All posts tagged: Shepard Fairey

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.26.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.26.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Optimo NYC on the Houston wall yo! Born and bred, a true New Yorker, and deserving of this wall after paying dues for years. Why does this wall sometimes look better when curated by the street? The holy chaos that reigns here is the pure DNA of the city, unbossed and unbought.

This week the street art is fresh! Never mind the proxy wars, the exploding trains, the 30% YOY drop in 401Ks, the transitory inflation that wasn’t, the Chinese spy balloons that weren’t, the Nordstream 2, the effort to privatize Social Security, the polarization that is encouraged by the media, and the increasing difficulty of New Yorkers to pay the bills… we still have a lot of extraordinary artists, and they are profligate! Also, we have Flaco, the Central Park owl fugitive, and his adorable ear tufts.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Shepard Fairey, Sticker Maul, Modomatic, Bad Brains, NYC Kush Co, Optimo NYC, Pest AC, Valentin Vewer, Holly Sims, Eternal Possessions, Cloudy is Here, and Gosup.

Optimo NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Optimo NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gosup (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cloudy is Here (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cloudy is Here (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
NYC Kush Co (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eternal Possesions (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Holly Sims (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey’s tribute to Bad Brains from a photograph by Glen F. Friedman in collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sticker Maul (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Valentin Vewer (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Valentin Vewer (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pest AC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pest AC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pest AC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pest AC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pest AC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Wynwood Walls 2022 – Wynwood, Miami

Wynwood Walls 2022 – Wynwood, Miami

“A splash of color” is how many local news programs nationally brightened people’s day at the end of an episode with a local art segment in the last decade. More often than not, they were talking about new murals going up around town, or more specifically, in a moribund business district that needed some foot traffic. The camera pans to catch massive murals of bright posies and a closeup of a paint-splattered ponytailed Picasso in overalls perched high atop a cherry picker.

Dulk. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here in Wynwood Walls the crowds were coursing in the midst of the splash between Christmas and New Years Day, an outdoor art gallery exhibit that allows a family to enjoy the mural movement with confined fences and personal tour guides. Free of politics essentially and pumped full of visual stimulation, the side-by-side murals from an international roster prove excellent backdrops for selfies and safe enjoyment by everyone from the stroller set to blue-haired family royalty.  This is more than just a splash of color; this is a specifically focused kaleidoscope of images that give one view of the current scene away from the wild untamed streets, created for guests to have an entertaining afternoon and possibly see a street art hero.

While you are here, check out the current exhibit in the gallery with Hebru Brantley, or a collection of unrelated canvasses in the Goldman Global Arts store. Naturally, you’ll want to exit through the gift shop.

Bicicleta Sem Freio. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bicicleta Sem Freio. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bicicleta Sem Freio. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bicicleta Sem Freio. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Drik The Villain channeling Tron and Styx for this layering of the past/future. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hebru Brantley on cloud nine perhaps at Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hebru Brantley inside the compound. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mikael B. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mikael B. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lelin Alves. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lelin Alves. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jessie and Katey. Detail. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jessie and Katey. Detail. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jessie and Katey. Detail. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Millo. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Millo. Wynwood Walls 2022. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For Wynwood Walls schedule of events, hours of operation, ticket prices, and directions click HERE

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“City As Canvas”. Artists Panel Celebrates LISA Project NYC

“City As Canvas”. Artists Panel Celebrates LISA Project NYC

Celebrating Ten Years

New York has seen its share of people jumping into and out of the Street Art scene over the last couple of decades, and only a few have had the staying power of the non-profit org L.I.S.A. Project. Run by two guys who live on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Wayne Rada and Rey Rosa, L.I.S.A. has brought several international street artists to private walls in Little Italy, Chinatown, and their environs.

