All posts tagged: Jaime Rojo

BSA Images Of The Week: 04.30.23

April 30, 2023 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week!

Where is the mafia news? Have you noticed how there is no news anymore about the mafia in the US? No sting operations, uncovered networks, perp walks, or wagging tongues? The New York tabloids used to go for days about Don this and Don that, accompanied by blurry surveillance photos in black and white. Did the mafia disappear? All our companies and industries and institutions are relatively free of corruption now, right?

Now our gripping concerns across the country are wokeism, racism, transphobia, ableism, ageism, pronouns, immigrants on the border, the government itself, abortion, and gun control. There are two teams, two sides; One is patently evil, and the other clearly is virtuous. Patriot vs Terrorist. Your solemn, weighty decision is to pick which team you are on and to join in the great debate as we head into election season, evidence of our thriving democracy! Go Team Good!

This week we wander through the seemingly emptier streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, The Village, and Soho to discover what street artists are bringing to their audience with earnest amor de primavera. The results are bracing, racing, effete, mysterious, hip hop, heady, graphic, and subversive: even as the flowering trees and ground vegetation is abloom, and the April rains have been prodigious.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Praxis, CRKSHNK, VOZ, Lexi Bella, Pear, Zexor, CP Won, Ollin, Phetus88, Eternal Possessions, Humble, Font147, and Whatifier.

CP WON for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phetus88 and Hip Hop Is My Religion (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ZEXOR. This roller piece has been on this wall for a minute; we’ve published it before. What’s remarkable this time around is that the city just completed the renovation of three small parks in the area, and this was one of them, and they left the graffiti intact. That hasn’t always been the case with municipal property. Graffiti is/was usually the first thing to get buffed/painted over, involving a beautification project by the city of New York. Not this time. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The palimpsest at the Houston/Bowery Wall continues… (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Eternal Possessions (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Pink Dogwood. Spring 2023. NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Confronting Mental Health Challenges at UN Berlin / “Loneliness And Other False Friends”

April 29, 2023 Artists

PROJECT M/19 | LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS

URBAN NATION has launched an exhibition to address mental health concerns and issues in today’s society. The exhibit was prompted by feedback from museum visitors, who were asked to suggest topics that needed to be discussed. UN reports that the majority of responses focused on mental health, and the exhibit is a response to this concern.

The featured artworks explore emotions and modern life’s stress on mental health. One of the main issues addressed in the exhibit is loneliness. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened feelings of isolation and disconnectedness; with more people, particularly young people, reporting that they were experiencing anxiety, depression, and self-harm, often compounded by social media.

The exhibition Loneliness and Other False Friends is part of the M series that began a decade ago, now in its 19^th edition, or Project M/19. Associated with the main museum’s current exhibition Talking… & Other Banana Skins aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and spark conversations about this critical topic. By showcasing these artworks, visitors are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and the experiences of others, perhaps spurring meaningful discussions of a deeper quality.

As is often the case with the community-centered vision and voice of UN lead curator Michele Houston, the exhibit is an excellent opportunity to learn about mental health and how it affects individuals and society. Through transference and reflection, the exhibition may catalyze analysis of topics that are often elusive to describe or quantify, in this case providing visitors tools to countenance the emotional toll that modern life can take on people, raising awareness of the importance of mental health.

All images © courtesy of Urban Nation Museum

PROJECT M/19
LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS
URBAN NATION Project Space
BÜLOWSTR. 97, 10783 BERLIN
EXHIBITION DURATION: 28 APRIL 2023 – 18 AUGUST 2023

ACCOMPANYING THE EXHIBITION
On the occasion of the ceremonial opening of LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS and in conjunction with Gallery Weekend, URBAN NATION presents a programme beyond the exhibition. 5 Berlin-based artists will create new murals, to join what is collectively called the C-Walls (Community Walls). Each will reflect the exhibition theme on and around Bülowstraße.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
CARO PEPE, DEVITA, HONEY BEEBS, LAKE AND MATE.

The exhibition serves as a space for public discourse, conversations, and workshops.
Event highlights include a mural design with artist Honey Beebs in collaboration with the Anna Freud School. In addition, there is the art workshop “Talk about it” with artist Fehmi Baumbach and photographer Darius Ramazani in partnership with Freunde fürs Leben e.V. for children in grades 11 to 13.

Inside the exhibition, there is a large seating area where visitors are encouraged to
engage with the works and receive further reading material on mental health topics.

Bülowstrasse 7
10783 Berlin
Germany
info@urban-nation.com

Click HERE for more details, hours of operation, tickets, etc.

