All posts tagged: Dan Witz

Dan Witz’ Mind: A Cabinet of Natural and Unatural Curiosities

June 30, 2011 Artists, Book Review, Brooklyn, Events, Features, Gallery, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street, Opening

Anyone on the subway this morning knows what it is like to be mashed together with strangers and attitudes, a roiling mass of boobs and butts and sunglasses on the forehead, Rhiannon on the headphones next to you on the right, death metal on your left, and your upper arm is not as strong as you thought while you grab for something on the ceiling to hold onto. It’s a half sleeping mosh pit of commuters, with people who have just applied nice smelling things, but this ladies bag is still jammed into your back while you are pressing your already wrinkled summer pants against a messengers bike. Here’s an opportunity right in front of me; Might as well smash the lights and crank up the metal and have some Subwaypalooza, people! Or just go see the new Dan Witz show at Jonathan Levine Gallery tonight, that’ll be fun too.

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn based Street Artist and fine artist Dan Witz has been making art “In Plain View” as he likes to say it, for over 30 years. Throughout his prolific career he has been fearless in his exploration of art and the subjects that he likes to approach. He can paint beautiful photo-realistic canvases of still life scenes and humans in motion with the same ease as murky tormented scenes behind grimy windows and fragile and ethereal humming birds in flight or a lone tiny skate boarder gliding across a rusted metal wall. Pairing his study of light, his classically trained technique, and an enduring punk rock attitude, Witz’s body of work often takes it where you haven’t gone, and might be afraid to.

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. Witz’s new book, “In Plain View”, shows how in a span of 30 years he has pushed psychological limits with triggers in your periphery, a pursuit of interactive art with prickly engaging relevance in the public, if the public slows down and sees it. A storyteller out in the open, you’ll stop dead in your tracks when Witz hits you, commanding you to stay there until you can figure out what the hell that is, and ponder why is it there. What’s the story behind this faux door with two humans passionately kissing in the dark? Or this figure behind the wire crossed window; is she in pain? Is he dead? Is this real?

Dan’s solo show “Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise” is opening tonight at the Jonathan Levine Gallery.

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” This is the limited edition version of the book with a hand painted cover (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz Detail of his piece for this year Welling Court. You can see the full piece here (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Street installation from 2009 (still there in plain view) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise” at the Jonathan Levine Gallery (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Opening Reception June 30, 2011
6 to 8 pm

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10011

212-243-3822

Buxtons Bring “Welling Court 2” to Queens, Artists and Scooters in Tow

June 28, 2011 Artists, Events, Features, NYC, On the Street, Performance, Queens

Street Art in the Community, Creating Community. Again.

John Ahearn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ad Hoc Art “brought it” for the second year to Queens and at Welling Court with a collection of Street Artists and local families hanging out and painting the neighborhood. The tireless Alison and Garrison Buxton invited 40 or 50 of their closest friends with aerosol to take part over a two day period to transform the atmosphere in this neighborhood which doesn’t get much attention. The lineup includes artists who are pioneers in the graffiti and Street Art game who create alongside emerging talent. The styles vary, but the sentiments of connectedness and community are consistent throughout.

John Ahearn with his assistant Kevin with his friend and model Karlee, daughter of his good friend Otto. Karlee and Otto posed for the sculpture to the right. John had planned a live casting with Karlee later in the day but we couldn’t stay to witness it. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leon Reid installing his sculpture (photo © Jaime Rojo)

In this extensive collection of photos BSA gives you artists hard at work and hard at play with a little help from their friends. A traditional community mural format where everyone has their own slab to cover in their own style, Welling Court also engages the kids in the neighborhood, who frequently get to try their hand at painting or otherwise assisting the artists.

Leon Reid (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The day’s proceedings are part plastic art and part performance art as the artists often stop painting to interact with fans, inquisitors, Street Art aficionados and their fellow artists. Its part summer camp and part family reunion with the neighbors getting out the BBQ grill and setting up tables in the street while artists from around the globe are reconnecting and telling long tales and kids on scooters and skateboards weave in and out of the clusters of cans everywhere. With the abundance of homemade food and a variety of music playing at high volume the streets are alive and there’s nothing else you’d want to do on day like this.

Debuting a new secret doorway, Mr. Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Ahearn is a pioneer in the area of public art known for making sculptures with local people posing as models. His technique of live casting requires the model to sit while John creates a cast of them in plaster. As far back as the mid 1970s Mr. Ahearn’s tributes to his neighbors have been seen affixed to many walls throughout the Bronx. Sited as an important part of the development of the Street Art scene Ahearn’s work has also traveled to private collections of prominent and noted art collectors and art institutions.