Shepard Fairey (photo© Jaime Rojo)
Tristan Eaton (photo© Jaime Rojo)

Big fans and collectors of street art themselves, the guys have hustled to get walls, lifts, and paint for artists they are fans of and some of the newcomers on the scene. Call it a private/public initiative that has steadily given artists opportunities and the locals one more reason to chuckle at the selfie-taking tourists who make this town tick.

Jorit (photo© Jaime Rojo)

Tonight to make the 10th anniversary and their new print program, L.I.S.A. Project joins with urban art clearinghouse West Chelsea Contemporary to host a panel featuring artists Crash, Daze, curator and graffiti expert Sean Corcoran, moderated by culture critic and curator Carlo McCormick. The doors are open at 6, and the talk begins promptly at 6:30.

Participating artists within the first series include Ron English, Indie184, John “CRASH” Matos x Chris “DAZE” Ellis, and Shepard Fairey.

The silkscreen editions are printed by Gary Lichtenstein Editions and published by W.C.C. Editions. 

West Chelsea Contemporary 231 10th Avenue New York, NY 10011

Shepard Fairey, Ron English, John “CRASH” Matos x Chris “DAZE” Ellis and Indie184. (Image courtesy of The L.I.S.A. Project N.Y.C.)
Ron English. “Temper Tot Tramples Guernica”” (image courtesy of The L.I.S.A. Project N.Y.C.)
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BSA Film Friday: 10.28.22

BSA Film Friday: 10.28.22

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. Shepard Fairey – The Intersection of Art and Music
2. La Fuite – Pantonio. Via Street Art Fest Grenoble – Alpes 2022
3. Iran’s anti-Hijab protests enter 5th Week

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BSA Special Feature: Shepard Fairey – The Intersection of Art and Music

It’s an advertisement for something but Shepard’s recollections of making the connection between art and music, specifically between the punk era and its effect on his creatively formative years, go a long way to illustrate his recurring themes and aesthetic. Interesting that the title is part of a Sound and Vision series, the same theme that is currently running through Faile’s work at their new club downtown, Deluxx Fluxx; “an immersive visual and audial art space and arcade”.

Shepard Fairey – The Intersection of Art and Music – Via Syng

La Fuite – Pantonio. Via Street Art Fest Grenoble – Alpes 2022

A gentle flickering flyby of “The Flight” by Pantonio for the Street Art Fest Grenoble in the Alps.

“Escape or think about the moment a single gesture changed direction,” says Pantonio.”When resistance collaborates in the opposite direction. Each one with his poetry or his determination”

Directed by Olivier Ruggiu Video Assistant: Yannis Lefrançois Drone by Olivier Ruggiu, Images by Oliver Ruggiu.

Iran’s anti-Hijab protests enter 5th Week

In the category of art in the streets, free speech, and protest; We focus on the fifth week of widespread anti-Hijab protests that continue to rock Iran amid the rising calls for the country’s leadership to step down. Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei has now issued a warning to the protesters- as he speaks to largely audiences of men, while the protesters are, in the majority, women.

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“Make Art Not War”; Recreating a Fairey Mural & Helping Ukrainians in Gainseville, Florida

“Make Art Not War”; Recreating a Fairey Mural & Helping Ukrainians in Gainseville, Florida

Visionary Fam, a team of local artists from Gainesville, Florida, have completed a new mural by street artist Shepard Fairey, thanks to an initiative by local street art curator Irina Kanishcheva. The native of Lviv, Ukraine, has been looking for an opportunity to express solidarity with Ukrainians during the current war with Russia. With Fairey’s imprimatur, the team recreated one of his recent classic designs, now interpreted with the yellow and blue Ukrainian national colors.

Jah Seck helps with the execution of Shepard Fairey’s Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)

It’s a straight-forward project; create art that shows solidarity on a wall donated by local business owner Scott Shillington of The Top, and keep the conversation going. They even raised three thousand dollars to send to folks there, thanks to Irina’s homemade borscht and vodka drinks. It’s good to see small groups come together to make a change – that’s the best way to circumvent the powerful interests who sometimes are making a profit off the fire, in fact who may be the arsonists.

