Spain’s Sr. X has a good knack for placement with his realistic figures incorporated into the streetscape, whether peering out from a broken façade or up from the edges of a pothole.
A guy who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders thematically, whether addressing fears of terror or the New World Order, Sr. X often mixes retro-looking sci-fi creatures or clean-cut idealized folks with apocalyptic themes in a winking ironic way. Here is a new piece that creates the missing bricks in a London wall to facilitate an escape, hopefully to a better world.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: Graphic Surgery for “The Canals Project“, OLEK in “Russia’s PRIDE“, Team OBEY Visits FAILE, STREET ART BRAZIL via Frankfurt, and M-City in Paris.
BSA Special Feature: Graphic Surgery
for “The Canals Project”
Erris Huigens and Gysbert Zijlstra, artists from Amsterdam who together are called Graphic Surgery, work here in the industrial fields along the waterway near London’s site of the Olympics last year. The primary audience will mostly be floating by in this area once known for local spontaneous Street Art and now curated, and Graphic Surgery’s silhouetted geometrics will be sharply cutting as you pass, minimal and constructivist while you propel through the rippling canal. All the mirroring and refracting of angles and shapes are flattened momentarily, wavering and ricocheting off and with their surroundings in black and white.
As they speak the two artists take you with them to see how it is done, and how it is inspired – capturing the lines and the physical context of placement with intention while their intersections with modernism and industry are distilled.
Graphic Surgery: The Canals Project. London 2013. Produced by Cedar Lewisohn.
A quick look inside Faile’s studio as they prepare for their currently running show at Dallas Contemporary museum.
STREET ART BRAZIL via Frankfurt
Ending today the Schrirn Kunsthalle has been showcasing the diversity of Brazilian graffiti art as Brazil was the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Artists included are HERBERT BAGLIONE, GAIS, RIMON GUIMARÃES, JANA JOANA & VITCHÉ, NUNCA, ONESTO, ALEXANDRE ORION, SPETO, FEFE TALAVERA, TINHO, and ZEZÃO
M-City In Paris: Interview
A relaxed look at stencil Street Artist M-City as he completes a huge wall in central Paris, followed by an interview at Itinerrance Gallery by Chrixcel.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: Eid Mubarak from eL Seed, “Timing is Everything” by ABOVE, Bogan in London, and BSA Film Friday LIVE at Atlanta Living Walls next week.
BSA Special Feature: Eid Mubarak:
A Calligraffiti Greeting from eL Seed
Guess we are a day late for this maybe since the EID celebrations were actually yesterday as Ramadan 2013 came to a close, but how often do you get to see an EID greeting created by a graffiti artist? Um, never.
So for all the BSA folks who celebrate the big EID holiday we say “Mubarak EID”, and for everybody else, here’s a fun way to use traditional calligraphic skills and merge with graffiti.
From Shoreditch here’s ABOVE with a small stencil that is all about context. He says it took him over seven months of searching night time streets to find the perfect fixed shadow on a wall, but we think he just is a slow stencil cutter. “I am attracted to the concept that the stencil and it’s context can change literally from day to night,” says ABOVE in the description accompanying the video. So apparently it is not just about context. “Timing is everything!” says he.
Aeon – Bogan in London via VNA
In Australia they are called Bogans. We just call them a family reunion. But when Aeon puts on that mullet and mustache and acts a fool while spraycationing in London, we think he may also be inventing a certain kind of drag. No need to be derogatory – It’s all about inhabiting your character and owning it, people!
FILM Friday Goes on the Road – See us in Atlanta for Living Walls!
BSA Movie Night “Street Art in Motion”
08.14.13 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Atlanta
7 pm to 9:30 pm
Steve Harrington and Jaime Rojo, Co-founders of BrooklynStreetArt.com
Alice Solo and New Video of Group Painting on a Moored Boat
New work from Alice Pasquini in Shoreditch, Sydenham, Camden, and boatside along the River Thames where mud boots are required and someone to hold your ladder is appreciated .
Jessica Stewart shares these images with BSA readers of Alice in distinctly different areas of London, where the responses to the sight of an artist painting on your street vary greatly.
In Shoreditch, Alice was taken rather as part of the expected show, says Jessica. “Shoreditch is the hub of Street Art and Alice got everything from random reporters to a guide who does street art tours walking by,” says Jessica. The fellas in the spot next door seem particularly unimpressed of the lady on the ladder as they discuss the news of the day.
In Sydenham, a neighborhood that is newly embracing art to illustrate its vibrancy, the response was welcoming. “In Camden, which funnily enough doesn’t get painted much, people were much more fresh in their observations and really excited to see something go up,” observes Stewart.
Then in the muddy moorings of a dry dock barge in Bermondsey, just up river from Tower Bridge, Alice worked alongside Miss Van, Ciro Schu, Sheryo, and The Yok painting on the side of a boat while the water raised and receded and at times the artists felt like they might get sucked into the earth and the water.
