All posts tagged: FKDL

NYC Street Artists Collaborate! Reason No. 31 to love New York

NYC Street Artists Collaborate! Reason No. 31 to love New York

December 14, 2009 , ,

According to the new issue of New York Magazine , whose cover story “Reasons to Love New York” is on newsstands today, Reason Number 31 is because our street art is collaborative.

click to enlarge and see all the names they helpfully tracked down

Street Artists have a greater spirit of collaboration than you might imagine

Billi Kid provided pictures that document the ongoing conversation of street artists in one part of the city.  And it’s pretty rare to hear about “Beef”, something that was a mainstay of graff culture back in the daze.

According to the article, “In gallery-rich Chelsea, a brick wall on West 22nd Street became, over the past year, an ephemeral showroom for international street art. The canvas changed appearance almost daily, as artists (some identified here) overlaid new pieces over the work of their predecessors.”

When reached by BSA for comment, street artist Billi Kid was big-hearted and magnanimous, full of Holiday Spirit, “It’s all about community. It’s all about collaboration. It’s all about joy. HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!”

That just makes me want to say “Ho-Ho-Ho!” or, as we used to say at Christmas when I worked at a mega-club on West 29th Street, “Whore-Whore-Whore!”

Now it is probably inpolitik to say such a thing, but “Sex Worker-Sex Worker-Sex Worker” just doesn’t have a Christmas ring to it.

VIEW THE NEW YORK MAG Street Art Slideshow here:

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Inside the “ShineBox” With Rae McGrath from Brooklynite

Inside the “ShineBox” With Rae McGrath from Brooklynite

November 18, 2009 , , , ,

A truly original and dynamic group show draws attention to what it means to survive in a shrinking economy. Shoe- shiners and Artists to the rescue!

Man in Curitiba - Brazil
Creative Commons License photo credit: Adam Jones, Ph.D.

While you are waiting for Obama to do something Rooseveltian to replace the jobs our economy has been hemorrhaging for years, Rae and Hope McGrath at Brooklynite Gallery suggest you pick up a shoe-shine box and get to work.

I can’t even tell you how many artists I know who are out of work, and consequently how many are working harder than ever on the stuff that makes them happy and gives their life meaning – their art.

Like many New Yorkers watching their options dwindling, The Bushinomic Bank-zaster of ’08-’09-’10 has given many artistic types a lot of time to sharpen their skills, decide what needs to be done to survive, and to work together.  One possible result, BSA is predicting, is an even bigger All-City BOOM in street art right around the corner.  As jobs continue to evaporate and gallery doors close, the gallery of the street beckons a little louder each day to those who have a creative voice but no where to speak it.

Destroy & Rebuild stock their box with the essentials...

Destroy & Rebuild stock their box with the essentials…

What does it mean for an artist to “survive” in a tough economic climate? – That’s the question Brooklynite Gallery in Bed Stuy posed to 100 artists when putting this show together. Focusing on the box of supplies that a shoe-shiner uses, Rae and Hope asked a very diverse group of street/graff artists to create a box of their own to express their approach to work and survival.

Anu Schwartz takes readings of the mind and heart globally.

Anu Schwartz takes readings of the mind and heart globally.

The truly eclectic results reveal not just entrepreneurial aspirations, but psychological profiles expressing values and dreams and inner-workings of the artistic process.  Symbolism abounds, and because of the limitations imposed, meanings densely packed alongside personal aspiration.  To appreciate the intensity, plan your calendar to see the show twice.

Various and Gould created a beat box.

Shinebox goes beatbox, literally. “VARIOUS & GOULD (with KUUK)’s box is stunning.  Drop a coin in and make some beats.  Completely captures the essence of this exhibition,” says Rae McGrath, owner of Brooklynite.

With the global economic downturn and the hardship it has caused, this show is clearly a tribute to, and an attempt to give voice to, the hard-working people who labor to make a living.  By asking artists and fans to meditate on these realities, Brooklynite is pushing us to think outside our own drama and consider the meaning of work, and to see the shoeshine box as survival box.

