Bronx

Tats Cru Declares “Death of an Era”: How, Nosm & Aryz in Brooklyn

August 4, 2010 , , , , , ,

Bronx Tats Cru muralists How and Nosm Perre hit Brooklyn last week with their buddy Aryz to put up a new piece on the side of a deli while stray cats wandered out from the fence next door to take a look.  While BSA watched, the guys climbed up and down ladders and showed solid technique like the pros they are.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm With Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm With Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

The globe trotting twins, born in seaside San Sebastion in the Basque region of Spain, grew up in Dusseldorf and fell in love with the New York style of graffiti in their teens.  When they joined the Tats Cru in New York in the late nineties they had already proved their skillz as graff artists and begun to explore Street Art and muralist technique.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

With Aryz visiting from Barcelona it was a perfect time to hit the streets of Williamsburg and get a piece up before the skies darkened further. “Death of an Era” appears to pay tribute to some of hiphop and graffiti culture’s early icons and surround them with a rising tide of blood. A critique of the darker powers of commercialism, it may also be homage to a romantic vision of a dirty and dysfunctional city that increasingly looks Disneyfied. While homogeneity threatens the character of some of our neighborhoods, work like this ensures an expression of individuality that keeps the streets alive.

With one eye on an impending summer storm and another on their wall, the guys busily consulted sketches and wielded their cans in a race against time.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

http://www.hownosm.org

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Book Signing Tomorrow Night of “Street Art New York”

July 21, 2010 , , , , , ,

Looking forward to meeting YOU tomorrow night at the Spoonbill and Sugartown bookstore in Williamsburg Brooklyn.  If you know anything about publishing you know that your local independently run bookstore has been on the endangered list for about a decade. That’s why it’s important to us to support our neighbors when possible and help keep independent and independently-minded bookstores alive and well.

Street-Art-New-York-Book-Cover-JUDITH-SUPINE-copyright-Jaime-Rojo-medium

Spoonbill and Sugartown, owned by Jonas Kyle and Miles Bellamy, arrived in Williamsburg the same year we did and since then they have steadily supported the artists and art lovers who live in Brooklyn offering rare, unusual titles, tomes, zines, magazines, handmade books, and even some gorgeous coffee table books. Also, inflateable mooseheads.  You can’t find many of these titles in the chain bookstores.  Even if you already have “Street Art New York” or even if you are broke, come on down tonight and lend your presence and your enthusiasm for the creative spirit – that will be a great way to help keep your local small bookseller encouraged and alive. We will be really happy to meet you.

Read more details here.

Spoonbill and Sugartown
218 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tel. 718.387.7322
sugar@spoonbillbooks.com

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Fun Friday 07.02.10

July 2, 2010 , , , , , ,

Fun-Friday

It’s Only Street Art When It’s On the Street

So you might as well move the furniture out on the sidewalk for your 4th of July Bar-B-Que this weekend and enjoy the best of both worlds.  Look, some guests have already arrived!  Pictured below on the Brooklyn street are Veng (RWK), Imminent Disaster, El Sol 25, Yote, and Andrew Michael Ford. Is the beer cold yet?

Andrew-MIchael-Ford-yote-imminent disaster-el-sol- 25-veng-rwk-web

(image © Jaime Rojo)

Let Jimi Put You In the Mood for a Patriotic Weekend

In Manhattan – Street Artist Dennis McNett’s Wild Kingdom Runs 50 Feet of Barney’s Windows

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Dennis_McNett-Barneys-July2010

Brooklyn based artist Dennis McNett totally smashed the windows at Barneys with his imagination. “Passerby’s can see over sized wolf, owl, and skull masks paired with mannequins dressed in evening wear with a backdrop of psychodelic starbursts and swooping wolfbats. Dennis’s woodcut blocks, prints, masks and paper mache sculptures adorn the mannequins and window interiors. His imagery from nature, folklore, mythology, and story telling mixed with the graphic carved wood patterns from wood block prints sets a very unique stage for the store and this part of town.”

Barneys NY Madison Ave. between 60th and 61st through July 12th
They are best seen at night as they have been professionally lit.  Check out Dennis at www.wolfbat.com

Biggie on the Street at 17 – Where Brooklyn At?

