Mighty Tanaka is excited to present our next show entitled CityScapes, a four person photography show that delves into and documents a variety of perspectives in and around NYC. Featuring the work of Vinny Cornelli, Mari Keeler, Shane Perez & Bryan Raughton, each photographer individually deciphers their own unique interpretation of the City through a myriad of techniques and inspirations.
CityScapes invites the visitor to explore the seemingly ubiquitous and familiar environments of New York City through the eyes of the photographers, as they excavate new vantage points through their exceptional observations. From grand panoramas to the subtle details, the show looks to provide the viewer with an in depth examination of the urban environment that most people are likely to overlook.
From multiple exposure photography and models posing in precarious locations to textured urban environments and the grimy gems of the City, this New Century art exhibition aims to uncover the hidden treasures constantly found on the streets of NYC and fuse them within our daily lives.
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, July 16, 2010 – 6:00PM-9:00PM, and closing August 6, 2010
Mighty Tanaka 68 Jay St., Suite 416 (F Train to York St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Hours: M-F 12PM to 7PM, weekends by appointment only
Office: 718.596.8781
Email: alex@mightytanaka.com
Web: http://www.mightytanaka.com <http://www.mightytanaka.com/>;
Street Artist Dan Witz Signs Copies of His New Book “In Plain View”
Dan Witz is a 30+ year veteran of New York City street life, beginning in the late 70’s as an art student in the bombed out East Village, inspired simultaneously by the punk rock explosion and an analogous expression of the discontent that graffiti contained.
Since then he has explored a great deal about how we relate to art on the street, bringing a skilled analyst mind to play with perception, feeling, and our peripheral intake of information. In recent years his studio work has finely combined new digital possibilities with the more traditional oil based tools, producing startling realism and an auric glow that calms and unsettles.
Witz’s hyper-real street installations have become known for being missed by the busy passerby because of his uncanny and witty ability to integrate them into the urban environment below our perceptual radar. More recently his pieces have grown thematically darker and evermore perfect in their placement, daring you to overlook them.
With the release of this 30 year collection of work, Witz can clearly stake his claim as one of the forerunners of the current explosion of street art and it’s various discontents. Even in his controlled approach to study, practice, and implementation, the underlying punk rocker rips through the fabric of any bourgeois malaise you may be tempted to slip into.
Dan Witz, born 1957, Chicago, IL, attended Cooper Union in New York City’s East Village. In 1982 he received a NEA grant and in 1992 and 2000 fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts. His first book, “The Birds of Manhattan” was published in 1983 by Skinny Books. Solo exhibitions include Semaphore Gallery NY (1985,1986), Clementine Gallery (1996), StolenSpace, London (2007); DFN Gallery NY (2003-5, 6, 7, 8, 10) and Carmichael Gallery, LA (2009). Group exhibitions include: Buying Time: Nourishing Excellence, Sotheby’s NY(2001); and Fifteen, NYFA Fellows at Deutsche Bank, NY (1999). Submission (curated by Juxtapoz) Fuse Gallery NY (2005); From The Streets of Brooklyn, Think space Art Gallery, LA (2009) and Beach Blanket Bingo, Jonathan Levine Gallery NY(2009). Dan lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Our weekly interview with the street: this week featuring street art by Bast, Billi Kid, Bishop203, ,Brummel, El Sol 25, Faile, Grimus, Girl With Bikini, Homosapien Erectus, Kosbe, Mike Graves, Monkey, Over Under, WDZ, and ZHE155
A Group Show of Street Artists and Photographers Opening This Evening
Becki Fuller, Cake, Luna Park, Chris RWK and Veng RWK will be hosting a COOL new show about warming. Death warming. Re-heated. Warm Death. Each artist has embarked on an exploration into the many nuances to be found in the meaning of ‘death’ and have incorporated their unique interpretations into their art.
Also at the show will be the musical stylings of DJ Royce Bannon, Live Painting in the backyard, and a Scavenger Hunt!
Following the success of the inaugural print auction here at 99% Gallery (where almost 500 were in attendance) comes BrooklynStandUp, where local Brooklyn artists will get a chance to exhibit their work for a silent auction on Friday, June 25th from 7-11pm.
