2010

Chris Stain and Billy Mode: Danger, Poverty, Friendship

September 8, 2010

Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-Chris-Stain-Title-Graphic

Did you see all the kids going to school today?  It was LOUD on my bus as everybody was cramming in, some holding hands of their mom or dad or grandparent. Little backpacks, new shoes, excitedly talking about what classes are going to be like this year and what they did over the summer.

Times like this give us a bit of hope in a period when so much for so many seems uncertain. Two years into an economic kick to the stomach and many of us are still reeling, trying to hang on, and some are falling off. For the first time, many are understanding the dangers of poverty and it’s dehumanizing cyclical nature.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-Chris-Stain-Stain-and-mode

Naturally, some artists are there to help us see us – canaries in the coalmine, they dare to go there and talk about the dangers ahead and the dangers present.  Armsrock, Swoon, Chris Stain, Specter, even new artists like Indigo and Joe Iurato – all explore sides of the human experience that are difficult for us to talk about sometimes but all the more necessary.

Taking advantage of really temperate and long summer days recently, Chris Stain and Billy Mode have been working in the beauty that is upstate New York on a few murals – some of which contemplate the realities of a system that can push people into the margins and leave them there. Incorporating some of Chris’s recent imagery of the boy along with his signature atmosphere urban signposts, the two created a graff-style sign across the front spelling the word that is associated with poverty.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-Chris-Stain-danger

Says Stain, “The mural says ‘Danger’ and it’s a tribute to our friend VOKE. One of his early tags was DANGER. He was the most creative person that Bill and I knew, always pushing the boundary of what graffiti was about and what it could become. With this piece we tried to do just that by incorporating graffiti style lettering and stencils. ”

A 20 year old picture of a piece by Voke, courtesy Chris Stain
“Voo Doo”, A 20 year old picture of a piece by Voke, courtesy Chris Stain

To Stain and Mode, Voke was doing stuff with his graffiti in 1990 that later would become more familiar as “Street Art”. Chris explains how the graffiti artist was moving in the new direction even then, “He was introducing elements that were unusual in graffiti lettering at the time. Like the pinwheel in place of the ‘O’ for example. The ‘V’ is made up of two nail like spikes.”
Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-Chris-Stain-abolish-poverty
For the two Street Artists, who easily switch back and forth between brushes, cans, stencils, and freehand, working collaboratively is always freestyle. “Bill and I have been painting together for over 20 years. We have developed a certain rhythm and trust that allows us the freedom to create without inhibitions. I think it comes from a mutual respect. We usually develop a loose plan and let each other add our own ingredients,” says Chris.

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images courtesy and copyright of the artist
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Natural Devolution in the “Swampy” Southland

September 7, 2010 ,

Brooklyn Street Artist Swampy Pounds a Path in Atlanta Wilderness

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Living-Walls-Update2by Jayne McGinn
images by Jenna Duffy

Swampy’s signature characters form a narrative, a new dimension slowly being built inside our own. The skull and tusks are representative of a feral human; a person who, after being released into the wild, changes like an emancipated domestic pig transforms back into a boar by growing tusks and long hair.

Swampy (© Jaime Rojo)

Swampy (© Jenna Duffy)

The trademark crystals in Swampy’s paintings function on different levels. Not only are the crystals aesthetically pleasing, but also representative of the untainted minerals that make up animals forming into a shapes so beautiful, it’s astonishing that they could occur naturally in this world.

Swampy (© Jenna Duffy)

Swampy (© Jenna Duffy)

In person, Swampy seems less like someone who paints characters representing purity and extraordinary beauty and more like one of these characters, someone whose exceptional integrity is so remarkable that a natural existence is almost unfathomable.

Almost.

Swampy (© Jenna Duffy)

Swampy (© Jenna Duffy)

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Hold Up Art Gallery Presents: BUA “POPS” (Los Angeles, CA)

September 5, 2010 , , , , ,

BUA
brooklyn-street-art-BUA-hold-up-art-galleryLOS ANGELES, Ca. – BUA, the legendary urban artist, proudly introduces his newest collection of original art, entitled BUA “POPS”, as well as showcasing some of his classic works on Saturday, September 11, 2010, at Hold Up Art, located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district. For BUA, POPS represents more than just popular cultural representations and iconography or the style of art made famous by the likes of Warhol and Haring. Known as the artist “for the people, of the people, by the people”, POPS continues BUA’s message as an homage to the artist’s fan base as well as creating pervasive hip hop imagery recognizable across cultures.

