All posts tagged: Steven P. Harrington

Lapiz Creates Socially Minded Installations for Kunstlabor in Munich

February 28, 2022 Artists

Painted in the stairway of Kunstlabor in Munich for their second Urban Art show, street artist and immunologist Lapiz brought his strong opinions and shares them with you here.

There is no Planet B

A searing damnation of the 1^st world consumer mentality, Lapiz critiques the guy in this scene, finding him guilty of oblivious attitudes and self-serving behaviors.

“A man is sitting in a comfortable lounge chair escaping into the digital world. Maybe, he watches a documentary about the “green lung” – the untouched part of the Amazon rainforest on Netflix. As he is sitting there enjoying himself he does not pay any attention to his surroundings. The almond milk in his feel-good tote bag might protect dairy cows but their plantations demand so much water that vast areas are running dry. He doesn’t pay attention to the rose that is cultivated cheap in Africa and flown to Europe for Valentine’s Day (he is a romantic after all), nor the energy used to order his VR glasses or streaming. Instead of enjoying nature as it is, a parallel, untouched universe is consumed.”

Lapiz. *“There is no Planet B”*. Detail. Munich, February 2022. (photo © Lapiz)

Lapiz. *“There is no Planet B”*. Munich, February 2022. (photo © Lapiz)

Still Love and Wallporn
For his second installation Lapiz says he wanted to question how the female body and sexuality are viewed in public.

“Commonly, the female body is sexualized in advertisements, media, pornography, or prostitution while female sexuality and normal bodily functions are deemed private or even taboo (period shaming, pinky gloves). Disguised as fancy wallpaper and hiding in plain sight are all sorts of sex toys: dildos, vibrators, etc. The flowers of the still life (“Still Love”) look a bit off as they show soft tampons, which are also often used by prostitutes to keep on working. My motive was to try and take these seemingly private things that are supposed to happen behind closed doors and show them as what they are – normal and beautiful.”

Lapiz. *“Still love”* & “*Wallporn”.* Munich, February 2022. (photo © Lapiz)

Lapiz. “*Wallporn.”* Munich, February 2022. (photo © Lapiz)

Also included in the show were Sebastian Bühler, Miriam Ganser, Patricija Gilyte, Julia Klemm, Eva Krusche, Lando, Lapiz, Christine Liebich, Loomit, Timur Lukas, Sophia Mainka, Daniel Man, Nina Annabelle Märkl, Bernhard McQueen, Marlene Meier, Ray Moore, Monika Morito, Matthias Mross, Ena Oppenheimer, Esther Irina Pschibul, Cornelia Rapp, Felix Rodewaldt, Sophie Schmidt, Magdalena Waller, Matt Wiegele, Zrok, and Ian Zak. Learn more about KunstLabor HERE.

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.27.22

February 27, 2022 Artists

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Welcome to BSA Images of the Week.

Just as we were starting to feel a sense of relief that Covid is letting go of us….

Russia has invaded Ukraine. Not only is this a horror for Ukraine, this elective aggression may spread, resulting in retaliation.

If you want to help, we found this list from Fortune magazine:

Voices of Children
Voices of Children is a charitable foundation that focuses on addressing the psychological effect of armed conflict on children. Founded in 2015 in response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Voices of Children provides art therapy, mobile psychologists, and individualized support to traumatized children. Individuals can donate through bank transfer, credit/debit card, or Apple Pay via its website.

The International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee has a long history of providing resources to refugees fleeing countries facing humanitarian crisis. Its leaders have responded to the situation in Ukraine by meeting with organizations in Poland and Ukraine to gauge the potential number of refugees and their needs so it can quickly mobilize and provide whatever assistance is needed. You can make a donation via its website.

CARE
International humanitarian organization CARE has set up an emergency Ukrainian Crisis Fund with the goal of providing immediate support for 4 million people. Donations will go toward providing Ukrainians with water, food, supplies, hygiene kits, immediate support and aid, and cash. CARE notes that its prioritizing supporting women, girls, families, and elderly.CARE makes it easy to donate via its website using PayPal or a credit card.

