All posts tagged: Ali Ha

BSA Holiday Giveaway for 2011 : Books, Print, Posters, Buttons, Zines

Dear BSA Readers: We’ve invited seven artists to participate in this year’s “Twelve Wishes for 2012”. That leaves 5 empty spots.  Now we would like to invite five BSA family like you to be a part of it — and win extravagant prizes for your efforts:

All you need to do is send ONE wish and ONE picture or image file to 12for12@BrooklynStreetArt.com no later than midnight EST December 9 and we’ll pick the 5 winners. Read the rules at the bottom of this posting.

PRIZE Descriptions

PRIZES

THE DEEEELUXE PLATINUM BUCKET: This prize will go to the first submission we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Twelve Wishes for 2012” this lucky reader will also get:

A copy of “Eloquent Vandals”, by Marte Jølbo and Martyn Reed.
Your very own “Ca$h for Your Warhol” sign, by Street Artist Hargo
The Pantheon Prize Pack, by Street Artists infinity and Adam Void
The GRAFFITI & STREET ART Feral Diagram Poster

THE GOLD PLATED BUCKET: This prize will go to the 2nd submission we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Twelve Wishes for 2012” this lucky reader will also get:

A copy of “Walls & Frames :Fine Art from the Streets,” by Maximiliano Ruiz
“Rocket Pop Boy”, a silk screen print by Snyder & Gregory Siff (of an edition of 21)
The Pantheon Prize Pack, by Street Artists infinity and Adam Void
The GRAFFITI & STREET ART Feral Diagram Poster

THE SILVER PLATED BUCKET: This prize will go to the next TWO submissions we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Twelve Wishes for 2012” these lucky readers will also get:

A copy of “Walls & Frames :Fine Art from the Streets,” by Maximiliano Ruiz
A copy of “PANTHEON:A History of Art From the Streets of NYC”  by Daniel Feral and Joyce Manalo
The Pantheon Prize Pack, by Street Artists infinity and Adam Void
The GRAFFITI & STREET ART Feral Diagram Poster

THE BRONZE PLATED BUCKET: This prize will go to the final submission we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Twelve Wishes for 2012” this lucky reader will also get:

A copy of “Street Art New York,” by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo
The Pantheon Prize Pack, by Street Artists infinity and Adam Void
The GRAFFITI & STREET ART Feral Diagram Poster

RULES: You must write a wish for 2012 that you wish for yourself or others; extra points for personal and respectful. Image can be anything BUT you must hold the copyrights to publish the image. Image must be at least 740 wide, and can be in .jpg, .tif, .png, or similar format.  Submissions must be received no later than December 9, 2011. Please include your postal address to receive the prizes, and the name you would like us to be published as. Final selections are made by the editors and buckets are not included. We can’t wait to hear from you!!!

5 Examples from previous participants; Martha Cooper, Broken Crow, Jef Aerosol, Hellbent, Cake

SHOUT OUTs: Maximiliano Ruiz, Daniel Feral, Joyce Manolo, Adam Void, Snyder, Gregory Siff, Geoff Hargadon, Marte Jølbo and Martyn Reed. Your generosity is truly appreciated.

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Skewville Completes Mural, Jon Burgerman Flashes People

Saturday was a magnificent day for creativity and Street Art in North Brooklyn – The Northside Music Festival and Northside Open Studios and Crest Fest all conspired to bring thousands of music and art fans to trounce and march and maraud through the streets and parks and abandoned lots to discover why the axis of culture has been shifting away from Manhattan these last few years. For many important and evident reasons, it is immensely easier to make stuff happen in Brooklyn for artists and the people who love them to aid and abet them in the creative spirit. We were immensely fortunate to be around to assist talents like near legendary Street Artists Skewville and Championship Doodler Jon Burgerman to make cool work this week and we’re happy as hell about it.

brooklyn-street-art-skewville-jaime-rojo-superior-wall-Northside-open-studios-06-11-web-18

