All posts tagged: King Kess

Heavy Metal on the Street, Sculpture With Staying Power

Not all Street Art is ephemeral. Some of it may outlast you.

As winds and rains and the forces of natural erosion go, wheat-pastes and stickers and photographs and other tentatively attached bits of Street Art whimsy are the first to go. After that, aerosol painting, stencils, bucket painted rollers, even hot-glued slabs of wood eventually fade and disappear. If it’s not damaged or dissed, pulled down or pried off, it’s probably because it’s made of heartier stock than your average Street Art and it has no intention of being evicted.

REVS installed backwards. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For example, REVS. Around 2000 a guy who BSA considers a missing link between graffiti and Street Art started welding his hand-cut pieces of steel to metal structures around the city, and thanks to it being his professional vocation, he knew how to make them endure. The chunks of metal, many of them tags, some of them years old, still ride in all their burnished badass glory near parking lots and garages and abandoned factories hiding out in plain site until you stumble on them, or bang your shin on them. Since Street Art is open to every artist today, other street sculptors have similarly affixed their work to posts and signs and hand-railings with bolts and screws and sometimes a blowtorch.

REVS (photo © Jaime Rojo)

These pieces have their own unassuming but steady personality, usually a little less cloying and attention-seeking. Not to worry, you will eventually see them because they persist; rusting, oxidizing, decaying slowly and holding tight to this little piece of New York longer than many of the one-hit-wonder Street Artists who come and go every year. You may abandon New York eventually in search of better opportunities or a house in the suburbs, and some of these will still be here when you come back.

Here is an exclusive heavy metal collection from photographer Jaime Rojo on the streets of New York for you to rock out to.

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. Same sculpture as above, different angle. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leon Reid IV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JJ Veronis. If the shoe fits… (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JJ Veronis. Same sculpture as above, different angle. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

PM AM (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JJ Veronis. King Kess Rides ON. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JJ Veronis (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JJ Veronis (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. This is not technically Street Art but this iron clad limo WAS on the street.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. Side angle. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Images of the Week 08.30.09

Images of the Week 08.30.09

ur Weekly Interview with the Street

Black and White against blue backdrop
Summer Geometric Abstraction (photo Jaime Rojo)

C215
C215 with an OverUnder flyby (photo Jaime Rojo)

Deekers
Who holds the key to this Tainted Lovebox? (Deeker) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Sacer as interpreted by Deitch
Sacer as interpreted by Deitch (photo Jaime Rojo)

Gats and Gaia
Gats and Gaia (photo Jaime Rojo)

Double Cows Gaia
Double Cows (Gaia) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Haculla
Reminds me of that classic Dead Kennedy’s song (Haculla) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Haculla does Operah
Haculla has raunchy time with Britney and does Oprah the following Thursday (photo Jaime Rojo)

I Love NY
I Do Too!  (I Love NY)  (photo Jaime Rojo)

Ink
I Wanna Rock-n-Roll All Night!  (Ink) (photo Jaime Rojo)

King Kess
If you say so…. (King Kess) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Momo
(Momo) (photo Jaime Rojo)

NohJ Coley pays tribute tot he late Dash Snow
NohJColey pays tribute to the late Dash Snow (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
And if that’s not enough, I’ve gotta take the kids back-to-school shopping! (OHM) (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
The Lion King on Crack (OHM) (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
OHM (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
Do you know the way to Rockefeller Center?  I got cut-off from my tour group during a rainstorm in 1998 (OHM) (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
OHM (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
OHM (photo Jaime Rojo)

OHM
OHM (photo Jaime Rojo)

Pink lipstick on a Red Nose Pit Bull
Pink lipstick on a Red Nose Pit Bull (Tazmat Red Nose) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Bishop 203
I see you and my heart takes flight… (Bishop203) (photo Jaime Rojo)

C215
Welcome to the entrance, now tell me the secret word, you fool, and kiss me!  (C215) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Celso
(Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)

General Howe
Battle of Bushwick! (General Howe) (photo Jaime Rojo)

General Howe
Guarding the Graffiti Kingdom (General Howe) (photo Jaime Rojo)

General Howe
Halt!  Don’t move.  Hand over that Snickers Bar before we call in the rest of the troops. (General Howe) (photo Jaime Rojo)

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