NYC

Well Heeled Street Artist ELV : Shoes OOOOO  La La

Well Heeled Street Artist ELV : Shoes OOOOO La La

Then I met an Englishman.
“Oh,” he said.
“Won’t you walk up and down my spine,
It makes me feel strangely alive.”
I said ‘In these shoes?’
I doubt you’d survive.”

In these Shoes ~ Kirsty MacColl

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Olalalamode”, a project by Street Artist ELV, consists of a closet full of hand painted wheat pastes glorifying the most psychologically laden ladies accessory, the shoe.  These eclectic shoes started to appear on Bushwick streets late summer, so we know they must be for Spring 2012. Garish, oddly elongated, and elevated beyond sense, this catch-me collection might not attract the eye of Imelda Marcos but Lady Gaga could certainly give them a lick. In a bold simple cartoon sketch style, the vividly rendered pumps in bright colors are marching and preening in better alleyways and empty lots everywhere.

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fancy shoes are not usual for the Street Art scene but many a man has been transfixed by a woman in some hot high heels, hoping to have them scattered across his living room floor, or elsewhere in his apartment. Mickey Rooney didn’t have that kind of fortune. “I buy women shoes and they use them to walk away from me.”

Certain women love them more – if for different reasons. That whinneying clothes horse Carrie Bradshaw once supposedly blew 40K on shoes, but no one ever believed the characters on that show actually existed. Madame Marcos, who did exist, lustily defended herself against Philipinos clamoring for her well-coiffed head by exclaiming, “I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty”. And don’t forget Condi Rice, the Secretary of State and accomplished pianist who strutted up 5th Avenue shoe shopping and later catching a Broadway show while Hurricane Katrina ravaged the south. Clearly, the list of people who are driven crazy by shoes is endless. ELV is here for you.

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ELV (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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A Ladies Love Project Presents: Holiday Pop Up Shop (Manhattan, NY)

Holiday Pop Up Shop

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, the LADIES LOVE PROJECT presents its third POP-UP SHOP at the West Village Brecht Forum, 451 West Street from 12pm – 8pm. The PROJECT, a brainchild of renowned street artist TOOFLY and sound sensation PattyDukes of the Circa95 duo, highlights some of NYC’s most creative underground artists and designers.  The one-day-only holiday event boasts an intimate, yet extraordinarily colorful market experience designed to familiarize consumers, media and tastemakers with established artists.
The large group of talented designers will be exhibiting one of a kind, limited edition, handcrafted goods just in time for the holidays! Featured market designers and artists Toofly, Good Wood NYC, Junkprints, Vanilla Medallions, Marka27, Antonio Kel 5MH, while several other brands will be in attendance. Music across all genres will be provided by iPod DJ’s Rephstar (of Circa95), Ben Ferrari, Jacina Love, and Slik Nik The Ruler. A live broadcasting of the event will be streamed at www.Circa95.com, while complimentary holiday treats by Jenny Kinns Cupcakes and Mi Isla Coquito by Millie will help promote the holiday cheer! Exclusive event photography will be taken by Samantha Morales with video by Barrio Media.

The Brecht Forum

451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Streets)

New York, NY 10014

www.brechtforum.org

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2011

Time: 12PM-8PM

 

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Urban Folk Art Gallery and Brooklyn Tattoo Present: Tokyo Tattoo 1970: Martha Cooper and Aiko (Brooklyn,NY)

Tokyo Tattoo 1970

 

Tokyo Tattoo 1970: Martha Cooper and Aiko
Presented by Urban Folk Art©/Brooklyn Tattoo®
 
Date of Exhibit – Dec 9-30th  2011
Opening Friday, December 9th 7-10pm
 
Urban Folk Art© Gallery is pleased to present the the art installation and book release celebration for Martha Cooper’s latest book ‘Tokyo Tattoo 1970’ by Dokument Press.
 
Martha Cooper will be exhibiting photos from her book, and Aiko, internationally renowned stencil artist will be displaying work inspired by Martha’s work directly related to the book. Martha Cooper is an American photographer best known for documenting the New York graffiti scene in the 70’s and 80’s. She started getting noticed for her personal work while working at the NY Post in the 70’s. The landmark book Subway Art published in 1984 which Cooper co-authored with Henry Chalfant is frequently credited as the catalyst and foundation for aerosol art movements worldwide. In the 70’s She was living in Tokyo with her anthropologist husband and became interested in Japanese tattooing after seeing a tattoo on display at a festival. She documented the tattoo Master Horibun I at work on clients as well as others involved in the tattooing scene there. She tried to publish these photos in the early 70’s but found that tattoong back then had an unsavory reputation, and no one was interested.
 
