the last year or two. Today we have just some of the artworks made during a two-part event held in each country, the first in Tallinn, Estonia in June 2017 and the second in Querétaro, Mexico during March 2018.

The unlikely pairing by two sociological searchers who love graffiti, Street Art, and the mural traditions of the past as much as the modern mural phenomena now speaks a common language of aesthetics in multiple spheres.

Renata Mtz. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Together Édgar Sánchez and Sigre Tompel have mounted two large cross-culture jams, attracting numerous artists and trans-national interpreters (nearly 100), presenting and renewing interests in history, indigenous people, traditions, and the environment challenges of today.

By highlighting the similarities and distinct differences in traditional and modern culture, these two are the magnetic field around whom a multi-faceted public art practice is developing that showcases urban and mural artists.

You haven’t seen a hybrid like this before.

Goal. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Together the two say that the effort is “a reminder of what makes us feel proud of being Mexicans, Estonians, and even better, what unites us beyond our nationalities: our cultural freedom. Our responsibility of making this place, this world, a better place than how we found it.”

The enterprise is frequently steeped in metaphor and symbolism and a search for meanings in the overlapping of traditions. One that is often sited is the Blue Deer/Fern Blossom intersection.

In México, according to ancient Huichol tribe tradition, people go to hunt Blue Deer to search for wisdom and inner vision. Searching is also involved in the Estonian ancient tradition of searching for the Fern Blossom that is said to appear only during the summer equinox of June, which they call Jaaniöö. Both traditional cultural stories represent prosperity, protection and fertility, they say.

Sänk. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

“Mextonia is a gift to remind the world about the Spirit; a collective soul in the shape of a Blue Deer, in finally finding a Fern Blossom,” say Sánchez and Tompel.

For Mr. Sánchez, the Mexican co-creator and author of the Mextonia Manifesto, there is a belief that there are larger forces at work in the Universe and that Mextonia is a platform and vehicle for the new generation.

When reading his observations you will see that the platform is hoping to lead Millennial artists to reconnect with a sense of culture and identity, two things that are sadly slipping away due to the dopamine-laced fire hose of mass media stimuli, social and otherwise, that we are collectively exposed to.

Brushleee. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

For Tompel, the Estonian co-director of this bi-national transcultural journey, “Mextonia was born from a personal ‘vision quest’ to better understand the native wisdom of Mesoamerican natives.”

She says the enthusiasm and knowledge of Sánchez guided her to better appreciate ancient traditions like those of the Mexican Huichol tribe, and that this new appreciation enlivened her interest in her own homeland of Estonia, which she began to study in earnest. Together, the two of them have poured the molten iron of their combined roots and cast a foundation that many artists are now adding their interpretation to.

Markus Richard Tallvee. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Whether it is costume or symbols or rites or ceremony, you can see a deep desire to be inclusive in the styles and expressions. The spring festival, for example, extended its message with the collaboration with the PangeaSeed Sea Walls effort, headed by Tré Packard and his team in pursuit of “combining art and activism on this level and caliber to champion for the oceans,” and often sited aspiration.

Tania Quezada. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

“Art and public activism can educate and inspire the global community to help save our water resources,” says Packard. “Regardless of its location, large metropolitan city or small coastal town, all drains lead to the ocean and the ocean provides every breath we take. The Earth cannot exist without healthy oceans and water resources.”

With this in mind the city of Querétaro was chosen for the multiple aqua-related public artworks as a way to draw attention to the city’s own reliance on water that is transported from a hundred kilometers outside the city. This chapter of “Mextonia” was also known as “Water is One”.

Ricardo Moste. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

The experience and study has even helped coin new terms, like transgraffiti and transgraffiti muralism.

“Muralism and Street Art have proven to transform cultural symbols and catalyze culture,” says Sánchez. “Now, Transgraffitti is a trans-personal kind of muralism, which distances itself from both; names and pop culture, by taking deep cultural symbols and re-expressing them in a transcendental and contemporary way.”