International Medical Corps
This nonprofit is focused on providing health-care services, psychosocial support, and care to citizens of countries dealing with disaster, disease, and conflict. It’s currently accepting monetary gifts that will go toward providing Ukrainians with better access to medical and mental health resources. You can make a donation via the website using a credit/debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.

Project Hope
It’s currently sending medical supplies to Ukrainians. You can make donations via its website using a credit/debit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Captain Eyeliner, Sonni, CRKSHNK, Kobra, Robert Janz, Goog, Degrupo, Suso33, Leviticus, Niagra, Homesick, Allan Molho, YNWA, Divock Okoth Origi, Emune, Lancelot, and Outersource.

Degrupo. Hear the sound of hell Putin? (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Niagara. Like the right to live in peace in your own country without fear of invasion, aggression, and authoritarian oppression. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sonni in collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

YNWA. This football graffiti (soccer in the USA) refers to the Belgian star soccer player Divock Okoth Origi who plays as a forward for the Premier League club Liverpool. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Allan Molho tribute to the late Robert Janz. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Winter 2022. Williamsburg Bridge, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

M-City Tells How To Support Ukraine On Social

February 26, 2022 Artists, Interview, Interviews

Up-to-the-moment street art today from Polish artist M-City (Mariusz Waras), who converts the façade of a Gdansk warehouse into a social media primer on how to support the people of Ukraine. Sharing a border with this post-Soviet state which has just been invaded by Russian forces, Poland is acutely affected by the implications of possible further aggression – as are the Baltic states and the rest of Europe.

M-City. *“How To Help Ukraine On Social”.* Poland. (photo © M-City)

The short list asserts that many social media users may not be fully cognizant of the implications of their posting actions – especially during wartime. M-City took to the walls today to instruct some best practices in these painted advisory messages on how to create your digital ones.

In additional acts of irony, he posts these street art messages on his social media channels – and we publish them for the BSA audience as well.

BSA: Where is this located?
M-City: It’s located in a very well-known building which part of Stocznia Gdańska, now Stocznia Cesarska. It is part of the Imperial Shipyard where the workers’ movement, Soliderność (Solidarity), was born.

BSA: What would you like people to understand?
M-City: Our Social media landscape is full of fakes and is full of superficial messages. Because of this, many people have a bigger challenge to make their messages visible when they try to organize something and help the Ukrainians.

BSA: Did you create this for a local audience, or specifically an international audience.
M-City: It’s in English because now this is a global problem. I wanted to create simple sentences so everyone can understand.

BSA: Are you personally affected by the invasion?
M-City: No, it’s still far from us. But I have a lot of friends in Ukraine and I painted there a few times. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are next to our border. Many Ukrainian people are working here now. They arrived here mostly after the beginning of this conflict years ago.

How to Support Ukraine on Social:

Double check sources before post
Post only important information
Do not use pin location
HELP DIRECTLY

BSA Film Friday: 02.25.22

February 25, 2022 Artists, BSA Film Friday

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

Now screening:
1. BSA Special Feature: Pejac: “SO FAR, SO CLOSE”
2. ‘APNEA’ Exhibition by Pejac. Berlin, Germany.
3. MadC – Mural Oasis

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BSA Special Feature: Pejac: “SO FAR, SO CLOSE” The making of a print.

A recent print by street artist Pejac has a sudden additional resonance as we consider it. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is directly adjacent to Europe and NATO member countries, yet in another perspective, it feels far away for many Europeans.

In an interconnected world that is reliant upon trade and diplomatic ties, and one that is weighted with entrenched war industry interests, no one is far from it today.

“This delicate piece of art depicts a bird’s-eye view of a battle in an infinite trench. ‘‘Sometimes perceiving someone as a friend or foe is just a matter of perspective’, Pejac comments in reference to his artistic rendition of the absurdity of combat.”

“At the tail end of October 2021, a former train manufacturing site in Berlin was home to a 10 days-long exhibition. It was Pejac’s fourth self-produced solo show that saw the Spanish artist push his exposition practice to new levels. Having at his disposal eight different rooms and spaces, Pejac put on display over forty new artworks that literally came in all shapes and sizes.”

