Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Ron English, El Sol 25, $howta, Kid Zoom, Anera, Alive,QRST, Shepard Fairey, and Quel Beast.
NYC
Mid Summer Fun With Overunder, Labrona, White Cocoa, Gawd and ND’A
Remember the lazy days of summer when we were kids, running around in August with our pack of friends making up sh*t to avoid boredom and to look busy so our parents wouldn’t make us do chores?
The excitement of July has passed and August will last forever.
All the stickball, hide-n-seek, and doctor games have gone a little old, like the garbage piled on the curb. The days of August require more creativity to keep us entertained: we insist on building bigger bike ramps, staging grander battles, concocting more complicated schemes that border on true mischief. Those thoughts came rushing back when we discovered the amazing art-fest that Overunder, ND’A, White Cocoa, Gawd and Labrona just smacked up. Imaginations are running wild.
Like a rambunctious pack of happy sweaty kids they are darting around behind trees and corners, counting to 20 and announcing, “Here I come!”. We want to be in the Secret Club of art making – where’s the tree house? Or is it a tepee? Or just somebodies older sister’s bedroom, covered with posters of Katy Perry and Young Jeezy? This new output is generous and inspiring. In a recent interview with Overunder he said “collaborations allow me to drop the draw-bridge and open up the work to new concepts, aesthetics, even accidents.” This stuff show how the draw-bridge has dropped and the concepts are skipping forth.
To read an interview with Overunder go HERE
Tats Cru Declares “Death of an Era”: How, Nosm & Aryz in Brooklyn
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.
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.
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.
Joshua Liner Gallery Presents: 2010 Summer Group Exhibition
Joshua Liner Gallery
We are pleased to present the 2010 Summer Group Exhibition showcasing 24 artists, including established gallery regulars, emerging artists, and newcomers to Joshua Liner Gallery.
The exhibition will feature painting, assemblage, drawing, and sculpture, with works by:
Cleon Peterson, David Kassan, Dennis McNett, Evan Hecox, Ian Francis, James Roper, Jeremy Fish, Jessica Joslin, Kenichi Yokono, Kris Kuksi, Mac, Mi Ju, Mike Davis, Oliver Vernon, Pema Rinzin, Pete Watts, Ryan Bradley, Ryan McLennan, Shawn Barber, SWOON, Tat Ito, Tiffany Bozic, Tomokazu Matsuyama and Tony Curanaj
The opening reception is Saturday, August 14th from 6 – 9 pm. Many of the artists will be in attendance for the opening reception.
Please contact the gallery if you would like to be placed on the preview list for this exhibit.
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 W 28th St. 3rd Floor
New York, New York 10001
212-244-7415
joshualinergallery.com
Images of the Week 08.01.10
Street Art continues to redefine itself as the artists’ approach to finding an audience embraces the direct-to-viewer paradigm. These are exciting times in Summer 2010 as every week produces stuff we’ve never seen before, from names previously unknown. These new voices are joining the conversation at a feverish pace, mostly due to the warm weather. But it’s more than just the weather.
In this week’s Images of the Week we present a brand new kid on the block, figuratively speaking. White Cocoa is the name, and these finely rendered pencil drawing series with washes appeared in Brooklyn last week with a quiet bang. Impossible to ignore, the personalities of the subjects nearly yell to you above the the cacophony of their surroundings. Are these sketches, studio drawings, or finished pieces? One cannot know for sure but their placement make them feel like the latter.
To open and close this week’s segment we offer you two very good examples of the work that veteran Aussie street artist Miso just put on the streets of Brooklyn as well. The austere portraits of women show us how less is best sometimes. The artist’s use of economical fine pencil lines to for detail on the subject’s faces and headwear offers stark contrast to their paper cut-out ensembles. The juxtaposition of these two dignified women at different stages, rendered tone on tone against the urban backround without pretension are singular in placement.
Amores Perros: Elbow Toe Gets Ferocious in Brooklyn
Move over little dog, Brooklyn Street Artist Elbow Toe is moving in with teeth-baring charm. Breaking loose from the studio he runs a little wild with this piece “Move It On Over”, named after the Hank Williams song. With this disposition this mean dog looks more like the George Thorogood version.
Curbs and Stoops Presents: “Something Good” An Inaugural Group Show
Curbs and Stoops
If you’re the type who let’s the media decide how you feel about the world, you might be inclined to feel pretty negative about the state of things. Wars are raging, stocks are falling, and the environment has gone to shit. But those of us who turn the volume down on network news stations, while keeping our ears tuned to less impersonal sources, see something different happening. Something Good. People are waking up, bridges are… being built, challenges are being met and transcended. We are learning to speak to one another in manners that transcend the language barrier. And one of the most profound, universal dialects that we can speak is the language of art.
Not only has the technological boom of the late 20th century changed the way we communicate globally, it has had a profound effect on the manner in which art is displayed and promoted. 20 years ago art students were warned that having their art online would not only cheapen it, but open it to the threat of plagiarism and misinterpretation. The past few years has seen the art world, and the young artists who are constantly redefining it, embracing the digital world. This has allowed an interchange of ideas and styles so monumental that even the most stridently old school of critiques will have to admit: The game has changed.