BUA is internationally known for his best-selling collection of fine art works and prints–“The DJ” being one of the most popular selling posters of all time. Born in NYC’s untamed Upper West Side and raised between Manhattan and East Flatbush, Brooklyn, BUA was fascinated by the raw, visceral street life of the city. BUA’s distinct style born on the city walls and subway trains — “New Urban Realism”, captures the essence of contemporary culture as expressed through the memories of BUA’s turbulent youth, navigating the streets and underground worlds of the urban jungle and the birth of the hip hop scene. Following in the footsteps of the great masters, BUA represents the lives of both the revered and the marginalized, the heroes and the underdogs of our time.

BUA “POPS” @ HUPA
Date: Saturday, 9/11/10
Time: 7:00-11:00pm
Address: 358 East 2nd Street; LA CA, 90012
Telephone: 213.221.4585
Email: ben@holdupart.com
Website: www.justinbua.com
www.facebook.com/buafans
www.holdupart.com
www.facebook.com/holdupart

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High Roller Society Presents: Glenn Anderson + Richard Coldicott “Warp + Woof” (London, England)

September 5, 2010 , , , ,

High Roller Society
brooklyn-street-art-glenn-anderson-richard-coldicott-high-roller-society-Warp-woof

warp and woof [wawrp uh nd woof] (see also warp and weft) noun.

1. The threads that run lengthwise (warp) and crosswise (woof) in a woven fabric
2. A distinctive, complex underlying pattern or structure on which something is built; a base or foundation

The first London exhibition by Glenn Anderson & Richard Coldicott sees a continuation of their ongoing project “Warp & Woof”, a phrase used by the artists to describe the fabric of their everyday surroundings and existence which continues to shape and inspire them. Gravitating toward the disregarded spaces and detritus common to the post industrial ‘playground’ of their hometown Birmingham, here the artists present an installation of work incorporating drawing, painting, sculpture, moving image and found objects, all of which resonates their shared celebration of discovering beauty and treasure amongst the overlooked and discarded. WARP + WOOF reveals a fascinating montage of the otherwise mundane, and is on view at High Roller Society from 11 September to 9 October.

Glenn Anderson and Richard Coldicott are expert scavengers of detritus and skilled voyeurs of imagery. Making something out of nothing is like an animalistic instinct to these artists, but that isn’t to mean they make just anything. Indeed, abandoned places, everyday faces, and all things forgotten have given way to a score of previous exhibitions across the UK and US, including Beat 13 at Lab 101 Gallery in Los Angeles, Keep A Breast at Stay Gold Gallery in New York, Mutate Britain in London, the Birmingham OPEN at the Gas Hall/Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and film screenings on BBC2 and video & film festivals worldwide.

Yet, despite the 15+ minutes of fame they’ve each received thus far, both artists remain as grounded and as close to their roots than ever. As the title WARP + WOOF suggests, Anderson and Coldicott have been busy laying down a solid foundation of discarded particles upon which their inspiration and integrity have been built. Whether in their native Birmingham or elsewhere in the world, they weave themselves within their surroundings in order to understand its existence and give its faded past a new life. Now, their own trail of existence marks the paths they’ve trespassed on, often in the form of giant matchsticks, masks made from rubbish, sketches, films, and inspired energy… all very much alive, all incorporated in life’s woven fabric, and all from nothing.

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Images Of The Week 09.05.10

September 5, 2010 , , , ,

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_05-2010Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring BHNL, BP, F, OverUnder, Paul Richard, Tip Toe, Tucalin, Feral, Brummel and White Cocoa.

You Are So Fine (© Jaime Rojo)

Hey Bully You’re So Fine, You’re So Fine You Blow My Mind. (© Jaime Rojo)

Feral with Overunder (© Jaime Rojo)
Feral with Overunder (© Jaime Rojo)

BP (© Jaime Rojo)

Brummel. BP’s responsible for the worst oil spill ever, killing millions of animals and endangering humans – and it continues to inspire street art (© Jaime Rojo)

Tucalin (© Jaime Rojo)

Lemme House You, Gurl….  Tucalin (© Jaime Rojo)

BHNL (© Jaime Rojo)

BHNL (© Jaime Rojo)

F (© Jaime Rojo)

F (© Jaime Rojo)

Overunder (© Jaime Rojo)

Overunder (© Jaime Rojo)

Paul Richard (© Jaime Rojo)

Ever clever Mr. Paul Richard (© Jaime Rojo)

Tip Toe (© Jaime Rojo)

Tip Toe (© Jaime Rojo)

Blends (© Jaime Rojo)
I got your charm right here baby. Blends (© Jaime Rojo)

White Cocoa (© Jaime Rojo)
Apparently this happens to women who have had a few drinks too! Wet White Cocoa (© Jaime Rojo)

White Cocoa. Detail (© Jaime Rojo)
White Cocoa. Detail (© Jaime Rojo)

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Reclaiming Public Space: Artists Tripping Over Each Other to Help

September 4, 2010

There don’t seem to be buckets of money funding these Public Ad Campaigns to do this switch-a-roo stuff but the people who create and execute them are so earnest and straight-talking…  And from what we have witnessed and heard, artists of all stripes everywhere are lending them a hand in taking over advertising space.

