Imminent Disaster scales down the size, and scales up the the symbolic power in this hand inked collage of found wood and debris on the street. It’s character is lyrical and brutal, refined and rugged.
Imminent Disaster comes on strong with a message to the Haterz, and you can decide what it is.
“Haterz” by Imminent Disaster for the “Street Crush” show
Fountain New York 2009 participating galleries include:
Ad Hoc Art – Brooklyn
Front Room – Brooklyn
Definition Gallery – Baltimore
Glowlab – New York
Leo Kesting – New York
McCaig-Welles – Brooklyn
Stuart Shepherd Gallery – New Zealand
Vagabond-Schmarotzer Gallery – New York
Fountain was launched in March 2006 in New York in an effort to leverage support for independent galleries overlooked by the larger, corporate-sponsored art fairs. The name “Fountain” is a nod to Marcel Duchamp’s controversial sculpture which shook up the art world when it was rejected by the Society of Artists’ exhibition in 1917. Similarly, in defiant contrast with The Armory Show, Art Basel Miami Beach, Pulse, Scope and the numerous other international art fairs, Fountain has received wide public support and critical acclaim for its experimental slant. In form and spirit, the artwork exhibited at Fountain reflects the avant-garde attitude of the Dada art movement, while attracting the attention of the international clientele and top collectors who attend the more traditional fairs.
Ad Hoc Gallery will be showing work by:
Armsrock, C215, Dain, Camilla d’Errico, Leslie Ditto, Eine, Ewelina Ferruso, Gaia, Imminent Disaster, Sarah Joncas, Dan-ah Kim, Hiro Kurata, Tommii Lim, Anthony Lister, LogikOne, Mijn Schatje
Imminent Disaster at the Ad Hoc Booth at Fountain
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 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.
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.
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
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!
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
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!
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.
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
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
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.
BANNERS and POSTERS FOR YOU TO USE
POSTERS TO PRINT (PDF)
Letter Size PDF
Tabloid Size Poster PDF
WEB FLYERS (JPG)
Medium Web Flyer
Large Web Flyer
STEELY DAN LONG Animated BANNERS (GIF)
468×83 A
468×83 B
468×83 C
Animated RED LIGHT DISTRICT BLINKING BANNERS (GIF)
400×449
400×400
300×300
200×225
200×200
Animated SHOOTING INTO SPACE BANNERS (GIF)
400×400
300×300
200×200
150×150
Bam! The year has barely started and the momentum from the previous giant year for street art blows clear into January with a new show of 50 artists from the streets of Brooklyn.
In the middle of the installation craziness, the curator of the show, Andrew Michael Ford (gallery director at Ad Hoc), and Andrew Hosner (co-founder of ThinkSpace), talked with Brooklyn Street Art about the show:
BSA: So how did AdHoc and ThinkSpace hook up to do this show?
Andrew Hosner: Andrew and I have been friends for a while, and met while he was still doing some curating before hooking up with the Ad Hoc crew. One day we were just shooting the s**t about some show ideas and I tossed out the idea of bringing Brooklyn to Los Angeles…
Andrew Michael Ford: I’ve followed what ThinkSpace shows for quite some time and I was always very impressed with the work. I also have always felt that the folks who run ThinkSpace and myself have very similar tastes as far as curating art goes. Something like this has been talked about or at least thought about for quite some time and when Thinkspace approached us about doing it I felt like it was the right place and right time.
BSA: Is it a kind of East-West cultural exchange?
Andrew Michael Ford: The show is about bringing a large group of Brooklyn street artists and graf writers to Los Angeles. We haven’t discussed bringing LA artists to Brooklyn but I would be open to talking about something like that for the future.
Thundercut (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
BSA: Brooklyn’s streetscape is pretty dense and is largely accessible by foot. Do you think the L.A. scene is more spread out? How do the two differ, in broad strokes.
Andrew Michael Ford: I have never been to LA but I heard you need a car to get anywhere out there so I assume it’s gotta be pretty spread out.
Andrew Hosner: I think you nailed it on the head, Brooklyn is much more condensed and has more of a community vibe to it I feel, whereas LA is the true meaning of urban sprawl, being one of the most spread out and varied big cities out there. There’s no real community vibe, save for lil’ pockets here and there, but the breadth of the city kind of goes against the notion of all that.
Dan Witz "Scott" from show "From the Streets of Brooklyn" (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
BSA: Maybe this is impossible to put your finger on, but what would be a couple of characteristics that distinguish Brooklyn street art from other cities in the world?