Visionary Fam team executes Shepard Fairey’s Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Julia Monteiro helps with the execution of Shepard Fairey’s Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Shepard Fairey. Detail. Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Shepard Fairey. Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Shepard Fairey. Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Group shot. Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
Shepard Fairey. Make Art Not War mural in collaboration with Monochronicle for the Can Art Help Fight a War project. Gainesville, Florida. (photo © Charles Alan Rye)
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Robbie Conal: Politics & Blasphemy, Streetwise Caricatures for 3+ Decades

Robbie Conal: Politics & Blasphemy, Streetwise Caricatures for 3+ Decades

The political caricature is a treasured form of public discourse that still holds as much power as it did when we relied on the printing press. Able to express sentiment and opinion without uttering a syllable, the artist can sway the direction of conversation with skill, insight, and humor. Artist Robbie Conal has built a career from visually roasting the most sebaceous of our various leaders in the last few decades, often bringing his posters to the street and installing them in advertisers’ wildposting manner.

With the briefest of texts, slogans, or twisted nicknames, he reveals the underbelly as a face, dropping expectations into the sewer. If it were as simple as a political party, one might try to dismiss his work as only partisan. But Conal’s work functions more as an ex-ray, and frequently the resulting scan finds cancer.

In this newer book by author G. James Daichendt, EdD, who has written previously about Kenny Scharf and Shepard Fairey and in The Urban Canvas: Street Art Around the World (Weldon Owen, 2017), Conal is thoroughly recorded, examined, and explained. A street artist, among many other things, Daichendt calls Conal an “LA fixture and someone who is universally respected for the passion and vitality that he has brought to his work as an artist and teacher for several decades.”

Chapters of Conal’s interests and opinions are thoughtfully compiled and laid out, the artist seemingly never out of a fresh supply of political figures to skewer. As an object lesson, his practice is what draws him near and dear to the part of the street art community who uses the streets to communicate, advocate, and rebuke the hypocrisies in culture and politics


“I vividly remember the first time I saw Robbie Conal’s art because it felt like the exact thing I was meant to see but didn’t realize it until I experienced it,” says Shepard Fairey in his foreword. In his description, one can see that this artist has influenced Fairey, among others, but particularly.

“From that moment of discovering Robbie’s work forward, I had a clearer vision of what art could be… A poster on a corner utility box caught my eye … it was an image of Ronald Reagan on a bright yellow background with bold type that said CONTRA above and DICTION below. Then, a block later, I spotted another one. Now I was on the lookout, and the Contra-Diction posters seemed to be on every corner,” Fairey says. “This Contra-Diction poster spoke to me as a communiqué from a truthful voice of the people.”

High praise indeed.

ROBBIE CONAL / STREETWISE. 35 YEARS OF POLITICALLY CHARGED GUERRILLA ART. By G. James Daichendt. With a foreword by Shepard Fairey. Published by Schiffer Publishing LTD. Atglen, PA

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There Goes the Djerbahood: Shepard Fairey Arrives in Tunisia

There Goes the Djerbahood: Shepard Fairey Arrives in Tunisia

We have brought you many images and artists from here since The Djerbahood Project began a decade or so ago – with the French Galerie Itinerrance organizers inviting street artists of various styles and influences to this Mediterranean island to transform the public environment, and of course to stoke interest in their artwork. Erriadh is literally an open air gallery, with over a hundred works filling this two-thousand year old village. Today we bring you new installations of works by Shepard Fairey, whose graphic geometries and pop colorways contrast sharply with the sun-drenched walls and small streets.  

Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)
Shepard Fairey. Djerbahood. A Project of Itinerrance Gallery. Hara Sghira Er Riadh, Tunisia (photo © Lionel-Belluteau)

Click HERE to learn more about Djerbahood.

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Character Witness

Character Witness

Sometimes it is a talisman who is having adventures on the behalf of an artist, a part of him/herself who stays behind and watches the area.

