Events

Known Gallery Presents: POSE – KC Ortiz “White Wash” (Los Angeles, CA)

November 17, 2011 , , , , , ,

White Wash

POSE & KC Ortiz | Whitewash

Opening Reception Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 8‑11pm
On View November 19 – December 10, 2011

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
T: 310-860-6263

On Saturday, November 19, graffiti artist POSE and photojournalist KC Ortiz will unveil Whitewash, their second exhibition at Known Gallery, and their most cohesive to date.

For POSE, Whitewash references society’s attempt to eradicate graffiti and stifle human expression. “Shortly after I started writing graffiti, Chicago took an extremely hard-line stance on its eradication, outlawing the sale of spraypaint and implementing Mayor Dayley’s Graffiti Blasters program,” POSE explains.

With this exhibition, POSE will recall a time before the buff. “I am digging into my fondest childhood memories of riding the train and seeing all the colors, letters and cartoon characters along the lines. Making these paintings has been an incredibly rich process, and it makes me thankful that no city official can eradicate my memories.”

POSE will show 15 new works in the main gallery. The work is rendered in his signature style—aggressive, hand-painted collages of pop-culture icons and ephemera—but feature deeper abstractions and new mediums. “I have six paintings on Plexiglass that were kind of an experiment,” POSE explains. “I wanted to be challenged by a new medium and process.”

For KC, Whitewash is about the people and places he photographs. “Much of the work I do covers those who have been ‘whitewashed,’ so to speak, by history and policy,” KC notes. “Specifically, the work I will be exhibiting is from West Papua and Burma. You won’t find either of those ‘nations’ on the map, as both have been essentially ‘whitewashed’ away. Burma has been renamed Myanmar by its ruling junta in order to establish the fantasy of a unified nation, and West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia since 1963 after a very controversial handover from the Dutch that was orchestrated by the United States.”

In the project room, KC will show 12 photographs of West Papua and Burma’s armed struggles. “The struggles are unified in their nature under the theme of resistance, the victimhood of whitewashing by the world at large, the beauty of their people, and the strength of the human spirit and dignity,” KC notes.

About the artists:

POSE
Hailing from The Windy City, POSE has made an indelible mark on a multitude of cities around the globe. Best known for his progressive letter style and technical precision, POSE is an influential contributor to the contemporary graffiti movement, and his work has appeared in numerous magazines, books and films. POSE grew up a half block from the CTA’s elevated train line, and started sneaking out to practice graffiti there in 1992. Coming of age during the golden era of Chicago graffiti, POSE put in endless work on the streets. His prolific output led him to become a local legend, and the city’s most internationally recognized graffiti artist. In addition to his achievements in graffiti, POSE set out to conquer every medium visual art has to offer—both on and off the streets. His artistic exploration led him to become a jack of all creative trades, with successful endeavors in the commercial and fine art worlds. POSE currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the acclaimed West Coast artist collective The Seventh Letter, as well as a founder of his own Chicago based design and art firm We Are Supervision. He has traveled internationally on his own and with The Seventh Letter, specifically to showcase his skills as one of the best graffiti artists out there. Almost two decades into his artistic career, POSE shows no signs of slowing down.

KC Ortiz
KC Ortiz is an award-winning, self taught photojournalist with a split base between his hometown of Chicago, Illinois and Western Thailand. Ortiz’s work focuses on the world’s forgotten and overlooked people and issues. He has covered conflict throughout Southeast Asia, focusing on the human suffering and the policies that enable conflict, as well as humanitarian issues throughout the world. The aim of his photography is to bring awareness to the masses of those that are suffering most, often times completely unseen by the majority. His work has appeared in A-Magasinet, Global Post, Juxtapoz, Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications across the globe. Ortiz’s work has been exhibited in a number of museums and galleries including The Newseum, The Corcoran, The Frontline Club, Known Gallery, Rivera and Rivera Gallery, Guerrero Gallery, and others. In 2011, Ortiz’s work was recognized with a first place award from the prestigious Pictures of The Year International.

