Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada: Somos La Luz (We Are The Light) 2. Vegan Flava: Migration In The Anthropocene 3. “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock – Diner Scene
BSA Special Feature: Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada: Somos La Luz (We Are The Light)
“This project is very personal to me. I have lost friends due to Covid 19. During the process of creating this portrait, I was able to meet Dr.Decoo´s family. I saw firsthand their immense sorrow for his loss. His life faded away just as the portrait I created was meant to fade away. Too many frontline workers are in danger of fading away. We must realize that this is in part due to the reality of institutional racism. I have seen the effects of poverty and marginalization. We must come together to address this reality.” – JRG
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada: Somos La Luz (We Are The Light)
Vegan Flava: Migration In The Anthropocene
Maybe its because this weekend is Halloween but this promo video for street artist/land artist Vegan Flava may bring to mind another movie from this time of year.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. CURA 2020 – Daiara Tukano, Lídia Viber, Diego Mouro e Robinho Santana. 2. CURA 2020 / Jaider Esbell “Entidades” 3. CURA 2018 / HYURO
BSA Special Feature: CURA and their 5th Festival in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
A community powered consortium of public, private and corporate interests have been sponsoring the CURA festival in Belo Horizonte since 2017, producing some of the most massive murals you will see in festivals around the world. It is an interesting mix of local and international artists, many with social messages. Additionally they produce small workshops and panels, and sometimes large parties for attendees.
Today just a taste of the artists from CURA
CURA 2020 – Daiara Tukano, Lídia Viber, Diego Mouro e Robinho Santana.
CURA 2020 / Jaider Esbell “Entidades”
Are they kissing? This 17 meter installation features two serpentine creatures adorning the bridge here with “Entidades” CURA says that “Jaider Esbell is the first indigenous artist to present a sculpture in a public art festival”.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. PAREES FEST 2020 / Manolo Mesa / Video by Titi Muñoz. Homage to the porcelain factory of San Claudio 2. Traz by Stéphane_Koyama-Meyer: Global Warning – Mobiles 3. Cosplay for Pets? Cospets!
BSA Special Feature: Manolo Mesa and His Homage to a Porcelain Factory in San Claudio
With his new mural dedicated to the pottery of San Claudio, Manolo Mesa finds time for the forgotten stories that are hosted within the family china. A most unusual topic to feature at a mural festival, he brings the unique perspective of our relationship with the quotidian and elevates it to a public discussion here in Oviedo, Asturias for Parees Festival.
The video tells
it with insight, letting you observe the artist at work, following his body
language as he shoots his source images tells you all you need to know. He had
wanted to paint this topic since got to see an abandoned pottery factory in San
Claudio; deeply impacted by its ruins, its molds – like the pyramids.
Traveling here from Bilbao, Manolo arrived in Oviedo a few days early to educate himself about regional history through various collections of tableware in houses in this city.
He learned that the pottery factor had provided many jobs throughout this region with its molds, glazes, tracings, and hand-painted decorations in a time when popular painters from the area were counted on to represent in very collections. He found postwar pieces that were inherited and preserved and he saw the tableware of a lifetime preserved from the middle of the century.
The resulting mural speaks to our knowledge of our own everyday objects, their provenance, and their true significance in the culture.
PAREES FEST 2020 / Manolo Mesa / Video by Titi Muñoz. Homage to the porcelain factory of San Claudio
Traz by Stéphane_Koyama-Meyer: Global Warning – Mobiles
Not quite as common as aerosol and wheatpastes and stencils, the smartly placed sculpture on the street can leave a lasting impression. Somehow, even though they can be just as illegal as other works of street art, these pieces are often afforded a wider berth in the patience of the public and law enforcement, as if their extended permanence makes them somehow not vandalism. Maybe it’s the sense of commitment and the sheer physical effort required to create. Here is a closeup on the work process of text-lover Traz- a homemade sort of video without sound that catches him in the creative zone creating and installing his mobiles.