Brooklyn Street Art spoke with Mr. Ahearn and asked him about participating in this open venue and how he felt doing his live casting in Queens. He responded with excitement about the word “live”.

“You used the word very properly. I feel alive today. I feel alive and I just turned 60 two weeks ago and I feel this is where my roots are. Right in the sidewalk, doing casting, particularly aimed at little children. We are going to do a piece that involves a child. She is a friend of mine from way back and we are expecting to have a crowd of kids here and it is going to be fun,” said Ahearn.

Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss bring a fanstastical and folksy humor to this very urban setting. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hmmmm, wonder who lives here. Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Deeks and El Celso sing a stunning duet. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Kamino and Alice Mizrachi murals in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alice Mizrachi at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Always good to get a new view; El Kamino listens to a live critique of his work by local observers. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Kamino at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in a tight spot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fumero at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JMR on the left and The Wretched Rapture Crew: Dave Loewenstein, Ashley Jane Laird and Cecilia Ross-Gotta (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly almost completed mural with Chor Boogie to the right (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly’s original sketch. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ani, Too Fly’s friend helping out with a little pink. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam at work on a very large roach. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam’s roach doesn’t make Too Fly too happy. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris Stain and Billy Mode mural in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris Stain and Billy Mode detail shot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jesse Jones to the left and Sinned to the right at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jordan Seiler at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Katie Yamasaki and Caleb Neelon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lady Pink at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pablo Power at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R. Robots and Victor collaborating on a piece on Victor’s house. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The original inspiration for R.Robots and Victor. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Royce Bannon and Matt Siren collab in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Royce Bannon and Russell King (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK mural in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fun Friday 06.24.11

June 24, 2011 Artists, Brooklyn, BSA Giveaway, Chicago, Events, France, Gallery, L.A., London, NYC, On the Street, Opening, Paris, Queens, Venice Beach

AD HOC ART – Welling Court Community Street Art Celebration Saturday (Queens)

AdHoc Arts returns to Queens this year to Welling Court where Street Artists and the locals mix it up with music, local and homemade food and artists painting live. Bring your camera and bring a plate of cookies too. Sharing is caring.

Sam and Veng’s last year wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The project transforms several city blocks into a 24/7 street-level gallery, bringing art from around the world directly to the heart of this community. Renowned artists with deep roots in the street movement have created site-specific works for this project and many will showcase various creative sundries for your perusal. This new array of visual experiences provides fresh contexts for how people working, visiting, and living in this diverse cultural gem of Queens think about and interact with their environment.

Artists include: Alice Mizrachi, Alison Buxton, Beau Stanton, Bunnie Reiss, Caleb Neelon, Chris Mendoza, Chris Stain, Celso, Cern, Cey Adams, Chor Boogie, CR, Cycle, Dan Witz, Darkclouds, Don Leicht, Ellis Gallagher, Ezra Li Eismont, Free5, Garrison Buxton, Greg Lamarche, Jesse Jones, JMR, Joe Iurato, John Ahearn, John Fekner, Jordan Seiler, Katie Yamasaki, Lady Pink, Leon Reid, Matt Siren, Michael De Feo, Michael Fumero, MIMEO, Mr. Kiji, Neko, Nuria, OverUnder, Pablo Power, R. Nicholas Kuszyk, ROA, Ron English, Royce Bannon, Sinned, Sofia Maldonado, TooFly, Tristan Eaton, Veng RWK, Zam.

WHERE: 11-98 Welling Court {@ 30th Ave & 12th Street}, Astoria, Queens 11102
WHEN: Saturday, June 25th, 2011 from noon until 9pm.

Click on the link below for more information regarding this event:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21916

Faile Pop Up Show and New Print (Venice, LA)

Right across the street where they’ll be debuting a new piece with BSA in August for “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, the Brooklyn Street Art Collective Faile is presenting this pop up print show this weekend in Venice, Los Angeles. Tonight at the opening they’ll release a new print too.

“The show will feature a variety of works on paper over the last 12 years. A broad range of new and old prints and original works on paper. There are a variety of new pieces and a few surprises made for the show, including a new collection of works entitled Vintage Book Covers highlighting classic pieces from over the years” – Faile

Worth Something Gold
Edition of 50
Acrylic and Hand Pressed Gold Foil on Coventry Rag 335 gsm
35.75in. x 29in. (90 x 73cm)
Signed, Stamped & Numbered
Faile 2011

Opening Reception: June 24, 2011 (7 – 10pm)
Exhibition Runs: June 24 – July 24, 2011

POST NO BILLS
1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice Beach, CA 90291
310.399.2928

Click below for more information regarding this show:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21965

Brooklyn’s Own Clown Soldier Flies Solo (Chicago)

One of the new clowns out there today is having a solo show of his fine art and some new interpretations of his Street Art funboys as well. With wit and a method to his absurdity, these new works give insight to the solid study he’s actually been doing for years.

