All posts tagged: Kuma

Images of The Week 09.29.13

September 29, 2013 Artists

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Chris RWK, Chuck Barrett, Cs Navarrate, Damien Mitchell, Deekers, Gilf!, JMR, Katherine Daniels, Kuma, Left, Miishab, NM Salgar, Oculo, RVMP, Sheryo, Skewville, Swil, The Yok, Willow, and Zimer.

Top image > Willow and Swil for the Centrifuge Project. NYC 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zimer (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Deekers (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Oculo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Miishab for Centrifuge Project. NYC 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville at work for Dumbo Walls Project 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville for Dumbo Walls Project 2013. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

RVMP (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JMR for Dumbo Walls Project 2103. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

CS Navarrete at work for Centrifuge Project. NYC 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Katherine Daniels for Dumbo Arts Festival 2013. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gilf! for Dumbo Walls Project 2013. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Damien Mitchell for Centrifuge Project. NYC 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sheryo and The Yok (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LEFT (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chuck Barrett and NM Salgar for Centrifuge Project. NYC 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris RWK for Dumbo Walls Project 2013 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Brooklyn, NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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Bushwick Is Hot Now. Hurry!

May 29, 2013 Artists

Bushwick Open Studios is Paved With Street Art

Brooklyn’s already percolating artists neighborhood called Bushwick continues to thrive despite the circling of real estate agents, lifestyle brands and celebrity chefs. Born in the mid-late 2000s as it’s older sister Williamsburg to the West began to professionalize, this noisily industrial and dirty artists haven got a reprieve from gentrifying forces when the deep recession slowed the rise of rents for artist spaces, which remained still relatively cheap by Manhattan’s standards. Today the area boasts a diverse influx of artists, students, cultural workers, and entrepreneurs who are experimenting and collaborating on projects and shows.

Spagnola (photo © Jaime Rojo)

That radical economic downturn probably also nurtured the nascent Street Art scene here, which was one of the early outliers of a cultural influx as artists and explorers began to skateboard to the local delis and stare at laptops for hours in the one or two cafes that offered Wi-Fi. Outcroppings of this new art movement combined with old-school graffiti to pop up on selected concrete and corrugated walls, signposts, and deteriorated blocks where the authorities were disinterested and the neighbors only partially curious in their activities.

It’s an age-old New York story by now; a neglected or winding down post industrial neighborhood reacts to the incoming and odd-looking artists with a sort of bemused affection, happy that at least the block is getting some attention for a change. Puzzlement eventually leads to familiarity and then buying you a sandwich – and then asking you to paint a mural inside his foyer. While national and international Street Artists were already making Bushwick a stopping point thanks to some of the earliest galleries like Ad Hoc and Factory Fresh, the scene recently got newly shot in the arm by a local resident who is facilitating much desired legal wall space to a crowd of artists who otherwise would be hunting and hitting up less-than-legal spots. Not to worry, there are plenty of aerosol renegades and ruffians scaling walls at night too; this is New York after all, yo.

Zimad (photo © Jaime Rojo)

But for now the Bushwick Collective, as it is newly christened by wall-man Joe Ficalora, has infused an adrenaline rush of creativity inside and outside the area that is roughly bordered by Flushing Avenue, Starr Street, Knickerbocker Avenue and Cypress Avenue. The Collective has guidelines on content (nudity, politics, profanity) so the works are not completely unfettered in the true spirit of Street Art/graffiti, but most artists are happy for the luxury of time to complete their work and not look over their shoulder. With a selection of murals that are densely gathered and easy to walk through, the new collection has attracted attention from media folks (and tour guides) on the main island brave enough to venture into the gritty wilds of Brooklyn for a Street Art safari.

As Bushwick hosts its 7^th annual open studios cultural event this weekend, intrepid pedestrians who march through opening parties, rooftop DJ jams, dance performances, live bands, transcendent costumery, sidewalk barbecues, open fire hydrants and more than 600 open artist studios will also be buffeted by a visual feast on the streets themselves. As long as the L Train is running (fingers crossed) you can just get off at the Morgan stop. From there it should be pretty easy for any curious art-in-the-street fan to be regaled with big and small works of graffiti, Street Art, tags, wheat-pastes, stencils, rollers, murals, and ad hoc installations all day and night.

Trek Matthews (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A shout out to Arts In Bushwick, an all volunteer organization that has steadily grown and fostered an open sense of community inclusiveness each year for Bushwick Open Studios and to the many volunteers who have contributed greatly to the success of many of the cultural workers here. Without an open studios event many of these shy and quirky artists and performers would simply have stayed unknown and unknowable.

