To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the upcoming show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.
Today we hear from C215.
A few words that sum up your philosophy on life: “Trying to turn ugly sh*t into art when possible.”
Chor Boogie
Chor Boogie “White Tiger” (image © courtesy L.A. Art Machine)July 12, 2011 (Los Angeles, CA) – Opening Saturday, July 16th, is Torrance Art Museum’s (TAM) Baker’s Dozen III, their annual survey of “artists to watch.” This third iteration of the series continues the tradition of providing a snapshot of contemporary avenues of exploration seen in Los Angeles. Torrance Art Museum Curator, Max Presneill shares insight into his selection of Chor as the only urban artist in this exhibition: “When I saw Chor Boogie’s work at the L.A. Art Show, I felt it bridged the gap between the low brow street aesthetic and the contemporary art world, and created discourse within the two. It is bright, vibrant, physical, and powerful. I feel his work is one of the best things to be seen at this moment in time.” He goes on to describe the show as reflecting the zeitgeist of the times, and trends of artistic presence across the board.
Chor Boogie is recognized internationally for painting vibrant, masterpieces of color using aerosol spray paint on both walls and canvases, and is a pioneer of this medium and art movement. His trademark applications and techniques allow him to paint pieces that resonate on many levels with those who view them, evoking a powerful mix of emotions. His imagery is pulled from life experiences and are visual expressions of the surroundings, people and environments he has painted in around the world.
Two of Chor Boogie’s works have been selected for Baker’s Dozen III. The first is a progressive 12’x12’ canvas he began during the January ’11 L.A. Art Show, as part of L.A. ART MACHINE, prestigious Vox Humana Program. This piece, part of the Purgatory Series, is Chor Boogie’s depiction of balance as he sees it, examples being: right/wrong, heaven/hell, good/bad, and positive/negative.
The imagery challenges the perception of one’s individual mentality, and of how we look at a piece of art. It transcends memory and is mixed with elements of, landscape, realism, abstract expressionism, cubism, color, shape, form; paying reverence to his personal favorite influences including, Kandinsky, Klimt, Picasso, and Dali. “Mentally Challenged” was completed over this past week using a multitude of spray paint colors, and signature CB techniques. It is larger than life, vibrant, and has a very timeless feel to it.
The second selection is part one of a triptych. The piece chosen is entitled Silver Queens of the Romantic White Tiger, and is a testament to his artistic genius, and use of his famous spray paint methods. The silver queens are in simple relation to the strength of the white tiger, a more new age, or, renaissance/baroque style period.
Able to create various forms, even Chor Boogie’s signature inverted can technique is original. Painting dense, rich tones, allows him more room for perspective detail whether it be a wall, or small-scale canvas.
Chor Boogie’s dynamic range of artistic styles can manifest as soulful, deftly shaded portraits of color therapy, with geometric elements revealing half-hidden faces, and a minds eye or two to encourage you to see internally and externally.
He expresses his reverence for life, honesty, and art, in ways that create a lasting impression. Chor Boogie describes his work as: “Abstract expressionism with a little street romantic voodoo along with emotional landscapes of a melodic symphony through color therapy.” He has built a collector base around the world including international commissions by global institutions and cultural commemorations. This recognition allows him to inspire today’s youth with his personal story and transcendent life and style.
In addition to Bakers Dozen III, Chor Boogie’s upcoming schedule also includes Colorfornia: New Forms in West Coast Street Art – The Warehouse Gallery at the International Contemporary Art Center, Syracuse University, New York, September 15th – November 5th, 2011; followed by “Spray Paint the Movie…The Fine Art of Chor Boogie,” directed and produced by Sarah Fisher, whose credits include the documentary, Meditate and Destroy, the journey of Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx. Chor Boogie is also sponsored and endorsed by Spanish Montana – MTN 94 Spray Paint, and has a limited edition signature spray can slated for launch at Art Basel Miami Beach, Florida.
Baker’s Dozen III opens on Saturday, July 16th and runs through August 27th, and also features works by, Joshua Callaghan, Erin Cosgrove, Martin Durazo, Amir H Fallah, Alexandra Grant, Annie Lapin, Thomas Lawson, Nathan Mabry, John Millei, Robert Olsen, Britton Tolliver, and Peter Wu. For more information, please visit: www.torranceartmuseum.com.