Chicago at Pawn Works Gallery, Clown Soldier is “The Human Cannonball”

Pawn Works
1050 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60622
www.pawnworkschicago.com

Click on the link below for more information about this show:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21777

If you are in LA in August you can also see Clown Soldier at BSA’s show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”.

Specter presents “Things Change” (Paris)

His new show in Paris at the Since-Upian Gallery is accompanied by some new work on the street – much of it inspired by Brooklyn streets. See brand new photos tomorrow on BSA.

Specter’s brand new work for this show. Image © Specter exclusive for BSA

211 rue Saint-Maur 75010 Paris
T: 00 33 (0) 1 53 19 70 03 / T: 00 33 (0) 1 53 19 75 29
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 14h to 19h

Click on the link below for more information about this show:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21808

If you are in LA in August you can also see Specter at BSA’s show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”.

Miss Bugs “Parlour” in Bed Stuy

Brooklynite Gallery welcomes the start of the summer with “Parlour” a sexy show Saturday Night. Also DJ Mayonaise Hands will be there with a camera and mike for insightful interviews and scintillating observations. Dress your rockinist cause you know the Bedstuy peeps are always in top form at this gem.

Miss Bugs. Detail of the new print “Eyes Glanced” (photo courtesy of the gallery)

“PARLOUR”
MISS BUGS
June 25 – JULY 16
Opening Night: Saturday, June 25, 7-10pm
MUSICAL GUEST: Hank Shocklee [Bomb Squad]

BROOKLYNTE 334 Malcom X BLVD

Brooklyn, NY 11233

Click on the link below for more information about this show:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21691

If you are in LA in August you can also see Miss Bugs at BSA’s show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”.

Jon Burgerman Doodles on a Car in Brooklyn (VIDEO)

Last weekend for the CresFest and NorthSide Open Studios artist Jon Burgerman was invited by Brooklyn Street Art to paint on a car. We forgot to tell him to get dressed first. Little details like that escape him.

Video by µ-Ziq Theme by µ-Ziq.

K-Guy Print Release “Primate Pontificate”

London based artist K-Guy will be releasing a print on July 1st of his “Primate Pontificate” commentary on the state of affairs of the Catholic Church and their perceived hypocrisy on some relevant topics. He introduced this piece on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI most recent visit to England last year and we found some of these same primates on the streets of NYC in the fall. Funny to see them get released as prints.

K-Guy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Primate Pontificate’ comes in 4 different colorways – Deep Red, Royal Blue, Black and Regal Purple.

For more details go to http://www.k-guy.co.uk/

Ad Hoc Arts Presents: Welling Court 2011 (Queens, NY)

June 14, 2011 Art Fair, Artists, Events, NYC, On the Street, Queens

Wellng Court

Chris Stain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jonathan Levine Gallery Presents: Dan Witz: “Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise” (Manhattan, NY)

June 14, 2011 Artists, Events, Gallery, Manhattan, NYC, Opening

Dan Witz

Dan Witz. Image © Courtesy of the Artist

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10011

212-243-3822

HOURS
Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm

Carmichael Gallery Presents: “Playing Field” (Culver City,CA)

June 9, 2011 Artists, California, Culver City, Events, Gallery, Opening

Swoon

Featuring original works from Banksy, Faile,
Shepard Fairey, Sixeart, Os Gêmeos, Mark Jenkins, JR, KAWS, Barry McGee, José Parlá, Judith Supine, Swoon, Titi Freak, Dan Witz

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 18, 2011

6 – 9pm

You must RSVP to rsvp at carmichaelgallery dot com

Carmichael Gallery
5795 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
USA

The exhibition will run through July 9, 2011

Carmichael Gallery is pleased to announce Playing Field, an exhibition of artwork from the collections of our collectors. Playing Field features original work from some of the best street artists around the world, including leading figures of the movement represented at the current Art In The Streets exhibition at MOCA Los Angeles.

No other group of artists has so polarized the contemporary art world in recent years. Street artists are loved and hated, tolerated and excluded, yet no one can deny the impact they have had on art in the 21st century. The success of artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey has transformed what was once a small underground movement into mainstream popular culture.

Playing Field brings together a selection of important works from the past 10 years, many of which have never before been exhibited in Los Angeles.

The gallery is still accepting submissions for consignments. Original work from the above artists only.

There will be an opening reception for Playing Field on Saturday, June 18 from 6 to 9pm. The exhibition will run through July 9, 2011.