You’ll Hear This One At Least ONCE This Weekend

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Images of the Week 05.23.10 on BSA featuring Banksy, Dain, Ludo, Faile and one (vintage) Dan Witz

May 23, 2010 , , , , ,

This past week New York experienced a deluge of Street Artists getting up on the city’s famed walls. We are very lucky to live here and to capture the bounty before it disappears.

And we heart you back Banksy
And we heart you back (Banksy) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ludo
Ludo’s scientific nightmare plant/technology hybrid (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain
“Does this eyeshadow go with my bag? Because I am not leaving my apartment otherwise.” (Dain) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile
Faile on the same door seemingly moments earlier. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Banksy

Everyone has something to say when Banksy comes to town. - And 6 or 7 of his pieces popped up all over NYC this week, sending photographers, fans, critics, and others scurrying to the newly hallowed sites. From those breathlessly reporting their sudden appearnce, to the debates of their authenticity, to questions about who actually executes them, to commentary on the actual quality of the work, there was no shortage of reportage, and opinion. Then there were the opportunists who jump on the Banksy gravy boat to promote their own creative skills: artwork, poetry, stickers. Finally, a semi-political stencilling campaign advocating the freeing of a local street artist who has been identified as a member of a collective called Poster Boy, who became a bit of a Cause célèbre the previous week when he was sentenced to 11 months at Rikers Island for cutting posters in the subway, or something like that. The "Free Posterboy" street-grassroots campaign (and Facebook fanpage) may have actually worked, as it is reported that he has been released from jail. The Banksy movie has certainly heightened the public's interest in all things "street art" related, and when the secretive namesake's work appears, the buzz is a force that brings excitement, derision, and a circus of colorful characters with it. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile and Celso
Faile and Celso (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile
Faile’s newest stencils look like they were influenced by the back pages of those dirty little magazines you’ve been sneaking into your bedroom when Mom and Dad aren’t looking. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ludo
Play it Loud!  I’m Green and I’m Proud! (Ludo) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Banksy
Banksy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain
Sometimes a Dain looks like an appropriated whole image, other times they are clearly composited. (Dain) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile
Pretty straightforward I think.  This is obviously about Junior’s famous cheesecake in downtown Brooklyn.  (Faile) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Banksy
Hell, we’ve all done that!  Not mentioning any names here, people.  But you know who you are. (Banksy) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile
Just a couple of kids in love at the V-Drive In.  (Faile) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz
Dead on your feet? Have a seat! (Dan Witz) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile
I have these dreams too – especially when I have had too many of those new watermelon margaritas.  (Faile) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Fun Friday 05.21.10 from BSA

May 21, 2010 , , , , , ,

Fun-Friday

Thanks to everybody for the shout-outs about Fun Friday.  We love you too.

Style Curator Natalie Kates Went to the “Street Art New York” Auction with her Video Camera

I saw her at the party/auction/fundraiser on April 24th at Factory Fresh but I didn’t know she was shooting a video!  So cool because she captured the fun crowd and the funnier DJ mixologists Sifunk and Garmunkle, who really rocked our already over stimulated brains with a rhythmic cut-copy-paste blend of funkiness. (get Paul’s New Mix FREE here) Anyway, thanks Natalie!

Free Arts NYC

And on that note, thank you to all of the street artists who generously donated their time and work and creativity to the auction, which raised $16,000 for the programs at Free Arts NYC.  Thank you also to the staff and many volunteers who helped make that show work – BSA recommends these people and these programs that provide valuable services to our neighbors and to NYC kids.  A number of Street Artist already know about their programs and have volunteered as Big Brother/Sister mentors and worked with kids and families in the programs.  Here, Cynthia and Alexis talk about their experience:



This year again, Free Arts NYC has committed to serving an additional 1,000 children to meet the high demand in New York for their programs. We hope you will consider donating today by clicking here to help them reach this important milestone and close the remaining $25,000 gap needed to expand their programs.

“UR New York” Shows You How They Do It

UR New York, true born and raised New Yorkers, not transplants like most of us, are taking their street art game another step forward in a positive way. You see their cool canvasses, but do you have any idea how many steps are involved in making a print?

