All posts tagged: Bast

Street Signals 08.29.09

Skewville Unveils New Website

After being in development for 13 years, Droo says the new Skewville site is ready to roll!

Actually, that’s not how long it took to build the site – just it’s content.  This roll-through left-right scroller is a quick primer for the uninitiated on the history and accomplishments of Skewville and the multiple projects they have embarked on over the last decade plus.

Or, as Ad and Droo say, “If you don’t know – now you know.”

All the round the whirl
All the round the whirl with Skewville irony

From launching galleries to launching thousands of pairs of their wooden dogs over wires around the globe, to offering shows to their peers and participating in shows internationally, and always adding their smart-aleck commentary about the street art “scene” to the discussion, these brothers have piled a sizeable stack of HYPE.

Complexity and mastery comes with practice. Blah Blah Blah
Complexity and mastery comes with practice. Blah Blah Blah

This must be the place.  Skewville actually was a physical location and a lifestyle for the middle class and unfamous.
This must be the place. Skewville actually was a physical location and a lifestyle for the middle class and unfamous.

No strangers to sarcasm, the brothers have conceived and built a number of contraptions to get their message out.
No strangers to sarcasm, the brothers have conceived and built a number of contraptions to get their message out.

Currently the Skewville Corporation is participating in Nuart, a festival in Stavanger, Norway that celebrates the contributions of Brooklyn Street Artists.

See the New Site HERE
See the Gallery Factory Fresh HERE
Check the Tubeness below to see a piece that MTV Brasil did – After the first minute in Portuguese, Ad DeVille pretty much takes the show!


Vandalog’s RJ Hard at Work on “The Thousands”

His first “Pop-Up” is taking shape this November in London

The Thousands

An open and sincere voice in the street art blog world, RJ Rushmore is a stone cold street art lover.  Albeit still in his teens, this guy posesses a maturity and modesty that many of his peers may not develop for another 10 years. More significant; his industry is matching the size of his dreams.

This time the dream is a “Pop-Up” show featuring the big names in street art today, exposing a larger audience to the genre that has captured the imagination of the youth culture.

RJ has been planning the show for many months methodically and feels secure about it’s ultimate success but he is very aware that he is taking a big leap to undertake this labor of love, where most of the work won’t even be for sale.

So far the 40 pieces in the show are from most of the big names in street art – Adam Neate, Banksy, Barry McGee, Jenny Holzer, Bast, Swoon, Kaws, Os Gemeos, Shepard Fairey, Herakut, Blek le Rat and others.

People are jumping into “The Thousands” every day as word spreads, and RJ’s been sorting out the details that come along with this kind of show – Artists, Collectors, Permissions, Love.  In addition he’s working on a companion coffee table book to be published by Drago in November with photos and bios and a few guest contributors like Gaia and Panik.

His first exhibition includes some of the better known names and he’s looking forward to doing a future show with more emerging artists, but he’s smart to limit the scope the first time out. “The purpose of my efforts is to bring street art to the attention of a wider art community, and the best way to do that is to take the very best street artists’ artwork instead of all the emerging artists that I might love and think are promising”, says Mr. Rushmore.

The Thousands will be open from November 18th through the 22nd of November at Village Underground in London. Keep up on the details at the blog for “The Thousands” HERE

Vandalog is his street art blog

AD HOC Forms Alliance with Eastern District

Curating a Quick Show that Opens Today!

Eastern District, a 400sf gallery opened for about a year in Bushwick is looking to extend it’s reach by asking street art veteran gallerists Allison and Garrison Buxton to curate a new show in the ED space next door.  Most people know that Ad Hoc Art recently announced it’s downsizing it’s square footage due in their 49 Bogart space and stories of ED’s impending closure have been swirling around also.

Well, this is how neighbors do it in Brooklyn: by reaching out and working together. If either one of these parties had been the snooty white-box types, it never would have worked. But this is an arts community that knows that the resulting strength is greater with two.  When asked by ED to partner on shows, Ad Hoc Art happily and quickly accepted the invitation to curate and bring their peeps too.  Now they are looking at ways to bring more great shows to ED. That’s very good news for the nascent Bushwick gallery scene, not to mention the artists who get to show there.

