All posts tagged: Jaime Rojo

Broken Fingaz and the Dance of ‘Dog Sniff Dog’ at UN in Berlin

Broken Fingaz and the Dance of ‘Dog Sniff Dog’ at UN in Berlin

It’s all a dog dance, this social life, this series of prescribed and occasionally poetic movements that we must learn to navigate. Whether its origins are in Israel, France, Russia, New York, or Berlin, the Broken Fingaz Crew (BFC) tells us that the complexity of contemporary communication all comes down to ‘Dog Sniff Dog.’ It could be a reference to the contortions of connections on social media or simply the convoluted machinations of the so-called ‘art world.’ Still, you get a clear idea about their sarcasm and opinions with their new mural for the façade of the Urban Nation Museum (UN) that accompanies the opening of the latest exhibition.

Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Often referencing the visual language of comic books, poster graphics, mid-century advertising, and hand-animated music videos, the Haifa-based crew brings a fresh neo-primitivism to their stinging social critique as it bends across the public-facing walls of Urban Nation Museum.

Appropriate for the graffiti writers and street artists whose work this museum champions, the painter Henri Matisse was also known for breaking the rules of harmony and order well over a century ago. They haven’t pointed to Matisse in their public comments on this canine cavorting street canvas. Still, modern art historians will instantly identify the rough contours, bright color fills, and interactive natural movement as a possible reference to his study Dance (1) (at MoMa in New York) and completed painting Dance (at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg).

Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)

We’re all familiar with these instinctive behaviors of dogs that can be comical or embarrassing to their owners. Still, science tells us that dogs sniff each other’s butt with an olfactory system far more complex and advanced than humans – and with a great sense of purpose. The layers of scents detected give information about gender, reproductive status, temperament, health, and much more. You may try to tell engaging stories and jokes at cocktails, dinner parties, and beer halls. Dogs sniff butts.

Photographer Nika Kramer captured the action of Broken Fingaz’s sometimes animated visceral dance on the wall as they installed ‘Dog Sniff Dog.’

Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. Paint the facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Broken Fingaz. The completed facade at Urban Nation Museum Berlin in conjunction with the opening of the new exhibition “Talking…& Other Banana Skins”. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Nika Kramer)

“Talking… & Other Banana Skins” is currently open to the general public at Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Click HERE to find schedules and details on the exhibition.

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BSA Film Friday: 06.24.22

BSA Film Friday: 06.24.22

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

Now screening:
1. Chile Estyle, from Pablo Aravena
2. ARCHIFONT
3. Tartu Street Art Comes to Berlin – Hello Mister Police Officer | FWTV

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BSA Special Feature: Chile Estyle, from Pablo Aravena

The evolution of a graffiti/street art movement is not unilateral in its formative influences nor its cities of germination. Not only does Chile have a unique genesis story born of oppression and rebellion that is written into the history of the modern street art movement, it has produced a number of strong proponents of the current global scene.

“Young people took to the streets with political muralism all over Chile in the late 60’s at the same time as young people in New York were starting Modern graffiti and May 68 happened in Paris. Chile Estyle is a documentary film that explores the past and present of Chile’s unique street art tradition which comes from a remix of political muralism and graffiti and has been part of the Chilean cultural and political life since the 60s, resulting in a visually arresting, informative and entertaining film.”

Chile Estyle – Trailer – Pablo Aravena


ARCHIFONT

“I kept looking at it and saying, ‘I could do a whole alphabet based on it.'”

ARCHIFONT Letters dressed in architecture. For the fonts lovers and the architecture lovers this little video of the names of master architects, past and present will stir emotions, we are certain of that. But we also know a thing or two about the letter form art we call graffiti…certainly, our emotions were stirred…will yours?


Tartu Street Art Comes to Berlin – Hello Mister Police Officer | FWTV

It’s been a little while since we’ve seen the folks from Tartu and are happy to see them doing a show in Berlin. Doug from Fifth wall interviews 4 of the originators/artists from the “Stencibility” festival in Estonia – as they mount their exhibition in Berlin. Open till June 25th!

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Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada “Wishing For Wings” in Catalonia

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada “Wishing For Wings” in Catalonia

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada has been looking for ways to draw all of his practices into one; his land-art works, sculptures and paintings. Here in Penelles, Lleida, Spain his new mural appears to combine the three directions into one flowing portrait full of lines in movement.

