All posts tagged: Underhill Walls

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.22.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 10.22.23

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Sometimes, this frog feels like the water seems to be getting a little warm if you know what I mean. Our minds are being strained daily by a laundry list of stressors, not the least of which is neverending war. It is almost like it is profitable for industry. Also, it is surprising how many initiatives have been approved and passed during new periods of crisis ever since 9/11. Why does it seem like a new normal is introduced every two years? Meanwhile, the House is not in order, doesn’t even have a leader, 2 of the Orange man’s lawyers plead guilty this week, Biden’s giving 100 billion to Ukraine and Israel,

Meanwhile, people are still buying pumpkins this year for Halloween, the leaves are starting to turn yellow and orange, it is raining for the 7th weekend straight, and street artists and graffiti writers are keeping the streets alive from Grand Army Plaza to LES to Bushwick to Midwood to da Bronx. We have noticed several portraits and figurative works that ring true – and photographer Jaime Rojo shares some of them below.

So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring Calicho Art, David Puck, Mort Art, Le Crue, Andaluz the Artist, Humble, Miki Mu, Blanco, SEF, J. Novik, Hu, Carnivorous Flora, Mue Bon, Girlty, Manuel Alejandro, and Al Ruiz.

SEF portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat for The Bushwick Collective. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SEF portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat for The Bushwick Collective. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SEF portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat for The Bushwick Collective. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Al Ruiz portrait of Maya Angelou for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Andaluz The Artist. “Abuelita” for The Bushwick Collective. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Manuel Alejandro for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
David Puck. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
David Puck (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Girlty for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mue Bon for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Calicho Art for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Carnivorous Flora for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Therapeutic Murals for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Humble for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Miki Mu quotes John Lennon for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Le Crue Eye for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mort for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bianco for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
J. Novik. Work in progress. Some artists are real lambs. Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. MTA. New York City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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New Portraiture In The Springtime Streets

New Portraiture In The Springtime Streets

Since the rise in muralism in the late 2000s, street art portraiture has become an increasingly popular form of urban expression, with artists employing diverse techniques and styles to capture the essence of individuals and personalities.

V Ballentine pays tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

This street art genre draws inspiration from western portrait painting and contemporary advertising practices, combining traditional and modern elements. Beyond a simple aesthetic exercise, some street art portraiture has emerged as a means for artists to challenge dominant societal norms surrounding notions of beauty and power dynamics, making it a vital mode of cultural expression. Other times, obvious norms are in full embrace.

Android Oi pays tribute to Grace Jones in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

While the issue of the male gaze has been a prevalent topic in the fine arts for centuries, street art gave a new platform for artists to consider and sometimes debate this issue in a public forum. Artists celebrate real and fictional individuals of all genders, challenging traditional ideas of beauty and reclaiming agency for those traditionally relegated to the margins. By doing so, these artists engage in a larger cultural dialogue, and through their work, reflect the diversity and values of the communities they inhabit.

Call Her Al pays tribute to Mexican movie star Maria Felix in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A high percentage are celebrities and icons of popular culture. From musicians to actors and athletes, these individuals make the artwork personal, relatable, and Instagrammable. Younger artists tend to gravitate toward contemporary figures in popular culture, while older artists may focus on historical or political figures. But don’t quote us on that.

From stenciling, painting, and wheat pasting, each method contributes to the unique character of the artwork, reflecting the artist’s vision and the cultural landscape in which it is created. As a mirror to the culture, the subjects chosen for street art portraiture can reflect the diversity and cultural landscape of the city, creating a visual representation of the community, its values, and aspirations.

J Novik pays tribute to I Love Lucy in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Angela Marie Alvarez pays tribute to Dolly Parton in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sage Gallon pays tribute to CHER in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sage Gallon pays tribute to CHER in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Frampton O Fun pays tribute to Mary Tyler Moore in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bianca pays tribute to Michelle Yeoh in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Santi of All Trades pays tribute to Hayle Williams in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nass Art pays tribute to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Mary Church Terrell in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Subway Doodle pays tribute to Anne Frank in collaboration with Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
David Hollier forms a portrait with lyrics by The Notorious B.I.G. song Sky’s The Limit. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 04.02.23

BSA Images Of The Week: 04.02.23

64% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, China and Russia are buddying up, BRICs countries are looking for new members, and the Bankers in your life are again looking toward their gilded escape bunkers.

We are transfixed by the first indicted US president, and gloating about having a system of democracy and justice. Now he is positioning himself as an “outsider,” a martyr. A billionaire outsider. We’re just waiting for these crowds outside Trump Tower to materialize. Where are they? Honestly, Fifth Avenue is more interested in the Easter Bonnet Parade that is coming.

But it’s a circus on the national tabloid news, which is unfortunately all of the news now. Our best minds are being entertained by 24 hour sports channels, Netflix and Tic Toc, and it’s not an accident. People are chided into fighting each other over trans-woke-snowflake-abortion-race-laptop-AR15-centered-drag-readings. Look! A squirrel!

Meanwhile, the daffodils are blooming everywhere in anticipation of Easter Week. People were cramming subways, buses, and sidewalks yesterday because of the warm sunny spring weather – and Smorgasborg opened this weekend in Brooklyn. NYTimes calls it “the Woodstock of eating,” due to its variety of incredible food choices – but of course, you can have just as much fun with a bag of chips or a slice of pizza sitting on a stoop watching the parade of New Yorkers march/sashay/stride by.

We had a great time at the Bronx Museum yesterday, catching the John Ahearn/ Rigoberto Torres retrospective and seeing both the artists in person during a panel discussion with artist Abigail DeVille – with fans rushing the stage for an autographed exhibition book afterward. These guys have championed everyday New Yorkers through their painted sculptures for four decades. It is revelatory and heartwarming to see this very large collection of works never shown together before. Make sure to check out “Swagger and Tenderness: The South Bronx Portraits” until April 30.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Stikman, Zimer, Subway Doodle, A Lucky Rabbit, Qzar, Optimo NYC, Sekt, AMMO, CEYNYC, Toeflop, Early Riser NYC, Julia Cocuzza, and Miki Mu.

Miki Mu for Underhill Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
QZAR (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Julia Cocuzza (photo © Jaime Rojo)
This might be the work of A Lucky Rabbit…not sure. We’re also not sure if the work has been completed. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Subway Doodle (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Zimer NYC (photo © Jime Rojo)
Zimer NYC (photo © Jime Rojo)
Zimer NYC (photo © Jime Rojo)
LL Cool J is Bad forever. Zimer NYC (photo © Jime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Optimo NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Early Riser NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toeflop (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CEYNYC lying down…not sure who did the buble…but sure it burns. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)
SEKT. AMMO. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. Memorial bench in Manhattan. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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