All posts tagged: Mar

La Nau Bostik Dispatch: A Barcelona Cultural Haven Filled by Murals

La Nau Bostik Dispatch: A Barcelona Cultural Haven Filled by Murals

Images today from La Nau Bostik, an artist run complex in Barcelona that aims to be sustainable, inspirational, and a breathing living cultural oasis. By most accounts, it succeeds wildly.

Murals often accompany citizen-run cultural initiatives and art spaces like these, frequently to great effect. The spaces are raw and neglected and needs a sense of life and color; new narratives to fill the space with interactions and hopefully inspire collaboration.

Juanjo Surace. Detail. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Xavier Basiana and his cultural compatriots have established a community cultural and intellectual place in a settlement of ex-industrial warehouses over the last decade along the train tracks in La Sagrera, and the once barren soil now sprouts an ever growing crop of portraits, characters, fantasies, political and social messages.

In cities that we have the opportunity to visit we occasionally get to see these vibrant spaces like La Nau Bostik, now a cultural fixture that draws thousands throughout the year for a rich mix of programming and engagement. Surrounded by great organic works on the walls by fine artists and current or former Street Artists and graffiti writers, the environment seems to foster a re-generation of people-fueled ideas for progress, problem solving and dreaming.

Ivan Floro. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Without the synergistic effects of weaving all of these elements of education, celebration, theater, academic examination, civic engagement, the plastic arts, performance, labor, and commerce, these places may not be able to offer a safe place for free thought and internal exploration. As ever, it is the combined effect of a variety of talents that creates the greater sum. With so many factors and parties at play, maintaining a sense of balance is an ongoing goal.

Today we are happy to visit this arts space via the camera work of photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena, who we thank for sharing his images with BSA readers.

Miquel Wert. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

SM172. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Ant Carver. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

MAR. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Tim Marsh. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Vassilis Rebelos. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

OneTruth Bros. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Oxalien . Konair. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Juanjo Surace. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

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Tour Paris 13 : Fluorescent & Towering Show Book

Tour Paris 13 : Fluorescent & Towering Show Book

Another book to tell you about today! Remember when BSA took you to Paris that time and we skipped the line and went into all the floors of this soon to be demolished building?

“The numbers are astounding; 105 artists, 9 floors, 36 apartments, 30,000 visitors.

One hour.

That is how much time Street Art enthusiast Spencer Elzey had to himself inside the largest gallery of Street Artists and graffiti artists ever assembled specifically to transform a building for a public show. As he looked out a window to see the snaking lines of Parisians and tourists restlessly waiting to get in, he couldn’t believe his luck to be able to walk through the exhibit by himself and get off some clear shots before the throng hit.”

That is how we described it in November 2013 when Spencer took us on a whirlwind tour of TOUR 13.

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Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Published last month this towering book with the page edges sprayed neon orange was released by Mehdi Ben Cheikh in French and English to commemorate the event, and seeing the installations this way is going to make you wish the place wasn’t destroyed. 500 new photos previously unpublished allows you to see the show as you travel from the cellar to the top floors.

You may wish you had more background on the artists and the context and clearly not all of the artistry is of similar quality but you will be satiated by the images and thankful that they were recorded during their brief duration. Published by Editions Albin Michel, in partnership with the Itinerrance Gallery, this show will continue to soar long after the dust has settled.

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Entes . Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Inti . Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Ethos .Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Seth .Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Moneyless .Tour Paris 13 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artists included in the Tour Paris 13 project:

