BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
All posts tagged: Shepard Fairey
Images of Week 01.10.10 BSA Miami Part II
January 11, 2010
Artists, Miami, On the Street, Primary Flight
This week we show you part two of Miami Street Art, begun last week here.
Barry McGee took an old gas station and created a retrospective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Classic portrait in his illustrative style by Barry McGee (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Askew (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Askew (detail)(photo © Jaime Rojo)
Michael DeFeo sprouted resplendent in that warm tropical climate (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dabs and Myla (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)
EWOK took it to another level (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pose (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Wildly twisting lollipop treatment - Reyes (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tristan Eaton (photo © Jaime Rojo)
See more about Tristan Eaton’s piece “Wild Beauty” HERE
Tristan Eaton (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)
REVOK (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The London Police, Galo and Jim Darling (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The London Police, Galo and Jim Darling (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The London Police, Galo and Jim Darling (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Push - it's like JMR with a ruler (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A Street Tribute to Francis Bacon, complete with gold foil chair (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Images of Week 01.03.10
January 3, 2010
Artists, BSA Images Of The Week, Miami, Week in Images
BSA: Miami
We start 2010 with a bag of sea-shells and this bounty of inspiring Street Art images from warm sunny Miami – which was a break from the bitter coldness of BK for a bit. Heartfelt gratitude to Typoe for showing us what’s up and who, together with a dude named Books, has built the one-of-a-kind Primary Flight show on the streets of Miami’s Wynwood District over the past three years during Art Basel.
With a vision that speaks to the next decade of public art, these guys have coordinated with local businesses, galleries, graff/street artists, and the City of Miami to clear the way for what is turning into a global gallery on the street. Without self-aggrandizing rhetoric, these peeps are developing a model for building an art scene while keeping the edge and encouraging experimentation. So far the “collection” doesn’t risk the blanding that can happen when bureaucrats, committees, or self-appointed art critics insert themselves, or when corporate sponsors commodify the spirit.
It’s worth mentioning that this is just one more case of artists revitalizing abandoned blighted areas of the urban landscape, of their own volition, with grit, determination, and vision.
During a whirlwind tour last week of Primary Flight sites (and many others who have jumped into the game) we witnessed a diverse, energetic mix of graff, old-school, art school, graphic design, sculpture, illustration, surrealism… all part of the developing Street Art vocabulary that we’re witnessing in Brooklyn and NYC at large. Thanks to Typoe and Giovana for their kind hospitality and insight.
We hope you enjoy the Dade County Bounty: a past and present explosion of art on the streets of Miami.
- One stunning example of what’s happening – this female form is answered with a male counterpart further down the street (J. Robles) (photo © Jaime Rojo)
- Yes, it’s all aerosol, friends. (J. Robles) (detail) (photo © Jaime Rojo)
- Evils does a Medusa on an 3 sided block-long wall completely covered with new pieces (photo © Jaime Rojo)
- Retna and Mac’s ’08 entry still stands on a massive wall – using a self-developed symbol library that functions as an alphabet. Typoe says certain people can read it. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
- Retna and Mac (detail) – the circular fine line patterning on the boy in this piece was accomplished by keeping the cans in an ice cooler – and fine can control of course. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Primary Flight Update: We Have Lift-Off
December 2, 2009
Artists, Events, Miami, Primary Flight
A roster of 80 artists are participating in this years Primary Flight exhibition in Miami – which officially starts tonight. Last night preparations and discussions about the walls and the logistics began before the fans and otherwise curious folks show up.
In attendance in the empty lots and barren walls were Shepard Fairey, Kaws, and Ron English, each scoping out the size of their assignments.
- A big pile of clamp lights in the empty lot augur some action for the cameras to come from Ron English
Shep will be smacking up a 200′ by 20′ tall wall, which seems pretty large. But what will he put there, that’s what I wanna know. Maybe it will be related to the pro-gay marriage “Love Unites” posters he did for a fundraiser last month.
- Shepard Fairey makes a point with Kaws and an identified person.
Thanks to Logan Hicks for the pics!
And if you are there they have a totally fun and off the hooker opening with a couple people you may have heard of. Thanks but I just washed my hair…
Interview: Inside the “The Thousands” and Swoon’s lock box with Michael “RJ” Rushmore
After spending most of 2009 in preparation, Michael “RJ” Rushmore is one week from the opening of “The Thousands”, a retrospective survey covering artists of the last few decades that led to what we’re calling “Street Art” today.
Nick Walker for The Thousands (courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
As editor and author of the popular blog Vandalog, RJ has been taking readers on a tour of the Street Art scene from his unique perspective. Encouraged by his father, an avid and prodigious collector of street art, the recent high school graduate has labored for much of the last 5 months to pull together this show – reaching out to artists, collectors, authors, publishers, you name it.
