All posts tagged: Germany

West Berlin Gallery Presents: “Dissidents” A Group Art Exhibition. (Berlin, Germany)

Dissidents

 

DISSIDENTS
Group Show, Opening November 17th 18:00
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. By acknowledging the social and political unrest of this year, West Berlin Gallery cordially invites you from 18:00 until 22:00 on November 17th, 2011 as we debut Dissidents, a Group Show featuring: ALIAS, SP38 , Prost, Emess, Rallito X, BR1, Linda’s Ex, Niark1, Jakob Tolstrup, and Giacomo Spazio.

In 1800s Europe, the rising food prices and high unemployment fueled widespread popular protests. Communist Europe in 1989, created frustration with corrupt and unresponsive political systems and provoked the fall of once powerful regimes. 2011 is spurring a similar chain of events, bringing people together and empowering us to grab our governments by the balls and demand what is rightfully ours, human rights.

Seeking truth and raising awareness, the artists that we have chosen for this show strive for non-conformity and create work representative of both political and social opposition, making them pioneers of dissident activity. Consciously or not, they seek honesty, challenge boundaries, then create art as a way of driving this message in to the minds of on-lookers.

About the artistsALIAS– Always keeping in mind the social and political activities and breaking through the boundaries of traditional art making, ALIAS delivers a great deal of gravity through his loaded imagery and mindful aesthetic. The self taught street artist never ceases to astound the public with his stencil work on recycled material.SP38 – Urban poetry is this Berlin based french artists’ speciality. Mixing silkscreen and paint, SP38 plays with words to create provocative sentences which are strongly related to both political and social events of their time. The more sophisticated look of his artwork, using his unique deep gold color, helps him reach a wide range of public, even those who his messages are directed to.

Prost –  From his “Prostie” smileys making witty social commentaries that always put a smile upon our faces, to denouncing misleading, abusive, sexist advertising by his adbusting actions, Prost has never ceased on challenging society.

Emess – His work is mostly motivated by political issues that he approaches using a wide range of medias, such as murals, prints and sculptures. Emess confronts the viewer with issues that would rather be swept under the rug.

Rallito X – The attitude of an alienated society manipulated by the media, has been this spaniards work theme since he started putting his work up on the streets. Rallito X refuses to follow society’s rules and shows his unconformity with unacceptable formed characters carrying politically incorrect messages.

BR1 – For the last years, this italian artist has been studying the figure of the Muslim woman: history, tradition, legal sources and development in contemporary society. Charmed by the image of veiled women, BR1 decided to take the risk of introducing religious elements on his posters and make us wonder why is this piece of cloth so controversial.

Linda’s Ex – A while ago Roland Brückner aka Lindas Ex asked his lover to come back to him in plastered posters and stickers throughout the city. Nowadays, his pleas have turned into social commentaries sprayed into canvases.

Niark1 – His characters rise like monsters or aliens on a dark world filled by details. Their infinite nature scares and hypnotizes as there is always space for new discoveries. Cutting and pasting strips of newspaper where he later paints, Niark1’s artwork brings his dreams and fears to surface.

Jakob Tolstrup – Mixed media and color crayons are Jakob’s favorite techniques to work with. His characters have a childish style giving a sweet and humorous feeling to his paintings, which take a bitter look into nowadays society.

Giacomo Spazio – The established Italian artist, lead of the Italian Street Art movement, creates pop images, with shocking fluorescent colors that shout out their presence, as loud as possible. Using old fanzines and punk imagery to create lo-fi styled artwork with a cynical and subversive intention.

Vernissage, Thursday November 17th, 18:00 – 22:00
Exhibition on display from November 17th, 2011 to February 24th, 2012

Brunnenstraße 56, 13355 Berlin, Germany

 

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On the Subject of Authority: Berlin Street Art References Golda Meir

It would be fair to say that the first decade of the the 21st Century didn’t augur jolly good times ahead of us. The nascent century brought enormous challenges worldwide:  There were numerous terrorist attacks; 9/11 in the USA was a transformative event that affected the society at large in ways that have not been previously experienced before.  Other countries such as Spain, India and England suffered their own devastating terrorist attacks during the same decade. There was the big economic crisis in 2008 spurred by the banks and the mortgage collapse in the USA and the subsequent massive layoffs from all sorts of industries and gutting of social programs. Not to mention SARS, bird flu, swine flu, earthquakes, forest  fires, hurricanes, mudslides and tsunamis.