Cosplay for Pets? Cospets!
Undoubtedly you’ve been scratching your head and wondering what kind of costume your dog should wear to that upcoming Halloween party. Here are some outstanding sources of inspiration for theatrical and fashionable costumery for both cats and dogs from the designers who know their muse.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. XENZ – Concrete Jungle 2. Harsa Pati: Parees Fest 2020. Video by Titi Muñoz 3. Manu García ‘El Nolas’: Parees Fest 2020. Video by Titi Muñoz 4. COVITA
BSA Special Feature: XENZ and Hummingbirds in the Concrete Jungle in Oslo
“That’s the ethos of graffiti, I think,” says the British artist Xenz as he talks about his new project in Oslo, “You’ve got to have your own identity and push your own style, really.”
The new video from James Finucane and Street Art Oslo lets the artist speak about his process and his philosophy. He got into graffiti not out of murderous feelings of rebellion, necessarily, but rather an appreciation of possibility, and maybe even an attitude of celebration.
“It was
about decorating these derelict warehouses – making them beautiful.”
“I’m trying to do something that is ironically pretty. Not quite twee,” he says as he answers the unasked questions that hardened graffiti writers may have when a fellow writer diverges from the typical activities that may define the modern archetype of a rebellious vandal who could care less about society.
“A hummingbird flying? – they’re like the most amazing things if you’ve ever seen one. It’s like ‘Let’s do that, instead of writing my name everywhere’,” he says.
So the sentiment is in alignment with how he describes a new public project with concrete columns in a margin of activity that most don’t consider a destination, only a through-point. Xenz says he chose a theme of nature reasserting itself to overtake the industry of humans. We all know that in the end, its nature will win, long after we destroy ourselves.
And did he like the experience of bringing his inside work outside? “It was a pleasure really – to have the opportunity to do what you do, there.”
XENZ – Concrete Jungle
Harsa Pati: Parees Fest 2020. Video by Titi Muñoz
Manu García ‘El Nolas’: Parees Fest 2020. Video by Titi Muñoz
COVITA
With apologies to Evita; HUMOR OR IN THIS CASE SATIRE OFTEN IS THE BEST ANTIDOTE…
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. “Martha Cooper : Taking Pictures” Opening Night in Berlin at UN 2. Behind the Scenes home video from Nika Kramer
BSA Special Feature: “Martha Cooper : Taking Pictures” Opening Night in Berlin at UN
The exhibition is open!
Our sincere gratitude to Martha Cooper and all of the team who worked so hard to make this event happen at Urban Nation Museum (UN) in Berlin during this difficult year of Covid. We will thank them more in detail soon, but for now please enjoy the official LiveStream of “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures”, directed by René Kaestner and his A-1 team at Red Tower Films, along with our eloquent hosts, Mick La Rock (Aileen Middel) and Falk Schacht .
“Martha Cooper : Taking Pictures” Opening Night in Berlin at UN. Behind the scenes footage via Nika Kramer
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Doug Gillen/Fifth Wall TV: Is New Brighton a future model for the British Sea Side Town? 2. Lidia Cao. Tribute to Dolores Medio. Parees Fest 2020 3. INDECLINE: On Second Thought. A reflection on gun violence in collaboration with artist David Fay.
BSA Special Feature: Visit a Sea Side Town with Doug Gillen
You can’t really send out a gilded invitation to your cousin Gentrification to come visit and be surprised when his emotionally draining wife and video-game playing snot-nosed kids are in the car with him. When you use words like “platform” to describe art-washing of a town, and your organization has a “brand director”, there won’t be much surprise when the moneyed professionals complain that music at the curated-bar across the street is keeping their new baby awake at night.
Doug at Fifth Wall is more surreptitiously stealthy than ever, gradually upping his stealthy-stealthitude as he lets this story basically tell itself while posing as a merely curious art-fan.