CAKE

Street artist Cake intimates a psycho-sexual-medical realm.

Brooklynite owner/curator/visionary/artist Rae McGrath took a break from installing the show to talk about his original inspiration for the show, and how it has evolved:

Brooklyn Street Art: Didn’t the shinebox go out with the icebox? What was the impetus for the theme of this show?
Rae McGrath: Last time I heard the term “icebox” I was well into my 11 hour of The Honeymooners Marathon they run on New Years Day.  BUT -shinebox’s never go out of style.  Everyone enjoys compartmentalizing things don’t they?  Mostly for the wrong reasons but they do…  However this exhibition goes beyond shine boxes and shinning shoes.  It deals with working in the most stripped down, basic sense of the term.

 

Paper Monster adapted an actual shinebox.

Paper Monster adapted an actual shinebox.

The project stems from my love for shoeshine boxes.  Traveling through Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, etc., I was always impressed with how these things were built, mostly by kids.  Any materials they could find held together with rusted nails and recycled bottles for dyes and you’re good to go.  So out of that, combined with this f&*ked up economy I wanted to take it one step further and ask artists from around the world–  “If you had to take to the streets to survive in this economy, what would you do?”  I asked that each keep the “survival object” inside a square foot.  It could be found, bought, modified, etc. We wanted to try and unify graffiti artists with street and contemporary

FRANK DUVAL

FKDL uses a collage of yesteryear imagery.

FRANK DUVAL (CONTENTS)

FKDL created part art supply, part sewing box (contents)

Brooklyn Street Art: How does the current financial crisis in the country play in the psychology of this show?
Rae McGrath: A lot of artists we approached with the concept said it really resonated with them.  Some live off their work and lost studios, commissions, etc. It sucks.  Art is considered a luxury item to most– but we don’t necessarily see it that way.  Art inspires and motivates.  Makes people think and study.  To us that’s no luxury.  It should be the norm.

JEFF AREOSOL

Iconic stencilling from one of the Paris originators, Jef Aerosol

JEFF AEROSOL

With an eye toward total transparency, Jef Aerosol tells us what it takes.

Brooklyn Street Art: Logistically, getting a hundred artists to create and deliver their pieces must have been like herding cats…
Rae McGrath: The logistics of this show have been pretty hectic.  I also think that most people in my neighborhood believe I am a drug dealer at this point.  Everyday another small package showing up.  Strange and cool at the same time.  But what makes it worthwhile is when you open a package and a true gem comes out.

I think the biggest feat when doing a show of this magnitude is making sure each artist get their work seen– Hence the video we just put out.  We are not very fond of your run of the mill group show that focuses on a key word or something.  We tried to keep the guidelines here a bit more rigid.

 

KNOW HOPE

KNOW HOPE adorns the box with a storyline

Brooklyn Street Art: Did every artist take a shine to your idea?
Rae McGrath: Yes. EXCEPT for the ones that were afraid of working in 3 dimension.

 

A rather suggestive joy-stick tops this "Peep Show" by 3TTman

A rather suggestive joy-stick tops this “Peep Show” by 3TTman

Brooklyn Street Art: What box is blowing your mind?
Rae McGrath: There are several boxes blowing my mind for different reasons…  Some because of the design, others the concept and some for both.  VARIOUS & GOULD (with KUUK)’s box is stunning.  Drop a coin in and make some beats.  Completely captures the essence of this exhibition.  They also did the hand-made flyer for the show and limited edition prints.  3TTMAN’s peep show is a thing of beauty.  KOSBE, TEN13ONE.  I know I’m leaving some killer ones but– wait this isn’t print— Not trying to save trees— BEN FROST has a clever piece, Destroy & Rebuild …  Look man just get over here and see them.

