August 2009

DAIN at Brooklynite Gallery: “Copasetic”

August 19, 2009 , ,

This just in over the teletype wires….

Brooklyn born Street Artist Dain is hitting Brooklynite Gallery September 12 to revisit a time when socialism in America was WELCOMED via government work programs, the G.I. Bill, and Social Security.  Now, during a national healthcare debate when such inexplicable, intractable ignorance is on display  about the true nature of representative government, DAIN is doing his part aesthetically to usher in an era of social responsibility and community connectedness.

Dain 1943
Dain 1943 (photo Jaime Rojo)

His black and white portraits of everyday working men and women from 65 years ago have been rearing their coiffed heads all over the streets this spring and summer, usually with a pastel painted background and selected garment features highlighted in a nod to Warholian oversplash.

Describing the work of Dain, Brooklynite says, “Infusing the glamour and glitz of the 1940’s together with a Brooklyn working class edge, he seeks to turn  back the hands of time— Even if we were never there before.”

A usual phenomenon, street artists are a societal crystal ball.

Dain! There's something in mah ahh! (Dain) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Dain! There’s somethin’ in mah ahh! (photo Jaime Rojo)

*************************************************

DAIN
“COPASETIC”
SEPTEMBER 12 – OCTOBER 10


OPENING RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 12,
7-10PM EASTERN (19:00 UK) SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST:
BIG BAND SWING MACHINE

Brooklynite Gallery
334 Malcolm X Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11233
ph. 347-405-5976
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“Copasetic” DAIN takes us to the 1940’s this fall at Brooklynite

August 19, 2009 , , , ,

This just in over the teletype wires….

Brooklyn born Street Artist Dain is hitting Brooklynite Gallery September 12 to revisit a time when socialism in America was WELCOMED via government work programs, the G.I. Bill, and Social Security.  Now, during a national healthcare debate when such inexplicable, intractable ignorance is on display  about the true nature of representative government, DAIN is doing his part aesthetically to usher in an era of social responsibility and community connectedness.

Dain 1943
Dain 1943 (photo Jaime Rojo)

His black and white portraits of everyday working men and women from 65 years ago have been rearing their coiffed heads all over the streets this spring and summer, usually with a pastel painted background and selected garment features highlighted in a nod to Warholian oversplash.

Describing the work of Dain, Brooklynite says, “Infusing the glamour and glitz of the 1940’s together with a Brooklyn working class edge, he seeks to turn  back the hands of time— Even if we were never there before.”

A usual phenomenon, street artists are a societal crystal ball.

Dain! There's something in mah ahh! (Dain) (photo Jaime Rojo)
Dain! There’s somethin’ in mah ahh! (photo Jaime Rojo)

*************************************************

DAIN
“COPASETIC”
SEPTEMBER 12 – OCTOBER 10


OPENING RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 12,
7-10PM EASTERN (19:00 UK) SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST:
BIG BAND SWING MACHINE

Brooklynite Gallery
334 Malcolm X Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11233
ph. 347-405-5976
Read more

“PEEP-O-RAMA” at AK-57 Gallery, curated by El Celso

August 18, 2009

EL CELSO is pleased to announce the opening of PEEP-O-RAMA, a group art show and installation at the AK-57 Gallery at 830 12th Avenue, between 57th & 58th Streets in Manhattan, next to the West Side Highway in the historic ART KRAFT building.

PEEP-O-RAMA showcases the works of Brent Birnbaum, Celso, Jillian Corbett, Ian Farrell, Ryan Frank, Suzanne Goldenberg, LA2, Jose Landoni, Pamela Lawton, Danny Licul, Linda Lee Nicholas, Dean Radinovsky, Maggie Simonelli, Miryana Todorova, James A. Willis, and special guests.

PEEP-O-RAMA features paintings, sculpture, and a full-scale site-specific installation by New York’s most dynamic contemporary artists. The group show opens on Saturday, September 12 from noon-4PM with a reception from 6PM-10PM at the AK-57 Gallery at 830 12th Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

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Spool at Chashama, featuring infinity

August 18, 2009

A series of live installations

Street artist Infinity is curating a live “in window” series with a spool of ribbon, staples and scissors.  The show is consisting of five timed movements each day that take the spool from the floor to the walls and into 3D space.”Spool” features collaborations with Celso, AVOID pi, and Royce Bannon.

It’s a unique concept that will be interesting to see as it progresses from your vantagepoint of the street while the artist challenges the materials to behave in  new ways. Already some of the installations have created patterning and echoes of graffiti, but maybe we are reading too much into it, and probably way too simplistic.

Hearing it directly from the artist- it’s better than “The Making of Thriller”!

Infinity took a break tonight after Day 4 of the installation – Elated, excited, and full of descriptive scientific-philosophical gnostic imaginings. If you catch this dude on a good day, he’ll take you to a magical world of banging hammers and exploding synapses and voltaic currents of life-force.

“Basically this activity (Performance? Sculpture? Installation? Game composition?) is an abstraction, simplification, mutation, of the definition of “drawing,” reducing it to it’s elemental nature, the “line,” and representing it with string so that one can draw in a three dimensional space, crisscrossing and looping through the space like telephone cables, electric wire, like veins, like waves.

“For instance, the first movement is called “Pollack” because we basically are playing with the string on the floor which is reminiscent of Pollack’s drip techniques. The fourth movement, which is about tieing together all the crisscrossing string, is named after Celso because of his interest in knots and an installation he did his summer with fabric woven into a fence. He’ll be doing a duo with me on Friday

“The fifth movemennt is named after David Ellis of the Barnstormers, not Ellis G, who most people seem to think of. Getting to do all these days at the Chashama Space has really been helpful to see what works best.”

