Tonight it will be 7 degrees farenheit in Brooklyn, and the wind will blow down the East River to the Verrazano, around Coney Island and the Rockaways in a bashing fashion. New York City in January can be an inhospitable and unfriendly city, especially if you are a new arrival. “Where are all the people?” New Yorkers, all clad in blacks and grays pile out from the subway tunnels in droves and scurry fast down the sidewalk, like ants whose mound has been disturbed. The puffy fashions often mute gender, causing a great many otherwise fashionable or sexy dudes and dudettes to look like large tubers. Outside is a place to pass through as you stomp toward your dwelling without looking around or upward. Exhausted by layers of fabrics and zippers and buttons and laces and pulling on, over, and off – dropping bags and backpacks, the peeling off wet socks and salty boots are the final salvo before collapse. Depressed yet?
The flip side of this is that a lot of Street Artists are working in their kitchen/toolshed/studio right now and really putting a lot of effort into it – some are even stockpiling like squirrels for spring. If it is sunny for a minute in the afternoon, and you can peer over your scarf on the icy snow piled sidewalks of Brooklyn for a second you’ll see there is some new Street Art here and there. There is one reason to go outside and it’s encouraging to see that some street artists that call New York their home have been getting up despite the elements. It’s not really surprising to find that Street Artists are a scrappy lot; it kind of goes with the territory. Nonetheless it can bring a smile to your frozen face. Happy Winter.
And now our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring AVOne, AWR, BAST, DAIN, General Howe, Jim Darling, Katsu, Nasa, Nohj Coley, Rae, Skewville, Sofia Maldonado, Surge, and the Witness
Fresh Images of Two of Brooklyn’s Best Known Getting Up
BSA caught up with the Brooklyn Street Artists Bäst and the Faile Collective on a snowy, pretty and serene Saturday morning on the streets of the People’s Republic of Brooklyn. While the artists assiduously jockeyed with ladders and stencils and paint on the sidewalk, the late waking Williamsburg morning unfolded around them. Friends and family stopped by to say hello, surprised passersby snapped photos, and a rumpled dog walker stole a glance while yanked down the street by his master. The 16 foot high industrial doorway is still damp with a panoply of pop/pulp/consumer culture images and text integrating recent graphic images seen from Faile paired with witty references to their buddy and longtime collaborateur Bäst. One of their largest recent installations, the new blast of monochrome stencil posters are sprayed on rough rectangular patches of white, arranged salon style in this brand new gallery of the street.
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.
We’re very grateful for a wildly prolific year of Street Art as it continued to explode all over New York (and a lot of other places too). For one full year we’ve been granted the gift of seeing art on the streets and countless moments of inspiration. Whether you are rich or poor in your pocket, the creative spirit on the street in New York makes you rich in your heart and mind.
To the New York City artists that make this city a lot more alive every day we say thank you.
To the artists from all over world that passed through we say thank you.
To our colleagues and peers for their support and enthusiasm we say thank you.
To the gallery owners and curators for providing the artists a place to show their stuff and for providing all of us a safe place to gather, talk, share art, laugh, enjoy great music and free booze we say thank you.
To our project collaborators for sharing your talents and insights and opinions and for keeping the flame alive we say thank you.
And finally to our friends, readers and fans; Our hearts go out to you for lighting the way and for cheering us on. Thank you.
Each Sunday we featured Images of the Week, and we painfully narrowed that field to about 100 pieces in this quick video. It’s not an encyclopedia, it’s collage of our own. We remember the moment of discovery, the mood, the light and the day when we photographed them. For us it’s inspiration in this whacked out city that is always on the move.