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A wheat paste of Golda Meir in Berlin (photo © Er1cBI41r)

By the time December 2010 arrived we were feeling exhausted from the past ten years. Only two months into a new decade few people could have expected that we would be witnessing radical changes taking place in The Middle East. Who could have imagined that the ray of hope in humanity would come from Tunisia and Egypt.  As the people fill the streets to demonstrate publicly to renounce their leaders, citizens in neighboring countries likewise are openly questioning the power and authority of the leaders in their highest offices.  The urge to speak up and demand in the street – it is as if a giant is awakening. Cries for change are coming from the ordinary citizens fed up with authoritarian regimes and amazingly, we are seeing the last gasps for air from shaken dictators who refuse to give up their lucrative and powerful positions.

From Berlin we received this wheat-pasted Street Art with the hand rendered illustration of Golda Meir. Meir was one of the first female politicians to be the elected as the leader of a government in the modern age, as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. She understood the perils of power and authority during a tumultuous tenure that saw terrorist attacks and the assassination of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Interesting that various sources online have this quote attributed to both Meir and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, two people well acquainted with the topic of authority.

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Images of the Week 02.20.11

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Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Aarhus, Clown Soldier, Don John, El Sol 25, Gaia, Michael DeFeo, CB23, Tats Cru, and Voina.

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CB23. Recession Era Cartoons. Photo © Jaime Rojo

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If you love something, set it free. Gaia (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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El Sol 25 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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El Sol 25 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Berlin, Germany (photo © Er1cBI41r)

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Berlin, Germany (photo © Er1cBI41r)

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Don John Stencil in Aarahus, Denmark (photo © Don John)

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Clown Soldier (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Photo © Jaime Rojo

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Michael DeFeo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Blue Swan (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Tats Cru (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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CircleCulture Gallery Presents: “New Art-Formely Known As: New Art” Group Show (Berlin, Germany)

CircleCulture Gallery
brooklyn-street-art-circleculture-gallery-berlin-judith-supine

NEW ART – FORMERLY KNOWN AS: NEW ART
Urban artists paying homage to innovators from the history of art

Opening: January 20, 7 – 9 PM

In this exhibition, artists from all over the world take reference to some ground breaking artists of the past. An homage to the spirit of innovation, non-conformity and alternative thinking of the older days.

Judith Supine / Christian Awe / Jonathan Yeo / Helle Mardahl / XOOOOX / Kevin Earl Taylor / Anton Unai / Jaybo Monk / Adriana Ciudad / Stefan Strumbel / Marco “Pho” Grassi
VS.
Gustav Klimt, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Pablo Picasso, Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Pierre Soulages, Henri Matisse, Théodore Géricault, James Ensor

Art looks back on a history that is as multi-faceted and fascinating as our own time. Among the illustrators, designers, sculptors, painters, calligraphers, fashion designers and architects of the past centuries, new avant-gardes have constantly emerged, establishing themselves to be replaced soon enough by the next generation craving innovation.
A process of creation that naturally builds upon preceding aesthetics, concepts and techniques that deconstructs them in order to create a contemporary art-remix. Many artists eschew this conscious connection to history. Freely and radically, they create new approaches: the new art.

Exhibition:           January 21 to March 05 2011
Opening hours:    Tue – Sat 12 – 6 PM

For more information please see the press release and online: http://www.circleculture-magazine.com/?p=2547

Circleculture Gallery
Gipsstrasse 11
10119 Berlin Mitte
berlin@circleculture-gallery.com
www.circleculture-gallery.com

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From Here To Fame Publishing Presents: Muralismo Morte. Book Release And Exhibition (Berlin, Germany)

Muralismo Morte
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We are delighted to commence our fall season with a beautiful new title.

Wir freuen uns sehr mit diesem außergewöhnlich schönen Buch in den Herbst zu starten.

Muralismo Morte – The Rebirth of Muralism in Contemporary Urban Art reveals the vibrancy of a new type of muralism as it rises from the shadows of urban spaces in metropolises worldwide. From much celebrated pieces in prominent places to those hidden in anonymous, decayed ruins, it features the large-scale murals and small interventions of some of the most exciting international artists associated with this movement. Muralist and art activist Jens Besser uncovers these treasures and offers special insights into the emerging scene that is coloring our urban experience.

Artists/Künstler: Roa, Remed, Klub 7, Aec & Waone (Interesni Kazik), Blu, Os Gemeos, Escif, Jens Besser, BerlinBeamBoys, Sonice Development, 3ttman, Kain Logos and many more.