“Aside: Transmissions are streaming through us everywhere at all times!!!! You are surrounded and infiltrated!!!!! The tools are no longer pencil and paper but stapler and walls. The five movements are based on the order of actions that one must take to make an interesting i.e. successful “drawing in space”, which actually is the goal, like any other drawing. So since each movement is comprised of a certain set of actions, I named each one after an artist whose signature work is similar to that set, ” says infinity.

These photos below are from end of day today, which was a two day solo piece.

End of today August 18, by infinity

End of today August 18, by infinity

A wild scene in the window at end of today August 18, by infinity

A wild scene in the window at end of today August 18, by infinity

Oh Yeah, don’t forget the schedule

Each daily performance is split between 5 phases

“Spool” Drawings in Space
by infinity

266 W.37th St. NY, NY
Show performances August 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, and 21
Guest “duo” participation 19th: AVOID pi, 20th: Royce Bannon, 22nd: Celso,
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Live Performances at Chashama: “Spool” from infinity

Live Performances at Chashama: “Spool” from infinity

August 18, 2009 , , ,

A series of live installations

Street artist Infinity is curating a live “in window” series with a spool of ribbon, staples and scissors.  The show is consisting of five timed movements each day  that take the spool from the floor to the walls and into 3D space.”Spool” features collaborations with Celso, AVOID pi, and Royce Bannon.
It’s a unique concept that will be interesting to see as it progresses from your vantagepoint of the street while the artist challenges the materials to behave in  new ways. Already some of the installations have created patterning and echoes of graffiti, but maybe we are reading too much into it, and probably way too simplistic.

Hearing it directly from the artist- it’s better than “The Making of Thriller”!

Infinity took a break tonight after Day 4 of the installation – Elated, excited, and full of descriptive scientific-philosophical gnostic imaginings. If you catch this dude on a good day, he’ll take you to a magical world of banging hammers and exploding synapses and voltaic currents of life-force.

“Basically this activity (Performance? Sculpture? Installation? Game composition?) is an abstraction, simplification, mutation, of the definition of “drawing,” reducing it to it’s elemental nature, the “line,” and representing it with string so that one can draw in a three dimensional space, crisscrossing and looping through the space like telephone cables, electric wire, like veins, like waves.

“For instance, the first movement is called “Pollock” because we basically are playing with the string on the floor which is reminiscent of Pollock’s drip techniques. The fourth movement, which is about tieing together all the crisscrossing string, is named after Celso because of his interest in knots and an installation he did his summer with fabric woven into a fence. He’ll be doing a duo with me on Friday

“The fifth movemennt is named after David Ellis of the Barnstormers, not Ellis G, who most people seem to think of. Getting to do all these days at the Chashama Space has really been helpful to see what works best.”

“Aside: Transmissions are streaming through us everywhere at all times!!!! You are surrounded and infiltrated!!!!! The tools are no longer pencil and paper but stapler and walls. The five movements are based on the order of actions that one must take to make an interesting i.e. successful “drawing in space”, which actually is the goal, like any other drawing. So since each movement is comprised of a certain set of actions, I named each one after an artist whose signature work is similar to that set, ” says infinity.

These photos below are from end of day today, which was a two day solo piece.

End of today August 18, by infinity

End of today August 18, by infinity

A wild scene in the window at end of today August 18, by infinity

A wild scene in the window at end of today August 18, by infinity

Oh Yeah, don’t forget the schedule

Each daily performance is split between 5 phases

“Spool” Drawings in Space
by infinity

266 W.37th St. NY, NY
Show performances August 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, and 21
Guest “duo” participation 19th: AVOID pi, 20th: Royce Bannon, 22nd: Celso
Read more
Headbanger Logan Hicks Brings His Posse to Celebrate a brand New Green Day

Headbanger Logan Hicks Brings His Posse to Celebrate a brand New Green Day

August 18, 2009 ,

With Punk Rock Chords banging in his ears, the “workhorse” slams together two of his favorite things – Rock and Street Art – with a careful eye.

Logan's portrait's of Green Day; Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dimt, and Tre Cool (courtesy the artist)

Headbanger Hicks created portraits for the happy lads of Green Day; Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dimt, and Tre Cool (images courtesy Logan Hicks

He likes the dirt and the grit and diversity of New York, where he’s based today, as well as the thoughtfully applied paint of a well-placed stencil.  You’ll see it in his work, painstakingly detailed and applied to faces, sidewalks, subways, tunnels, building facades, and the mighty canyons of Manhattan. Logan Hicks captures the haunted cityscape with his mammoth and marble-heavy photorealism, shocked with stinging hot colors, glowing in the sky like Armageddon looming.

That’s why he’s the perfect force to shepherd street artists to make custom pieces for “21st Century Breakdown”, the new Green Day album. The 90’s punk band’s 9th album has inspired a roving art gallery to be shown off as they roll their tour around the world, and they asked Hicks to assemble an impressive list including Ron English, Chris Stain, The London Police, C215, and Broken Crow.

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says, “Punk Rock is ground zero for us. It’s been my education”. His schooling continues in the visual world with help from Hick’s curatorial skills. “Seeing the pieces that our new album has inspired is very exciting. Many of the artists Logan has chosen show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression, ” says Armstrong.

Just back from installing a 6,300 foot mural on the street course of the ESPN X-Games in LA with his crew of Jeremiah Garcia (n10z), Surge MDR, and Meow MDR, you would think Hicks is a little winded. Nahhh, the burly family man isn’t called ‘workhorse’ for nothing.

Getting his X-game on performing live stencil before a crowd

Getting his X-game on with live stencilling before a crowd in L.A..

