All posts tagged: Merck

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.26.25

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.26.25

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! The energy always builds on the streets of NYC as Halloween approaches. The night feels inky and dense, the air cold and damp, with dried leaves and bits of garbage lightly clattering across the sidewalk in sudden whirlwinds. The city’s nerves tightened this week as masked ICE agents descended on Canal Street, pursuing the sidewalk sellers of faux Chanel and Versace shades. And in a curious coincidence, the East Wing of the White House was reduced to rubble — surely a metaphor waiting to be explained.

The NYC mayor’s race got heated at this week’s debate between the three contenders, whose positions have been the same since the spring when Mamdami was way ahead of the pack, and the current Mayor endorsed the ex-governor Thursday, which most consider a zero-sum game. Mayor Adams had previously called Cuomo a snake and a liar – a month ago – so this represents a huge change of heart. The class act former governor named Cuomo has been widely labeled as racist after his official X account posted – and then deleted – an AI-generated ad depicting “criminals for Zohran Mamdani”.

A piece in The Art Newspaper tracks how the mayoral candidates view the arts: funding, creative-sector jobs, and affordability for artists.

In street art news, we were lucky to catch the naming of a NYC street after Jean-Michel Basquiat this week with his two sisters, step-mom, and the extended family – and an enthusiastic crowd. The City of New York dedicated the Jean-Michel Basquiat Way at The Bowery and Great Jones Street a few feet from JMB’s old studio. Some might consider it an irony that a former vandal gets his way, all these years later. Other’s recognize that these issues are not black and white, but are often GRAY.

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this time featuring Chusma, Dirt Cobain, JG Toonation, Mack & Frodrik, Merck, Modomatic, Outer Source, SAMO, Uncut Art, and Unfollow.

BK Foxx. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Foxx (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Yo, me too! BK Ackler (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mack & Frodrik from Ireland for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unfollow (photo © Jaime Rojo)
On Tuesday, October 21st, the City of New York dedicated the Jean-Michel Basquiat Way on Bowery and Great Jones Street, a few feet from JMB’s old studio, in the presence of his surviving sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, their stepmom Nora Fitzpatrick, and their families. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
On Tuesday, October 21st, the City of New York dedicated the Jean-Michel Basquiat Way on Bowery and Great Jones Street, a few feet from JMB’s old studio, in the presence of his surviving sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, their stepmom Nora Fitzpatrick, and their families. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Uncut Art plays with words, stenciling them on sidewalks around NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Famed photographers Martha Cooper and Clayton Patterson attended the opening of their dual exhibition “Concrete Chronicles: Lower East Side Photos” at City Lore in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Tuesday. Martha is wearing a bespoke denim vest with art by Brazilian artist Wagner Wagz. Clayton takes a photo of Martha while she photographs two guests. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SAMO© in good company. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MERCK photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dirt Cobain & Outer Source. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JG TOONATION (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CHUSMA. Quico, a character from the beloved TV Mexican program “EL Chavo del 8”. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK FOXX (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read more
Chihuahua Dispatch 2: A Thriving Graffiti and Street Art Scene

Chihuahua Dispatch 2: A Thriving Graffiti and Street Art Scene

Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico has what may be called a thriving graffiti and street art scene – growing significantly over the past decade. Many local and international artists have gained recognition and support from local authorities, who have sponsored large-scale murals and other public art projects throughout the city.

Mode-AWC and Erik Barraza pay tribute to the Mexican boxing world champ Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With a growing middle-class thanks to the large number of international maquiladoras that have taken root, you even can see skateparks and bike parks where none existed previously. On a typical sunny weekday, you will see kids wearing helmets getting out of family SUVs to hang with friends and try new tricks – in an environment that is wholly smashed with graffiti burners and pieces. And the quality of the artwork is impressive.

SAME. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The growth of the graffiti and street art scene in Chihuahua can also be attributed to the city’s strong cultural identity and history and the rich tradition of muralism and public art in Mexico dating back to the early 20th century when artists like Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros were creating large-scale murals across the country. In recent years, the city has seen a new wave of street artists and graffiti writers emerge, inspired by the legacy of these earlier artists and by global trends in urban art.

KOSMO. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TCK !! IKES. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CRER. ATEC. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist painted a mural containing symbolism and costumes that make reference to native peoples and the agrarian way of life. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MERCK. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MERCK. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CASA GRAFF. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CASA GRAFF. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artists. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
YKES. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PHAT. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ERA. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ERA. Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Read more
BSA Images Of The Week: 09.25.22

BSA Images Of The Week: 09.25.22

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! It’s Fall Y’all !

If you know us, it’s a Mexico-Brooklyn fusion. Just one of the endless combinations you discover when you truly explore New York, where we speak 700 languages and dialects.

It is no surprise that graffiti, its style and aesthetic, spanned many of the world’s cities and cultures over five decades – as does street art today. You’ll see similarities this week between pieces we just caught in Chihuahua, in the north of Mexico, and NYC, in the North of the USA. The styles recognize history, but there is definitely a youthful vibe out there and here.

Shout out to the Brooklyn (now LIC) street art duo Faile for opening Deluxx Fluxx in the underground of Manhattan’s Webster Hall this week. Thursday night’s opening was full of fans, admirers, friends, and collectors – with Patrick Miller walking the line outside on the sidewalk to greet patient guests who were waiting to get in. Wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling Faile, the new club is eye-popping with fluorescent image making and graphic design in the Faile vocabulary – and yes, there are new video games that are digital eye candy with a sense of irony and humor. Miller told us that the new version of their classic kiosks would hopefully also provide a platform to other artists – an open inclusive attitude that only comes from street artists who actually believe in community. With a stage for performances, a DJ HQ, smoke, and lasers – it is going to be an instant New York classic house to escape into.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Donut, Muck, Maze, Diez, Imok, Ollin, Griz, Tee, Derk, Bonk, Retos, Merck, and TCK.

TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Merck. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Merck. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Merck. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentifed artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Maze. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bonk and Retos. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Diez. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Derk. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tee. Chihuahua, Mexico. 09-2022 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Donut. Queens, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gridz. Queens, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MUCK. Queens, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Visit. Queens, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ollin. Brooklyn, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Imok. Brooklyn, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stickers. NYC.(photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Chihuahua, Mexico. September, 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Read more