When RJ first told us about his idea for a “pop-up” show in London, we thought it would be a small affair with perhaps one or three of the larger names and examples of work in an inflatable shop on cobblestone streets. But like so many young people energized by the excitement garnered in an exploding new movement, RJ has worked feverishly to grow this show into what he hopes will set a standard.
More inside looks at this Swoon Box below (courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
A tribute to his dedication and sincere regard for the work and the artists, “The Thousands” will feature many of the antecedent contributors (or pioneers) to the scene (Jenny Holzer, Blek le Rat, Futura 2000) as well as the better known artists that have come to symbolize the current explosion that began in the first half of this decade (Swoon, Banksy, Shepard Fairey) and many others of equal interest.
As if throwing a show of this scope was not enough RJ also created a book to accompany the show, published by Drago, one of the few small presses that have seriously and knowledgeably documented the growth of the graffiti-to-street art scene. With dedication, focus, and maturity, RJ navigates the back alleys and side-streets to bring this show in the heart of London to fruition.
Skewville from “The Thousands” (courtesy Drago press)
Brooklyn Street Art: What sparked your interest in curating this show of Street Art? How did the whole process start?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: I think it was an idea that I’d had brewing in the back of my mind for a while, but I wasn’t taking it seriously until last January when I met with another street art blogger who proposed a similar idea about a having a street art retrospective. Eventually, we went our separate ways and I continued to develop the exhibition further. This is the show that a major museum should put on, but so far nobody has, and I hope that The Thousands helps to change that.
Brooklyn Street Art: “The Thousands” – is this a reference to the rise in this new wave of street art since 2000?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: While probably 95% of the show is work from the last ten years, that isn’t where I got the name. It’s probably a more succinct explanation though.
The show’s title comes from a short story by Daniel Alarcón called “The Thousands”. The story is about this community that is built by society’s outcasts and dreamers and they build their city out of the discarded and disused materials of the city they used to live in. So that reminded me of street art and the street art community.
Veng from Robots Will Kill featured in “The Thousands” from his piece at the Mark Batty Urban Arts Fest in Brooklyn last month (courtesy Drago)
Brooklyn Street Art: Are most of the pieces in the show privately owned?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: Yes. More than 2/3rds of the artwork comes from private collections. I wanted this to be as much like a museum show as possible, almost a pop-up museum, and the way to do that is fill the show with amazing pieces from private collections.
The process of finding work has at some times been a challenge because I don’t know every street art collector in England, but it’s also been a unique opportunity to view some truly spectacular collections.
Chris Stain will be represented in “The Thousands” (photo Jaime Rojo)
Brooklyn Street Art: What piece surprised the hell out of you?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: I’m saving pictures of this particular piece until after opening night, because I want people to come into the gallery not knowing exactly what to expect, but Roa’s piece is very cool and different. When Roa was in London recently, we spoke about his piece for The Thousands. He told me to wait and to trust him, that it was something special, so I did. Then he sent me the jpegs and I was definitely surprised. All I will say for now is that the piece is on venetian blinds.
Brooklyn street artists Faile will be in “The Thousands” (courtesy Drago)
Brooklyn Street Art: The show also has a handsome book to accompany it. What was the experience of putting it together?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: Everybody at Drago, my publisher, has been extremely supportive of the show and the book. I would even say that Paulo, Drago’s founder and head guy, was the first person to actually believe that The Thousands was going to happen and not be a complete train wreck. So working with them has been good fun. But the process of putting together a book in such a short amount of time was very stressful and even led to a few days of working 12 hours straight on the layout and design.
The best part about the reading book was also my favorite thing about putting it together. The book is split into sections, and most sections cover one artist. Since everything was already organized by artist, I was able to get a number of other artists and art world personalities to write about their friends and favorite artists. For example, Know Hope has written about Chris Stain and Elbow-toe has written a piece on Veng.
A hand-made box by Brooklyn street artist Swoon that will be in “The Thousands” (courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
Brooklyn Street Art: The Swoon Box for “The Thousands”; Did she construct the box herself or was it a found box that she then later decorated?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: I’ve never asked Swoon, but I would guess that she constructed the chest. It looks like the wood is salvaged from a bunch of different sources, and the hinges are so mismatched that the lid can’t sit parallel to the walls of the box.
Swoon lock box (top detail)
Brooklyn Street Art: It could be a time capsule, or a lock box of mementos and inspiring objects. What do you think?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: Right now, I think of it more like a lock box, but 15, 20, 30 years from now… the meaning will probably change with time as street art and Swoon become more or less important. Maybe one day Swoon will be written about in art history books and the box will be seen in an entirely different light. But at its core, and for my family, it will always see it box as a lock box.