Trend alert! Give it a name! Commodify it! I have the Tumbler page ready.

This week in Toronto a large number of illegally posted spaces were re-posted with art, by street artists and otherwise.  Revolutionary? Not really, unless the aforementioned MONEY is an issue.

In an explanation of the project, a press release for the installation says this:

“While it is understood that commercial messages do not share our collective interests, we still do not question its use of our shared environments. In an effort to invigorate debate about how commercial interests are using public space and raise questions about how our communities desire to use those same spaces, non-violent civil disobedience projects like TOSAT engage the public in a dialogue of participation.”

Brooklyn-Street-Art-WEB-Toronto-Public-Art-tosat

Brooklyn’s Bast in Toronto is replacing an ad in one of 41 allegedly illegal kiosk displays.

For filmmaker Sarah Berman, who made the brief and to-the-point documentary (below) with Jordan Seiler and friends, it is all about taking back public space that has been illegally seized by corporations. When you consider that just a couple of years ago Jordan was pretty much a lone wolf howling about illegal billboards, and this year the City of New York BOOTED one giant company who had been plastering willy-nilly all over Gotham thousands of posters – it sounds like the message resonates.Brooklyn-Street-Art-Toronto-Public-Art-QuelBeast_2

Brooklyn’s Quel Beast in Toronto

And today it’s not only the Public Ad Campaign who is reclaiming public space – you’ll notice an up-tick in the PosterBoy-ish messing with subway posters in the last months. You can dismiss it as pranksterism – but perhaps that’s just on the surface. Maybe it’s also because today’s teens and twenty-somethings have been cajoled and hoodwinked from every angle to buy “stuff” since the forceps clamped their soft skulls – and they see where all of that breathless pursuit of “stuff” has gotten us.  Maybe it is just because freedom of speech is a deeply rooted need and certain parts of “the public” want to give, not just receive, messages.

Sarah Berman explains Corporate Graffiti with Jordan and John.

Spoiler Alert: Artists Win

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Galerie Itinerrance Presents: M- City “Industrial Jungle” (Paris, France)

September 4, 2010 , , , , ,

Galerie Itinerrance
brooklyn-street-art-M-City-Itinerrance-gallery-parisM-CITY

« Industrial Jungle »

M-City (Gdansk, Poland – 1978)

M-City used to be a video game designer obsessed with sciences.
One day in the early 90s he has been caught by the street art.
He went to conquer the continents, with some stencils in his
pocket and a concept: the imagination is the only limit of
representation. By the way of pixel art, his work unfolds as
infinite landscapes, black and white, standing at the dawn of the
Industrial Revolution. With paintings ranging up to 85 meters
long, this young Polish man delights in gigantism. M-City’s
renown is now undeniable, both on the street that gallery. He is
proposing today to come and share his dream both wildly poetic
and mathematics for the first time in Paris.

Exhibition September, 24 to October, 30, 2010 at Galerie Itinerrance
Opening on Friday, September, 24 from 6 pm

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Show And Tell Gallery Presents: Know Hope “There Is Nothing Dear (There Is Too Much Dear)” (Toronto)

September 4, 2010 , , , , ,

Know Hope

Know Hope

Know Hope (© Jaime Rojo)

For the past 4 years, Know Hope has been showing his work in galleries and exhibitions worldwide, but mainly on the streets, in their natural urban settings. Know Hope deals with the ephemeral aspect of not only the genre itself, but also as a subject – the need of momentary connections in the everyday reality, and the common denominator that is the human struggle.

Through site specific installations, murals and paste-ups, Know Hope attempts to create situations that happen in real time, and are accessible to the public on a day-to-day basis, with intentions of creating some sort of a dialogue.

He views his gallery practice as a completely different mindset as that of working in the street. Street art is about reacting to the surroundings, to an existing reality and becoming part of it, thus making the piece itself blend in and become as significant as the environment in which it is placed, whereas the gallery is a much safer environment, which can function as a greenhouse in some manners. The separation is vital, and Know Hope believes that it is impossible to recreate or bring the street indoors, but on the other hand allows the artist to create an environment of his own. The same process is valid for the viewer himself, because the context in which the pieces are seen inevitably affects the experience.