Logan also

In addition to painting the street course, Hicks painted a mural celebrating the 15th anniversary of the X-Games, featuring an LA skyline and portraits of winners over the last decade and a half (photo courtesy the artist)

We asked Mr. Hicks if he could take a break and talk about the traveling show he curated,

Logan Hicks latest stencil on view at Jonathan Levine Gallery until August 22.

Logan Hicks latest stencil is on view at Jonathan Levine Gallery until August 22nd.

and after he submitted his newest stencil to the “Beach Blanket Bingo” show at Jonathan Levine Gallery, he crowd-surfed over for an inteview…

Brooklyn Street Art: What moved you to take on this responsibility; to curate a roster of this caliber street artists to interpret the entire new album by Green Day?
Logan Hicks: The manager for Green Day is also my manager. We were talking one day and I had told him that Art is the new Rock and Roll. Back when I was in high school, I was always on the look out for the new band, or song that paralleled my own feelings or ideas. Once I found it, I would play that sh*t every day. Back then it was punk rock, so I was on a Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Agent Orange, or MDC kick.

Ron English

Ron English

Adam 5100

Adam 5100

Now I find kids rocking Shepard Fairey stickers the same way I would play music. It is an expression that shows others what you are into. The conversation morphed into the idea of literally drawing a line between the music and the art as a form of expression. From there, I went through tons of artists and worked with Billie Joe Armstrong to pick the ones that we thought would work best for this project. From there the project was born.

Jeremiah Garcia

Jeremiah Garcia

Brooklyn Street Art: Are these one-of-a-kind originals? And are they for sale or is it more of a traveling gallery?
Logan Hicks: They are one of-a-kinds. The execution of the show is still in talks, so we may do prints, or a catalog, but at this point the only concrete plan is that we will travel the show to as many stops as we can, and display the originals in a gallery like setting. I’d like to see this travel, and be as approachable to as many people as possible.

C215

C215

Meggs

Meggs


Eelus

Eelus

Brooklyn Street Art: Each of these pieces is responsive to a specific track on their new release. Did you give the artists any other guidelines for their work, like turn the volume up to 10 and bang your head on a cinder block?
Logan Hicks: Actually the only guideline that I gave them was that I requested they make their piece without listening to the music. I wanted the piece to be a response to the lyrics, not the music. So the majority of the artists got the lyrics before the album was even released. That way they only had the words to go on. I just feel that sometimes the music can skew the perception of the song. Especially with Green Day, their lyrics can be a bit acidic but the melodies are a bit poppy. I wanted them to focus on the content, not the presentation so it was a truer interpretation of the song.

Sixten

Sixten

Component

Component

Sadhuy

Sadhuy

Brooklyn Street Art: Surprisingly to some youth, before there were the 90’s there were the 80’s and 70’s punk rock scenes. What bands were you slam dancing to for inspiration at that time?
Logan Hicks: Tons. A very brief list would be: Minor Threat, Cro-mags, Bad Brains, Butthole Surfers, The Pixies, Rudimentary Peni, 9353, Agent Orange, Circle Jerks, Descendants, Government Issue, TSOL, Joy Division, X, Crass, Exploited, Fear, Agnostic Front, The Cure, SNFU, The Addicts, Unsane, Dead Kennedys, GBH, UK Subs, DI, Sex Pistols, Cock Sparrer, Motorhead, 7 Seconds, Reagan Youth, and Black Flag. There were literally hundreds of bands that I would play on a weekly basis. I was a huge punk rock kid.

Broken Crow

Broken Crow

Chris Stain

Chris Stain

Peat Wollaeger

Peat Wollaeger

Brooklyn Street Art: A lot of the street-artists on this project work with themes of social injustice. Was that why you thought they would be able to interpret Green Day?
Logan Hicks: Yes, partially. Artists like Chris Stain are perfect for a band like green day because both are talking about the inequality, or finding your place in the world. Others like Ron English point out the absurdity and injustice in the world. Other artists were chosen because I thought their style was raw, or particularly suited for the project.

Lucamonte

Lucamonte

Myla/Adam 5100

Myla/Adam 5100

“Well maybe I’m the faggot America, I’m not a part of the red-neck agenda..”

Brooklyn Street Art: American Idiot” was a blunt instrument that smacked some sleepy heads. Do you like art that attempts to wake people up?
Logan Hicks: I crave diversity, so yes, I like blunt work, but I also think that work like Lucamaleonte is great too. His work is subtle, and a bit somber. I have never been the kind of guy who is into just one kind of style. I like the full array of style. Back when I was listening to punk rock, I would also put on Run DMC or Public Enemy. Even Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys would find their way into my play list. I just like art that is well thought out, purposeful, and well executed.

M City

M City

Will Barras

Will Barras

Pisa 73

Pisa 73

Brooklyn Street Art: Among the international group of fine artists you called upon to submit work, who handed their work in on time, who was late, and who told you the dog ate it?
Logan Hicks: Ha-ha. Most were good. When you deal with a large group of artists, you have to expect that some will drag their feet. I did have one rather well known stencil artist who waited 3 months to read the contract, then one week before things were due told me ‘ this is not a good project for me’. That was rather disappointing. Rather than say who was bad, I will say who was good. Ron English was extremely prompt and had his shit in more than month ahead of schedule. Total pro, and great guy to work with. There is no one in the group that I wouldn’t work with again though.

Brooklyn Street Art: Bonus Question: Which one is your favorite? Why?
Logan Hicks: Mine. Why? Cause I totally rock.

Logan Hicks’ Website

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Time to Play “Spot the Difference!”

August 17, 2009 , ,

My mom nearly busted her back one time trying to lift a couch.