This show will take place during the same weekend as the L Magazine’s Northside Festival, allowing the maximum exposure for the artists exhibiting their work. The goal of the Northside Festival is to celebrate the community of independent musicians, filmmakers and visual artists in the place where it thrives the most, shining a light on the sheer talent and creativity that Brooklyn cultivates.
Please arrive early to register to bid on items in the auction. Auction starts at 7:30pm and ends roughly at 10:30pm. Bids must increase in increments of $20 after the initial minimum bid has been placed.
ALL MINIMUM BIDS WILL BE $500 OR LESS!
Afterparty starts immediately following the auction (RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE GALLERY) at The Counting Room, located at 44 Berry Street (on the corner of North11th).
Particpating artists include: Adam Collison
Cahbasm
Chris Smith
David Byrd
dickchicken
Eun-Ha Paek
Don Pablo Pedro
Eddie Alfaro
Eulas Pizarro
Jaz Harold
Jessica Angel
Jess Ruliffson
John McGarity
Jordan Awan
Leif low-beer
Lisa Von Enxing
Marissa Olney
Michael DeNicola
Quel Beast
Tiffany Walling-McGarity
Tod Seelie
Vahge
Wil Pagan
Yunmee Kyong
As the lines continue to blur between HI/LOW Art, Outsider Art, Public Art, Fine Art, and Street Art, a stunning show hides in the garden hoses.
space
space
As we wandered the aisles at the new show at a Brooklyn hardware store (and garden center) that is thick in the migration of hipness between post-cool Williamsburg and wild untamed Bushwick, a lightbulb went on. BA-ZING! This show is not mere novelty! This is where we are in 2010. The walls are being torn down before our eyes.
Dave Tree “Peasants on Shovels” (Photo Jaime Rojo)
The massive democratization of arts and culture, with tools ever cheaper and more accessible to any artist with the inclination, is handily jack-hammering the pillars of hallowed art institutions and clipping the locks on the traditional art clubby gates and their keepers. Call it American anti-intellectualism but when you feel no sense of irony or discomfort stalled out and contemplating a tire rubber ram sculpture while next to you a couple is looking at a lawn chair and a greasy handed guy is talking to a salesman about re-wiring a lamp, we’re pierced a veil. While meandering past two young women I overheard them discussing rather deeply their feelings about an illustrated book they had discovered on the shelf and what kind of memories it evoked.
The 198 pieces by more than 140 artists are each hardware themed or inspired. Some are “crafty”, true, and others are merely clever. But a number of pieces utilize their space so well, submerging themselves in their surroundings so completely, or bending your expectations so far, that you’ll have to admit that there may be a genius in the geraniums.
It was the same color of lightbulb that illuminated the day in the early 2000’s when I had attended a conceptual/sculptural/animation show at the now defunct Roebling Hall in Williamsburg and, in a dizzy haze I hit the street and looked at the sky. Overhead the jet stream to JFK and the planes rhythmically appearing in line every 2 minutes across the sky so closely mimicked the installation I had just seen indoors that the transition from art to artful reality was completely seamless. And no mushrooms were involved. Suddenly Street Art, this new explosion we had been documenting and exploring, seemed of the same cloth as any other art that was entrapped behind closed doors.
If you are not too suspicious or jaded, this may be one of the best shows of the season – one that feels equal parts installation and performance, one that challenges common conceptions without an accompanying 4 page exegesis on the inner workings of the mind of the curator. Joe Franquinha is a bright gentleman of course, and it is because of his vision and wanderlust that these artists gladly participate in this show. But as you walk the aisles with your artwork guide in hand you’ll find yourself slipping seamlessly back and forth through worlds you once considered distinct, at times questioning which one you are in at the moment. For my money, it’s a priceless view.
Last weekend the Phun Phactory returned to New York’s streets for an aerosol infused celebration of Old Tymers – and a promise for the future.