Skewville. And on the Seventh Day the other half shows up (for a photo op) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Skewville.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The foot traffic was heavy beneath the scissor lift as Street Art duo Skewville was finishing up a weeklong engagement with a wall across from the Brooklyn Brewery – a Grand Finale of a cityscape called “Last Exit to Skewville” that evolved over the 7 days to become a sweeping playland of sharp abstract shapes and poppy color. In many ways it is the culmination of a direction Skewville has been taking further away from representational and closer to abstract, less text heavy and literal – more implied.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-Skewville-and-Fans-Jeremy-copyright-Steven-P-Harrington

Yeah, like a regular movie star or something. Ad Deville poses with Jeremy and friend. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

The steady stream of inquisitors on this street and the unsolicited advice and comments brought a smile to Ads’ face and a wisecrack to his lips often. In particular he liked the observation that a guy had about the two crossed boxes he tagged in the yellow patch of color in the corner. “I like the eyes you put in the sun,” he told the artist. Others just stopped to take pictures or even get their picture taken with Skewville. At one point it was a family affair as Ad and Droo and his young son were all spraying with the aerosol – as the youngster tried his luck first on a dropcloth with the pros giving advice, and then he hit the wall with two hands clasped around the can. Good to see Father’s Day weekend in full effect and the skillz being passed down to the next generation.

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Skewville. The mark of the twins. Their legs are apparently insured for millions by Lloyds of Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Skewville. The new generation of Skewville in training (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Skewville. The new generation of Skewville in training (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Future Painters of America meeting in progress. Skewville. Dad and Uncle cheer on the talented boy. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

brooklyn-street-art-skewville-jaime-rojo-superior-wall-Northside-open-studios-06-11-web-22

Skewville. After his little practice on the drop cloth he is ready for the wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Fun Friday 06.03.11

Fun-Friday

1a. John Burgerman crosses Wburg Bridge with Bananas on head
1. BOS 2011 – Bushwick Open Studios This Weekend
2. 3rdEye(Sol)ation
3. “Surrealism” and “Bushwick Art Park”
4.  “Stay Gold” at Curbs & Stoops Active Space
5.  “Fine-Ass Art” at Kings County Bar
6.  GILF! Pop Up
7.  New Ludo “Green Beery” (VIDEO)

We really are so damn lucky to be here in NYC. The cultural offerings are always varied, plentiful, inspiring and in many cases FREE. Of course the rent is too high and your bedroom can accomodate a bed or a dresser but not both, but when you hit the streets the cultural stimulation never stops.

For example, newly arrived Noo Yawker Jon Burgerman practiced his good posture and accentuated his down jacket this spring by traipsing through the streets and across the Williamsburg Bridge balancing bananas on his head.

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You see! The cultural richness on the street is never ending! (© Jon’s Flickr)

From Jon’s most recent and exhausting email, “Sometimes the things you see (on the street) are rather lovely, like the blossom on the trees and people outside drinking coffee and graffiti so fresh the paint is still wet.”

BOS 2011 – Bushwick Open Studios This Weekend

Hats off to the BOS crew who have laid the foundations for the new artists and curators to grow upon.

BOS ’11 – Bushwick Open Studios is in it’s fifth year and many newly minted blogs and curators are discovering this once desolate industrial pit. It’s still a pit, but at least it’s not so desolate — it also helps that high rents elsewhere have created this steady river of people flowing out of the L train Morgan stop.

Speaking of which;

IMPORTANT TRAVEL ADVISORY: The L train will NOT be running between Manhattan and Brooklyn for the entire weekend. Take the JMZ trains instead and you’ll still get dropped right in the middle of it.

Below are our picks, and while our focus is primarily on Street Art artists and events, please hit the BOS site to take a look at the complete list of events and shows:

brooklyn-street-art-bushwick-open-studios-06-11

http://artsinbushwick.org/bos2011/

Friday June 03

3rdEye(Sol)ation

brooklyn-street-art-WE3rd-eye-solation-gallery1

Jason Mamarella’s curated a group show featuring Billi Kid, Peru Ana Ana Peru, ASVP, Mike Die, Jos-L, dint wooer krsna, Quel Beast, Septerhed, Choice Royce, Kosbe, QRST, Trixtr Rabbit, Bankrupt Slut, CCB, Wisher 914, ZamArt opens this Friday at 3rd Eye(sol)ation 7-10 pm.