MadC – Mural Oasis

“MadC paints 3 murals for Mural Oasis at Prizm OPutlet in Primm, Nevada in 2019, video by Chop ’em Down”

Double Putin by Lapiz

February 24, 2022 Artists

Observing the events of the last weeks and today on the world stage, we are reminded of this street art piece created by artist Lapiz in Lemwerder, Germany in 2018.

“I painted it during the time that the FIFA WorldCup took place in Russia,” the artist tells us, “and it was intended to highlight Putin’s narcissism and homophobia.” You can see the reference to homophobia in the artist choice of multiple colors that are in the LGBTQ pride flag.

Blatant narcissism comes to mind today as Putin has shocked the world by the provocative act of invading Ukraine for no clear reason aside from a desire to dominate.

It’s four years old, this piece, but Lapiz remarks, “Looking at the events of the last few days it is of course very up to date.”

Lapiz. *“One Love”*. Detail. Lemwerder, Germany. (photo © Lapiz)

Art In Odd Places 2022: Story. Open Call For Proposals

February 23, 2022 Artists

We’ve been supporting the work of the New York organization Art In Odd Places (AiOP) for years and are always intrigued and inspired by their productions and the artists they select to offer their proposals. Mounted outdoors along and below 14th Street in Manhattan, we’ve seen works by performing artists, painters, sculptors, conceptual artists, dancers, and a myriad of artists who defy categorization and refused to be boxed in. This is what makes this a unique art event in the city; its ability to be inclusive, fearless, and unconventional. We look forward to being surprised once again this year.

Al Diaz for AiOP 2021 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2022 will be present with the theme of “Story” this September and curated by Atlanta artist Jessica Elaine Blinkhorn, who asks “Will the story of your existence endure the test of time?”

Today, public personal merit is based on the number of followers on social media – and relevance changes with the shifting weather. True identity and community are where words are genuinely heard, truths shared, stories told, and perceptions possibly changed.”

AiOP 2022: STORY seeks imaginative proposals by artists from the Disabled, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Allied communities that tell her, his, their “Story”

Click HERE to apply.

Angela Muriel for Art in Odd Places 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jessica Elain Blinkhorn (photo © courtesy the artist)

Matthew Burcow & Carmen Rodriguez for Art In Odd Places 2019. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gretchen Vitamvas. *Modern Plague Doctor*. Art In Odd Places 2021. Manhattan, NYC. (photo © Gretchen Vitamvas)

Yeseul Song. *Invisible Sculpture*. Art In Odd Places 2021. Manhattan, NYC. (photo © Ninad Pandit)

Marissa Mickelberg – Goat Walk (photo © Courtesy of the Artist)

David Hollier Paints Kennedy with His Own Words: Presidents Day

February 21, 2022 Artists

Street artists and fine artist David Hollier has made innumerable portraits of political and pop figures in the last couple of decades – often with their own words, and often with stunning capturing of their likeness. Today on President’s day in the US, we give you John F. Kennedy.

The words with which the President’s features are created are lifted from one of his more famous speeches in April of 1961 given to the American Newspaper Publishers Association in New York. He had been discontented with the press coverage of the Bay of Pigs incident and spoke of a need for “far greater official secrecy.”

Read the full text of the speech here.

BSA Images Of The Week: 02.20.22

February 20, 2022 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week, where New York keeps pushing forward through this stormy winter – although the amount of new street art and graffiti dissipates this time of year as artists stay in their creative caves, waiting for spring. Hang in there peeps.

It’s still cold today so you may want to check out the last day of the Christian Dior show at Brooklyn Museum, or you can see BG183’s solo exhibition at Wallworks in the Bronx, or Daze’s solo show in Manhattan at PPOW.

Great news for New York artists this week: artists can now apply for a monthly stipend of $1,000. This is big news because unlike a lot of Europe, the US and its institutions do not support artists or cultural workers.