And that brings us to today.  Garrison says, “AHA & ED have a Bushwick-focused show opening specifically highlighting very local talent from the hood where it all started.” Included are AHA/Bushwick favorites like like Destroy and Rebuild, LogikOne, Michael Allen, Molly Crabapple, Pagan, and Robert Steel

Ad Hoc Art’s is now planning a fall exhibition featuring the work of Joe Vaux and Gilbert Oh to open in November at Eastern District and more shows planned into the winter, such as veteren British/French street artist Jef Aerosol in January.  For now, it sounds like the Ad Hoc extravganza and shenanigans will continue!

Prepare for exciting art extravaganzas and shenanigans in the present and continuing into the near future, for Bushwick and beyond.

And of course the current show at Ad Hoc:

Chris Stain, Armsrock, and Ezra Li on Display till September 6th.

SuperDraw Keeps Developing – Now it’s an Iphone App

Remember BSA’s Projekt Projektor last year at the Dumbo Festival, full of new projectionists stretching the definition of Street Art?  Remember the projectionists at the end of our Street Crush Show in February?

Then you’ll remember Josh Ott, or SuperDraw.  Dude developed an interactive interface for people to project their own art through a project with their iPhones, and at our shows he eagerly transferred it to your phone for free so you could slap your work all over the Manhattan Bridge.

True, GRL keeps setting some of the standards, but we firmly believe that the future of street art may be vibrating in your front pocket right now.  There is a whole crop of projectionists and video and multimedia artists that are sharpening their skillz for that Brave New Street Art World as we chase the wheat-pasters.

SuperDraw

Read more
Images of the Week 08.23.09

Images of the Week 08.23.09

Our Weekly Interview with the Street

Double Bast
Double Mickey Bast (photo Jaime Rojo)

Cake
Pondering beneath the ivy (Cake) (photo Jaime Rojo)

 Celso

Then she gave me a blank stare over her bare shoulder, and I knew the afternoon escapade was on. (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Hot Red and Sexy Celso
Red Hot and Sexy (Celso) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Celso and Matt Siren
Celso and Matt Siren Freakshow  (photo Jaime Rojo)

Imminent Disaster
Fresh new Imminent Disaster (photo Jaime Rojo)

A Galaxy of Stars Chris Stain Bill Mode VengRWK
A Galaxy of Stars (Chris Stain, Billy Mode, VengRWK) (photo Jaime Rojo)

More Stars Flying Fortress Veng Chris RWK Know Hope  Flying Fortress, Veng(RWK), Chris(RWK), Know Hope (photo Jaime Rojo)

Watch your Step Matt Siren!
Matt Siren and the ghost girl watch your step (photo Jaime Rojo)

Matt Siren
Escape from New York!  Or Don’t! (Matt Siren) (photo Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey
Portrait of Dash Snow (NohJColey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey
“Crabs in a Bucket” self portrait (NohJColey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Revs Sese
Revs, Sese (photo Jaime Rojo)

Veng Serenades a cranky monster Royce Bannon VengRWK
The musician serenades a couple of cranky monsters (Royce Bannon, VengRWK)

Shepard Fairey
Insert clever caption here. (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Dude Company
Dude working in front of The Dude Company (photo Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (VengRWK)  (photo Jaime Rojo)

VengRWK Royce Bannon Abby Goodman Werds
VengRWK, Royce Bannon, Abby Goodman, Werds (photo Jaime Rojo)

Zork Chop
Really, it’s $500? Yikes! (Zork Chop) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Read more
Images of Week 08.09.09

Images of Week 08.09.09

Our Weekly Interview with the Street at BrooklynStreetArt.com

El Sol 25 and Passenger Pigeon
El Sol 25 and Passenger Pigeon (photo Jaime Rojo)

Cake with a Snack
Cake with a Snack (photo Jaime Rojo)

Celso keeps good company
Hola, I’m Veronica and I’ll be your hostess for this evening. These are my parents, and they will be in the basement until dawn (Celso, Cake) (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Sol 25
Michael the Mannequin (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

I Am
Thoughtful I Am (photo Jaime Rojo)

