Dear BSA Readers: We’ve invited six artists to participate in this year’s “Eleven Wishes for 2011”. 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 Giveaway@brooklynstreetart.com no later than December 17 and we’ll pick the 5 winners.
PRIZES
THE DEEEELUXE PLATINUM BUCKET: This prize will go to the first TWO submissions we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Eleven wishes for 2011” these two lucky readers will also get:
A copy of Banksy’s “Exit through the gift shop” DVD.
A copy of “Beautiful Losers” DVD.
A copy of C215 new book “Community Service” (release date 01/28/11, but you get yours now!)
A signed copy of our new book “Street Art New York”.
THE GOLD PLATED BUCKET: This prize will go to the next THREE submissions we pick. In addition to being featured on BSA “Eleven Wishes for 2011” these three lucky readers will also get:
A copy of Banksy’s “Exit through the gift shop” DVD.
A copy of “Beautiful Losers” DVD
A signed copy of our new book “Street Art New York”.
RULES: You must write a wish for 2011 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 17, 2010. Please include your postal address to receive the prizes. Final selections are made by the editors and buckets are not included. We can’t wait to hear from you!!!
SHOUT OUTs:To Beastie Boy Adam Yauch and Joshua Fu atOscilloscope Laboratories for donating the DVDs. Go to this link to see their full selection of titles. Alsoto our editor Jeremy Echard at Critères éditions for the c215 books before they are even published, and to Ali Gitlow at Prestel Publishing for Street Art New York. Thank you all!
PRIZE Descriptions
Exit Through the Gift Shop, Director: Banksy
A chaotic trip through low-level criminality, comradeship, and incompetence. By turns shocking, hilarious and absurd, this is an enthralling modern-day fairytale… with bolt cutters. Exit Through the Gift Shop DVD
Beautiful Losers, Director: Aaron Rose
In the early 1990’s a loose-knit group of like-minded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip-hop, and graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Featuring, Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Mike Mills, Harmony Korine, Barry McGee, Chris Johanson, Geoff McFetridge, Jo Jackson, Margaret Kilgallen, Stephen Powers, and Thomas Campbell. Beautiful Losers DVD
Street Art New York, Authors: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo with forward by Carolina A Miranda, published by Prestel
Written by the founders of BrooklynStreetArt.com, Street Art New York the authors take you on a fast sprint through the streets, along the waterways, on the rooftops, and up the walls of todays ever-morphing Street Art scene, as only New York can tell it. Featured in this unplugged and dynamic collection of images are works by 100+ artists, some wildly exciting newcomers as well as some of the “old masters”, each one telling their New York story.
C215 Community Service, Author: C215 with introduction and interview by Steven P. Harrington, and preface by Marc & Sara Schiller from Wooster Collective and Thierry Froger, published Jan 2011 by Critères éditions.
World famous globe-trotting French stencil artist C215 as seen through the eyes of 12 of today’s renowned street art photographers, covering ground in New York, London, Tel Aviv, Dakar, Moscow, Vitry, Casablanca, and New Delhi among others. In a style recognizable by Street Art fans everywhere, C215 raises the game to poetry while keeping it very human. Photographers include Vitostreet (FR), Chrixcel (FR), RomanyWG (GBR), Luna Park(US), Jaime Rojo (US), Lois Stavsky (US), Jessica Stewart (IT), Vinny Cornelli (US), Elodie Wilhem (CHE), Lionel Belluteau (FR), Unusualimage (GBR), and Gregory J. Smith(BR).
“Class, today we are going to make puppets. Jimmy sit down please. Did everyone remember to bring a sock to school today as I had requested last Thursday? Yolanda do you have yours? Jenelle? Good. Let’s see everybody hold their sock in the air. Okay good. Jimmy… Okay these are going to be our “pretend friends”. And does everyone have two buttons for the eyes? Okay, I’ll wait until some people in the back stop talking – I’m sure we all would like to get on with the project. Tony and Lindsay, do I need to split you two up?”
Art classes at school are just about the funnest thing there is – mostly because they combine work and play and imagination. Brooklyn Street Artist Specter has been making his own imaginary friends on the streets of Paris and Chicago this fall. To be more precise, he’s been making sisters – the ones he says he wished he could have when he was a kid.