BSA Film Friday: 04.28.23

April 28, 2023 Artists, BSA Film Friday

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. Da Corte looks at Everyday Icons

2. Vhils – Jose Saramago

3. FUTURA on How To Think About Identity + Brand, and The Power of Collaboration. Via Idea Generation

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BSA Special Feature: Alex Da Corte looks at Everyday Icons

“In a darkened gallery, artist Alex Da Corte appears projected on the wall in Slow Graffiti (2017) as Boris Karloff, performing as both the actor himself and his 1931 role as Frankenstein’s monster, blurring the lines between actor and character. In his work, the artist never appears as himself, but rather, embodies the larger-than-life characters who influence or intrigue him: Mr. Rogers, the Wicked Witch of the West, Marcel Duchamp, and the Pink Panther are but a handful. Studying these characters who exist in worlds of fantasy and cartoon and integrating them into his own expansive artistic vision, Da Corte hopes to gain a deeper understanding of them and learn new ways of thinking. Alex Da Corte was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1980 and lives and works in Philadelphia.

Da Corte creates vibrant and immersive large-scale installations, including wall-based works, sculptures, and videos. Colorful and surreal, his work combines personal narrative, art-historical references, pop-culture characters, and the glossy aesthetics of commercial advertising to reveal the humor, absurdity, and psychological complexity of the images and stories that permeate our culture.”

Alex Da Corte / “Everyday Icons” – Season 11 – “Art in the Twenty-First Century”. Via Art21

Vhils – Jose Saramago

“That is the virtue of maps, they show what can be done with limited space, they foresee that everything can happen therein.” José Saramago, The Stone Raft

FUTURA on How To Think About Identity + Brand, and The Power of Collaboration. Via Idea Generation

“What’s a good idea, what’s a bad idea…you gotta give both a shot”

“Street Art pioneer FUTURA started painting his name on walls as a coping mechanism to deal with his struggle with identity. But as he turned a signature into a brand, he quickly realized that it could also be a business. And that’s where things got interesting. From Lower East Side galleries to t-shirts and toys to collaborations with nearly every blue chip brand you can name, over the last 40 years, FUTURA has redefined what it means to be a pop artist.”

Sebas Velasco Looks at Life As it Was Once Before

April 26, 2023 Artists

Contemporary artist and muralist Sebas Velasco was born in 1988 in Burgos, a city in northern Spain. His disciplined romance with painting continues to produce nighttime scenes of the urban every day, mysterious, gloomy, but not necessarily forlorn. Large-scale scenes incorporate elements of the surrounding architecture and marginal cityscape, his canvasses are painterly, blurred, and focused on the emotional, and psychological trajectory of a life lived alongside the wreckage of a city, often solitary figures seeking adventure in gritty, industrial scenes.

Velasco often uses a combination of spray paint and acrylic paint to create his murals and canvas paintings, sometimes incorporating stenciling and other forms of street art into his work, a unique blend of traditional and contemporary techniques.

Sebas Velasco. *Kao da je Bilo Nekad (As it Was Once Before)*. Fine Art Print Giclee on Hahnemühle 310gsm. Hand Pulled Varnish Finish, 45cm x 45cm. (image © courtesy of the artist)

Today we pass along the news that Sebas is offering two of his nighttime reveries as prints for a short time and at more affordable prices than his other work demands today. Named after favorite songs by bands in Yugoslavia and Poland, the two prints capture this moment in his career, this time of unsettling transitions, insecure daily existence where it seems that anything is possible, and chaos is probable.

“Titles for the work often draw from song titles, Kao da je Bilo Nekad (As it was once before) was named after a song from EKV; a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade
and Kalejdoskop Moich Dróg (Kaleidoscope of my ways) is from a Polish Reggae band called Daab. This fusion in the margins almost feels like spring, stolen moments that can be shared – in lingering romantic brush strokes. If you are interested, we included a link below to learn more.

From the press release, “Compositions are collaged from his own photography to create impossible yet familiar vistas, his brutal constructions become stoic remnants of a memory lost to time.”