Roce Bannon keeps night hours
Keeping night hours (Royce Bannon) (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Dude Company
The Dude Company (photo Jaime Rojo)

The Dude Company
Rockin’ the Mike (The Dude Company) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Bast
Bast is Back and Wild as ever (photo Jaime Rojo)

Bast
Bast to meet you (photo Jaime Rojo)

Blanco and Shin Shin

Child with a toy hand grenade (original photo by Diane Arbus1962) and Shin Shin (photo Jaime Rojo)

Dash Snow RIP
Dash Snow RIP (photo Jaime Rojo)

Gazlay
Gazlay does Bowie (photo Jaime Rojo)

I Am
I Am (photo Jaime Rojo)

Jon Burgerman
It’s a whole new Doodle by British Sensation Jon Burgerman! (photo Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey Obey

Andre keeping an eye out (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey
“Think & Create, Paint & Destroy” Shepard Fairey (photo Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey

Aung San Suu Kyi

by Shepard Fairey (photo Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey (photo Jaime Rojo)

Specter "Billy Bobby"

Specter (photo Jaime Rojo)

WK Interact

WK Interact

Read more
Images of Week 07.12.09

Images of Week 07.12.09

Our weekly interview with the streets

El Sol
The desire to regenerate Viking manhood through heroic struggle meets Dior. (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Sol
Interstitial musings on cranial sacral therapy (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Sol
Coming to terms with his own past as a weak and sickly boy. (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

I'm watching you
A futuristic and intense psycho drama playing out with xray vision enabling the clear view of Janet’s nether region. (photo Jaime Rojo)

Piggy Bank Tian
The national savings rate must increase, even if a few coins at a time. (Tian) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Trovadour
The noble hippie, bare-chested and defiant, sucks in his gut and clutches his ham and swiss hero. (Trovadour) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Apolo Torres MUNDANO Loro Verz

Apolo Torres, Mundano, & Loro Verz at Factory Fresh (photo Jaime Rojo)

Bast
I hate to seem aggressive but I really need you to use your bathroom. Please give me the key. (Bast) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Cepia Beauty
Sepia Beauty (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Sol 25
And which one would we call illegal? (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

El Sol 25
With manly legs pumping furiously, Ned, Accounting Super Hero, rushes to deposit the clients’ jewelry before the bank closes. (El Sol 25) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Gaia
Un aplauso por el Conejo! (Gaia) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Know Hope

Time to come out of the bushes! (Know Hope) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Know Hope

Know Hope behind the grating (photo Jaime Rojo)

Know Hope
Last night I really blew it.  Two packs of smokes, a tin of tuna, some lemonade soda, and a tub of watermelon.  I really gotta stop before I lose an arm or something. (Know Hope) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Lady Pink
Natural beauty in the garden of Eldridge (Lady Pink) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Os Gemeos (detail. More to come!)
I’m thinking of a small town I visited last night in a dream (Os Gemeos) (detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Os Gemeos (detail. More to come!)Yes, we’ll go in a minute, I’m just checking my messages (Os Gemeos) (detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Space Invader
And when he leans over the railing, I’ll pounce! (Space Invader) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Read more

“Get Rich Quick” Collectors Group Show at Carmichael (LA)

‘GET RICH QUICK’


A Selection from the Collections of our Collectors

Featuring 

Antony Micallef, Banksy, Barry McGee, Bast, Beejoir, D*Face, Dalek, David Choe, David Choong Lee, Faile, Ian Francis, KAWS, Nick Walker, Paul Insect, Shepard Fairey, Skullphone, Space Invader, Swoon, Will Barras and more to be announced!

Address: Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
1257 N. La Brea Avenue
West Hollywood CA 90038

Opening reception: Thursday, May 7th 2009 / 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Exhibition Dates: May 7th – May 28th 2009

For Immediate Release:

Get Rich Quick at Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art on Thursday, May 7th, 2009 from 7.00pm – 10.00pm! Carmichael Gallery is proud to present a selection of artwork from some of the strongest voices in the contemporary art world, including Antony Micallef, Banksy, Barry McGee, Bast, Beejoir, D*Face, Dalek, David Choe, David Choong Lee, Faile, Ian Francis, KAWS, Nick Walker, Paul Insect, Shepard Fairey, Skullphone, Space Invader, Swoon, and Will Barras. Both original works and a selection of rare, sold-out prints will be on display. 