For more information, location and hours about this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=20970

Saturday June 04:

“Surrealism” and “Bushwick Art Park”

Factory Fresh Gallery is offering two events:  “Surrealism”and “Bushwick Art Park”

brooklyn-street-art-WEB-pufferella-factory-fresh-bushwick-open-studios-2011

Pufferella (image © courtesy of the artist)

SURREALISM:
twenty artists from the neighborhood wrestle their unconscious.

An exhibition at Factory Fresh for Bushwick Open Studios curated by Jason Andrew and Ali Ha.

Jim Avignon, Kevin Curran, Ryan Michael Ford, Paul D’Agostino, Ben Godward, Tamara Gonzales, Andrew Hurst, Rebecca Litt, Francesco Longnecker, Norman Jabaut, J.P. Marin, Brooke Moyse, Garry Nichols, Patricia Satterlee, Pufferella, Skewville, John Sunderland, Sweet Toof, Marjorie Van Cura & Veng

BUSHWICK ART PARK

A one day community event June 4th, 1-7pm
Located at the proposed Bushwick Art Park on Vandervoort Place

Factory Fresh is sponsoring a street event with art and murals to showcase their entry on this year’s Festival of Ideas that the New Museum produced and staged at the Bowery early in May.

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Skewville (image © courtesy of the artist)

Sculptures by Bast, Leon Reid IV, Specter, Skewville, Ben Godward, Infinity, Garry Nichols and El Celso. New Bushwick Art Park mural by Veng.

To learn more info bout this show please go to the gallery site at:http://artsinbushwick.org/bos2011/directory/?listing=787

“Stay Gold” at Curbs & Stoops Active Space

Opening party Saturday 7-10 pm at Curbs & Stoops Active Space

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QRST “Clay County” (image © QRST)

The group exhi­bi­tion fea­tures Don Pablo Pedro, Nathan Pick­ett, QRST, Quel Beast and Vahge.

http://www.curbsandstoops.com/blog/

“Fine-Ass Art” at Kings County Bar

Kings County has hosted a number of street artists for shows at this dark haunt for about four years and tonight a few more get their shine on. You may also coax a a go-go girl or boy onto the bar to add to the visual candy on the walls. Man, that’s some fine-ass art.

brooklyn-street-art-el-sol-25-kings-county-bar-bushwick-open-studios-2011El Sol 25 (image © courtesy of the artist)

Fine-Ass Art will feature: Quel Beast, QRST, El Sol 25, Gilf!, Rimx, Alden, Alicia Papanek.

For more information about this show click on the link below:

http://throwawayart.com/fine-ass-art-kings-county-bar

GILF! Pop Up

One of the newer Street Artists Gilf! on the scene pops up out of the pavement to give you a personal look in this intimate setting.

brooklyn-street-art-gilf-factory-fresh-bushwick-open-studios-2011

GILF! (image © courtesy of the artist)

Gilf! Pop Up Gallery
107 Forrest Ave btw Flushing Ave and Central Ave (across from
English Kills Gallery)
Friday 7-9
Sat 12-9, opening reception from 7-9
Sun 12-7

New Ludo “Green Beery” (VIDEO)

The latest video from Parisian Street Artist Ludo:

Ludo will be part of the BSA curated show “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories” this August in Los Angeles.

Ludo “Green Beery” by Laurie Grosset

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Skewville and Ali Ha Present The Bushwick Art Park A Prototype (Manhattan, NY)

Skewville

brooklyn-street-art-skewville-factory-fresh-street-fest-new-museum“Bench” Image courtesy of Factory Fresh Gallery

BUSHWICK ART PARK
IN MANHATTAN!

The Festival of Ideas for the New City:
May 4 – 8

A major new collaborative initiative led by the New Museum to harness the power of the creative community in imagining the future city will feature an innovative StreetFest along the Bowery, where fresh new ideas for the city will be prototyped and on display.