BSA Presents “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories”

May 16, 2011 Artists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2011

Brooklyn Street Art Presents Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories in collaboration with ThinkSpace Gallery, an art show to exhibit at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice (LA), California on Friday, August 12, 2011.

Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories heralds the new highly individual character of stories being told on the streets of New York by brand new and established Street Artists from all over the world. Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo, founders of BrooklynStreetArt.com focus on this flashpoint in modern Street Art evolution by curating a strongly eclectic story-driven gallery show with 39 of the best storytellers hitting the streets of New York.

Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories, the gallery show, accompanied by an LA street wall series by selected artists and a public panel lecture and discussion, intends to stake out the New Guard in street art while recognizing some powerful near-legendary forerunners.

The mainly New York lineup exhibits talent from other parts of the US and internationally (Australia, France, UK, Canada, Israel, Germany) and it is as steely, idiosyncratic and storied as the New York scene itself, including Anthony Lister, Adam Void, Broken Crow, C215, Cake, Chris Stain, Clown Soldier, Creepy, Dan Witz, El Sol 25, Ema, Faile, Futura, Gaia, Gilf!, Hargo, Hellbent, How & Nosm, Imminent Disaster, Indigo, Judith Supine, Kid Acne, Know Hope, Ludo, Mark Carvalho, Miss Bugs, Nick Walker, NohJColey, Over Under, Radical!, Rene Gagnon, Skewville, Specter, Sweet Toof, Swoon, Tip Toe, Troy Lovegates AKA Other, Various & Gould, and White Cocoa.

The staunch individualists in Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories give voice to the evolution of the Graffiti, Mash-Up, and D.I.Y. movements that birthed them; creating an eccentric, highly individual, and raucous visual experience on the street. With widely varied backgrounds, techniques, and materials at play, “The Story” is the story. With truths as diverse and difficult as the city itself, each one of these artists is a part of a fierce, raw, new storytelling tradition that is evolving daily before our eyes.

Show Name: Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories
Location: C.A.V.E. Gallery, 1108 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, California 90291
Date: Opening reception Friday August 12, 2011
Duration: August 12 – September 4, 2011.
Online Press Release: http://mim.io/692a11
Contact: Info@BrooklynStreetArt.com

Presented by Brooklyn Street Art in collaboration with ThinkSpace and C.A.V.E
Curated by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo of BrooklynStreetArt.com

Brooklyn Street Art is proud to collaborate with ThinkSpace Gallery and C.A.V.E. Gallery. Please note that the show will be at C.A.V.E. Gallery. Thank you.

Thinkspace Art Gallery www.thinkspacegallery.com
6009 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232 (310) 558-3375
Wed – Fri 1PM-6PM Sat 1PM-8PM contact@thinkspacegallery.com

C.A.V.E. Gallery (location of the show) www.cavegallery.net
1108 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice CA 90291, (310) 450-6560
Wed – Sun 12PM-6PM or by appointment info@cavegallery.net

Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo are founders of BrooklynStreetArt.com and co-authors of Brooklyn Street Art and Street Art New York, both by Prestel Publishing (Random House). Harrington and Rojo are also contributing writers on street art for The Huffington Post.

White Walls Gallery Presents Dan Witz New Works: What The %&#@? (WTF) (San Francisco, CA)

January 7, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, Opening, San Francisco

Dan Witz

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 08, 2011

Exhibition Dates: January 08 –February 05, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- October 24, 2010 –White Walls is pleased to present What The %$#@? (WTF), an exhibition by prolific Brooklyn-based artist, Dan Witz. The WTF exhibition will be showcasing the artist’s Dark Doings series, both inside the gallery as well as on the streets of San Francisco. Witz is known for using his mastery of the visual deception of trompe-l’oeil and photorealistic painting techniques to create conceptual visual pranks, producing a definitive and unparalleled street art practice. The artist’s debut San Francisco solo show will be comprised of approximately 30 mixed and digital media works in custom framing hand-created by the artist. The opening reception for What The %$#@? (WTF) will be held at White Walls on January 08, 2011 from 7-11 PM. The exhibit will be on display through February 05, 2011 and is free and open to the public.