So far Bushwick still has the unbridled imperfect D.I.Y. enthusiasm of an experiment where anything can happen, but grey ladies with kooky bright colored spectacles have already begun to flip it over to inspect it with one hand while pinching their nose with the other, so savor this authentic moment. Ethereal by nature, you know the Street Art scene is never guaranteed to you tomorrow – neither is the mythical artists bohemian hamlet of New York’s yesteryear. For now we’re hopping on our bikes to catch a golden age of Bushwick before it’s repackaged and sold back to us at a price we can’t afford.

The first series of images are walls from the Bushwick Collective, followed by a series of walls that you may also see in the neighborhood.

MOMO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Solus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Alice Pasquini (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Toofly and Col Wallnuts (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Billy Mode and Chris Stain (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nard (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder and LNY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pixel Pancho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Brett Flanigan and Cannon Dill (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gats (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sheryo and The Yok (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here are a series of walls not related to Bushwick Collective.

ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A portion of a wall by the 907 Crew, Sadue. Don Pablo Pedro, Smells, Cash4, and Keely (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Phetus (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rubin (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peeta (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BR1 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Apolo Torres (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chris, Veng, RWK and ECB (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cruz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Free Humanity (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Keely and Deeker (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kremen (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For a full list of activities, studios, schedules and directions for Bushwick Open Studios 2013 click HERE.

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(VIDEO) 2012 Street Art Images of the Year from BSA

December 19, 2012 Artists

Of the 10,000 images he snapped of Street Art this year, photographer Jaime Rojo gives us 110 that represent some of the most compelling, interesting, perplexing, thrilling in 2012.

Slideshow cover image of Vinz on the streets of Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Together the collection gives you an idea of the range of mediums, techniques, styles, and sentiments that appear on the street today as the scene continues to evolve worldwide. Every seven days on BrooklynStreetArt.com, we present “Images Of The Week”, our weekly interview with the street.

We hope you enjoy this collection – some of our best Images of The Year from 2012.

Artists include 2501, 4Burners, 907, Above, Aiko, AM7, Anarkia, Anthony Lister, Anthony Sneed, Bare, Barry McGee, Bast, Billi Kid, Cake, Cash For Your Warhol, Con, Curtis, D*Face, Dabs & Myla, Daek One, DAL East, Dan Witz, Dark Clouds, Dasic, David Ellis, David Pappaceno, Dceve, Deth Kult, ECB, Eine, El Sol 25, Elle, Entes y Pesimo, Enzo & Nio, Esma, Ever, Faile, Faith47, Fila, FKDL, Gable, Gaia, Gilf!, Graffiti Iconz, Hef, HellbentHert, Hot Tea, How & Nosm, Icy & Sot, Interesni Kazki, Jason Woodside, Javs, Jaye Moon, Jaz, Jean Seestadt, Jetsonorama, Jim Avignon, Joe Iurato, JR, Judith Supine, Ka, Kem5, Know Hope, Kuma, Labrona, Liqen, LNY, Love Me, Lush, Matt Siren, Mike Giant, Miyok, MOMO, Mr. Sauce, Mr. Toll, ND’A, Nick Walker, Nosego, Nychos, Occupy Wall Street, Okuda, OLEK, OverUnder, Phlegm, Pixel Pancho, Rambo, Read Books!, Reka, Retna, Reyes, Rime, Risk, ROA, Robots Will Kill, Rone, Sacer, Saner, See One, Sego, sevens errline, Sheyro, Skewville, Sonni, Stick, Stikman, Stormie Mills, Square, Swoon, Tati, The Yok, Toper, TVEE, UFO, VHILS, Willow, Wing, XAM, Yes One, and Zed1 .

Images © Jaime Rojo and Brooklyn Street Art 2012

New York Interiors and Urban Exploring

September 26, 2012 Artists

“Urban Exploring” is often thought of as some kind of elite super ninja activity; tinged with adventure, a sense of danger, and definitely some flying nunchucks. For city folk with a sense of wanderlust and a need for exercise, the act of checking out an abandoned old building can be just as satisfying and dangerous as going for a bracing hike or rock climbing in the mountains, but it’s much closer to a deli.

New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Like most large cities in the US, New York has always had its share of run-down decrepit buildings that virtually welcome your exploration. It’s a surprise to find that even with improved city parks on the rise in NYC, when you duck through a hole in the fence to explore an old house or factory you may find other people doing the same thing. In fact sometimes you’ll find people living in them, riding skateboards in them, having sex in them, doing drugs in them, and of course spraying aerosol in them.

Javs. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You can’t see all this action from the street but sometimes there are awesome interiors in cavernous spaces that continually evolve and metamorphose – an urban art gallery that has a regularly updated exhibition. The perspective will depends on your personal tastes of course.

