The Proposition
Richard Hambleton. Untitled. Image Courtesy of the Gallery
FIGURES IN THE DARK: REDUX
RICHARD HAMBLETON
MARK A. REIGELMAN II
DEC 10, 2010 – JAN 16, 2011
OPENING RECEPTION
FRI. DEC. 10 / 6-8 PM
2 Extra Place, New York, NY 10003 (E 1st Street, off Bowery)
http://www.theproposition.com/wp | 212.242.0035 | info@theproposition.com
At BSA we always say that everyone drinks from the same river of ideas and creativity that passes by – it’s a river full of possibilities. What differentiates one artist’s work from the others is their personal imprint, and the level of their craftsmanship. Kid Zoom’s development of both qualities in a relatively short period is remarkable and we’re looking forward to seeing the currents of his own distinctive style fully merging into a body of work that is sure to come. We also encourage him to wear a mask when spraying!
John Lennon, a guy who lived in the eye of a hurricane of hype for a major portion of his adult life once screamed at the top of his lungs for something called truth. At a time when we are condescendingly shouted at to give up our previous conceptions of personal privacy for security and cookies, naked air travelers and torture victims and spillcams and spreadsheets and state secrets are now streaming live via the world wide buffet and everybody is seeing more truth than they were ready for.
Amidst the data storm, something about the simple, uncluttered straight-forward real deal is straight-up appealing. Maybe that is why the one layer stencil, however ornate it can be sometimes, is an enduring favorite of street art fans and artists. Effective visual communication doesn’t have to be fussy, filigreed, or high-falutin’, and some would argue that it takes real courage to let one stencil do the simple truth-telling.
Factory Fresh Gallery
ROMAN KLONEK & JIM AVIGNON
Opening Reception FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 7-10pm
Join Factory Fresh on December 10th as we welcome artists Roman Klonek and Jim Avignon and their unusual breed of pop art for their show Speedy Wonderland.
Roman Klonek is a Polish artist who creates figures from woodprints, composed of vibrant colors and seeming to be in constant motion. Influenced by old cartoons from Eastern Europe, Klonek’s figures have a vintage, wide-eyed feel to them, but his predilection for juxtaposing his happy characters against awkward situations (including but not limited to: injuries, arrests, infiltration by monsters) reminds you that his work lives far from the pages of the Sunday morning comics.
Jim Avignon, a German pop artist, designer and musician who creates similarly disarming work with a cartoon feel. Avignon currently calls both Williamsburg and Germany home, and began his career as an artist painting the walls of clubs in places like Munich and Berlin. As a result of this heritage, his work is inherently urban- his figures are crowded and sometimes exhausted, but always lively and surprising, lurking in and wandering around the canvas. If Avignon’s work were a show on the Cartoon Network, it wouldn’t be the one you wanted your children to see but the one you yourself were enthralled by, following the tired eyes and furrowed expressions of animations that stray far from realism yet furrow their brow in an uncannily familiar manner. His work is a garish caricature of the self that’s hard to keep your eyes off of- it’s no wonder his designs have appeared everywhere from Swatches and sweatshirts to the tails of airplanes.
Klonek and Avignon will be collaborating on some pieces but working mostly separately.
The show opens December 10th at 7 pm, and runs until January 16th. Don’t miss it.
Factory Fresh is located at 1053 Flushing Avenue between Morgan and Knickerbocker, off the L train Morgan Stop
“It is with my deepest regrets to inform you that this morning I received news of the passing of my close friend Sure. Last night he was killed in Afghanistan where he was stationed as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. Sure was born and bred in Brooklyn and recognized for his exceptional handstyle which brought together elements of classic New York graffiti with ornamental calligraphy. His script signatures could be found throughout the city and were a major influence on myself and countless others.”