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. “Wishing for Wings”. Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival. Penelles, Spain. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Part of the annual Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festiva, this year in late April and early May, Rodriguez-Gerada says his intention was to attract attention to the towns like this on in rural Spain that are suffering from depopulation. It’s not a common theme, but one that Gargar has been inviting people to contemplate for about a decade by inviting artists to come and paint this Catalonian village of about 500 and its surrounding area.

“The festival hopes to generate resources that allow us to correct the effects of time and the
deterioration of our streets, reinspiring hope in our neighbours,” say organizers of the Gargar Festival.

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. “Wishing for Wings”. Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival. Penelles, Spain. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. “Wishing for Wings”. Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival. Penelles, Spain. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. “Wishing for Wings”. Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival. Penelles, Spain. (photo courtesy of the artist)
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. “Wishing for Wings”. Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival. Penelles, Spain. (photo courtesy of the artist)
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6 More Murals for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Belgrade, Serbia

6 More Murals for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Belgrade, Serbia

Making Art on the Streets More Accessible

In November of 2021, we reported HERE on a public art program for visually impaired persons in Belgrade, Serbia. The program provides 3D models of murals for people with visual impediments so they can better enjoy the art painted on the streets of the city.

Flying Fortress. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)

Today we bring you an update as we look at new 3D models of murals for blind and visually impaired people here; bringing the total number to 8 in this capitol city. The first two models were put up in October 2021, representing the work of artist Weedzor. In April and May, six new models were created for murals done by artists Jana Danilović and Hope, TKV, Piros, Junk, Rage, Lunar, and Flying Fortress. Accompanying each model is a description of the works in Braille.

Flying Fortress. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)

Led by the organization Street Art Belgrade, the new works invite members of the City Organization of the Blind in Belgrade to feel what it looks like to discover art on the street through a short walk, say, organizers.

Piros. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)

“At the beginning of this project, I did not believe that it was possible to adapt murals to the blind and visually impaired, and in less than a year, we have a total of eight works available to us,” says Nikola Djordjevic, president of the City Organization of the Blind in Belgrade.

“Our community is small and art is still insufficiently accessible to blind and visually impaired people. The very fact that artists will now think of adapting their works to everyone means a lot to us. The models on the streets motivate our members to feel as a part of the city, to move and walk more, which is very valuable.”

Junk. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
Junk. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
Jana Danilović and Hope. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo © Aleksandar Dalek Dordevic)
Jana Danilović and Hope. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
TKV. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
TKV. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
Rage. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
Rage. Murals for the blind and visually impaired. Street Art Belgrade. (photo courtesy of Street Art Belgrade)
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Saype Sprays Parliament Lawn in Belfast

Saype Sprays Parliament Lawn in Belfast

Today we go to Belfast to see the latest installation of the “Beyond Walls” campaign of large-scale artworks by the French-Swiss street/land artist Saype,

Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)

Created across the front lawns of the Parliament Buildings in Stormont, Belfast, the biodegradable artwork measures 45m by 240m. Each of the large-scale works has had individual features, whether they appeared in places like Ouagadougou, Paris, Geneva, or Dubai. Joining a 30-city list across five continents, this installations’ local touch comes from actual Belfast hands as models.

Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)

His dedication to this multi-year project speaks to the determination of the project, as well as its appeal and willing financial backers to spread this message of eco-friendly art and world unity.
“One of my aims is to not only shed light on issues of social transformation,” says Saype, “but to promote eco-friendly and sustainable methods of creating art through respecting nature.”

Most would agree that the new artwork is best seen from a drone or plane. The work has been realized with support by the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom and is officially part of the Belfast Photo Festival (June 2-30, 2022)

Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
Saype. Beyond Walls Project. Parliament Buildings. Stormont, Belfast. (photo © Valentin Flauraud for Saype)
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Fabio Petani Inspired by the Alps in Grenoble, France

Fabio Petani Inspired by the Alps in Grenoble, France

Indeed, the Grenoble Street Art Festival in France doesn’t care about you unless you parlez français – at least that’s the impression you’ll get from their website and social media. Nevertheless, they have been mounting monumental high-quality mural eye candy for eight editions, and art speaks volumes – so it’s still gratifying to look at the photos.

Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)

In the current edition in Saint-Martin-d’Hères, we see a new piece by Italian botanist and illustrator Fabio Petani, who rather brilliantly incorporates the landscape of the majestic Alps directly into his background multi-story mural called Silicon Carbonate & Cattleya Mossiae. At once richly detailed and mistily atmospheric, his sophisticated rendering must have been inspired by the enchanted beauty of the region.