There is this old deerskin chest in my house that my family calls The Treasure Box. It’s been in my dad’s family for generations and dates back to some time in the 1800’s. It’s full of old letters and locks of hair and things like that going all back though more than 100 years of Rushmore family history. My family and I see The Swoon Box as very similar to our Treasure Box, so we will always see The Swoon Box as full of mementos and not just a piece of art history.
Inside the Swoon lock box. (courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
Brooklyn Street Art: What’s your favorite object in the box and can you describe it for us?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: I usually like to get a behind the scenes view of things, so my favorite pieces in the box are the sketches for pieces that eventually became familiar Swoon images. In particular, I think the drawing for Zahra is a favorite. The sketch is beautiful, the end result is one of my all time favorite images by Swoon and I happened to meet Zahra earlier this year as well as her child.
Swoon’s “Zahara” (courtesy of Black Rat Press)
The Zahra sketch is pretty abstract, you can tell that there is a woman, but it’s really rough and seems to be more about the colors than any details about Zahra’s features. Without the image of a rising sun that is in both the sketch and the end result, you wouldn’t even connect the two pieces.
Swoon box has an original sketch for “Bethlehem Boys” (courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
Swoon’s “Bethlehem Boys” as seen on the streets of Bushwick, Brooklyn. (photo Jaime Rojo)
Brooklyn Street Art: If you have a show in ten years called “The Teens”, what do you think we might see in it?
Michael “RJ” Rushmore: What really interests me right now and what I’ve been noticing lately is the continuing fusion of graffiti and street art. In most cities that have graffiti and street art, somebody is trying to merge the two cultures. In London some of those artists are Part2ism, Sickboy, the Burning Candy crew, Kid Acne, ATG crew, Elate and Word To Mother. Maybe that’s just my particular interest, but I’ve heard Pure Evil say that he is seeing something similar.
So if my taste is anything to go by, a decade from now I would like to see a show with classically trained painters showing off their lettering style and hard-core train bombing kings painting with a brush and telling everybody why Lee Quinones is their hero, except we won’t even notice the supposed role reversal I’ve just described.
And of course, since I’ll be nearing 30 years old, I’d want to include some artwork by actual teenagers to help support the next generation of street art/graffiti/whatever we’ll be calling this in ten years time.
What are you looking at? (Swoon courtesy Michael “RJ” Rushmore)
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“The Thousands” features artists Adam Neate, Aiko, Anthony Lister, Armsrock, Banksy, Barry McGee, Bast, Blek le Rat, Burning Candy, Chris Stain, David Ellis, Elbow-toe, Faile, Futura 2000, Gaia, Herakut, Jenny Holzer, José Parlá, Judith Supine, Kaws, Know Hope, Nick Walker, Os Gêmeos, Roa, Sam3, Shepard Fairey, Skewville, Swoon, WK Interact
November 18 “The Thousands” opens
Halloween on the Streets of Brooklyn
October 31, 2009
Artists, Brooklyn, On the Street
Tonight’s forecast: Cloudy with a chance of MONSTERS
From RED HOOK to FarraGUT Road to GRAVESEND to PIGTOWN to SHEEPSHEAD Bay, Brooklyn NYC is going to be spooky tonight.
Happy Halloween from BSA and these street artists!
- Frankenstein is rocking out to “The Monster Mash” (Ink, Dr. Hofmann) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Lips Dripping with excitement and antici-PAY-SHUN (Christian Paine) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- There is no escaping New York Tonight. (Matt Siren) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- A skeleton hand reaches through the fence (General Howe) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- What’s the matter, can’t you talk? Are your lips sewn shut or somthing? (Dr. Hofmann) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- “Do you think we can eat just ONE of the trick-or-treaters, my love? (Cake Charms Nosferatu) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Flower Face Killah!!!!!! (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Welcome to the Sugar Factory! We have many treats for you inside…. (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Yummy! That MILKSNAKE was just what I needed (Chris from Robots Will Kill) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Don’t forget the Village Halloween Parade!
Street Signals 10.10.09
October 10, 2009
Artists
New Train Company Hires Well-Known Street Artists/ Graffiti Artists to Paint Trains
Vandalog Blog Writer Publishes New Book About Upcoming Street Art Show in London: “The Thousands”
- Veng from Robots Will Kill painted this image one week ago in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Now it is going to be in the book “The Thousands”, by RJ Rushmore
Michael “RJ” Rushmore, founder of Vandalog, and bloggy friend of BSA, is still toiling in the fields of street art, turning out an impressive exhibition of street art next month called “The Thousands”, featuring work by some better-known street art names as Faile, Skewville, Banksy, Chris Stain, KAWS, Robots Will Kill, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Herakut, and Barry McGee. To accompany the show RJ has written a cool book called “The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In.” It is so up to date it features an image of Veng’s mural from last weeks MBP Urban Arts Fest! Damn son, those pics travel fast!