Contact art@carmichaelgallery.com to preview available work. Please note that these artists are not represented by the gallery. 
The exhibition will be open for viewing through Thursday, May 28th 2009 from 1.00pm -7.00pm. 

The gallery is still accepting submissions for this show; please contact art@carmichaelgallery.com if you have strong pieces you are interested in consigning.

Also opening May 7th: ‘When All The Stars Are Gone’ – A Solo Exhibition of New Artwork by Thais Beltrame in our Front Gallery and Alexone in our Showcase Space
________________________________________
For media inquiries contact: Elisa Carmichael
Email: elisa@carmichaelgallery.com
Tel#: (323) 969-0600

Read more

“Work to Do” is on Schedule for March 26 at The Combine

Collaboration is the Piece
Collaboration makes the total Piece (collage and design Anna Robie, photos Jazzmine Beaulieu)

Royce Bannon and the Endless Love Crew

have been working hard and probably playing a little too, and the group show they have engineered is a quick primer on what street art is looking like at the moment in Brooklyn, and elsewhere. The show inaugurates a hallowed creative space for artists in Soho and christens it with a new name, The Combine, at 112 Greene Street in Soho.

The theme of the show, “Work to Do” pays a tribute to words and works of the new president in this land, and Afrika Bambaataa has written a new song with the same name, which he’ll be performing when he reunites with the Soulsonic Force at the opening.

See more about the show and our interview with Royce here.

“We have to work like our future depends on it, because it does” – Barack Obama

Read more

“Work to Do” show at 112 Greene Street

Royce Bannon and a diverse team of talented street artist/graff writers are taking the challenge seriously: Revive the artists’ space in Soho that boasts a proud history and restore it to the constructive, collaborative, democratic roots of a real artists’ community; one that will have a mission of giving back, as well as re-establishing a laboratory for discovery.

These are times for bold actions of hope, and all hands are on deck for a show opening this month called “Work to Do” at 112 Greene Street in Soho, a place that first flourished in the years before the Reagan Revolution.

Read the Brooklyn Street Art Post for this event here

A Monstrous Welcome to a New Era for 112 Greene Street (Royce Bannon)

A Monstrous Welcome to a New Era for 112 Greene Street (Royce Bannon)

Endless Love Crew

Read more

Two Andrews talk about “From the Streets of Brooklyn”

An unprecedented show of Brooklyn street art starts off 2009 at ThinkSpace gallery.

Bam! The year has barely started and the momentum from the previous giant year for street art blows clear into January with a new show of 50 artists from the streets of Brooklyn.

ThinkSpace Gallery, a warm-hearted community space and home of rockin’ shows in L.A. since 2005, plays host to it’s brothers and sisters across the continent with a salon-style show of street artists, graff writers, a hot photographer, and live on-the-street work by the chalk artist from BK.

In the middle of the installation craziness, the curator of the show, Andrew Michael Ford (gallery director at Ad Hoc), and Andrew Hosner (co-founder of ThinkSpace), talked with Brooklyn Street Art about the show:

BSA: So how did AdHoc and ThinkSpace hook up to do this show?

Andrew Hosner: Andrew and I have been friends for a while, and met while he was still doing some curating before hooking up with the Ad Hoc crew. One day we were just shooting the s**t about some show ideas and I tossed out the idea of bringing Brooklyn to Los Angeles…

Andrew Michael Ford: I’ve followed what ThinkSpace shows for quite some time and I was always very impressed with the work. I also have always felt that the folks who run ThinkSpace and myself have very similar tastes as far as curating art goes. Something like this has been talked about or at least thought about for quite some time and when Thinkspace approached us about doing it I felt like it was the right place and right time.

BSA: Is it a kind of East-West cultural exchange?

Andrew Michael Ford: The show is about bringing a large group of Brooklyn street artists and graf writers to Los Angeles. We haven’t discussed bringing LA artists to Brooklyn but I would be open to talking about something like that for the future.