LISTER

Anthony Lister goes 360

LISTER

Smile and the blockheads smile with you. (Anthony Lister)

Brooklyn Street Art: Are any of them functional, practical, usable?
Rae McGrath: Some are functional in a practical sense others in a spiritual one–  That part of the theme was open to interpretation and heavily expanded upon.

SKEWVILLE

A strong stylization of the theme, Skewville keeps it real Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Street Art: The title sounds like an exhortation; “Go Get your Shine Box” are you telling us roll up our sleeves and get to work?
Rae McGrath: Hell yeah.  Maybe the name should be “GO GET YOU ASS TO WORK”.  Seriously I think we all know where that title came from….  Or should at least.

Brooklyn Street Art: BTW, I usually wear size 10.5 black wingtips.  Can I drop them off anytime after Nov. 21? I’ll need them for Thanksgiving.
Rae McGrath: Oh sounds nice. We actually have the same size shoe…  Drop them off .

"GO GET YOUR SHINE BOX" SILK SCREEN POSTER

“GO GET YOUR SHINE BOX” silk screen posterby Various and Gould

Opening Reception: November 21 7-10 p.m.

Brooklynite Gallery HERE

gallerypage

Artists in the show include:

MISS BUGS, JEF AEROSOL, SWEET TOOF, PURE EVIL, BEN EINE, DAIN, INKIE, BEN FROST, STEN, LEX, JACE, LUKE INSECT, VARIOUS & GOULD,KUUK, CEPT, WILL BARRAS, 5003, DDOCK, PHIL ASHCROFT ,JOE BLACK ,THUNDERCUT, K-GUY,ANTHONY LISTER, AIKO,GAIA,DAVID WALKER,RYCA,SKEWVILLE,PENNY,BILLI KID,SADDO,PAPER MONSTER,DANIEL LUMBINI,3TTMAN,OZMO,PERU ANA ANA PERU,REMED,FEFE TALAVERA, EVOL, SPECTER, ZBIOK, MYMO, LUDO, ELICSER, KNOW HOPE, BROKEN CROW, GAETANE MICHAUX, AUGUSTUS THOMPSON, COLLIN VAN DER SLUJIS, KOSBE, SPQR, M8, HUSH, DEREK SHUMATE, ZOOT, FUMAKAKA, JORGE GALVAO, MEDO, EL MATO, AJAMU WALKER, PRESTO, RODRIGO LEVEL, EMA, NONOSE, MIKE FALES, IVICA CAPAN, PLIMSOUL, JO PEEL, THE KRAH, RAFAEL SLIKS, BLO, DESTROY & REBUILD, JAW, KAN, LIME, OSIK, ANU SCHWARTZ, JACE RIVERA, SOWAT, ROSTONE, TIKA, RICHARD DIX, JOAQUIM STEVENSON-RODRIGUEZ, CELSO, CAKE, AME72, BRUSK, GEOMETRIC BANG, DARKCLOUD
, MARVIN CRUSHLER, LEAST WANTED, MANO DE PAPEL, TEN13ONE, KLONE, KNOX, FKDL, ROBOTS WILL KILL, RAE

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Portrait of a First Lady: Billi Kid and Sticker Collabs

Portrait of a First Lady: Billi Kid and Sticker Collabs

April 21, 2009 , ,

Maybe it’s history in the making, or myth-making, maybe it’s unending fascination with celebrity, but many artists, street artists included,

have produced art about Obama in the last 12 months. The new administration is a machine in motion this spring, and while the haterz are looking for ways to play down Obama’s successes, his missus is not missing an opportunity to engage the press with her Harvard Law School graduate brain, her support of military families, her commitment to volunteering, and (oh yes) her fashion statements at the G20 meetings and Personal Displays of Affection toward the British Royal Family (PDABRF).  More popular in polls than her husband, Mrs. Obama’s personal and professional history are being fleshed out daily, and her place as a cultural icon is happening before our jaded eyes.