Collaboration has become common place. Mixed media has taken on new meanings. And the notion that a group show requires a coherent visual theme is an idea on the endangered species list. This August 14th, preeminent contemporary art publication Curbs & Stoops will open their inaugural group show at 220 Atelier in Chelsea New York. The show includes pieces in a variety of media from a wide range of the world’s brightest rising talents including: Aaron Nagel, Ashley Zelinskie, Carlos Donjuan, Chor Boogie, Hector Hernandez, Jeffrey Pena, Korakrit, Lapiztola, Pep Williams, and UR New York. The show will serve as a visual manifestation of the publication’s written goal to provide exposure to stellar talents who have one common theme to their work: It’s good. It’s really fucking good.
The “Something Good” show is curated by Chloe Gallagher and Jeffrey Pena. The opening will be an entire night of art and culture with Salsa dancing early in the evening with World Salsa Finalist, Alfred Pena and will end with an exciting performance by local New York City rising hip hop artists who have performed at top cultural venues through out the city including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
August 14 at 6:00pm – August 15 at 12:00am
220 Atelier
Images of the Week 07.25.10
Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Andy Kessler Foundation, ASVP, Bishop203, Brummel, Clown Soldier, Imminent Disaster, JC2, JJ Veronis, Mr. DiMaggio, QRST, Shin Shin, Special Graffiti Unit, Zako, Zhe155
This summer has the floodgates open for all manner of oddities and agendas evident on the walls in NYC. While there is beauty and skill of varying degrees, more often you’ll also encounter themes better categorized as anxiety-ridden. Don’t look to our street artists to shield us from the rawness of messy life that is lurking under the cosmopolish of a world city. The conversations on the street continue to contemplate war and violence, render social and political critique, create memorials, offer blunt opinion and propose existential questions. Conversations among street artists also continue before our eyes, making for progressive theater and on-the-fly “collaboration”.
We start off with something more along the lines of graff, framed by July’s succulent green.
Fun Friday 07.23.10
Fun Friday Brooklyn Street Art
MOMO at the Fame Festival in Italy
American Street Artist MOMO has been working with abstract, geometric and modernist elements on scaffoldings and walls in New York for a few years. This new video of his participation in the FAME festival shows his sense of humor, command of negative space, and sophistication of placement.
Somebunny’s Getting Up in Seoul
Actually he’s back in New York now but while in Korea studying about public art for the last month, Gaia put up a number of brand new pieces, all in color, and all deeply rooted in the culture, art history, and traditional symbolism of his host as well as the western world. So it’s not just about a rabbit?
“Sunrise Neighbor” (image © Gaia)
In the video for another piece we see Gaia’s “Ungnyeo in Namdaemun”
“The body of Ungnyeo is composed of buddhist cloud motifs and the center of the massive body has an oval silhouette to signify the womb flanked by two strong inwardly turned hands. The earth woman is then hybridized with the supremacy of the sky to institute the female figure into a role of reproduction versus reception. Within this new iteration of the ancient narrative, the woman animal becomes the most prominent figure of genesis.”
Billi Kid New Vid with Carlito Brigante
Book Signing Tomorrow Night of “Street Art New York”
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.
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.
Spoonbill and Sugartown
218 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tel. 718.387.7322
sugar@spoonbillbooks.com
Images of the Week 07.18.10
Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring 907, Bast, Faro, Goya, Hellbent, Nick Walker, Nutterfly, Pan Am, Sadue, Shin Shin, Specter, Swamp Donkey, TWA, UFO, and Conor Harrington.
Circus Gold Presents: Neighborhood Watch At Live With Animals Gallery
Circus Gold
Circus Gold Presents: Neighborhood Watch
July 29th/30th/31st 2010
Live With Animals Gallery
210 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY. 11211
www.LIVEWITHANIMALSGALLERY.BLOGSPOT.COM
www.circusgold.com
email:circusgold@gmail.com
3-day Event Featuring: Art/Movies/Puppet Dj dance party/Music/Raffle/Games/Kung Fu/Costume party/and more
Suggested donation at door.
For daily event schedule and to RVSP go to the circus gold page on face book.
Artist Showing:
Briar Bonifacio/ Austin, Texas
JLaw/Austin, Texas
Zach McDonald/ Austin, Texas
Patrick Griffen/ New York
David Perez/ San Antonio, Texas
Stephen Fitzgerald/Brooklyn, Texas
Kim Swift/Brooklyn, Texas
Cherie Weaver/ Austin, Texas
Hayden Dunham/ New York
Arden Fanning/ New York
Trinh Huynh/ New York
Elizabeth Huey/ New York
Joesph Phillips/ Austin, Texas
Carly Rabalias/ Brooklyn, Texas
LaBrona/ Canada
and many more…….
Event includes
Film screenings: Break in/Beat Street/Street Wise/Rumble Fish/Cool Hand Luke/Eat Flies/Big Bad Love/
Daily games for prizes with raffle drawing sponsored by: Ghetto Olympics which include musical chairs/pull up contest/bing bag toss
Dj Dojo drawing room/kung fu class
Puppet Dj dance costume party
Sponsors include: Patron/Cafe Bastelo/Zico/(Possible Brooklyn Lager)
Food:Bruce Lee Smoothies/Popcorn/and more
Clothing/Accesories by: darkeyes clothing/Circus Gold