Known Gallery
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
info@knowngallery.com

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A Night At The Opera With The London Police ; “Who Cares Wins”

November 17, 2011 , , , , , , , ,

Opening tonight, “Who Cares Wins” cares enough to make you laugh.

Bathed in the warm lucid glow that is the music of Pink Floyd, Bob and Chaz put finishing touches on their new New York show at Opera Gallery, compelled to sing along with two assistants while tightly touching up pieces with a brush or marker. The show is almost ready to be hung. On the sparkling white walls of this Soho gallery the everpresent LADS characters will be floating and cavorting throughout Manhattan space-scapes while handpicked celebrities, friends, and cultural icons bob into the frame. Among the active characters The London Police themselves are happily participating- like truly interactive players in their own pristine video game stills. After 13 years and 35 countries and a few personnel permutations, the LP lads are very happy to be making new art for you and having a bit of fun while doing it.

The London Police. Puppy love. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

On the floor are stacks of completed paintings leaning against the walls, waiting to be framed. We’re not used to seeing their canvasses, large and small, with black simple and elegant wooden floater frames.

“We thought it would add an architectural element to the work,” explains Bob.

It’s quite usual for London Police to use the symbols and architecture associated with the city they are in when creating new works for a show, always in crisp linear black and white. What’s new this time is their use of color – employed here as washes of pastels, backdrops that evoke uneven city walls and incorporating graffiti tags; an homage to New York and their own roots. It’s the first time they’ve done color together on canvasses, and they are taking it slowly, happily.

The London Police. Bob working on a piece. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: You went from dreaming in black and white to dreaming in color?

Chaz: I think the point is we always felt that there’s a whole world to explore. When we were ready to start with the black and white work we knew that once we opened  the door to the world of color it would be a whole new world there too. Such is the way in London Police. We take something and we try to explore it fully before we move on.

Bob: Slowly as well, not jumping in and go too crazy. We like a slow evolution.

The London Police. Chaz working on a piece. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Change can advance very slowly sometimes.

Chaz: It is not just that, it is also about exploring that which you have already. We haven’t even discovered everything we can do with black and white. Just holding  back so color does not overflow yet. We felt ready to go into color. It’s a big show. Erik from Opera called and say “hey guys we’d like to see something with color,” and we said to each other “we make mostly black and white, are you sure?” He said, “Just bring in a few pieces with color and let’s see what happens.” We are quietly pleased with the results. We’d like to take it further, explore it. We’d like to dive in.

Bob: It does not mean that if you are doing a big show you should lose control and say, “Oh yeah everything should have color. Loud and bigger.” We like the black and white because I think we can leave it in itself in a few things.  Just like Chaz said we have not yet explored it fully. To be honest, with the color works, we just wanted to have fun.

Brooklyn Street Art: The colors are muted, pastels.
Bob: Yes the palette is muted in all the works with color simply because we like nothing to fight against the black and white subject. You never really see dark blues. We didn’t want to do a black and white and colored in some big scene. We felt that we wanted to try a different approach with the color, not drastically different.

Brooklyn Street Art: So the color in this case serves as a background?
Chaz: Yes like wallpaper.
Bob: The color gives some sort of a context to the characters. These swirls that Chaz makes are like tagged over. These layers on the canvas give the same context that the street gives – it’s a reference to the street.

 

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chaz: It is like graffiti really – specifically New York doorways always inspire me. There’re doorways around the world that are tagged but with New York doorways, there is that beauty in seeing 50 tags on top of each other, wheat-paste being thrown off and a tag on top, and then stickers. These doors are rich with life. That’s why I always feel sort of romantic about graffiti.

I know that there’re a lot of people that have said it but I concur that I’d rather see a bunch of New York’s throw ups on a rooftop than a full commissioned color piece that is nice…in a way it says more when you see stuff on the street that is raw. Because we have not done so much stuff on the street in the last few years – we have been doing gallery work it is nice to revisit that style and hopefully, by doing a show like this we might make enough money that we can take a few months off and do other projects, get back on the street and work on other things.