Be sure to follow the Festival of Ideas blog, featuring guest posts by Trust Art.
Manhattan, New York – The Bushwick Art Park, a Trust Art project led by the artist collective and brotherhood known as Skewville, will be just outside the New Museum of Contemporary Art as part of StreetFest on Saturday, May 7. You can come ‘kick it’ at this street-inspired sculpture garden and philosophize on how to transform an under-used street in Bushwick into a community art park.
Don’t forget the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1pm, featuring representation from the office of Council Member Diana Reyna.
The prototype art park will be curated by Factory Fresh gallery director Ali Ha, and feature pieces by Skewville, Leon Reid IV, Specter, and Olek.

Be Sure to join us at the Bushwick Art Part,
located in front of the
New Museum
Saturday, May 7th, from 1-7pm

MEET THE BUSHWICK ART PARK TEAM
Bushwick, NY – An whole team has emerged intent on making the Bushwick Art Park a reality. From three “Pratt Bratt” graduate students who are helping with policy research, community surveys, and proposal-writing; to Ali Ha, gallery directory at Factory Fresh; amazing infographic experts; and the hundreds of people who have already signed our petition, the Bushwick Art Park has a lot of friends. Live in Bushwick? Take our quick survey.

brooklyn-street-art-skewville-factory-fresh-street-fest-new-museum-1Click on the link below to learn more details of Street Fest

http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/

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Happy New Year! BSA Highlights of 2010

Year-in-review-2010-header

As we start a new year, we say thank you for the last one.

And Thank You to the artists who shared their 11 Wishes for 2011 with Brooklyn Street Art; Conor Harrington, Eli Cook, Indigo, Gilf, Todd Mazer, Vasco Mucci, Kimberly Brooks, Rusty Rehl, Tip Toe, Samson, and Ludo. You each contributed a very cool gift to the BSA family, and we’re grateful.

We looked over the last year to take in all the great projects we were in and fascinating people we had the pleasure to work with. It was a helluva year, and please take a look at the highlights to get an idea what a rich cultural explosion we are all a part of at this moment.

The new year already has some amazing new opportunities to celebrate Street Art and artists. We are looking forward to meeting you and playing with you and working with you in 2011.

Specter does “Gentrification Series” © Jaime Rojo
NohJ Coley and Gaia © Jaime Rojo
Jef Aerosol’s tribute to Basquiat © Jaime Rojo
***

January

Imminent Disaster © Steven P. Harrington
Fauxreel (photo courtesy the artist)
Chris Stain at Brooklyn Bowl © Jaime Rojo

February

Various & Gould © Jaime Rojo
Anthony Lister on the street © Jaime Rojo
Trusto Corp was lovin it.

March

Martha Cooper, Shepard Fairey © Jaime Rojo
BSA’s Auction for Free Arts NYC
Crotched objects began appearing on the street this year. © Jaime Rojo

April

BSA gets some walls for ROA © Jaime Rojo
Dolk at Brooklynite © Steven P. Harrington
BSA gets Ludo some action “Pretty Malevolence” © Jaime Rojo

May

The Crest Hardware Art Show © Jaime Rojo
NohJ Coley © Jaime Rojo
The Phun Phactory Reboot in Williamsburg © Steven P. Harrington

June

Sarah Palin by Billi Kid
Nick Walker with BSA in Brooklyn © Jaime Rojo
Judith Supine at “Shred” © Jaime Rojo

July

Interview with legend Futura © Jaime Rojo
Os Gemeos and Martha Cooper © Jaime Rojo
Skewville at Electric Windows © Jaime Rojo

August

Specter Spot-Jocks Shepard Fairey © Jaime Rojo
“Bienvenidos” campaign
Faile studio visit © Jaime Rojo

September

BSA participates and sponsors New York’s first “Nuit Blanche” © Jaime Rojo
JC2 © Jaime Rojo
How, Nosm, R. Robots © Jaime Rojo

October

Faile “Bedtime Stories” © Jaime Rojo
Judith Supine © Jaime Rojo
Photo © Roswitha Guillemin courtesy Galerie Itinerrance

November

H. Veng Smith © Jaime Rojo
Sure. Photo courtesy Faust
Kid Zoom © Jaime Rojo

December

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Fun Friday 11.26.10

Fun-Friday-black-fridayFun Friday

SKEWVILLE: “You Are Not in Kansas Anymore”

A quick home made video of Ad Deville suspiciously skirting the upper wall along an entire block in Bushwick during he and Ali Ha’s block party.  Now the news is that they are talking about taking the whole block for a sculpture garden. Hell yeah!  More public space for art? Whaddaya think?