Says RJ on his blog “I am ecstatic. This is a street art book with all the artists I’ve always wanted to see in a book together. Plus, it’s not just me writing standard bios for the artists (though there is a bit of that), a lot of the book was written by other contributors. Mike Snelle from Black Rat Press wrote the forward (did you know he is an amazing writer?), Panik ATG wrote about Burning Candy, Know Hope wrote about Chris Stain, Gaia wrote about Know Hope… the list goes on.”
The book is only available on publisher DRAGO’s website right now.
Images of the Week 10.04.09
October 4, 2009
Artists, Brooklyn, BSA Images Of The Week, NYC, On the Street
Our Weekly Interview with the Street
- $469? I can’t pay that much for a sports coat! I just need it for an interview anyway, I’m not going to wear it hardly. (Bast, KRSNA) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- A flash of calf makes me flushed and tingly with excitement (Bishop 203)
(photo Jaime Rojo)
(photo Jaime Rojo)
- Blu at Deitch Studios
(photo Jaime Rojo)
(photo Jaime Rojo)
- Blu (detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Blu (Detail) Please make your rent payments in crisp unmarked one-hundred dollar bills. Sincerely, Acme Landlords Inc. (photo Jaime Rojo)
- An odd little blue tarp that reminds you of those Mexican decorations – Papel Picado. (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- From the International Folk Museum, an example of papel picado
- My heart is so bluuuuuuuuuuue without youuuuuuuuuuuu. (Chris Uphues) (photo Jaime Rojo)
And now, a word from our sponsor. (photo Jaime Rojo)
And now, a word from our sponsor. (photo Jaime Rojo)
- The siege of Obey by lightning and serpents. (Shepard Fairey, Hellbent, Christian Paine) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Blaaaaaaaa! Me hates bad coffee! (Hellbent) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Yeah, this skinny-butt anchor lady said I needed a makeover before I could go on her interview show. I said, “Fine, but I’m not putting out my cigarette.” (Hugh Leeman, Shin Shin, Billi Kid) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- It is our fervent hope that New York never stops being a freakshow. (Matt Siren) (photo Jaime Rojo)
The Dude Company
- Autumn’s bounty of genetically modified apples, and a box of DickChicken McNuglets (Shin Shin, Dick Chicken) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Yep, the leaves are just starting to turn in the Big Apple – a little color in the trees, temperature is a little cool so you might feel a bit frisky in your 70’s shorts now. Sunny day like this is a good time to go running in the park – you never know who you gonna meet. Hopefully, she’s not already taken…
Martha Cooper’s Influence: Inspiration, Imitation, and Flattery
For the silly folks who consider themselves ordained to be critics, the prodigious street art scene in New York just bubbles with possibilities.
One of the favorite criticisms of a street artists’ piece today is its’ lack of originality, whether because it closely resembles the style of anothers’ work already on the street, or because it seems like an outright appropriation. Imitation is not always interpreted as flattery.
It’s a fine line to tread for any creative person – dancer, singer, fashion designer, or stencil artist – when they decide to “pay homage” to the work of another, or merely to love it so much that is serves as an “influence”. One recent discovery on the street by New York street art photographer Jaime Rojo included this wheat-paste of a pretty famous image from the New York photographer, Diane Arbus, smacked onto a bed of tropical flowers by Shin Shin:
Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City (1962), by Diane Arbus. On the right street artist JC2 colors the grenade red. (photo Jaime Rojo)
A quick search of the Arbus image reveals that it has served as inspiration for other street artists here, and here, and here, and here, and even in Spokane! Diane Arbus passed away in 1971 and this is one of her images that has passed through the years into the popular conscience. A case could be made that the image somehow belongs to the people to do with it as they wish, invoking new meanings or recall old ones. Maybe. Ask Che Guevara.
Ready for Anything! Martha Cooper as shot by Jazi Rock
Martha Cooper has been taking pictures for more than fifty years. Yes, you read it right. With a continuously curious mind and sharp eye, Martha Cooper takes photos wherever she goes (including Japan, Afghanistan, Guatemala and Surinam, to name a few), and it is a rare day you will see her without her camera draped around her neck.
Well known in the New York City graffiti and Street Art scene, she’s seen her images in National Geographic, Smithsonian and Natural History Magazines as well as several dozen books and journals. Her photographs of New York’s streets and people are also burned into the minds of thousands; particularly the minds of young artists worldwide who examined their own creative skills after laying their eyes on “Subway Art”, the book she and Henry Chalfant published a quarter century ago. Many have since used Martha’s work as inspiration for their own.
Cooper’s now iconic image of graffiti writer Dondi was the inspiration for the work by Grotesk on the right.