Bad news for the orange man in New York this week: The Supreme Court says he and his progeny have to testify under oath, after the Attorney General uncovered “copious evidence of possible financial fraud”. Perhaps Ivanka can consult with her friends Christine Lagarde or Angela Merkel about what to say.

Speaking of exemplary New Yorkers, Jeffery Epstein’s friend Jean-Luc Brunel has been found dead in his prison cell, mysteriously. One of Epstein’s other friends, Prince Andrew, reportedly settled out of court this week. “Prince Andrew reportedly agreed to never again deny raping Virginia Giuffre”, says the New York Post, The Independent, and The Sun. The Times says: “A new nursery rhyme is doing the rounds at the Palace:

‘The grand old Duke of York,
he had 12 million quid.
He gave it to someone he’d never met,
for something he never did’”.

Jesus, let’s go out for a walk and see if we discover some new street art.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Skewville, Specter, City Kitty, Adam Fujita, Pork, Jason Naylor, Below Key, Lexi Bella, Jowl, Nimek, Klonism, Harvey Ball, Eloy Bida, Kat Blouch, Timmy Ache, and Eyedao.

Adam Fujita pays tribute to Keith Haring. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Kitty & Kat Blouch (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Eloy Bida. Memorial mural in honor of Ingrid Washinawtok. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville turned 100 years old this month. Long Live Skewville! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Smiley Face. The design of the iconic image turns 50 years. Originally created by Harvey Ball the symbol has been used everywhere from advertising to movies to fashion and high and low art. This poster has been plastered all over the city to highlight its anniversary…oh don’t forget to SMILE!

The Art Of Will Power. “Hip Hop” is my religion. Here’s Mary being a muse again. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lexi Bella with the lush lips. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Snow ghosts. East River. Brooklyn, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dmitri Aske Gives Tribute to “Colleagues” in Moscow

February 19, 2022 Artists

Great to see this new print by Russian graffiti/street artist Dmitri Aske (aka Sicksystems), who has been on the street since 2000 and has developed his fine art practice in studio, in commercial projects, and on large scale murals in recent years. A modern stained glass motif freezes the action of the mundane, catching a moment like a photograph, his figures are transmitted into archetypes in a modern scene.

A student, editor, and lecturer on the Russian graffiti scene, Aske gave us a rare and unexpected personal tour of some of his favorite spots one afternoon in Moscow when we were there to curate at the Atmosphere Biennale in 2018. His ease transversing the margins of the city included revealing hidden walls and stopping into a gallery to show us interactive digital works. This multi-discipline approach is illustrated by his defined colorful graphic approach to mosaic reliefs made of plywood, large-scale murals, and sculptures in public and private.

Here in this new print issued by Winzavod Art Center in Moscow, Aske captures the staid, proforma stances of gallery-goers contemplating the work of an artist, in this case his own. By placing himself in the situation, he is showing you his world, and ours – without outward expression, but capturing the subtleties of spatial relationships and body language that may be expected in the formalized atmosphere of a museum or gallery.

In fact, the new print is a distillation detail from a larger mural work he completed on the campus of Winzavod, a public/private exhibition complex in Moscow that serves as a social and educational platform for discovery and discussion of the legacies of graffiti and street art as they transition into all manner of urban contemporary art.

“Recently, I’ve made a new mural at @winzavod in Moscow (approximately 7x30m, 210m2). It’s called ‘Colleagues’ and is dedicated to viewers, art collectors, curators, and artists, people who are both my peers and whom Winzavod was made for,” he says.

BSA Film Friday: 02.18.22

February 18, 2022 Artists, BSA Film Friday

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

Now screening:
1. BSA Special Feature: ‘Gold Mine’ by Pejac
2. Graffiti & Jail: Doug Gillen and FWTV
3. Said Dokins, Cix, and Spaik: Memoria Canera

BSA Special Feature: ‘Gold Mine’ by Pejac

Pejac recently completed a series of interventions within the oldest prison in Spain, the Penitentiary Center of El Dueso. Located at the entrance of artist’s hometown of Santander, overlooking the Cantabrian sea and surrounded by marshes, the prison built at the beginning of the 20th century on the remains of an old Napoleon’s fort was another challenging setting to carry out his poetic interventions.