At other times it is a character seen through a mirror, an alter-ego who represents a fictional part of their inner world who has been set free onto the street to interact. It may be a branding element, a logo, or signature that lays claim to the artwork it is attached to. By itself it is often a form of marking territory; a practice begun by graffiti writers decades ago.

Aiko (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Whether it is a symbol or a figure, it is undoubtedly a personification of some part of the artists id, one that is so individual that you can spot it from a distance and if you are a fan, you’ll smile in recognition.

Many street artists have a discernable style, that is true; a hand-style, a recurrent motif, color palette, a topic that reappears, a technique of application, even a likely location in the urban landscape where they are most likely to appear.

Of that number, fewer have developed a character or a motif so well defined in our minds that it can stand alone, but we have found a few over the decades. Each is imbued with memory, with place, with personality, with character.

And, as ever, we are witness.

Aiko (photo © Jaime Rojo)
City Kitty (photo © Jaime Rojo)
City Kitty (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dark Clouds (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dark Clouds (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Katsu (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Katsu (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kaws (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Little Ricky (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Little Ricky (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Matt Siren (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Matt Siren (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Michael Defeo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Michael Defeo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Oculo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Oculo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stickman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stickman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stik (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stik in collaboration with LA2 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sweet Toof (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sweet Toof (photo © Jaime Rojo)
UFO 907 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
UFO 907 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Shepard Fairey Considers  “Strategies for a Revolution” in Rome

Shepard Fairey Considers “Strategies for a Revolution” in Rome

Starting the year with “Strategies for a Revolution”, Shepard Fairey exhibits in Italy at Wunderkammern.

Contemporary society is so subsumed into the corporate model that street artist/fine artist Shepard Fairey still appears revolutionary in his basic demands for equity, dignity, and justice.

Shepard Fairy. American Rage. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)

Thirty plus years have evolved his language of propaganda into a signature amalgam of Russian constructivist, punk rage, the so-called underground, and an evermore refined eye for high-note linework and ornate graphic patterning. Here in Milan, the Wunderhammern similarly have an eye for the finer sensibilities, after curating many primary and secondary street artists in the last 10+ years on community murals and in gallery exhibits; and have been financially successful enough at it to open this new second location in Via Giulia, auspiciously welcoming Fairey into this not-so-brave new Covid-bashed world.

Embracing his visual language and socially political wit, “Strategies” includes a series of unpublished works selected by Shepard, a review of the themes that resonate most now in this context personally and generally. It’s a good time to gaze at the messages, the art of delivery, the tenor of these works – all while assessing this time that feels like a turning. A re-set. A time no doubt that will include revolution. 

Shepard Fairy. Justice Woman. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. Louder than a bomb. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. No future (RED). “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. Radical Peace (BLUE). “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. Revolution in our time. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. Sonic firestorm. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)
Shepard Fairy. Eyes Open. “Strategies for a revolution” at Wunderkammern Gallery. Rome, Italy. (photo courtesy of Wunderkammern Gallery)

Shepard Fairey (OBEY)

 Strategies for a revolution

 Via Giulia 180, Roma

29 January – 22 February 2022

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Shepard Fairey Says “Invent Your Future” in Miami’s Little Haiti

Shepard Fairey Says “Invent Your Future” in Miami’s Little Haiti

Leave it to Shepard Fairey to tell you that he’s not too cool for school. The anti-establishment critic of corruption and hypocrisy throughout our history and our political system still knows that we have to have tools if we want to make a positive change.

It’s a shame that the dropout rate for many schools is high, and that many schools don’t have the resources needed to effectively encourage and train students for the future. But the LA-based street artist knows that by holding up role models and celebrating positive contributions to culture, his murals can have a positive impact on the next gen.