“Sure also received great recognition as one of the most prominent sticker bombers of all time. Of the thousands of stickers he put up, nearly every one of them was individually hand done in an incredible array of styles. This was recently exemplified in Stickers: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art (Rizzoli) by DB Burkeman and in Martha Cooper’s latest book Name Tagging (Mark Batty Publishing) which features an interview with Sure”
“Sure was like a brother to me. He was my partner-in-crime and my best friend. I am grateful for the time we had and that everywhere I go in New York City I see his name and know that his presence will be felt by many long after his passing”.
-Faust
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Alec, El Celso, Faile, Kenny Scharf, Kouk, Robots, and UFO
The finished Kenny Scharf Houston Street wall has brought a jolt of flamboyant color to New York just as all the leaves have finally been beaten off the trees and we transition to grays. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Alec stuffs this AK with peace and a flag (© Jaime Rojo)
El Celso’s own interpretation of those ubiquitous Peruvian posters (photo © Jaime Rojo)
El Celso (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Faile (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Robots at night (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kouk’s paintings of American Indians have been appearing in New York City – maybe they are a reference to this land that once was theirs before all the European illegal immigrants swarmed in? (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kouk (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A dead mouse next to a UFO. New York, New York! (photo © Jaime Rojo)Dennis McNett
Press Release
Joshua Liner Gallery, in collaboration with gallery artist Dennis McNett, is thrilled to present a first-ever, spectacular event in the streets of West Chelsea: The Passing of the Wolfbats.
Part art parade, part shaman uprising, the “Passing of the Wolfbats” will gather art enthusiasts and neighborhood residents for a celebratory procession through the heart of the New York art world. The purpose? To wake up the city’s sleeping spirits of creativity, expression, and personal soulfulness.
Led by a Viking ship, drummers, marchers with banners and battleaxes, and a flock of Wolfbats—McNett’s signature symbol of transformation—the procession will feature many elements from the artist’s work, including mythological figures and folklore, animal and skeleton forms, and masks and costumes, all emblazoned with McNett’s distinctive linocut imagery. McNett has evolved these characters into a personal mythology that he deploys in woodcut prints on paper applied to wall installations, sculptures, papier mâché masks, costumes, ships, and more.
The community is enthusiastically invited to participate in the procession in whatever form it chooses, from wheatpasting prints to the hull of the ship, to creating and wearing costumes, to offering expressions in song and dance during the procession. All participants are welcomed to join the celebration of community energy and collective spirit outside the Joshua Liner Gallery on 28th Street, where a second ship (with band aboard) will be moored. The ships themselves are roughly twenty-six feet in length, constructed of wood entirely by hand, and feature ten-foot sails of printed muslin and a hull papered in prints by McNett and myriad other artists.
“The size of the ship is important,” says McNett. “It represents an invasion into whatever space it inhabits and is large enough to be collaborative. It’s an armature for communal ritual, big enough to facilitate everyone’s work.” It is McNett’s intention to celebrate collectivity and collaboration in the construction of the ships, the tradition of storytelling, the energy of the procession, and the egalitarian medium of printmaking itself.
Wolfbats and Other Misfits
McNett’s Wolfbats—flying creatures with a wolf head and bat wings—are inspired by the Norse resurrection myth of Fenris, and first appeared in public at the 2007 Deitch Projects Art Parade. The artist staged his first “Viking invasion,” with Wolfbats and near life-size Viking ship, at the Southern Graphics Council Conference (“Mark Remarque”) in Philladelphia in March 2010. Dubbed “The Big Takeover,” the parade incorporated work from countless number of printmakers who joined McNett in adorning the Viking ship with their work. In December, Scope Miami will showcase Santa Muerte in a special project installation by McNett at its annual art fair.
Identifying overarching themes in his work, McNett views his mythical characters as “beautiful misfits shunned and punished for being different, alive, strong. They are a reminder of our short time on earth. I envision all of these things as vital spirits that wake the sleeping spirit in others, and do battle against apathy, loss of community/tribe, the sleeping and tuned-out, fictional news media, corporate ownership, and money-beforespirit attitudes.”
The Exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery
Dennis McNett’s Viking ship procession kicks off an exhibition of new works by the artist at Joshua Liner Gallery. The show will include wood- and linocut works on paper and muslin, as well as large carved-wood panels that are hand-colored in acrylic, inked, and finished. Also included will be freestanding sculptures papered in McNett’s prints, such as Santa Muerte, more hanging wolfbats, and animals that carry personal and mythological significance for the artist.
Throughout, McNett focuses on storytelling in images expressed by the bold, saturated line unique to relief printmaking. The artist’s vocabulary of images borrows freely from Greek and Norse myths, Mexican muertos, and the animal kingdom, all synthesized into an idiosyncratic style that is deeply heartfelt. Other characters and creatures include eagles, wolves, owls, and skeletons, some of which have been developed into live, impromptu performances in the public sphere.
Vital Vessels
McNett will also unveil a series of Viking ship sculptures emblazoned with patterns and images from a variety of printing processes. These are memorial sculptures recognizing deceased friends and heroes from the artist’s past. Among the remembered are the late Andy Kessler, New York City skateboard pioneer; Richard Mock, the celebrated painter and linocut printmaker regularly featured by the New York Times; and the master printmaker and Kent State instructor, Tom Little. The ships represent each person with specific patterns, symbols, and imagery either carved into or printed onto the wood surface and sails.
As McNett states, “The body is like a vessel, navigating water and waves. Ships have character: some know how to navigate the seas better than others. Some ships are driven by skilled and experienced captains. Some ships are beaten and weathered. Some have carried many passengers. Some show the way. Some vessels work together for a common goal or to form a stronger force.” The emotional tumult around these themes is faithfully evoked by the memorial ship sculptures and a crashing wave installation in the gallery.
About the Artist Born in 1972 in Virginia Beach, VA, Dennis McNett received a BFA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and an MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn. Solo exhibitions of his work include: Year of the Wolfbat, Fecal Face Dot Gallery, San Francisco (2009); and Driving Through, The Life Art Gallery, Portland, OR (2008). His work has been featured in the following selected group exhibitions: Barnstormers, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York (2010); Outlaws and Wild Animals, Rebus Works, Raleigh, NC (2009); From the Streets of Brooklyn, Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles (2009); Titanium Exposed, Fecal Face Gallery, San Francisco (2008).
Artist
Dennis McNett
Joshua Liner Gallery
Phone
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring; Clown Soldier, K-Guy, Kenny Scharf, Shin Shin, Skewville, TipToe, and Wing
First NYC celebrated downtown artist, Street Artist, and Brooklyn resident Kenny Scharf. We have his first installed roll-down pieces in Chelsea that are part of his city wide project “The Street Gallery” with Anonymous Gallery and we have him in progress doing his large-scale mural on the Houston Street wall.
Kenny Scharf (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kenny Scharf (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kenny Scharf (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kenny Scharf at work on the Houston Street mural. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kenny Scharf (photo © Jaime Rojo)British Street Artist K-Guy was recently in NYC for a show at the new Chelsea spot Indica Gallery, which is named after the original Indica Gallery in Mason’s Yard, London. His new piece for Amnesty International is called “Blood on your Hands”, pointedly incriminating the masters of industry who profit from child labor and other inhumanity.
Shin Shin, Wing and Clown Soldier (photo © Jaime Rojo)Next it’s a brand new collaboration between Shin Shin and Wing. Both artists create a fantastic version of the natural world, insinuating themselves into Street Art milieus with still life compositions of flowers and animals.
Shin Shin and Wing detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Finally TipToe pulled out a new colorful Minotaur and Brooklyn’s own Skewville got some glittery competition on the old wires.
Skewville and Unknown Artist (photo © Jaime Rojo)Veng
In his first solo show, Veng takes us back to simpler times, to an era when things were made to last. Inspired by the artistry and work ethic of his grandfather, who hailed from a family of Swedish carpenters, Veng’s detail-rich paintings focus on the craftsmanship of the handmade. Embracing the handmade aesthetic to the fullest for this exhibition, Veng had custom mahogany panels built and crafted his own paints from simple pigments and linseed oil. Blurring the lines between the substantive and the imaginary, his paintings depict a world populated by a cast of stoic characters and whimsical winged creatures that interact with wooden contraptions more phantasmagorical than real. Drawing equally on the Old Masters and modern-day illustrators, Veng’s work possesses a timelessness not often captured by his contemporaries.