So I spent a lot of time when I was 4 or 5 sitting in the chiropractor’s office waiting room.

Two things I remember are;
1. The receptionist actually played records on a record player next to her typewriter so there would be that dull and comforting waiting-room music on the speakers, and
2. They had these stoopid “kids” magazines that tried to be educational AND fun.  NOT.

So, while Dr. Manhandle was cracking my mom’s back, I was sitting on a lime-green vinyl chair and listening to Lawrence Welk on wooden speakers, trying not to scribble on the walls with my no. 2 pencil and instead looking at “SPOT THE DIFFERENCE” pictures – two seemingly similar cartoons side-by-side. The trick was you had to find the 6 tiny little differences between the two by studying them closely.  Maybe that is why I’m always spotting Street Art from 3 blocks away.  Doesn’t explain why I can’t find my other shoe.

Here’s a fun game everyone can play. (CLICK on them to enlarge)

There are supposed to be six
Okay here’s one very similar to the one’s in the waiting room. There are supposed to be six differences here – but I only saw the kat’s polly-lop first.

This one makes you think about all those "official" news pictures you see everyday. Um, which one is true?
This one makes you think about all those official news pics you see on TV. Um, some slight differences here, people.

A Very Subtly Changed
Very subtle changes in the original (on the left) and the knock-off (on the right) Are you observant enough to catch the differences?

I KNOW, it's cheeky.
I KNOW, it’s cheeky.       Study hard.

Maybe this one is not as easy a comparison
No, their are actual differences. Take your time.

I Write the Songs that Make the Whole World Think I'm Sexy.
I Write the Songs that Make the Whole World Think I’m Sexy.

Okay, one's in color and the other is in black and white. That's the first
Okay, one’s in color and the other is in black and white. We’ll give you that. Anything else?

And finally..... courtesy of the street...
And finally….. courtesy of the street… (thanks to Thomas Goryeb)

So there you have it – how did you do? Are you observant?

If you are hooked on the game now – there is an iphone app too.  Go crazy with your bad self,


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Images of the Week 08.16.09

Images of the Week 08.16.09

August 16, 2009 , ,

Our weekly interview with the street

El Coucho
El Coucho has a certain savoir-faire, don de gente (El Coucho) (photo Jaime Rojo)

PeruAna AnaPeru
Clayton and Maybelle still remember their first blind date. (PeruAna AnaPeru) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Gaia
Bovines on Lockdown! (Gaia) (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Coucho
Pugilistic Showiness (El Coucho) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Red Nose tries his luck with Hamlet
Red Nose tries his luck with Hamlet (photo Jaime Rojo)

Red Nose doing time
I’m gonna break my rusty cage and run … (Red Nose) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Chris RWK
Hey cutie. (Chris RWK) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Half Obey
Half O’ Bey (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Skewville Obey
What’re you sayin’ zactly?  (Skewville, Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey
Sometimes when I’m trying to get my point across I just get all tied up in knots. Know M Sayin? (NohJColey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective Mural Bedford and South 5 Williamsburg
The Younity Collective Mural in Williamsburg (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective. AM
The Younity Collective, AM (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective. AIKO

The Younity Collective, AIKO (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective. AM, JEN ONE, EROTICA
The Younity Collective AM, JEN ONE, EROTICA  (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective EMA

The Younity Collective, EMA (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective SHIRO
The Younity Collective, Shiro (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective SOFIA
The Younity Collective, SOFIA (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective SOFIA
The Younity Collective, SOFIA (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Younity Collective TOO FLY
The Younity Collective, TOO FLY (photo Jaime Rojo)

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Street Signals 08.15.09

August 15, 2009 ,

Aakash Nihalani Continues to trace the geometry of the street & Now It’s Interactive!

Simple, cheeky and inspiring. Aakash Nihalani redesigns the streets of New York by creating simple geometric shapes with Day-Glo tape, intriguing many the New Yorker. His impromptu graphic pieces highlight the contours and geometry of the city, making for playful visual grids that brighten the urban landscape.
Read more here from The Dirty Blog
And now Aakash has unveiled with fanfare a new online project using interactivity and the familiar 3 dimensional line drawings he experiments with in tape world. Looks like someone has been studying his Action Script!

“In an effort to translate that very personal unique interaction of human and art, I have begun to explore interactive digital artwork that can be experienced via the internet, from anywhere in the world. Integrating the visual and experiential concepts present in my tape installations into this digital medium”

-Aakash Nihalani

Click the image to interact with Aakash's illustrations
Click the image to interact with Aakash’s illustrations

And you can where tape too, apparently!

And you can wear tape too, apparently! (photo courtesy the artist)

Trip in the “Way-Back” Machine:

Keith Haring Live

Many artists look up to him as an originator. Did you ever see this guy in action painting a car?  This short clip shows Keith Haring in his design of the BMW Z1 at the Galerie Hans Mayer in Dusseldorf.

Logan Hicks and C215 to team up at “Show and Tell” in November

From Logan Hicks,

“The single best thing about leading the life of the an artist is the people you meet. A few years ago, I saw the work of C215 and immediately loved his work. Some time later, I met C215 and got to know him personally. C215 is an amazing person and an equally amazing artist. Earlier this year C215 asked me if I was interested in doing a show with him in Toronto at the Show and Tell Gallery.

It was a natural fit and we quickly locked in the dates.”

Looks like the show opens November 6.

Logan Hicks

C215

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Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque Preview – Tonight at Factory Fresh

August 14, 2009 , , ,

Lights, Camera, Banker!

Jon demonstrates that a donation to the Banker's Bailout Fund will illuminate his greedy eyes (photo Steven P. Harrington)
Jon demonstrates that a donation to the Banker’s Bailout Fund will illuminate his calculating eyes (photo Steven P. Harrington)

Final preparations were being made yesterday for the “Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque” show tonight at Factory Fresh.