Timed Edition Print Release Artist Sebas Velasco
Kalejdoskop Moich Dróg (Kaleidoscope of my ways) (left)
Kao da je Bilo Nekad (As it Was Once Before) (right)
Fine Art Print Giclee on Hahnemühle 310gsm
Hand Pulled Varnish Finish
45cm x 45cm

Launch Wednesday 26th April 16:00 CET / 15:00 GMT / 07:00 PST
Ending Friday 28th April 16:00 CET / 15:00 GMT / 07:00 PST
Prints purchased within the first 12 hours will have free shipping anywhere in the world and
will receive the special rate per print

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE PRINT

Sebas Velasco. *Kalejdoskop Moich Dróg (Kaleidoscope of my ways)*. Fine Art Print Giclee on Hahnemühle 310gsm. Hand Pulled Varnish Finish, 45cm x 45cm. (image © courtesy of the artist)

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE PRINT

Sixe Paredes on the River / Bes Art The River Museum in Barcelona

April 25, 2023 Artists

Barcelona-based muralist, fine artist, and experimenter Sixe Paredes is associated with his vibrant extractions with a geometric lightness. His stylized murals may have elements of nature, mythology, and indigenous echoes; delivered in a whimsical, surreal, and engaging way that keeps even his most static work moving. At work for the last two decades, building a name and a personal brand, Paredes has been commissioned to create murals and installations for a variety of public and private spaces around the world, including museums, galleries, and corporate headquarters.

Sixe Paredes. BesArt. The River Museum. Besòs River. Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelonès Nord). Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

A couple of weeks we wrote about Aryz, the Catalan artist being the first artist invited to paint at BesArt The River Museum. Today we have a new mural by Sixe Paredes as well. A project under the umbrella of the municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the Mediterranean Association of Street Art, and the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, their goal is to invite a constellation of local, national, and international artists to execute works of art on the river’s walls. An excellent addition, he creates a new colorful abstraction along the river banks for summer.

Fabio Petani – Chloride Acid & Salicornia Europaea

April 24, 2023 Artists

As the corporations and the war machine continue to destroy and de-nature, Italian muralist Fabio Petani makes it his job to re-nature with his rich representation of beauty. It isn’t quite summer here yet in Comacchio, Italy, but Mr. Petani is on the Po river delta for the Manufactory Project 2023 painting his newest mural that brings us face to face with the stunning leaves and stalks and blossoms that draw us in and festoon the streetscape.

Fabio Petani. *CHLORIDE ACID & SALICORNIA EUROPAEA*. Comacchio, Italy. (photo courtesy of the artist)

The artist barely has a word to describe “CHLORIDE ACID & SALICORNIA EUROPAEA” the new mural, before he ascends the wall, cans in hand, a rugged sturdy street artist with the precise eye of a surgeon. He knows that he has begun another spring, another year of travel to add an already prodigious collection of paintings that are aesthetically pleasing and botanically relevant to the environment he paints them in. Here in Comacchio, participating in this festival of music, painting, community, and education, the city plays its role as host, its guests their role of sharing the richness of their talent.

Pics: @delta.cinematica
Project by @riccardo_buonafede, @stravagante73 @manufactory.project @spaziomarconi

Location: Via Bocca della Punta 3, Comacchio (IT)

To get a true sense of the Manufactury project, see this video from a couple of years ago.

BSA Images Of The Week: 04.23.23

April 23, 2023 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Eid-ul-Fitr 2023!

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: City Kitty, 1UP Crew, Blade, Rae, Kai, Dirt Cobain, Ollin, Qzar, Optimo NYC, Eternal Posessions, Shoot Me Jade, Chelsea Lewinski, Carla Torres, Brent Estabrook, Kern, Enzyme, Misstencil, OASE, Doex, Stroke, Crome, and FLD.

Dirt Cobain painted this portrait last week, coinciding with the 7th anniversary of Prince’s death this past Friday the 21st. Prince Rogers Nelson, commonly known as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer.(photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shoot Me Jade. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

RAE keeping up in Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chelsea Lewinski. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Check out the bling! Eternal Possesions. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

1UP Crew. Wynwood Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brent Estabrook. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KERN uses two techniques on the street. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

OLLIN. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Optimo NYC takes it to the bridge. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Misstencil. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cats are going crazy. City Kitty for East Village Walls. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

OASE. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A real throwback from Blade with the Museum of Graffiti. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Doex. Stroke. Crome. A tribute to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the South California Kustom Culture warrior – an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

FLD. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Spring 2023. NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Earth Day 2023

April 22, 2023 Artists

As we think of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere and Earth Day, we gaze upon Epic Uno’s iconic Skull & Flower series with favor. He presents the visual with humor, making it accessible – even if there are many interpretations of his intentions.

We’ve selected this most recent work in collaboration with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC to lead this year’s edition of Earth Day. What better way to speak about the perilous state of our planet than a flower with a skull at its center!

The cycle of life and death is endlessly reflected in the natural world. While this witty illustration may not have been intended to, we think he’s talking about the net negative effect we have had on the Earth’s environment.