The London Police. Bob and an assistant putting the final touches on a piece.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In addition to incorporating color, there are a number of languages being bandied about on these new pieces; new scripts and characters – their curvilinear characters bold and swinging, sharp and smart in the whirling pieces of New York City, seemingly placed by the settling of a shaken snow globe. The appearance of other languages is again appropriate for the melting pot that is New York, but what does it say?

Brooklyn Street Art: Here’s a new color piece with the Statue of Liberty on the foreground. Can you talk about the words written in Arabic?
Chaz: There are different languages. We have the gift of Google Translate. We translate The London Police into every available language that has a different alphabet and different fonts. Being that we are two people and that I mostly work on the characters it is a way for me to really enjoy another part of art. Making all these different fonts and enjoying different languages. I like it a lot. That’s one of my things to do. Bob does everything else.

Bob: (in jest) I don’t like it personally but I’m glad he is happy.
Chaz: He just wants to see me smile.

And The London Police want to see you smile, so they are planning a number of twists on the typical gallery opening tonight in hopes that you’ll break out in a big LOL, and sing from the choirbook; 17 songs about dogs that will be handed out at the event. Included with the charismatic Abner Preis performing, telling stories, and changing his voice. Additionally, there is some talk about the dog singers.

Brooklyn Street Art: What about the performances we’re hearing about at opening night?
Chaz: We are going to sing 17 songs about dogs… It is The London Police Dog Singers and a surprise guest appearance will be singing with us as the back up singers.

Why? Why not?

“It takes off the serious edge off the gallery art show because it is a little bit too serious some times,” says Chaz. “This is what is so special about making performance and making art: It is pure entertainment. If you are going to worry about what people think about it if they like it or not you are thinking wrong in my opinion.”

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Bob at work. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Looks like the Thanksgiving Parade is about to start. The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Chaz and Bob. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. Einstein peers back at you from this new canvas by The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The recently departed Steve Jobs in a new piece by The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The London Police floating in full color through a galaxy of tags. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further details about tonight’s LP opening click here

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William Rupnik Gallery Presents: Bask “Box of Fun” (Cleveland, OH)

November 15, 2011 , , , , ,

BASK

 

Cleveland’s favorite culture-spinning Czech vandal, Ales BASK Hostomsky comes back “home” with a portfolio of brand new, never-before seen, mixed-media works. Throwing innocence and purity right into the meat grinder, BASK’s newest series of portraits are both playful at heart, and sinister by nature. Through these difficult times in which we live, BASK shows us that we can still have fun by manipulating our own realities, even while they constantly change around us. A metaphor… that indicates that in this twisted world, we don’t always come out in the same manner in which we came in.
In commemoration of BASK’s fourth solo exhibition at WRG, the artist has partnered with 1xRun to make available a limited edition print titled, Fun Box Toons. This 24 x 24 in. giclee is printed on 330gsm archival cotton paper and is priced at $75 ea. The edition is available for seven days beginning Tuesday, November 15, and can only be purchased direct from 1xRUN.com
Please join us for the Box of Fun After-Party, hosted at Lava Lounge, immediately following the gallery reception on November 19.  A swank atmosphere with live DJ, sumptuous foods and artfully-crafted drinks welcome gallery show-goers.  An exhibition of new artworks from the portfolio, HEAT by Cleveland-based gallery owner and artist William Rupnik will be on view in the downstairs lounge.  Lava Lounge is located at 1307 Auburn Avenue, in the historic Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.
Reception at the Euclid Avenue gallery 7-10 PM, Saturday, November 19. After-party at Lava Lounge 10 PM – ? AM.
William Rupnik Gallery
1117 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland OH 44115
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N2 Galeria Presents: Sixeart “Cosmovisión Andina y los Hijos del Inti” (Barcelona, Spain)

November 15, 2011 , , , , ,

Sixeart

 

“Cosmovisión Andina y los Hijos del Inti” is an approach to ancient Andean cultures, full of colour, wisdom and mysticism. Sixeart use his pictorial language in order to reinvent a new idea of ancestral reconnection.