The following artists are featured in the video and are listed here in alphabetical order:
Aakash Nihalani,Bansky, Barry McGee, Bask ,Bast, Beau, MBW, Bishop ,Boxi, Cake, The Dude Company, Chris RWK, Chris Stain, Dain, Dan Witz ,Dolk ,El Mac, El Sol 25, Elbow Toe, Faile, Feral, Overunder, Gaia, General Howe, Hellbent, Hush, Imminent Disaster, Jeff Aerosol, Jeff Soto, JMR ,Judith Supine ,K-Guy ,Labrona, Lister, Lucy McLauchlan, Ludo, Armsrock, MCity, Miso, Momo, Nick Walker, Nina Pandolfo, NohjColey, Nosm, Ariz, How, Tats Cru, Os Gemeos, Futura, Pisa 73, Poster Boy, QRST, Remi Rough, Stormie Mills, Retna, Roa, Ron English, Sever, She 155, Shepard Fairey ,Specter, Sten & Lex, Samson, Surge I, Sweet Toof, Swoon, Tes One, Tip Toe, Tristan Eaton, Trusto Corp, Typo, Various and Gould, Veng RWK, ECB, White Cocoa, Wing, WK Interact, Yote.
The annual peregrination from all corners of the art world has begun to balmy Miami. Artists and the collectors who love them have converged in this friendly city to promote, sell, admire and make art during The Art Basel Art Fair.
Art Basel (Nov 30-Dec 5) is one of the most important art shows in the USA with about 250 art galleries showing more than 2000 artists from all over the world. Very impressive! Equally impressive are the satellite art fairs and events that orbit around. We’d like to point your attention to the art fairs and events that will include Urban and Street Art in their shows and to the organizations whose main focus is to celebrate and promote the work of Street Artists.
Check BSA out over the next few days for updates on who’s getting up in Miami.
PRIMARY FLIGHT
A favorite of BSA because of it’s accessibility to everyone, for the past three years Primary Flight has produced murals by hundreds of renowned artists and relative unknowns, easily gliding between Street Art and Graffiti culture and covering a ton of walls for the public to see. You may try to see it all in one day of zig-zagging the streets, but pack some energy bars.
Culminating in the largest curated street mural project in the world, the collective is now expanding beyond their Wynwood origins to launch their first-ever headquarters in the Design District.
“This year is about growth: Miami is set in motion, and Primary Flight paved the way,” says Books IIII Bischof, principal of Primary Flight. “Since our involvement, Wynwood has become a street art Mecca with legs of its own.”
From their web site and press release:
“Primary Flight is Miami’s original open air museum and street level mural installation that takes place annually throughout the Wynwood Arts District and the Miami Design District. Primary Flight is arguably the world’s largest event of its kind, having featured over 250 world class artists from around the globe since its inception, the majority of whom travel to Miami during Art Basel. Artists from all walks of contemporary art headline our annual event, collaborating on high profile walls throughout Miami’s urban landscape. Maps outlining the installation are circulated, providing patrons with an opportunity to view the works in progress.”
Make sure to check out the RETNA SOLO EXHIBIT
Outdoor murals and installations this year by Tristan Eaton, Charles Craft, Shepard Fairey, Typoe, Michael Vasquez and Tatiana Suarez.
A creation of Billi Kid, NYC street artist, curator, life-long doodler, art enthusiast and design junkie, this show takes basketball backboards and repurposes them as art via skillz of a number of Street Artists whose work is regularly on BSA. The show is curated by Jim and Karla Murray.
Text below from their press release:
LEADING STREET AND GRAFFITI ARTISTS
Public Works Department, announces its collaboration with the NBA to produce and curate 36 original street and graffiti artworks entitled the “Art of Basketball”. This extraordinary exhibition and event will open to the public on December 2nd and continue thru December 5th 2010, concurrent with Art Basel Miami, the leading art and cultural happening in North America. The exhibition and special events will take place in a dedicated venue located at 2048 NW Miami Court, in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami. A portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the artworks will benefit NBA Cares.
Cutting edge contemporary is the moniker, and it is possible that the 10th year of SCOPE Art Show will turn out some exceptional surprises.
