All posts tagged: Hellbent

Gilf! “Back Talk” Conversation

September 2, 2011 Artists

To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.

Today we hear from Gilf!

One reason you make art: I make art to change people’s perspectives, and to bring awareness to major issues that face our whole planet. I also do it to make people smile. Street art is an amazing tool that allows me to speak to people with whom I wouldn’t get the chance in real life.

Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Gilf!” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-gilf

Rene Gagnon “Back Talk” Conversation

September 1, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Rene Gagnon.

The first record or CD you ever bought? The last album you downloaded?
“First has to be RUN DMC – with the Krush Groove jam. Eminem, ‘Relapse & Recovery.’ “

Rene Gagnon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Rene Gagnon” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-rene-gagnon

Mark Carvalho “Back Talk” Conversation

August 31, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Mark Carvalho.

Something you want the world to know about you:
“I only sing two songs for karaoke; Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ and Tupac’s ‘How do you want it’.”

Mark Carlvalho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Mark Carvalho” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-mark-carvalho

Indigo “Back Talk” Conversation

August 30, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Indigo.

Artists you admire:

“I admire everyone who has the courage to spend hours, weeks, months and years turning thoughts and feelings into things, then putting them out into the world for others to respond with love or hate or complete indifference. I admire anyone who has the integrity to create for themselves, first and foremost. I admire those who are constantly pushing themselves to try new ideas, use new mediums, reach out to new audiences and immerse themselves in uniquely challenging experiences. I admire everyone who has taken a leap of faith, fallen into dark and swirling waters and after what often seems like a lifetime of struggle, reached the sunshine on the other side – only to do it all over again.”

Indigo (photo © Victoria Potter)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Indigo” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/back-talk-a-conversation-with-anthony-lister

Mystery Revealed : Hellbent’s Jaw belonged to Sigmund Freud

August 27, 2011 Artists

The streets are covered with symbols and markings that have meaning to the maker, their peers, and to passersby. Depending on socio-political-geo-historical factors, you may or may not know what certain tags or images are meant to indicate and aside from gang indicia, no one seems particularly alarmed by this fact that street art and graffiti is often a nest of hidden meanings.

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

One such symbol that has often appeared on the street is the bottom jaw from Hellbent, rough and jagged, hovering above a bed of psychedelic or pastel floral patterns. If it happened once, you might think “Oh, it’s part of a series and I’ll figure it out when I see the other pieces”. In fact, no. It’s the one symbol that Hellbent repeats most often, and it is perplexing.

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

We finally got an answer from the artist regarding the genesis of the jaw when he was describing his current piece in the LA show “Street Art Saved My Life” and, while it sheds light on the background, somehow it raises more questions. In the story about this Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, we postulate that the jaw represents our base animal qualities and our similarities to the ruthless animal kingdom, all the while acknowledging the ultimate fragility of a simple bone structure, and be extraction, us. Anyway, before we psychoanalyze it further and bore everybody in the room, here’s what Hellbent says:

“Sigmund Freud at age of 67 appeared in a clinic in Vienna because he had discovered some hard, smooth spots on his jaw. After the doctor examined him it was discovered that they were cancerous and the lesions had to be removed immediately. Since the hospital population at that time was at capacity, Freud was put in a makeshift room that he shared with dwarf. After his operation while his family was out, Freud began to hemorrhage and was unable to call out, while laying bleeding on the floor. If not for the dwarf roommate Freud would have surely died and with this I began thinking of the jawbone.

Hellbent currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in the show “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (Photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

The earliest images I was influenced by as a kid were the graphics on skateboards and punk albums. The image of the human skull was a constant in a lot of these images. It was a sign of rebellion and it seemed the embrace death, where society was much more concentrated on living. But as I grew up I noticed that a lot of people who where similarly influenced by these images began to bring the skull into the mainstream. Now you see cute skulls on Paul Frank baby clothes and such.

