2010

Soapstone Gallery Presents: “Graffolution”

July 13, 2010 , , , ,

Billi Kid

Billi Kid M.I.A. (Photo © Billi Kid)
Billi Kid M.I.A. (Photo © Billi Kid)

“GRAFFOLUTION”

July 15 to August 15, 2010

OPENING RECEPTION:
Thursday, July 15
7PM -11PM

Soapstone Gallery
11 W. 36th Street NYC

CURATED BY:
Frankie Velez & Mike Mcmanus

FEATURED ARTISTS:
Subtexture, Matt Siren, See One, Reskew, Sae Ster, Eric Orr, Meres,
Joe Russo, Rob Luciano, Billi Kid, Jeneveive, Fumero, Victor Roman,
Josh Goldstein, Masahiro Ito, UR New York (2esae & Ski), Peat
Wollaeger, Veng (RWK), Daniel "Krave" Fila, Royce Bannon,
Charlie Green, Toofly, Erotica, Abe Lincoln Jr, Clark Fly Id, Ribs,
KA, Ellis G, Joe Iurato, Slave, Sane 2, Gigi Bio, Haloz, Anera, Armo,
DIL, TMNK (Nobody), Grimace, Shine, Nemo, Etaks.One, Oliver Rios,
Bader Israel and Sienide.

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TT Underground Gallery Presents: “Artefacts”

July 13, 2010 , , , , ,

“Artefacts”

"Artefacts"

"Artefacts"

If you’re in New York this week, check out the ARTEFACTS group show opening Thursday night, July 15th 7-11pm at Toy Tokyo’s new underground gallery space. I’ll have a couple brand new works on display alongside street luminaries Swoon, Shepard Fairey, Cope 2, Mr Cartoon, and Clayton Patterson to name a few. Should be a great show.

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Thinkspace Gallery Presents: “Love Conquers All: Art for Equality” (Culver City, CA)

July 13, 2010 , , , , , ,

Thinkspace Gallery

Image Courtesy of the Gallery
Laurie Lipton “The Kiss” Image Courtesy of the Gallery

Thinkspace presents:

‘Love Conquers All: Art for Equality’ group show

Main Gallery

Seth Armstrong

‘Well There You Are’

Project Room

Both exhibits on view: August 7th – August 28th

Opening Reception: Sat, August 7th 7-10PM

20% of the proceeds will be donated to Equality California (http://www.eqca.org/)

Co-curated by Andrew Hosner with Suzette Franck-Rosen and Nicole Rosen

Los Angeles, CA (July 13th, 2010) – Thinkspace is pleased to present Love Conquers All: Art For Equality, a special exhibition supporting the fight for equality which aims to raise awareness for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) struggle. This special exhibition features the work of over 50 international artists and promises to open eyes and encourage dialogue. Also showing concurrently in our project room will be Well There You Are, an exhibition of new works from Oakland based artist Seth Armstrong, in what will be his debut solo exhibition with our gallery following numerous group show appearances including taking part in last December’s Aqua Art Miami during Art Basel.

So, why are we fighting for civil rights?  As of July 2010, multiple states have laws on the books that ban gay marriage by explicitly saying that marriage is a union between “a man and a woman.”  In addition, at the Federal level, LGBT individuals have over 1,000 rights that aren’t afforded to them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  They cannot serve our country in the military, cannot jointly file taxes, cannot have a foreign partner made into a legalized citizen, cannot receive death benefits, etc.  As you can see, this isn’t only about marriage it’s also about being equally recognized by the government. The issues at hand are much larger than solely marriage.

However, in our fight for civil rights, in this day and age, we have to start somewhere.  And, in history the LGBT community has always had the world turned on its ear.  Prop 8 served a purpose for those to define a government sanctioned marriage using a definition based on religion, they used gay marriage as a symbol of the undermining of family values and corruption of children and it served as a defining moment that they believed that Jim Crowe’s, “separate but not equal”, did not apply to LGBT individuals.  For LGBT individuals, it served as a bastion of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel that even after it had passed would usher in a new era of civil rights…an era that would bring a more tolerant, more accepting society.