Ms. Cooper is no diva, but she is direct. Well traveled and warm, she smiles and laughs easily when talking with most people, and when the subject is photography, she easily shares her knowledge and opinion with you. In the past few years, a number of artists have been inspired by her work, and while humble, she is proud of the ongoing influence it has had.
Easy173 did a mural (left) based on her photo of Dondi (right) (photos Martha Cooper)
Brooklyn Street Art: How do you feel when your work is appropriated and re-purposed by another artist?
Martha Cooper: I’m flattered the artists are actually looking at my work and liking it well enough to create something new based on it.
This image from “Street Play” by Martha was reinterpreted by Nazza on an LP vinyl. (photo Martha Cooper)
Street artist Chris Stain credits the photography of Ms. Cooper for shaping his own view of art and culture, and her impact can not be overestimated in his view. He has poured over the pages of her books for years and internalized the imagery as well as the messages they convey about urban culture, the hip hop movement, and people.
“Martha’s influence on my work began back in 1984 when I first stole a copy of ‘Subway Art’. Graffiti hadn’t been documented so intimately (except by writers) in my opinion up until this point. I sat for hours day after day studying the photos, turning the book sideways and upside down trying to come up with my own styles.
“Urban Harmony” (upper right) by Chris Stain incorporates 3 of Martha Coopers images into one of his pieces (2 shown here)
Had it not been for her initial documentation I don’t think graffiti or hip hop would be the world wide phenomenon it is today. With the release of ‘Hip Hop Files’ a few years ago I got more of an insight into her photo journalistic work; Once again she was capturing the essence of the birth of a movement.
When I look at those photos today at 37 I feel like I’m 11 years old again. I am met with the same excitement as when I first witnessed them. But more importantly I have the same hope that people can build their dreams out of seemingly nothing.
Chris Stain and Armsrock pose for Martha Cooper in front of some of Chris’s work that was influenced by Martha’s photographs. (photo © Martha Cooper)
I came across ‘Street Play’ and immediately connected with the photographs of kids playing in their neighborhoods. This time I contacted Martha and asked permission to work from some of the pictures. She kindly obliged. Since then I have worked from a number of her photographs.
Her work speaks to me directly not only because she is from Baltimore but because she goes to the “heart” of the matter. Whether its Dondi hanging on and painting in-between subway cars, Ken Swift floor rockin’ at Common Ground, or a child holding his pigeon to the sky on a rooftop, Martha’s work is undeniably not only the most prolific but some of the most important documentation of organic cultures and city life to have grown out of New York and America as a whole.” – Chris Stain
“Among the artists who have ‘re-interpreted’ my photos include the Burning Candy Crew in London. Henry Chalfant and I were recently there for the London release of ‘Subway Art’ at Black Rat Gallery and Burning Candy painted a lot of canvases from Subway Art.”
Whistling while they work, these goulish Sweet Toof train writers influenced by photos by Martha Cooper in “Subway Art”
Brooklyn Street Art: Did you think that eventually your work would be influential to a generation of artists and photographers?
Martha Cooper: Not at all. I would say that my work is pretty much unknown to artists and photographers of my own generation so it’s especially gratifying to connect with younger artists and photogs.
An image by Martha Cooper on the left was interpreted in a large mural street artist Armsrock did with Chris Stain in Brooklyn at the end of July. Says Martha, “I took that photo on the Lower East Side (of Manhattan) in 1978. Don’t know who the boy is or anything more about his drawing. The photo is part of a series published in my book ‘Street Play’.” (photo on right by Jaime Rojo)
see a video of the mural above being created here
Brooklyn Street Art: What’s your impression of the current state of street art in New York?
Martha Cooper: Well I’m definitely not an expert or any kind of art historian so I can’t give you a definitive evaluation. However I love walking around and being surprised by all the fresh stuff going up all over the place. If it weren’t for street art, NYC would be turning into a bland and boring city.
“Shepard Fairey has also worked with two of the images from ‘Street Play’, says Martha. Fairey selected five of the troops from this group of toughs when creating this poster called “Defiant Youth” this year. (photo Martha Cooper, poster Shepard Fairey)
Brooklyn Street Art: Why aren’t there more female street artists?
Martha Cooper: I have no idea. I wish there were more. I’m working on another little sticker book, this one about the smaller name badges. I couldn’t find even one active “Hello My Name Is” female stickerer. Do you know any?
Shepard Fairey only slightly changed this image of kids jumping off a fire escape onto a pile of mattresses when he converted it into a stencil. This spring and summer a version of the image was made by Obey’s clothing line into skateboards, caps, t-shirts, and bags along with others of Martha’s “Street Play” photos. (photo on left Martha Cooper)
Brooklyn Street Art: When you hit the street, camera in hand, do you consider yourself more of a photo-journalist, or an artist?