For 11 days, its walls, courtyards, and corridors became the artist’s workplace, giving life to the Gold Mine project in that sense. The project integrates three singular pieces, which as a whole represent the value of the human condition, its resistance to adversity, the need to create, and its desire, above all, to leave a mark.

“A prison itself is a place wrapped in harsh reality and at the same time, I feel that it has a great surrealist charge. It is as if you only need to scratch a little on its walls to discover the poetry hidden inside.” PEJAC

Graffiti & Jail: Doug Gillen and FWTV

And on another side of the coin, Doug Gillen of FifthWall TV talks about graffiti and street artists who go to prison as punishment for doing illegal graffiti on the streets.

Memoria Canera

Said Dokins, Cix, and Spaik: Memoria Canera was part of a three mural series made by the outstanding Mexican Street Artists Said Dokins, Cix, and Spaik at the Maximum Security Penitentiary in Morelia, Michoacán.

The project intended to shed light on a discussion about Cultural Rights and how artistic and cultural practices can be a valuable tool to mediate against exclusion and marginalization. By disrupting the space with color and text, symbols and patterns, the environment is transformed. The new murals are “Puedes Volver a Volar” (You can Fly Again) by Spaik, “Estado Mental” (Mental State) by Cix, and “Memoria Canera” (Memories from Jail) by Said Dokins.

“No Room For Racism” Begins Right Where We Are

February 17, 2022 Artists

We were just looking at this piece by graffiti writer and mixed media artist Greg Lamarche aka Sp.One, and we were reflecting that art-making and advocating for social/political change can be a one-person brigade.

Greg Lamarche (image courtesy of the artist)

We’re also reminded that borrowing from advertising campaign techniques doesn’t always mean selling wars or shampoo; sometimes it is a powerful force for changing society in a positive way.

The Premier League and other sports organizations have tackled racism head-on with the “No Room For Racism” campaign, and continue to do so. This active allyship with all our brothers and sisters is what must happen if we are to effectively combat our historical legacy, and you never know what your one resolute action will do, or how far it will travel.

No Room For Racism. (image courtesy of the Premier League)

American football player Colin Kaepernick stuck to his convictions and used his position to do so, and this past Sunday rapper Eminen used his influence during the Super Bowl. Action takes many forms: Rock Hill South Carolina just began its “No Room For Racism” college basketball classic in December, and T-shirt maker Teepublic dedicates a whole line of shirts that focuses on fighting racism graphically – the people wear those t-shirts to parties, to work, to the grocery store.

Person by person, sport-by-sport, game-by-game, people are being confronted and reminded. These are sometimes purely individual changes, but they send important messages to our peers and future generations.

Rapper Eminem takes a knee behind Dr. Dre at Super Bowl halftime show this past Sunday. (©Ben Solomon for The New York Times)

In this article about a recent act of racism in the sport of ice hockey, Canadian professional defenseman P.K. Subban reminds us, “But people have to start with their friends and their family. That’s where it comes from. But fans too. We need fans and everybody to make this a place where everyone feels comfortable.”

Manyak’s Transformative Perspective in Paris

February 16, 2022 Artists

Transfigurative. Transmutative. Transformative.

Welcome to Manyak’s world.

Manyak in collaboration with L’association Art Azoï. Paris, France. (photo © Michele Garnier)

The Paris-based graffiti writer and aerosol transformer has been active around the world since the 1980s and has been anamorphosing letters and his home city once again with a scene of industrial destruction/deconstruction caught mid-collapse.

Fresh from his successful exhibition with Aloha, Neok, and Raeone at Garlerie 59 Rivoli, Manyak here takes his brilliant mind outside again to paint with L’association Art Azoï.

It can be a serious challenge to coax some margins of the city alive, but Manyak has the experience and unique ability to create a vibrantly dimensional fantasy scene – even with a pile of broken concrete in a bombed out lot. Here the challenge is to transform this long expanse in Paris – and the length of the piece is difficult to capture well in its totality, so we bring you these details of his new work, courtesy of photographer Michele Garnier.

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