The new series is called “Les Filles”, and it is “about my mate’s five sisters and my desire to have sisters my entire life. Now I feel like I have what I’ve always wanted,” explains Specter excitedly, as he contemplates eating some paste while Miss Pennywhistle writes something on the chalkboard.
“Portraits” by Sten + Lex with Gaia at Brooklynite
This is a hot shot straight to Number Uno on the charts Ladies and Germs. Italians with their own understated stencil technique and UES wild-eyed jerkin chicken man. Read more on this show here from yesterday on BSA.
Dan Taylor “Notes from the Inside”
Pandemic is reliably snarky, eclectic, and often on the money. Keep your eye on them because they also think. A lot.
From The Philadephia Mural Arts Program, an animated mural handed back and forth amongst several artists, in the style of Exquisite Corpse.
Artists: Eve Biddle/Joshua Frankel, Rodney Camarce,Bonnie Brenda Scott, Seth Turner, Mauro Zamora. Curated by Sean Stoops.
Ben Eine at The Moniker Art Fair
“Hell’s Half Acre”
Kind of like going to Macys!
Launched in October 12th and produced by Lazarides in collaboration with Tunnel 228 and off-site exhibition of Dante’s “Inferno”.
Via Babelgum.
Visitors explore a unique interpretation of the nine circles of hell through the vision of artists including Conor Harrington, Vhils, George Osodi, Antony Micallef, Doug Foster, Todd James, Paul Insect, Mark Jenkins, Boogie, Ian Francis, Polly Morgan, Jonathan Yeo.
David Choe Goes to Hell
Here’s his creation of his piece for Lazaride’s “Hell’s Half Acre”.
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. http://4rbyf.th8.us #optimism #hope #beauty
Send.
103 characters and her followers would have had an update of exactly what Anne Frank was thinking. The inner life of this girl, as recorded in her diary, has inspired many an artist, author, movie director, painter, and writer to contemplate their own.
Irish stencil Street Artist Vango has just imagined Anne Frank as she might be today – sending her personal thoughts and observations, status updates. It’s a tricky minefield of human history to tread for an artist and the implications of a wireless data stream available to all are still being assessed by contemporary culture. As our historical touchstones are viewed through these new screens, sometimes it can be jolting and will raise questions. What parallels exist today, and what has been fundamentally changed by our creation?
Brooklyn Street Art:With this new stencil you have updated an image of Anne Frank using what we are calling “social media”. What inspired you to create this piece?
Vango: Well, I always like merging the past with the present in my work and I especially like painting historic characters using the modern equivalent of their chosen medium. Today everyone ‘s on Twitter or Facebook expressing themselves to the world, which is a positive thing, except 99% of what they say is irrelevant bulls**t. On the flip side, 65 years ago this young girl actually had something to say that was unheard in her lifetime.
BSA
Brooklyn Street Art:Tell us a bit about the Street Art scene in Ireland.
Vango: Obviously Ireland isn’t known for Street Art but there are some talented artists emerging, especially in the last year or two like KARMA, ADW, Canvaz, Maser and of course Conor Harrington.
BSA
Brooklyn Street Art:Who would you cite as an inspiration as an artist?
Vango: As a stencil artist it’s hard not to mention Banksy. Lots of stencil artists are reluctant to admit that Banksy had an influence on them at the risk of sounding like stale copy cats. That’s understandable but I’d rather be honest and admit that Banksy had a major role in my decision to pick up a can. The guy makes it look so easy again and again and the least he deserves is homage from newbie stencil artists.
BSA
Brooklyn Street Art:Why do you think Street Art is important and relevant in today’s art world? Vango: It’s there for everyone to see, like it or not. It demands to be noticed and as you can tell it’s succeeding. You can be on a train, walking to work or driving home and see art that’s just as thought provoking as art you have to go out of your way to find. I think that ‘s important because nobody seems to have time anymore. If you have a job and a favorite TV show, your day is spent.
Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Cake, Company, Cozy, Deform Industry, Hugh Leeman, Muffin Man CCB, and a knitted padlock cozy.
We begin this week with three new pieces from Cake:
Continuing her residency at The Fountainhead in conjunction with Primary Flight in Miami, Cake has been introducing marked and subtle changes to her work recently.