Martha Cooper: Neither–an ethnographer.
Brooklyn Street Art: Do you have a word of advice to a street art photographer starting today in New York?
Martha Cooper: Back-up!
– Good advice from a person who has catalogued perhaps hundreds of thousands of images of graffiti and street art over the last 30 years. We continued our dialogue about the use of Martha’s images over the years, and she added this clarification, “I’m pretty much a purist when it comes to my own photography. I absolutely hate when designers want to mess with my photos. I want my photos to be used as I took them. However, when an artist wants to take one of my photos and turn it into a completely different piece of art, I don’t mind at all.“
To paraphrase Martha and the critics, the guidance one would offer to a street artist (and any artist) is “Be original”.
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Special thanks to Jazi Rock, who at 12 years old “was infected by the graffiti bug when he saw Martha Cooper’s infamous book circulate around his neighborhood” of Baltimore. See more at his website.
Photo of Martha above by JaziRock – his website JaziRock.com is HERE
See Martha Cooper this weekend with her newest book “Going Postal”
Martha Cooper will be at the MBP Urban Arts Festival this Saturday October 3rd in Bushwick Brooklyn. A multitude of street artists, musical acts, skaters, vendors, and live painting events will be there. You can learn more about the festival HERE.
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The day before that on October 2nd, Martha Cooper will be at The New York Art Book Fair. Stop by the SCB booth (Z-01).
Friday, Oct 2nd
2pm – 4pm: Daze, Ghost and Papermonster (with dirtypilot.com online gallery)
4pm-6pm: Martha Cooper (photojournalist/NY graffiti scene documentarian), author of Tag Town, Hip Hop Files, and Street Play
Saturday, Oct 3rd
11am – 1pm: Alain “KET” Maridueña (hip hop artist/activist)
2pm – 4pm: Ron English (contemporary pop artist)
You can learn more about the Book Fair HERE.
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Read Martha Cooper’s Blog on Juxtapoz
Miss Bugs Mugs the Masters (and the Flickr-ites) for Fun
Street Artist Dives Shallowly for Inspiration
Nothing will stir up the ire of artists and their fans than another artist’s appropriation of style or technique. It’s considered “lame”.
And nothing will produce audible cries from artists, art historians, collectors, publishers, fans, and armchair lawyers about copyright infringement and utter lack of creativity than when wholesale appropriation is at hand. Of course sometimes it doesn’t hurt your market value to roil them all at once. Miss Bugs has “the touch” right now.
You’ll remember the Joe Black and Miss Bugs show at Brooklynite this spring, where Ms. Bugs opened the eyes of many with wide swipes of fairly newly minted pop imagery into the poppy pieces.
- Obama by Fairey sliced across Kate’s breast (Miss Bugs) (photo Steven P. Harrington)
In promoting the show the term “2 Many Artists” was bandied about as a reference to the snip and clip musical mashup/bootleg pioneers of 2 Many DJ’s, who would be analogous to another hairy white guy named GirlTalk today.
- A Mondrianic grid of transparency (Miss Bugs) (photo Steven P. Harrington)
This month a very large street art piece in Brighton, England by Miss Bugs has enlivened the debate about any number of things, including copyright issues, right down to the amount of imagination of the artist may possess.
- Miss Bugs in Brighton
What seems to have gotten street art fans in a froth is that Miss Bugs is not using old campy print advertisements or bits of classic paintings as reference; rather, it is that the work is using very recent and pretty well-known pieces of STREET ART in the STREET ART.
In fact, barring Mr. Brainwash (MBW), Miss Bugs may be the first to appropriate images so historically quickly, so frequently, and so enormously.
- Miss Bugs in a big way.
But then, that’s exactly what entertains others, “to me Miss Bugs is not so much appropriating, but b**ching up modern art, Hirst, Daffy Duck, Fairey, King Kong, Munch, Koons, DFace, Banksy whatever – it’s graffitin’ graffiti, vandalising vandalism…,” says a poster on a well regarded online forum.
- Brooklyn hometown heroes Faile may have lifted their images from lesser-known sources, and thus the images quickly became associated with them and “owned” by Faile in the minds of fans (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Miss Bugs doesn’t so much adapt the original Faile image as adopt it wholesale.
This calls into question the creativity of the artist in the minds of some. In fact, you may hear cries of “Emperor’s New Clothes” more often than during an Orange Alert in the “War-On-Terror” Bush years.
- A dab o’ O’ for your mural? (Miss Bugs)
And then there’s the Holy Grail of Modern Street Art Imagery. Shep Fairey takes his hits, most of them because of his public stature, but chopping up an Obama “Hope” image and splaying it across the wall as a collaging effect makes the Fairey Faithful pale and weak from disbelief.