Shepard Fairey. “Invent Your Future”. Little Haiti, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here next to the track behind Miami Edison Senior High School in the neighborhood of Little Haiti, Fairey says “We all play a role in shaping the future, but high school is an especially important time in developing the tools to mold it.” He’s describing the new mural incorporating his graphic signature motifs, powerful personalities, and palette – including a fresh aqua that calls to mind the tropical connections between this neighborhood and the island from whence it gets its name.

Shepard Fairey. “Invent Your Future”. Little Haiti, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Thanks to a program that has worked with the schools in the neighborhood for nearly a decade called The RAW Project, founded by Robert de los Rios and his partner Audrey Sykes, this mural joins many others by local and international street artists near here. Recent names on the roster inside and outside local halls of higher learning include Eric Skotnes, Jazz Guetta, Kai, Kevin Ledo, Sandra Chevalier, Hyland Mather, The Lost Object, Telmo Miel, Marina Capdavila, Mr. June, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, Patrick Kane McGregor, and Wayne Horse.

As ever, Shepard had his sharpest hands on the can with him as his brilliant crew in Miami, including Dan Flores, Nic Bowers, Rob Zagula, and Luka Densmore.

Shepard Fairey. “Invent Your Future”. Little Haiti, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Faile at GGA with BSA – Miami Art Week Marches On

Faile at GGA with BSA – Miami Art Week Marches On

Get in, get out, no one gets hurt. Our few days in Miami were full of adventure on the street and at parties and receptions for artists. The party rages on tonight and this weekend at the fairs and in the galleries and bars and streets of course, but our last events were interviewing Faile onstage at Wynwood Walls last night, going to the Museum of Graffiti 2nd Anniversary party/opening for FUZI, and, well there was this thing with Shepard Fairey and Major Lazer and a guy proposing marriage to his girl before the crowd…

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

But really, where else but Wynwood do you see Blade and his lovely wife Portia on the street, or sit with Ron English and his son Mars on folding chairs directly on the street in front of his new pop-up, or have a hug with ever-sunny Elle in front of her lift, or hide in the shade with seven 1UP dudes across the street from their massive new space piece, or talk with Ket in the back yard with “Style Wars” playing on a large screen behind him and the DJ while a florescent colored Okuda marches by, or chase Lamour Supreme while he tries a one-wheel skateboard around a parking lot, nearly crashing into Crash who is in his cherry picker with Abstrk painting a wall? The dinner at Goldman Properties Monday night? Dude.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (screengrab courtesy of Wynwood Walls)

We’re not really name-droppers, you know that, but honestly it was like a family reunion dinner with perfectly punctilious attention to detail over at Wynwood Walls this week – after two years of Covid fears killing everyone’s buzz. We saw Daze, Shoe, PichiAvo, Bordalo II, Jonone, Shepard Fairey, 1Up, Add Fuel, Case MacClaim, Nychos, Faile, Martha Cooper, Nika Kramer, Mantra, Ken Hiratsuka just to name a few – cavorting with collectors, cultural workers, fanboys, journalists, bloggers, academics, critics, bankers, gallerists, curators, museum people, real estate folks, photographers, dancers, silk climbing aerialists and hustlers of many flavors – and all the class of ’21 artists whom Jessica Goldman invited to paint this year. A Miami mélange, we’ll call it.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (screengrab courtesy of Charlotte Pyatt)

We were even having dinner with Martha when a local stencilist named Gregg Rivero sat in an empty chair at the table with us to offer an array of small stencil works featuring graphically pornographic scenes – to choose from as a memento of Miami indubitably. Naturally, we carefully perused his entire collection of 20 or so spread-eagles, doggie-styles, Shanghai-swans, Mississippi-missionaries, Dutch-doors, bobbing-for-sausages, and lord-knows-what-else. After careful consideration and we each selected a favorite stencil and he autographed it. Just not sure what room to hang it in…

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (screengrab courtesy of Wynwood Walls)