Petani says he would like to thank the Grenoble team for their support and hospitality, especially the volunteers. We give praise to photographer Andrea Berlese for the excellent shots, like this one.

Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
Fabio Petani. SILICON CARBONATE & CATTLEYA MOSSIAE. Grenoble Street Art Festival 8th Edition / 2022. Grenoble, France. (photo © Andrea Berlese)
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BSA Images Of The Week: 06.19.22

BSA Images Of The Week: 06.19.22

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Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers and those filling that role for families. We know it’s not easy work. We’re thankful to all the guys who are there to raise our kids, to provide guidance and love, and to model love and respect for their partners and wives.

Also today is Juneteenth, one of our country’s newest official holidays, recognizing the foundational earthquake of African emancipation from slavery in the US. Institutional slavery and all its effects – events in our history that continue to impact our laws, institutions, education, civil and economic justice, our relationships with one another – are yet to be addressed in many ways. For Juneteenth, this is a sweet and joyful celebration that is also deeply needed.

It doesn’t get any better with the weather than at this time of the summer in New York – and street art and graffiti are enjoying a very prolific crop this season. The politics of this moment are also showing up the street, with abortion and gun rights and vaccines surfacing as themes alongside what seems like ever-present LGBTQ+ rights. We keep seeing the graffiti/street art spots enlarge, contract, and scatter like a sneeze from one neighborhood to another, largely do to the rampant gentrification rate in some areas and the tendency for people to kill off the very arts culture that attracted them to the neighborhood in the first place. Right now street art in Manhattan is concentrated on the Lower East Side and Chinatown – Chelsea has a few remaining pockets left but it could be gone soon, and a little still remains in Soho and Noho. In Brooklyn, the neighborhoods Bushwick of going strong, Williamsburg Industrial park Williamsburg and Dumbo not so much. In Queens there is Welling Court, maybe Ridgewood, and of course Mott Haven and South Bronx are still popping

But let’s not get distracted by the city topography – lets look at some new stuff Jaime Rojo caught this week.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Sipros, Adam Fu, CRKSHNK, Below Key, Modomatic, Hijack, Homesick, BK Ackler, Sally Rumble, Real Art Daddy, Yosnier, JG, The Eyeknow, Fear Arte, and Natalie Robinson.

Here’s a portrait of “Brooklyn” the sweetest, most ferocious-looking dog in Bushwick by Patrick Kane McGregor. “Brooklyn” passed away and he was the loyal pet of the Bushwick Collective lady who tends shop when Joe isn’t around. La Signora is Joe’s aunt. Much respect. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
BK Ackler (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic. Bug 005 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modomatic. Bug 007 (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sally Rumble in collaboration with Adam Fu. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Real Art Daddy (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hijack (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hijack (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Yosnier for Save Art Space Org. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sipros for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sipros for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sipros for The Bushwick Collective. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Below Key (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Homesick (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CRKSHNK (photo © Jaime Rojo)
JG (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Eyeknow used Food Baby Soul crotcheted installation as the canvas for their colorful display of ever-seeing flowers. Artist The Eyeknow (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fear Arte (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fear Arte (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fear Arte (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Natalie Robinson (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Natalie Robinson (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untitled. The Empire State Building. Manhattan, NYC. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Martha Cooper and Roger Gastman Release “Spray Nation”: “Subway Art” on Steroids

Martha Cooper and Roger Gastman Release “Spray Nation”: “Subway Art” on Steroids

Subway Art on Steroids: Spray Nation Sorts Through Mountains of Kodachromes

Spray Nation by Martha Cooper and Roger Gastman, with a foreword by Roger Gastman and essays by Steven P. Harrington, Miss Rosen, Jayson Edlin, and Brian Wallis.

Page after page of golden NYC hits from the Martha Cooper archive; this new hardcover tome expands the galaxy for fans and academics of that amber-soaked period when it seemed like New York was leading a Spray Nation of graffiti for cities across the country. Known for her ability to capture graffiti writers’ work in its original urban context, Ms. Cooper once again proves that her reputation as the documentarian of an underground/overground aesthetics scene is no joke.