Dan Witz’s integrity in expressing beauty through subversion and an enduring interest in realism has sustained the artist a copious 30-year career. Known for his hyper-realistic paintings, Witz challenges himself to keep representational painting relevant in the postmodern era and digital age. This challenge commands that the artist must continually grow and experiment in his art practice which has contributed to him being cited as one of the most progressive and influential painters of our time. Witz’s paintings are meticulous studies of light and it is through these subtleties of light that a sense of spatial dimension takes form. The presence of light becomes more delicate as it illuminates Witz’s subjects of quiet nightscapes and interiors and in stark contrast to his scenes of ominous mosh pits and animal frenzies. The artist’s career as a classical painter has risen while simultaneously championing an original take on street art. His street pieces surpass mere visual messages; rather they are witty puns and conceptual pranks that he integrates into urban environments. A master of the visual deception of trompe-l’oeil, Witz ironically provokes his viewers by placing shockingly unnoticeable art on city walls.

I’m trying to exploit our collective tendency towards sleepwalking by inserting outrageous things right out there in plain view that are also practically invisible. My goal is to make obvious in your face art that 99% of the people who walk by won’t notice. Eventually when they stumble upon one or find out about it I’m hoping they’ll start wondering what else they’ve been missing.

The What The %$#@? (WTF) series is named for the universal reactions it often inspires within the viewer. For this street art project, Witz is installing his Dark Doings pieces on walls beside highway ramps and interchanges–bottleneck locations where traffic backs up and a captive audience develops as cars pass by at low speeds. Dark Doings is made up of digital photo prints with extensive over-painting mounted on plastic and then framed. For each piece that Witz will be showing within the gallery, a corresponding piece will be put up somewhere in the Bay Area. The artworks come in an edition of 6:3 for the street and 3 for other distribution. The street versions are unsigned, but marked with NFFS*. The asterisk indicates (on the back of the piece) *NOT FOR FUCKING SALE.

Dan Witz is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY and has been active as both a street and realist artist since the late 1970’s. He received his BFA from Cooper Union (1981) was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant (1983) as well as a fellowships from the New York Foundation of the Arts (1992 and 2000). Witz has shown nationally with Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Carmichael Gallery, DFN Gallery and internationally with Stolen Space Gallery and Addict Galley. The artist has been featured in several notable publications such as New York Magazine, Public Art Review, The New York Times, The Daily News, Newsday, The New Yorker, Harpers, and Adbusters. His first book, The Birds of Manhattan was published by Skinny Books in 1983. His second book, In Plain View, as well as a calendar, Hummingbirds, 2011, were released in 2010 by Gingko Press.

About White Walls:
White Walls Gallery is the premiere destination for Urban Contemporary art. Residing next door to its sister galleries, the Shooting Gallery, Gallery Three and 941Geary, this 4,000 sq ft space is one of the largest art galleries on the West Coast. Justin Giarla founded the gallery in 2005 with a commitment to furthering the Urban Art movement that stems from Street Art and Graffiti as well as support both established and emerging artists within the genre.

Opening Reception –
Saturday, January 8, 2011 7-11 PM
Show on view until January 1, 2011

Location:
White Walls Gallery
835 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

For More Information:
www.whitewallssf.com

Happy New Year! BSA Highlights of 2010

December 31, 2010 Artists

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.

A very special thanks to Kimberly Brooks and the team at Huffington Post for seeing the value of Street Art and for encouraging us to be a part of the HuffPost Arts coverage in 2010. It has been a great honor and we look forward to more great stuff in ’11.

Specter does “Gentrification Series” © Jaime Rojo

NohJ Coley and Gaia © Jaime Rojo

Jef Aerosol’s tribute to Basquiat © Jaime Rojo

Imminent Disaster © Steven P. Harrington

Fauxreel (photo courtesy the artist)

Chris Stain at Brooklyn Bowl © Jaime Rojo

Various & Gould © Jaime Rojo

Anthony Lister on the street © Jaime Rojo

Trusto Corp was lovin it.

Martha Cooper, Shepard Fairey © Jaime Rojo

BSA’s Auction for Free Arts NYC

Crotched objects began appearing on the street this year. © Jaime Rojo

Interview on the street with Shepard Fairey doing tribute to Martha Cooper
BSA & Street Artists Give to NYC KIDS: A gift of Art and Self-Confidence
With 60 artists, 73 artworks, over 600 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 raised $20K.