Thundercut (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Thundercut (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

BSA: Brooklyn’s streetscape is pretty dense and is largely accessible by foot. Do you think the L.A. scene is more spread out? How do the two differ, in broad strokes.

Andrew Michael Ford: I have never been to LA but I heard you need a car to get anywhere out there so I assume it’s gotta be pretty spread out.

Andrew Hosner: I think you nailed it on the head, Brooklyn is much more condensed and has more of a community vibe to it I feel, whereas LA is the true meaning of urban sprawl, being one of the most spread out and varied big cities out there. There’s no real community vibe, save for lil’ pockets here and there, but the breadth of the city kind of goes against the notion of all that.

Dan Witz "Scott" from show "From the Streets of Brooklyn" (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Dan Witz "Scott" from show "From the Streets of Brooklyn" (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

BSA: Maybe this is impossible to put your finger on, but what would be a couple of characteristics that distinguish Brooklyn street art from other cities in the world?

Andrew Michael Ford: For me it started in NYC. I mean, graf started in Philly but really came into it’s own in NYC. I just don’t see that kind of history anywhere else. I see the lineage of graf into street art and that is why so many graf writers have been invited to this show. It’s not just about who is doing a lot of street art. It’s about who is getting up and staying in the streets of Brooklyn regardless of tools being used. I don’t like it when street artists from other cities look at graf here in NYC as some kind of background for their work. It’s a massive slap in the face to all graf writers. Brooklyn street artists have a lot more respect for graf than street artists I have met from other cities, especially from Europe. Maybe that’s the thing that distinguishes what’s going on in the streets of Brooklyn from other places.

Imminent Disaster (earlier work) (courtesy ThinkSpace and Ad Hoc)

Imminent Disaster (earlier work) (courtesy ThinkSpace and Ad Hoc)

BSA: You are showing a LOT of artists…did you have enough (Think) Space?

Andrew Hosner: Hahaha… it will be a very packed show hung salon style, going off of color palette and style. Should look amazing, but it is going to be a visual overload for sure. Patrons will be overwhelmed by Gaia and Rachel Lowing’s thought provoking install immediately upon entering the gallery, then passing through the entry area will be met by a tidal wave of artwork, coming at them from all directions, floor to ceiling… before turning the corner into our project room in the back where Disaster’s massive undertaking will greet them.

BSA: A bit like herding cats?

Andrew Michael Ford: Not really. Honestly, everyone involved believes in this show so much and have been very supportive and helpful in putting it all together.

Matt Siren (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Matt Siren (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

BSA: Will you have time to give Mr. Ford a tour of the sickest sites while he’s there?

Andrew Hosner: It’s hard to say since the focus will be our show, but hopefully on Saturday after the show has passed we will get out to see some of the hotter spots about LA to enjoy works outside. With so many coming to town for the opening, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to watch some of Brooklyn’s finest… cool thing is, all will be able to watch Ellis G. on opening night doing his thing on our block, and I can’t wait for that.

Andrew Michael Ford: I would love to see some stuff by Saber if possible. But really anything good being done would be great to check out.

Ellis G. (courtesy Ad Hoc and ThinkSpace)

Ellis G. (courtesy Ad Hoc and ThinkSpace)

BSA: The Brooklyn scene keeps evolving rapidly; what is one trend that you are seeing that is telling you about the future?

I see more and more people throwing up wheatpastes in the streets that I don’t feel are well executed or well placed. I mean, there is room for everything and I love to see what people feel they need to put up but it does worry me sometimes when I see tons of poorly crafted wheatpastes thrown all over the place with no thought to where it is being placed or the quality of the imagery they are producing. I would just like to see people take a little more time in the creation of their art and in the selection of the spots they decide to hit.

Elbow-Toe (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Elbow-Toe (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

BSA: Whose work is exciting to you right now, and what does it say to you?

Andrew Hosner: I love the work of Elbow-Toe, whose work is really a statement on the state of things in our society right now. His every man piece is by far one of the most powerful and extremely well executed works of this past year. You can look at that work 20 years from now and know that it was referencing the economic struggles were going through currently, while also hinting at the 1st great depression. Powerful work.