The fight for equality is not just an LGBT fight; it is a fight for all society.  There are many straight allies, like those of us here at Thinkspace and the numerous artists that are involved in Love Conquers All: Art For Equality, that want to see LGBT individuals have the same rights as them.  That is why Thinkspace and its co-curators have decided that a portion of the proceeds will go to EQCA (Equality California), because in the past decade, EQCA has successfully passed more than 60 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community – more than any other statewide LGBT organization in the nation. Working in partnership with California’s LGBT Legislative Caucus, EQCA is committed to building a better future for all Californians by protecting youth, strengthening families and empowering communities.

Artists taking part include:

Adam Caldwell

Allison Sommers

Ana Bagayan

Anthony Clarkson

Aunia Kahn

Bob Dob

Brooke Grucella

Bumblebee

Caia Koopman

Cate Rangel

Chet Zar

Chris Murray

Craig ‘Skibs’ Barker

Dabs Myla

Dave Pressler

David MacDowell

Delphia

Erik Siador

Ferris Plock

Genevive Zacconi

Germs

Harriet Lambers

Imminent Disaster

Jacub Gagnon

James ‘Dalek’ Marshall

Jeff Ramirez

Jen Lobo

Jenna Colby

Jesse Hotchkiss

John Michael Gill

John Park

Joseph ‘2H’ McSween

Josie Morway

Kelly Tunstall

Kelly Vivanco

Kevin Titzer

Laurie Lipton

Leontine Greenberg

Lesley Reppeteaux

Linnea Strid

Liz Brizzi

Luke Kopycinski

Mari Inukai

Mark Dean Veca

Melanie Moore

Naoto Hattori

NohJColey

Paul Barnes

Paul Chatem

Rene Gagnon

ROA

Scott Belcastro

Shaunna Peterson

Stella Im Hultberg

Tiffany Liu

Timothy Karpinski

Tony Philippou

Tran Nguyen

Take a ‘Sneak Peek’ at the works for ‘Love Conquers All’ coming together here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157624482555932/

ABOUT EQUALITY CALIFORNIA:

Since it was founded in 1998, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation.

EQCA works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT people. To improve the lives of LGBT Californians, EQCA sponsors legislation and coordinates efforts to ensure its passage, lobbies legislators and other policy makers, builds coalitions, develops community strength and empowers individuals and other organizations to engage in the political process. In the past decade, EQCA has successfully passed more than 60 pieces of civil rights legislation for the LGBT community – more than any other statewide LGBT organization in the nation. Each year at the Capitol, EQCA monitors thousands of bills and leads the state’s efforts to defeat legislation that could have a negative impact on LGBT Californians and their families.

EQCA, on behalf of its members, is an organizational plaintiff in the historic lawsuit asking the California Supreme Court to strike down state law that bars same-gender couples from marriage. In court, EQCA has also successfully defended California’s domestic partnership laws and related state policies that have been implemented in response to EQCA-sponsored legislation

Website:

www.eqca.org

Tran Nguyen "How Cloudy is an Overcasted Phsyche (Image Courtesy of the Gallery)
Tran Nguyen “How Cloudy is an Overcasted Phsyche (Image Courtesy of the Gallery)

ALSO ON VIEW IN OUR PROJECT ROOM:

Artist Seth Armstrong, on view in our project room, creates narrative paintings. Exactly what these narratives are, however, he probably could not tell you. Whether the subject matter is based on found reference or from the imagination, an ambiguous storyline is always present.  Even in a straightforward portrait, the circumstances that surround the subject(s) and the instance of the portrait are deeply considered.  With an uncertain plot, the stories behind the paintings can be limitless.  Sure, the artist has his theories, but these do not take precedence over those of the casual viewer.

Since the paintings themselves are approached individually, the relationship between one piece and another is often disjointed.  As a result, a common thread among a body of work is realized (if at all) only after they are completed and viewed as a whole.

ABOUT THE ARTIST (Seth Armstrong):

Seth Armstrong was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.  After studying painting in Northern Holland, he received a BFA with High Distinction from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.  He currently lives and works in Oakland, CA.