The conceptual part in Sixe’s work has aroused the interest of Casa America in Madrid, where they will show an installation made specifically to coincide with ARCO and later, in March, an exhibition with all his latest work.

N2 also inform you that the gallery has published a catalogue numbered from 1 /500 to 500/500 showing that work”

– N2 Gallery

N2 Galeria
Enrique Granados, 61.
08008 Barcelona
Tel.: +34 934520592
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West Berlin Gallery Presents: “Dissidents” A Group Art Exhibition. (Berlin, Germany)

November 15, 2011 , , , , ,

Dissidents

 

DISSIDENTS
Group Show, Opening November 17th 18:00
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. By acknowledging the social and political unrest of this year, West Berlin Gallery cordially invites you from 18:00 until 22:00 on November 17th, 2011 as we debut Dissidents, a Group Show featuring: ALIAS, SP38 , Prost, Emess, Rallito X, BR1, Linda’s Ex, Niark1, Jakob Tolstrup, and Giacomo Spazio.

In 1800s Europe, the rising food prices and high unemployment fueled widespread popular protests. Communist Europe in 1989, created frustration with corrupt and unresponsive political systems and provoked the fall of once powerful regimes. 2011 is spurring a similar chain of events, bringing people together and empowering us to grab our governments by the balls and demand what is rightfully ours, human rights.

Seeking truth and raising awareness, the artists that we have chosen for this show strive for non-conformity and create work representative of both political and social opposition, making them pioneers of dissident activity. Consciously or not, they seek honesty, challenge boundaries, then create art as a way of driving this message in to the minds of on-lookers.

About the artistsALIAS– Always keeping in mind the social and political activities and breaking through the boundaries of traditional art making, ALIAS delivers a great deal of gravity through his loaded imagery and mindful aesthetic. The self taught street artist never ceases to astound the public with his stencil work on recycled material.SP38 – Urban poetry is this Berlin based french artists’ speciality. Mixing silkscreen and paint, SP38 plays with words to create provocative sentences which are strongly related to both political and social events of their time. The more sophisticated look of his artwork, using his unique deep gold color, helps him reach a wide range of public, even those who his messages are directed to.

Prost –  From his “Prostie” smileys making witty social commentaries that always put a smile upon our faces, to denouncing misleading, abusive, sexist advertising by his adbusting actions, Prost has never ceased on challenging society.

Emess – His work is mostly motivated by political issues that he approaches using a wide range of medias, such as murals, prints and sculptures. Emess confronts the viewer with issues that would rather be swept under the rug.

Rallito X – The attitude of an alienated society manipulated by the media, has been this spaniards work theme since he started putting his work up on the streets. Rallito X refuses to follow society’s rules and shows his unconformity with unacceptable formed characters carrying politically incorrect messages.

BR1 – For the last years, this italian artist has been studying the figure of the Muslim woman: history, tradition, legal sources and development in contemporary society. Charmed by the image of veiled women, BR1 decided to take the risk of introducing religious elements on his posters and make us wonder why is this piece of cloth so controversial.

Linda’s Ex – A while ago Roland Brückner aka Lindas Ex asked his lover to come back to him in plastered posters and stickers throughout the city. Nowadays, his pleas have turned into social commentaries sprayed into canvases.

Niark1 – His characters rise like monsters or aliens on a dark world filled by details. Their infinite nature scares and hypnotizes as there is always space for new discoveries. Cutting and pasting strips of newspaper where he later paints, Niark1’s artwork brings his dreams and fears to surface.

Jakob Tolstrup – Mixed media and color crayons are Jakob’s favorite techniques to work with. His characters have a childish style giving a sweet and humorous feeling to his paintings, which take a bitter look into nowadays society.

Giacomo Spazio – The established Italian artist, lead of the Italian Street Art movement, creates pop images, with shocking fluorescent colors that shout out their presence, as loud as possible. Using old fanzines and punk imagery to create lo-fi styled artwork with a cynical and subversive intention.