Muralismo Morte – The Rebirth of Muralism in Contemporary Urban Art, zeigt die Dynamik einer neuen Form der Wandmalerei, die seit einigen Jahren weltweit aus den Schatten der urbanen Räume der Metropolen hervor tritt. Von den gefeierten Arbeiten an prominenten Plätzen zu den anonymen Werken, versteckt in verfallenen Ruinen, bietet dieses Buch die großen Murals und kleinen Interventionen einiger der spannendsten internationalen Künstler dieser Bewegung. Muralist und Kunst-Aktivist Jens Besser deckt diese Kostbarkeiten auf und bietet einen tiefen Einblick in eine aufstrebende Szene, die unsere urbane Landschaft in neuen Farben zeichnet.

Take a look inside the book here!

Title: Muralismo Morte – The Rebirth of Muralism in Contemporary Urban Art
Author: Jens Besser
Pages: 200, color, ca. 300 Illustrations & photographs
Format: 28.5 x 21 cm (11.22 x 8.27 inches)
Language: English edition

Price Hardcover: 24.95 € | £ 24.99 | US $ 34.95
ISBN Hardcover: 978-3-937946-29-0

Book Release / 1. October 2010!

Exhibition & Book release party / Common Ground Gallery / Berlin:
1.October 2010 / 7 pm-open end
Lecture / Buchvorstellung (Jens Besser): 8:30 pm

Live video performance – BerlinBeamBoys
DJ Dejoe

Common Ground Gallery / Hip Hop Stützpunkt
Marienburger Str. 16 A (Hinterhof)
10405 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg

www.commongroundgallery.de

Muralismo Morte Events Schedule:
for detailed information please check www.fromheretofame.com

1. October 2010 – Berlin
Common Ground Gallery
Exhibition & Book release party / lecture by Jens Besser

7 – 10. October 2010 – Berlin
Stroke.03 Urban Art Fair
Muralismo Morte lecture by Jens Besser & live painting by Roa, Sepe and Aryz (TBC)

27. October 2010 – Dresden
Motorenhalle
Muralismo Morte lecture by Jens Besser

3. November 2010 – Leipzig
Mzin Book Store
Muralismo Morte lecture by Jens Besser & exhibition

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Stencils of The Week on BSA 09.13.10

Stencil-Top-5

This weeks top stencils as picked by Samantha Longhi of Stencil History X

Boxi. Image Courtesy of Samantha Longhi. Stencil History X

Boxi at the STAMP (Street Art Melting Pot) festival in Hamburg, Germany  (courtesy Stencil History X)

Check out an interview with Boxi by Samantha Longhi here

Grafeeney. (Courtesy Stencil History X)

Martin Whatson. Image Courtesy of Samantha Longhi. Stencil History X
Martin Whatson sprays this stencil on aluminum. (Courtesy of Stencil History X)

Finbarr. Image Courtesy of Samantha Longhi. Stencil History X

From the Schoony Show at Blackall Gallery in London, “Mummy’s Little Army Boy”, by Finbarr (Courtesy Stencil History X)

Snikk. Image Courtesy of Samantha Longhi. Stencil History X

“Eyes of Night”, by Snikk in Berlin. (Courtesy Stencil History X)

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Tats Cru Declares “Death of an Era”: How, Nosm & Aryz in Brooklyn

Bronx Tats Cru muralists How and Nosm Perre hit Brooklyn last week with their buddy Aryz to put up a new piece on the side of a deli while stray cats wandered out from the fence next door to take a look.  While BSA watched, the guys climbed up and down ladders and showed solid technique like the pros they are.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm With Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm With Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

The globe trotting twins, born in seaside San Sebastion in the Basque region of Spain, grew up in Dusseldorf and fell in love with the New York style of graffiti in their teens.  When they joined the Tats Cru in New York in the late nineties they had already proved their skillz as graff artists and begun to explore Street Art and muralist technique.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

With Aryz visiting from Barcelona it was a perfect time to hit the streets of Williamsburg and get a piece up before the skies darkened further. “Death of an Era” appears to pay tribute to some of hiphop and graffiti culture’s early icons and surround them with a rising tide of blood. A critique of the darker powers of commercialism, it may also be homage to a romantic vision of a dirty and dysfunctional city that increasingly looks Disneyfied. While homogeneity threatens the character of some of our neighborhoods, work like this ensures an expression of individuality that keeps the streets alive.

With one eye on an impending summer storm and another on their wall, the guys busily consulted sketches and wielded their cans in a race against time.