Reyben. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

In this respect, it is a unique view of Street Artist and graffiti writers in contemporary practice from an evolutionary perspective. In the Water is One Manifesto 2.0 that was released this spring the organizers write:

“In today’s world we see millions of young people expressing on walls, influencing the streets and society. They write their names to identify with their space: we call them graffiti writers. As they grow and explore, some look beyond the writing of a personal name and embark into trans-personal-creation.

They research social challenges, paint visual metaphors and transcend borders. They discover the power of their painting over streets and culture. They become a kind of contemporary shaman, producing street incantations.

This is the transpersonal-graffiti, and we call it Transgraffiti muralism.”

Mr. Cinzah. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Sermob. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jonky. Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mextonia Part 1. Tallinn, Estonia. June 2017. (photo © Martha Cooper)

As BSA correspondent from Tallinn and Querétaro, veteran photojournalist and ethnographer Martha Cooper attended the installations, exhibitions, celebrations, and ceremonies in both countries and she collected a wealth of important information to share.

In her own words Cooper says, “Street art is a worldwide art movement and Mextonia has shown how creative two different cultures can be when combined. Excellent idea – brilliantly realized.”

As mentioned Part 2 in Querétaro, Mexico was a collaboration with Pangea Seed and it was a concerted effort to highlight water resources,  and “The Water Is One” theme was reflected in the murals.

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”
~Jacques Yves Cousteau

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

While these 40 or so photos are resplendent in conveying the spirit and dedication shown daily by participants, they are ultimately a very small sample of the hundreds Cooper took.

Similarly a blog platform like this cannot comprehensively cover the events or the perspectives in their entirety, but we hope that you can gain a greater appreciation for the depth of feeling, scholarship, and talent that is represented here in Martha’s photographs and our descriptions.

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

We conclude our text here with an interview that Ms. Cooper conducted for BSA with Sigre Tompel to better understand the breadth of the festival and also to get more detail about a sacred spiritual ceremony that Cooper attended with native peoples and the artists during her Mexican visit this spring.

Martha Cooper: Can we call “Water Is One” in Querétaro Part 2 of Mextonia? Are you planning Part 3?
Sigre Tompel: Yes, it is a sequence of Mextonia, part 2 (Mextonia in Estonia was the element of Fire, Water Is One was the element of Water. Yes, we are planning part 3 and 4 (Earth and Air).

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)
Montreal-based artist Jason Botkin met and exceeded human and creative limits at one point by successfully and arduously rappelling down, up, and around this great dome to recreate an astounding version of the Aztec calendar which can only be appreciated by flying overhead. Ms. Cooper tells us that all artists working on the cupola or dome were required to have a periodic medical check to ensure their good health during the installation of the frescoes.

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Nueve Art Urbano Team)

Martha Cooper: How many artists participated in both the Estonian and Mexican festivals?
Sigre Tompel: In Estonia we had 60 artists and in Mexico 33 – together with graffiti writers and neighboring walls of the Dome. These 5 artists were actually in both festivals – Aaron Glasson (New Zealand), Sänk (Estonia), Sermob (Mexico), Renata (Mexico), Goal (Mexico). Our whole core crew is a total of 15 people.

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Martha Cooper: What was the name for the type of group that performed the ceremony at the walls? What was burning in the pot that produced the smoke? Copal?
Sigre Tompel: They are called Concheros, they use Copal , smudging for blessing. The message was smudging the artists to thank them for their work and to bless their way back home, so they can arrive healthy and happy. The name of this particular group of Concheros is “In Xochitl In Cuicatl”, Flor y Canto (Flower and Singing) and they are lead by Conchero General Manuel Rodriguez. The name is in Nahuatl, the ancient language of the Mexica.

Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Paola Delfín. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Martha Cooper: Does the ceremony have a name? Can you say a few words about what kind of blessing it was or what message they were sending the artists?
Sigre Tompel: The Concheros hold the tradition of the old Mexican belief system. After being conquered by the Spanish, they decided to hold balance and harmony between the two belief symbols, so they started honoring Christian symbols, while honoring also Mexican symbols, usually in secret. Concheros need to be reconsidered as a Cultural Heritage of the World, they are not “syncretic” by ignorance, but to keep the sacred balance of cultural hybridization.