Vernissage, Thursday November 17th, 18:00 – 22:00
Exhibition on display from November 17th, 2011 to February 24th, 2012

Brunnenstraße 56, 13355 Berlin, Germany

 
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Rook & Raven Gallery Presents: David Walker “Brides on Fire” (London, UK)

November 15, 2011 , , , , ,

David Walker

 

David Walker

Rook & Raven presents

David Walker’s first London Solo Exhibition – ‘Brides on Fire’

Private View 24th November 2011

For guest list please email RSVP@rookandraven.co.uk

Show runs until January 2012

Working in portraiture, painting freehand, using only spray paint and without the aid of brushes David has developed a signature multi-layered style. Incorporating both sophisticated and dumb mark making he creates countless scrawled lines and abstract areas that weave through clashing colours, translucent drips and decaying letterforms, the results are visually rich portraits that fuse photo realism, abstraction and graffiti art sensibilities with a raw energy that comes from the medium. His work is Exhibited in the UK and Internationally and aims to challenge preconceptions about fine art and urban art painting within the gallery confines and the public domain.

Over recent years David has shown work in Berlin, Hong Kong, LA, Lisbon, London, New York and Paris amongst others and his paintings have been shown alongside the leading figures in the urban contemporary and street art movement.

Gallery 7/8 Rathbone Place
London
W1T 1HN
Tel: 0207 323 0805

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West Berlin Gallery at Istanbul Contemporary (Istanbul, Turkey)

November 15, 2011 , , , , , ,

Istanbul Contemporay

 

BERLIN STREET ART AT CONTEMPORARY ISTANBUL 2011
West Berlin Gallery at Contemporary Istanbul, Nov 24th – Nov 27th 2011
Berlin’s street art scene is rising high and fast, creating a buzz and making it’s way across the globe. Along side the Istanbul Biennale, one of Turkey’s most exciting art events, Contemporary Istanbul art fair is extending it’s exhibition space for it’s sixth edition to display the unconventional yet relevant art scene of one of Europe’s most influential cities of today, Berlin.

Personally selected by Landesverband Berliner Galerien, West Berlin Gallery, a space dedicated to street art, is proud to announce its participation in ART FROM BERLIN – a selected presentation of Berlin based galleries – in Contemporary Istanbul 2011, held on November 24th – November 27th, 2011 at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center.

Works by Alias, Giacomo Spazio, and Linda’s Ex will be represented by West Berlin Gallery at Contemporary Istanbul 2011.

Alias, a leading role in German street art, will furnish our walls with original pieces, both classic and new, made mostly on recycled material, bringing to Istanbul the authenticity of Berlin’s street art scene. Not only will he be debuting recent works on the West Berlin Gallery walls, but Alias himself will be present during the time of the fair (incognito, of course), utilizing the streets of Istanbul as a personal canvas for his latest work. (Please contact us regarding possible artist interview during our stay in Turkey).

Giacomo Spazio, a pioneer in the street art scene, is also providing our booth with exaggerated visuals and in-your-face messages, which recognize and mimic the apprehensions of our propaganda-ridden society. Long known for his individual contributions to art, this well-know artist has been making art since the 70’s, making himself yet another benefactor to the ever-present authenticity of all that is street art.

Made famous by his “Linda’s Ex” campaign in which he used street art to get his girlfriend back, Roland Brückner is now a part of Berlin’s street art history and will be debuting his latest paintings in our booth – a new approach and further development of his work.