Following is a recent selection of street artworks that address the climate, our role in protecting the natural world, and how frequently we fail. Here’s to our Mother Earth, with respect.

Epic Uno for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Winston Tseng’s current campaign taking over bus shelter’s ad spaces in NYC includes a critique of the toxic materials some fast food companies employ in their food delivery packaging. The tagline in this illustration reads: “Burger King packaging leaches toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals’.” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

TheEnviromentExcuse.org – Not sure who funds WildAid, but posting anyway. Beware of corporate climate-washing, by the way. Sometimes they have ulterior motives, and PR firms propagate positive narratives for nefarious ends. Not saying that this is necessarily the case here, but one has to ask, “Where does the money come from to advertise initiatives like this?” (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BSA Film Friday: 04.21.23

April 21, 2023 Artists, BSA Film Friday

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. GARBAGE FUTURISM POST-WASTE / BAER

2. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map via Guggenheim Museum

3. TENS Crew – The Molson Project via Spray Daily

BSA Special Feature: GARBAGE FUTURISM POST-WASTE / BAER

Horror, fluorescence, biting parody, and flirting with futuristic horror! What’s not to love?

Bill Dunleavy, writing in Juxtapoz, says, “The exhibition is BAER’s first solo foray to bring his unique style of world building to an exhibition format, as all the amazing work he’s created to date has been free, illegal, and often temporary, as it appears in public spaces. BAER’S genius as a conceptual artist is evident throughout the exhibition, as there are at least five exhibitions worth of concepts packed into this debut showcase. It could be said that the ‘Devil is in the details’ when it comes to GARBAGE FUTURISM, literally. “

GARBAGE FUTURISM POST-WASTE / BAER Via Superchief Gallery, LA

A brilliant and poised presentation of the artist at this moment, this video very quickly introduces the artist, and examines her motivations, history, and aspiration. It also reveals her commitment to her work.

“Being indigenous and making art means that you are looking at the world through the lenses that are curved or changed by your upbringing and by your worldview. As indigenous people we always get together and talk amongst ourselves about how we can change things or make things better and how we can put messages out there; ‘Don’t take more than you need’ should be our motto.

The same thing is true about what I put in the paintings – here I showed the American map I’m putting my Heritage in there.

When I was younger I never could envision this happening at the Whitney, never. I never let myself think that far.

It doesn’t matter what my age is it’s what I’m engaged with in my practice, and I would say I am right now and then take advantage of every opportunity that I can get to demonstrate that time is fleeting and we don’t know where things are going to be 10 years from now so I don’t really concentrate on that I just concentrate on making work that counts for something.

I think I’m a pretty lucky person, a lucky duck I am.”

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map via Guggenheim Museum

You see the name of the video and think, “Oh no, not another corporate brand slathering themselves with anti-social subcultural aerosol edginess”. Thankfully, it’s something else entirely. When you reflect upon the angles and the storytelling, it is about transgressive athleticism and claiming territory and public space, competition among peers, and giving the finger to authority. It is also tapping into a love of letters, type, fonts, and placement. Dude, it’s complex.

TENS Crew – The Molson Project via Spray Daily

The Crystal Ship – Collection from Past Editions

April 20, 2023 Artists

Yesterday, we shared with you the current edition of The Crystal Ship, a Belgian street art festival located in Ostend, which is located in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The collection of images that we presented was taken by photographer Martha Cooper, a frequent collaborator of BSA, during her recent trip to Ostend as a special guest of the festival.

Adele Renault. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

In line with her usual practice, Ms. Cooper did not limit her work to capturing photos of the murals being painted for this year’s festival edition; she also endeavored to take as many photos of murals painted during previous editions of the festival. We are pleased to present a selection of these murals, painted over several years, with photographs taken by Martha Cooper herself.

Miss Van. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

This selection of murals is an exciting representation of the diverse and captivating street art that has been featured at The Crystal Ship Festival throughout the years, much of it creating a gallery of contemporary artists whose work is arresting and appealing to a general audience. The dedication and hard work put forth by Martha Cooper in capturing these pieces in all their artistic glory is genuinely commendable. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the festival’s vibrant history and the incredible art showcased in the public square in Ostend over the years.