An original member of the art collective Faile, Aiko has been making art that has been shown and recognized internationally for many years. Aiko and Martha met in 2006,  and since then have traveled to Japan, Amsterdam and Berlin together on various projects, Aiko helped install Martha’s photos at the MOCA ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibit, as well as participated in the Carmichael gallery’s show “Remix” where artists made work inspired by Martha’s photos. Aiko’s piece was inspired by one of the photos in ‘Tokyo Tattoo 1970’. www.ladyaiko.com
 
In 2004 Martha met the guys at Dokument Press. Their magazine ‘Underground Productions’ was one of the first graffiti magazines in Europe. In 2008 Dokument press published Cooper’s ‘Tag Town’. Martha says: “Dokument has always been interested in publishing work about underground cultures, so the tattoo photos were a good fit for them.”

On choosing Urban Folk Art© Gallery for her book release, Martha says, “Aiko and I attended the Atlantic Avenue Art Walk last year and I was surprised to see a tattoo studio (Brooklyn Tattoo) and gallery with the name ‘Urban Folk Art©’ on the event map. So first of all, the name attracted me and I wanted to see what the place was. When I found out that there was a graffiti connection, I thought it would be the perfect place to launch my tattoo book”.

Co-Curated by Martha Cooper, AIKO, Adam Suerte, Robert Bonhomme.

 

718 643 1610

urbanfolkart.com

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Night Walk : The High Line Park in New York City

Every day you are rushing to jobs or gigs or interviews for jobs or gigs, negotiating the path through the rough loud place you love, New York. It’s tempting to stay inside your apartment or a bar at night – especially when the sun goes down so early, but you can actually have a great time for free if you take a walk along one of Manhattans newest thoroughfares. The High Line Park has been open since 2009 and after many visits we’ve decided that this vast path of urban infrastructure is one of the most successful of the city’s public works. It is a work of art, if you can excuse a bit of gushing. And it’s work of art you can sit inside – or stroll, or jog, or dance, or steal a kiss. Not hog-kissing, don’t get carried away you kids!

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Viewed from the High Line at night, the city is close enough to touch but still out of reach, the winding path of the former shipping rail guides you through canyons of warehouses that loom to both sides and allow you a look inside. Distant buildings form mountain peaks in fluorescent reds and greens and blues jutting behind the buildings in your foreground, holding up the sky with triumphal color and illuminating a diorama of the city before you while the Hudson River glistens alongside. You have a front seat to see architectural design of many schools and gaze down upon the creeks and streams of lights below without worrying about dodging traffic or crossing a street – or paying the high rent this island demands now.

In summer months the landscaping is tamed-wild lushness, with a wide variety of plants, tree, flowers, and tall waving grasses.  Even in the off-season, the burnished hues and rusty textures bouncing in the cold breeze make sure the natural element takes a central role in a city which celebrates the man-made. The welcoming handsome furniture is integrated along the walkway to accompany, support, and even to facilitate lounging. What is amazing is how you can be firmly in the middle of an urban footprint and yet experience a sense of being in a serene environment.

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

On a recent evening there were few people walking and sitting in the hidden niches while we strolled up the High Line. People talk, gaze, and of course, take photos. In a semi enclosed underside of a warehouse a lone cello player filled the air with an achingly rich timber that reverberated directly through us like waves of amber.  Just one guy playing his instrument. Where are we, on top of the world? Yes, it’s New York again.

John Baldessari “The First $100,000 I Ever Made”. (photo © Jaime Rojo).

From the High Line Web Site : “High Line Art, presented by Friends of the High Line, today unveiled The First $100,000 I Ever Made, a new work created by legendary artist John Baldessari for the 25-by-75 foot billboard next to the High Line on 10th Avenue at West 18th Street. This is the first of three works to be presented as part of a new series called HIGH LINE BILLBOARD, thanks to the generous support of Edison Properties, the owner of the property on which the billboard stands. The First $100,000 I Ever Made will remain on view until Friday, December 30, 2011.”

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

No Sleep AKA Werds. The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The High Line Park (photo © Jaime Rojo)

To read BSA feature on the High Line Park at day time click here

To learn more about the High Line Park and how to help click here

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Images of the Week 12.04.11

Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Billi Kid, Dain, Ema, Fumero, Iwazaru, Kikazaru, Labrona, Lisa Enxing, ME, Miyok, Mizaru, and ND’A.