Further information

Dates: November 24th – November 27th
Place: Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Center
Website: http://www.contemporaryistanbul.com/

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Anonymous Gallery Presents: “Fresh Kills” A Group Art Exhibition. (Mexico City, Mexico)

November 15, 2011 , , , , ,

Fresh Kills

 

 

 

 
November 17 – January 15
Opening reception: November 17, 6pm – 10pm  (11/17/11)
 
Aaron Young . Agathe Snow . Barry McGee . David Ellis .
Greg Lamarche . Hanna Liden . Richard Prince . Swoon . Tom Sachs 
_____________________
Anonymous Gallery’s inaugural exhibition in Mexico City reflects the gallery’s current
and future program. FRESH KILLS will serve as a small survey of 9 important artists
that have lived and worked in New York City and that are actively influenced by their
surroundings, use materials’ specific to the region and who have directly transformed
the landscape of one of the world’s most dynamic cities.
The selected artists aptly apply resources that most would see as refuse or appropriation
but contextualize those items in their artwork, giving it a completely new vitality and
aesthetic verbalization. With demystifying visuals, materials are treated with subversion,
where process and application are placed in the same framework, giving each object
cultural signification. Ideas of perception are evaluated through development as the
dematerialization of the trivial is transformed into symbol – art.
For over 60 years the 2,200 acres known as Fresh Kills Landfill was where 650 tons
of garbage was added each day. Now a multi-phase, 30 year, site development for the
refuse will become Fresh Kills Park. At almost three times the size of Central Park
it will be the largest park developed in New York City in over 100 years.
The transformation of what was formerly the world’s largest landfill into a
productive and beautiful cultural destination is described as
“a symbol of renewal and an expression of how our society can restore balance to its landscape.”
The exhibition FRESH KILLS is inspired not only by artists that come before this group
such as Gordon Matta Clarke and Sherrie Levine, but also Mexican contemporaries
such as Teresa Margolles, Damian Ortega, Dr. Lakra, and Gabriel Orozco
who have been inspired to use materials that reflect their culture, environment and times.
These artists: Richard Prince, Tom Sachs, Aaron Young, Agathe Snow, Hanna Liden,
Swoon, Barry McGee, David Ellis, and Greg Lamarche on different levels and in different
ways, directly give their art and the culture of New York City the same contextualization
– through process, presentation, perspectives, character and relevance
– RENEWAL!
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Opera Gallery Presents: The London Police “Who Cares Wins” (Manhattan, NY)

November 12, 2011 , , , , ,

The London Police

The London Police “The Mathematical Skills of Sailor Hicks” (Image courtesy of the gallery)

This show opens to the public on November 17 from 8-11pm. There will be live music from The London Police Dog Singers, Abner Preis, and a surprise guest.

Artist Bio:

The London Police started when big English geezers headed to Amsterdam in 1998 to rejuvenate the visually disappointing streets of the drug capital of the world.
The motive was to combine traveling and making art to create an amazing way of life not seen since the days of King Soloman. Known for their iconic LADS characters and precision marking TLP have been together for over 13 years and their work has graced streets and galleries in 35 countries during this time. London policemen have come and gone but founding members are still known to walk the streets of every city in the world spreading love with pens and stickers.

The current duo have managed to form a partnership more cohesive than Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars and are consistently producing slick artwork that is tighter than a butlers cuff. Never be scared, don’t be a hero and let the good times roll.

For more info check www.thelondonpolice.com

OPERA GALLERY NEW YORK
115, Spring Street
NEW YORK NY 10012 – USA
Tel (1) (212) 966 66 75

 

 

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Fun Friday 11.11.11

Fun Friday 11.11.11

November 11, 2011 , , , , , , , , , , ,

I think I missed the morning rush today because I hit the street earlier than usual… and got a seat on the subway (!) because I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking about Papandreou, Berlusconi, Merkel, Obama, and the 3 ring circus shaping up as the 2012 election. The great thing about worldwide impending calamity is, political hypocrisy and economic depression makes artists dig deeper for ways to portray both. That’s why we’re starting today’s Fun Friday with hi-larious satire by the number 16 puncher of all time, Mike Tyson. Always look at the sunny side peepul!

1. CAIN! Mike Tyson for Herman Cain 2012
2. K-Guy’s solo show “Iconic Irrigation”
3. TEEBS at Pawn Works (Chicago)
4. Gregory Siff’s solo “G” at The Site Unscene (LA)
5. Poster Boy in Brooklyn at Might Tanaka Saturday
6. Augustin Kofie “Circulatory System” at White Walls (SF)
7. “Art As A Weapon” (VIDEO)
8. “Luck Be A Lady” – a Frank Sinatra 1965 performance

CAIN! Mike Tyson for Herman Cain 2012

Give it up for Mike Ya’ll! He don’t know karate but he knows KaRazy… just like in the Matrix!