Andrew Michael Ford: For me it started in NYC. I mean, graf started in Philly but really came into it’s own in NYC. I just don’t see that kind of history anywhere else. I see the lineage of graf into street art and that is why so many graf writers have been invited to this show. It’s not just about who is doing a lot of street art. It’s about who is getting up and staying in the streets of Brooklyn regardless of tools being used. I don’t like it when street artists from other cities look at graf here in NYC as some kind of background for their work. It’s a massive slap in the face to all graf writers. Brooklyn street artists have a lot more respect for graf than street artists I have met from other cities, especially from Europe. Maybe that’s the thing that distinguishes what’s going on in the streets of Brooklyn from other places.
Imminent Disaster (earlier work) (courtesy ThinkSpace and Ad Hoc)
BSA: You are showing a LOT of artists…did you have enough (Think) Space?
Andrew Hosner: Hahaha… it will be a very packed show hung salon style, going off of color palette and style. Should look amazing, but it is going to be a visual overload for sure. Patrons will be overwhelmed by Gaia and Rachel Lowing’s thought provoking install immediately upon entering the gallery, then passing through the entry area will be met by a tidal wave of artwork, coming at them from all directions, floor to ceiling… before turning the corner into our project room in the back where Disaster’s massive undertaking will greet them.
BSA: A bit like herding cats?
Andrew Michael Ford: Not really. Honestly, everyone involved believes in this show so much and have been very supportive and helpful in putting it all together.
Matt Siren (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
BSA: Will you have time to give Mr. Ford a tour of the sickest sites while he’s there?
Andrew Hosner: It’s hard to say since the focus will be our show, but hopefully on Saturday after the show has passed we will get out to see some of the hotter spots about LA to enjoy works outside. With so many coming to town for the opening, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to watch some of Brooklyn’s finest… cool thing is, all will be able to watch Ellis G. on opening night doing his thing on our block, and I can’t wait for that.
Andrew Michael Ford: I would love to see some stuff by Saber if possible. But really anything good being done would be great to check out.
Ellis G. (courtesy Ad Hoc and ThinkSpace)
BSA: The Brooklyn scene keeps evolving rapidly; what is one trend that you are seeing that is telling you about the future?
I see more and more people throwing up wheatpastes in the streets that I don’t feel are well executed or well placed. I mean, there is room for everything and I love to see what people feel they need to put up but it does worry me sometimes when I see tons of poorly crafted wheatpastes thrown all over the place with no thought to where it is being placed or the quality of the imagery they are producing. I would just like to see people take a little more time in the creation of their art and in the selection of the spots they decide to hit.
Elbow-Toe (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
BSA: Whose work is exciting to you right now, and what does it say to you?
Andrew Hosner: I love the work of Elbow-Toe, whose work is really a statement on the state of things in our society right now. His every man piece is by far one of the most powerful and extremely well executed works of this past year. You can look at that work 20 years from now and know that it was referencing the economic struggles were going through currently, while also hinting at the 1st great depression. Powerful work.
Also very inspired by the works of Imminent Disaster, due to her strength in so many different creative outlets… Chris Stain also is someone who should be looked up to. Thought provoking work and just a great overall cat.
Stikman (courtesy ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
Andrew Michael Ford: I think that street art needs to interact with the space where it is placed (good placement is key) and it needs to engage the viewer. Working big can sometimes do this but sometimes it can be a big massive nothing. It’s tough to point to a specific artist but if I had to pick one I can say I’m really intrigued by what the artist Stikman does, as he uses a wide variety of mediums and techniques and always catches you off guard with the placement of his work. Very smart work.
Anera (image by Luna Park) (courtesy Luna Park, ThinkSpace and AdHoc)
BSA: What impression do you think the gallery-goer in L.A. is going to come away with about the Brooklyn street art scene?
Andrew Michael Ford: That’s a great question but sadly one that I have no answer to. I haven’t got a clue what kind of reception we will get when we arrive. I am hoping this can be a positive experience for everyone involved.
Andrew Hosner: I hope they come away feeling inspired and filled with the desire to visit the streets of Brooklyn in person, so they can experience these works as they were originally meant to be, and also feel compelled to explore the works of each in the show further, hopefully coming away with a new favorite that they will watch in the years that lay ahead.
I think many will also be surprised at the sheer breadth and quality of work on view – it is definitely an eye opener type of exhibit. Hopefully this will help to open their eyes to the beauty that is all around them in Los Angeles and abroad. So many walk through their city with blinders on, and it really is a revelation when you start to take in and appreciate the work of urban artists.