This particular spot made us think of high-end magazines with shots of socialites posing and air-kissing and banging their hats into each other at charity fundraisers. Something about its grandness feels like a ballroom, even though it looks like it was a power station for the MTA in the early 1900s and the neighborhood itself is probably a SuperFund site, thanks to decades of industrial dumping.

After this rotting and colorful corpse is cleaned up in a few decades, it will probably be razed for some deeeeeeluxe cookie-cutter condos selling for a million each. But for now, you can just squat and take pictures of the golden light streaming through the dirty cracked windows and gaping crevices. Here is your non-ticketed opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous mosaic of graffiti art that waits: rich with color, pattern and coded messages. It can be a brain tease to try to guess what this stuff says. Also, you can practice with your nunchucks.

New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

You Go Girl. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Booker/ReadMore . Reskew. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Vein. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Never. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Booker. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bat Fiends. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swampy. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stae 2. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A mobile made primarily of bike tires. Call it Calder for the graffiti set. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Enoc. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Heart. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JESP. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Steve. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Moose. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

IAL Crew. New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

New York Interiors (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Images of the Week 08-26-12

August 26, 2012 Artists, On the Street

Once you’ve stumbled up and whizzed through the same streets in your neighborhood a hundred times it’s a great temptation to explore, especially in the summer. Jump off the gravel and wander along the stones and up the railroad bed and through the high grass and go single file on the dirt path, teetering astride a slimy inlet and shimmy through a hole in the fence that rips your shirt. What the hell – it’s all in service of discovery just off the beaten path.

And probably it’s no stunning surprise to you to find out that there is this lively conversation happening on the walls. Wouldn’t call it “party talk”, per se, but a lot of the guests seem to know each other, and many are very opinionated. So we find a lot of graff here, and mixed in with the tags and pieces are other artists we might call Street Artists. As your eyes acclimate to the new surroundings, you realize that this busted back lot and former crackhouse are not so abandoned. In fact, some times these buildings are more alive than any busy street, with a lot of activity in and around them. And sometimes you know that you’re are definitely not alone.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week including Anthony Lister, Blanco, Bored One, Celso, Dan Witz, Elbow-Toe, False, KSM, Kuma, LNY, LUSH, Michael DeFeo, ND’A, Nether, Nick Walker, Sorta, Tense, and Whisbe.

KUMA . FALSE (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA . Elbow Toe. It is common to find artists collaborating on the streets, or in the back lot full of overgrown weeds in this case. Some times they get together and jam all day on a wall playing off each others ideas. Other times these collaborations are forced, unintended. This one falls on the latter description with Kuma smacking over Elbow Toe’s cat, but we find that surprisingly, it works very well and KUMA’s placement of his tag was done artfully. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

KUMA . Elbow Toe. Detail. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

KSM and Anthony Lister appear to have a sparkling interaction (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Anthony Lister has a message for you, and a bit of a scowl to wash it down with. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker looks like he’s done the crest for a men’s accessory designer here. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nick Walker (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

ND’A and Nick Walker at Bushwick 5 Points. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz, frighten as usual, in Bushwick 5 Points. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Celso goes in a bold new direction at Bushwick 5 Points. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

LNY at Buwshwick 5 Points. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tense (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bored One (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Whisbe (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lu$h is Flu$h (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Blanco was briefly in town from his two years of service with the AmeriCorps in Mongolia. He left something for us to remember him. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sorta in Baltimore (Photo © Nether)

Michael DeFeo (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Images of the Week 06.10.12

June 10, 2012 Artists, Austria, Brooklyn, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street, Vienna

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, featuring 156, Ian “Pop Mortem” McGillivray, Bast, Dabs & Myla, Dan Witz, Glam Gramma, Howl, Jaye Moon, Kem5, Kuma, Maurizio Attelan, Pierpaolo Ferrari, and Was.

Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari at The High Line Park for Toilet Paper Magazine. Untitled. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dabs & Myla with Kem5 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WAS… (photo © Jaime Rojo)

(photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jaye Moon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dan Witz in Vienna from Don’t Enter series (photo © Dan Witz)

Howl (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast . Kuma (photo © Jaime Rojo)

156 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Glam Gramma (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ian “Pop Mortem” McGillivray. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Street Art Summer Hospitality in NYC – OverUnder, Irgh, N’DA, Veng & Chris (RWK)

July 11, 2011 Artists, Brooklyn, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street

Somebody Brought Moonshine to this Picnic

You get a chance to go out to the park this weekend and sit under a tree or throw a frisbee? It’s not that far to walk really and its good to reacquaint oneself with nature and barking dogs and deviled eggs and other weird salad creations that Aunt Majiminy always forces you to try – even though you didn’t like it the last time she forced you to try it.