About these life-sized characters Cake says, “I have gone into finer detail with the anatomical overtones- highlighting one aspect of the skeletal structure instead of several and honing in on it. My colors are a result of many layers of washes and yes, I am partial to blue shades right now for some reason- I think its because it goes nice with the fluorescent pink fingertips each of these figures have.”
BSA is so freekin lucky to have intelligent and clever friends and readers!
We have outgrown the number of friends we’re allowed on FaceBook so this month of September we are inviting everyone over to LIKE our new, yet-to-be-designed or populated, Fan Page. Come on over! There will be chocolate chip cookies and wheatpaste pudding.
With 60 artists, 73 artworks, over 500 guests, and a happy vibe created by the mad-scientists Sifunk & Garmunkle at music mission control, the Street Art New York Silent Auction Benefit for Free Arts NYC was a huge success.At the end of the night most of the walls were bare, and most of the pieces remaining had been purchased by absentee bidders. With animated conversations, excited bidding, and occasionally rambunctious dancing (Andrew), the night was really an excellent example of how the street art community is alive and well, and how the work of street artists is in demand.
Thank you to Ali and Ad at Factory Fresh for co-hosting the event, thank you to all the volunteers from Free Arts NYC who helped to hang it, pack it, and execute the auction, and special thanks to all the artists who so generously donated their pieces to the event. Also special thanks to all the blog friends (so many!) who wrote about this event and all the people who Tweeted it continuously, as well as the print publications who helped get the word out. We hope to thank you all personally some time, if not via email. Because of your help, the gallery and back yard were jammed with more people than anyone could remember.
Thank you to Reid Harris Cooper for sending us these pictures he took at the crowded party (we threw in a couple crowd shots from the cellphone). Reid actually scored the Blanco piece in the auction. If anyone else has pics from that night we would love to see them.
Participating artists were: Abe Lincoln Jr., Alex Diamond, Anera, Avoid Pi, Billi Kid, Bishop 203, Blanco, BortusK Leer, Broken Crow, C Damage, C215, Cake, Celso, Chris RWK, Chris Stain, Creepy, Dain, Damon Ginandes, Dan Witz, Dark Clouds, Dennis McNett, Elbow Toe, EllisG, FKDL, Gaia, General Howe, GoreB, Hargo, Hellbent, Imminent Disaster, Infinity, Jef Aerosol, Jim Avignon, JMR, Joe Iurato, Jon Burgerman, Keely, Know Hope, Logan Hicks, Mark Carvalho, Matt Siren, Mint and Serf, Miss Bugs, NohJColey, Nomadé, Peru Ana Ana Peru, PMP/Peripheral Media Projects, Poster Boy, Pufferella, Rene Gagnon, Roa, Royce Bannon, Skewville, Specter, Stikman, Swoon, The Dude Company, Tristan Eaton, UR New York (2esae & Ski), Veng RWK
I know, everyone has their own Icelandic Volcanic Ash Story, right?
Well, Miss Bugs just arrived, and we were afraid it wouldn’t make it to the auction on time — and jumpin’ jumbo jets, it’s a high flying winner! Nothing but BLUE SKIES do I see…
You Give $25 to the Red Cross = Billi Gives You a T-Shirt
Since the January 12th earthquake we’ve seen lots of neighbors jump on board to help the people of Haiti.Hell, Lou A. even went there to help in person. (Go Lou!)Brooklyn hurts when Haiti hurts, and it’s been fantabulous to see a lot of artists really put their hearts where their mouth is.
Having a heart for Haiti is one thing, but it’s also important to “walk the walk”, says Street Artist Billi Kid, and you have to agree with him.
We do.That’s why we’re helping him and telling you about this fundraiser.
What's not to love?
The project is called “I HEART HAITI” – seems simple enough, and we’re glad to see that the artist has figured out a way to give 100% of the profits to the people who are hurting.
Brooklyn Street Art: So, how did you conceive of the design for the shirt? Billi Kid: I’ve always been a fan of Milton Glaser’s “I Heart NY” tee. Honestly, it was the first thing that came to mind. The message is simple, yet resonates to the core of how we should feel about Haiti right now.