With an academics’ respect for the work, the practice, and the practitioners, Cooper recorded volumes of images methodically for history – and your appreciation. With the vibrant and sometimes vicious city framing their pieces, an uncounted legion of aerosol-wielding street players raced city-wide at top speed, ducking cops and cavorting with a confident abandon in the rusted and screeching steel cityscape. By capturing these scenes without unnecessary editorializing, Cooper gives you access to the organically chaotic graffiti subculture on the move at that moment – directly through her unflinching eyes.

Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman

Culled from thousands of her Kodachrome slides from the early 1980s, the celebrated photographer and ethnologist worked with American graffiti historian Roger Gastman over many months during the initial Covid period to select this rich collection of images of tags, walls, and pieces. Each turn of the page more profoundly deepens your understanding of the graffiti-writing culture Cooper captured with Henry Chalfant in their book Subway Art nearly forty years ago. That clarion call to a worldwide audience took years to reverberate and shake culture everywhere. With time that book became the standard root documentation for what many see as the largest global democratic people’s art movement in history.

A smartly laid-out and thick volume (as well as its “Outtakes” collection), the high-quality printing and spare design hew to the photographer’s reliably straightforward approach, preferring to let the photos tell the story. From this perspective, Spray Nation is likewise a sleeper; We’ll probably only wholly appreciate its pivotal value and cultural importance with time.

Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman
Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edition Box Set. Published by Beyond The Streets/Roger Gastman

Martha Cooper: Spray Nation. Signed Limited Edtion Box Set is published by Beyond The Streets. With a foreword by Roger Gastman and essays by Steven P. Harrington, Miss Rosen, Jayson Edlin, and Brian Wallis. Click HERE to purchase the book.

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BSA Film Friday: 06.17.22

BSA Film Friday: 06.17.22

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

Now screening:
1. Grand Opening of “TALKING…& OTHER BANANA SKINS / UNARTIG
2. Footprint by The Krank
3. Six N. Five: “The circle”

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BSA Special Feature: Grand Opening of “TALKING…& OTHER BANANA SKINS / UNARTIG

TALKING… & OTHER BANANA SKINS

In the UK and English-speaking Europe, the term “banana skins” means a sudden unexpected situation that makes a person appear silly or causes them some difficulty. We have no idea what it means in the US because we’ve never heard the saying. To paraphrase, you could slip and make a sudden problem with your words these days.

At Urban Nation this weekend, a new show aims to broadly address the fact that attitudes are so polarized today that almost any opinion threatens to antagonize someone else and start a heated discussion. With a wide range of artworks expressing different viewpoints in vastly different ways, UN encourages visitors to question some of our perspectives. When it comes to graffiti and street art and nearly six decades of history in cities worldwide, you are guaranteed many views will be expressed.

“Conflicts and issues are multi-faceted, not to be pigeonholed,” says curator Michele Houston and the team who are mixing permanent collection pieces with brand new ones. “The artworks presented in the eight chapters of the exhibition are asking how and what is being communicated within society and the urban environment,” she says. “-Putting exchange and dialogue back at the center.”

Footprint by The Krank

How big is your footprint? A new one on the island of Paxos, Greece is 1.000m2.

“Footprint’ deals with the meaning of loss. Nature, ecosystems, and biodiversity are all in a variable state with a negative sign. The parallelism that emerges through the impermanence of my work, and our presence as a species, reinforces the message I wanted to communicate. Everything is fluid, and nothing should be taken for granted.” – The Krank

Six N. Five: “The circle”

Part of the Moco Museum in Amsterdam and Barcelona, this short film by Ezequiel Pini of Six n. Five is ‘an introspective journey of wonder and imagination through these glimpses of time.’

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ZED1 and Bonobolabo Build “An Ark of Love” for Everyone in Russi, Italy

ZED1 and Bonobolabo Build “An Ark of Love” for Everyone in Russi, Italy

Most right-wing Christians are probably irritated by that liberal lefty Noah; who built an ark in advance of the flooding of the entire Earth – and invited two of EVERYONE to come. Typical.

Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)

It’s one of those stories in Genesis that shows God as a bitter vindictive punisher-in-chief with anger issues. According to the tale, the Lord saw how utterly wicked people on earth had become; so he said, “I will destroy from the earth the people I have created. And with them, the animals, birds, and creeping things” (Genesis 6:5–7).

This is where Italian street artists Zed1 and Bonobolabo, frequent artistic collaborators, took their inspiration for this new mural painted in a small town 37 miles from Bologna called Russi. In a whimsical fashion they decide what kind of couples – and simply friends – might have gotten on the “Ark of Love” – a modern twist on the story that included only baby-making duos. It made sense if the earth was going to be repopulated after the mass-killing God had planned, but these artists have decided to open the cast to inter-racial, same-sex, even simply friends – because that is how love is.

Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)

“On this utopian ark everyone loves without impositions, limits, and arrogance,” say the artists. “The boundaries of stereotypes and violence are broken down and no one is judged.” The illustrators have made skateboard decks and prints together these last few years that combine their mutual talents for eclectic characters who could be your neighbors, could be your family, could be people who work at the local grocery store or laundromat. All of them should be saved from the flood, right?

Like Zed1 says, the seas can get pretty rough so you are better off with someone who can help you weather the storms – regardless of the actual nature of your relationship. “Noah’s Ark is revisited in a modern key that includes many nuances of the same love which connects all living beings on our planet,” say the artists.

Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)

“The selection of animals that have boarded the boat was not made only for the purpose of reproduction of the species, according to tradition, but from love’s point of view, which doesn’t follow rules. Alligators hug walruses and cranes, a zebra kisses a cow, two lions with thick manes huddle together, two people weave their bodies, a rooster stares at a hen, while the red-dressed artist looks into the eyes of his pug, showing what love means to him.”

In the original Biblical story, even the crusty old man in the sky reconsiders his original plan to flood the world and accepts that humans are permanently imperfect. “Never again will I curse the ground because of man or send a flood to destroy all living things, even though mankind’s heart is evil from childhood.” Always has to get in a last zing, doesn’t he?

By the way, thanks for the Rainbow, big guy. So, so pretty.

Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)
Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)
Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)
Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)
Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)

Zed1. “An ark of love”. In collaboration with Bonobolabo. Russi, Italy, 2022. (photo © Marco Miccoli)

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The Bushwick Collective 11th Annual Block Party – 2022

The Bushwick Collective 11th Annual Block Party – 2022

Joe Ficalora and the Bushwick Collective crew took over the streets of Bushwick again this year to entertain the locals, the visitors, and everybody else with his annual block party. When you look at the variety and quality of murals produced on these streets regularly, you realize that it’s a splendid fusion that you rarely find in organized festivals.

Elm Status. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Maybe it’s just us talking, but these artists are not usually hamstrung by organizers’ dictates or those of advertisers – they just let their imaginations go. Yes, there are still beefs, and there are battles between styles and histories and all the baggage that writers and artists carry. But in general, this is a somewhat mediated part of street culture, with an opportunity for you to shine if you have the skillz.

We published a handful of the completed walls on BSA HERE; now we bring you the rest…

Elm Status. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Elm Status. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jason Naylor. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. June. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dean Zeus Colman tribute to ZEXOR. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Loste. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Robert Vargas. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cody James. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cody James. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cody James. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
1440. Detail. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HUETEK tribute to DEZ. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HUETEK tribute to DEZ. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HUETEK tribute to DEZ. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
HUETEK tribute to DEZ. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nap Don’t Sleep. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stem And Thorn. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stem And Thorn. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Urban Ruben. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. Hydde. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Mr. Hydde. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hoddy. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hoddy. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MR. Blob. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
MR. Blob. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Hops Art. The Bushwick Collective. 11th Annual Block Party. Brooklyn, NY. June 2022. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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Uriginal: “Athena and Minerva” Goddesses Fractalized in Madrid

Uriginal: “Athena and Minerva” Goddesses Fractalized in Madrid

A contemporary apparition of the goddess. Or goddesses.

Two of them are merged here in the geometric mosaic of a face in Madrid, thanks to the genuinely original portraitist named Uriginal.

Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)

Give up on who they are? This new woman is Athena, the Greek goddess of war and civilization, merged with Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts. Of course. Now you see it. And the faithful lush and furry wolf/German Shepard at her hand, who points his ears forward and ready to rip out the neck of his prey? He is similarly treated with Uriginals’ deconstruction of the portrait – organic forms sheared by geometric ones, blinking and winking at you, clapping and spinning, commanding the powers of nature, their fractal-formed facades as mysterious as it is forward.

With its free sampling across cultures and significance, a nervous twitching of screen-jumping eye candy and associations, it’s a brilliant reclaiming of the classics on this 138-square meter wall for a real estate company client. This is not fashion; its art – this is full-on gamer goddess of power – fed through a few filters. The kids are going to love this one.

Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
Uriginal. “Athena and Minerva”. Rebobinart/Livensa Living Studios. Madrid, Spain. (photo © Fer Taranco)
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