See the art from BSA’s Auction on Flickr
Banksy Hits San Francisco
BSA Review; New York preview of Opening of Banky’s “Exit Through the Giftshop” – Review

BSA gets some walls for ROA © Jaime Rojo

Dolk at Brooklynite © Steven P. Harrington

BSA gets Ludo some action “Pretty Malevolence” © Jaime Rojo

The Crest Hardware Art Show © Jaime Rojo

NohJ Coley © Jaime Rojo

The Phun Phactory Reboot in Williamsburg © Steven P. Harrington

Pop Surrealism? Aisle 2. French Realism? – Check the Shovels Art Show in a Hardware Store: If you are not too suspicious or jaded, this may be one of the best shows of the season. (Crest Hardware Store)
Phun Phactory 10 Years Later, a Reunion on The Street
NohJColey Advances The New Guard of Street Art
Street Artist Gaia: An “Urban Romantic” Re-combines History and Myth
Apolo Torres – “Tempestade” in Sao Paulo
New York is a Zoo! Street Art and the Animal Kingdom
Street Artists Faile Talk About the Social & Political
A Visit to Stroke02 Festival in Munich, Germany
“Know Hope” Depicts Conflict in Israel

Sarah Palin by Billi Kid

Nick Walker with BSA in Brooklyn © Jaime Rojo

Judith Supine at “Shred” © Jaime Rojo

“Bienvenidos” campaign

Sure. Photo courtesy Faust

and on the Huffington Post:

10 Best Street Art Moments of the Decade (PHOTOS)

Best Brooklyn Street Art of 2010 (SLIDESHOW)

==========

Brooklyn Street Art: 2010 Year In Images (VIDEO)

December 20, 2010 Artists, Brooklyn, Florida, Manhattan, Miami, NYC, On the Street, Queens

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.

CSM Presents: Dan Witz “With Art Works Illegal And Otherwise During Art Basel Miami 2010” (Miami, Fla)

November 30, 2010 Art Fair, Artists, Events, Gallery, Miami, Opening

Dan Witz

Culture Shock Marketing (CSM) presents:

Dan Witz

The Acclaimed New York Street Artist’s

Exhibition and Book Signing

Cielo on the Bay

7935 East Drive

Harbor Island

North Bay Village, FL 33141

Exhibition: Dec 2nd – 5th, 2010, 11am – 6 pm

Book Signing: December 3rd, 6pm – 8pm

Free and Open to the Public with Free Shuttle Service

NEW YORK, November 30, 2010 – Culture Shock Marketing (CSM) is proud to present acclaimed New York street artist Dan Witz at the MIA | MI CIELO 2010 Fine Art Exposition in concurrence with Art Basel | Miami Beach. Dan will feature a retrospective selection of street art works, sign copies of his limited edition book “In Plain View: 30 Years of Artworks Illegal and Otherwise” and carry out some of his clandestine artistic illegality on the highways and byways of Miami. Signed copies of Witz’s 2011 “Hummingbirds” accordion calendar will be given out to the first 100 guests at the book signing event.

Admission is free and open to the public. Cocktails for the Friday evening book signing reception will be provided by 42BELOW Vodka. A Shuttle service will be provided by the City of North Bay Village with looping stops connecting the Wynwood Arts District, Design District, MIA | MI CIELO and NADA Art Fair throughout the four day expo.

More than just a documentation of Witz’s public artworks, “In Plain View” is a diary of three decades of thoughtful and emotional engagement with the ever evolving surfaces of New York City. Embracing a meticulously disciplined aesthetic inspired by the old masters, Witz has spent the last decades making easel paintings as well as street art, leaving various love letters in plain view on the doorstep of his beloved New York City. Dan Witz is in conversation with both the conventional and street worlds of art. His work is inclusive. It is obsessive. It is acknowledged as an original voice, an inspiration and a catalyst.

Besides obvious craftsmanship, the artwork of Dan Witz evinces a rigorous conceptual framework. This framework not only opens up a dialogue with graffiti and street art which dominate the urban environment but also allows for the retention of clear and open lines with the canon of art history.

About Dan Witz

Since receiving his BFA from Cooper Union, Dan Witz has received a grant from the NEA and two fellowships from the New York Foundation of the Arts. His first book, “The Birds of Manhattan,” was published by Skinny Books in 1983. Solo exhibitions include Semaphore Gallery NY (1985,1986), Clementine Gallery (1996), Stolen Space, London (2007); DFN Gallery NY (2003-5, 6, 7, 8, 10) and Carmichael Gallery, LA (2009). Group exhibitions include: Buying Time: Nourishing Excellence, Sotheby’s NY(2001); and Fifteen, NYFA Fellows at Deutsche Bank, NY (1999). Today Dan lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

More on Dan Witz and his work can be found at his website.

Parking: Cielo on the Bay has generously offered available parking spaces for guest of MIA | MI CIELO with limited spaces. Free street parking is provided by the City of North Bay Village on East Drive just South of the Cileo & Eloquence on the Bay. Additional parking spaces available at Eloquence, the development across from MIA | MI CIELO, for a discounted price.

MIA | MI CIELO will be presented on the 4th floor of the Cielo on the Bay luxury condominium, a high-end residential building. Located on Harbor Island just north of the Art Deco District and the Miami Beach Convention Center, MIA | MI CIELO will transform the Cielo into a destination for contemporary art, performances and events and allow the public, art collectors and enthusiasts visiting Miami to view the increasingly influential contemporary art scene up-close and personal.