Brooklyn street artist Billi Kid is no stranger to “Obamart”, having shown his own portrait work of Barack when he participated in a group show in Washington, DC in the days preceding the Presidential Inauguration called “Manifest Hope:DC” with 150 artists including Shepard Fairey and Ron English. Truth told, Billi has done quite a few versions of the president over the past year, feeling like it was a good way for him to participate in the public discussion about the political landscape.  His sticker collaboration collage work has been slapping up in magazines here and abroad, and it’s helping his fellow artists get exposure along the way, which he loves.

Preparing for a new show at ArtBreak Gallery in Brooklyn May 2nd, (this time as a curator), Mr. Kid talks to BSA about his engagement with the political as personal and his experience with his recent Michelle Obama piece;

Street artist Billi Kid scored big with his recent illustration of Michele Obama in New York magazine.

Street artist Billi Kid scored big with his recent illustration of Michele Obama in New York magazine.

Brooklyn Street Art: How did you score a full page in the New York magazine article?
Billi Kid: Luck had a lot to do with it. I pasted a recent piece titled “Greed i$ Good” on the wall of one of my favorite spots on 22nd street, outside of Comme des Garçons. It happened to be right in front of where the photo editor (Jody Quon) of New York magazine lives. One thing led to another.

Wall Street robber amid a chorus of FKDL, KH1, Judith Supine, and more (courtesy Billi Kid)

“Greed i$ Good”; a Wall Street robber amid a chorus of FKDL, KH1, Judith Supine, Peru Ana and more (courtesy Billi Kid)

Brooklyn Street Art: Hundreds of artists made portraits of Obama. Do you think we look to artists to help us understand these people?

Billi Kid: I can’t speak for anyone else, but as a registered independent, I became completely engrossed with the campaign our current president was running in 2008 and immediately re-registered as a Democrat for the occasion. Adding my voice to the streets became a natural extension (of that).

Brooklyn Street Art: Can you talk about the technique you used to produce this?

Billi Kid: I’m known for my combo slaps and had labored during the campaign to get everyone I trade stickers with into the mix. In particular, boards using the epic Obama for President poster by Zoltron as a centerpiece. It simply involves collage techniques and composition. One of these boards made it into Time magazine’s man of the year issue with a Shepard Fairey portrait on the cover.

Billi Kid's sticker combo made it into the Person of the Year issue of Time Magazine in December. (courtesy Billi Kid)

One of Billi Kid’s sticker collaboration pieces in the Person of the Year issue of Time magazine this past December (courtesy Bill Kid)

The Michelle portrait involved a breakdown of her likeness into a two-layer stencil. The actual portrait used in the magazine was a print pasted on the collage board, but this would be same technique used to execute my stencils. I plan some stencil boards of this in the near future. Look for it on the streets.

Brooklyn Street Art: Your work typically employs a lot of color, why did you chose simple black and white?

Billi Kid: So far all of my stencil boards are colored backgrounds with black and white stenciled layers on top. I was planning to do a stencil originally, but time did not allow it. Besides that, stickers became a factor.

Is it all black and white? (courtesy Billi Kid)

Is it all black and white? (courtesy Billi Kid)

Brooklyn Street Art: What is the significance of placing her head on a bed of stickers?

Billi Kid: In conversation with the magazine, I understood they wanted artists to interpret their ideas about Michelle into their portrait. For me, it became clear that I had to use stickers because they represented community and inclusion to me. Precisely what the Obamas are about. It felt right to get all of my brothers and sisters from around the country and the world into the magazine. Kind of a one-world point of view.

Brooklyn Street Art: Have you heard from the other sticker artists who are in the piece? Were they excited?

Billi Kid: Yeah!!! They love this about my work. They trust that the work goes up, instead of into a private little black book. That they get published is icing on the cake. This approach pays ample dividends for me. What goes around comes around.

Brooklyn Street Art: A lot of artists want to be published but aren’t familiar with the process that happens during editing. Was your piece altered at all by the editors? Was there a lot of back and forth discussion?

