This week we received a note from a friend in the graff/street art community urging us to encourage street and graffiti artists to create artwork on the streets that beseeches GenZ to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
They needn’t worry.
Graffiti and street artists have continued to respond to the COVID mask and vaccine issues as much as they did with the rejection of Trump and everything that came with him. During the last few years, they also have strongly responded to the BLM movement, to the topic of police brutality, to structural inequality in our economy, to last fall’s election, to indigenous people’s rights, to Asian hate, LGBTQ rights, to drug use, to anxiety, to depression, to love, to hope, to our effect on the Earth’s environment, and many social/political issues. Not always high-minded, Street artists also like pop culture icons, cute animals, and emulating successful artists who came before them and whom they admire.
It’s all part of the gig.
When we hit the streets in the pursuit of arts, we never know what we’ll find and where we’ll find it. This week we were surprised by a certain uptick in the number of sculptures on the streets. The artists used different materials, from ceramic to resin, metal, cement, and techniques associated with papier-mâché. The sculptures were mostly affixed to traffic signposts but sometimes were placed on street construction barriers. We are always happy to see sculptures on the streets as they bring back the days when sanctioned murals were definitely not the norm, and illegal street art ruled the streets in myriad small formats.
So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring: A Cool 55, AJ Maldo, Billy Barnacles, Chris Protas, City Kitty, CRKSHNK, JJ Veronis, Mataruda, Miyok Madness, Mint & Serf, Mort Art, Mr. Triple Double, Patrick Picou Harrington, Phetus, Raddington Falls, Sibot, Spy33, Turtle Caps, Winston Tseng.
New York is one of the few pedestrian cities that has an active street culture almost everywhere you walk and the tradition of the revered holiday window display is one that endures even though many people shop digitally. Even if times are tough with the personal home budget, you can still have a blast walking up 5th Avenue looking in windows on the way to checking out the tree. While the window show themes have moved away from explicitly Christmas-related as the population has diversified, you will still catch a fair number of moralizing perpetually cheerful animatronic ear-muff wearing carolers and dancing reindeer, elves, and nutcrackers.
One window display you will dig this year in New York skips Santa’s workshop and heads to a projected future city that morphs before your eyes and you never have to step foot inside. A collaboration with Brooklyn rapper JAY Z, the Barneys window is encased in a gold metal structure installed on the sidewalk and from one side of the structure you can step into a dark “room” to experience a floating city as it morphs before your eyes. It could be Manhattan emerging from the Ice Age to the Enlightenment as light projection technology gives the public a view of the city changing from icy, cold colors to warm, bright and glittery golds. It could also represent how Manhattan is becoming an island encrusted with diamonds and platinum and gold.
Woo Hooooooooo! Street Art and graffiti shows are hopping tonight ya’ll! With shows in Chinatown, Dumbo, and Williamsburg, you’re going to have to take the train and the bus if you want to catch it all.
1. Cake and Don Pablo Pedro at Mighty Tanaka (DUMBO)
2. “All Talk” Group Show at Pandemic (Williamsburg, BK)
3. “Snowblind” at Klughause (Chinatown)
4. “Ocean Size” at Kunsthalle Galapagos Gallery SATURDAY 2/18 (DUMBO) 5. “What I Know,” curated by Jason Andrew
6. ” The Permanent Collection Volume II: My Own Private Serpico,” English Kills Gallery
7. Kraftwerk Retrospective at MOMA in April
8. William Thomas Porter – Splendid Cycles (VIDEO)
9. Connor Harrington “Black Herds of the Rain” (VIDEO)
10. JAZ in Mexico City with MAMUTT (VIDEO)
11. Nuria Mora in South Africa (VIDEO)
Cake and Don Pablo Pedro at Mighty Tanaka (DUMBO)
We’ve interviewed Cake this week, and Don Pablo Pedro when he wasn’t in shows, and we can assure you that “Inside Out” is about all the disgusting little bits you keep inside. Tonight they’re out at Mighty Tanaka.
