Fatal Fake

El Raval In Barcelona: A Magnet Of Small Treasures

March 3, 2018 Artists

Las Ramblas is a good place for rambling foot tours on a Saturday afternoon before reaching the ocean at El Raval. This neighborhood of Barcelona champions the small one-off Street Art piece – the antithesis of the large splashy murals that popular in other cities.

Rice (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

A barrio of narrow streets adorned with mysterious and grandly heavy wooden doors keeps the throngs of tourists at arms length. Windows and balconies with intricately and beautifully crafted iron work create an old world charm and invite smaller thoughtful portraits by Street Artists looking for a setting with character.

Turn the corner and there’s a genteel plaza buzzing with seniors in their golden years sitting on benches or at sidewalks cafes nursing a coffee or a brandy.

Rice (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Here in these secret niches, doorways, sidewalk level windows, lampposts, and just about any other surface you’ll discover small pieces of Street Art installed illegally. Multi-layered or one color stencils, one-of-kind, hand-painted wheat pastes, sticker multiples, fully realized acrylic portraits and posters; all small works waiting for a small audience.

BSA contributor and Barcelona native Lluís Olivé Bulbena recently took a stroll through the winding streets and found this treasure trove of goodies. Thanks to him and enjoy!

Hopare (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Guaté Mao (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Ecloz (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Raf Urban (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Nenao (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Pat Brazill (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Ozzy (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Ozzy . Fatal Fake (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Fake Banksy (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Bronik . Utah . Ether. (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Bronik (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Cane (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

El Rughi (photo Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

BSA Images Of The Week:02.18.18

February 18, 2018 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

Welcome to Images of the Week! Great stuff this week from Portugal, Spain and good old NYC to flip your Aunt Betty’s wig.

The big news this week of course was that the 5 Points graffiti compound case was awarded to the 21 plaintiffs. But its not just local: it may have national implications when building owners will be insisting on contracts with anyone who paints their property. It may also confuse and scare off many opportunities for artists, where building owners will simply say no to the proposal.

The settlement, which we covered in Tell It to The Judge ; Graffiti Artists Win in 5 Pointz Case, has infuriated many and thrilled others expressing their opinion on social media. One of our 5 Ptz postings on Facebook this week garnered 1,300 comments, a nest of misunderstanding mediated by the occasional level head, offset by congratulations and victory laps. Naturally, folks from other parts of the country insulted us New Yorkers. Welcome to the world of graffiti and Street Art!

The Black Panther movie has many New Yorkers enthralled as it premiered on Tuesday night at the Museum of Modern Art. Theaters drew entire families and school groups many standing in line in costume as they waited to see powerful and positive black super-heroes and heroines. The Times Magazine says it is a defining moment for black America .

Nationally we are all still trying to grapple with another school shooting, producing more Thoughts and Prayers, and another round of Mueller indictments that continue to encircle the White House.

Finally, Brooklyn’s Kehinde Wiley pulled the curtain down with Barack Obama at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery to reveal his official portrait – HERE. Just kidding, here are Barack and Michelle’s official portraits.

Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Atomik, Bigod, City Kitty, Daniel Eime, Desla, Exit.Enter.K, Fatal Fake, Free the Nipple, Gane, Gebraël, Kram, Little Ricky, Obey, Texas, We’kup, and Zest B.

Top Image: Daniel Eime in Lisbon. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Going out on a limb here to say you may see MOMO, Vhils, and James Bullough similarities merged here. Nonetheless, its a solid mural by Daniel Eime here in Bairro Padre Cruz, Lisbon. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bigod. Bairro Padre Cruz. Lisbon. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Unidentified artist (we couldn’t decipher the signature) Lisbon. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Kitty (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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