Billi Kid: We discussed my idea at length and fortunately I had plenty of samples to illustrate my intent. The only discouraging edit was the fact that they cropped the image so tight. The board went temporarily up somewhere in the Bronx and I wanted the environment to be part of the final cut. Unfortunately, this did not happen – for good reason – it was about Michelle after all, lol.

The original piece by Billi Kid

The original piece by Billi Kid

Brooklyn Street Art: Do you have any special connection to the first lady, her personal story?

Billi Kid: Only in so far as what we all have heard about her. Like her husband; a self-made independent person who picked herself up by the straps of her boots and carved a place for herself in the American landscape. Precisely what Republicans always say about their vision for America, no handouts, just the courage to move forward with the gifts given to you by our creator.

Brooklyn Street Art: What role do you think Street Artists play in the public discourse of politics or social issues?

Billi Kid: The same role graffiti has always played on the word stage throughout history; to give voice to opinions not paid for by the ruling parties. Until recently, it had always been about politics, not just pissing on the wall.

Brooklyn Street Art: What project are you working on right now?

Billi Kid: I just completed four canvases commission by the Ace hotel opening in NYC and am now co-curating, with the incomparable Luna Park, an exiting new exhibition, theGREAToutDOORS opening at Artbreak Gallery in Williamsburg May 2nd.

Ultimate Collabo (courtesy Billi Kid)

Ultimate Collabo; Billy and Luna  (courtesy Billi Kid)

Luna Park

Billi Kid

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“Street Crush” coming up Feb 13 at Alphabeta

January 15, 2009 , , ,

Whassup Brooklyn!

This show is going to be off the hooker.

It’s for all the fans, that’s you. 42 artists, that’s all we gotta say, and lots of fun because it is all about community, and creativity, and love.

You’ll be hearing more about it as we get closer – in the meantime read all about it here in the calendar.

And In Preparation for Street Crush…

And for those of you who will want to be practicing up on yer def mooves for the Ladaays of the Eightaaays – here is an instructional video below. Stand up in front of your computer please and practice according to the directions.

I only needed like two minutes and I totally got it. Some other people (no names please, people) may want to view it in it’s entirety.

“Street Crush” Press Release Here

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“Street Crush” Street Art Show at AlphaBeta

January 14, 2009 , , ,

STREET CRUSH:
Sexy New Work from the Street Artists
You Have a Crush On.

A Show for the Fans.

“Street Crush” a Brooklyn Street Art show and party, featuring brand new work by 42 street artists, 4 dazzling Street-Tart burlesque performers, and a Kissing Booth will be thrown at AlphaBeta in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Friday, February 13th, 2009.

BROOKLYN, NY-BrooklynStreetArt.com and AlphaBeta are thrilled to be hosting a timely and sexy show of brand new art by veteran and rookie street artists who are on the scene today redefining our ideas of street art. Working around themes of “Love, Sex, and the Street”, well-known street artists like Aiko and Jef Aerosol dig deep for fresh takes on gritty street ardor alongside relative whipper-snappers like Cake and Poster Boy.

In addition to a salon-style show, the opening party will feature live art collaborations and installation.

Full Press Release HERE

THE STREET ARTISTS You Have a Crush On

An unprecedented killer lineup of many of 2009’s best in one Brooklyn location, “Street Crush” will run from February 13 until February 28 and will feature work from an artist list that includes:

Aakash Nihalani, Abe Lincoln Jr., Aiko, Anera, Bortusk Leer, Broken Crow, C. Damage, Cake, Celso, Charm, Chris Uphues, Creepy, DirQuo, Ellis Gallagher A.K.A. (C)ELLIS G., Eternal Love, FauxReel, FKDL, General Howe, GoreB, Imminent Disaster, Hellbent, Infinity, Nobody, Jef Aerosol, Jon Burgerman, Matt Siren, Mimi the Clown, NohJColey, Pagan, PMP, Poster Boy, Pufferella, Pushkin, Chris from Robots Will Kill, Col from Robots Will Kill, Veng from Robots Will Kill, Royce Bannon, Skewville, Stikman, The Dude Company, Titi from Paris, and U.L.M.

