brooklyn_street_art_jaime_rojo_rodstuart2

Chris Stain and Billy Mode “For Martha”

March 14, 2011 Artists, Brooklyn, NYC, On the Street

This weekend for BSA was a little bit of street art and graffiti history alchemy, transmuted by the presence of the lady we were all doing it for, Martha Cooper. To celebrate her birthday and the soon to be unveiled “Martha Cooper: Remix” show at Carmichael Gallery in Culver City, CA, Street Artists Chris Stain and Billy Mode sprayed aerosol into gold using imagery from her photography as base inspiration.

Chris Stain and Billy Mode (photo © Jaime Rojo)

On this bitterly cold and windy Brooklyn night, the good humored boys were blowing through cans on tops of shaking ladders, continuously working against the elements for what Chris called “some xtreme painting”. While taking a break to warm up inside, everybody had some chocolate birthday cake and Martha flipped through Subway Art with Chris and Billy, answering questions and relating stories about what it was like for her to capture graffiti on trains in New York in the 1970s and what it’s like to see Street Artists like Chris Stain interpreting her photographs today.

Chris Stain and Billy Mode in the reflection of rainwater pooled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Our first conversations in September ’09 with Martha for a posting on BSA that discussed art inspired by her work evolved into a 50-artist “remix” show featuring old-school graff writers and new guard street artists next month.

“I thought about what we had done, what you had done in that blog post. We talked about how artists had used my work and I thought, ‘Why don’t I do that?’ ,” Martha remarks on the formation of her show plan.

It has been a genuine honor to be a part of the process and to see the pieces coming in to Ms. Cooper’s studio for the show. It’s also been intoxicating to imagine the relationships and personal paths that have intersected in the pursuit of artistic expression. Each invited artist has a very personal take on the influence of her photographs from a 40 year span, and the directions they take the work are myriad. Watching Chris and Billy create this large scale wall tribute in Brooklyn reminds us of the interconnected worlds of Graffiti Art and Street Art and how Ms. Coopers’ photography has contributed to the history and artistry of both.

Here are a few shots by Jaime Rojo of the installation for a sneak peek of this great experience – with a full length feature interview with Martha and commentary about the nature of the image from Chris and many more images coming this week.

Chris Stain and Billy Mode (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Photo © Jaime Rojo

BSA…………..BSA…………..BSA……………

Martha Cooper : Remix
Featuring original photography from Martha Cooper and original remixes from Aeon, Anton van Dalen, Aiko, Barry McGee, Bio, Nicer, B-Gee, Blade, Blanco, BurningCandy Crew, Cey, Cekis, Chris Stain, Claw, Cosbe, Crash, Dabs & Myla, Daze, DEARRAINDROP, FAUST, Flying Fortress, Freedom, Fumakaka World Dominator, Futura, Gaia, How & Nosm, Jane Dickson, John Ahearn, Jose Parla, Kenny Scharf, LA II, Lady Pink, Lee Quinones, Anthony Lister, Logan Hicks, The London Police, Mark Bode, Nazzareno Stencil, Nunca, Mare, Quik, Evil Dr. Revolt, Shepard Fairey, Skewville, Subway Art History, Swoon, T-Kid, Terror161 and Victor Castillo.

Coming to Carmichael Gallery April 9.

Eric Firestone Gallery Presents: DOWN BY LAW: New York’s Underground Art Explosion, 1970s–1980s (East Hampton, NY)

August 11, 2010 Artists, Events, Gallery, new york, Opening

ERIC FIRESTONE GALLERY PRESENTS:

I wanted to invite you to the launch of DOWN BY LAW: New York’s Underground Art Explosion, 1970s–1980s, a new exhibition I am co-curating, which opens at the Eric Firestone Gallery in East Hampton on Saturday, August 14.

The exhibition surveys the originators and innovators of the graffiti and street art movements, looking at where they have been and where they have come over the past 40 years. Highlights include:

Paintings by Coco 144, whose work in the early 1970s earned him the title “The Marcel Duchamp of graffiti subculture.”
Rarely seen canvases from the early 1980s by style master Dondi White, who by age 22 had had seven solo exhibitions and whose painting was in several European museum collections.
Zephyr’s animation sequence frames for Charlie Ahearn’s iconic film, Wild Style.
Original drawings from “Yo! MTV Raps”, plus original logo designs for the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, and the Cold Chillin’ record label.