The Concheros were very happy because the artists expressed the metaphors of their dances into the murals, and because this represents a kind of Mexican renaissance that returns to an earlier time, reinterpreting the ancient classic pre-religious Mexican belief systems.

Paola Delfín. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Ryper . Goal. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Ryper . Goal. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Mantra. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Curiot. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Sänk. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Sänk. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Sänk. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Demencia. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Nosego. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Smithe. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

 

Pogo. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Aaron Glasson. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jason Botkin. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Nueve Art Urbano Team)

Renata. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Sermob. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Juez. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Valiñas. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Atole Parra . Solé. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Graffiti Wall. Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Water is One/Mextonia Part 2. Querétaro, Mexico. March-April 2018. (photo © Martha Cooper)


Artists participating include:

Aaron Glasson (New Zealand)
Curiot Tlapazotl (Mexico)
Dementia (Mexico)
Goal (Mexico)
Jason Botkin (Canada)
Mantra (France)
Nosego (United States)
Paola Delfín (Mexico)
Pogo (Mexico)
Renata (Mexico)
Ryper (Mexico)
Sermob (Mexico)
Smithe (Mexico)
Sänk (Estonia)


For more information on Mextonia please visit Mextonia.com

For more information on PangeaSeed please visit PangeaSeed Foundation

Read this article in Spanish / Leer este articulo in Espanol aqui:

TRANS-GRAFFITI Y EL FESTIVAL TRANSNACIONAL “MEXTONIA

Publicado el 26 de Mayo, 2018

México y Estonia; una pareja improbable. Pero a veces el amor es así. En una época en la que la ortodoxia global es autocomplaciente y obviamente no satisface las necesidades de las personas, quizás no sorprenda que sean los híbridos únicos de fortalezas compartidas los que pueden liderar en el mundo.

Consideremos “Mextonia”.

El retoño que combina las tradiciones… MAS


Our sincere thanks to Martha Cooper for her leadership on this effort as well as her talents documenting the action.

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Hot Shots and Video From 1st FIAP in Holbox, Mexico

Hot Shots and Video From 1st FIAP in Holbox, Mexico

FIAP-Logo-Brooklyn-Street-Art

It must be sooooooooooo hard to paint a mural in paradise.

Hollbox Island is the home of the first international public art festival in Mexico and appears to be a good location to test this theory.

Canada’s Labrona was one of the first street artists to participate this February and he characterizes the experience as “the most magical location for a mural festival ever.” Hyperbole, perhaps but look at these images, many of them provided for BSA readers by painter and FIAP participant Jason Botkin, another Montreal artist and fellow EN MASSE crew member who has also made major inroads in the mural circuit.

Says Labrona, “I painted this mural on a tranquil sand street a few blocks from a beautiful beach. I made a ton of friends,” he says.  Most notably he says were the two incredible Mexican artist-muralists Curiot and Lesuperdemon. Mexicans who are outrageously talented at murals? Stop!

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Jason Botkin and Curiot collaboration. Detail. (photo © LunAzul Photography)

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Jason Botkin and Curiot collaboration. (photo © LunAzul Photography)

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Jason Botkin and Curiot collaboration. (photo © Events Playa)

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Labrona (photo © Jason Botkin)

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Labrona (photo © Jason Botkin)

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Dherzu (photo © Jason Botkin)

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Le Super Demon (photo © LunAzul Photography)

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Jace (photo © Jason Botkin)

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Omen (photo © Jason Botkin)

 

 

Click HERE to learn more about Festival Internacional de Arte Publico (FIAP) Holbox 2014

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MURAL Festival in Montreal Stakes a Claim for Street Art North

The MURAL Festival in Montreal took over Saint-Laurent Boulevard over the weekend with the work of more than 25 local, national and international Street Artists working separately and in concert across large walls for this first ever event, and many have taken notice. Nevermind the gossip on the street about mayoral corruption and an ongoing rancorous debate here about a perceived graffiti problem in the city, MURAL and its supporters clearly are staking a claim on a growing world Street Art stage with a strong show that can legitimately brag about a solid mix of talent and styles.