An urban diorama is not something you run into everyday. In fact, unless you usually run into air conditioners that stick out of buildings, it would be pretty unlikely you’d run into this one. This is our first encounter with a fully formed diaroma on the streets of New York, made by putting a piece of plexi glass over the end of an air conditioner casing. The building itself looks like it’s getting ready to be demolished, but this pleasant little pastoral pokes it’s head out into the sidewalk, more or less commanding you to stare inside. Larger ones like this are available for you to view at the Museum of Natural History. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Whoa! Careful there, Junior. Could be slippery. Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here is Lisa Enxing’s take on the Japanese maxim “Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil, See no Evil”.  She replaced the Three Wise Monkeys; Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru with her stenciled and hand colored Geishas. What are their names we wonder? We get the message. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“E” is for EMA. French Street Artist Ema was recently in Brooklyn. Kind of gives you pause for reflection. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

EMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Okay, qui a pris ma brie?” EMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

EMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dang, Dain is at it again! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Labrona has a couple soldiers in the trenches. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Labrona (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billi Kid brings those Manhattan gams to the street with another installment of the leggy flowery series. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fumero hit the street with echoes of Thanksgiving in mind with this hand colored family portrait. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

An instant hit, the non-chalance of the pepper spraying police officer who walked up a row of silent students protesting at the University of California like he was dusting a row of corn with insecticide, this image has inspired street art of course. Why not? It has it’s own Tumbler page, after all. Street art here is by Miyok, Me. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here are a few of our favorites from the site;

Oh, say can you seeeeeeeee?

Uniforms are going to be totally hot next season.

All my shingle ladie, all my shingle ladies…

 

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

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Pandemic Gallery Presents: “Paranormal Hallucinations” A Group Show (Brooklyn, NY)

 


Paranormal Hallucinations

Opening Reception: Sat. Dec. 17th 7-11pm

From graffiti and street art, science fiction and tattooing, to cartooning, fine art, master shading and pristine line work – Paranormal Hallucinations will twist your senses and flip your head around. With so many different styles converging into one gallery the outcome will be exceptional. Come witness the divergent beauty of 16 Artists with different backgrounds, all united through one common medium used in their works; Pen . Ink . Brush .

Official Website

Featured Artists:

CHARLIE MARKS  R.I.P

LLEW  payote

Deuce Seven

Egyptian jason

Matt CRABE

Josh and Amy Shandick

Mikey Big Breakfast

Conrad Carlson

G II

Ryan C. Doyle

Mikey I.T.

Tamara Santibanez

Othello Gervacio

Mike. P

Swampy

Curated by:
Safwat Riad

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Mighty Tanaka Gallery Presents: Robots Will Kill & Friends. A Group Show (Brooklyn, NY)

RWK

 

The upcoming show at Mighty Tanaka entitled “Robots Will Kill and Friends” brings together a collection of artists who have collaborated, shown, worked etc directly with the members of RWK. The show also marks the second anniversary for Mighty Tanaka. The show brings together a eclectic group artists, not just street artists and graffiti artists.

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Images of the Week 11.27.11

Images of the Week 11.27.11

Here in New York  everybody is still out kickin around the streets because the weather is warm and to welcome the oceanic flood of tourists who are here to see the big parade, the Rockettes, The Book of Mormon, and to buy fake Louis Vuitton bags on Canal Street. After Thanksgiving, it’s a tradition that we get mobbed by shoppers from all over the place, and it’s a tradition to complain about slow moving wide people in sweatpants slowing us down, even though secretly we’re happy to see cousin Bruce and Aunt Ida again. Also, if you slow down a little, you might even see some new Street Art and appreciate it.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Anthony Lister, Betten, CID, Dr. Za, Erik Berglin, Jaye Moon, Leidy, OverUnder, Phil, RWK, Sise, Veng, and Willow.

Betten (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leidy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CID (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dr. Za (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Erik Berglin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jaye Moon. “I write words in number codes so no one can understand.  This series is called ” Transparent Barriers”.  They look like address or phone numbers. but they are cursing words that people are not comfortable to say in public.  By writing them in numbers, I feel free to bring them out in public.  It’s about frustration about expressing inner feelings”. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phil (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sise (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Our Lady of Guadalupe. Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Willow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

New Yorker Spencer Elzey checked out Anthony Lister’s show “Bogan Paradise” while in Sydney recently. Here are a couple of images from the show:

Anthony Lister at Outpost (photo © Spencer Elzey)

See more photos by Spencer Elzey and read more about Sydney’s “OutPost Project” ReCap by clicking here

Anthony Lister at “Outpost” in Sydney (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Anthony Lister at Outpost (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Anthony Lister at Outpost (photo © Spencer Elzey)

Anthony Lister at Outpost (photo © Spencer Elzey)

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Cern Paints Bruce Lee in Brooklyn

李小龍, the Chinese American martial artist and cultural icon otherwise known as Bruce Lee, is receiving a giant tribute by New York Street Artist Cern in Williamsburg, Brooklyn right now.