STREET CRUSH SHOW OPENING INFORMATION

Friday, February 13, 2009, 7-12 pm
Press Preview by appointment

Location: Alphabeta, 70 Greenpoint Avenue
Greenpoint Brooklyn, New York 11222
Suggested Donation: $8

For more information on Brooklyn Street Art and to see images of the “Street Crush” artworks in the days before the show please visit http://www.BrooklynStreetArt.com

CONTACT: Crush@BrooklynStreetArt.com

THE PERFORMERS

To entertain the Opening Party street art fans, exotic passions will be alerted with Street-Tart Burlesque performances by 4 of today’s award-winning NYC burlesque artists – thrilling, titillating, and Twitterpating the audience in the back-room gallery at AlphaBeta. The rollicking rollcall includes Nasty Canasta, Clams Casino, Harvest Moon, and your MC, Tigger!

THE KISSING BOOTH

A funky loveshack built by artist and set-designer J. Mikal Davis and lorded over by Madame Voulez-Vous, will awaken furtive crushes in the crowd AND raise funds for Art Ready, a mentoring program created by SmackMellon Gallery to serve NYC High School students who are interested in the arts.

For more Information about the Art Ready program for New York City high school students, please visit: http://www.smackmellon.org/education.html

MUSIC

Live DJ sets by DailySession.com will be pumping and streaming live from the “Street Crush” event over the internet all night.

The featured Street Crush DJ will be Jessee Mann, a Williamsburg hottie and self-professed music nerd who plays weekly at Bembe and has mooved booties all over the whirl.

Look out for a special performance by electronic drummer Kamoni, who flagellates the street-sin out of you with a solo live audio collateral collage of beats, sounds, and samples on stage. yeow!

AFTER PARTY AT COCO66 NEXT DOOR

Immediately following the “Street Crush” show opening, guests are invited next door to continue celebrating their new found love at Coco66 and the 68 bar/restaurant, where the booty-shaking music continues and site-specific installations by 2 Brooklyn projection artists, SeeJ and SuperDraw, will blow minds with their original forays into the next horizon on street art.

BIOS OF THE PERFORMERS

DJ Jesse Mann

Jesse’s musical style encompasses all that is soulful and funky, incorporating familiar sounds with obscure forgotten classics and upfront remixes. In a single DJ set he can travel effortlessly between vintage funk and disco to Afro-Latin grooves, house, techno, hip-hop, and everything in between.
His DJing career has taken him far and wide in the last nine years; Paris, Berlin, Vienna and England, to San Francisco, Miami, and Puerto Rico. He has played at many of NYC’s biggest and most revered clubs, its most chic and exclusive lounges, and its most intense underground parties. Favorites include APT, Cielo, Limelight/Avalon, Love, Sullivan Room, Hotel QT, Socialista, Goldbar, Lunatarium, 3rd Ward, Cabaret Sauvage (Paris), Batofar (Paris), Watergate (Berlin), Roxy (Vienna). Currently Jesse is resident DJ at Bembe weekly with the BodyMusic party.

Download his mixes at:
http://www.jesse-mann.com/mixes.html

Live Electronic Drumming

Kamoni
Kamoni is a Brooklyn based sound designer, live performer and sonic experimentalist. His work encompasses everything from live electronic shows to commercial music production and sound library development. Kamoni has acquired numerous credits on TV, film and animation soundtracks while consulting with music software pioneers such as Ableton and Native Instruments. He launched Puremagnetik in 2006 and his work has been featured in Electronic Musician, Sound on Sound, XLR8R, Remix, Computer Music, Knowledge, Keys and numerous other publications.