Tara McPherson New Cheap Print “Searching for Penguins”

Check it out here:

tara mcpherson searching for penguins

Banksy!

That’s all you really have to say to get people excited these days. And today in London a new piece by the anonymous Darth Vader in a hoodie debuts at a group show called “Marks & Stencils”. It also features Greg Haberny, a very strong and prolific artist showing in Brooklyn for a few years now.

Marks

“Marks & Stencils” , 1 Berwick Street, London W1. Read more about the mysterious confluence of shows opening tonight at Nuart >>>

And check out this entertaining look at French Street Artist DRAN, who is also in the show. The video features graff and Street Art living in harmony.  Who says it can’t be done?

SACE Tribute on Houston Wall

“The ever-changing graffiti wall on East Houston Street took another turn Tuesday, with taggers covering the massive canvas with a tribute to a late Lower East Side artist.

Witnesses said a graffiti crew arrived at the wall, located at the corner of the Bowery, Tuesday morning and proceeded to cover the previous piece by street artist Barry McGee in large black letters spelling SACE — the tag name of artist Dash Snow, who died of an apparent drug overdose in 2009.”

SACE-WEB-Brooklyn-Street-Art-Copyright-Patrick-Hedlund
PHOTO CREDIT DNAinfo/Patrick Hedlund

GAIA

One of his recent pieces regarding public housing.  Interesting the directions that Street Art goes….

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FUN FRIDAY 06.04.10: BOS on BSA and “He-Man said Hey” Video

Fun-Friday BOS & He-Man

BOS on BSA and He-Man Video Inspiration for Fun Friday

Bushwick Open Studios Starts Immediately, If not Sooner

To select 5 of the top picks for the Brooklyn-Centered art celebration, we asked Chloë Bass, Co-Lead Organizer of Bushwick Open Studios, to make a few recommendations. She handily reports the following:

This weekend is Bushwick Open Studios — three days of on the street, in-your-face, participatory and community-minded art events located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The festival is hard to miss: there are more than 300 shows registered this year, and the weekend generally has a party vibe. Everyone’s out, using Arts in Bushwick’s maps to get from place to place and making friends with strangers, not to mention enjoying the snacks and drinks that studio visits can often provide. This is a great chance not only to see some new art, but also to meet the artists, who will be around for your conversation pleasure all weekend. It’s a street-wise adventure.

titleAIBBOS

Here are a few picks for Brooklyn Street Art readers. Head over to our Directory to do a search of our complete listings, or get a map and program from one of our 14 hub locations. We hope you enjoy the weekend!

Skewville at Factory Fresh

Skewville at Factory Fresh

5. Start over at Factory Fresh, Ad Deville and Ali Ha’s pop-art vibe gallery, where Deville’s new works will be up on the wall. Make sure to check out their back outdoor area, which boasts a new mural for every show. 1053 Flushing Avenue

Brooklyn-Street-Art-BOS-AnxieteamJon Burgerman & Jim Avignon perform as “The Anxieteam at Factory Fresh Saturday
At 5:30 on Saturday, there will be live music from Jim Avignon and Jon Burgerman to accent your viewing pleasure. Factory Fresh (www.factoryfresh.net): 1053 Flushing Avenue.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-BOS-SurrealEstate

4. Down the street from Factory Fresh, Surreal Estate, an artist and activist collective, will be showing prints, graphic design, and much, much more, made by artists from all over the world. Friday night also features their Performancy Forum, advertised as experimental and political. Check it out! Surreal Estate (surrealestatenyc.wordpress.com): 15 Thames Street.

Brooklyn-Street-Art-BOS-FoundPublicArt

3. For the intellectually minded, check out a chat on Found Public Art at Lumenhouse, moderated by Arts in Bushwick’s own Laura Braslow. Come discuss street aesthetics, the nature of public art, and what aesthetically builds a neighborhood. Lumenhouse (http://lumenhouse.com): 47 Beaver Street. Saturday, June 5, 6 – 8 PM.Brooklyn-Street-Art-BOS-NathanPickett

2. Nathan Pickett’s studio boasts a fascination with subjects as wide ranging as “underground culture, pop-culture, illustration, technology, bike culture, drugs, monsters, animals, mythology, chaos, abstraction, hoods, dimes, bodegas, Brooklyn, hip-hop, punk rock and everything in between and outside of this or that” — if that weren’t enough, his teaser images look fantastic. Stop by: 117 Grattan Street, #421.