K-Guy’s solo show “Iconic Irrigation”

Opening today to the public at the London West Bank Gallery, a solo show by Street Artist K-Guy, who’s political and social indictments range from Catholic Church hypocrisy to international banking scams portrayed as “crisis”.

K-Guy’s commentary outside the tent village at Occupy London. (photo courtesy of Graffoto)

For further information on this show click here

TEEBS at Pawn Works (Chicago)

A multi-talented California based artist and musician, Mr Teebs’ solo show is called “Lady Luck” opening today in Chicago at Pawn Works Gallery.

Teebs. Still from the video “The Art of Teebs” by Theo Jemison.

To see the video click here

For further information regarding this show click here

Gregory Siff’s solo “G” at The Site Unscene (LA)

Brooklyn born actor, film maker, Street Artist, fine artist Gregory Siff has his solo show “G” today in Los Angeles.

Gregory Siff across a Wall (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

For further information on this show click here

See Greg hitting up a wall on BSA from this week.

Poster Boy in Brooklyn at Might Tanaka Saturday

There is only one, or maybe there are many, Poster Boy/s. The subterranean subway poster slicing hasn’t been so apparent for a minute, but maybe it’s because PB has been slicing at the old kitchen table in preparation for a proper show. “Not for Prophet” is the title, summoning up the Pharisees, the tax man, and the folks down on Wall Street. Let’s see who and what gets cut.

Poster Boy. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Image by Poster Boy. For further information regarding this show click here

Augustin Kofie “Circulatory System” at White Walls (SF)

Augustin Kofie solo show “Circulatory System” opens tomorrow at the White Walls Gallery in San Francisco.  Graffiti writer and fine artist. Old Skool Bomber. Wildstyle. Mid-Century Abstractionism. American Modernism. Choose One and Stick with it, right? Read our interview with him – Augustine Kofie in Studio

For further information regarding this show click here

“Art As A Weapon” (VIDEO)

Jeff Durkin documentary “Art As A Weapon” explores the intersection of Street Art, Democracy and Buddhisim. View the film’s teaser here.

Jeff’s film is currently in production please help him complete his film with your generous contribution by clicking on the Kickstarter link below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artasaweapon/art-as-a-weapon

“Luck Be A Lady” – a Frank Sinatra 1965 performance

Stick with me baby I’m the guy you came in with.

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Joseph Allen Shea and Marty Routdlege Curate: “Self Est” (Sydney, Australia)

November 8, 2011 , , , , , , ,

Self Est

 

Self Est. is a four day art event exploring contemporary art from alternative backgrounds. This first installment of Self Est. (short for Self Established) investigates the study of letterforms and pavement-based education. Self Est. presents art created outside the traditional academy that has infiltrated the institution. 

These art forms may be self-taught, intuitive or born from marginal activities such as commercial art, graffiti or skateboarding. Taking motivation from these auxiliary artistic pursuits these artists bring unconventional and unique twists to fine art and are being recognised by galleries and institutions.

Exhibition – THURSDAY 17th

6 – 8pm

kind of – gallery

72 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst 

DMOTE, New York (USA) 

Dmote is known worldwide for his contributions to the outlawed art of graffiti. Using this education as a springboard Dmote honedhis skills in the commercial arts and is regarded by many for his graphic work for some of the worlds largest youth brands.These trades have honed his craft and given new inspiration for fine art painting where one can trace his lineage of knowledge through letterforms, subcultural iconography (skulls), street scenes (torn bill posters) and print media (pornography).

www.dmote.net   

HORFÉ, Paris (FR) 