CC License photo credit: Aash J
Brooklyn Street Art: It seems like it’s really nice quality…. Billi Kid: Alternative Apparel’s tee is of the highest quality and feels like butter. It’s 100% pure Egyptian cotton and retails for $19.95 without the silk screened artwork.
CC License photo credit: Aash J
Brooklyn Street Art: Isn’t it hard to get partners to do the production and shipping for a project like this? Billi Kid: I have to give all of the credit to the Public Works Department. They brought in all of the partners involved. All I did was design and produce the artwork and website. No small feat, but it felt good doing it. One of the great things about unemployment is you have lots of free time. LOL
CC License photo credit: USAID images
Brooklyn Street Art: You are not a major corporation – how did you manage to give 100% of the proceeds to Haiti? Billi Kid: Again, PWD has all of these great relationships with the folks involved. Fortunately, they all wanted to donate to the best of their abilities. The Shirt Factory printed over 12 dozen tees at no cost and pledged to do more if our efforts are successful. I’m sure what we raise is just a drop in the bucket, but every little bit counts.
Brooklyn Street Art:Can you talk about the aid organization you’re working with? Billi Kid: We decided to give all of the donations to the American Red Cross because they seem to be the most legitimate and involved charity out there. Unfortunately, they protect their brand to such a point that they asked us to take their logo off our website. No hard feelings though, we have all heard how people rush to profit from such tragedies. OUCH!
Brooklyn Street Art: People in Haiti are living under a piece of fabric, or plastic. How long do you think they will continue to need help? Billi Kid: I have heard it said that this tragedy was not an act of nature, but rather an act of poverty. It will take decades before we see real progress from this earthquake, let alone their economy.
Brooklyn Street Art:Anything else we should mention? Billi Kid: I have to give a shout out to BSA. I Heart BSA!!!
Culminating weeks of prep, “Mutual Discrepancy” goes up, with both artists feeling good about street art in the new year.
(SEE Nicolas Heller Film of the installation at End of this Posting)
On Friday two young and hungry New York Street Artists combined their artistry, critical intellects, and kinetic energy (and questionable dancing skills) to help define street art for a new generation on the cusp of the 2010’s.
In an age of shifting definitions in the art world,the Street Art world, and, well, the whole freakin’ modern world,you can take heart to know that the kids still know how to have fun, and some of them are willing to work their butts off in pursuit of a vision.
On a 30 foot by 8 foot luhan-wood billboard in Brooklyn, Gaia and NohJColey brought their A Game to the street and auspiciously stretched the definition of wheat-pasted smart-aleck wall-wrecking.
The wall is curated by Brooklyn Street Art for Espeis Outside Gallery.
Both New Yorkers, they communicated since Thanksgiving via email while Gaia was in school in Baltimore. They traded sketches, ideas, pictures, opinions – and when Gaia’s winter vacation started, they hung out at each other’s studios and kitchen tables planning the collaboration. Both guys had labored over their hand drawn and hand painted pieces for few weeks, so when it was game day, it really felt more like graduation.
It was cold on the street yesterday, but no one cared and the mood was celebratory. NohJ even refused to eat because he was too excited to put his work up – eventually he did eat though.
Horsing around and doing bike tricks and break/dip/jerk dancing of course was a periodic pursuit by galloping Gaia so the work got interrupted by Major Lazer and Free Gucci once in a while. We think it was the cup of coffee that pushed him over the edge – you might as well give him a dumptruck of cocaine – the kid was jumping around like a long-tailed-cat in a rocking-chair convention.
Meanwhile, on a totally different wavelength, NohJ was chilling to ear-blasting jazz from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – giving him a valium-nuanced, snappy kind of gait.
Brooklyn Street Art:They really look like animals from over here Gaia:Yeah they don’t look like sh*t when you’re close to them.
Brooklyn Street Art: It looks like you did some mirrored lambs heads. Gaia: Yeah. I did this mural in Baltimore which was a bear head and then a cow head on another wall, and all the kids at the pre-school thought that the bear was either a seal or a dog.
Brooklyn Street Art: I thought that big bear you did looked like a woodchuck. NohJ: I always know what your animals are though.