Lia McPherson-Rendering

1. For a migratory performance experience, catch Lia McPherson’s Bushwick Mobile-Synchronized Cycling — a dance piece that takes place on what we’ve been promised are the “cutest little BMX bikes you’ll ever see.” The dancers will be outside of five BOS hub spaces over the course of the weekend. Check their profile for times and locations.

Bushwick Open Studios + Events
Friday – Sunday, June 4 – 6, 2010
300+ shows in more than 140 locations
Produced by Arts in Bushwick (artsinbushwick.org)

sideBOSDates

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The Fun Friday Video This Week Chosen by Bishop203

He-man said Hey

“It’s the best video I have ever seen” – Bishop203

Congratulations, you just ruined my childhood.” – antidead

* Lia McPherson image a BSA artists rendering, with Gabriel Bienczycki photography of dancer.

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Fun Friday! 01.15.10: “Street Crush” on Video, Jerkville, Available Men, Greenscreen Grannies, Local Banking

Fun-Friday

“Street Crush” on Video

Brooklyn Filmmaker Collective “Cinema Set Free” produced this great video about the celebration of Street Art in New York called “Street Crush”. Thank you Antonio, Lawrence, Melissa, and Demitri of “Cinema Set Free” for your talents.

BrooklynStreetArt.com and AlphaBeta Art Space hosted a fun street art show with 43 street artists, 4 burlesque performers, and a kissing booth.  Working around themes of “Love, Sex, and the Street”, well-known street artists alongside relative whipper-snappers dug deep for fresh takes on gritty street ardor.

Artists included Aakash Nihalani, Abe Lincoln Jr., Aiko, Anera, Bortusk Leer, Broken Crow, C. Damage, Cake, Celso, Charm, Chris Uphues, Creepy, DirQuo, Ellis Gallagher A.K.A. (C)ELLIS G., Eternal Love, FauxReel, FKDL, General Howe, GoreB, Imminent Disaster, Hellbent, Infinity, Nobody, Jef Aerosol, Jon Burgerman, Matt Siren, Mimi the Clown, NohJColey, Pagan, PMP, Poster Boy, Pufferella, Pushkin, Chris from Robots Will Kill, Col from Robots Will Kill, Veng from Robots Will Kill, Royce Bannon, Skewville, Stikman, The Dude Company, Titi from Paris, and U.L.M.

See the Street Crush Artists Here

THE PERFORMERS Nasty Canasta, Clams Casino, Harvest Moon, and your MC, Tigger!

THE KISSING BOOTH A funky loveshack built by artist and set-designer J. Mikal Davis and lorded over by Madame Voulez-Vous. Kissing Booth Volunteers: Ashley, Jeremy, Jess, Justin, Natasha, Ryan, and Val.

THE NON-PROFIT: Art Ready mentoring program for New York City high school students considering careers in the arts, please visit: http://www.smackmellon.org/education.html

MUSIC The DJ was Jesse Mann streaming live on DailySession.com

POST PARTY Brooklyn projection artists, SeeJ and SuperDraw performed at Coco66 .

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO “CINEMA SET FREE” and
Producer/Cameraman – Lawrence Whiteside
Producer/Cameraman – Antonio Bonilla
Editor – Melissa Figueroa
Voice Over Recordist – Dimitri Tisseryre

The original “Street Crush” Press Release

>>>>>   <  <<<<<  > > < < < <> >>> >>>>>>>>>

It’s a New Dance KRAZE Born in Jerkville!


>>>>>   <  <<<<<  > > < < < <> >>> >>>>>>>>>

And Speaking of Jerkville: Dashing Men Available for Dating

>>>>>   <  <<<<<  > > < < < <> >>> >>>>>>>>>

Too Cold For Coney Island? Not Virtually!