Judging from the attendance, the hashtag enthusiasm, and the cameras hoisted into the air, there should be no debate about how much the kids actually love this stuff – and how many non-kids are also fueling the current explosion of art in the public sphere. “From 5 to 80 years old, the crowd discovered amazing talents and learned to appreciate a public art form that had been cast aside and misidentified as vandalism for the past 20 years,” says Fred Caron, one of the organizers and a cultural worker in the public art milieu. “The cultural values and power of murals is finally back in the North thanks to a crazy bunch of young Canucks.”

ROA (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas). Another view of this wall with the artists’ description appears below.

For an expansive event like this to succeed right out of the gate, it doesn’t hurt that Montreal is a relatively homogenous city with a very strong tax base, an engaged business sector, and a vibrant arts culture chock full of ideas, performances, and participatory aspirations. With an appreciative audience thronging into the four day festival for fun and culture, the numerous large mural walls in multiple locations were accompanied by body painting, a paint battle, painting with your feet, block parties, live music, djs, a photo booth, tours on foot and bike, skateboard lessons, kite making, urban “street” inspired dance troupes, night time projections, and naturally, beer.

“What captivated me most about this trip was the level of community, cross pollination and camaraderie shared between the different artists groups, institutions and organizations in the city,” enthuses LNY, a New Jersey based Street Artist who has been part of a few of these city-centric festivals over the last couple of years. Rather than cheaply plugging a downtown area with a momentary hype, a sort of “Ghetto Olympics” that fades quickly, leaving no real value to a community, LNY notes that the main organizers of MURAL continued to be engaged with the needs of the artists and were involved with the various satellite organizations to make sure they were thriving.

“This to me is the perfect gauge for healthy communities and for worthwhile festivals that can transcend their original novelty and spectacle to really give something back,” he remarks.

Reka One. Detail. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

For Street Art photographer Daniel Estaban Rojas, whose work here displays most of the finished pieces at press time, MURAL was an inspiring opportunity to meet many new artists and to be proud of the city. “The face of Montreal has changed with this festival and I think that Street Art will be a lot more accepted in this city. Most people that I spoke to while shooting on the streets had one thing in common to say, and that was ‘thank you’,” he reports with some relief and pride. “Knowing that people were so grateful and being surrounded by such positive vibes made it all the better.”

Included in the MURAL Festival lineup (though not all represented here) were A Squid Called Sebastion, A’Shop, Chris Dyer, Christina Angelina, En Masse, Escif, Fin and Christina, Gaia, Jason Botkin, Labrona, Le Bonnard, LNY, Omen, Other, Other (aka Troy Lovegates), Paria Crew, Phlegm, Pixel Pancho, Reka One, Ricardo Cavolo, ROA, Shantz Brothers, Stare, Stikki Peaches, Troy Lovegates, and Wzrds GNG, among others.

Reka One (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A Squid Called Sebastian (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Phlegm. Detail. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Phlegm (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

For his first visit to Montreal, the Belgian Street Artist named ROA says that he had a great time creating this “still life” with a bison and a bear. When talking about his inspiration, ROA says that he was impressed with the history of the so-called American bison, which was incredibly abundant in the early 19th century, numbering more than 40 million. After being hunted almost into extinction with a population of 200 a century later, the bison slowly have reestablished their numbers in Canada to 700,000. He decided to add a bear laying on top because it tells a similar story of a native mammal in the region.

ROA (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas).

A’Shop (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

 “I decided to speak about the Americas and the aspects that unite us though history and conflict,” explains Street Artist LNY about his portrait of his cousin Leslie.  He chose her because he considers her, “a person who represents the unification of north and south in an individual; a sort of cultural hybridism.” She is handling maiz, or corn, “as a metaphor for PanAmerican unity; as a crop that has sustained the continents since ancient times and that is now a shell of it’s former self after being thoroughly genetically modified for gain and profit.”