Cementing its future with an 80,000 square foot pavilion across the street from Art Miami, SCOPE Miami’s high-profile venue is centrally located in the heart of the Wynwood Gallery Arts District. Running concurrently with Art Basel Miami, SCOPE’s Midtown Miami home is just steps from The Rubell family collection, Margulies Collection at the Warehouse and Goldman Collection. The fair opens to Press and VIPs on Tuesday, November 30 with the FirstView benefit.
Location Wynwood Gallery Arts District | 3055 North Miami Avenue | Miami, Florida 33127
A New York favorite, Fountain is the one we always check out for punk, funk, and unvarnished bolts of creativity. With a number of Brooklyn galleries, artists, and undercover rebels getting into this mix, you never know what you are getting, but there will be something mind blowing.
Fountain Miami 2010 exhibitors include Christina Ray, Front Room, Steven Gagnon, Leo Kesting , McCaig-Welles, Bego Art Project, Causey Contemporary, Jeanine Taylor Art Gallery, Cherie Dacko, Evo Love, Allison Berkoy, Greg Haberny, Phillip Simmons, We-Are-Familia, The Murder Lounge, Thaddeus Kwiat Projects, Wet Heat Project, Alice Chilton Gallery, Tinca Art, Francesca Arcilesi Fine Art, Susan Radau, Lindsey Brooke Wilner, and highly anticipated immersive video art projects presented by DCKT Contemporary. As logistical partners to the art fair, international art handlers Hedley’s Inc. will assist galleries in producing their large-scale installations.
Grace Exhibition Space, in conjunction with the Alice Chilton Gallery, will have 10 artists from around the world performing during the weekend’s evening events. Caveman robots and the full scale destruction of a car will be primary artist performances. Artists will include Adina and Ariel Bier, Erik Hokanson, Jason Bell and the Estonian Art Group Non Grata, Sarah Trouche, Quinn Dukes Marni Kotak, Kikuko Tanaka and Hiroshi Shafer.
Visitors entering the front lawn of the Fountain Art Fair space will be blown away with a 125 foot long street art installation by Chris Stain, Dick Chicken, Gaia and Know Hope.
About Fountain Art Fair
Fountain is an exhibition of avant garde artwork in New York during Armory week and Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach.
In this photography show accompanied by new works, this West Hollywood gallery will be boasting some of the non-reverential rough-riding boldface talents that give a slicing edge to the current Street Art scene. Just look at the names and you know what you’re getting. Or, maybe you don’t.
297 NW 23rd ST
MIAMI, FL 33127
OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2010
7 – 10PM
“Now I Remember” photo installation featuring:
NECK FACE / JERRY HSU / TODD JORDAN/ CURTIS BUCHANAN / JEN REYNOLDS/ TINO RAZO / KEVIN “SPANKY” LONG
and new works by:
OSGEMEOS / JUDITH SUPINE / CLEON PETERSON/ BAST / SKULLPHONE / ALBERT REYES
Hours: Weds. Dec.1 – Sat. Dec.4 : 11am – 8pm
Sun. Dec. 5: 12pm – 4pm New Image Gallery
There don’t seem to be buckets of money funding these Public Ad Campaigns to do this switch-a-roo stuff but the people who create and execute them are so earnest and straight-talking… And from what we have witnessed and heard, artists of all stripes everywhere are lending them a hand in taking over advertising space.
Trend alert! Give it a name! Commodify it! I have the Tumbler page ready.
This week in Toronto a large number of illegally posted spaces were re-posted with art, by street artists and otherwise. Revolutionary? Not really, unless the aforementioned MONEY is an issue.
In an explanation of the project, a press release for the installation says this:
“While it is understood that commercial messages do not share our collective interests, we still do not question its use of our shared environments. In an effort to invigorate debate about how commercial interests are using public space and raise questions about how our communities desire to use those same spaces, non-violent civil disobedience projects like TOSAT engage the public in a dialogue of participation.”
Brooklyn’s Bast in Toronto is replacing an ad in one of 41 allegedly illegal kiosk displays.