Billed as an “International Art Show” and curated by Artist Jim Avignon, it features artists from France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Brooklyn, and promises vibrant colors, playful items, and contemporary weirdness to help bail you out during the rigors of a crumbling economy.

Jim Avignon
Jim Avignon, cartoon poet, speed painter and performance genius (photo Steven P. Harrington)

Daniel Dueck's poetic creaturs are born from spontaneous spills and splatters of paint.
Daniel Dueck’s imagination creatures are born from spontaneous spills and splatters of paint.(photo Steven P. Harrington)

Asuka Ohsawa makes these little banks when she is
Asuka Ohsawa makes these little banks when she is not baking cookies, making sock monkeys and thinking about garden gnomes (photo Steven P. Harrington)

An orgiastic splashtastic abstraction by Jon Burgerman (photo Steven P. Harrington)

An orgiastic splashtastic abstraction by Jon Burgerman (photo Steven P. Harrington)

Street Artist Ema says, "I have been painting walls since my early teens, and my style has changed quite a lot (photo Steven P. Harrington)
Street Artist Ema says, “I have been painting walls since my early teens, and my style has changed quite a lot (photo Steven P. Harrington)

What are you looking at me for, I'm just
What are you looking at me for, I’m just a banker out of a job?  Bail me out!  (photo Steven P. Harrington)

“Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque” features Ema, Asuka Ohsawa, Roman de Milk & Wodka, Jim Avignon, Jon Burgerman, Christine Young, Daniel Dueck

LEARN MORE AT FACTORY FRESH WEBSITE

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James, Karla and Billi Kid talk about Mom & Popism: Open to Public Saturday

James, Karla and Billi Kid talk about Mom & Popism: Open to Public Saturday

August 14, 2009 ,

Manhattan is turning into a Mall. There I’ve said it.

In the 80’s when I first got to NYC my best friend guided me through the canyons of Manhattan lamenting the pace of change, the cultural cornerstones gone, the new soul-lessness that was going up in new buildings and neighborhoods. I said, “Get over it, are you kidding? This place is amazing!”

Making a call while Billi Kid looks on (photo Jaime Rojo)

Hi De Hi, Hi Di Ho! Making a call while Billi Kid looks on (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

Now the pace of “progress” that has turned every small and mid-sized city in America into an interchangeable power strip of Olive Gardens, Radio Shacks, and OfficeMaxes has gradually infiltrated the culturally vibrant and wacky island. But it isn’t only Manhattan, it’s true in almost every neighborhood in the city – In fact, the chains are shackling most of our culture to a homogenized dullness that preys on low-paid workers elsewhere and creates low-paid workers here.  How many Mom-and-Pop stores have been wiped out by the undercutting prices and special tax considerations that Big Box stores have?

Ask James and Karla Murray.

They started taking pictures of New York’s Mom-and-Pop stores a decade ago when they were out shooting graffiti. By definition, a Mom-and-Pop is a family-owned and usually family-run business with roots in it’s community, providing needed goods or services and jobs and wealth to it’s small ecosystem. The Murrays noticed that they were disappearing, rapidly.  It alarmed them and they published a book featuring those businesses call “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York”, featuring 250 images of these Mom and Pops.

Buildmore, Morgan Thomas, and Blanco (photo Jaime Rojo)

Buildmore, Morgan Thomas, and Blanco love pasta! (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

A new show, open to the public this Saturday, features images from that book blown up almost to their original size in a “streetscape” and installed on a gorgeous rooftop. The twist with this show of storefronts is it also includes the work of 28 artists all over it, thanks to the curating skills of Billi Kid, street artist and entrepreneur.  We went to the opening of the event (read here) and then we had the pleasure of interviewing the authors and the curator of the show to get more of the backstory:

Brooklyn Street Art: How did the opening party go?

Karla Murray: The opening party was a huge success. We have to thank Liz and Genevieve at Gawker Artists for helping launch such a great event as well as Billi Kid for planning and curating the event. We have never seen our Store Front photos so big before, let alone be decorated by many talented graffiti and street artists. Lots of media and artists were there to celebrate the unveiling of the exhibit. We also want to thank Bear Flag wines who donated the wine.

Ticky/Underwater Pirates, and Celso with guests (photo Jaime Rojo)

Ticky/Underwater Pirates, and Celso with guests (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How did you come up with this unusual idea and then convince Jim and Karla to help make it happen?

Billi Kid: Jim and Karla’s book had been sitting on my coffee table for quite a while and of course, triggered the original idea. MOM & POPism was my fourth collaboration with J&K, our second in which other artists work over their images, so it came down to a matter of trust and love for the concept. To be honest, they jumped right in. No arm twisting on my part. If anything, we three held our breath while waiting for Gawker Artists, who presented the exhibition, to decide whether they wanted to commit their time and resources to the event. Liz Dimmit, our champion and curator of Gawker Artists, fought our battle hard and flipped the POWERS THAT BE over to the dark side.

Royce Bannon monster takes a bite (photo Jaime Rojo)

Royce Bannon monster takes a bite (photo Jaime Rojo)

Birds on a ledge by Cern (photo Jaime Rojo)

Birds on a ledge by Cern (photo Jaime Rojo)

David Cooper and Ralph's (photo Jaime Rojo)

David Cooper and Ralph’s (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Can you describe the process and materials you used to print these large scale repicas of storefronts?