Also very inspired by the works of Imminent Disaster, due to her strength in so many different creative outlets… Chris Stain also is someone who should be looked up to. Thought provoking work and just a great overall cat.

Stikman (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Stikman (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Andrew Michael Ford: I think that street art needs to interact with the space where it is placed (good placement is key) and it needs to engage the viewer. Working big can sometimes do this but sometimes it can be a big massive nothing. It’s tough to point to a specific artist but if I had to pick one I can say I’m really intrigued by what the artist Stikman does, as he uses a wide variety of mediums and techniques and always catches you off guard with the placement of his work. Very smart work.

Anera (image by Luna Park) (courtesy Luna Park, ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

Anera (image by Luna Park) (courtesy Luna Park, ThinkSpace and AdHoc)

BSA: What impression do you think the gallery-goer in L.A. is going to come away with about the Brooklyn street art scene?

Andrew Michael Ford: That’s a great question but sadly one that I have no answer to. I haven’t got a clue what kind of reception we will get when we arrive. I am hoping this can be a positive experience for everyone involved.

Andrew Hosner: I hope they come away feeling inspired and filled with the desire to visit the streets of Brooklyn in person, so they can experience these works as they were originally meant to be, and also feel compelled to explore the works of each in the show further, hopefully coming away with a new favorite that they will watch in the years that lay ahead.

I think many will also be surprised at the sheer breadth and quality of work on view – it is definitely an eye opener type of exhibit. Hopefully this will help to open their eyes to the beauty that is all around them in Los Angeles and abroad. So many walk through their city with blinders on, and it really is a revelation when you start to take in and appreciate the work of urban artists.

ThinkSpace Gallery

AdHoc Art

From the Streets of Brooklyn

More stuff on ThinkSpace and Andrew Hosner from the art collector blog

Read more
Year in Images 2008

Year in Images 2008

Paradigm Shifting and Cave Writings

Looking back at the powerful changes in ’08,

it’s not hard to see their reflection on the Brooklyn streets, which may serve as tea leaves revealing the messages swirling around us and in us. Each individual act of creating is of significance, yet it is the cumulative effect of the groundswell of new participants that seems so powerful, so hopeful in it’s desire.

Naturally, at the beginning of this selection of images from 2008, we are featuring the most visible street art piece of the year by Shepard Fairey, which appeared here on the streets of Brooklyn and transcended mediums to reach millions of people. Shepard’s graphic design style and his images of the man who would be president helped many to quickly glimpse the character and message of Barack Obama.

A Winning Campaign (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

A Winning Campaign (Shepard Fairey) (photo Jaime Rojo)

The image was replicated, adopted, adapted, transformed, re-formed, lampooned even. It became an icon that belonged to everyone who cared to own it, and a symbol of the change the man on the street was looking for. Like street art, Obama’s message was taken directly to the people, and they responded powerfully in a way that brought a historic shift; one that continues to unfold.

Elsewhere on the street we saw themes from topical to fantastical; crazy disjointed cultural mash-ups, celebrity worship or destruction, Big Brother, icons, symbols, death, war, economic stress, protest, dancing, robots and monsters and clowns and angels, and an incredible pathos for humanity and it’s sorry state… with many reminders of those marginalized and disaffected. We never forget the incredible power of the artist to speak to our deepest needs and fears.

The movement of young and middle-aged artists off the isle of pricey mall-ish Manhattan and into Brooklyn is not quite an exodus, but boy, sometimes it feels that way. The air sometimes is thick with it; the creative spirit. The visual dialogue on the street tells you that there is vibrant life behind doors – studios, galleries, practice rooms, loft parties, rooftops.

Even as a debate about street art’s appropriate placement on public/private walls continues, it continues. From pop art to fine art, painterly to projected, one-offs to mass repetition, Brooklyn street art continues to grow beyond our expectations, and our daily lives are largely enriched by it.

This collection is not an exhaustive survey – the archival approach isn’t particularly stimulating and we’re not academics, Madge. The street museum is always by chance, and is always about your two eyes. Here’s a smattering, a highly personal trip through favorites that were caught during the year.