Our treasured part of the Miami art vortex ’21 was meeting some BSA fans and Faile fans mixed together at the artist talk hosted by Peter Tunney at GGA Gallery last night. An action-packed hour of pictures covering their 35 year friendship was on offer for the assembled – focused mainly of course on their 22 year professional career. What an amazing career of image-making it is too – and even though we were prepared, there are always surprises with such dynamic dudes who have parlayed an illegal street art career into a well-respected and pretty high profile career with intense collectors and fans of their simplest silk screens and works on paper to their wood puzzle boxes, wood paintings, toys, ripped paintings, and their very new, completely radical approach that breaks their own mold for this “Endless” exhibition. And need we say it, Faile have already released a number of NFTs of course – which some in the audience didn’t know that Faile had – but could have guessed since Faile pioneered interactive digital games that accompanied their analog works as early as 2010 when most people still didn’t even have a smart phone.

But we digress. Back in New York now and it’s grey and cold and unwelcoming, and of course we love it. Thanks Miami! See you soon.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The image below was taken in Wynwood, Miami. At the panel, with Faile, they talked about the process of making their art and one of the subjects was about ripping up posters from the street…. – and how their original name was Alife. Two blocks away we found these ripped posters advertising Alife.

Faile. Endless. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile. Endless. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile. Endless. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile. Endless. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile. Endless. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile. Endless. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

FAILE: ENDLESS is currently on view at Goldman Global Arts Gallery at Wynwood Walls. Wynwood, Miami.

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Print Release Today with OBEY! Martha Remixed by Shepard Courtesy BSA and UN

Print Release Today with OBEY! Martha Remixed by Shepard Courtesy BSA and UN

Today at 10:00 AM PDT Shepard Fairey will release his newest print and collaboration with Martha Cooper, “People’s Discontent”. Shepard’s long friendship with Martha has brought several collaborations throughout the years with Shepard remixing some of Martha’s most iconic photos from her Street Play series from the mid-’70s. The print already saw its European release in Berlin last Friday, October 30th at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin with us and Martha in attendance.

Martha Cooper poses with the print “People’s Discontent” in front of the original artwork by Shepard Fairey on display at the “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” retrospective exhibition at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

“I teamed up with my good friend and documentary photographer, Martha Cooper, on a new print release called “People’s Discontent.” Martha Cooper has been photographing creative kids in action on city streets since the mid-1970s. I remixed one of Martha’s iconic photos from her book, Street Play, titled “Hitchhiking a Bus on Houston Street” that she shot in 1978 in the Lower East Side of New York City. There was no advertisement on the back of the bus in her original photo, and since disco was the rage in the late ’70s, I thought it made sense for me to add a disco radio station with the slogan, “Listen To The Sounds of People’s Disco.” I added the “DISCO-ntent” and the spraypaint can in the kid’s hand as if he sprayed that on there. It’s a nod to that era but also to what’s going on now with the unrest around social justice issues.”

“This limited edition print was first released through Urban Nation Museum in Berlin as part of their current show “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” curated by Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington of Brooklyn Street Art and will soon be up on my website this Thursday at 10 AM PT. Check it out!”
– Shepard Fairey

The stage is all set for the European release of the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Mr. Markus Terboven, Co-Managing Director & Director at Gewobag introduces the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Dr. Hans-Michael Brey, vice chairman of the non-profit foundation Berliner Leben at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
The audience in attendance listens to the speech given by Dr. Hans-Michael Brey, vice chairman of the non-profit foundation Berliner Leben at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Martha Cooper, Steven P. Harrington, and Jaime Rojo speak at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “Peoples Disconten’t” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Still image of Shepard Fairey speaking to the audience via video at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Martha Cooper explains the nature, context, and history of the original image used by Shepard for the remix at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Martha Cooper signed copies of the print for a brief period of time for the lucky fans in attendance at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)
Martha Cooper signed copies of the print for a brief period of time for the lucky fans in attendance at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

To purchase a copy of the print click HERE and if sold out click HERE.

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