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)
Tats Cru. How & Nosm with Aryz. (© Jaime Rojo)

http://www.hownosm.org

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A Visit to Stroke02

A Danish Street Artist Reports from Munich About Last Week’s Stroke02 Urban Art Fair

by Don John

A piece by Morten Anderson and Sainer (© Don John)
A piece by Morten Anderson and Sainer (© Don John)

Last week I attended Stroke02,  a 4-day art fair for Urban Art that takes place in Munich, Germany. It is held in a former Federal Bank office building that is about 4 stories completely full of exhibitors.

Herakut and Case at work at Stroke02  (© Don John)
Herakut and Case at work at Stroke02 (© Don John)

Herakut and Case  (© Don John)
Herakut and Case (© Don John)

I was with the gallery/store called Rocket, where I exhibited together with Lake from Berlin and Johannes König from Munich.  Last year the Stroke festival had 7000 visitors and my guess is that this year was about the same.

Don John and Kid Acne  (© Don John)
Don John and Kid Acne (© Don John)

The visitors did not only consist of young people, but also a fair amount of middle-aged visitors. I thought it was great that Stroke had succeeded in reaching out to this segment as well.

A Sainer piece on display  (© Don John)
A Sainer piece on display (© Don John)

The fair also featured live paintings from: Case, Herakut, Ma’Claim, Claudio Ethos and Morten Andersen among others.

EVOL creates building facades in his pieces  (© Don John)
EVOL creates fascinating building facades in his pieces (© Don John)

ROA created one of his rabbits  (© Don John)
ROA created one of his multi-panelled rabbits (© Don John)

All in all I think it was great to participate as an artist, and I think that the visitors got a lot of great art for their 12 euro entrance fee.

This dude in what looks like a dunce cap looks really similar to someone in my nightmares.  (© Don John)
This dude in what looks like a dunce cap looks really similar to someone. (ECB, Henbdrik Beikirch) (© Don John)

For all the toy fans here is a sculpture by Biserama (Alexander Becherer) at Stroke02 (© Don John)
For all the toy fans here is a sculpture by Biserama (Alexander Becherer) at Stroke02 (© Don John)

I also grabbed the opportunity to do two paste ups while in Munich; one on Blumenstrasse and the other on Fraunhoferstr.

An outside piece by Don John  (© Don John)
An outside piece called “Buzzard Kid” by Don John (© Don John)

www.donjohn.dk
http://donjohnstencils.blogspot.com
/
Pics from Stroke02: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48068772@N02/

STROKE02 Website

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Vinny Goes to Hamburg: Street Art from Germany’s Largest Port

Vinny Cornelli is becoming a regular on BSA because with his photography he peels back some of the street art hype and looks at the innards of the gritty culture that engenders it.  A departure from documentation, his eye captures something more.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

For this photo essay, Vinny shows and tells us about his trip last week to Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city after Berlin- and opens our eyes to their approach to aesthetic expressions of the spirit on the street.

from Vinny Cornelli

Last weekend I was able to visit my girlfriend, Lena, on her home turf of Hamburg, Germany. I concede (for some of the obvious reasons) that the trip was incredible, warm and homey. Even outside of those reasons, I was also so very excited by the colors and comforts I felt from a city that seems to gush as a result of the public street and graffiti art that the population either endorses or passively permits.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

Hamburg is home to the likes of Flying Fortress and Funk25 and many other street artists. The city also fosters the existence of squats such as the Gaengeviertel; a small community of flats, studios and galleries that keeps it’s doors, beers and art open and available to it’s public. Like many people, these are some of the ideals that I subscribe to and appreciate.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

Because I was in the good company of Lena, light snowfall, and the art surrounding us, I had the fortunate opportunity of a guided walking tour through many streets, nooks, and playgrounds.  It was quite nice.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

One interesting/odd observation I noted was that much of the street art was placed well above the mass marketed posters of albums, concerts, and movies hitting your local Hamburg establishment. In a way, it gave me the feeling that everyday, commonplace (and I think boring) life is placed at eye-level.  Yes, this is what’s sometimes seen in NYC and other hotbeds of public art…but some of it just doesn’t fit.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

I visited C215 this summer, and he spoke at great lengths of the importance of where he’s placing his stencils – otherwise, it becomes irrelevant. I feel that the wheat pastes and stencils in Hamburg tend to suffer as a result. Placement seems sporadic when viewed with other works sharing the same wall.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

On the other hand, it seemed that the graffiti artists were better leveraging the walls and spaces they occupy and their work also seemed very well organized.

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

© Vincent Cornelli

I thoroughly enjoyed capturing these photos and the inspiration they foster.  I have already booked my tickets to return in April, so I look forward to sharing the city of Hamburg’s movement into the spring.

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