BEZT. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Escif. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

BUCK. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Guido van Helten. The Crystal Ship 2016. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

C215. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Alex Senna. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Phlegm. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

DZIA The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Joachim. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Husk Mit Navn. The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Matthew Dawn. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Broken Fingaz. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Paola Delfin. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Zenith. The Crystal Ship 2020. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Erin Holly. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Hyuro. The Crystal Ship 2017. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

TelmoMiel. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Case Maclaim. The Crystal Ship 2020. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Colectivo Licuado. The Crystal Ship 2018. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Helen Bur. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Iñigo Sesma. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Leon Keer. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

David Walker. The Crystal Ship 2019. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Franco Fasoli. Detail. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Franco Fasoli. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Maya Hayuk. The Crystal Ship 2022. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Aryz. The Crystal Ship 2021. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

The Crystal Ship 2023 Sets Sail

April 19, 2023 Artists

“Ostend isn’t a metropolis like London, Berlin and Paris” explains Belgian art curator Bjørn Van Poucke to reporter Colin Clapson. He’s referring to the limitation in the number of walls available for legal murals. He should know, he’s responsible for The Crystal Ship, a contemporary art festival that has taken place in this coastal city since 2016 and has become one of the most significant street art festivals in Europe, attracting renowned artists from around the world.

Jaune. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

“Ostend certainly has an impressive collection of street art with a wide variety of large and small pieces painted on all kinds of residential and commercial buildings,” says renowned photographer Martha Cooper, who was invited there by Mr. Van Poucke this year. “There’s a good paper map available at the tourist office and also an excellent website so people can find the walls,” says Cooper.

Every year the Crystal Ship invites a diverse range of international artists to create large-scale murals and public art installations throughout the city – names have included well-known and regarded artists like Miss Van, Alexis Diaz, and Fintan Magee – each bringing their own aesthetic to this festival/event that receives support from a mix of private and government funding that is local and national. For more about the past artists, you can check out The Crystal Ship website. Many of these artists’ work can also be found in Ruby Gallery, where Van Poucke and co-owner Thierry Dubois organize exhibitions on canvas.

In the past, the festival has showcased over 60 murals and art installations, and many are spaced far from one another, so Ms. Cooper tells us she had an excellent driver named Lorre Soenen to take her around. “He was very knowledgeable about the murals,” she says.

“Bringing people closer to art is the aim of The Crystal Ship” explains Mayor Bart Tommelein on the VRT news website. “It happens at the heart of the city, on walls at the centre of neighbourhoods, where people live and work.”

Jaune. Detail. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jaune. Martha Cooper stencil. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Jaune. Martha Cooper cut out figurine. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of Martha Cooper)

Jaune. Martha Cooper pictured here at Jaune’s exhibition at Ruby Gallery. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of Martha Cooper)

Cleon Peterson. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Ellena Lourens. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Ellena Lourens. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of The Crystal Ship)

Gviiie. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Julien De Casabianca. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Julien De Casabianca. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of The Crystal Ship)

Pat Perry. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Moulaye Sarr. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Joelle Dubois. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Joelle Dubois. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of The Crystal Ship)

Mobstr. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Momo. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Slim Safont. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Slim Safont. Official opening of the festival. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo © Martha Cooper)

Slim Safont. The Crystal Ship 2023. Ostend, Belgium. (photo courtesy of The Crystal Ship)

Cranio Continues, Forests Alight, Skies Darkened

April 18, 2023 Artists

Cranio. Detail. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brazil based Cranio has a quickly identifiable character – the cerulean blue native in traditional garb who feels entirely outside the modern consumerist world, even as he negotiates his way through it. According to the artist, the blue is a nod to his cultural heritage as an indigenous person from the Xingu region of Brazil. The blue figures in his work often appear to connect his personal history with broader social and political issues, particularly those regarding the marginalization and erasure of indigenous cultures.

Fabio de Oliveira Parnaiba began painting in the streets of Sao Paulo in the early 2000s and has since become known for his distinctive aesthetic and commentary on contemporary society delivered with humor and pathos. A school of illustration influences the overall style you may associate with other Brazillian street artists such as Os Gemeos – an adventure-seeking childlike superhero who is willing to play the game as soon as they can confidently discern what it is.

In many of Cranio’s works, his blue figures are placed within a modern, commercial world, surrounded by symbols of consumerism such as logos, billboards, shopping bags – and destruction. The traditional clothing and markings of the indigenous figures are not meant to be ironic but may strike you so as you realize the path to becoming a successful artist includes embracing the modern urban environment – even while commenting on how globalization and capitalism have impacted indigenous communities. Today Cranio’s work can be found in cities around the world, from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to Paris, London, and New York and in addition to his street art, he has also exhibited in galleries and museums and has collaborated with brands such as Adidas and Mini Cooper.

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