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In the heart of Brooklyn street art circa 2008 (photo Jaime Rojo)
In the heart of Brooklyn street art circa 2008 (photo Jaime Rojo)
On this side of the pond we have some troubles this summer with what street parlance calls “Haterz” – those folks who are looking to shred the first year president at every turn, most likely because of our sad history of racism. To the supporters of Obama, seeing this iconic street art image so quickly mutilated only adds to the sting of the horrible epithets that are hurled from the neanderthals.
- Oh, let’s see. There’s Picasso, Warhol, and Haring and I haven’t left her chest. What about the Munchy Mickey Mouse ears? Now those could get you in trouble. And the Rakkoon eyes? (Miss Bugs) (photo Jaime Rojo)
But let’s not all get our wheat-pastes in a wad.
Either you support free expression or you don’t, and frankly, this mixing of High with Low, Touchstones with The Banal, has been a fabulous feature of “the modern” now since Pop became Popular. Perhaps this willful free-association appropriation is simply a harbinger of what’s to come – or what is already happening elsewhere. Every piece of recorded history is now reduced to 1’s and 0’s and used as easily as paint from the tube.
Rae McGrath, owner of Brooklynite, speaking in reference to Miss Bug’s techniques, says, “I think they are remixing things to make them their own, but because the images they are using are current they get more scrutiny. (It’s an) Interesting debate that you can obvious take the side you feel strongly about.”
- Miss Bugs continues to work.
Or maybe it’s not about the art at all. As one collector remarked to another on a forum online recently, “People do get testy once the (Miss Bugs) prints are market price, don’t they, Bob?”
Take a look at the GirlTalk video below and tell us about all the cultural “Sacred Cows” you’re going to defend and preserve.
Street Signals 08.29.09
August 29, 2009
Artists
Skewville Unveils New Website
After being in development for 13 years, Droo says the new Skewville site is ready to roll!
Actually, that’s not how long it took to build the site – just it’s content. This roll-through left-right scroller is a quick primer for the uninitiated on the history and accomplishments of Skewville and the multiple projects they have embarked on over the last decade plus.
Or, as Ad and Droo say, “If you don’t know – now you know.”
- All the round the whirl with Skewville irony
From launching galleries to launching thousands of pairs of their wooden dogs over wires around the globe, to offering shows to their peers and participating in shows internationally, and always adding their smart-aleck commentary about the street art “scene” to the discussion, these brothers have piled a sizeable stack of HYPE.
- Complexity and mastery comes with practice. Blah Blah Blah
- This must be the place. Skewville actually was a physical location and a lifestyle for the middle class and unfamous.
- No strangers to sarcasm, the brothers have conceived and built a number of contraptions to get their message out.
Currently the Skewville Corporation is participating in Nuart, a festival in Stavanger, Norway that celebrates the contributions of Brooklyn Street Artists.
See the New Site HERE
See the Gallery Factory Fresh HERE
Check the Tubeness below to see a piece that MTV Brasil did – After the first minute in Portuguese, Ad DeVille pretty much takes the show!
- All the round the whirl with Skewville irony
From launching galleries to launching thousands of pairs of their wooden dogs over wires around the globe, to offering shows to their peers and participating in shows internationally, and always adding their smart-aleck commentary about the street art “scene” to the discussion, these brothers have piled a sizeable stack of HYPE.
- Complexity and mastery comes with practice. Blah Blah Blah
- This must be the place. Skewville actually was a physical location and a lifestyle for the middle class and unfamous.
- No strangers to sarcasm, the brothers have conceived and built a number of contraptions to get their message out.
Currently the Skewville Corporation is participating in Nuart, a festival in Stavanger, Norway that celebrates the contributions of Brooklyn Street Artists.
See the New Site HERE
See the Gallery Factory Fresh HERE
Check the Tubeness below to see a piece that MTV Brasil did – After the first minute in Portuguese, Ad DeVille pretty much takes the show!
Vandalog’s RJ Hard at Work on “The Thousands”
His first “Pop-Up” is taking shape this November in London
An open and sincere voice in the street art blog world, RJ Rushmore is a stone cold street art lover. Albeit still in his teens, this guy posesses a maturity and modesty that many of his peers may not develop for another 10 years. More significant; his industry is matching the size of his dreams.
This time the dream is a “Pop-Up” show featuring the big names in street art today, exposing a larger audience to the genre that has captured the imagination of the youth culture.
RJ has been planning the show for many months methodically and feels secure about it’s ultimate success but he is very aware that he is taking a big leap to undertake this labor of love, where most of the work won’t even be for sale.
So far the 40 pieces in the show are from most of the big names in street art – Adam Neate, Banksy, Barry McGee, Jenny Holzer, Bast, Swoon, Kaws, Os Gemeos, Shepard Fairey, Herakut, Blek le Rat and others.