Born on Staten Island in 1981, Veng began studying painting as a young kid at a local art league. Since then, painting has remained an integral part of his life. With his work, he looks to capture the feel of something made long ago, be it characters with old-fashioned appearances or objects with Old World designs. He depicts ideas in his paintings in a representational and faithful manner, yet conveys them visually with a whimsical touch.
Borrowing from techniques of the Northern Renaissance, Veng paints by building up multiple layers. His thought process for painting, however, is less traditional and very much informed by his background in street art. He aims to make surreal impressions, with characters whose square heads are on the one hand very unreal, yet whose facial features are eerily familiar. He enjoys depicting scenes showing the viewer fictitious landscapes of an Old World interspersed with contemporary qualities. Nature also plays an important role in Veng’s work. He shows animals in a more traditional manner, painting them with realistic colors and textures. Often he’ll couple animals with imaginary devices that they control.
Whether on a panel in the studio or on a wall in a city, through his work Veng tries to convey a playful world of mixed inspirations. “Identifiable Reality” will run during Pandemic Gallery’s regular hours (Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat-Sun 12pm-7pm) from December 18th through January 8th, with an opening reception on Friday, December 17th, from 7-11pm. Pandemic is located at 37 Broadway in Williamsburg, accessible via the L subway (Bedford stop), J subway (Marcy stop), and Q59 bus (Broadway/Wythe stop).
Text and images copyright Luna Park
Cake
Brewer’s Mansion is happy to present A Collection of Drawings, a show by Brooklyn street artist Cake, from December 11th through the 21st!
From the artist:
I use anatomy to describe the intricate relationship structures humans have with themselves and others. I frequently take from the pool of human suffering for subject matter and inspiration. When people disconnect from themselves in any way, it will somehow show up in their faces, bodies and gestures. I prefer to make drawings describing those results.”
For the show at Brewer’s Mansion, I will be creating an installation for a selection of drawings completed during my month long stay this past fall at The Fountainhead Residency in Miami.”
More information can be found at cakestreetart.com and brewersmansion.com.
Brewer’s Mansion is located at 55 Waterbury between Scholes and Meserole in Bushwick, Brooklyn. To get here, take the L to Montrose, walk half a block down Bushwick Ave and make a right on Meserole, then walk down a few blocks and make a left on Waterbury (while you’re here, take a walk along our block to see pieces by Clown Soldier, Fernando Mora, Gaia, Giant Robots UK, Rambo, Samson, Sten + Lex, Y’Elle, and more. New stuff goes on all the time).
We’re open from 1 to 7 on weekends, by chance, for special events, and by appointment (call Megan at 917 679 2339).
Megan Moncrief
917 679 2339
brewersmansion.com
Our Weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring; ASVP, Burning Candy, Cake, Castro, Chris Stain, Clown Soldier, Deekers, DsCreet , Ellis G., Fumero, Futura ,Gaia ,Goya ,Hush , Imminent Disaster ,Infinity ,K-Guy , Kirby ,KRSNA ,OverUnder ,QRST ,Quel Beast ,Samson ,Showpaper ,Skewville , Sten & Lex ,Tek33 ,VUDU , and XAM
photo © Jaime RojoThe block party in Bushwick provided by Factory Fresh Gallery and the app called All City turned out a number of new Brooklyn Street Art pieces on a block long installation, complete with friends, fans, and a taco stand. Included in the offering was this surprise collab with Faile and Bast, auspiciously appearing the morning of the event like a pre-Christmas gift wrapped in razor wire. The news of the piece travelled fast and while Ad Deville couldn’t find his red carpet, he did post a velvet rope to hold back the crowd. That didn’t stop Futura from climbing on top of his car to get the perfect shot.