See an example of Komoni’s work here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBPSRJAaubg

Street-Tart Burlesque Performers

Tigger!

Tigger! (the MC) is The Original Mr. Exotic World! – Best Boylesque 2006 at The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Winner of Four Golden Pastie Awards including “Performer Most Likely to Get Shut Down by the Law” and “Most Unpredictable Performer.”, and “the King of Boylesque.” The New York Times called him a “hysterical and acrobatic man in drag,” Next Magazine called him “the taboo-defying dynamo,” and San Francisco tried to ban his striptease.

Tigger! has a MySpace page here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=16832866

Nasty Canasta

Nasty Canasta is the co-producer of Pinchbottom (“Best Burlesque in NYC” – NY Magazine, “Most Innovative” – Miss Exotic World Pageant) and the impresario behind Sweet & Nasty Burlesque. Her performances combine classic burlesque, pop culture, and a theatrical sensibility to create a dazzling mummery of perplexing proportions. The reigning Cheese Queen of Coney Island, Nasty is, quite possibly, too damn clever for her own good.

Nasty Canasta can be found here:
http://www.nastycanasta.com/

Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon otherwise known as the Sultry Siren of Burlesque has been sauntering on burlesque stages since 1995. She has performed in Sydney, Paris and many cities in the US. She is founder of award-winning troupe, The Cantankerous Lollies. In the summer of 2008, Harvest toured the Netherlands and Italy in a special showcase of American Burlesque “Cabaret New Burlesque”. From her homebase in New York City she continues to push the frontiers of modern Burlesque with each new act.

Miss Harvest Moon’s website is here:
http://missharvestmoon.com/

Clams Casino

Clams Casino has been called a “Burlesque Queen” by the New York Times, and is the proud winner of the awards for Most Comedic and Most Innovative at the 2008 Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas. Clams is the co-producer of the Gameshow Speakeasy at the Slipper Room, AM Gold at Coney Island, Killer Queen Burlesque and Borderline Burlesque:Midnight Madonna Madness at the Zipper Factory, and many other pop-culture obsessed burlesque shows around New York City and the Eastern Seaboard.

Miss Clams Casino can be found here:
http://www.missclamscasino.com/home.html

PREVIOUS EVENTS from BrooklynStreetArt.com

An on-going celebration of the creative spirit, BrooklynStreetArt.com presents “Street Crush” as the 4th street art event thrown in the last 10 months.
Previous events include;

* April 2008: a benefit street art auction of work by 27 street artists at Ad Hoc Art in Bushwick that raised money for the youth and family creative arts and mentoring programs of Free Arts NYC (www.freeartsnyc.org) and launched the book “Brooklyn Street Art” published by Prestel worldwide and authored by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo.

See highlights on Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP3by_SolwA

* May 2008: a street art showcase of 10 street artists at Fresh Kills in Williamsburg also benefiting Free Arts NYC,

* Sept 2008: “Projekt Projektor”, a first-ever curated show of projection artists as street artists in a live show by 6 projection artists on the side of the Manhattan Bridge and the Pearl Street Triangle during 2 nights of the Dumbo Arts festival on September 26 and 27.

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Year in Images 2008

Year in Images 2008

January 1, 2009 , , ,

Paradigm Shifting and Cave Writings

Looking back at the powerful changes in ’08,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[svgallery name=”Images of Year 2008″]

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The Week in Images 10.26.08

The Week in Images 10.26.08

October 26, 2008 , ,
French Fab Four (Gouny, FKDL, Mimi the Clown, Jef Aerosol) (photo Jaime Rojo)

French Fab Four (Gouny, FKDL, Mimi the Clown, Jef Aerosol) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Resh is here joined by a dance troupe of a street-art Botero beauty by David Gouny, a fluid collaged FKDL figure, the disembodied head of Mimi the Clown (but no butt), and the good natured accompaniment of accordian boy Jef Aerosol.

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