This year BSA brought you a number of reviews of Street Art related books to consider. Now that it is Christmas / Hannukah / Kwaanza / Solstice / New Year time we thought you would like a brief review of some of the best books of 2015. Enjoy!

Djerbahood/Open-Air Museum Of Street Art

From BSA:

“Djerbahood” Book About Tunisian Open-Air Museum Of Street Art

“Another top rate production from the Galerie Itinerrance in Paris, the book allows you to see most of the 150 or so artists who painted in this largest island of North Africa in Tunisia. Not surprisingly, most of these artists are represented by the gallery and organizer/author Mehdi Ben Cheikh so it is by default a catalog of talents whose studio work is for sale. But this is no mere sales catalog, Fatimah.”

Djerbahood/Open-Air Museum Of Street Art by Mehdi Ben Cheikh. Published by Editions Albin Michel. Paris, 2015.

For more on this book click HERE

Anthony Lister “Adventure Painter” Gingko Press.

From BSA:

The Adventures Of Anthony Lister

“Superhero and Street Artist/painter/contemporary artist Anthony Lister still crushes walls thank you very much. He never left the street actually – he just opened the door to the studio as well. And he lit things on fire in both.

Formally trained, he is one of the few of those much maligned art school kids painting on the street whom some graff heads allow themselves to admire, mostly because he doesn’t seem to give a good f**k. Don’t be mislead – he is a superhero as well as a villain, aesthete as much as vandal, respectful of convention even while shredding it. Anyone watching him work over the last decade will tell you that he cares very much and he is willing to do the heavy intellectual/emotional/physical labor to bring it to another level.”

Anthony Lister “Adventure Painter” Gingko Press.

For more about this book click HERE

Borondo: Memento Mori

From BSA:

Borondo and His Collection of “Memento Mori” (Book)

“By turning the pages you are a part of the research he is undergoing, and you see how he brings to the walls and windows his latest findings. Sometimes the process is additive, other times through subtraction, but Borondo appears to discover along with his audience what lies here.

A Street Artist yes, but one of the many former graffiti writers who are chafing against that term today, perhaps not realizing that their own practice is redefining it. Not only does the work speak to the average passerby in ways we haven’t been thinking of, he is using the context of the decaying wall as further evidence of a life cycle that everyone is a part of.”

Memento Mori is produced and coedited by Chiara Caprasecca and Chiara Pietropaoli and published by Yard Press.

For more on this book click HERE

Graffiti South Africa by Cale Waddacor.

From BSA:

Graffiti South Africa, The Book

“Arranged by three main areas of Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, you even get a helpful map to help you appreciate the relative distance between them and the higher concentrations of writers in each – Graffiti South Africa gives a rather thorough overview of the scene, its players, and its history. The first book by the founder of the website by the same name, he has collected many images and interviews with artists from the early days as well as some of the newer ones, striking a balance in a widely varied scene that leans heavily toward graff vernacular while trying to incorporate the burgeoning street art scene as well.”

Graffiti South Africa by Cale Waddacor available from Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

For more on this book click HERE

Street Art Santiago by Lord K2

From BSA:

Street Art Santiago : A Captivating Look and Insightful Read

“Using his own sense of discovery and a reporters’ tenacity for uncovering the story, Lord K2 (David Sharabani) scopes the walls for riveting images and first person accounts, digging below the obvious to present economic and social data along with a historical context of murals and their role in political life up to today.

Street Art Santiago adeptly draws connections between the quality of life, a lack of social mobility, and the soulful persistence of artists on the street who interpret the Santiago scene as one with its own distinct voice.

“The graffiti in Chile is mutating. We don’t want to paint graffiti from the Bronx anymore. We want to paint what reflects our Latin roots,” says Wend.”