Take a ‘Sneak Peek’ at the works for ‘Well There You Are’ coming together:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157624357955599/

Artist website:

http://www.setharmstrong.com/

ABOUT THINKSPACE GALLERY:

Established in November of 2005, Thinkspace exists as a catalyst for the ever expanding new contemporary art movement that is exploding forth from the streets and art schools the world over. We are here to help represent this new generation of artists, to provide them that home base and to aid them in building the right awareness and collector base necessary for long-term growth.

Our aim is to help these new talents shine and to provide them a gallery setting in which to prove themselves. It is our hope and dream that through these opportunities these individuals will prosper and continue to grow to amaze us all for years to come. With the love of and for our community, and with the talents of so many incredible artists involved, we believe that this movement will provide the necessary proving ground for the ideas and dreams of today to become the foundations of a new tomorrow.

thinkspace

6009 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232

#310.558.3375

Web: www.thinkspacegallery.com Blog: www.sourharvest.com

Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. (or by appointment)

Thinkspace Gallery is located at 6009 Washington Blvd, in the heart of the Culver City Arts District, Culver City, CA 90232. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, please call 310.558.3375, visit www.thinkspacegallery.com, or email contact@thinkspacegallery.com.

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General Howe: Fruits of War and Imagination

General Howe: Fruits of War and Imagination

July 13, 2010 , , , ,

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If you pay close attention, you will always see something new on the street in Brooklyn.  Thanks to the imagination and efforts of General Howe, a street artist who has been laboring carefully in small scale plastic soldiers placed in historically accurate locations on the street, you may also get an education.  In this most unusual of street artists lies a deep commitment to honoring the sacrifices of soldiers of war and he deploys his installations to help us learn some of the history that our culture has forgotten – and hopefully draw some connections to the current wars we are engaged in.

From General Howe:

“I make war in Brooklyn. Did you know the Revolutionary War was fought in Brooklyn? Did you know we’re at war in Afghanistan and Iraq? It’s easy to forget we’re battling in foreign lands against invisible adversaries. I bet you know more about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This is why I make war in Brooklyn.”

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: How did you get so interested in history?

General Howe: I used to work in the United States Senate and was exposed to U.S. government, politics, and history all day, every day. If I found something interesting I would explore it further in the senate library. After reading the book 1776 by David McCullough I realized that a portion of the Revolutionary War (now known as the Battle of Brooklyn) went down in the neighborhoods I lived and travel in within Brooklyn. I’ve been researching locations and events of the Battle of Brooklyn for about three years now. For example, the area of the Brooklyn Navy Yard was a bay filled with British prison ships. Over ten thousand patriot soldiers died in those ships due to poor conditions or torture. Places where we live, work, eat, and socialize are the same places where people fought, killed, and died during a revolution. Coincidentally, I find a lot of street artists working in these same locations.

BSA: In your art you work with plastic toy soldiers in installations and collage, do you go back to memories of your childhood playing with toy soldiers?

General Howe: Childhood experiences have become a big part of my process. If you watch a 5-year-old play, they have so much magic and imagination going through them that is hard to match as an adult. The battles I make are influenced by all the pretend battles I fought growing up. Reflecting on the countless hours I would spend with my friends or by myself hunting down bad guys with plastic guns or spears made of tree branches was so intensely creative. I try to tap into that same energy. To help me do this, I have been collecting old coloring books, games, and toys that I had growing up.

A look around his fort reveals influences for General Howe

A look around his fort reveals influences for General Howe.

BSA: The Battle of Brooklyn plays a big role in your installations. What significance is this battle to you and to the country?

General Howe: The significance of The Battle of Brooklyn is that I feel more connected to it and its purpose then the current wars we’re fighting in the Middle East. It’s definitely significant to our history as a country. We almost lost the entire revolution in Brooklyn. Washington recognized that the British had the upper hand at the time, so he had the entire army retreat to Manhattan. It took many losing battles and retreats, but eventually we gained the upper hand and the rest is history.