James Murray: The process began by Billi Kid selecting the photos from our “STORE FRONT” book that he thought would have enough “negative” space for artists to paint directly on top of the photo but still maintain the integrity of the store. After Billi Kid told us his initial selection of images, we worked with him making the final selection. We based this decision on the actual image size because we wanted to use photos that we knew would be able to be blown up to that large size and remain clear. We then gave all the image files to Billi Kid so that he could do the math on every one of them and figure out how large the image would print. He also figured out what spaces the artist would paint on and assigned every artist a particular area to paint on. Billi Kid then printed out our photos in segments of 4 feet wide by 9 feet high on matte photo paper rolls using his wide-format printer. If it wasn’t for Billi Kid owning such a large printer, this project would never have gotten off the ground because it would have been too expensive to print at a local lab.

 

Ideal Dinettes, in business from 1953-2008 Brooklyn, 2004, by James and Karla Murray from “STORE FRONT- The Disappearing Face of New York”

 

Brooklyn Street Art: Were you ever afraid it wasn’t going to work out?

Billi Kid: Only in so far as the weather was concerned. When we kicked off the planning phase of MOM & POPism, the last thing we figured was a rainy July/August season. Who knew? We had considered the tremendous amount of work involved in getting this to look just right. I mean, Liz Dimmit actually committed to building 9 walls on the roof of Gawker Media HQ so that we could cover them with James and Karla’s beautiful photography. On top of that, we had to figure out the blown-up dimensions of each image and how to layer them up as wallpaper slices. It was definitely touch and go for most of the process, but the stars finally aligned in our favor.

Lady Pink (photo Jaime Rojo)

Lady Pink (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

Brooklyn Street Art: Isn’t Billi Kid rude and difficult to work with?

Karla Murray: Billi Kid is one of the nicest and most generous guys as well as a talented artist. This is the 3rd time we have collaborated with him on an exhibition. The first was a graffiti/street art/photography hotel room installation at the Carlton Arms Hotel in Manhattan and the second was an exhibition called Underground/Overground at the Artbreak Gallery in Williamsburg. We also selected him to be part of an exhibition we are curating during Art Basel Miami called GRAFFITI GONE GLOBAL presented by SushiSamba Restaurants. His work, including the panel he painted as part of MOM and POPism, will be shipped down to Miami and included in the show that takes place from Dec 3-6, 2009.

Brooklyn Street Art: How important is community in a project like this?

Billi Kid: As curator, my first concern for MOM & POPism was to bridge the gap between graffiti/street art and how it is exhibited in a gallery environment. I wanted the public to experience it in it’s pure form, exactly how I see it when I walk the city streets. Secondly, I wanted to continue James and Karla’s “Store Front” conversation along with the sadness felt by all as we watch the disappearing face of New York along with the economic and artistic implications involved. And last, it was all about community. Bringing all of these talented artists to this roof was a dream come true. When working together, the community can go a lot further in spreading the love as far as I’m concerned.

Shiro and her buddy by her piece (photo Jaime Rojo)

Shiro and her buddy by her piece (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: What conversation do you hope to spark about the significance of these businesses, and their disappearance?

James Murray: We hope to open people’s eyes to the disappearance of these mom-and-pop businesses and encourage people to shop in them and support them. Since we began the project of documenting these stores over 10 years ago, over half of the images which appear in the book have now closed. With the economy doing poorly even more businesses are threatened. These mom-and-pop stores are what makes each neighborhood in the 5 boroughs unique. They are the backbone of the community and when they close a little piece of history is lost.

Brooklyn Street Art: Do you think people are beginning to make the connection between corporate power, globalism, big box stores, and the killing off of Mom-and-Pop’s?

Karla Murray: We hope that people do make the connection between corporate power and big box retailers and the killing off of Mom-and-Pops. People often have the misconception that shopping at a big box is cheaper then going to a local store but it’s not true! Many store owners have told us that their prices are actually lower and the quality of their goods are better. These mom and pop store owners take pride in what they sell and stand behind their product whether its food or clothing or whatever. Many of these businesses have been handed down from generation to generation and the owners are proud to have their name attached to their store.

Brooklyn Street Art: Sometimes when you stretch your mind to combine art and artists in a new way, you can reach a new audience. Maybe you are letting more people know about these artists…
Billi Kid: Whenever I have a willing ear, I’m always talking about preaching beyond the choir. The work deserves and demands a wider audience. It’s beautiful to see and read how people outside of the graffiti and street art world reacted to MOM & POPism. Hallelujah!

Zoltron took the signs to a new street (photo Jaime Rojo)

Zoltron took the signs to a new street (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Now that the family owned stores are gone, do you see any hopeful signs in the development of the cityscape?
James Murray: Many family-owned businesses are still in existence so we remain hopeful that the cityscape will not change too drastically.

Infinity says he liked the garbage bags piled there

Infinity says he liked the garbage bags piled there because it looks more realistic (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

Brooklyn Street Art: What was the biggest surprise of the whole installation?
Karla Murray: The biggest surprise was all the rain we got while doing the installation. We knew going into this that the weather was not something we could control but we really were subjected to extremes. The boards were even blown over by a heavy wind/rain storm and had to be secured more tightly. When the artists were painting on the photos we had to erect “tents” out of tarps to keep them covered from the heavy rain storms. We even had to change the date of the opening party under threat of rain. Despite all this, everything worked out well and the photos and artwork held up remarkably well to the elements.

David Cooper signing a copy of Jim and Karla's book (photo Jaime Rojo) 

David Cooper signing a copy of Jim and Karla’s book (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

Brooklyn Street Art: Work and logistics aside, it looks like you had fun putting this one together!
Billi Kid: OK, scratch everything I said so far! Hell yeah!!! It was all about having fun! Seeing how much pleasure each artist had working and looking over each other’s shoulder was my finest moment in bringing MOM & POPism to life. At the end of the day, we ALL have to enjoy what we do, because it shows.

