All posts tagged: Mittuh

BSA Images Of The Week: 07.11.21

BSA Images Of The Week: 07.11.21

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week. While New York suffered a heatwave followed by tropical storms from Hurricane Elsa flying up the East Coast and flooding the subways, this week, we checked in with the evolution of a city in sunny, arid, colorful Mexico.

The aesthetics and language of street art and graffiti are so pervasive, so woven into the international culture in cities, that it hardly surprises us to see it absorbed and re-interpreted wherever we go. We like to return to places that we’ve traveled to previously; it is an opportunity to gauge the changes, the tempo, perhaps to appreciate the influence of the Internet and social media in connecting and re-sorting people based on their interests rather than geography.

In the case of the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua, we see a lively mural program, a small but fervent and well-crafted graffiti, and tattoo scene, and now even a sticker storm of sorts in specific parts of this desert home to international corporate maquiladoras and a proud sense of commitment to traditional culture and history. Topics and influences range from gender roles, machismo, Christian iconography, Japanese anime, tattoo culture, Warhol’s version of POP, empowered female sexuality, devils, angels, wildlife, drugs, economics, and subtly played political critique.

At almost a million people and with its focus on education, its primarily one- and two-story cityscape is only interrupted briefly by a historic colonial downtown, peppered with a few modern glass boxes. Chihuahua is vying for tourists and corporations to come with a redrawn city center, the historical monuments and fountains now modernized with an open and welcoming street plan. But stylistically, we like the margins, where the messages are rather less vetted…

When exploring the street art here, you’ll see international styles filtered through Mexican culture and iconography; However, in the case of OBEY aesthetics repeated on stickers, one could argue that Shepard Faireys’ original fascination with the fantasy of Andre the Giant has as much to do with the Mexican “Luchador” subculture and its films of the 1950s/60s as any subversive impulses from punk that appealed to him in his college years.

Similarly, the one-color small stencil didn’t originate with the Army or Bristol’s Banksy – it has appeared for decades throughout the decorative folk arts here, not to mention the robustly social and politically inspired Mexican mural tradition of the 20th century that is in the creative DNA of street artists worldwide. As the so-called First World de-industrialized in the last three decades, their neighbors have been equally looking for new footing. In the case of cultures like Mexico’s, there is a spirit of innovation and a respect for tradition, an amalgam that may materialize now as something more modern than you expected.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Ale Poire, Ayari Ludeas, Bideo TCK, Celest Alonso, Cesar Duarte, David Glezzg, Joker, Maker, Maru Campos, and Mittuh.

Ale Poire in collaboration with Colectivo Tomate. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Davidd Glezzg. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Maker. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Several artists on a sticker wall. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Several artists on a sticker wall. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Several artists on a sticker wall. Detail. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Several artists on a sticker wall. Detail. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Several artists on a sticker wall. Detail. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mitthu in collaboration with Colectivo Tomate. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. (we couldn’t find the artist’s signature on this mural) Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Joker. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Iris Alexa in collaboration with Colectivo Tomate. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)a
An Obey like political campaign with the intention to tie the Governor Elect of Chihuahua, Ms. Maru Campos with the corrupt former governor, Cesar Duarte, presently in a federal prison in the USA awaiting extradition to be tried in Mexico. Obviously, the smear campaign didn’t work. Ms. Campos won the election. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Vivas Nos Queremos. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eajalle. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bideo TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Celeste Alonso. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ayari Ludeas. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Terre. TCK. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bring the Ruckus. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Colonial Aqueduct. Chihuahua, Mexico. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 12.13.20 / Chihuahua Special

BSA Images Of The Week: 12.13.20 / Chihuahua Special

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week.

Happy Hannukah to all our Jewish friends this week as the festival of lights began on Thursday night. “Chag Sameach!”

Meanwhile, the Christmas jam is in full force with lights in people’s windows and in stores and yesterday in Bushwick, Brooklyn…. those little electric lights were surrounding a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe that a small group of women crossing the street was carrying at the intersection of Broadway and Myrtle. They looked like they were holding prayer books or papers with prayers on them. For those of you unfamiliar with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Day 2020, it culminates in a popular Catholic feast that celebrates the belief that a man encountered the Virgin Mary, Mexico’s patron saint, in Mexico City on December 9 and 12, 1531.

Speaking of Mexico, all of our Images of the Week are flown straight here from there today – sunbaked and sweet. Colectivo Tomate is the name of the group responsible for many of these brand new historically-inspired murals in Chihuahua, Mexico – and we thought we’d share this collection of new works from this warm desert-based city of a million only 4 hours from El Paso.

The collective describes itself as an independent group of young Mexicans who seek an improvement in the way of life in the cities in Mexico. They talk about using their mural works and arts programs in terms of healing communities immersed in environments of violence, extreme poverty, or social conflicts – with artistic processes, dialogue, and community work.

Aside from the fact that Mexico is the birthplace of inspiration for the great mural movement in the 20th century, it is also important to recognize that graffiti, street art, and mural art are very personal in how you define them, but those definitions are going to vary from person to person, city to city, decade to decade. It’s good to see how art in the streets here in Mexico is also building healing and strength in the community.

So a shout out to Colectivo Tomate Chihuahua, who is participating in this to celebrate “Chihuahua Capital Creative” – a week where they host talks, conferences, and workshops, entirely free at the Instituto de Cultura del Municipio de Chihuahua.

Here is our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Dagoz, Ale Poire, Aleida Medina, AO, Carlos Van Frankenstein, Ely Astorga, Gear, Grimp, Joaquin Salvador Navarro, Luis Miguel Lopez, MES, MiR, Mitthu, MUDA, Raul Rojas, Renik, Terrmoto, Yanely Sara, and Zoe.

A tribute by an unidentified artist to Quino AKA Joaquin Salvador Navarro, the creator of the popular comic strip Mafalda. The Argentinian cartoonist drew the precocious six year old whose observations about injustices and daily life influenced millions of Latin American readers. Quino died on September 30th at the age of 88. Chihuahua, Mexico. 12-2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Alto a la violencia politica. Stop the political violence. Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Alto a la violencia politica. Stop the political violence. Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ale Poire. Detail. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ale Poire. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Raul Rojas. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Raul Rojas. Detail. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Raul Rojas. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Yanely Sara. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Muda. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mitthu Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toño Terremoto. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Luis Miguel Lopez. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Luis Miguel Lopez. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ely Astorga. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ely Astorga. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_99hdjoh0
Carlos Van Frankenstein. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
AO. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Aleida Medina. Detail. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Aleida Medina. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dagoz. Colectivo Tomate. Ciudad Mural Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MIR Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Renik, Zoe. Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MES. Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Grimp. Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gear Chihuahua, Mexico. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Manhattan. December 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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