108, 2MIL FAMILIA, A1ONE, ADD FUEL, AGL, AGOSTINO IACURCI, AMINE, ALEXÖNE, ARRAIANO, AWER, AZOOZ, BOM.K, BTOY, C215, CEKIS, CELESTE JAVA, CLET, COPE2, CORLEONE, DABRO, DADO, DAN23, DAVID WALKER, DEYAA, EIME, eL SEED, ENTES, ETHOS, ETNIK, FENX, FLIP, GAËL, GILBERT, GUY DENNING, HERBERT BAGLIONE, HOGRE, HOPNN, INDIE, INTI ANSA, INTI CASTRO, JAZ, JB ROCK, JÉRÔME GULON, JIMMY C, JOYS, JULIEN COLOMBIER, KAN, KATRE, KEITH HARING, KRUELLA, LEGZ, LEK, LE CYKLOP, LILIWENN, LOIOLA, LUDO, MAIS MENOS, MAR, MÁRIO BELÉM, MARKO, MARYAM, MATÉO GARCIA, MAZ, MONEYLESS, MOSKO, MP5, MYRE, NANO, NEBAY, NEMI “UHU”, NILKO, ORTICANOODLES, PANTÓNIO, PEETA, PHILIPPE BAUDELOCQUE, RAPTO, REA ONE, RODOLPHE CINTORINO, ROTI, SAILE, SAMBRE, SAMINA, SEAN HART, SÉBASTIEN PRESCHOUX, SENSO, SETH, SHAKA, SHOOF, SHUCK 2, SOWAT, SPAZM, SPETO, STeW, STINKFISH, SWOON, TELLA’S, TINHO, TORE, UNO, URIGINAL, VEXTA, VHILS, and WISIGN

 

Click HERE to read BSA’s coverage of this project before the building was demolished.

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Towering Gallery Full of Art to Be Demolished : “La Tour Paris 13”

Towering Gallery Full of Art to Be Demolished : “La Tour Paris 13”

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The numbers are astounding; 105 artists, 9 floors, 36 apartments, 30,000 visitors.

One hour.

That is how much time Street Art enthusiast Spencer Elzey had to himself inside the largest gallery of Street Artists and graffiti artists ever assembled specifically to transform a building for a public show. As he looked out a window to see the snaking lines of Parisians and tourists restlessly waiting to get in, he couldn’t believe his luck to be able to walk through the exhibit by himself and get off some clear shots before the throng hit.

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El Seed. La Tour Paris 13.  Exterior of the tower. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

“The La Tour Paris 13 experience was something that I’ll never forget,” Elzey recounts as he thinks of himself nearly running from apartment to apartment with camera in hand, each room a new discovery, many of them inspiring awe.

“I was on an adrenaline rush while I was inside since I only had an hour by myself before it opened to the public. It wasn’t until later in the morning when I looked back at all of my pictures that I was able to fully understand exactly how much art I just witnessed,” he says.

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Kan. La Tour Paris 13. Come in. (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Mehdi Ben Cheikh from Galerie Itinerrance, who curated the project La Tour Paris 13 gave permission to Elzey to get these shots for BSA before the crowds arrived and now he was snapping as many as possible.

Over the course of the year artists have devised specific paintings, sculptures, and installations inside the housing tower knowing that it would be exhibited for a month before being demolished. “The number of artists and the amount of space dedicated to this one exhibit is something that I don’t think will ever again be replicated,” he says.

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a1ONE. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

While touring former living rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens Elzey quickly discovered that aerosol and markers were not the only materials used by this global pool of street/graffiti/urban artists who came from far places like Brazil, Iran, US, Tunisia, and even Saudi Arabia in addition to many European countries.

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a1ONE. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Some artists had staged new perspectives and environments by combining sculptural elements that married into their wall pieces, others like C215 cut into the floorboards to create a relief, still others worked in and around the decaying, partially destroyed infrastructure to create venues that slid into the fantasies of subconscious. “It was a free-for-all in a sense that once inside the apartment the artist had free reign to transform it however they wanted,” he says.

“What isn’t apparent in the pictures is how dark a lot of the rooms were. There were at least three rooms that were essentially dark with the exception of a little black light, while others were dimly lit by a solo lamp or fluorescent bulb. Sometimes you had to walk through holes in the walls to access further rooms.”

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Seth. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

In his images here you can see the variety of styles and influences that the artists brought to the game, each accepting that it was a one-time-only installation. Maybe this group wasn’t so hard to convince, since the very nature of art on the streets is ephemeral.