So to get away from this trend I began to concentrate on just the jaw bone as an image. The jawbone is what is used to communicate and form words with and the way we consume food to sustain life, an important part of the human experience. I have come back to the skull and separated it from the jaw; making it two unique images that are connected through this separation. I also use a lot of animal imagery on the streets, so the jaw bone represents the human element of this world…

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

I have been calling the new use of multiple floral stencils “Quilting”. I like the idea of taking all these used “scraps” to form something more tangible, something other than its self. Sometimes it makes up the border around the image and other times it is used inside of the image, giving it a cubist like quality. The colors in each of the patterns also play off one another, giving them a natural 3D quality (which is actually intensified with 3D glasses, as was discovered at my last gallery show at Mighty Tanaka) that further emphasizes this cubist element. The shapes seem to pull and push of the surface, but the image is still readily available to the viewer.”

Opening Shots from “Street Art Saved My Life” in Los Angeles

August 17, 2011 Artists

Images from the Show

The show in Los Angeles last weekend was a lot of fun, with 500 people flowing through C.A.V.E. Gallery to see studio work by some of the artists on the streets of NYC. What impressed us the most was the number of conversations we saw taking place with two or three friends gathered around a piece and discussing it and really taking it in. Marsea Goldberg, owner of New Image Gallery told us, “This is Los Angeles, we take art seriously”, and judging by the enthusiasm and knowledgeable people we met at the opening, in the back patio, and on the street, many Angelinos are interested in street art from the east coast. After comments about the dense and layered quality of the show, the next most popular topic was, “When are you going to do an LA street art show in New York?” After we catch our breath. Thank you LA, and thank you all the artists who came out to make work on the walls.

Thank you also to photographer Carlos Gonzalez for shooting all the pieces in the show, which follows after this collage of opening night shots by Andrew Hosner from ThinkSpace, who was our partner with C.A.V.E. to make this show happen.

See a couple of links at the end of this posting for more pictures of the opening from Andrew Hosner and Karin Freda.

Adam Void (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Anthony Lister (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Broken Crow (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

C215 (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Cake (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Chris Stain (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Clown Soldier (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Creepy (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Dan Witz (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

El Sol 25 (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

EMA (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Faile (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Futura (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Gaia (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Gilf! (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Hargo (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Hellbent (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

How and Nosm (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Imminent Disaster (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Indigo (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Kid Acne (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Know Hope (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Ludo (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Mark Carvalho (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Miss Bugs (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Nick Walker (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

NohJColey (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Other (AKA Troy Lovegates) (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

OverUnder (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Radical! (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Rene Gagnon (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Skewville (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Specter (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Sweet Toof (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Swoon (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Tiptoe (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

White Cocoa (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

If you want to see pics of opening night on Andrew Hosner’s Facebook Page please go here:

To see Karin Freda’s Flickr page of photos from the show please go here :http://www.flickr.com/photos/karinfreda/sets/72157627427952010/

TipToe “Back Talk” Conversation

August 16, 2011 Artists

To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the upcoming show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.

Today we hear from TipToe.

Something that annoys or frustrates you about people: “Obsessions with Warhol and people who don’t know the difference between ambiguous and arbitrary”

TipToe (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with TipToe” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-tiptoe

Back Talk with Street Artist Radical!

August 15, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Radical!

Artists you admire: “Henry Darger, Margaret Kilgallen (RIP), Barry McGee, Booker (Read More Books), Blu, Barbara Kruger, Robert Longo, C215, Chris Stain, Dondi White (RIP), Os Gemeos, Vrno, Gaia, Josh Keyes, the old Pottymouth Crew (Dwell, Oneunit, Mr. Prvrt), my grandpa, my professors, all of the people still going big these days.”

Radical! in Coney Island (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Radical!” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-radical

BSA In Los Angeles: Images of the Week 08.14.11

August 14, 2011 Artists, California, Culver City, Los Angeles, On the Street, Venice Beach

Los Angeles has it’s own sun baked vibe and rhythm and visiting street artists have been checking it out for the past week or so – dodging traffic, talking to local passersby and landlords and tenants, plugging earphones in, zoning out, painting and pasting and steadying ladders, hitching rides, hunting down burrito trucks, and finding free beer. It’s been really great to see people looking out for each other, and a salvation to witness the warm and generous hospitality of some Angelinos.

With the help of C.A.V.E. gallery’s Patrick Iaconis and Tanya Patsaouras, BSA was able to secure some cool spots for some of the artists who travelled to LA for the “Street Art Saved My Life” show on Friday night. Additionally it has been a pleasure to work with Daniel Lahoda of LA Freewalls to get some rockin’ locations downtown and around LA and to curate a little Brooklyn into the program and boost his already stellar roster of 50+ walls with Anthony Lister and Ludo. More of these walls will be coming up in the next week and more pictures for you as soon as we can post them. Also we hope to show you some of the local cool stuff we found wandering the streets.