The story is literally everywhere you look right now, and apolitical, non-confrontational Street Art and murals are almost always intercedent. A small town is sucked dry after decades of neo-liberal economics and back-room political deals, leaving a godless lot feeling listless and depressed without prospects for the future. Broad strokes, but you’ve undoubtedly heard the concept proffered by real estate investors that comes next.
“Yes there’s a commercial side to it but there is also very much a community element to what we’ve been doing,” says one male voice as the camera scans some run-down architecture with good bones and historical character. They’ve been buying up properties and “introducing a new independent concept into them”.
You predict what comes in this chapter; small portions of fussy food, art galleries, street art, vinyl!, kooky cafes with drip coffee and cold brew, clever grandma-anti-fashion fashion, artisanal cheeses, greater police presence and the occasional night-time social cleansing of hardscrabble types pushed into other neighborhoods.
Next step, edgy
lifestyle brands will need some quirky space to set up shop.
“We’re
trying to keep the big boys out of our little part of town.”
“2020 is a year calling out for change,” says Doug in his wrap-up, but he knows this particular model is not at all new. It’s still a reaction to the devastation, and we all seem to be trapped in it. Even so, this can be a kind of rejuvenation that many small towns would ache for and there is reason to think that the formula can be configured to be more just to those who will get displaced – if you’re dedicated to it.
And your cousin Gentrification could be cool to hang out with, even if his very classy wife gently insults your wife and the décor of your home and the food you eat and the music you listen to.
Doug Gillen/Fifth Wall TV: Is New Brighton a future model for the British Sea Side Town?
Lidia Cao. Tribute to Dolores Medio. Parees Fest 2020
Lidia Cao paints a portrait of Dolores Medio, the Spanish writer, teacher, and journalist for the Parees Festival in Spain in this short video by Titi Muñoz.
INDECLINE: On Second Thought. A reflection on gun violence in collaboration with artist David Fay.
600 decommissioned weapons were
combed over and refashioned by Las Vegas based artist David Fay into this
semi-kinectic sculpture that recalls Rodin’s “The Thinker”. In an America that
is fascinated by weapons, at least in movies and television, this sculpture may
make people think, or not.
From their press release: “The
piece stands just over 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds. It took
David Fay 4 months and over 750 man-hours to complete the piece.”
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Wall Writers
BSA Special Feature: Wall Writers
Wall Writers: Graffiti in its innocence. Directed by Roger Gatsman and narrated by John Waters is a documentary accompanied by a book with an introduction by Barry McGee. The film was released in 2016. Redbull is streaming the full film on their website now. For those interested in the birth of graffiti and wish to know more about the pioneers writers such as Taki 186, Cornbread, Snake 1 and, many more legends this is a perfect weekend treat.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Esteban del Valle – The End is Near 2. NADIA VADORI-GAUTHIER: Une minute de danse par jour – September 2020.
BSA Special Feature: Esteban del Valle
An excerpt from Esteban del Valle’s artist talk for The Fine Arts Work Center Summer 2020 Virtual Event, where he discussed his work in an upcoming solo exhibition “The End is Near” at Albert Merola Gallery Sept 4 – 24, 2020.
Une Minue de Danse in 2020
LET’S DANCE! Your interpretation is welcomed.
It’s good to see that Nadia Vadori-Gauthier is still innovating on the street. BSA has featured her work many times in the last half-decade, and we admire her tenacity. With more than 2066 daily dances, the French performer has been dancing every day for at least one minute since January 14, 2015.
She often stages her performances in Paris in public spaces. Before Covid-19 she had the freedom to interact with the public and immerse herself within the context of the public space. Below we share with you some of her most recent performances.
NADIA VADORI-GAUTHIER: Une minute de danse par jour / September 7 2020.
NADIA VADORI-GAUTHIER: Une minute de danse par jour / September 3 2020.
NADIA VADORI-GAUTHIER: Une minute de danse par jour / August 23 2020.