“Street Art on the street has an expiration date, but the exact amount of time in which it will stay up isn’t known,” says Elzey, “It can either be covered up by graffiti or another wheat-paste, it can be removed by the building owner, or it can just wither away from being exposed to the elements.”

La Tour Paris 13 brings to mind the multitude of urban explorers who regularly trek into abandoned and neglected places all over the world and leave their mark, activating previously moribund spaces with art, but no one has ever launched a show like this with such genuine quality or with this scope.

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Uriginal. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

“The closest thing that I can compare it to is 5 Pointz,” Elzey says of the grouping of buildings in New Yorks’ Long Island City that provided what was perhaps the original group show venue for urban art from the 1990s until yesterday.  In an ironic mirroring of events, 5 Pointz and its multitude of external paintings underwent “the buff” the night before last after running an every-changing show for about three decades.

The 5 Pointz factory buildings themselves are also slated for demolition and will make way for new condos. “We all knew that its days were extremely numbered,” he says sadly of what had become a New York cultural heritage icon to some and a holy place for graffiti writers and Street Artists and fans from around the world.

 

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Tellas. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

The true impact from the La Tour Paris 13 project and 5 Pointz may happen in the mind and heart of the artist and the art fan; perhaps the beauty of this exercise, however short lived, is that the public is being encouraged to re-imagine old buildings for new uses, to consider what else we can do with private and public space.

When that conversation takes place we often realize how the limits of creativity are determined in no small part by imagination.

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Sambre. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

While we keep tracking the routes and machinations of this first global people’s art movement that has evolved into  Street Art, we fully expect that we will continue to be surprised and inspired by the creative spirit and by artists.

For Spencer, this Tour was a lot more personal. “Having experienced something like this on such an immense scale and with a definitive end date made me feel like I was part of something special.”

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Stew. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Shoof. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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David Walker. Detail. Jimmy C in the background room. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Guy Denning. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Katre. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Rea1. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Pantonio. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Jaz. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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C215. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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C215. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Belem. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Add Fuel. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Dado. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Bom K . Liliwenn. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Agostino Iacurci. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Entes. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Inti. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Dan 23. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Maz. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Hopnn. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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JB Rock. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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el Seed. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Cekis. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Nebay. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Ethos. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Mar. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Loiola. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Mosko. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Cope and Indi 184. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Ludo on the exterior with a view of the line to get in. Detail. La Tour Paris 13.  (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Visit La Tour Paris 13 site for a full set of photographs, details and a full experience of the project.

This article is also published on The Huffington Post.