Forget Avatar – Put Grandma in front of a Green Screen!

(The image you see behind them is the image they’re looking at)

>>>>>   <  <<<<<  > > < < < <> >>> >>>>>>>>>

Bill Maher on Keeping Your Money Local

You don’t have to stay in a loveless, abusive relationship with your Big Bank.

Here’s a list of Brooklyn Community Banks
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Power and Currency: Factory Fresh

Power and Currency: Factory Fresh

“Power and Currency” a new show curated in Bushwick’s Factory Fresh Gallery by Natalie Kates, strikes at the nexus of two words that shake out in the events of most days in New York.  On Brooklyn’s Flushing Avenue, just past Bushwick Ave, the road is rumbling with trucks and potholes, vibrating with the expectations and hopes of a lot of new people these days – artists seeking studio space and escaping high rents, small businesses strong-armed by condo-building piglords, musicians looking for a practice studio, artisans, woodworkers, furniture makers, ……it’s a growing list. You don’t have to look far to see the mounting pressures on the aspiring creative class, and one’s thoughts turn to power and currency more than ever.

Factory Fresh, celebrating three months on Flushing Avenue, is the lovechild of Ali Ha and Adam DeVille, who once fostered a vibrant, audacious, tiny and welcoming gallery of mostly street artists called Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early ‘00s. Over five short years and 20 shows, it was a wellspring of new street art that crunched genres and gave foot to a number of underground street artists, and opportunity to many more.

Flyer for the Closing of Orchard Street Gallery

Flyer for the Closing of Orchard Street Gallery

But powerful “Luxury Condo Fever” had been coursing through the valley of lower Manhattan, and when the slimy, blinding affliction caught their landlord, Ali and Ad fought in court to save Orchard Street Gallery, their community and their dream. The fight lasted for 8 months, before they rallied in April “06 and gave their “Grand Closing” show to say goodbye to the soon destroyed building, featuring work by artists they had heralded, some for their first solo shows, including Jet and Rubble, Abe Lincoln Jr, Solar, Rep1, GoreB, as well as shows by Magmo and MCA, Skewville, Pufferella, Overspray Magazine and Azstar.

With more guts and gusto, they eventually set up shop in a former bodega storefront in industrial Brooklyn, where a nascent street art scene was quickly ramping up. “The surrounding Bushwick galleries have been wonderfully supportive, there is a great neighborhood vibe and I really like and respect them,” says Ali.  A quick hike in almost any any direction from the gallery finds current street art installations from Swoon, Frank Duval, Judith Supine, Gaia, and Chris Stain.

Smart alecs and artists Welcomed

Smart alecs and artists Welcomed

The Factory Fresh coronation featured Orchard alumni Skewville during the Bushwick Open Studios weekend in June – an instant success that was swamped with fans old and new; It quickly sprayed a large stenciled red star on the Bushwick map, alongside other newcomers like English Kills, which is a sneaker-throws’ distance down Flushing. But don’t expect the haughty chilled white box here; Factory Fresh is just as committed to the community of artists as ever;  over the summer they hosted a show that paid tribute to the hardworking artists and interns who helped make the gallery launch successful with a showcase of their work.

With Fall roaring in, “Power and Currency” opens with 22 artists in tow.  A huge fan of Orchard Street, “style curator” Natalie Kates was asked to put together her inaugural show. “She came to our 8th show at Orchard Street which was Elik in January 2005… I always appreciated the way she handled herself”

“We are trying to expand our horizons, she knows things I have no clue about but blends them with things I know and love. Natalie surprises me every minute, it’s exciting,” says Ali.

For her part, Ms. Kates, a street art collector, was thrilled to get a chance to create a show, “Ali and Adam were the first art gallery in Manhattan to show Street art at the Orchard Street Gallery space.  My first purchases were three ELIK panel’s that I still to this day adore. When Factory Fresh approached me to curate a show I jumped on the opportunity.”

On the horizon, the auburn Ms. Ha exhibits her customary patience with the process, “We are taking it one day at a time, mostly. I have a few tricks up my sleeve but I also don’t like to plan things too much, you never know what the next day might bring. I like surprising myself, I like surprising my patrons.”