For filmmaker Sarah Berman, who made the brief and to-the-point documentary (below) with Jordan Seiler and friends, it is all about taking back public space that has been illegally seized by corporations. When you consider that just a couple of years ago Jordan was pretty much a lone wolf howling about illegal billboards, and this year the City of New York BOOTED one giant company who had been plastering willy-nilly all over Gotham thousands of posters – it sounds like the message resonates.
Brooklyn’s Quel Beast in Toronto
And today it’s not only the Public Ad Campaign who is reclaiming public space – you’ll notice an up-tick in the PosterBoy-ish messing with subway posters in the last months. You can dismiss it as pranksterism – but perhaps that’s just on the surface. Maybe it’s also because today’s teens and twenty-somethings have been cajoled and hoodwinked from every angle to buy “stuff” since the forceps clamped their soft skulls – and they see where all of that breathless pursuit of “stuff” has gotten us. Maybe it is just because freedom of speech is a deeply rooted need and certain parts of “the public” want to give, not just receive, messages.
Sarah Berman explains Corporate Graffiti with Jordan and John.
Lazarides is delighted to announce Botulism, the first solo exhibition of Brooklyn’s infamous collagist Bäst at the Rathbone Gallery. Bäst will present a collection of new works, developing past preoccupations in an exciting new direction.
Bäst’s work is inspired by the early punk flyers of London and New York, playing with a variety of 21st Century icons and appropriating imagery from a variety of media. From advertising to comic book characters, Bäst subverts the familiar and recognisable into distorted counterparts. His collages, wheat-pasted posters and paintings morph Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio and Papa Smurf into multi-eyed sexually charged portraits of their former selves. Food packaging, 50’s newspaper clippings and brand logo’s all feature as the backdrop to his vibrant, brilliantly coloured works.
Whether appearing in the doorways of downtown New York or on the walls of a gallery, Bäst’s graphic language translates into prints, paintings, collages and mixed media sculptures. His latest acrylic paintings on wood have developed the colourful repetitive patterns so often present in his collages. For Botulism expect myriad unprecedented works with that classicBäst flavour.
Bäst recently exhibited with longtime collaborators Faile in the Greek Street gallery space, the acclaimed Deluxx Fluxx Arcade showcasing a groundbreaking display of customised arcade games pasted with a collage of the artists’ unique imagery and paired with tunes composed by post-punk art rock band Les Savy Fav.
Lazarides Rathbone is open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 7pm. pm. Admission is free. For more information visit www.lazinc.com
Bast "Pork Pie" Image Courtesy of the Gallery
Bäst
Bästhas been an intricate part of the street art scene for the past 10 years throughout New York and Europe gaining cult status and recognition from fellow street artists. Hailing from Brooklyn, Bäst is an elusive character whose work centralizes around the art of collage.
Little is known of his work outside of what the public sees throughout New York’s urban environment but since 2003 his work has evolved and been exhibited in various exhibitions: Faile Bast Deluxx Fluxx Arcade at Lazarides, London (2010), Graffiti at Galerie du Jour – Agnes B, Paris (2009), Beach Blanket Bingo at Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York (2009), This is China at BLVD Gallery, Seattle (2008), Ridiculousnessofitallshow at New Image Art, Los Angeles (2005) and Fancy Faile and Bast at Galerie Neurotitan, Berlin (2003).
Apart from showing in Japan, LA, Colorado, New York, London, Paris and Berlin, he’s also released a limited edition book, Revolucion De Papel, the only publication to bring his many works on the streets of New York together.
Lazarides Rathbone, 11 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1HR
20 August – 1 October 2010
Preview: Thursday 19 August 6-9pm
Lazarides
Working outside conventional practice and the contemporary art system, Lazarides welcomes a broad audience to an extensive exhibition programme, off-site projects and online exhibitions and collectives. Lazarides supports and develops the work of a group of artists who collectively, defy categorization.