Peace Brotherman. Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

But we don’t know what has been in that jug of punch at these little picnics that Overunder, ND’A and Chris and Veng from RWK have been throwing this summer. The characters, the proportions, and the mixing of elements are ever more stretched and eccentric and colorful. These kids are seriously playing with their food – mixing the olives with the jello ambrosia and spreading it on a grilled hamburger and crumbling some ranch potato chips on top.

Just then, a truck booked by. Booker (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A distant Street Art relative from Berlin named IRGH is in town this summer and these Brooklyn based artists have put down the gingham table cloth and a wicker basket of aerosol cans in multiple locations to welcome their cousin and put him to work…painting walls. We’ve been chasing them around town in Brooklyn and Manhattan and here’s the wackiness we found:

Overunder, IRGH, Veng RWK and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“I’m so excited to have IRGH visiting and get to paint with him. We developed our painting style in the same direction, but in separate scenes, and different parts of the world and now get to combine forces” ~ Overunder

Is this the beginning of Veng’s Blue Period? Or maybe his Blue and Yellow Period? Veng RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Come on in! The doors and the mind is open! Overunder and IRGH, and maybe a Celso over there in a frame? (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Looks like someone is making a very important decision, with counsel. Overunder, IRGH, Veng RWK and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Can you pass me the ball of limbs please? Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A classic silver Kuma is next to Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Don’t mind if I do.”, Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Can we talk about our relationship? I really would like to know where it’s going.” Overunder, IRGH and ND’A (photo © Jaime Rojo)

IRGH and ND’A stop to smell the flowers (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Uncle Jimmy may have stopped smoking but he’s still hitting the bottle at this family picnic. ND’A and Chris RWK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ND’A with Chris RWK holding it down. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Images Of The Week 10.24.10

October 24, 2010 Artists, Brooklyn, NYC, On the Street

Our weekly interview with the street; this week featuring Bast, Fleur, Gable, Hellbent, Kuma, NohJColey, Paper Twins, Rate, and Sea Seeks

This is gigantic. Rate. Kuma. Gable (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Is that Santa already? Wait till Halloween is over Mr. Claus, we’ll be there soon enough. Bast (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Paper Twins have landed in Greenpoint (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Paper Twins (Detail) (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Like my new hat? Sea Seeks (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey will have to explain this one. Is she eating this cat, or just giving it a smooch? (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

NohJColey. Detail (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fleur (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent’s back with a new king of the jungle (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Still Life with cut out ghost, skulls and butterflies. (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Detail (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Two Andrews talk about “From the Streets of Brooklyn”

January 6, 2009 Artists

An unprecedented show of Brooklyn street art starts off 2009 at ThinkSpace gallery.

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.

ThinkSpace Gallery, a warm-hearted community space and home of rockin’ shows in L.A. since 2005, plays host to it’s brothers and sisters across the continent with a salon-style show of street artists, graff writers, a hot photographer, and live on-the-street work by the chalk artist from BK.

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.

ThinkSpace Gallery

AdHoc Art

From the Streets of Brooklyn

More stuff on ThinkSpace and Andrew Hosner from the art collector blog

“From the Streets of Brooklyn” at thinkspace (L.A.)

November 9, 2008 Artists, Events, Gallery, L.A., Opening

“From The Streets Of Brooklyn“

Curated by Ad Hoc Art at thinkspace

January 9th – February 6th, 2009

Opening Reception: Fri, Jan. 9th 7-11PM

Featuring installations from:

Gaia (front entry area)

Imminent Disaster (project room)

Street installation:

Ellis G.

Main Gallery:

Abe Lincoln Jr.

Acne

AIKO (aka Aiko Nakagawa)

AnerA

Avoid Pi

avone

Bast

Bloke

c.damage.

Celso

Chris Stain

DAIN

Dan Witz

Dark Clouds

Elbow-Toe

Ellis G.

ELC (aka Endless Love Crew)

Faro

Gaia

Graffiti Research Lab (aka G.R.L.)

Imminent Disaster

infinity

jm rizzi

Josh MacPhee

Juse One

Kuma

Matt Siren

Maya Hayuk

McMutt (aka Dennis McNett)

Michael DeFeo (aka The Flower Guy)

MOMO

Peru Ana Ana Peru

PMP (aka Peripheral Media Projects)

Rate

Royce Bannon

Skewville

Slept

Sometimes

Sonet

Stikman

Thundercut

UFO

Unplate

+ A selection of street art photographs by LUNA PARK

SNEAK PEEK images here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157607658942787/

thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90029
Thurs-Sun 1-6PM
http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/

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