LNY (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OMEN (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

En Masse (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Escif (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

 

Pixel Pancho (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Pixel Pancho (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Chris Dyer (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Paria Crew (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Ricardo Cavolo (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

For his participation in the MURAL Festival, it was primarily about coming home for the Canadian artist named Other (AKA Troy Lovegates). “All my spare moments were playing frisbee and catching up with old friends,” he says as he describes the events.

But what about the fellows he painted for the wall? Actually, they are two representations of one man, a troubled sort of guy he met recently.

“The painting I did is of a man I met in Ottawa a few days before the festival who was lost and homeless and wanted to return home to Montreal. But he was scattered, laying in a parking lot talking nonsense. He seemed very gentle and I hope I brought back a part of him to Montreal.”

Other (AKA Troy Lovegates) (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Gaia (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Jason Botkin (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Wzrds GNG (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

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Mural Festival in Montreal: Day 4

DAY 4 at #MuralFestival

Drawing to an end in Montreal, the artists are completing their murals even as the vendors and weekend art fans vacate the scene. Montreal enjoyed a heavy hammering of wall spectacle going up, paint battles being splashed, and throngs of fans going through many venues as there were more cameras than beers held aloft – just kidding, of course there were more beers.

Here are new images from A Squid Called Sebastion, A’Shop, Fin and Christina, Gaia, Jason Botkin, Labrona, LNY, Omen, Other (aka Troy Lovegates), Phlegm, Pixel Pancho, ROA, Shantz Brothers, and Stikki Peaches.

BSA captures the action from this Canadian city thanks to our partners at MURAL and to the talented Daniel Esteban Rojas behind the lense. A full onslaught of all the completed murals will flood the screen as soon as we collect them together for you.

OMEN. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

ROA. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Phlegm. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Fin and Christina. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A Squid Called Sebastian. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Stikki Peaches. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Pixel Pancho. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A’Shop. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OTHER. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

GAIA. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Labrona. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

LNY. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Jason Botkin. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Shantz Brothers foreground. Jason Botkin background. Detail of a wall in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

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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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Mural Festival in Montreal. Day 3

DAY 3 at #MuralFestival

Images are coming into focus as Street Artists are completing large portions of their walls at the first MURAL Festival in Montreal – even as the walls go back out of focus at night when you are having a couple of the local beers that make the city the second largest beer city in the world.  Friday night there were projections and today there is a block party with DJs Ryan Emsworth, Kaytranada, Grandtheft, Prison Guard, KenLo Craqnuques and Jeanbart & RRKelly.

Meanwhile, here are some in-progress shots of work by Chris Dyer, En Masse, Escif, Fin and Angelina, Jason Botkin, Le Bonnard, LNY, Matthieu Connery, Omen, Other (aka Troy Lovegates) and Pixel Pancho.

Special thanks to photographer Daniel Esteban Rojas for sharing his perspective with BSA readers.

Escif puts this building on lock-down. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Fin and Angelina (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Fin and Angelina are looking fierce. Detail. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OTHER. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Pick a card, any card. OTHER. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Matthieu Connery. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

LNY. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Pixel Pancho’s robot head comes into focus. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Le Bonnard. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OMEN. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

En Masse is knocking it out. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Jason Botkin. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Chris Dyer. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Tools of the trade. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

 

 

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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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Mural Festival in Montreal, Day 2

DAY 2 at #MuralFestival

The Mural Festival is well underway and the Saint-Laurent Boulevard route is getting festooned by A’Shop, Chris Dyer, En Masse, Escif, Gaia, Jason Botkin, Le Bonnard, LNY, Other (AKA Troy Lovegates), Omen, Paria Crew, Phlegm, Ricardo Cavolo, ROA, and Wzrds GNG, among others.

Here are exclusive on the scene photos for BSA readers from Daniel Esteban Rojas, who has a special eye for composition all his own.