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Artists participating include: 108 ( Italy) – 2mil (Brazil) – Add Fuel ( Portugal) – AGL ( France ) – Lacurci Agostino (Italy) – Alexone ( France ) – A1one (Iran) – Amin ( France ) – Aous (Saudi Arabia) – awer (Italy) – Azooz (Saudi Arabia) – Belem (Portugal) – BOM.K ( France ) – Btoy (Spain) – C215 ( France ) – Celeste Java ( France ) – Cope2 (USA) – Corleone (Portugal ) – Dabro (Tunisia) – Dado (Italy) – Dan23 ( France ) – David Walker (UK) – Eime (Portugal) – eL Seed ( Tunisia) – Ethos (Brazil) – Etnik (Italy) – Fenx ( France ) – Flip (Brazil) – Gael ( France ) – Gilbert ( France ) – Guy Denning (UK) – Herbert Baglione (Brazil) – Hogre (Italy) – Hopnn (Italy) – Indie 184 (USA) – Inti Ansa ( France ) – Inti Castro (Chile) – Jaz (Argentina) – JB Rock ( Italy) – Jimmy C ( Australia) – Samina Joao (Portugal) – Jonone (USA) – Joys (Italy) – Julien Colombier ( France ) – Kan ( France ) – Katre ( France ) – Kruella (Portugal) – Legz ( France ) – Lek ( France ) – Liliwenn ( France ) – Loyola (Brazil) – Ludo ( France ) – Mrs. Sanbor ( France ) – March (Portugal) – Marko93 ( France ) , Mario Belem (Portugal) – Maryam (Saudi Arabia) – Mateo Garcia Leon ( France ) – Maz (Saudi Arabia) – moneyless (Italy) – Mosko ( France ) – Mp5 (Italy) – Myra ( France ) – Nano (Chile) – Nebay ( France ) – Nemi Uhu ( France ) – Nilko ( France ) – Orticanoodles (Italy) – PANTONIO (Portugal) – Paulo Arraiano (Portugal) – Peeta (Italy) – Philippe Baudelocque ( France ) – Rapto (Brazil) – Rea 1 ( France ) – Rodolphe Cintorino ( France ) – Roti ( France ) – Sambre ( France ) – Sean Hart ( France ) – Sebastien Preschoux ( France ) – Senso (Italy) – Seth ( France ) – Shaka ( France ) – Shoof (Tunisia) – Shuck2 ( France ) – Sowat ( France ) – Spazm ( France ) – Speto (Brazil) – Stew ( France ) – Stinkfish (Mexico) – Sumo (Luxembourg) – Tellas (Italy) – Tinho (Brazil) – Tore ( France ) -Uno ( France ) – Uriginal (Spain) – Vexta (Australia) – Vhils (Portugal) – / Maismenos (Portugal).

 

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Lab Art Gallery Presents: “Fixed Bicycles and Canvas Art” (Los Angeles,CA)

Lab Art Gallery

brooklyn-street-art-LAB-ART-gallerybrooklyn-street-art-LAB-ART-gallery-Septerhed-bikeStreet art meets fashionable bicycles as LAB ART Los Angeles, the nation’s largest gallery dedicated to street art teams up with Solé Bicycles, the one-stop-online-shop for contemporary fixed-gear bikes. On September 15th, 2011 the Fixed Bicycles & Canvas show will premiere custom designed Solé Bicycles by 12 of the biggest, most influential street artists including: AJL, Chad Muska, Common Cents, Cyrcle, Desire Obtain Cherish, GoodBoy, Gregory Siff, KH No. 7, LOUIS XXX, Mar, Septerhed, and Thank You X.

Fixed Bicycles & Canvas is a collaboration between street art curators and owners of LAB ART, Rachel Joelson and Iskander Lemseffer, and Solé Bicycles owners, USC schoolmates Jonathan Schriftman and Jake Medwell.

As street art began on the street as guerilla artwork and has recently transitioned from the streets into galleries, fixed gear cycling, otherwise known as fixie, has gone through it’s own transition. What started as a signature among urban bike messengers, fixies have become a lifestyle trend in major cities worldwide.

The exhibit is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Joelson and Schriftman who wanted to bridge two popular cultural phenomenons: street art and fixies. The pair decided to fuse the renegade art spirit of LAB ART’s street artists with the youthful, hipster appeal of Solé bikes.

Fixed Bicycles & Canvas will also feature paintings corresponding to each artist. The one-of-a-kind artist custom designed bicycles retails for approximately $950 to $ 1,200.

The exhibition will debut at a private viewing party on September 15th, 2011 at LAB ART and will be open to the public on September 16th and continues through October 16th, 2011.

About LAB ART Los Angeles:

LAB ART Los Angeles is the largest art gallery in the nation dedicated to an alternative exhibition of street art and installation. Spanning 6,500 square feet of space, the gallery features approximately 300 works of art and installation from over 50 of the most prominent and up-and-coming street artist of the Los Angeles Street Art scene and beyond. LAB ART has been featured on FOX News, KTLA News, Huffington Post, LA Times, LAist, and more.

About Solé Bicycles:

Solé Bicycles provides supremely designed, high quality, affordable fixed gear and single speed bikes. Started in 2010, Solé has grown to be one of the industry leaders and featured in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, LA Confidential, and more.

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