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Is there a central message that you want to convey with your work and installations?
General Howe: There isn’t really a central message, more like a central goal. The goal of my work is for the viewer, or participant, to have an experience of reflection on his or her own experiences. Be it, war, childhood, or anything else that comes to the surface. We were attacked on 9-11 and we’ve been fighting 2 wars in the Middle East. It seems like that is all easily forgotten in our daily life. As we get older our childhood diminishes and memories are forgotten. For myself, I need to hold onto those memories in order to understand what’s going on now and live through it.

BSA: The American assemblage artist Joseph Cornell spent a lot of his life in Queens. Do you see his work as an important influence on yours?
General Howe: The quality a self-taught artist produces is intriguing to me, but Joseph Cornell has not had an influence on my work. The work for shows, and recent street ICON pieces I have been making, are influenced by religious icons. One summer I spent some time studying art in Venice, Italy and I would sometimes stumble across religious icons built into actual walls of buildings in random streets and alleyways. Their purpose is to invoke spirituality and reflection. I try to achieve this same experience in the context of being in the street environment, childhood play, and of actual war.

The writings of John Dewey have had a major influence on my work and me personally. Walking around Brooklyn looking at the different textures and decay along with various forms of street art and graffiti provides constant inspiration.

A rendering by Goya for his "Disasters of War"
A rendering by Goya for his “Disasters of War”

Influential Artists for General Howe:
Seeing SWOON’S (and many partners) boats from Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea float down the East River will be a memory I never forget. The wheat pastes of Elbow-Toe never get old. Thundercut crosswalk stickers are brilliant and I always look forward to new Peru Ana Ana Peru films. The prints of Goya, especially Disasters of War are timeless and three of my favorite paintings are Thérèse Dreaming by Balthus, The Guitar Player by Manet, and The Death of Marat by David.

I am also an art teacher at a rigorous high school and the drive and dedication my students posses definitely keeps me going.

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: When you are manipulating and carefully placing your figures, do you worry that they will be stepped on?

General Howe: No way, part of the reason I became interested in street art was the ephemeral quality the work attains once placed in the street. The environment, nature, or people will unpredictably change the work. In one installation someone melted all the soldiers down to figurative stumps. Another person tastefully rearranged a battle inside a hollowed out log. Whether they’re playing with or destroying a battle, the fact that they’re spending time to do that and having an experience is why I create work in the street.

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

General Howe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA: Can you hear a dialogue among the figures in your head when you are working with them?
General Howe:

Poncho: You’re bleeding, man. You’re hit.
Blain: I ain’t got time to bleed.
(From the movie Predator)

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Yote, Jetsonorama and Joerael: Fertility on the Range in AZ

July 12, 2010

Brooklyn-Street-Art-HEADER-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0159

Street Artists in sunny Gray Mountain, Arizona took a trip to the Navajo Reservation this weekend to hit one of their favorite abandoned sites. The juxtaposition of their work on the storage tanks as sculptures against the AZ sky somehow makes their impact profound.  Add to this the fact that the three hadn’t realized their individual pieces would all carry a central theme of fertility until installing them, and the site could take on a mystic quality. Or maybe they were just freaking themselves out chewing on some peyote.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-0143

The unplanned coincidence began to take on an added dimension as Joerael worked on his fertility medicine man character and Jetsonorama installed the mother and child image. Yote’s rabbit, a traditional symbol of fertility, and ear of corn, a symbol of harvest, finished the theme.  Whether the theme arose from the land or from like minds, this co-incidental installation is further evidence of the fertile soil that the current street art crop is planted in.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0142Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0175

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0159

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Yote-Jetsonorama-Joerael-July2010-_0154


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“Bizarre! Weird Bikes! Weird Art!” silent auction benefit at Brooklyn Fireproof

July 12, 2010 , , , ,

brooklyn-street-art-BizarreBike

“Bizarre! Weird Bikes! Weird Art!” silent auction benefit

Hosted by Brooklyn Fire Proof East, 119 Ingraham Street, Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 8pm-Midnight

From the D.I.Y. scene in Brooklyn comes a show of epic proportion featuring art and design themed around the greatest celebrity of the modern era, the BIKE!!!