The original graff spot of the same name was founded in 1993 by Pat DiLillo and the pioneering aerosol artist Michael “Iz The Wiz” Martin, who recently passed away. Created as a safe place to promote legal aerosol art in New York City, the Phun Phactory allowed many a newcomer to practice and perfect their skills in a supportive environment, frequently working side by side with veterans. The Queens factory building in Long Island City across from MoMA/PS1 became a free public outdoor art exhibit and is considered a landmark. The original site, now known as 5 Pointz, passed from their hands by the end of the decade.
Saturday a large corrugated metal wall, 3 sides of a block in an industrial site in North Brooklyn, feted newbies and old skoolers to “Old Tymer’s Day”, a gathering of aerosol artists who began riding trains and spraying tags during a time in the city’s recent history when the hand-lettered graffiti style defined the urban environment and spawned an international youth culture infatuated with all things New York City.
Because of we’re kind of ignorant about graffiti at BSA, rather than concentrate on too many individual pieces and artists, we wandered the scene meeting people and listening to the DJ beats, soaking in the sun, and feeling a little bit of the magic. It was a hot and humid day and most people moved slowly to endure the heat, enjoying hanging out, trading stories, talking about technique, walking over to the barbecue, and taking a seat behind the wheel of a classic convertible. The vibe was nice and the feeling of community and creativity was in the air.
Jeremy Vega, the Director of the Phun Phactory, says that very soon a new Phun Phactory will headquarter itself in Williamsburg and will make available more than 500,000 square feet of public space for artists of all mediums to showcase their artwork legally. Judging from the number of young people we saw hanging out Saturday, the new generation will be in attendance.
This crew of stylish people spontaneously jumped together for a photo as soon as they saw the tripod. In front of this piece by CANO were Boltism, KCONE, Atom, CANO, Vic, and Chino.
Sitting on a loading dock, these two stayed cool and did tags in a black book. They said their names are Mary Kate and Ashley.
The barbecue was open and working, and one guy was making mixed fruity drinks in a blender! Sharp knife too.
Had a really nice conversation with this guy, who was waiting for his 18 year old son to bring by his paint so he could start his piece. His name is Zord AKA ZD, G+F, TDT, Tns, R+W, MPC. He said he was the king of the BMT, J and M lines circa 1985-1990. We discussed his Kiss action figure collection that got thrown away, Satanism, addiction, opinions on the differences between graffiti and street art, film school, and peace and love.
This was an impromptu (and shaded) area for blackbooks, which people brought to be signed and traded back and forth discussing.
Nothing like a robot dance and some heavy metal air guitar for fun on a Saturday.
Dan Witz: “In Plain View” — 30 Years of Artworks Illegal
and Otherwise is the first and long overdue monograph
on the work of Dan Witz. A benefit of having one of the
most sustained careers in street art, if such a thing exists, is the degree of growth, freedom and experimentation that such an extended period allows. Another advantage would be the influence of the aesthetic environs within the changing cultural landscape, especially if you happen to work in New York City.
From the no-wave and DIY movements of New York’s Lower East Side of the 70’s, through the Reaganomics of the 80’s to the flourishing of graffiti art in the new millennium. Whether stickers or paste-up silk-screened posters, conceptual pranks and interventions, or beautiful tromp l’oeil paintings, the medium is inspired as much by the nature and subject of his art as by the mutating urban conditions in which the piece is executed.
– Hide quoted text –
Besides obvious craftsmanship, the artwork of Dan Witz evinces a rigorous conceptual framework. This framework not only opens up a dialogue with graffiti and street art which dominate the urban environment, but also allows for the retention of clear and open lines with the canon of art history.
Dan Witz, born 1957, Chicago, IL, attended Cooper Union in New York City’s East Village. In 1982 he received a NEA grant and in 1992 and 2000 fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts. His first book, “The Birds of Manhattan” was published in 1983 by Skinny Books. Solo exhibitions include Semaphore Gallery NY (1985,1986), Clementine Gallery (1996), StolenSpace, London (2007); DFN Gallery NY (2003-5, 6, 7, 8, 10) and Carmichael Gallery, LA (2009). Group exhibitions include: Buying Time: Nourishing Excellence, Sotheby’s NY(2001); and Fifteen, NYFA Fellows at Deutsche Bank, NY (1999). Submission (curated by Juxtapoz) Fuse Gallery NY (2005); From The Streets of Brooklyn, Think space Art Gallery, LA (2009) and Beach Blanket Bingo, Jonathan Levine Gallery NY(2009). Dan lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Street Artist NohJColey keeps bringing it, even if you don’t know what “it” is.
