All posts tagged: Leba

An Organic Wall Grows in Los Angeles

October 20, 2011 Artists, California, L.A., Los Angeles, On the Street

The Magnet Wall. The Organic Wall. Street Art is drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Even if a city officially prohibits any form of uncommissioned Street Art, it probably has a few spots where artists can reliably put their wheat-pastes, stencils, stickers, even sculptures – a community nerve center that quickly gives an overview of the players in the local scene. Usually the art is covered instantly by more art and if it lasts a few days intact it has had a good run. Since Street Art is an ephemeral scene, the artists know this and they are not particularly bothered by the rapid turnover, knowing that their piece will be seen by their peers and the public at large.

Leba’s cartoon illustration influenced work on this wall echos directly some sentiments of the Occupy Wall Street movement. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We always think of the streets as an outdoor gallery, and recently in Los Angeles we checked out this magnet wall in the Arts District where it could not have been a more apt description. Hanging out for a little while on this block, we saw a group of four teens taking a casual walk on a sunny day pivoting to the wall to check out the new additions, to point, comment, joke, and pose with each other in front of their favorites – making faces and giving each other the rabbit ears in photos. Minutes later a European tourist family, urban hikers with cameras and fannypacks, carefully scanned the patterns, textures and layers, taking photos and discussing their discoveries. Even a bulky fella crossing the street to get into a van emblazoned with a plumbing company logo – paused for a second to snap a cellphone pic before rumbling down the street.

This LA wall is a bit of a community billboard; an outlet and a showcase, where Street Artists try out new stuff and sometimes express personal or political sentiments. It’s never the same, and usually interesting.

@Get Up Art (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lydia Emily. You have been put on notice. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

UTV C/S (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Word 16 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Don’t Lose Hope (photo © Jaime Rojo)

FOH! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

OKKO! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Casper Loves LA! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ghandi plays a role. Kryptik (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Images of the Week 06.26.11

June 26, 2011 Artists

Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Anthony Sneed, El Mac, Elle, Goata, Joshua John, JR, Katsu, Leba, Obey, R. Robots, Retna, REVS, Reskew ACC.

Joshua John. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“The piece is called “Moon Mask” and it’s ink and acrylic on paper. The concept of the piece is based on the idea of revealing one’s true self and letting go of masks that blind us” Joshua John

Joshua John. Imminent Disaster old piece serves as a background for this beautifully rendered and hand painted wheat paste (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joshua John. Detail (photo © Jaime Rojo)

French artist and Ted Prize winner JR on the Houston Street wall. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Obey…interrupted. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R. Robots (photo © Jaime Rojo)

R.Robots (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leba at the Fringe Show in LA (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Elle and Goata (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elle (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Revs…here today… (photo © Jaime Rojo)

…gone tomorrow:-( (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Katsu (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Retna and El Mac in LA (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Unknow. Reskew ACC (Thank you Luna Park) Tag painted on wood and then screwed into the wall (photo © Jaime Rojo)

After a bit of power washing, this wall was cleared of any remnants of Nick Walker, Lister, and Goons to make way for the abstract minimalism of Anthony Sneed (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Photo © Jaime Rojo (No worries. These two baby birds didn’t end up on the dinner table of a rat. A kind New Yorker scooped them up to nurture them at her home until they learn how to fly)

See more images by photographer Carlos Gonzalez on Facebook

The Site Unscene in conjunction with The Loft Salon & Gallery Present: “Fringe” (Los Angeles, CA)

June 8, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, Los Angeles, Opening

Fringe

“FRINGE” Street Art Show featuring SMEAR, LEBA and GREGORY SIFF opens June 9th

Los Angeles, California, 2 June 2011 – On June 9th,The Site Unscene in conjunction with The Loft Salon & Gallery brings you the first in a monthly series of art shows to open during the Downtown LA Artwalk. The series will kick-off with street art show FRINGE featuring the work of Smear, Leba and Gregory Siff.

Show opens June 9th, 2011, 6pm – 10pm at The Loft Salon, 560 S. Main Street #8W, LA 90013. The event is free all night, lots of drinks, great music and amazing art.

Smear, Leba and Gregory Siff are three of the most notable street artists in Los Angeles. Each will all be presenting street influenced artwork on June 9th at the opening of FRINGE. Not allowing themselves to be marginalized by accepted norms or considered secondary to any art movement, these three artists all bring a unique voice and style to the public eye. Never letting fear of adversity, or conformity, influence their artistic visions, these artists persist through their work for FRINGE, a curated collection playing on the concept of ‘marginalized’ society in it’s various forms.