Here’s a piece by videographer Greg DeLiso:

MOM & POPism include Blanco,  Buildmore, Cake,  Celso, Cern, Chris  (RWK), Crome, Cycle, David Cooper, Destroy & Rebuild, Enamel Kingdom, Goldenstash, Infinity, Kngee, Lady Pink, Matt Siren, Morgan Thomas, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Plasma Slugs, Royce  Bannon, Shai R. Dahan, Shiro, The Dude Company, Tikcy, Under Water Pirates, Veng (RWK), Zoltron and Billi Kid.

MOM & POPism will be open to public on Saturday, August 15th from noon to 4 p.m. Additional exhibition viewings are available by appointment throughout August.

MOM & POPism Public Viewing Invite.jpg

Previous projects that combined the talents of James and Karla and Billi:

An article James and Karla wrote about Billi in Peel Magazine

The room Billi did at Artbreak Hotel with James and Karla

Underground Overground with Billi, James and Karla and Cern


Great Photos at the opening of Mom&Popism from talented photographer Joe Russo at our friends Arrested Motion

See an exhibition of photos from the book at the Clic Gallery now through September 27, 2009

Billi Kid

James and Karla Murray

Gawker Artists

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Jon Burgerman in Search of a Wall and a Sandwich

Jon Burgerman in Search of a Wall and a Sandwich

August 12, 2009 , , ,

Jon Burgerman

The doodling Jon Burgerman begins his mural in earnest in front of the Front Room (photo Jaime Rojo)

 

After lollygagging around the Fuggedaboutit borough for the whole summer, the GLOBAL DOODLER decides to do something worthwhile on the streets of Brooklyn.

One hot and sunny and punishingly ozone-alerty day last week, Jon Burgerman has the misfortune of standing on the sidewalk in front of The Front Room, a gallery in Williamsburg, with posca markers and a couple of pints of paint.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)Because he’s our special Facebook friend, we saw him post this a couple of weeks ago :“Jon Burgerman Will draw on a NYC wall in return for a lunch. (I’ll prob do most things for a free lunch) July 14 at 1:40am”

 

Curiously, as you can see, his post was written late into the evening, so we presumed a certain dire need in the darkness of night overcame him such so that he felt compelled to run to his computer in his pajamas to furiously type out this clarion call.  Gripped by the drama, and since we are always looking for an opportunity to connect said “Wall” with said “Artist” and because we knew Jon to be an agreeable sort, we felt compelled to contact him at once!

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

He accepted happily and plans were laid, after getting permission from all the right people.  As our appointment was at 11 a.m., Mr. Burgerman arrived promptly at 12:30 with sweat on his brow, a bag of blue paint, and a British economist in tow.  “Nottingham time” appears to be very flexible indeed.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

After going over the scope of the wall at hand and meeting our host, Daniel Aycock of the Front Room, Jon set about dabbling kidney-shaped blue blobs on the wall, while the economist entertained us with stories about graphical data, Trouffant, and Napoleon’s correlation between geography and troop death rates.  Since we were so close to lunch time already, it wasn’t long before it was imperative to procure lunch for the assembled guests.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

After a lively repast on the gallery’s table on the sidewalk, it was back to work for Mr. Burgerman. As the day wore on, a quickly growing troupe of friends and photographers Jon had alerted regarding his whereabouts gathered and snapped and asked him questions. Having satisfied our part of the deal, namely providing lunch and a wall, we thought it was time for the GREAT BROOKLYN STREET ART INTERVIEW;
Brooklyn Street Art: So what did you have for lunch?
Jon Burgerman: I had a mozzarella and avocado sandwich. It was good. I don’t know where it was from. It just appeared. I’m very grateful.

Brooklyn Street Art: Did you finish it all?
Jon Burgerman: No, my younger brother (the economist) consumed half of it. He dropped some of it on the sidewalk, um, didn’t eat it off the sidewalk, which is a good thing. He had some crisps off the ground though.

Brooklyn Street Art: You didn’t have any crisps, though.
Jon Burgerman: I had a few crisps. I do like crisps but you can’t eat them all the time.

Brooklyn Street Art: So is this wall pretty smooth?
Jon Burgerman: It’s good, it’s a bit bubbly, it’s okay. It’s good for me…. The smoother the better. I like to draw on it.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Usually markers right?
Jon Burgerman: Yeah, I mean it’s drawn out with a Posca pen. But yeah, it’s a thankless task trying to block it out with markers. Very expensive. So then there’s painting.

Brooklyn Street Art: Look at you, you’re painting!
Jon Burgerman: ..Which is what they taught you at art college.

Brooklyn Street Art: Well, at least THAT went to good use. Do you usually make sure to include one specific character in a piece?
Jon Burgerman: No. I mean the forms of the characters repeat sometimes. I mean that’s naturally going to happen. Um They’re not really specific characters.

Brooklyn Street Art: They don’t have names?
Jon Burgerman: Not these guys. I think sometimes more when I turn them into stickers and things.. then I might single out a shape a character and color and then it will start to develop a little name and a back story and that’s when it actually starts becoming a character more than just a symbol with a face. So I often think there is quite a big difference, because just because something has features doesn’t necessarily mean it has any specific character. A character for me has to have a reason to exist, a sort of functional goal or desire or something it does or a back story or a name. Then it starts to become a personality. Then you can imagine it could have it’s own little life beyond the drawing or painting that it exists within.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: So these are a bit more like “everyman” in the street characters, then, like they could get lost in the crowd.
Jon Burgerman: Yeah, or they are more like a logo or gestured shape. They’re like triangles, rectangles, circles. They are within an arsenal of imagery that I would use.