The quality of line and rendering continues in this 12′ x 8′ large metaphor that incorporates a human figure with other symbols of explosives in some sort of race against time. If the missing fingers are any indication of this guy’s safety record, you may want to run.
An entirely hand painted wheat-paste of this size is fairly rare in a street art vernacular that looks increasingly mass produced, but a small number of the new generation are distinguishing themselves from the pack in this way – QRST, Gaia, Cake, Over Under, and others come to mind. This is not simply a linotype that’s been inked and printed – there is only one of these and yet a strong rainstorm could crumple it. It’s fragility in a hostile street environment makes it even more curious, and makes the viewer feel like they have experienced something individual, impermanent, irreplicable.
Thematically, this Street Artist never makes it easy for you. His pieces can feel like a frustrating riddle, but the level of industry shows that he’s not simply doodling; there is a message or two or five – maybe intended only for the artist. But in the street art world messages are often shrouded and left for you to determine. Even one of Street Art’s older relatives, graffiti, can be so stylized that only the writers’ peers can decode it. Ah, well. When it comes to the work of NohJColey, we’ll keep listening.
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Hellbent, Faro, Bast, El Sol 25,Vending Van, Faile, Maiden Hell, Over Under, Shin Shin, QRST, and Royce Bannon
The big sticking points for most people were Number 2, which a lot of people guessed was Os Gemeos, and Number 4 which some thought was Neckface or Royce Bannon.
But don’t feel bad if you didn’t get them all – nobody did. Our winner is Sandrine from Montreal, Quebec, who was the first person to guess 7 out of 8 correctly (she guessed #4 was Neckface). Congratulations to Sandrine and your original and signed piece from Chris of Robots Will Kill will be in the mail Monday!
Thanks everybody who participated. We’ll have another contest soon!
Yo homey, still doing a Snoopy dance on the subway this morning because your favorite Street Art blog was up on HuffingtonPost.com yesterday. Arianna Huffington is one of the few straightforward truthtellers in a storm of darkness year after year, and this is like when it is your turn at Double Dutch and Malcolm McLaren happens to be walking up your block. Okay, big difference is I don’t wear striped red disco shorts and grew up on a farm upstate and never heard of Brownsville or Buffalo Girls till “Duck Rock” came out —but otherwise it’s totally the same yo.
Local Family Business Showcases Artists Of All Stripes
You won’t find a more excited community-minded, artist-loving dude than Joe Franquinha, who is the second generation owner of a hardware store in Williamsburg/Bushwick, Brooklyn. Crest Hardware, founded in 1962 on this same block by Joe’s dad and uncle, is the hardware store for the multitude of artists who have moved into the neighborhood over the past decade or so.
Nine years ago they had the first Crest art show in the store itself using hardware materials to make and inspire the art. The eclectic and frequently humorous show drew attention to the bursting artist community and grew larger each year. In 2008 ago Joe expanded the show to include musicians and DJs from the neighborhood and started calling it “Crest Fest.”
This year the festival has 140 artists, 15 DJ’s and 8 bands. Joe says, “There is an abundance of musical talent in this area as well as art and I wanted to take the opportunity to showcase them too. It’s been getting progressively bigger, and it’s always free to attend. That’s the main thing. We want people to be able to enjoy it, come on in, have fun and take a day off and absorb culture in so many of it’s facets.”
Joe took a few minutes from installing art to talk about the show that left the white box for the tool box:
BSA:I see a lot of hardware of course, but do you also sell art supplies?
Joe Franquinha: Spray paint is definitely an option I’ve been weighing recently. I think probably in the next year or so our spray paint section will probably expand, including companies like Montana, maybe something like IronClad 1. But Montana seems to be what is on most people’s radar. Then it’s a matter of them figuring out which one they want, the Spanish one or the German one.