[svgallery name=”Images of Year 2008″]

Read more

Quick Shot – The Anonymous “Piece Process”

Durn, it was awfully crowded over there on the isle of Manhattan last night,

but it was totally worth it if you took the time to peel people off the wall and take a gander at the art (pardon me Martha, mind the elbows, Elbow-toe). The show has the goal of drawing connections between the processes and techniques employed by well known names from the 70’s/80’s and the emerging crop of wild-eyed beasts today. Shockingly, the similarities were readily apparent, and that was somehow reassuring in a crazy mixed up world like ours. …Not to mention that this show brings you into the backroom, the studio, the cramped apartment, to see the doodlings, the lists, sketches, and planning that artists employ when they first conceive of their pieces. This is an educational show, and a kindly revelation.

There seemed like a hundred pieces or more – we show only a smattering here; all courtesy Anonymous Gallery.

[svgallery name=”Piece_Process_Anonymous”]

Anonymous Gallery

Read more

Piece Process at Anonymous Gallery

The Piece Process

Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton, Robert Indiana, Dennis Oppenheim, Ray Johnson, Todd James, Eric Haze, Bast, Elbow Toe, AIKO, Kenji Hirata, Greg Lamarche, Aakash Nihalani, Erik Foss, Deven Marriner, Michael De Feo, Logan Hicks, Judith Supine, Dan Witz, Maya Hayuk, Daniel Joseph, Ripo, Skewville, Brandon Friend, Dark Cloud, MOMO, Dan Funderburgh, Ellis Gallagher, Matt Siren, The Clayton Brothers, and MORE!

Gallery Exhibition:
December 17 – January 24

opening reception:
December 17th, 7 – 10PM
Exhibition Description

Anonymous Gallery is proud to combine three generations of prolific artists whose work has been influenced by, or has directly influenced popular culture, design, and the urban environment. The Piece Process will unite relevant artists with their contemporary counterparts through artwork that serves as a reference or an impetus to something larger or more complete. Anonymous Gallery will exhibit unique pieces of art in the form of sketchbook drawings and original works on paper or found objects from over 30 established and emerging artists exhibiting in New York. The exhibition intends to create discourse in regard to artists who have not only influenced one another, but society through their use of iconography, collage, pen, paint, and print.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Anonymous Gallery, will also be hosting weekly workshops for children. Artists Todd James, Leon Reid, Michael De Feo, Maya Hayuk, Ellis Gallagher, among others, will teach the workshops.

In the spirit of giving, portions of the proceeds raised will go to benefit Public Art for Public Schools http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/SCA/Programs/PAPS/default.htm. For additional information, workshop schedules, or to make a reservation, please contact – events[at]anonymousgallery[dot]com

Read more

“From the Streets of Brooklyn” at thinkspace (L.A.)

“From The Streets Of Brooklyn

Curated by Ad Hoc Art at thinkspace

January 9th – February 6th, 2009

Opening Reception: Fri, Jan. 9th 7-11PM

Featuring installations from:

Gaia (front entry area)

Imminent Disaster (project room)


Street installation:

Ellis G.


Main Gallery:

Abe Lincoln Jr.

Acne

AIKO (aka Aiko Nakagawa)

AnerA

Avoid Pi

avone

Bast

Bloke

c.damage.

Celso

Chris Stain

DAIN

Dan Witz

Dark Clouds

Elbow-Toe

Ellis G.

ELC (aka Endless Love Crew)

Faro

Gaia

Graffiti Research Lab (aka G.R.L.)

Imminent Disaster

infinity

jm rizzi

Josh MacPhee

Juse One

Kuma

Matt Siren

Maya Hayuk

McMutt (aka Dennis McNett)

Michael DeFeo (aka The Flower Guy)

MOMO

Peru Ana Ana Peru

PMP (aka Peripheral Media Projects)

Rate

Royce Bannon

Skewville

Slept

Sometimes

Sonet

Stikman

Thundercut

UFO

Unplate

+ A selection of street art photographs by LUNA PARK


SNEAK PEEK images
here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157607658942787/

thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90029
Thurs-Sun 1-6PM
http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/

Read more