So this is our weekly interview with the streets, featuring Adam VOID, Anthony Lister, Creepy, Cut and Paste, El Sol 25, Gilf!, Hargo, Hellbent, NohJColey, TipToe, and Vhils.

Tip Toe, Gilf!, Creepy, Adam Void, Hellbent and NohJColey turned the street level apartments in this Venice building into an open air gallery on the street (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tip Toe, Gilf! – If you are trying to take pictures of these, watch out for the speeding traffic, which is relentless and continual. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Creepy, Adam Void (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent, NohJColey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey, Hellbent, AdamVoid, Creepy, Gilf! and TipToe working side by side. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister’s second wall in the LA Arts District (photo © Jaime Rojo)

HARGO has added more international operators to the call center. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

HARGO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY AND Hellbent in the back patio at CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Relative newcomer GILF! in the back yard at CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach. Gilf! appropriated this much used symbol of power and added rainbow hues to commemorate the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State, which became law July 24th, 2011. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fun Friday 08.12.11

August 12, 2011 Artists

Fun Friday Stories this week

1. Opening Tonight “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (LA)
2. Anthony Lister’s Wall Still Shining
3. LUDO Gets Up Downtown LA
4. “Art in the Streets” Closes
5. Dabs and Myla at ThinkSpace Tomorrow (LA)
6. “Street Art Stories” Presentation and Panel Discussion at LA MOCA Saturday

Opening Tonight “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (LA)

If you are in LA tonight, please check out some New York stories at C.A.V.E. Gallery. The show is hung, the brand new pieces out back by Creepy, Gilf!, NohJColey, Adam Void, Hellbent, and Tiptoe are still wet, and Patrick just rollered a thick layer of black on the floors to cover up the mess we made. People from 7 or 8 countries have put in such personal and meaningful pieces, the quality is high, and so are a lot people in LA we’ve discovered. And there are a few surprises that you won’t believe – like Futura’s piece called “Brooklyn Street Art”, made of, guess what? And Nick Walker’s piece and accompanying mannequin will raise some eyebrows no doubt. It has been so great to work with these artists and these partners (ThinkSpace, C.A.V.E., Juxtapoz, LA FreeWalls, HuffPost Arts, LA MOCA) for the last half year to pull this together, and we are deeply indebted to everyone’s talents, vision, and positive attitudes. Before the doors are open, it feels like a total success. Love you guys and gals more everyday.

A detail of NohJColey’s piece “Piss Pub” in the foreground. From Left to right: Radical, Miss Bugs, Hellbent and Swoon in the background. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister’s Wall Still Shining

It was sunny again in LA yesterday and we got a nice shot of this Anthony Lister piece that BSA curated with Daniel Lahoda for LA Freewalls. Pretty nice, huh? For a full photo essay of the piece going up with images by Todd Mazer click here (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO Gets Up Downtown

LUDO was up a ladder again yesterday in a new spot in downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Art in the Streets” Closes

Monday was the last day for the largest exhibition of graffiti and street art under one roof at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), “Art in the Streets”. Over the last four months the expansive show gave a little over 200,000 people an opportunity to see and learn about and understand a great deal more about the history of this multifaceted scene which continues to grow and morph and evolve around the world. Congratulations to curators Jeffrey Deitch, Roger Gastman, and Aaron Rose for their tenacity and everyone who played a part in putting this show together, a real collaborative effort.

Dabs and Myla at ThinkSpace Tomorrow (LA)

Hundreds of household items have been painted, many of them interconnected with larger pieces, are all over the ThinkSpace Gallery right now as final prep is happening for tomorrow night’s Dabs and Myla show by the Melborne/LA couple who have been keenly tag teaming to finish everything on time. Tomorrow we’ll have some pics for you. In the meantime here’s an interview on Sour Harvest and on Juxtapoz.

Dabs and Myla on the gallery wall at Thinkspace (photo courtesy the gallery)

For more information about this show click on the link below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=23137

“Street Art Stories” Presentation and Panel Discussion at LA MOCA Saturday

Taking a look at one direction that Street Art is going today and talking about what it augers for the future as more artists are investing time and labor into narratives behind their pieces on the street. Really looking forward to this one!