For further information regarding this show click here
“All Talk” Group Show at Pandemic (Williamsburg, BK)
“Some of New York City’s boldest anti-heros, cynics and preachers” – Say no more! Tell me where to sign. “All Talk” is the new group show at Pandemic Gallery opens today with the participation of: Aakash Nihalani, Andrew H. Shirley, Cassius Fouler, Destroy & Rebuild, Gabriel Specter, Isabel Lasala, J. Ralph Phillips, Jenna Hicock, Jesse Edwards, Map, Merk, and NohJColey.
For further information regarding this show click here.
“Snowblind” at Klughause (Chinatown)
We’re gonna start calling it SLUGHOUSE because their first 3 shows have been heavy hitters for such a small scrappy gallery at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge, near a Police Precinct, and yet in damn near darkness. The concept for tonights show is cool, but what’s cooler is CARNAGE, the magazine by Ray Mock, one of the best graffiti photogs on the street today. Oh, also, Martha Cooper is in the show. See ya there!. “Snowblind” opens today with the participation of Martha Cooper, Ray Mock, Alexander Richter, Mike P, Bob Barry, Oscar Arriola, Graham Shimberg, Michael Fales, and Jesse Edwards.
For further information regarding this show click here.
“Ocean Size” at Kunsthalle Galapagos Gallery SATURDAY 2/18 (DUMBO)
Yo, we checked this one out as it was going up yesterday – It’s worth it and Toronto based Street Artist and fine artist Troy Lovegates just killed it with this brand new piece which we’re showing you a detail of below.
For further information regarding this show click here.
Also happening this weekend
“What I Know,” curated by Jason Andrew – The Bushwick arts leader who makes art happen, Mr. Andrew curates a 40 person show at NYCAMS (New York Center for Art and Media Studies), opening tonight. Download the PDF here
English Kills Gallery Permanent Collection opening Friday night : ” The Permanent Collection Volume II: My Own Private Serpico,” the second installment of works from the English Kills Permanent Collection featuring David Pappaceno, Don Pablo Pedro, Cleon Peterson, Steven Thompson, Brent Owens, Vilaykorn Sayaphet, Hiroshi Shafer, Joe Borelli, Frank Stella, Peter Dobill, Andy Piedilato, Jim Herbert, Tyrome Tripoli, Kevin Brady, Jenn Brehm, Kevin Regan, Giles Thompson, Jeff Clark, Mike Olin, Shane Heinemeier, Dan Taylor, Lenny Reibstein, Tescia Seufferlein, Andrew Ohanesian, Andrew Hurst, Austin Thomas, Evan Ryer, Gary Cullen
Kraftwerk Retrospective at MOMA in April – Tickets on Sale Wed 2/22
The live presentation “Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8″ will explore their pioneering electronic music and each of their eight, groundbreaking studio albums with a unique set of projected images (some in 3-D ):
The music called electronic was basically created by Kraftwerk, who began four decades ago and whose influence and flat out appropriated music appears in work by these artists, to name a few: Jay-Z, Coldplay, Afrika Bambaata, Chemical Brothers, Pink Floyd, Fatboy Slim, New Order, Fergie, Ladytron, Missy Elliott, Franz Ferdinand, Thompson Twins, and yes, McDonna.
William Thomas Porter – Splendid Cycles (VIDEO)
Creater and builder of the famous “F*ck Bike 001” now on view at the Museum of Sex show “F*ck Art”, here is a video following William Thomas Porter around on his preferred form of transportation. “I wouldn’t call them mutants,” he says of his bike caricatures, “because that would make them sound ugly. It’s more like creating this… splendid form.”
Connor Harrington “Black Herds of the Rain” (VIDEO)
As we start a new year, we say thank you for the last one.
And Thank You to the artists who shared their 11 Wishes for 2011 with Brooklyn Street Art; Conor Harrington, Eli Cook, Indigo, Gilf, Todd Mazer, Vasco Mucci, Kimberly Brooks, Rusty Rehl, Tip Toe, Samson, and Ludo. You each contributed a very cool gift to the BSA family, and we’re grateful.