Exhibition Hours: Thursday 2nd – Sunday 5th, 11am – 6pm

Dan Witz Book Signing: Friday 3rd, 6pm – 8pm

Cielo Party: Saturday 4th, 7pm – 11pm

For further information on MIA | MI CIELO exhibiting artists and programming please visit www.miamicielo.com.

About CSM
Culture Shock Marketing (CSM) is a New York City-based 21st century media consultancy, focused on serving creative communities. CSM is a valuable strategic partner, energetic and in tune with the innovative markets where art and technology interact. CSM is recognized for strategic and creative approaches to marketing, brand development and positioning in local, digital and global markets. For further information, please visit www.cultureshockmarketing.com.

Dan Witz Preps Special Edition With Dripping Blood

November 22, 2010 Artists, Interview

“The first thing I did of any note was in ’79. The book really went through 2009 but it took an extra year to get it out. So it’s actually 31 years. Don’t tell anyone,” Dan Witz warns as he drips blood red paint gingerly across the front of 120 special edition linen bound copies of his new book. While his small muscular dog Sparky maniacally batters a red rubber toy, repeatedly bashing it on the floor, Dan talks about the today’s book signing and the hummingbirds that gave his career wings.

One of the early practitioners of Street Art as we now know it, Mr. Witz points to his campaign of detailed small paintings of hummingbirds on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as his official start on the street, but reveals that smaller ad hoc projects preceded the avian arts.

“I did these assemblage things along the street where I would just find trash and line it up in little displays and leave them behind. I never really photographed it or thought of it as art really,” says Dan. What kind of trash was it? “Just little weird pieces of plastic or funny kinds of pieces of metal; Sort of urban flotsam. Like things you pick up and say, ‘What’s this weird shiny thing?’ – that kind of stuff.”

The new bound collection by Ginko Press spans the following three decades, where Dan’s punk rebelliousness took a hammer to the intellectual stodginess of his formal art school training before our eyes. Well, maybe not in plain view exactly. Many of his street installations have been hidden just behind your blind spot, wittily, and more recently, uncomfortably. But it’s all here in this collection, even if he feels that his route has been a bit haphazard.

“Everything I do – It’s fun in the beginning and then I figure it out and I hone it down to how I should do it and I hate it. That’s why my work always keeps changing – what I did three years ago doesn’t look like my work now because I figured it out and I couldn’t do it anymore. Like I could not do hummingbirds now because I’ve figured it out. I know how to paint hummingbirds,” he explains.

Is this periodic switching due to his intellectual curiosity being satisfied? “I would put it another way. It’s like my attention span is zero and I just get so restless with whatever I do – which is bad for a career because there’s not a thing to identify with me. A lot of people stick with one kind of thing and I don’t know how they do that but I admire that because it’s very consistent and people know what they are getting.”

Self effacing modesty aside, his mastery of painting and light, combined with an ongoing study of art history and theory, has created a body of work over this time that stands, despite side trips and experimentation.

Brooklyn Street Art: Don’t you think that over a period of time all of your different elements create one story?

Dan Witz: Well that’s what the book is about. If you can stick with it for as long as I have I suppose that’s true. I think when I was a kid and I was doing the hummingbirds I was sort of rebellious, I think it’s part of my being rebellious is not having a ‘package’, not having a brand that is marketable. And I don’t know what the fuck I’m rebelling against anymore. (laughs) It’s just I got set up that way and I just keep doing it. But I’m not doing it on purpose. It is really fun for me. It’s fun to start up something new and get all nervous. Solve the problem, meet the challenge. That’s what keeps me from getting stale.

Brooklyn Street Art: It sounds like it’s a way to keep yourself entertained too because of your self professed short attention span – so it looks like you’ve designed your life right now to keep yourself interested and engaged and entertained.

Dan Witz: Absolutely, the book is a whole new project and a whole new brain-teaser.

Brooklyn Street Art: Are you having fun?

Dan: Yes! And that’s important.

If you are in New York tonight you can meet Dan in person and ask him to sign one of his special edition books.