Here’s a studio stop-action video that shows how the New York Duo 2Easae and Ski just churned out their first print called “Arsenic” with Art Asylum Boston.  They only made 10, but it looks like a lot of effort.  Using cans and brushes, these brothers are combining the best of their experience into their work.

Ron English Hits the Welling Court Walls Early

UR New York, Street Artist Ron English has put up a bunch of new wheat paste posters on the Welling Court Mural Project in Queens, NY. The festival starts tomorrow and already the stuff that is up is worth the trip for this community event. English is taking the opportunity to lambaste Consumerism, Greed, Militarism, Religious Hypocrisy, Romanticizing Guns, and Advertising Hammerlocks on your Head — you know, all the lite topics – with a variety of graphic lampoons a la Mad Magazine in the 70’s.ee

Ron English's new work at Welling Court Walls this weekend

Ron English's new work at Welling Court Mural Project this weekend (image courtesy Ron English)

See more pictures from Ron English’s online journal at Juxtapose HERE.

ROA on the Roof

You may have missed this, and I’m so happy with it – so that’s two really good reasons to post this new NEW YORKY video we made with ROA this week.  Have a great weekend!


BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………BSA…………

Artists that were part of the “Street Art New York” Auction Benefit for Free Arts NYC were Abe Lincoln Jr., Alex Diamond, Anera, Avoid Pi, Billi Kid, Bishop 203, Blanco, BortusK Leer, Broken Crow, C Damage, C215, Cake, Celso, Chris RWK, Chris Stain, Creepy, Dain, Damon Ginandes, Dan Witz, Dark Clouds, Dennis McNett, Elbow Toe, EllisG, FKDL, Gaia, General Howe, GoreB, Hargo, Hellbent, Imminent Disaster, Infinity, Jef Aerosol, Jim Avignon, JMR, Joe Iurato, Jon Burgerman, Keely, Know Hope, Logan Hicks, Mark Carvalho, Matt Siren, Mint and Serf, Miss Bugs, NohJColey, Nomadé, Peru Ana Ana Peru, PMP/Peripheral Media Projects, Poster Boy, Pufferella, Rene Gagnon, Roa, Royce Bannon, Skewville, Specter, Stikman, Swoon, The Dude Company, Tristan Eaton, UR New York (2esae & Ski), Veng RWK

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Bike Cozy for Nostalgic Irony-Free Hipsters and Home-Knitters

April 29, 2010 , , , , ,

The god-forsaken winter has blown back for a few days and the wicked wind nearly blew me into the security cage on the Williamsburg Bridge last night as I ducked the turbine-strength gusts and clumps of city-debris blowing through the air. You know that scene from “American Beauty” where the creepy neighbor dude shows the innocent nubile teen his home video of a bag being blown around by the wind in a non-sensical but poetic way?  Okay, multiply that by 50 and throw in asbestos and a few broken umbrellas and you have BROOKLYN last night.

And for these chilly late spring mornings…  Wouldn’t it be great if you could go out to your bike in the morning and find that it’s all warm and snug and ready for you to climb on?  Consider the Bike-Cozy.

It beats starting it up and leaving it running for ten minutes before you go out - and better for the environment too!
It beats starting it up and leaving it running for ten minutes before you go out – and better for the environment too.

Man, they have EVERYTHING on youtoober..

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NYC Subway Etiquette? – Unheard Of!

April 22, 2010 , , , ,

Thanks to a recently begun campaign, you may not have your fanny fondled by a creep on the L Train. And you may not have to listen to “All My Single Ladies” ever again through somebody’s CHEAP-O earbuds.

IMG_5071

Well, maybe that’s wishful thinking.