Brooklyn Street Art: You said “arsenal”. Do you ever think of this in terms of competitiveness?
Jon Burgerman: I didn’t mean to.

Brooklyn Street Art: But you said it.
Jon Burgerman: But I didn’t want to because that’s the name of my least-liked football club.

Brooklyn Street Art: Well I was just wondering if you would ever be in one of those competitive venues where you paint with someone else.


Jon Burgerman: I’ve done that. I’ve done the sort of “battle” thing where you’re painting at the same time with someone else. It’s kind of fun but I really don’t like the idea of it being a fight. It seems completely at odds with everything that painting and art stuff is meant to be about.

To be aggressively against some other guy is a little wrong. More often than not you’re paired up with someone who’s work is a bit like you and that you know. I can understand like a playful wrestle, I’m into that. But it’s never particularly a “battle”- yeah it’s not really serious is it? But it would be good if you had two artists who did hate each other. Then that might be interesting.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: They would dig deep.
Jon Burgerman: Yeah,you can’t really fake the emotion you might have in a proper fight. So they’re more like little Painting Dance-Offs I might say.Like a “Painting Slam” would be a horrible way to refer to it. Yeah,I’ve done those things. I don’t really like them too much to be honest. I always get a bit stressed out.But you know if you just throw a bunch of artists in a room and say “everyone have a paint” or just draw stuff that would be fine. But as soon as there is a competitive edge to it, I don’t really like it. Well, you know, the British aren’t really good at competitive events,in our events,our sporting ventures,tournaments and things, we don’t often fair very well.Are they popular over here, those sort of battles and things?

Brooklyn Street Art: Um they’ve become more popular – “Art Battles”, for example.
Jon Burgerman: Do you find them interesting?

Brooklyn Street Art: I like the idea of adding structure, and limitations that an artist has to push against.
Jon Burgerman: Yeah, I’m all for that.

Brooklyn Street Art: You know, a limited period of time, for example, or you are only aloud two colors to work with, or a theme that everyone has to address in some way.
Jon Burgerman: I like that, you kind of encourage thinking on your feet, all that kind of stuff. I can appreciate of that.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: But by the very nature of you calling this work “doodles” it pretty much infers that you are in a dream state when you are creating.
Jon Burgerman: Yeah, it’s something that you are kind of thinking about but you are not pre-planning, you’re not overly-thinking about it and you’re letting the pen or the brush kind of find it’s own sort of way. Improvising….much like an instrument; you might know some chords, might know some licks, and you are kind of spilling them together, making it up. “Oh that might work with that bit”, and “Oh yeah was interesting, maybe if I put this shape or draw this character now and move that over there, that would be nice.” So you have this little repetoire from which you can pull out – much like a jazz musician and then you can quickly adapt. Something else happens, someone says something, you get distracted, you think of something new. You can quickly add it in, change it. Things should be a little flexible. Like, following plans and stuff sometimes. You know a plan is very rigid. And something can happen find the paint spills in certain way, or the colors don’t come out as you had imagined. You know you are drawing on a paper the size of a postcard but the wall is the size of a house and then it doesn’t necessarily always transfer easily. Like scale and surface and light all make these differences to how you are working on things so I found for might work, and the way I think, and the way that I draw, that kind of rigidness doesn’t lend itself to successfully transferring my kind of style

Brooklyn Street Art:  It seems like a very plastic, flexible, expandable approach. It can expand or contract according to various inputs.
Jon Burgerman: That’s kind of how it is, yeah, it’s just that you never know what’s going to happen.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How often to you work outside like this? Like this scale working outside.
Jon Burgerman: Outside?I work on this scale quite often.You know people ask me to draw panels, boxes, and things, and gallery walls, and stuff.Actually on a wall on a street, very rarely. Where I live in Nottingham I’m not really out and about doing that kind of thing.There is a graffiti scene, but it’s not this kind of stuff, you know, it’s more traditional.But occasionally I do this, but it’s always in a kind of legit exhibition.I don’t really go out and about at night and do this kind of stuff. It’s a really pleasure to do, and it’s nice to be invited to do it but I don’t seek it out all the time. I rarely have the luxury in a day where I can say, “you know I’m going to spend just the day outside painting on a wall,you know, for the love of doing it. Which is a real shame.Obviously like if I do do it, it’s usually for an exhibition or event that’s been planned months in advance.

Brooklyn Street Art: Well, you are on vacation after all.
Jon Burgerman: Yeah, so it’s good to do a days work.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

After running for cover ‘neath the shade of the trees to drink refreshments and chat with fans, Jon continued to run out into the blazing sun, sometimes beaten to the ground by it.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Finally, when the pressure was off, it was time for a photoshoot!  Jon dug into his bag of tricks and produced three little creatures, handmade by the Felt Mistress, based on characters he has drawn.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

The high-quality materials and expert workswomanship were stunning, and these little fellows looked perfectly placed next to the mural. You Go, Felt Mistress!!

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

After a hard afternoon of doodling, Jon relaxed with the only people who really understand him. As the sun began to set, we parted ways as he set off with his economist brother in search of a beer garden and cucumber sandwiches.

Jon Burgerman

Jon Burgerman (photo Jaime Rojo)

If you’d like to meet Jon in person and see new work in a gallery setting, this weekend is your daily double!  Jon will be part of a group show called “Brooklyn Bailout Burlesque” at Factory Fresh on Friday the 14th, and is having a solo Show called “My American Summer” at Giant Robot imagein the Lower East Side.

We feel very lucky to have been a small part of Jon’s American Summer, and invite him back to the BK when he’s looking for a free lunch again.

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