Street Art Santiago by Lord K2. Schiffer Publishing. Atglen, PA. 2015

For more about this book click HERE

C215. La Monographie. Éditions Albin Michel. Paris 2015

From BSA:

The Genius of C215 In One Storied Tome : La monographie

“On the street and in the studio this guy has pretty much mastered the art of stencils over the last decade in a way that makes the medium have a human depth; something that few can do. He manages to give his subjects a character, revealing even the soul of his subjects in the lines on their faces, bringing life in their eyes. A proud and tormented fellow who honors art history as much as the suffering of people today, this is a talent that is fully engaged in the modern world.”

C215 La Monographie / The Monograph. Éditions Albin Michel. Paris 2015

For more on this book click HERE

Ein Wandblatt Aus Wien. Issue Nr. 3: Erotik Edition. Zine. Irga Irga Crew. July 2015.

From BSA:

Ein Wandblatt Aus Wien Issue #3: Erotik Edition

We’re always happy to see hand-made publications, especially when they are made by artists and collectives. For their 3rd edition, Ein Wandblatt Aus Wien have decided their theme is “Erotik”. With multiple contributions from fellow graffitti / Street Artists, you can see a few recurring themes amongst the figurative pieces. Included are some three dimensional pieces and many shots of favorite artworks on the street, which will apparently conjure erotik type feelings for certain folks.

To order a copy of Issue Nr. 3 of  Ein Wandblatt Aus Wien: Erotik Edition click HERE

For more about this book click HERE

Søren Solkær: Surface

From BSA:

Søren Solkær: “Surface” Reveals What’s Below

“ ‘At first it seemed like a closed community, but one artist would lead me to the next and before I knew it, I had entered into an amazing new world – a very tight knit community of artists, many of which live like creative nomads.,’ says photographer Soren Solkaer in the foreward to his new collection called Surface. A three year project that has led the Dane to 13 cities capturing 140 artists whose practice lies along the graffiti-Street Art continuum is a revelation on many levels – who knew that you could convince so many of these undomesticated ferocious coyotes to pose? Who would have guessed that they would agree to be in staged photographs as well?”

Søren Solkær: Surface published by Gingko Press.

For more about this book click HERE

4661m² Art In Prison . Malik . Claude Luethi. Niggli Imprint. Zurich.

From BSA

Malik and “Note” Bring 17 Street Artists to a Swiss Prison: “4661m2″

“Initiated by Aarau-based graffiti/street/fine artist Malik in May of 2012, the project eventually corralled 17 Street Artists, all but one from Switzerland, to enter the confines of the new high security Lenzburg Prison to paint murals on exterior walls, courtyards, hallways, and common areas.

‘I was looking for a new challenge and a new and exciting project where I could show my art,’ says Malik and while the 18 month project originated with his vision of getting a nice wall for himself, quickly the project grew far beyond his expectations to become an educational, sociological meditation on the penal system, the appropriate role of art within it, and our collective humanity.”

4661m² Art In Prison . Malik . Claude Luethi. Niggli Imprint. Zurich.

For more about this book click HERE

Shepard Fairey. Cover To Overt. Rizzoli, New York 2015

From BSA:

Shepard Fairey: “Covert To Overt” Book and Show in London

“Chronicling the last 6 years or so of murals, wheatpastes, shows, screen prints, posters, collaborations and art products that Fairey has brought to the fore, “Covert to Overt” is also chock-full of endorsements and analysis of his work’s impact from people who he’s met along the way like Jello Biafra to Neil Young to Pedro Alonzo, Russell Brand and D*Face.

Sean Bonner recounts a night wheatpasting with the Street Artist and the personal ruminations that can surface when sharing such bonding covert behavior, ‘We talked about small actions that can have huge impacts. Writing a song. Telling someone about a band. Creating an image that makes people ask questions. Simple actions that can change the world.’ “

Shepard Fairey. Cover To Overt. Rizzoli, New York 2015

For more on this book click HERE

Ella & Pitr “Baiser d’Encre” (=”Ink kisses”) France 2015.

Ella & Pitr “Baiser d’Encre” (=”Ink kisses”). France 2015

For more about this book click HERE