People are jumping into “The Thousands” every day as word spreads, and RJ’s been sorting out the details that come along with this kind of show – Artists, Collectors, Permissions, Love. In addition he’s working on a companion coffee table book to be published by Drago in November with photos and bios and a few guest contributors like Gaia and Panik.
His first exhibition includes some of the better known names and he’s looking forward to doing a future show with more emerging artists, but he’s smart to limit the scope the first time out. “The purpose of my efforts is to bring street art to the attention of a wider art community, and the best way to do that is to take the very best street artists’ artwork instead of all the emerging artists that I might love and think are promising”, says Mr. Rushmore.
The Thousands will be open from November 18th through the 22nd of November at Village Underground in London. Keep up on the details at the blog for “The Thousands” HERE
Vandalog is his street art blog
AD HOC Forms Alliance with Eastern District
Curating a Quick Show that Opens Today!
Eastern District, a 400sf gallery opened for about a year in Bushwick is looking to extend it’s reach by asking street art veteran gallerists Allison and Garrison Buxton to curate a new show in the ED space next door. Most people know that Ad Hoc Art recently announced it’s downsizing it’s square footage due in their 49 Bogart space and stories of ED’s impending closure have been swirling around also.
Well, this is how neighbors do it in Brooklyn: by reaching out and working together. If either one of these parties had been the snooty white-box types, it never would have worked. But this is an arts community that knows that the resulting strength is greater with two. When asked by ED to partner on shows, Ad Hoc Art happily and quickly accepted the invitation to curate and bring their peeps too. Now they are looking at ways to bring more great shows to ED. That’s very good news for the nascent Bushwick gallery scene, not to mention the artists who get to show there.
And that brings us to today. Garrison says, “AHA & ED have a Bushwick-focused show opening specifically highlighting very local talent from the hood where it all started.” Included are AHA/Bushwick favorites like like Destroy and Rebuild, LogikOne, Michael Allen, Molly Crabapple, Pagan, and Robert Steel”
Ad Hoc Art’s is now planning a fall exhibition featuring the work of Joe Vaux and Gilbert Oh to open in November at Eastern District and more shows planned into the winter, such as veteren British/French street artist Jef Aerosol in January. For now, it sounds like the Ad Hoc extravganza and shenanigans will continue!
Prepare for exciting art extravaganzas and shenanigans in the present and continuing into the near future, for Bushwick and beyond.
And of course the current show at Ad Hoc:
Chris Stain, Armsrock, and Ezra Li on Display till September 6th.
SuperDraw Keeps Developing – Now it’s an Iphone App
Remember BSA’s Projekt Projektor last year at the Dumbo Festival, full of new projectionists stretching the definition of Street Art? Remember the projectionists at the end of our Street Crush Show in February?
Then you’ll remember Josh Ott, or SuperDraw. Dude developed an interactive interface for people to project their own art through a project with their iPhones, and at our shows he eagerly transferred it to your phone for free so you could slap your work all over the Manhattan Bridge.
True, GRL keeps setting some of the standards, but we firmly believe that the future of street art may be vibrating in your front pocket right now. There is a whole crop of projectionists and video and multimedia artists that are sharpening their skillz for that Brave New Street Art World as we chase the wheat-pasters.
Images of the Week 08.23.09
August 23, 2009
Artists, Brooklyn, BSA Images Of The Week, NYC
Our Weekly Interview with the Street
- Double Mickey Bast (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Pondering beneath the ivy (Cake) (photo Jaime Rojo)
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Then she gave me a blank stare over her bare shoulder, and I knew the afternoon escapade was on. (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Then she gave me a blank stare over her bare shoulder, and I knew the afternoon escapade was on. (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Red Hot and Sexy (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Celso and Matt Siren Freakshow (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Fresh new Imminent Disaster (photo Jaime Rojo)
- A Galaxy of Stars (Chris Stain, Billy Mode, VengRWK) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Flying Fortress, Veng(RWK), Chris(RWK), Know Hope (photo Jaime Rojo)
Flying Fortress, Veng(RWK), Chris(RWK), Know Hope (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Matt Siren and the ghost girl watch your step (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Escape from New York! Or Don’t! (Matt Siren) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Portrait of Dash Snow (NohJColey) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- “Crabs in a Bucket” self portrait (NohJColey) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Revs, Sese (photo Jaime Rojo)
- The musician serenades a couple of cranky monsters (Royce Bannon, VengRWK)
- Insert clever caption here. (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Dude working in front of The Dude Company (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (VengRWK) (photo Jaime Rojo)
- VengRWK, Royce Bannon, Abby Goodman, Werds (photo Jaime Rojo)
- Really, it’s $500? Yikes! (Zork Chop) (photo Jaime Rojo)
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