“It was a crazy few days of racing against the tides to get in painting time,” says the photographer as she recalls the hotly humid air and continuously changing conditions. In the video of the boat painting party below that was shot and edited by Ben Grubb, it’s good to see Alice alongside the others even while the water rises.
This August, Tel Aviv-based artist Know Hope makes his solo debut at Lazarides Rathbone with a new exhibition, The Abstract and The Very Real.
Addressing the human condition and its collective social existence through a series of unique works and a site-specific installation, the exhibition questions the ubiquitous notion of the ‘”abstract and the very real”, the weight and burden of which though universally apparent is often unidentifiable to most.
Appropriating found objects, vintage frames and old papers, Know Hope will fill the exhibition with assemblages that visually embody abstract concepts of memory and temporality. Reclaimed materials will come together breaking free from the confines of canvas or frame, his archetypal character crawling from one to the next with the frames representing the empty spaces in our lives and our undying struggle to fill them.
With a bit of luck, and a lot of talent, StolenSpace has entered its 7th year as London’s primary authority in Contemporary Urban Art. Having started to feel the 7-year itch for bigger and better projects and exhibitions, we have made the exciting decision to move to a new venue:
StolenSpace
17 Osborn Street
London E1 6TD
Our new 1400 sq ft gallery space, steeped in local history as it was once a stonemason’s workshop, is still within the vibrant creative hub of East London’s Brick Lane and The Old Truman Brewery. So although we have itchy feet we haven’t moved too far!
In this year’s 7th month, we are feeling very fortunate for our past successes and exciting new beginnings, therefore, for the premier exhibition at StolenSpace’s new home, we would like to introduce a Group Show, ‘VII,’ inspired by this lucky and symbolic number.
Whether or not you are of a superstitious persuasion, the number 7 carries with it a myriad of significant connotations. Since the beginning of time, this number has held a powerful place in theological, historical, scientific and cultural memory. According to the Old Testament, the Earth was created in 7 days, in Hinduism there are 7 Chakras, in Christianity there are 7 deadly sins, in Islam there are 7 levels in heaven, and in Judiasm there are 7 blessings and 7 days of mourning. Furthermore, there are 7 days in a week, 7 colours in a rainbow, 7 seas, and 7 wonders of the world. A recurrent motif in art and literature, this number signifies Shakespeare’s 7 Ages of Man and the 7 notes in a traditional musical scale. The associations go on and on, and the potential for creative investigation is almost endless.
On 11th July 2013, StolenSpace will open its brand new doors to the public with ‘VII,’ a group show exhibiting longstanding favorites and fresh newcomers. With tasty refreshments courtesy of Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, we would like to extend a warm welcome to our new location, inviting you to share in this celebration of our lucky 7th year.
Confirmed artists:
Aaron Rose
AndrewMcattee
Arth Daniels
C215
CharlieAnderson
Cope2
Cyrcle
D*Face
Dave Kinsey
David Bray
EINE
Greg Lamarche
Jack Murray
Jim Houser
Joram Roukes
Josie Morway
Julie Impens
Kai & Sunny
Kelly Allen
Kirsty Whiten
Maya Hayuk
Michael De Feo
Mysterious Al
Ramon Maiden
Reka
Rone
Ronzo
Ryan Callanan
Sally Fuerst
Simon WG Butler
Stefan Strumbel
Toshi
Twoone
Canemorto have just galloped around Bristol and London for a few weeks and have left a number of these somberly bewildered guys in their wake. You remember in our last visit with the trio whose name means “dead dog” the stretched out horizontal is a particular favorite, and it it occurs to you that they may have something of a predilection for Picasso-esque portraits as they return to these sort of deranged dudes again and again.
These gesticulating and grimacing sitters seem to have a lot on their mind, and who can blame them given the downward chugging economy, tiny apartments, longer working hours, government austerity and what not. Even so, these perplexed posers are not troublesome, rather than troubled. Either way, the energy of the lines and the clattering of the strokes as they bang into one another keeps these new pieces by Canemorto stealing the scene.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: “Faces of Bowie” Show at Opera London, Revolutionary Egyptian Street Art, Leandro Erlich’s House in London, and FAITH47 at Memorie Urbane.
BSA Special Feature:
Faces of Bowie
Whether it’s zombies, punk, The Rolling Stones, or Martin Scorcese, pop-culture theme shows have been gaining popularity of late. Right now the Opera Gallery location in London is featuring a show that pays homage to David Bowie with portraits by a number of Street Artists among others. It also happens to tie in neatly to a larger retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum entitled “David Bowie Is”.
Curated by gallery director Jean-David Malat, the show includes works by Lita Cabellut, David Mach, Joe Black, C215, The London Police, Mac1, Jimmy C, Kid Zoom, Mr. Brainwash, Kan (Da Mental Vaporz), Juan Barletta, Hisham Echafaki, Jef Aérosol, D*Face, Marco Lodola, André Monet, Nick Gentry, Zoobs, Eduardo Guelfenbein, Paul Alexis, Jean-Paul Donadini, and Richard Young.