Baker’s Dozen III
Opening reception
Saturday, July 16th
6 – 9pm
Torrance Art Museum
3320 Civic Center Drive
Torrance, CA 90503
www.torranceartmuseum.com
A horrendously stunning car crash, windshield smashed in by a wooden stump, a shard of white light cutting sharply through a smoke cloud which rises to eerily announce the arrival of UK Street Artists Miss Bugs in Brooklyn. In “Parlour”, their first solo on view right now in Bed Stuy, the backyard diorama is a plastered paper perimeter of gnarled and murky indigo off road forest, a haunting backdrop to the cut-out distorted and riveting forms who break the 4th wall toward you with intent.
The curvaceous ladies are cousins of the street pieces Miss Bugs places with great care publicly, cut outs that fade into their surrounding and pop out from it, undulating and teasing and riveting, a perfectly charged counterweight of sex to the violent metal and glass carnage before you. Throughout the inside gallery and backyard installation, Miss Bugs plays with a scale slightly larger than life, giving imperious and distantly cool figures a personal, almost intimidating immediateness.
The front room of “Parlour” at Brooklynite Gallery with Miss Bugs (photo © Jaime Rojo)The distortion of the forms and come hither stand-offishness is softened and sweetened by saturated pop colors and cleverly patterned replications of art you have seen somewhere else. Always willing to take appropriation to new heights, Miss Bugs gladly incorporates signature elements of other artists works into their distorted and sensuous forms, weaving them into the hair, tattooing them across the skin, wrapping their ladies with a body conscious knitted brocade.
Speaking with the royal “we”, the very anonymous Miss Bugs talked with Brooklyn Street Art about “Parlour”:
Brooklyn Street Art: What was the genesis for “Parlour” in general and this outdoor installation in particular?
Miss Bugs: We wanted it to be a place that unsettles you… The concept of the ‘Parlour’ exploits the idea that the art establishment plays on people’s desires, whether for money, beauty, sex or ownership. We’ve always looked at these themes within our work, so here we continue to question them. However, this time, we wanted to extend the ideas beyond the work and have the pieces viewed in their own theatrical space making us see the works’ symbolism in a different, darker light. We place our own fictional characters in the middle of the space. ‘The Madam’ is here with her open eyes; to convey ourselves as part of this sometimes strange and seedy world.
The outside installation grew from the concept that the parlour is being protected by a few souls and that this can be a twisted place, full of contradiction… We suppose it’s a nightmare or maybe just a bad dream! Comparisons can be made throughout the show between our ‘Parlour’ and the real world of the art establishment. Just depends how deep you want to scratch!
Brooklyn Street Art: How was it to install your work in Brooklyn this time around?
Miss Bugs: It’s great to show in New York especially Brooklyn, we love it… Just to spend time walking around soaking it all up is brilliant. Since we were kids we saw and heard Brooklyn in music, film and art, so it feels great when we’re here and it always makes us feel at home!
Brooklyn Street Art: The imagery gives off sex, cars, alcohol… what are some of the messages you are working with?
Miss Bugs: All these elements we try and show in a warped way; For example, placing glamorous but distorted nudes next to a burnt-out car, which hopefully makes us question our desires and see them differently! When we got the car into the gallery and we realised just how horrific a smashed up car is, it had a sadness about it which we hope we were sensitive to with our cut out figures. The installation of the woodland clearing we wanted to be experienced at night to create a haunting and again unsettled atmosphere, but the smoke machine could have done this job by itself …
Brooklyn Street Art: You borrow from different artists and other cultural art forms (including Shakespeare in one instance) and incorporate many of those images into your work. How do you go about selecting the images? Are they your favorite artists or is it purely aesthetic?
Miss Bugs: The list of artists that we ‘stole’ from and remixed for this show is massive…Hannah Hoch and Kurt Schwitters, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vera Lehndorff, Gustav Klimt, Picasso, Mc Escher, Man Ray, David Lynch, Mel Ramous, Takashi Murakami, Leonardo De Vinci, Banksy, Warhol, Stanley Kubrick
We’ll stop now but the list goes on! You have to look harder for some of them and others can be staring you in the face but sometimes still go unnoticed as they’re seen out of context. Playing with ideas of how we view artwork and how much of its reasoning we understand.
We look at links between the artists and their working methods throughout history. Artists that would not normally be considered to sit alongside each other are then remixed together showing just how the working style of (for example) Keith Haring can gel together with Picasso, and how artists from very different periods in time and culture are using very similar approaches, often where you wouldn’t expect to see it.
Here we’ve selected elements of artists whose work goes someway in helping us tell our own story within ‘Parlour’… Suppose we’re like some sort twisted museum curator cramming the world’s greatest artists together into a small room for an orgy, then throwing some classical writers and iconic film directors in for good measure!