Founded in 2006 by Steve Lazarides, Lazarides represents some of the most exciting and innovative artists working today including Antony Micallef, David Choe, JR, Vhils, Faile, Jonathan Yeo, Charlie Isoe, Conor Harrington, Ian Francis, Stanley Donwood, 3D, Invader, Kelsey Brookes, Mode 2, Todd James /Reas, Blu, Paul Insect and BAST.
The exhibition programme runs across spaces in London and Newcastle: Lazarides Rathbone, presents seven solo and group exhibitions each year, while The Dungeon on Greek Street, Soho and The Kitchen in Newcastle provide a platform for emerging talent and experimental projects by Lazarides artists.
Recently launched in July 2010, THE OUTSIDERS will become the home of publications, limited edition prints and collectable artistic ephemera as well as smaller presentations and screenings. Incorporating the online shop and the spaces on Greek Street and in Newcastle, THE OUTSIDERS will continue to welcome over ten thousand visitors annually and provide a one-stop-shop for all things outsider.
In addition to their extensive programme, Lazarides has also presented numerous exhibitions outside the UK most notably Banksy’s Barely Legal in Los Angeles (2006), Antony Micallef’s Impure Idols in Los Angeles (2007) and The Outsiders group show, New York (2008) along with the current successful 4-month exhibition programme in Beverley Hills showcasing a variety of group and solo exhibitions including the talents of David Choe, JR, Vhils, Conor Harrington, and Jonathan Yeo.
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.
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
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
DRAW is the largest contemporary drawing exhibition to emerge from New York City. It is a must-see art exhibition featuring original drawings by more than 350 artists influenced by the illustration, graffiti, tattoo, literature, design, animation, skateboard, music, psychedelic art worlds. The show is a tribute to the often-underrated but fundamental building block of visual and graphic art: the drawing.
Artists whose original works are in the show include : Chris Johanson, Terence Koh , Dan Colen , Aurel Schmidt , Benjamin Cho , DAZE , R. Crumb, Alex Grey, HR Giger, Clive Barker, Robert Williams, Mark Ryden, Wes Lang , Eric White , Rich Jacobs, Barry McGee , Rick Griffin, Ron English, Neck Face, Tim Biskup, Ed Templeton, Benjamin Cho, Mark Gonzales, Jack Rudy, Derek Hess, David Byrne, Mark Dean Veca, Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) , Kevin Long/Spanky, Hank Williams III, WK Interact, Jose Manuel Schmill, Shawn Barber, Doze Green, Kevin Llewellyn, Bast, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Greg Lamarche, Kostas Seremetis, Swoon, Tom Sachs, and hundreds more.
After four years of gallery exhibitions, DRAW will have it’s museum debut at Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, one of MexicoCity’s finest museums. The opening is on June 19, 2010 and will exhibit through August 15, 2010. To coincide with the exhibition, the museum will be publishing a book for worldwide distribution to contemporary museum bookstores around the world. Carlo McCormick, one of the most respected art writers and curators in the U.S. will be writing an introductory essay for the book.
DRAW is curated by Erik Foss and Curse Mackey with guest curators Tim Barber, Miguel Calderon, Lisa Lebofsky, Jacaebor Kastor, Justin Giarla, Jamie O’Shea, Matt Campbell, Damian Weinkrantz, Les Barany, Sto, D* Face, Jonathan Levine, Tony Cox, and Anonymous Gallery Founder and Director, Joseph Ian Henrikson.
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BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
“Mucho Gusto!” Nohj Coley First interactive piece on the streets (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nohj Coley detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Wanna see a movie? Nohj Coley detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)
A big new Dain about town looking quite continental. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Double the pleasure with Dain (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dain (photo © Jaime Rojo)
AVOne (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Katsu (photo © Jaime Rojo)
“Oh, fine thanks, except that I had to kill my boss.” Bast (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Bast (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Skewville shows you to your entrance (photo © Jaime Rojo)
General Howe commentarty on past and present events in our still young Nation (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Crotched objects began appearing on the street this year. © Jaime Rojo