Brooklyn Street Art:So why did you use this ochre color, usually you use just black and white. Gaia: NohJ and I had talked about something that would tie everything together and make it a little more continuous. I figured I’d just do the color ochre to tie in with the rest of his pieces, so it would make it a little bit more congruous or fluid between the two of us.
Brooklyn Street Art:What’s this additional paint layer you are putting into the background on the wood right now? NohJ: Basically it’s to add dimension. That’s it. Gaia: And texture… NohJ: I mean the wood has texture but.. Gaia: It’s a trope. Brooklyn Street Art: A trope? Gaia: What were we calling it before? Distressed! It’s a distressed trope. It’s a trope of distress. NohJ: I like the border on the far right, it’s getting into the “Sepia Zone”.
Brooklyn Street Art: NohJ, what’s the New York Stock Exchange logo thing on the little screen? NohJ: He’s a stock broker. He’s like totally f**king obsessed with trading stocks. He cares nothing about family. He has a new-born son, he cares nothing about it. He just wants to trade stocks. That’s pretty much what it’s about.
All the added elements, the watches, the hands with the glass of wine and the cell phone, those are what the person is drawn to and pretty much what they care about on a daily basis. Now there is a lamb, a mutated creature in their midst. But they are so caught up with the pristine life that they’re unable to embrace something or someone that is different.
Brooklyn Street Art:Are people going to know what this piece is about? NohJ: Probably not. Brooklyn Street Art: Are you going to try to tell them? NohJ: I think it’s open. Gaia: Well the internet always serves as a wonderful place of clarity
Brooklyn Street Art:Your styles are so different from one another. Do you feel like it was difficult to collaborate on a piece? Gaia: Uh, no, not at all. NohJ: Not really.
Gaia: I actually like when you have collaborations when you have an initial idea and there isn’t too much communication between the two collaborators because then you don’t too much overthink it and it starts to fall apart. You don’t get constipated, you just do your thing. NohJ: I felt a bit constipated, in the beginning. Gaia: I mean it’s always tough to begin something. NohJ: I only felt that way because I’m working with your lamb and I’m like, “What kind of imagery works well with a lamb?” Gaia: That’s interesting because I knew exactly what I was going to do – two lambs. And you had to do a response to that. I don’t know if that’s fair. NohJ: Yeah it’s fair.
Brooklyn Street Art: Well somebody had to start the process. Gaia: Yeah, I guess. I’m just always a little sensitive about collaboration because of school. Brooklyn Street Art:It’s because you’re a sensitive fella. Gaia: I don’t know, I try to be. It’s my….it’s how I get girls. NohJ: Oh that’s how you do it. Gaia: That’s how I do it. NohJ: Ahhhhhh, maybe I should. Gaia: No man, you’re always like back in the corner, you’re like the whisperer guy with the girls. NohJ: But that’s sensitive too.
Brooklyn Street Art:Where did you learn all your break dancing skills? Gaia: I can’t break dance, I wish I could break dance. Brooklyn Street Art: What is that dance you just did in front of your piece? Gaia: It’s dipping. Brooklyn Street Art: Dipping! Gaia: It’s like L.A. sh*t. Brooklyn Street Art: It’s like “Baltimore” Dipping? Gaia: Yeah Baltimore Dipping. Brooklyn Street Art: It’s like a dipping sauce dance! Gaia: I wish I could f**king break dance. That would be awesome. I’m gonna learn.
THE FINAL PIECE “Mutual Discrepancy” by NohJColey and Gaia
Brooklyn Street Art:Uh-Oh, here comes NohJ with a 40 ounce and two cups. Gaia: Oh here it comes, double cups! Brooklyn Street Art: None for me. If I start now I’m in bed by nine. NohJ: I’ve been busting my ass for this. Gaia: You have been.
<<< > >>>>>> <<> <<< > >>>>>> <<>
Here is “Mutual Discrepancy” the short film by Nicolas Heller, a NYC/Boston filmmaker who likes to explore personalities on the street.
An aspiring director, Nicolas worked with Gaia on a short over the summer of 2009 and is in the process of doing a documentary on him. You can a short video he did of Gaia and see some of his other film work at NicolasHeller.com. Many thanks to Nick for his skillz.
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