Featured artists include Charlie Ahearn, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blade, Henry Chalfant, Coco 144, Joe Conzo, Martha Cooper, Cope 2, Daze, Jane Dickson, Dr. Revolt, John Fekner, Cousin Frank aka Ghost, Michael Halsband, Keith Haring, Eric Haze, Keo, Eric Kroll, LA2, Lady Pink, Greg LaMarche, Michael Lawrence, Chris Pape aka Freedom, Rammellzee, Carlos “Mare 139″ Rodriguez, Anita Rosenberg, Sharp aka Aaron Goodstone, Jamel Shabazz, T-kid 170, Dondi White, and Zephyr.

EAST COAST SPACE
4 NEWTOWN LANE
EAST HAMPTON, NY 11937
631-604-2386

AIKO’s biggest Stencil So Far: Power, Sex, and the Saxophone

September 2, 2009 Artists, Brooklyn, Features, Interview, Street Talker Interview

Aiko Nakagawa shows off her newest stencil (photo Martha Cooper)

Street Artist Aiko worked with the Younity Collective to put up a large mural as a gift to the community recently right next to the Williamsburg Bridge. The all-woman collective, started in 2007 by Alice Mizrachi and Maria “Toofly” Castillo, empowers individuals as artists by creating projects together and celebrating the strengths that each one brings to the game. Now nearing 60 artist members, including multiple disciplines and many names in Graff Art and Street Art you might know such as Lady Pink, Swoon, Drexel, Martha Cooper, and Shiro, the Younity Collective offers much needed support to artists through comraderie and community projects.

When asked about her approach to the project, Aiko agrees that it is very personal, “It made me feel happy to keep working on the mural. It’s a nice feeling to create something beautiful for everybody’s everyday life. If I have a talent to encourage people, make them smile and to cheer them up, that’s totally great.”

Aiko plays her cards with a full hand (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Is it fun to work as part of the Younity collective?
Aiko: It was fun to be part of Younity’s project and I’m glad they called me up. Even though I rarely go bombing with boys, staying away from illegal street activities and focusing on indoor works these days, it brought me all the good energy about working in public space and spending time with other artists again. Plus all girls were very chill, no beef.

Aiko (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: The stencil is quite large! Do you usually work that big?
Aiko: A big wall is such a great challenge. I love listening people say “Holy Sh*t, Aiko!!!” from behind me while I’m painting. Actually a lot of people who have been following my exhibitions might notice that my works are getting bigger and better. Stencil is my favorite tool to paint with and I’m so good at using the knife. It took me at least a few days to cut such a giant stencil like that. It killed my fingers and the material is really delicate to handle, transport, and place on the wall. Winds and a bumpy surface is enemy for painting. But what a wonderful feeling to see the finally sprayed image on a wall after all this effort. Big stencils are such joy.

Detail of mural by Aiko (photo Martha Cooper)

Brooklyn Street Art: Your main image is a woman playing a saxophone – is that because
of the jazz club inside?
Aiko: The image of the sexy lady with saxophone was also the request from the owner, who runs the historical live music house, WMC Jazz (Williamsburg Music Center). I love music and dance, and I’m very happy to contribute to the local community in Brooklyn.

Aiko (Detail) (photo Jaime Rojo)

Brooklyn Street Art: Your colors are very feminine and strong for this piece. How do
you choose your colors?
Aiko: If we can say that paintings are results of an artist’s conversation with themselves and it appears as color and image on the wall, I guess that color is my feeling at this moment. I am in the really feminine, very sexy and super strong phase of my life.

**************************************************

Lady Aiko embarks this fall on a long trip to participate in shows abroad.

Aiko’s Website

Younity Collective

The Younity Collective are: Alice Mizrachi, Maria “Toofly” Castillo, Albeni Garrett, Aiko Nakagawa, Alexandra Casula, Alexia Webster, Jane Dickson, Amanda Lopez, B.I.C., Cece Carpio, Dee Keating, Diana McClure, Diana Schmertz, Diva, Drexel, Erotica, Faith47, Female Sneaker Fiend, GMO$, Heather N. Hayashi, Helene Ruiz, Katrina “RUKUS” Knutson, Kelly Jeanne Lever, Krista Frankln, Lady Pink, Laura Meyers, Lexi Bella, Lichiban, Lisa Case, Lisa Marie Thalhammer, Mad C, Martha Cooper, Meridith McNeal, Muck, Nancy Rodriguez, Nanibah “Nani” Chacon, Naomi Martinez, Niz, Not Bad For a Girl, Kerri O’Connell, Paulina Qunitan Jornet, Petra Moser, Queen Andrea, SHIRO, Sofia Maldonado, Stephanie Land, Swoon, Nanilla Medallions, Andrea Celilia Bernal, Gabriella Davi-Korasanee, M.I.S.S., Nubby Twiglet

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