Chris Dyer. Detail. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OTHER. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Jason Botkin. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Escif. Detail of work in progress while he cleans his glasses. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Gaia rocks the pink socks on a yellow letter while the buffalo roam. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Gaia. Detail of work in progress with a portrait in hand of Rene Leveseque who is floating over a copy of a John Kane painting of British Colombia. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Ricardo Cavolo. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Le Bonnard. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Wzrds GNG. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Phlegm. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

OMEN (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

LNY. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

En Masse. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Labrona. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Paria Crew. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

ROA. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

ROA. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

ROA. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A’ Shop. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A shout out to the always very important volunteers! (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

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Montreal Has The Spotlight: MURAL Festival, Day 1

DAY 1 at #MuralFestival

Starting today in Montreal is MURAL, a four day open-air market on Saint-Laurent Boulevard that turns into a Street Art party. Running June 13-16, the 2 km street will be clobbered by about 20 Street Artists during the day, and dancing and cavorting at night.

BSA is proud to bring you exclusive shots of the action you can only find here as these walls go up for the full four days.  ROA, GAIA, Labrona and others have already started killin’ their spots and folks are already wandering through the closed streets to get a free show of art-in-progress. As is happening more often, Street Artists are getting their own walls and not hitting up the big collaborative cacaphonic multi-piece walls that we used to associate with festivals like these. Unless you count En Masse, who specialize in just that, but only in black and white.

ROA. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

So dial up MURAL on your Instagram machine here http://instagram.com/muralfestival# for quick flix of whatever is happening and check back at BSA every day because we’ll be bringing you a dope mix of shots from some of these artists who are making the MURAL scene; Jason Botkin, Omen, Escif, Labrona, ROA, Pixel Pancho, Other, A’Shop, Le Bonnard, Paria Crew, Phlegm, Reka One, Ricardo Cavolo, LNY,WZRDS GNG, Chris Dyer, Christina Angelina, Squid Called Sebastian, Stare, GAIA, and of course, local heroic collaboratists En Masse.

In the meantime enjoy these beauties just for BSA readers by talented photographer Daniel Esteban Rojas.

ROA (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Labrona. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Labrona. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

GAIA. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

le Bonnard. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Paria Crew. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Paria Crew. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

A’Shop. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Wzrds GNG. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Wzrds GNG. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Stare. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Chris Dyer. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

Chris Dyer. Detail of work in progress. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

The helping hand of volunteer Nathan Balaga. (photo © Daniel Esteban Rojas)

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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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LNDMRK Presents: Muralistes / Mural Street Art Festival (Montreal, Canada)

Mural Festival

MURAL réunira plus de 35 artistes locaux et internationaux sur 2 km de marché à ciel ouvert sur le Boulevard St-Laurent, fermé à la circulation pour l’occasion. Le festival présentera la création de près de 20 murales uniques qui redéfinieront l’image de la Main pour la prochaine année, en plus de présenter un évènement spécial chaque soir qui permettra aux festivaliers de se réunir en un lieu différent afin de poursuivre la fête créative.

Festival international d’art public déterminé à célébrer la créativité et démocratiser l’art urbain, MURAL transformera l’espace d’une semaine le boulevard Saint-Laurent en véritable musée à ciel ouvert où s’unissent créativement les talents d’artistes locaux et internationaux.

Rendez-vous unique dans le nord-est américain, l’événement annuel rassemble l’avant-garde en arts visuels afin de concrétiser Montréal comme pôle artistique incontournable en Amérique du nord.

Participating Artists: Jason Botkin, Omen, Escif, Pixel Pancho, ROA, Labrona, Le Bonnard, A’Shop, Other, Reka One, Paria Crew, Phlegm, Wzrd GNG, Ricardo Cavolo, LNY.
http://muralfestival.com/
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BSA Film Friday 02.22.13


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

Now screening: En Masse X Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal , Entes y Pesimo AKA Los Primos in Chile, and Jessy Nite in Hollywood: Diamonds….

 

BSA Special Feature:

En Masse X Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal from Fred Caron

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts invited the En Masse Project in for the creation of their new educational area, and here is a record of the installation by Fred Caron. Using only black and white, En Masse covered walls, ceilings, a hallway, and a staircase in the Museum as part of a new program of “educational zones” that offer free access and workshops to kids and their adults.

