All posts tagged: Robert Vargas

BSA Images Of The Week: 05.31.26

BSA Images Of The Week: 05.31.26

A scintillating selection of images this week as we travel to a Jersey boardwalk and the erupting Brooklyn scene called Bushwick Collective. The trio of foxes by Bordalo is still rocking after a year, and the small flood of international and local talent has once again transformed walls in the formerly industrial, still gritty Brooklyn neighborhood that has welcomed about 400 artists to paint here since 2011.

We had the great honor of hosting a panel discussion with 5 Taiwanese street artists this Thursday as part of the first Artist Talk ever for Bushwick Collective’s 15th Anniversary. All week, those five plus one other OG from Taipei all painted walls here – ALLO, Vasstar, Candy Kuo, Colasa, Mr. OGay, and BLACK ZAO brought high technical skills and Taiwan flavor to the already international scene here. The long weekend events included roof parties, DJ sets, and a roiling, joyful open stage with hotly spit missives that pose and bear witness to life from some of our best rap and hip-hop artists who know the streets and rightly celebrate them. As usual, it’s so local, and so international here in Brooklyn.

Stylistically, the vertical rappellers have taken over NYC these last three years or so, and overnight Thursday, one of the highest focal points was taken over by a wildly striped crew of current visual kings with aesthetic and cultural currency – taking everyone by surprise with a rapid fire battle of styles side by side – see below.

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Allo, Ashley Hodder, Black Zao, Bordallo II, Chris Haven, Dad Father Son, Dae Law, Degrupo, Dzel, EXR, H Kubed, Mad Vaillan, Mendoza, Nick Sweetman, Optimo, Psylent Mushroom, Robert Vargas, Shane, Smoe, Stuo Backup, Werds, and Zach Curtis.

Bordalo II. Detail. Wooden Walls Project. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bordalo II. Detail. Wooden Walls Project. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bordalo II. Detail. Wooden Walls Project. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bordalo II. Detail. Wooden Walls Project. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bordalo II. Wooden Walls Project. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist. Asbury Park, N.J. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dae Law (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Smoe for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SHANE (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DEGRUPO. DZEL. PSYLENT MUSHROOM. MAD VAILLAN. WERDS. EXR. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DEGRUPO. DZEL. PSYLENT MUSHROOM. MAD VAILLAN. WERDS. EXR. DAD FATHER SON. STUO BACKUP. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ALLO. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BLACK ZAO. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ASHLEY HODDER. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
H KUBED. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
GIUSEPPE AMED. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CHRIS HAVEN. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ZACH CURTIS. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ROBERT VARGAS. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NICK SWEETMAN. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MENDOZA CREATES. WIP. The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Upstate, NY. Spring 2026. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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From Beats to Brushes (and Cans): Bushwick Collective Block Party 2025 – Part 1

From Beats to Brushes (and Cans): Bushwick Collective Block Party 2025 – Part 1

Welcome to Part I of II of our photo collection from the 14th Annual Bushwick Collective Block Party. This year’s edition, held on May 31, 2025, brought together a powerful fusion of beats, paint, and community spirit—just the kind of vibrant energy we at BSA love to celebrate.

Capturing the spirit! SEF.01 (photo © Jaime Rojo)


The day’s star performer, hip-hop legend Rakim, set the stage alight with an electrifying set that fused old-school authenticity with Bushwick’s forward-thinking street culture – an intelligent merging of underground and old-school. Sharing the spotlight were dynamic artists Statik Selektah, Gorilla Nems, Termanology, and Evil Dee, among others.

On the mural front, the Block Party again transformed Troutman Street into a living gallery. This year’s visiting muralists included Sef1, Contrabandre, Huetek, Gigstar & Minus One, Tymon de Laat, Ashley Hodder, and Enzo a psychotropic summer stew that again sampled from acrss the graffiti and street art spectrum.

It was a weekend where paint met poetry, beats met brushstrokes, and each corner of Bushwick told a fresh story. We hope these images capture the creative dialogue that unfolded. Stay tuned for Part II, where we continue to explore more of this year’s murals and moments.

SEF.01 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Vargas (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tymon DeLaat (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Some of the personalities who loomed large this year at Bushwich Collective, by HUETEK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CES (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CES. HUETEK. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shane Grammer. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sean Duval Price (March 17, 1972 – August 8, 2015)[1] was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik.[2] He was one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruck, along with partner Rock. Artist Shane Grammer (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shane Grammer. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The God, Rakim, by Contrabandre (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mate. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mate (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Miami Nate (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ashley Hodder (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Zach Curtis (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Zach Curtis. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jerkface (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Patrick McGreggor. Mr. Stash. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Patrick McGreggor. Mr. Stash. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kane (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DepsOne (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DepsOne. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PHD (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Humble (photo © Jaime Rojo)
PHD. Humble. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mustart (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Minhafofa (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CEKIS (photo © Jaime Rojo)
DEK 2DX (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Golden305. Fo Estudio. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Chris Haven (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 08.21.22

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.21.22

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Robert Vargas starts us off this week with a compelling trio of faces, or sides of one character. In each case she has been silenced. “Painting my “STOP” mural is a call to action to stop our #Indigenous sisters from going missing and murdered. The red hand over the mouth is the symbol of a growing movement that stands for all missing sisters whose voices are not heard.”
The streets are speaking. Will we hear them?

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Royce Bannon, Jason Naylor, Praxis, No Sleep, JPO, Le Crue, Hiss, Slow Boil, SKJ 171, Mike 171, D. Brains, Dan Alavarado, Panic Rodriguez, and Robert Vargas.

Robert Vargas (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Le Crue in collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Roycer (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Roycer (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Praxis. Welling Court Mural Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
No Sleep (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Panic Rodriguez. Welling Court Mural Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentifed artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dan Alavarado. Welling Court Mural Project NYC.Panic NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jason Naylor (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jason Naylor (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jason Naylor / JPO (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SKJ_171 / Mike_171, D. Brains. Welling Court Mural Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Slow Boil (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hiss (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Summer 2022. NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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