This exhibition draws together talented artists from NY to California around the launch of PORTER CYCLES, an independent bike builder established in 2010 in Brooklyn. All types of media will be represented: film, prints, photography, sculpture, installation, sound art, performance, and more.  Also, a variety of weird bikes, performance track bikes, and cargo trailers will be displayed.  Everything will be auctioned between 8pm and midnight.  All proceeds go to the artists unless donated to Porter Cycles by artist.

DJ’s, live-silk-screening, and bike performances will run throughout the night.

Artists:

Amy Smalls, Amigo Unit, Andrew H. Shirley, AVOID ∏, Chloe Swantner, Conrad Carlson, DARKCLOUDS, DeeDock-Hobby Horse-5003, Hillel, Ellis Gallagher,Fumie Ishii, Greg Henderson, Ian Helwig, Ian Vanek, Jennifer Shear, Julian C. Duron, Ian Colon, Julie Glassberg, Keith Pavia, Lindsay Ellesar, MIKEY 907, Nick Chatfield-Taylor, Noah Sparkes, Ryan Doyle,  Tod Seelie
Tony Bones, Travis Moonschien, UFO 907, Weiwei Lin, William T. Porter,

Curators: Andrew H. Shirley  and W.T.Porter  (wthomasporter@gmail.com)

Event Space Coordinator: Leslie Padoll  (leslie@brooklynfireproof.com)

Porter Cycles exists to serve the bicycle, cyclists, and bicycle culture.

Porter Cycles designs and builds human powered vehicles of all types, including practical use vehicles, utility vehicles, and carriage trailers for the commercial market.

Porter Cycles’ future goal is to replace the semi-truck+trailer with a human-powered equivalent capable of long distance travel under heavy cargo through all conditions.

Porter Cycles is an active participant of the sustainable-living movement.

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Images of the Week 07.11.10

July 11, 2010 , , , ,

Brooklyn-Street-Art-IMAGES-OF-THE-WEEK_05-2010

Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Aahus, Bortusk Leer, Brett Amory, Chris Stain, Don John, Elle, and Nick Walker

Nick Walker Mariachi Behind Bars (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker Mariachi Behind Bars (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brett Amory in San Francisco (Photo © Julianne Yates)

Brett Amory in San Francisco (Photo © Julianne Yates)

Morning Coffee. Street Art. Music. Cigarrettes. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Morning Coffee. Street Art. Music. Cigarettes. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bortusk Leer (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Me likes ice cream in summertime.” Also you’ll notice that someone has helpfully begun labeling pieces on the street as “Street Art”, which is a valuable service to the artists and the community.  Bortusk Leer (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

On a recent visit to Albany we visited and old historic mill building where Chris Stain had put this stencil a year ago. Still looking great. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

On a recent visit to Albany we visited an old historic mill building where Chris Stain put up this stencil a year ago. Still looking great. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brett Amory in San Francisco (Photo © Jualianne Yates)

Brett Amory in San Francisco (Photo © Julianne Yates)

Elle (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tickled pink by this new pig from Elle (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

A very small stencil of a cupula and sun set. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

A very small stencil of a cupula and sun set. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Don John stencil in Aarhus, Denmark. (Photo © Don John)

A new Don John stencil in Aarhus, Denmark.

Nick Walker playful street doodle. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

An unusual Nick Walker street doodle. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Exclusive Gaia “Praying Monk” in Seoul: Pics & Interview

Exclusive Gaia “Praying Monk” in Seoul: Pics & Interview

July 10, 2010 , , , ,

Evangelicalism, Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism. Place together in a Hot Stone bowl and crack an egg on top. Stir.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Gaia-HYbridism-Header

New York Street Artist Gaia talks to BSA about his second in a series of street art pieces he is doing in Seoul, South Korea, which are combining religious and traditional cultural symbols in ways not seen before.