For the past year, Know Hope’s work has been revolving around the story of an un-named figure, following it and creating some sort of lifeline through its observations, mishaps and eventually its commentary. The figure is the visual manifestation of the human vulnerability addressed in all the pieces.

The re-occurring figure is used as a way for the viewer to create a “long-term relationship”, so to speak, with the character. Through different stages and situations of despair, hope and discovery, the narrative is an ever-developing one. Through the use of a vocabulary of iconography such as electricity poles, tree stumps, broken televisions and billboards, a whole world is created and is used as a visual metaphor of the world in which we live. In the gallery pieces the photographic backgrounds function as a substitute for the urban background which is provided organically in the street works.

The majority of the pieces are made out of cardboard, a choice based not only on the aesthetics of the medium, but on the essence of the material. Cardboard is often used to make boxes, to contain objects and transfer them from one place to the other, only to be discarded immediately after- it is always available, somebody else’s trash.
The use of cardboard makes the content of the pieces physical- the urgency of creating temporary art for the street, and the liability and rough fragility of the same struggle addressed before.

Know Hope has garnered much attention over the past year with his paste-ups and installations as well as successful exhibitions in the UK, LA, Norway, San Jose and recently New York and is now preparing for group and solo exhibitions in Rome, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2009.

Artist Homepage

Address
1161 Dundas St. West
Toronto, ON
M6J 1X3
Canada
Gallery Hours
Wed – Sat: 1pm – 8pm
Sun: 1pm – 7pm
Mon & Tue: By Appointment Only
Email
info@showandtellgallery.comPhone:
+ 647.347.3316
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Show And Tell Gallery Presents: Dan Bergeron AKA Faux Reel “Faces Of The City” (Toronto)

September 4, 2010 , , , , ,

Faux Reel

Dan Bergeron "Beth" (Mixed Media On Wood, 56.5" x 59.5", 2010) Image Courtesy of the Gallery
Dan Bergeron “Beth” (Mixed Media On Wood, 56.5″ x 59.5″, 2010) Image Courtesy of the Gallery

Upcoming: Dan Bergeron – Faces of the City

Show & Tell Gallery is pleased to welcome Dan Bergeron (also known as fauxreel) to his first solo exhibition with the gallery. Bergeron is best known for his subversive and thought-provoking public street installations.

His most recent body of work, Faces of the City, juxtaposes the abrasive charm of the distressed surfaces of modern cities with the intimate familiarity of the human face. As the walls and surfaces of the city define its physical character and spatial identity, the faces of its inhabitants provide the city with its personality, disposition and magnetism. His fusion of the two explores the idea that beauty truly lies in the scars, wrinkles and blemishes of places we live and people we meet.

Faces of the City will feature original photo-based, mixed media assemblages as well as a selection of editioned photo prints featuring the artist’s street installations.

Bergeron’s work has been displayed in institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. His public installations can be found in alleys, boroughs, arrondissements, and on high streets in Toronto, New York, Paris and London.

Dan Bergeron
Faces of the City
Sept 10th – Oct 3rd, 2010
Dan Bergeron
Artist talk
Sept 11th, 2010
4 – 6pm

1161 Dundas St. West
Toronto, ON
M6J 1X3
Canada

+ 647.347.3316
info@showandtellgallery.com

Wed – Sat: 1pm -8pm
Sun: 1pm – 7pm
Mon & Tue: By Appointment Only


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RAS Gallery Presents: Bom-k . Dran . Sowat “Divujar Mata Violente” (Barcelona, Spain)

September 4, 2010 , , , ,

Suben Presents:
brooklyn-street-art-Bomk-Dran-Sowat-ras-gallery-barcelona

SUBEN PRESENTS

DIBUJAR MATA VIOLENTE
Bom-k . Dran . Sowat

Opening Thursday September 9th from 7.30 till 10 pm
RAS Gallery Barcelona . Carrer Doctor Dou 10

Like everything else that’s good in life, Graffiti kills. It’s the gas in the spray cans, the chemicals in the inks, the sleepless nights spent obsessing about new ideas and days wasted wandering the train tracks…

Working together for the first time in a Catalonian gallery, French graffiti writers Bomk, Dran and Sowat of the Da Mental Vaporz crew, are willing to share their last will with Europe’s Street Art Mecca. Hopefully, the show will be filled with their usual hyper realistic sexual beasts, disillusioned children’s’ drawings, vandalized sketches, dripping calligraphies, crossed out black and white pictures and whatever else they may have in store for us.