NADIA VADORI-GAUTHIER: Une minute de danse par jour / July 3 2020
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Back to Skool with Professor Sofles
BSA Special Feature: Back to Skool with Professor Sofles Wielding the Cans
Well its back to school time of the year, kids, and COVID-19 is complicating everybody’s plans this year. But we can still learn something, right? Did you bring an apple to class to give to Mr. Sofles?
Today we are going to have a Sofles Master Class: 7 brief but potent videos with the Australian renaissance man and graffiti master Sofles, who shares insightful tips and on-point techniques for executing a specific piece or how to mix colors, how to do an outline, how to mix graffiti elements in a realistic portrait. We want to see everybody here in the front row, no stragglers in the back. And wear your mask please, because you’re smart.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Plain Brutality Again: Jacob Blake. 2. INDECLINE: Get Dead – Pepper Spray 3. Shepard Fairey: Arts Vote 2020
BSA Special Feature: Plain Brutality Again: Jacob Blake
The violence against black people continues. The latest shooting of a black American citizen by the police took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin where a police officer shot Jacob Blake on Sunday.
Mr. Blake, a father, a son, a brother, and uncle, was shot seven times by the police as he leaned into the driver’s seat of his car resulting in Mr. Blake being paralyzed and unable to walk and under intensive care at the hospital. Yet he is being handcuffed to his bed. Mr. Blake was not carrying a weapon.
Are we only to add his name to the endless list of black and brown people brutalized and killed? Here we post a recent short film that examines this moment in American history as well as through the lens of system racism.
Voices from the Black Lives Matters Protests ( A short film) Vanity Fair
INDECLINE: Get Dead – Pepper Spray
An amalgam of blinding rage and graffiti, anti-authoritarian self-destructive vandalism melded into a demand for the end of state-sponsored violence played out to a raspy-voiced tirade and gutter-crunch guitars and drums. Many of society’s contradictions are here on display for all to see.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. Indecline “The Art of Protest” Trailer
BSA Special Feature: Indecline “The Art of Protest” Trailer
Directed by Colin M. Day (“Saving Banksy”) and produced by INDECLINE, the film is an inspirational call to action, featuring the worlds leading activist artists and musicians, assembled for the first time to discuss what some consider to be the vital importance of resistance art in the era of Donald J. Trump.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening : 1. From the Archives: Keith Haring 2. Friday Night, August 14th – From Funkadelic 3. One Thousand Stories / The Making of a Mural / A Project by JR
BSA Special Feature: From the Archives: Keith Haring
Why are we thinking about street artist Keith Haring so often right now? Possibly because we are remembering how he used his art practice to talk about crisis on his doorstep, and took risks to get his work out, and we are seeing more artists stepping up to that challenge on the street today.
When we think about this pandemic and the ways in which the artistic community has swiftly and forcefully responded to illustrate with their art the general mood, the ethos, the official response from our political leaders, the health providers unequivocal rush to action to save lives, the scientific community pushing to guide us during this still ongoing crisis, the dissemination of information and misinformation on social media, and the decisive actions from the mainstream media to educate the public on the pandemic one New York City artist comes to mind.
Keith Haring. He used his art to talk about Apartheid in South Africa, the crack epidemic, and the scourge of AIDS, a disease that took his life in 1990. We wonder what he will be doing on the streets if he were still alive. He’d be 62 now, still an age where he’d have the creative energy imbued with wisdom and experience. Below we share with you a vintage reel of him getting up on the NYC Subway.
As you watch this video for a mass TV audience under the guise of kooky kuriosity, it also crosses your mind that the police handle him with kid gloves – they don’t tackle him and slam him on the ground. Would his fate have been the same if he were black? And the reporter follows him around like a curious puppy, in awe of his escapades, intoning that vandalism is cute when its done by white guys from Pennsylvania who sell canvasses in Soho. There is so much we can learn from archived footage like this.
So you know what tonight is, right?
One Thousand Stories / The Making of a Mural / A Project by JR
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