BSA: What have you been learning about your host country that affects your street art?
Gaia: Korea is an amazing place to work in because it is so culturally rich and ripe with tradition and folklore. But furthermore, it has westernized at such an incredible pace that there is a deep schism between the traditional and the contemporary. That conflict makes for an exciting environment to make hybrid work, to explore these boundaries. For example, the tiger rabbit is the annual cycle but also the shift in identity from Korea’s representation as a rabbit under Japanese colonialism, to its assertion with the coming independence the peninsula of the tiger.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-gaia-hybridism-seoul_2043

BSA: Who is the figure in the new piece you just completed?
Gaia: The piece is of a Buddhist monk image from the door of a small temple in the mountains that I was visiting for field research. With the wave of (Christian) evangelicalism that has arrived with the western wash that is suffusing Korea right now, I thought it would be pertinent to hybridize/subvert the old tradition with the new influence. Shamanism and Buddhism were expelled from the city of Seoul when the Joseon Dynasty adopted Confucianism.

BSA: This looks like Buddist imagery combined with your classical hands from earlier pieces.
Gaia: The Image of buddhism has returned to the the walls of the palace just a block away from the gate of Gyeongbokgung, the time by the hands of a westerner, and contrasted with praying hands inscribed with the symbols of St Andrew; A portrait of passing times.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-copyright-gaia-hybridism-seoul_2041

BSA: Do you have any new favorite foods?
Gaia: My new favorite foods are bibimbop (duh nam june paik), boolgogi, and the ultimate being Naengmyeon.

Here’s the New Video of Gaia’s “Praying Monk”

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Nick Walker Part III: Process of “Amerikarma”

July 10, 2010 , , ,

The finished piece, and the route to it. Both are completely intertwined.

During yesterday’s creation of Nick Walker’s brand new stencil entitled, “Amerikarma” we met so many people on the sidewalk as we continually shifted our stance under the trees while the sun scorched the Brooklyn sky. The events of the day (as well as the prep for the day) all somehow infuse the artists’ final piece in your mind.

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

As much advance planning as you make, you’re going to run out of supplies (masking tape). And water. And then you have to have to pee. The natural and man-made elements can aid or complicate (bright light, blasting heat, dripping air conditioners). Visitors stop by to say hello and take pictures and catch up a little or comment, Kathleen from the Front Room brings you the third pitcher of iced tea with cups, and Tanley from Arrested Motion arrives with Thai food for everybody’s lunch.

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

All the while Nick is calculating and measuring and problem-solving as he executes this new stencil for the first time – discovering what works and what needs to be adjusted. It’s all very ALIVE – the honking horns, the beautiful young  women and men in their summer clothes, the 60-ish father from Virginia who stops to ask 3 of us to help him lift a clothes rack into his daughters’ apartment, the musicians going in and out of the downstairs next to us, and Stuart borrowing a kids bike for a spin or another one’s baseball glove for a game of catch across Roebling Street traffic.

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

By the time Nick is putting the Mickey Pistol portion across the bottom of the bullets and stripes flag, all the conversations have been had, the popsicles eaten, and cell phones have little warnings about low power on their screens.  A few finishing details sharpen the image and accentuate the impact before final pictures are taken and chairs are returned to Daniel and Kathleen, along with the orange extension chord.

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker

Nick Walker

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

People now slow down to look at the piece, and the kids start splitting because dinner is ready back home. Nick decides to do a full signature instead of his typical symbol with the date. He likes it so much that he announces he may begin signing all of his stencils like that. The process of making the piece is intrinsically woven into the street environment, and the art is the only only reminder that remains.

BSA………….BSA…………BSA………….BSA…………BSA………….BSA…………

Nick Walker Part I: Mariachi Mona Lisa & The Snake Handler

Nick Walker: “Amerikarma” in Brooklyn

Special thanks to Daniel Aycock and Kathleen Vance at the Front Room.

.

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Nick Walker: “Amerikarma” in Brooklyn

July 9, 2010 , ,

Nick Walker braved the punishing heat today, and conquered it, to work on the streets of Brooklyn for the second day in a row. BSA was with him all day. Here is the final product called “Amerikarma”. Not much of a talker, Nick prefers to let you determine the meaning of the piece. BSA will bring you tomorrow a documentation of the process Nick used to create this loaded stencil.