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Mighty Tanaka Presents: A Group Show. Matt Siren, Royce Bannon, Veng & Chris from RWK, 2Esae & SKI From URNewyork and Peat Wollaeger (stenSoul) “Iconography, A Reflection of Anonymity”

September 4, 2010 , , , , ,

Mighty Tanaka Presents:
brooklyn-street-art-matt-siren-peat-wollaeger,royce-bannon-vengRWK-ChrisRWK-urnewyork-2esae-ski-mighty-tanaka

Mighty Tanaka presents:
Iconography, A Reflection of Anonymity
Featuring the work of Matt Siren, Peat Wollaeger (stenSOUL), Royce Bannon, Chris & Veng of Robots Will Kill and 2Esae & SKI of URnewyork

New York City is rich with colors, sounds, textures, personal exchanges and human interactions, a scene constantly in motion. Through the busy veil of urban lifestyles is an artistic detail that binds the city together. Mighty Tanaka is excited to present: Iconography, A Reflection of Anonymity. Featuring the artwork of Matt Siren, Peat Wollaeger (stenSOUL), Royce Bannon, Chris and Veng of Robots Will Kill and 2Esae and SKI of URnewyork, they represent an accurate cross section of the street art one finds in NYC and beyond.

Each artist demonstrates their own personal blend of techniques and styles as they have developed a highly personalized means of branding their work, and ultimately, themselves. The icons they choose to place on the streets hold an individualized significance, a means of projecting self onto a surface interpreted by the general public. Their work represents a generation’s visionary artistic approach to the urban landscape.

Through a variety of methods including wheat paste, screen print, spray paint, stencils and more, their chosen techniques encompass a broad spectrum of what one encounters on the streets today. However, it is the integrity of the iconic imagery that translates the rawness of the streets into the refinement of the gallery setting.

OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, September 10, 2010
6:00PM-9:00PM

(Show closes October 8, 2010)

Mighty Tanaka
68 Jay St., Suite 416 (F Train to York St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Hours: M-F 12:30PM to 7PM, weekends by appointment
Office: 718.596.8781
Email: alex@mightytanaka.com
Web: http://www.mightytanaka.com

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Fun Friday 09.03.10

September 3, 2010 , , , , , ,

Fun-Friday

Fun Friday 09/03/10

C215 and Eelus are in Brooklyn This Weekend

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Brooklynite-Sept2010-Eelus-c215

Brooklynite Gallery, deep in Bedstuy, creates a certain lively tension with  two Street Art tricksters in this duo Euro show.

Parisian C215 continues to exceed expectations, which isn’t easy because he has already set them pretty high as a world class urban stencillist with  portraits that glow from within uncannily, summoning more empathy than a Jerry Lewis telethon.  The vastly more light-hearted Eelus guards the class impudent role – combining youthful humor, technologic fantasy, and a bit of antsy-lad sexual tension in his starkly popish compositions. A rewarding and rich show, “Paradise Lost” is another solid and smashing Street Art /gallery show that doesn’t compromise either one.

Kid Acne “Stabby Women” New Zine and Video

Word the heck up.The Stabby invasion is here…

Image Courtesy of the Artist

STABBY WOMEN – 52 Page Fanzine & Postcard Set, edition of 250

“Stabby Women”  – a project of serendipity that started in São Paulo includes the female battalion of over five hundred Stabby Women now patrolling our streets amongst the hustle and bustle of New York, Paris, Barcelona, Munich and London – peering from the bottom of doorways, subtly patrolling their domain.

Learn more about this Kid Acne project directly from the artist here

Countdown to FAME

FAME Festival Begins This Month in Italy

A stunning array of street artists from around the world have been gathering over the summer to do large-scale and high quality installations leading up to the FAME Festival, starting September 25. Included in the lineup are JR , ERICA IL CANE , SAM3 , NUNCA , BLU , OS GEMEOS , BORIS HOPPEK , ESCIF , 108 , DALEK , NICOLA TOFFOLINI , LUCY MCLAUCHLAN , SWOON , SLINKACHU , CYOP E KAF ,DAVID ELLIS ,VHILS , BEN WOLF , WORD TO MOTHER , MOMO , and BASTARDILLA.

As told by our friends at HookedBlog.com, “The festival now is in it’s third year and is set to be bigger and better ” Read more at HookedBlog.com      (image of MOMO © HookedBlog.com)

Brooklyn-Street-Art-MOMO-FAME_copyright-HookedBlog-ceramiche-dettaglio

Shepard Fairey in San Diego for Viva La Revolucion

“The thing with Street Art is you can’t be too precious about it.  It’s ephemeral.”


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