More stuff on ThinkSpace and Andrew Hosner from the art collector blog
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)
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″]
The bear dude is on stickers all over the place. At first C.Damage was pretty quiet and maybe a little reserved, like the bear, but with time and practice the style quotient has evolved and now the real style is taking off.
The First Generation (photo C.Damage)
Brooklyn Street Art: When was this little bear Dude born?
C.Damage: He was born in Chicago, around 2004. He went through many transformations in his process to becoming the bear you see today. For a long time, he didn’t have feet! I couldn’t figure out what his lower half looked like, so he was a waist-up character. But he’s finally comfortable with himself.
Brooklyn Street Art: What is this bear saying?
C.Damage: The conversations he has with other people are usually private. Every once in a while, I’ll overhear someone say positive things (about the bear) – that is, that it makes them feel good. I am more concerned with eliciting a response than the type of response. Some people like him, some people might not like him. But on the whole I think he’s a pretty likable character. He’s a jokester – he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
I’m a real big celebrity. I’m this megastar. (photo C.Damage)
Brooklyn Street Art: One time in Williamsburg I saw one of your bears in Hasidic garb. Does Mr. Bear like costumes?
C.Damage: Now that he’s comfortable with himself, he’s been playing around with different personas. I think the first costume he ever put on was a viking hat and giant clock chain as Flava Flav. He also likes to wear t-shirts – the “I love NY” one is his favorite – and suits. And there are usually holiday versions – Santa, a pilgrim, a mummy, Uncle Sam, the Easter Bunny. There are a lot of variations. Some of them last longer than others. There’s some one-of-a-kinds up out there too.
Brooklyn Street Art: Now that cold weather is settling in over Brooklyn, will he be hibernating or looking for warmer climates?
C.Damage: He’ll still be around to face the New York winter, but he is also taking a trip to Los Angeles to spend January 9 to February 6 at the From The Streets of Brooklyn show at thinkspace gallery. The show is curated by Ad Hoc Art in Brooklyn. It’s a pretty amazing way to start the new year, after wrapping up 2008 with the Brooklyn Block Party at Ad Hoc Art.
Brooklyn Street Art: The work that you are showing at Ad Hoc is definitely your style, but it’s different from the stickers and paintings that people know you for. Have you made blocks much in the past?
Bear-bot Army (photo C.Damage)
C.Damage: Yeah, I’ve done small block cuts for stickers in the past, which is how I got into this show, but doing a larger print was definitely new. This was a completely different scale for me, which is funny because if you look at the show, the size of the other artists work blows my piece away. I’m not known for my print work, or for doing giant prints for wheat pastes, so people might not be expecting to see me in this show. But when people see it, they’ll make the connection to my stickers and paintings. I think it’s a good new direction for my work, but not too far from where I was before.
C.Damage displayed a new range of approaches at the Brooklyn Street Art party in May ’08 (photo C. Damage)
Brooklyn Street Art: How did you get to this point and how does it fit your artistic style?
C.Damage: I have been putting up work for a few years, mostly unnoticed, but somewhat consistently. I think I got to this point by just doing my thing, regardless of other people’s opinions or popular trends. I have a long way to go until I get to where I want to be, with solo shows and a more complete body of work. But I think I’ll get there through persistence. There’s no time limit for me to get there, so I’m just enjoying the ride.
Ho! (photo C.Damage)
Brooklyn Street Art: Hmmm. Beary interesting. What’s up for 2009 for C. Damage?
C.Damage: Well, 2009 starts with the From the Streets of Brooklyn show in L.A. and a cool show I’m in around Valentine’s Day that is still coming together. I think some of my work will be published in the near future too; not too long ago, I had the pleasure of talking with Martha Cooper, and she took some great photos of some of my stickers that will be shown in her next book, released soon. I’m doing a few more blocks for prints to work on my style, so maybe you’ll see some prints up in the street at some point. Beyond that, I’m not sure what’s next, but I’ll take it as it comes.
Check out C.Damage’s new block print as well as those of many others at the Brooklyn Block Party this Friday at Ad Hoc.
“Brooklyn Block Party”
Richard Mock, Swoon, David Ellis, Mike Houston, Martin Mazorra, Dennis McNett,
Judith Supine, Elbowtoe, Gaia, c.damage & Imminent Disaster
December 12th – January 4th 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, December 12th, 7-10pm
An exhibition of original hand cut blocks, both wood and lino, along with the prints pulled from each block.
Reaching for the stars. Imminent Disaster (photo Jaime Rojo)
238
138
45
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