To read more about Dan Witz book signing of the special, hand painted edition of his book “In Plain View” at the Clic Gallery today go here: http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=15929

To see more of Dan Witz work click here: http://www.danwitz.com/

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.24.24
November 24, 2024
Aunt Marge is on the phone to see if your mom can locate the recipe for the cranberry relish dish …Read More »
“Above Ground” : How Martin Wong Preserved the Underground Soul of Graffiti
November 21, 2024
Museum of the City of New York PresentsAbove Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection In the heart of …Read More »
ELFO: Don’t Use This Wall!
November 19, 2024
Elfo is a graffiti writer and social commentator whose work intentionally sidesteps traditional notions of style or technical lettering. This …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week: 11.17.24
November 17, 2024
Right out of the gate, Pres-elect Trump is telling us that one must destroy the government to save it, just …Read More »
SpY’s “ORB” Lands in Montreal: A Mirror of Street Art’s Evolution
November 14, 2024
SpY, a prominent public artist hailing from Madrid, has unveiled his latest sculptural work titled “ORB” in Montreal’s renowned Place …Read More »
Birch Bark, Rosehips, and a Family Affair: Faring Purth’s New Chapter in Mural Form
November 12, 2024
In her latest mural, Faring Purth delivers a powerful reflection on connection, continuity, and the complexity of evolving relationships—a true …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week: 11.10.24
November 10, 2024
Well, the world ended this week—again. Yet here we are, still standing, and so are you. It turns out Donald …Read More »

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “In Plain View” This is the limited edition version of the book with a hand painted cover (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz Detail of his piece for this year Welling Court. You can see the full piece here (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Street installation from 2009 (still there in plain view) (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz “Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise” at the Jonathan Levine Gallery (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Street Art in the Community, Creating Community. Again.

John Ahearn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Ahearn with his assistant Kevin with his friend and model Karlee, daughter of his good friend Otto. Karlee and Otto posed for the sculpture to the right. John had planned a live casting with Karlee later in the day but we couldn’t stay to witness it. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leon Reid installing his sculpture (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leon Reid (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Debuting a new secret doorway, Mr. Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss bring a fanstastical and folksy humor to this very urban setting. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hmmmm, wonder who lives here. Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ezra Li Eismont and Bunnie Reiss (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Deeks and El Celso sing a stunning duet. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Kamino and Alice Mizrachi murals in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alice Mizrachi at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Always good to get a new view; El Kamino listens to a live critique of his work by local observers. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Kamino at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cern at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in a tight spot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fumero at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fumero at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JMR on the left and The Wretched Rapture Crew: Dave Loewenstein, Ashley Jane Laird and Cecilia Ross-Gotta (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly almost completed mural with Chor Boogie to the right (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly’s original sketch. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ani, Too Fly’s friend helping out with a little pink. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam at work on a very large roach. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zam’s roach doesn’t make Too Fly too happy. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris Stain and Billy Mode mural in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris Stain and Billy Mode detail shot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jesse Jones to the left and Sinned to the right at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jordan Seiler at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Katie Yamasaki and Caleb Neelon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lady Pink at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pablo Power at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pablo Power at work (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R. Robots and Victor collaborating on a piece on Victor’s house. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The original inspiration for R.Robots and Victor. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ron English (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Royce Bannon and Matt Siren collab in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Royce Bannon and Russell King (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK mural in process (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

AD HOC ART – Welling Court Community Street Art Celebration Saturday (Queens)

Sam and Veng’s last year wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WHERE: 11-98 Welling Court {@ 30th Ave & 12th Street}, Astoria, Queens 11102 WHEN: Saturday, June 25th, 2011 from noon until 9pm.

Faile Pop Up Show and New Print (Venice, LA)

Brooklyn’s Own Clown Soldier Flies Solo (Chicago)

Specter presents “Things Change” (Paris)

Specter’s brand new work for this show. Image © Specter exclusive for BSA

Miss Bugs “Parlour” in Bed Stuy

Miss Bugs. Detail of the new print “Eyes Glanced” (photo courtesy of the gallery)

Jon Burgerman Doodles on a Car in Brooklyn (VIDEO)

K-Guy Print Release “Primate Pontificate”

K-Guy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Primate Pontificate’ comes in 4 different colorways – Deep Red, Royal Blue, Black and Regal Purple.

For more details go to http://www.k-guy.co.uk/

Chris Stain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz. Image © Courtesy of the Artist

Featuring original works from Banksy, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Sixeart, Os Gêmeos, Mark Jenkins, JR, KAWS, Barry McGee, José Parlá, Judith Supine, Swoon, Titi Freak, Dan Witz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

January

February

March

April

May

June

WHERE: 11-98 Welling Court {@ 30th Ave & 12th Street}, Astoria, Queens 11102
WHEN: Saturday, June 25th, 2011 from noon until 9pm.

Featuring original works from Banksy, Faile,
Shepard Fairey, Sixeart, Os Gêmeos, Mark Jenkins, JR, KAWS, Barry McGee, José Parlá, Judith Supine, Swoon, Titi Freak, Dan Witz