Artists include: Labrona, Tyler Rauman, Jason Botkin, Rupert Bottenberg, Fred Caron, Melissa DelPinto, Alan Ganev, Beef Oreo, Bruno Rathbone, Jason Wasserman, Peru143, Raphaële Bard, Ad Deville, MCBaldasseri, Dan Buller, Adam Vieira, Peter Ferguson, Carlos Santos, Katie Green, Cheryl Voisine, Tyson Bodnarhuk, Fred Casia, Dominic Brunette, Olivier Bonnard, Troy Lovegates, Lea Heinrich, Dave Todaro.

Entes y Pesimo AKA Los Primos in Chile

Here’s a video of Entes y Pesimo on their visit to Chile in November 2012.

Jessy Nite in Hollywood: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend…

Creating a Hollyhood Kaleidoscope for The Downtown Hollywood Mural Project in Florida, here is a sunny warm look of the installation in video edited and shot by Peter Vahan.

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BSA Film Friday 01.11.13

BSA Film Friday 01.11.13

 

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

Now screening: A debut from UR New York, Cola de Farinha, Pigeon in the Venice of the North, En Masse in Miami MMXII, and a promo for “Working Class”.

UR New York Spends 10 Days in Miami

In this video debuting today on BSA, 2Esae and Ski Mst of UR New York spray, stencil, wheatpaste, play with kids from the Children’s Bereavement Center, flirt and give the finger at openings, cavort in front of the camera, and otherwise act a fool in pursuit of the one thing that made these trouble makers who they are, art.

Cola de Farinha – Brazilian Wheat-pasting

A small documentary interviewing some wheat-pasters in São Paulo, that gives an idea of how the scene takes on the personality and style of the culture. A unique opportunity to learn what it means to artists and how it is perceived as a means of communication.

Pigeon Wheat-pasting in the Venice of the North

Follow Street Artist Pigeon on an icy river in a canoe.

En Masse: Miami MMXII

The great collaborative feeling of working together on the streets is epitomized here with En Masse in Miami last month. Featured artists in their two week roll-through were;

Mke Maxwell, OverUnder, NDA, Omen514, ASquidCalledSebastian, Jason Botkin, Fred Caron, Melissa DelPinto, LezaOne, Alan Ganev, Dustin Spagnolia, Mas Paz, Optimo, Pat Lazzo, Marc PaperScissor, Carmelo Blandino, Five Eight, Pixel Pancho, Never 2501, Sam Parker, Samson Contompasis, Linsey Carron, Anne Preece, Victor Cox

“Working Class”

A brief taste of the new film about the work of artists Mike Giant and Mike Maxwell.

 

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Space 27 Gallery Presents: “Permanence” A Group Exhibition. (Montreal, Canada)

Permanence

C215 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Permanence

Space 27 Gallery and Pure Living present Permanence, an exhibition contrasting the ephemeral nature of street art with the permanence of collectible art.

Including a variety of artwork created by Montreal-based as well as Canadian and international street artists shaping our urban landscape, Permanence aims to show the transition of street art from its underground beginnings to mainstream.

The works presented are directly influenced by the artist’s involvement with the street art movement; one that uses the city as a medium of expression, combining a vast range of techniques and artistic influences. In Permanence, they are brought out of the urban landscape and into the fine art world.

INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS:
Army of One – US
Banksy – UK
Bast – US
Brett Amory – US
C215 – FR
Charming Baker – UK
Faile – US
Guy Denning – UK
Holly Thoburn – UK
Hush – UK
Jef Aerosol – France
Judith Supine – US
Luc Bouchard – US
Mario Wagner – Germany
Quik – US
Shepard Fairey – US

CANADIAN ARTISTS

Alan Ganev
Case
Earth Crusher
Fauxreel
Fred Caron
Gawd
Jason Botkin
Labrona
Lilyluciol
Mathieu Connery
Omen
Other
Philippe Chabot
Produkt
Rage 5
Roadsworth
Scan
Specter
Stikki peaches
WIA
Xavier Landry
Zilon

Details:

Date: September 15th, 2012
Time: 18:00h – 23:30h
Location: Space 27, 101 rue Louvain W. Montreal

 

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