“I think working with lots of people is what will keep Factory Fresh current.  It takes a village, right?”

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INTERVIEW with style curator Natalie Kates about “Power and Currency”

Brooklyn Street Art: What first drew your interest to street art (or urban art)?

Natalie Kates:
I have always had a heightened visual sense and have been aware of urban art since the 80’s style old skool bubble letter tags and throw ups.  Some of my favorites were Lee, Seen, Martine, Futura 2000 and of course Keith Haring and Basquiat.  Having deep roots in the fashion industry I first started to notice a visual shift in the urban landscape with Kaws hijacking Fashion Ad Campaigns in the late ‘90’s.

Almost over night there seem to be a change of guard.  The new wave of urban artist had a new voice in the medium of stencils, wheat pasted cut-outs, stickers and glass tiles.  I wanted to know everything about this movement.

Funny Money by DFace (photo Natalie Kates)

Funny Money by DFace (photo Natalie Kates)

Brooklyn Street Art: It is not unusual to hear of an individual curating a show at a gallery, museum, or even nightclub.  What is a “style curator” in the context of a gallery?

Natalie Kates:”Style Curator” is a title/term/concept I came up with to best describe myself and what I am trying to manifest in the world. To me a style curator is a person who is able to think and curate on multiple levels. For example not only am I responsible for curating the artist but also responsible for curating music, guest lists, invites and the overall stylistic look and feel of event. A “Style Curator” is a person who curates style. Style can come in many forms such as fashion, art, music and esthetics.  It is a way of thinking and life.

Nicoz (photo Natalie Kates)

Nicoz (photo Natalie Kates)

Brooklyn Street Art: When street art enters the gallery, how does its’ energy change?
Natalie Kates: I am not sure if the energy changes, but I think the perception changes when in the context of a gallery.  A gallery can give street art it’s credibility the genre deserves.

Brooklyn Street Art: One artist collective, Peripheral Media Projects, recently has been creating large canvasses of storm-trooper looking police in Warholian “Silver Elvis” arrangements.  Do you think this show is influenced by fears of state power?_
Natalie Kates: PMP or Peripheral Media Projects is in the “Power & Currency” show.  They have come up with an amazing installation of “Riot Cops” on Plexiglas.  I don’t know if the images are influenced by fears of state power._
What I take from the images and the installation is a fear to conform, to be apart of a hive like mindset, the fear to not celebrate our differences and flaunt out human imperfections.

Peripheral Media Projects "Riot Cop" (detail)

Peripheral Media Projects “Riot Cop”   (photo Natalie Kates)

Brooklyn Street Art: Aiko and Bast have been introducing more graphic elements of sexualized or sexual imagery into their work.  How does sex enter the power equation?  Currency?_
Natalie Kates: Sex is power and does hold a currency.  Look back in history, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Evita Peron, all these women had this power and wielded its’ currency.

Brooklyn Street Art: Are there any examples in the show of the intersection of both power and currency?_
Natalie Kates: There are many amazing works of art in this show.  If I had to single out one piece it would be from artist Tom Fruin.  His piece is entitled “Bud Klan Church”.

Bud Klan Church by Tom Fruin (photo Natalie Kates)

Bud Klan Church by Tom Fruin (photo Natalie Kates)

Made from cut out Budweiser cans with (Klu Klux) Klan’s men illustrations in the silhouette of a southern church on fire. This is a solid piece that speaks of power and currency on many levels such as religion, fear, entitlement and alienation to name a few.

Brooklyn Street Art: From a curator’s point of view, what does the whole show look like when it all comes together in one location?
Natalie Kates: This show is a marriage of two art schools.  My attempt is a symbiotic relationship between the contemporary and street artist.  I feel the street artists can give a cool factor to the contemporary art while the contemporary artists can in a sense legitimize the street artist and give them their much needed nod in the global art world.

<<Brooklyn Street Art>>

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Factory Fresh

is located at 1053 Flushing Avenue between Morgan and Knickerbocker, off the L train Morgan Stop

“Power and Currency”

Opening Reception September 5, 2008 from 6-10pm
Show runs September 5 – October 3, 2008
Curated by: Natalie Kates

NatalieKates.com

Factory Fresh Website

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