Miss Bugs “Parlour” is currently on view at Brooklynite Gallery. Click below for more information.
To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the upcoming show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.
Today we hear from How & Nosm.
One reason you make art: “When we started out as Graffiti writers in 1988 it kept us busy and productive instead of just getting into trouble and being street kids. Then eventually we did it for the fame and to become one of the best in our little city in Düsseldorf, Germany. Over the years this has changed and now it is an everyday thing that is part of our lives. We make art because it gives us an inner calmness and relaxes us when we paint and see the outcome of each created piece of art, yet another reason might be the urge to have to do it. At the same time it is the habit after so many years that gives us the constant drive to evolve our art work.”
Skewville
| • For those without Google: Since 1999, Skewville is most known for its fake wooden sneakers tossed over power lines worldwide.
• For those with Google: You might have noticed that Skewville has spent even more time trying not to be known for just one thing. For them, the constant influence of their urban surroundings play a huge part in their artwork. Signage and type clutter the NYC skyline to the point where it all blends in as visual slang. The elements of store signs, out-door advertising and graffiti has little impact by themselves, its the abundance of those combinations that makes the entire picture. With this always in mind Skewville presents…. “Not My Type” featuring all new work painted on old New York metal signs. Signage has always been a key reference point in their art but this is the first time they literally incorporate these influences in their work. Its Summer, never a better a time to be in Chicago, follow Skewville or join in from wherever you are to celebrate the opening of ‘Not My Type’ and catch a glimpse of some of the planned outdoor works from Skewville. We will be hosting an event on Saturday July 30 from 6-10pm for Skewville: Not My Type at Pawn Works; Artist will be in attendance. Pawn Works |
Kid Acne
I’m pleased to announce my first solo exhibition in my hometown will be held at Museums Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery this Summer.
The title of the show is Kill Your Darlings and runs from July 21st – October 23rd.
For more information about the show, visit Museums Sheffield or keep an eye on my blog over the next few weeks for regular updates.
Tales From the City
Old Crow Tattoo and Gallery is honored to be exhibiting the work of 3 talented and very different artists. Abno, Dr. Sex and Jurne each come from a traditional graffiti background, and their artistic endeavors in the public forum have taken them all over the country and world. They’ve left their mark on viewers as creators of large scale works that in essence are “free”– free to be viewed, in their natural state, and are also free of charge. These works became visions of risk, courage, release and the pursuit of public display.
Graffiti is ego driven, where a name becomes a marker of style, skill, purpose and meaning. “Tales From the City” is built around each artist’s approach to displaying their work on gallery walls and offers yet another environment to be explored. Working in the streets comes at a high personal price and can be a huge undertaking filled with it’s own prizes and penalties. As these artists create work for the gallery they encounter new a energy, new rules and new criticisms.
Abno, Dr. Sex, and Jurne’s “Tales From the City” is a celebration of years of struggle, success, failure, fun and above all good old fashioned hard work. It is also a nod to the future, without compromise. The walls of the city are always there for the painting– lets see what these artists do with a new opportunity inside our gallery.
This exhibition is also in celebration of our 2 yr. Anniversary @ Old Crow Tattoo
Music @ 8pm till later than you expect…
featuring
Live Music Performances by
21+ 362 Grand Ave Oakland CA
www.oldcrowtattoo.com
NOMADE
On July 23 at the Hold Up Gallery in Los Angeles, Nomade breaks new ground with their latest show “Recent Artifacts”. This new collection of works masterfully integrates their iconic style, social metaphor, and visual fury into a full assault of the senses redefining the gallery space with the ethos of the street. Don’s miss this pivotal show that will surely ensure Nomade a prominent place in the Los Angeles Art Scene.
Post No Bills
JR
Conor Harrington Teaser. Image courtesy of the gallery.
ZEVS Teaser. Image courtesy of the gallery.
EUROPEAN BAILOUT SHOW
Antony Micallef – Conor Harrington – Ian Francis – Jonathan Yeo
JR – Mode2 – Paul Insect – Stanley Donwood – Vhils – Zevs
July 28 – August 28, 2011
POST NO BILLS proudly announces their second exhibition in its Venice
Beach based print shop. The European Bailout Show will feature
exclusive new limited edition prints and original artwork by ten of
Europe’s most innovative and highly celebrated artists- Anthony
Micallef, Conor Harrington, Ian Francis, Jonathan Yeo, JR, Mode 2,
Paul Insect, Stanley Donwood, Vhils and Zevs.