“It’s not possible to have a revolution without art”, says SIKO, an Egyptian Street Artist in this video that gives a sense of the power that art in the streets can have for transforming a dialogue. While we do not know the origins of the makers of this video and are somewhat unfamiliar with the politics involved, it nonetheless conveys what we have always known about graffiti and Street Art – it is a reflection of society back to itself. With the advocacy of opinions and viewpoints sprayed and wheatpasted across the public sphere, it can be a catalyst for change and at the very least, a vehicle for speech.
Living on the Ceiling – A House by Leandro Erlich in London
An installation by the Argentine artist, this new house is on the street – flatly. Passersby are encouraged to scale the walls and contemplate perceptions about reality, and gravity.
FAITH47 at the Memorie Urbane Street Art Festival
Produced by Blind Eye Factory, this short video watches Faith 47 as she creates her piece for the Italian festival this spring.
Here’s our weekly interview of the street, this week featuring Creepy, Chris RWK, David Smith, Enzo & Nio, How & Nosm, JR, Pennygaff, Shai Dahan, This is Awkward, Veng RWK, and Werds.
A Foot in the Door
A FOOT IN THE DOOR:
RUN and Dscreet
Street Art London
11 – 6pm daily, 28th June – 25th July 2013
Private View Thursday 4th July
Cock ‘n’ Bull Gallery
Tramshed, 32 Rivington Street London EC2A 3EQ
From 28th June to 25th July, the Cock ‘n’ Bull gallery and Street Art London will host a major collaboration between world-renowned street artists RUN and Dscreet. A Foot in the Door: RUN and Dscreet will juxtapose wall paintings with drawings, painting and sculpture, leading the viewer to reassess the role of environment and context in contemporary art.
RUN is a London based Italian street artist whose works can be seen adorning street cor- ners from China to Senegal. His recognisable style shows a level of detail and complexity rarely seen in street art today, evidenced through his vivid rendering of interlocking hands and faces in bright, arresting colours. RUN is interested in street art as a language of communication, creating playful characters that speak to diverse audiences on multiple levels. The expansive scale of his works captivates the viewer, affecting a renaissance of muralism that reaches beyond the boundaries of street art.
Dscreet is an Australian street artist whose signature owl characters have been a mainstay on the London street art scene for years. Transitioning from the graffiti scene, his artistic alter ego is inspired by cartoon and comic imagery. On a deeper level, he explores the owl as a symbol of perception that lends itself to multifarious interpretations in many different cultures worldwide. Dscreet is also a talented filmmaker, and will exhibit a new film in the gallery during the show.
Initially brought together to work on the outer doors of Tramshed, RUN and Dscreet have come together once more to reframe their work and explore ideas of interiority and exteriority in the art world today. Questioning how street art is perceived by bringing their work into the gallery, they play with the concept of the door as a literal means of crossing from one space into another and as a metaphor for changing perceptions. Turning their practice inside out, their work leads a viewer to see beyond the surface.
At the entrance to the exhibition is a door on which RUN and Dscreet have collaborated. Framing the exhibition and marking the transition from the exterior to interior space, this door invites viewers to walk through to the other side, entering into a thought provoking space where paintings collide with murals.
A Foot in the Door: RUN and Dscreet has been organised and curated by Richard Howard- Griffin and Hannah Zafiropoulos of Street Art London. The exhibition will also include two new limited edition screen print editions from the artists that will be on sale in the gallery and through Salted Prints.
On the 27th July, the exhibition becomes the backdrop for a totally unique experience. Diners will gather in the gallery, where the art comes out of the frame, off the walls and onto the plate. HIX LIX art dinners allow diners to enjoy a four course bespoke menu created by Mark Hix and his team in reflection of the work on display. This is a new, exciting way to engage with art and food; an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary.
Parallel to the major exhibition “David Bowie is” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Opera Gallery London will unveil a collection of David Bowie-inspired art for their summer exhibition. The highly anticipated group show will offer a contemporary vision of ‘Bowie Mania’ with one-off masterpieces including tributes from some of today’s leading contemporary and street artists, including; Mr. Brainwash, Joe Black, Eduardo Guelfenbein, Nick Gentry, Marco Lodola and The London Police.
The Many Faces of Bowie will pay homage to the iconic rock star with artwork featuring a delicious juxtaposition of styles showcasing each artist’s unique interpretation of David Bowie’s unprecedented influence and inspiration on their lives.
In this exhibition, the Brazilian artist Prozak presents prints and paintings in mixed media on paper, continuing his research on transparencies and overlays, exploring the levels of saturation and contrast between colors, and the reaction between the materials used.
These peculiar portraits, almost abstracts, contain multiple faces, skulls and masks mixed with expressions of euphoria, joy, anger, sadness and frustration, are a metaphor for the precarious balance of the human mind, and question the boundaries between the various layers of human emotion and complete insanity.
São Paulo is an epicentre for graffiti artists, and Mazu Prozak is one of the most prolific and influential Paulistan graffiti artists of his generation.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