This event is at capacity. RSVP is closed.

In Venice Los Angeles: NEW Art in the Streets Today

August 11, 2011 Artists, California, Los Angeles, On the Street, Venice Beach

The joint is hoppin’ right now in LA as BSA and ThinkSpace and C.A.V.E. gallery finished hanging Friday’s show last night and all day some of the Street Artists whose work is in the show worked on walls yesterday in the beautiful California sunshine. It’s great to see everybody bringing their best, and exciting to see the whole show coming together.

Check out pics below of LUDO, NohJColey, Hellbent, Creepy, and Adam Void.

Special thanks to Daniel Lahoda from LA Freewalls for helping with transportation and finding artists materials and to Patrick and Tanya at C.A.V.E. for hooking up the wallage and facilitating whatever the artists need when possible. Without the talents and effort of all these people, this stuff can’t happen.

NOHJCOLEY and Hellbent Get Up in LA

August 9, 2011 Artists

Two of Brooklyn’s finest are putting up new work in LA right now since they are in town for the show at CAVE Gallery on Friday.

Photographer Carlos Gonzales shows us works in progress from Hellbent and NohJColey.

SPECIAL THANKS to Patrick Iaconis and Tanya Patsaouras at CAVE Gallery for finding these walls, working with the landlords to coordinate, and keeping the back of the artists with what they need. We sincerely appreciate it.

See a brand new interactive sculpture by NohJColey and a new wall piece by Hellbent at “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories” opening at C.A.V.E. Gallery this Friday, presented by Brooklyn Street Art in collaboration with ThinkSpace.

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Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rene Gagnon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mark Carlvalho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Indigo (photo © Victoria Potter)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in the show “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (Photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Images from the Show

TipToe (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Radical! in Coney Island (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tip Toe, Gilf!, Creepy, Adam Void, Hellbent and NohJColey turned the street level apartments in this Venice building into an open air gallery on the street (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tip Toe, Gilf! – If you are trying to take pictures of these, watch out for the speeding traffic, which is relentless and continual. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Creepy, Adam Void (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent, NohJColey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey, Hellbent, AdamVoid, Creepy, Gilf! and TipToe working side by side. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister’s second wall in the LA Arts District (photo © Jaime Rojo)

HARGO has added more international operators to the call center. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

HARGO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY AND Hellbent in the back patio at CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Relative newcomer GILF! in the back yard at CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach. Gilf! appropriated this much used symbol of power and added rainbow hues to commemorate the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State, which became law July 24th, 2011. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El Sol 25 in the back patio at CAVE Gallery in Venice Beach (photo © Jaime Rojo)

With arms akimbo, El Sol 25 also rises on this building in Venice. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY commands the space on this wall he did with BSA in Venice. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CREEPY snuck out into the alleyway to build a little house on stilts. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cut & Pay$te has some political currency in the game (photo © Jaime Rojo)

So glad to see this VHILS in person in Venice. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. photo © Jaime Rojo

Opening Tonight “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (LA)

photo © Jaime Rojo

A detail of NohJColey’s piece “Piss Pub” in the foreground. From Left to right: Radical, Miss Bugs, Hellbent and Swoon in the background. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister’s Wall Still Shining

It was sunny again in LA yesterday and we got a nice shot of this Anthony Lister piece that BSA curated with Daniel Lahoda for LA Freewalls. Pretty nice, huh? For a full photo essay of the piece going up with images by Todd Mazer click here (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO Gets Up Downtown

LUDO was up a ladder again yesterday in a new spot in downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO’s new wall in Downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO’s new wall in Downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO’s new wall in Downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO’s new wall in Downtown Los Angeles in collaboration with LA FreeWalls and BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Art in the Streets” Closes

Dabs and Myla at ThinkSpace Tomorrow (LA)

Dabs and Myla on the gallery wall at Thinkspace (photo courtesy the gallery)

“Street Art Stories” Presentation and Panel Discussion at LA MOCA Saturday

This event is at capacity. RSVP is closed.

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Adam Void (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Adam Void (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Creepy (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Hellbent (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

(photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

(photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

(photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

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