Continuing the overwhelming success of the shop’s launch last month
with artist collective FAILE, the European Bailout Show highlights
some of the most riveting creative minds in Europe today, with an
impressive range of works from established and up-and-coming artists
who continue to defy categorization. These artists’ innovative
approaches and distinctive styles continue to challenge the
conventional definitions of art and its boundaries.
The European Bailout Show features exclusive print editions including
Arnold Schwarzenegger titled “Arnie” by Jonathan Yeo, the renowned
master painter recognized for his controversial portraits made from
collaged pornographic magazine clippings. Stanley Donwood, the highly
regarded designer of Radiohead’s album art, has created a unique and
limited print suite. Other notable editions include those of TED award-
winning guerrilla artist and filmmaker, JR, and a small edition of
laser etchings on wood by Portuguese artist Vhils, identified by his
inventive techniques used to manipulate urban environments. In
addition to the offered multiples, select artists will exhibit
original artwork including Antony Micallef, who won massive acclaim
for his 2007 Los Angeles sold-out solo show, Impure Idols, and Conor
Harrington, recognized for his impressive large-scale works of art,
mixing bold imagery with historical and contemporary themes.
The second exhibition at POST NO BILLS continues to promote the shop’s
mission-to provide passionate collectors of all levels with access to
artwork of premium quality and master craftsmanship from an array of
prolific talent worldwide. Now, the European Bailout Show brings an
opportunity to acquire a slice of Europe’s finest.
POST NO BILLS
The term POST NO BILLS is commonly identified in stencil form – on
barriers erected around construction sites in an effort to deter clean
walls from being altered. Generally speaking, this practice produces a
contrary effect. Our founders subscribe to the notion that breaking
rules generally inspires more ingenuity than following them. Which is
why POST NO BILLS was created.
POST NO BILLS is an inventive print shop with a focus on hand made
limited edition multiples. We are a singular destination where
groundbreaking artists from around the globe can sell their wears
directly to passionate collectors at all levels. Editions will be made
on the premises with a true dedication to quality.
Opening Reception: July 28, 2011 (7 – 10pm)
Exhibition Runs: July 28– August 28, 2011
Artists and artwork are buzzing around one of Williamsburg’s newest hives for the creative spirit in the July heat as Causey Contemporary prepares the sweetest part of all this industry for you, a Buenos Aires based collective called The Honeycomb. King bee and artist Trystan Bates has sent out the signal to 27 artists from 8 countries to present new works within the theme of “Ritual” for this show.
Alice Mizrachi. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)Imputing the magic and mysticism of ritual has inspired art of every discipline for thousands of years: authors, musicians, dancers, auteurs, photographers, sculptors, and painters all assist in our transcending the limitations of the physical world.
This neighborhood of Brooklyn has been the site of Rites of Passage, creative Rituals, and some say, Last Rites, as a place of collaboration for a diverse artist community and a hive for Street Art for nearly two decades. Across the street from two pieces by Bristol Street Artist Nick Walker and around the corner from a huge wall by Brooklyn Street Artists Skewville, the rituals of preparation continue anew. Here are some of the preparations inside and outside for tonight’s show.
For more information about this show click on the links below:
http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=22430
http://www.inthehoneycomb.com/ritual_press_release.html?r=20110529143837
To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the upcoming show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.
Today we hear from Anthony Lister.
Artists you admire: “The ones that do it for love and discovery.”
Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Anthony Lister” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/back-talk-a-conversation-with-anthony-lister
You get a chance to go out to the park this weekend and sit under a tree or throw a frisbee? It’s not that far to walk really and its good to reacquaint oneself with nature and barking dogs and deviled eggs and other weird salad creations that Aunt Majiminy always forces you to try – even though you didn’t like it the last time she forced you to try it.
Peace Brotherman. Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)But we don’t know what has been in that jug of punch at these little picnics that Overunder, ND’A and Chris and Veng from RWK have been throwing this summer. The characters, the proportions, and the mixing of elements are ever more stretched and eccentric and colorful. These kids are seriously playing with their food – mixing the olives with the jello ambrosia and spreading it on a grilled hamburger and crumbling some ranch potato chips on top.
A distant Street Art relative from Berlin named IRGH is in town this summer and these Brooklyn based artists have put down the gingham table cloth and a wicker basket of aerosol cans in multiple locations to welcome their cousin and put him to work…painting walls. We’ve been chasing them around town in Brooklyn and Manhattan and here’s the wackiness we found:
“I’m so excited to have IRGH visiting and get to paint with him. We developed our painting style in the same direction, but in separate scenes, and different parts of the world and now get to combine forces” ~ Overunder
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BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