We looked over the last year to take in all the great projects we were in and fascinating people we had the pleasure to work with. It was a helluva year, and please take a look at the highlights to get an idea what a rich cultural explosion we are all a part of at this moment.
The new year already has some amazing new opportunities to celebrate Street Art and artists. We are looking forward to meeting you and playing with you and working with you in 2011.
From photographer Vincent Cornelli comes this fun collection of images from last nights opening of “All Shook Up”, Jef Aerosol’s opening at Ad Hoc/Eastern District in Bushwick, Brooklyn, curated by Brooklyn Street Art. A steady crowd carried through the evening to check out the new pieces and to meet the artist in person.
Photographer Vincent Cornelli was out on a legal wall tour with international stencil artist Jef Aerosol this Saturday; With a name like Aerosol, you don’t invite photographers to watch you work otherwise. The sunny January afternoon pretty much blew Vinny’s mind, and he writes here about how he got such rockingly cool pictures:
On Saturday, I had the privilege of showing Jef Aerosol around the streets of Bushwick, Brooklyn. I think the day was the perfect example as to why the Street Art Movement is so special…and it is deserving of capital letters. Encounters such as these are not only incredibly rewarding and inspiring, but they foster an intimate connection between you and a city that is changing right in front of you. It was one of the greatest of days
When I met Jef, I was photographing the front door of Eastern District/Ad Hoc Gallery. It was a warm greeting, with instant recognition of the other before exchanging “hellos.”
Everything from start to finish breed this notion of connectedness – from Eric of Eastern District giving us a ride to Veng’s wall; to catching up with Ali and Garrison of Ad Hoc, listening to their exploits up and down the eastern side of the US; to Veng offering up a nice piece of real estate on a wall he often works with.
It was also quite nice to have company from Stephan Missier and Becki Fuller, two great street art photographers who were around for a better part of the day. It was a day where everyone just seemed to fit so well with one another.
Jef and I spoke briefly of this sense of community, and family. He mentioned what a great feeling it is to be able to travel the world, always having another artist, gallery, blog or photographer willing to show you their city.
I felt so comfortable with Jef that I even asked him for some thoughts on a couple larger life-changing decisions in my own life. I thought the perspective he offered was quite spot on. He is a warm, witty and well-spoken man, confident in his outlook and mindset. It shows in his detailed and carefully placed stencils, and in his smile.
“All Shook Up”, the debut solo New York show by Jef Aerosol will open this Friday at Ad Hoc/Eastern District in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Read more about the show HERE.
Street Art Stencil Artist Jef Aerosol unveils a brand-new stencil of Jay-Z for his upcoming Debut Show in New York.
A five layer hand-cut stencil of Jay-Z by international street artist Jef Aerosol will debut next week at the Ad Hoc show.
Aerosol is well-known for his other rock and roll icons in the 30 years he’s been getting up all over the globe with stencils: Dylan, Jagger, Bowie, Vicious, Morrison, Lennon and Yoko, Hendrix, Cobain, — and of course there are New Yorkers like Patty Smith and The Ramones.
Now, as he prepares to make his debut solo gallery show in New York in 2010, Aerosol is in an EMPIRE STATE OF MIND and pays tribute with this fresh new portrait of rapper Jay-Z.
Every era has it’s icons, and with a 20-year old son of his own, clearly Aerosol has his eye on one of today’s best known music pillars. Now with more Number 1 Albums than Elvis Presley, it only makes sense that Brooklyn’s hometown hero has passed into the icon pantheon of Aerosol.
Have you ever seen the steps it takes to make a stencil? Jef Aerosol shows you inside his studio:
To build up the dimension of the image, Aerosol cut 5 different layers of stencils.
The first layer of glistening paint creates the silhouette of the image.
Each stencil is cut slightly differently to create the whole image.
Slight variations in hue also add the illusion of dimension.
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BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
Crotched objects began appearing on the street this year. © Jaime Rojo