 

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Over the course of a couple of weeks, this psychedelic scene has unwound from the longtime graffiti artist Cern’s imagination, an interwoven gently surreal color spectacle of traditional Chinese imagery; dragons, pagodas and pines, combined with a frisky feline and fully formed Cern birds from the artists own visual vocabulary. The ephemeral dream washes across the facades of two buildings, framing the commanding image of the master. Brought along for the trip are the inflateable Cern paintings that the artist is experimenting with, and who bring a cheerful bobbing third dimension to the worksite, augmenting the process and producing a curious stream of onlookers. Or is that a stream of curious onlookers?

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We found Cern commanding his cherry picker, doing his mid-air wizardry on a beautiful autumn day perched along this wall that has been a very well known spot for Street Artists over the last decade or more. An abandoned piece of property while Williamsburg was of no interest to anyone but the artists who came here seeking large industrial spaces and places to create, many will recall these walls as a magnet to Street Artists like Cake, Feral, Dain, MOMO, Matt Siren, El Sol 25, Hellbent and many more, who were attracted to its beautiful decay and stately demeanor. With the advent of people with money (and strollers) moving in, the former dye factory is now becoming, what else, a martial arts center. With Cern’s help, the new work keeps artists in the mix.

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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ECB and Old Men in Bushwick

German Street Artist ECB recently finished painting this elongated white guys head on a 150 year old building in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. ECB says he likes painting wrinkles and ends up painting men because they have more. Additionally, stretching them out of proportion is a favorite technique, pushing the features and proportions like silly putty to cover as much space as possible. If you have been in Bushwick much over the past two years you’ve seen many of them wrapping around old warehouses and factory buildings.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

While inspecting the latest ECB, we got to meet the owner of the building, Franz, a senior gentleman who actually was so engaging that he gave an entire tour of it, such is the nature of some friendly people. As you walk from floor to floor seeing how the building is used, it might strike you that Franz could easily be a sitter for one of ECB’s pieces. He explains that this building used to be a family farmhouse an stable and a resting station for horses. Travelers on a long trip from the North would replace their tired team of horses with a new fresh team and continue their journey. On their way back home they picked their own team up and headed back home.

Franz, an emigrant from Austria and a Master cabinet maker, has been working with wood and making custom furniture for over 50 years. He purchased the Bushwick farmhouse 35 years ago for $85,000 once the seller agreed to put on a new roof.  Ask him why he still works so hard everyday and he looks at you like you’re crazy. He can build anything you ask, loves what he does, and has a staff of six assistants, one apprentice and an artist for faux wood finishing.

And what about the artists on the street? He said he likes to help out the young artists and is very happy to allow them to paint on the building’s front and sidewalls. He said he enjoys the murals, likes the crumbling paint on the bricks and wants things to stay as they are.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Images of the Week 11.20.11

Images of the Week 11.20.11

Our Weekly Interview with the Street, this week featuring Cash4, Dain, Dan Witz, Ment, Miyok, Never, Troy Lovegates AKA Other, Stikman, and Stinkfish.

Troy Lovegates AKA Other (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A portrait of a Geisha from Lisa Enxing.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cash4 and Ment. An invasion of Jelly Fish from the East River on Bushwick…  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

…and Williasmburg.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Deatail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Penny for your thoughts, Thelma. Dain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain’s almost glam here. The mustache helps in the androgyny department. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Oh, wait, hold on. I hate when my contact slips. It’s like one eye is totally blurry. ” Dain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

All together now, say “disaster”. A photographic collage of World disasters by an Unknown Artist. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Miyok and the Church of Scientology. Also, Panties for Diamonds! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The artist “Never” paints this colorful Swallow on the facade of  the Swallow cafe in Bushwick. By the time you read this the “Morgantown” lettering will probably have been replaced. Some high minded arrivistes tried to re-name Bushwick with the pretentious sounding name of  “Morgantown”.  Despite their best efforts and claims of name coinage the title never took hold. Bushwick is what it is…dirty sounding, dirty on the streets and dirty elsewhere. Love it! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sometimes that pointy part of the head on a Stikman makes me think of the Pope. See what I mean? Stikman. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stinkfish. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Joyce Manalo of Art Forward and Keith Schweitzer of Many Projects Curate: “Groundbreake” (Manhattan, NY)

Groundbrake

 

Event Details:
November 19, 2011 – March 18, 2012

Curated by Joyce Manalo of ArtForward & Keith Schweitzer of MaNY Project
Presented by FABnyc’s ArtUp Program
Supported by AvalonBay Communities
Opening sponsored by Oaxaca TaqueriaArtist Reception

Saturday, November 19 @ 2PM
Oaxaca Taqueria (at the end of Extra Place)Artist Alley @ Extra Place
Enter mid-block on East 1st Street (btw Bowery & 2nd Avenue)
Metro: F, M to 2nd Avenue

Please visit www.fabnyc.org to find out more about Fourth Arts Block(FABnyc) and
www.fabnyc.org/artup.php to find out more about ArtUp.
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