BSA: Do you have any people who do street art in this show? Joe Franquinha: Yeah there are a couple of people – there is Peat Wolleager from St. Louis, he goes by Stensoul. General Howe has a piece in the show and I’m excited for people to see the piece he made just for Crest Hardware. He’s doing some really cool work so I’m proud to have him on board. We still have a couple of days for people to be doing installing up to Saturday. (editors note: while the complete artist list was not available at press time, there are a number of street artists in the show including Royce Bannon, Celso, among others)
BSA: Why do think it is important to show the work of local artists? Joe Franquinha:One hand really has to wash the other as far as supporting your local artist goes. Artists shop at my store to get their materials and if I have the ability to help promote their art and their passion side by side with mine, I’m gonna do it.
But it is fun and artists are here every day in the store and in the neighborhood. They eat at these restaurants, they shop in these stores, they frequent these bars… so to be able to give them a chance outside a gallery show to showcase their work, not only to their fellow artists but maybe someone who has no idea about their work …. It brings your work to a whole different demographic. If they are a street artist, maybe someone has only seen their work out on the street. To be able to show people that the artist is capable of also putting their fine art work into a show – it can bring it to a whole other level for them and opens up people’s minds to different experiences.
Street artist Duece Seven entered this door in last year’s art show (photo courtesy Crest)
BSA: Do you have any favorite street artists off the top of your head? Joe Franquinha:Off the top of my head, I really love ROA’s work. I think it’s nice clean work – it feels like pictures ripped out of animal anatomy books. Like old books made of pulp paper that feel like they could crumble. But the animals he does are redrawn at this incredibly magnified size so I really dig his work a lot.
C215 is another artist who I really admire. I also really admire his world traveling capabilities and he just gets up everywhere he possibly can. I was in Morocco, a small town called Esoria right on the water and I was in this square and about 50 yards across from me I could see this stencil on the wall. It was kind of blurry from where I was and I was curious to see whose it was and sure enough it was his work. So it is pretty cool to see his work everywhere I go.
A very entertaining stop animation film made for this years art show in the store. Joe would like to thank Anthony Ferrara, James Peach, Gustavo Roman & Buck Merritt for their creativity, energy and support. You’ll also notice some street art by Chris Stain, Skewville…. who else?
BSA:Is there is a piece in the show this year that you are very excited about, either due to it’s complexity, or a new technique that was used?
Joe: Yeah every medium is different, and it’s not that I love one more than I love the other but I also have my personal preferences. In a show like this, it’s not just about hardware because it is in a store that has been here nearly 50 years, a lot of the people who are in the show aren’t just making their work for a hardware store, they’re making it for us, the Crest people. So one piece in particular that I’m excited to showcase is by Chris Collicot – when you look up close at this piece it’s just a bunch of washers and screws and you step back about 20-30 feet, and because it’s a perspective piece, it’s a picture of my father. To know that my dad struck a chord with this artist when he moved here from LA and he came into the shop looking for some help and he found something more than that. He found a place that he can rely on. So that is one of the more special pieces for me.
Street artists Peru Ana Ana Peru also participated in last years show (image courtesy Crest)
SPECIAL SILENT AUCTION at Crest Art Show (In Store)
NOMADE Piece to Benefit Free Arts NYC
Street Artist Nomade has donated this piece to be silent auctioned during the Crest Art Show. 100% of the proceeds go to the programs of Free Arts NYC, which serves NYC kids from disadvantaged backgrounds with arts and mentorship programs. Drop by the store to place a bid before July 31, 2010. Auction is in conjunction with BrooklynStreetArt.com
For general information regarding Crest Hardware Art Show and/or Crest Fest please contact Info@CrestHardwareArtShow.com
Elfo is a graffiti writer and social commentator whose work intentionally sidesteps traditional notions of style or technical lettering. This …Read More »
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
Following the success of the inaugural print auction here at 99% Gallery (where almost 500 were in attendance) comes 