Hundreds of MTA-impersonating posted flyers are appearing in the subway advocating basic etiquette that doesn’t seem to occur to everyone on the New York City subways.  According to the creator: “I surveyed 100 people on their top pet-peeves (not service related) while riding the Subway. I narrowed the results down to the top ten most occurring issues and rewrote them as a sort of list of rules. I designed posters in the style of the Service Changes posters we see everyday and silkscreened about 40 of each (400 total)…“

Read more at our source for good etiquette, ANIMAL NEW YORK (and thank them for it)

IMG_1698

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Howdy Pardner: Billi Kid donates a portrait of a Cowboy to “Street Art New York” Silent Auction

April 6, 2010 , , , , , ,

Street Artist Billi Kid, known for poppy portraits of pink cadillacs and jetson era convertibles with his friends and artists at the wheel, George Bush as a WMD swinging cowboy, Sarah Palin as a bikini-clad NRA bimbo, and Jim Morrison doing his own special Easter tribute on a cross – graciously donated this cowboy in profile to the auction on the 24th.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-3-Billi-Kid-Benefit-Street-Art-New-York-April-2010

Billi Kid’s Flickr


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Street Artist Royce Bannon Writing for Source Mag

March 27, 2010 , , , , ,

Two New Interviews with TooFly and RWK

NO surprise to find that Street Artists have multiple talents aside from art, and Royce Bannon has been developing some of his other interests over the past year at the SOURCE magazine.

TooFly's work in a recent Brooklyn Mural with the Younity Collective (photo © Jaime Rojo)
TooFly’s work in a recent Brooklyn Mural with the Younity Collective (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In the new issue of The Source Royce has an interview with well-known and respected TooFly,

who paints from the the graffiti and muralist tradition in New York, is a founding member of the Younity Collective, and is continually involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures:

“Royce: YOU’RE A JILL OF ALL TRADES, FROM TOYS TO CLOTHES. ARE THERE ANY OTHER MARKETS YOU WOULD LIKE TO VENTURE INTO

TooFly: In the last few years I have been intrigued by large video projections. Especially these days with all the new forms of laser technology that allow you to display graphics and live video on the sides of buildings and structures. I’ve been scoping out a few companies who use the urban environment to do this kind of stuff, and it’s definitely something I want to tap into. I think I have a production type of heart from curating and organizing large painting productions, as well as community events.” Read the full interview HERE at The Source

Additionally, Royce has been writing on their blog, including this new interview with Chris and Veng from Robots Will Kill

A Robots Will Kill Mural from Bushwick (courtesy Royce)

A Robots Will Kill Mural from Bushwick (courtesy Royce)

In the brief interview we learn from Chris what the origins of the name “Robots Will Kill” were,

“The name comes from the idea of people becoming stuck in place in life, whether its work or something else, becoming robotic and it killing off the creative and productive part of their life.”

(read the RWK interview here)

Luckily for us, neither Royce nor TooFly nor RWK look like they’re becoming robotic.


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Fun Friday 02.26.10

February 26, 2010 , , , , ,

Fun-Friday

SNOW DAY!!! No School In New York City Today! YAY!!!

We got hit by a big snow storm, which means everybody gets to stay home and play Guitar Hero! Or, you can make a SICK art project in the kitchen with MILK, FOOD COLORING, and DISH SOAP

You’ll never guess what happens when you mix them.

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NIPPLE ALERT: And Now, Our Report from the Olympics

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New Brow!

Nope, it’s not that thing cousin Ralphy has growing on his face….

“A ‘New Brow’ art movement because it was new thinking in the art world.”

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Photographer Terrry Richardson’s portrait of DJ Pauly D of “Jersey Shore”

Pauly D. from Terry Richardson's Site
A portrait of DJ Pauly D. from Terry Richardson’s site

Go to Terry’s Diary HERE.

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I am a SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT

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Advertising Always Respects Community Values

HUNG LIKE A BILLBOARD

fj;j
Damn, I’m feeling kind of insecure right about now.

More on this swell story HERE

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Mayor Mike A.K.A. “BLOOMIE” caught Tagging Tats Cru

January 8, 2010 ,

Brooklyn-Street-Art-STREET-SIGNALS_1009

Street Signals

Turning his face from the camera so he could not be identified, writer BLOOM catches a tag across a Tats Cru
Turning his face away from the camera so he could not be identified, writer BLOOMIE catches a tag across a Tats Cru piece. (photo courtesy Tats Cru)

Okay, things are not always what they seem – this was a legal spot peeepull!  But it is a funny sort of recognition of the place that graffiti has evolved to.  I’m sure this will keep the arts and culture pundits chewing on the implications and ramifications for days. OMG!

Thanks to – and for more on this story see the Tats Cru blog – like they say “Only in New York Baby”!

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