Futura takes a photo of the Bast and Faile collaboration at the Factory Fresh Block Party (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bast and Faile detail © Photo © Jaime Rojo
Detail Photo © Jaime Rojo
Chris Stain busted out a new piece (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Gaia, Samson, Castro Photo © Jaime Rojo
Imminent Disaster, Goya, Ellis G Photo © Jaime Rojo
Burning Candy, Tek33, Dscreet (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Deekers is hanging out on the corner watching the rest of the proceedings (photo © Jaime Rojo)And here we move to a British invasion of sorts with Geishas and Primates from Hush and K-Guy respectively. XAM has been installing some pretty cool looking bird houses around town equipped with LED lights on their porches that illuminate when the sun sets. Infinity and VUDU’s pieces for the Showpaper box project adds to the conversation on the street with a beaming signal tower atop the box.
K-Guy’s recent “Primates” piece, including this one that appears to be pretty fresh, have been appearing around Brooklyn suddenly. Apparently its meaning is reference to the growing perception of hypocrisy in the Catholic church, particularly as pertains to pedophilia coverups, its position on contraception, gay rights, among other issues. 
Hush (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hush (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Infinity and Vudu piece for “Community Serviced” (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Infinity detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
XAM “CSD Dwelling Unit 1.6” (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Close up of the birdhouse by XAM (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Samson, Sten & Lex (photo © Jaime Rojo)
“I’ve always been an artist in some form, or certainly always creative – it’s a lifestyle, I don’t think you choose art, its something you do, it is life. Well my life,” Hush explains to BSA. This week he’s been putting work up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and tonight is his NYC solo exhibition debut at The Angel Orensanz Foundation For Contemporary Art. We’re not missing it.
172 Norfolk Street
New York, NY 10002
Tel: 212.529.7194
And there is a free print giveaway- read the details here: http://hushstudio.blogspot.com/
The gallery is completely re-painted and Rae is standing on his head waiting for it to dry. Unconventional is right – the last two years as a ringmaster and co-proprietor of Brooklynite Gallery have put him squarely in the middle of a tornado of punchy Street Art and a panoply of personalities – always with a very defined focus, high level of quality, and total conviction. As a curator, marketer, and host, this modern carny is a font of new ideas and angles, backed up with straight up elbow grease.
Now Rae is taking a minute or two to let people see what snaps his elastic mind when it comes to making art. You can see how the curator and the artist merge in this poppy geometric collection; Bast, Miss Bugs, Dain, Ana Peru Peru Ana, Various & Gould and others each have a shout out. It’s all here; the dense graphic punch, the vibrant blue collar reverence, the deliberate slicing and refracting off a funhouse mirror ball. Always a surprise and always a reward, artist Rae MaGrath’s debut is bound to be a funkadelic bootilicious jam.
‘UNCONVENTIONAL CONVICTION” this Saturday November 20 6 to 9 pm at Brooklynite Gallery on 334 Malcom X Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11233. Tel 347 405 5976
Tacos! And freshly painted street art by some of your favorite names on a street in Brooklyn. What’s not to like?
Factory Fresh and app maker All City Street Art are throwing a party for you and all you have to do is show up on the block Saturday afternoon.
Brooklyn Street Artists Paint a 200 foot wall and the Burning Candy Crew debut their new film!
• Live painting
• Calexico taco cart
• DJs
• Art for sale from participating artists
• Burning Candy’s Dots film premiere
James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, Aretha is the Queen of Soul, Michael was the King of Pop, and Jennifer Lopez is a judge on a TV talent show. Now we learn that one of New York’s first recognized street artists, having blanketed the L.E.S. with disconcerting shadow figures in the 1980s, is actually called “The Godfather of Street Art”. Thank Allah you don’t have to be the one in charge of handling these honorariums because you know that has got to be a thankless task. On the occasion of “Richard Hambleton New York”, The Dairy Gallery released this video.
238
138
45
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