Nick Walker "Amerikarma"

Nick Walker "Amerikarma"

Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Fun Friday 07.09.10: Gaia’s Soul Goes South

July 9, 2010 , , ,

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Ripping Up the Korean Calendar and Wheat Pasting It Back Together

New York Street Artist Gaia has been having a blast in Seoul, South Korea for a couple of weeks – studying, watching the World Cup, and putting up giant Tigerabbits.  Part of his project of lifting symbols from the traditional Korean calendar, this sternly earnest creature combines the animals from 2010 and 2011 into one. Much like the North American Jackalope, the Tigerabbit is elusive and infrequently spotted in the wild, much less the urban environment. Either way, the New Era in Street Art is afoot.

What are YOU looking at? Yeah, those are my ears. You got a problem with that? (photo courtesy Gaia)
What are YOU looking at? Yeah, those are my ears. You got a problem with that? (photo courtesy Gaia)

TOMORROW – EXCLUSIVE NEW IMAGES of GAIA’s NEXT Piece in Seoul.

GET UP-PAH! BRAND NEW ERA RIGHT NOW. Time to  Dance with your Lap-Top.


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Nick Walker Part I: Mariachi Mona Lisa & The Snake Handler

July 8, 2010 , , ,

The Bristol Kid Hits Brooklyn With the First 2 of a Slew for NYC

British stencil artist Nick Walker has brought a thick wooden crate of fresh new stencils with him, and after pacing and eyeing the tubular entrance to an old Brooklyn horse stable, he decides on just the right stencil to be placed near the street entrance to welcome travelers– a pudgy Mariachi player with a Mona Lisa face.

Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. Place Holder (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

In New York for one week, the world class street artist provokes and beguiles right from the start. No surprise from a man who has just caused a bit of a stir in Paris streets with his Le Curancan, a high-kicking line-dancing gaggle of Moulin Rouge girls showing their panties and hiding their faces behind burkas.

Nick Walker. First Layer (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
The ominous silhouette is placed. Nick Walker. First Layer (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

In his trademark style, the new stencil is photographic, raw, and funny.  People poking their heads in to peruse the bootlegged mashup crack a smile, some shaking their heads slowly.  A quiet  unassuming Mariachi has a sudden impact.

Nick Walker. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. Colors and Details Layer (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker Mr. Mariachi (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker, Mariachi Mona Lisa (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick’s carefully spraying the layers of the Mariachi Mona Lisa with his trusty mate Stuart, who, in between maniacally checking messages on his two iPhones (one for each continent), holds the layers steady and proffers suggestions or jokes. Just a couple of blokes wisecracking and eyeballing the sidewalk scene as the hot dirty breeze rolls down Metropolitan Avenue, coating every creature in a thick sweaty glaze.

Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mariachi Mona Lisa completed, pictures taken, we slog through the burning streets 4 blocks away to the entrance of a metal fabrication warehouse. For this piece to be framed by two doors, Nick selects the newly minted snake handler.

Nick Walker. Fine Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. Fine Detail on the snake handler. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

With his smooth undetectable merging of sources, the image combines elements from a snake handler photo, a posing assistant in a lab coat, and the artist himself wearing a towel over his face and a familiar looking hat.  Familiarity of elements and attention to detail also enable a moment of escapism as you wonder who this figure is and what they’re doing. Is it pictoral? Metaphorical?

Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

As each stencil layer is unpacked and unfolded onto the sidewalk, an amused audience of metal workers, motor cycle enthusiasts, and photocopier salespeople stop to discuss and ask questions.  Once again, the street feels alive with creativity and activity, folding chairs are offered, and bottles of water.

Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker

Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Incredibly the story does not end there, as only blocks later a snake handler appears on the sidewalk before us and drapes Nick with the reptile so he can finally try his hand. This is his first time actually handling a snake. He said the spotted serpent was smoother than he thought, and strong, and he felt at one moment like it was tightening around his throat.

Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tomorrow Nick will hit New York streets again. The clock is ticking after all, and there are more fresh unseen stencils to be unveiled.  We’ll be there to catch his sly grin and wonder what he’ll pull out next.

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Special thanks to Stuart, Joe Franquinha, his mom and pop, David Markusen-Weiss, Brian Dencklau, Isaac Zal Sprachman, Tim Mellema, Hannah, Mehdi, Moshe, and Joe for the assistance, hospitality, and conversation.

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