Horfé (also spelt Horphée) has a potent history of Graffiti bombing from the streets and subways of paris and Europe. Horfé’s loose letterforms and unmistakeable hand-styles separate him from what is considered to be a conservative graffiti style.Horfé’s abstracted lettering often splurges and morphs creating organic scenes of fantasy, horror and death. Horfé’s maturing direction as an icon for parisian graffiti has pushed him into exhibiting works indoors with recent shows in Paris, London & Sweden.

www.topsafelondon.com  

ROID, London (UK) 

London born Graffiti writer Roid (Aste-roid) is currently one of the most watched graffiti writers in the world. Roid was an early adaptor quickly being noticed for his unique letter styling and typographic treatments. Under a previous alias Roid was recognized globally as a strong contributor to the European graffiti scene covering off all available aspects of the sport-like art form. After what seemed to be a hiatus into another dimension, Roid returned to shock the graffiti community with ground breaking techniques and retro inspired lettering concepts. Roid’s current style disregards traditional graffiti processes and explores geometry, space and the abstracted influence of electronic music.

Exhibition – FRIDAY 18th

6 – 8pm

GALLERY A.S.

55 Brisbane Street, Surry Hills 

BEN BARRETTO, Perth (AUS) 

Ben Barretto grew up filtering his creativity through his pursuits as a sponsored skateboarder while re-interpreting civic planning and structures. Although completing art school Barretto’s installations retain a motivation, intuitiveness and resourcefulness that comes from creating from what’s at hand, techniques acquired while riding upon four urethane wheels.

JEFF CANHAM, San Francisco (USA) 

Jeff Canham trained at New Bohemia Signs in San Francisco in the antiquated trade of hand sign painting. The handstyles and toxic paints used to render letters and icons deliver, now superseded by technology, give a result much more versatile and human than the majority of advertising we witness today. Canham transfers this apprenticeship to great effect in his fine art paintings on wood to advertise emotional and environmental informed concepts.

www.jeffcanham.com

Conversations – SATURDAY 19th

12 – 1.30pm 

Gallery A.S

55 Brisbane St, Surry Hills 

A discussion and Q and A with Self Est. artists and experts on unconventional sources for fine art.

Ben Barretto (AUS) – artist

Jeff Canham (USA) – artist

Fred Forsyth (UK) – director of Topsafe & Crack & Shine

Cameron Macauliffe (AUS) – public art expert

Painting, BBQ and Beers Finale – SATURDAY 19th

4 – 9pm 

Kippax & Lt Riley St, Surry Hills

In progress wall painting by Roid, Horfé, & Jeff Canham

elfest.com.au

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Mighty Tanaka Gallery Presents: “Not for Prophet” Poster Boy Solo Show (Brooklyn, NY)

November 7, 2011 , , , , ,

PosterBoy

 

Mighty Tanaka presents:

Not For Prophet 

A solo show by Poster Boy

Mighty Tanaka is back! We’ve moved our gallery to a new location, and we’re delighted to announce our grand re-opening!

Living in a metropolis like New York City, we’re constantly bombarded with a magnitude of imagery and advertisements from every angle.  The inescapable chains of consumerism tempts the mind through the guise of fake polished smiles and subconscious messages – and one artist collective is prepared to stand up to the onslaught of commercialism: Poster Boy. Armed only with a razor blade, renegade street artist Poster Boy’s collage work reinterprets the advertisements around us with an ironic social commentary that teeters in the grey area of the law.

Poster Boy received international press earlier this year when a high profile solo show at Trinity College in Connecticut was canceled for potential legality issues. While the media has demonized Poster Boy’s artwork, there exists a progressive dialogue between consumer and product without the sugar-coating.   Poster Boy’s artwork becomes a conduit, channeling raw emotions and frustration through a medium that is accessible for all to interpret.

Not For Prophet is an uncensored insight into the world of Poster Boy. Exhibiting an array of prints, ‘zines and other iconic subject matter, the artwork is a rare peek into the mind of a true rebel.

OPENING RECEPTION:

Saturday, November 12th, 2011

6:00PM – 10:00PM

(Show closes Dec 4, 2011)

Mighty Tanaka

111 Front St., Suite 224

Brooklyn, NY 11201

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