Smear: Cristian Gheorghiu’s (aka SMEAR) visceral, highly personal style of painting emulates the messy workings of the total-information age, layering forms and images with powerful, slashing brush strokes of rhythmic, unifying mixtures and improvised, frenzied lines coupled with brilliant color to achieve a simplified language. Gheorghiu counters his free, muscular brushstrokes by loading his paintings with rags and tatters of cloth, reproductions, fragments of comic strips, and other collage elements of waste and discarded materials to convey maps of mental states. More info on Smear here.

Leba: The artist Leba has been active in the street art scene, from the West to East coast, since the beginning of last decade. He is recognized and admired for combining biting social commentary and fine art imagery into both his street art and fine art. HE is unafraid to speak his mind with a spray can as on his highly controversial, yet loved, Census billboards and much lauded American Apparel advert takeovers. His street art is always relevant, exploratory, skillfully crafted, and many times, politically charged. He is skilled in many mediums: sculpting, wheat pasting, stencil cutting, painting and he skillfully conforms each medium to the needs of each individual piece. It is this combination of intelligence and raw talent that has made him one of the most admired and intriguing LA artists around the globe. More info on Leba here.

Gregory Siff: is an American Pop, Street, Abstract-expressionist. He has exhibited un New York City, Los Angeles, London, Itialy, Dublin and Vancouver. His paintings have been featured in Deitch Projects Art Parades, The Standard Hotel, De La Barracuda Wall and Urban Outfitters. Gregory’s work has appeared in Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, Paper Mag, L.A. Times, Marc Ecko’s Complex, Cool Hunting and Glamour. You can also find his art on the street and HERE.

FRINGE is presented by The Loft Hair Salon & Gallery located in the heart of downtown LA eight stories up. The 1500+ square foot space offers the perfect view of downtown life while showcasing the best of LA art life indoors. More info here.

Fun Friday 05.27.11

May 27, 2011 Artists

If you decide to stay in the city this holiday weekend you can incite your imagination and feed your intellectual curiosity by walking the streets for the great out door gallery, or go inside to see great new stuff.

1. Happy 70th Birthday Bob Dylan (a couple of days ago)
2. “Paint It Now” Tonight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
3. Miss Van and Gaia Double Bill at Jonathan Levine
4. Shai Dahan Solo Show in Gothenburg, Sweden
5. Melrose & Fairfax Saturday “What Graffiti is to New York, Street Art is to Los Angeles”
6. FAILE SAYZ: PLAY WITH YOUR ART! Release Puzzle Boxes
7. DJ Mayonaise Hands Insightful Review of ELIK at Brooklynite
8. Narcelio Grud
9. FEIK in Brazil by Sampa Graffiti

Happy 70th Birthday Bob Dylan (a couple of days ago)

“Paint It Now” Tonight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Paint It Now makes its NYC debut in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood (just north of Williamsburg). The show’s curators, Thomas Buildmore and Scott Chasse partner with Fowler Arts Collective for this Brooklyn-centric show, although Philadelphia and Boston represent.

FEATURED ARTISTS: Morgan Thomas Anderson, Royce Bannon, Thomas Buildmore, Scott Chasse, Darkclouds, Robert daVies, El Celso, Martin Esteves, Veronica Hanssens, Jessica Hess, Keely, Kenji Nakayama, Nineta, Nose Go,
Cense, Damion Silver, John Skibo, Ben Woodward

http://www.fowlerartsbrooklyn.org/paintitnow2011.html

Fowler Arts, 67 West Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11222.

Miss Van and Gaia Double Bill at Jonathan Levine

Miss Van “Bailarinas” and Gaia “Succession” opened last night at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in Chelsea in Manhattan. Miss Van has been painting since her teenage years in France and in Europe and Gaia is celebrating his recent graduation from MICA in Baltimore. Congratulations GAIA!

(images courtesy of the Gallery)

For more details on this show, times and address click on the link below”

http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/

Shai Dahan Solo Show in Gothenburg, Sweden

Shai Dahan moved to Sweden last year and, wasting no time, he set up to work on his new art projects as soon as the plane touched ground. Today he invites all people that happen to be in Gothenburg , Sweden to come to the opening of his solo show “Things Come Undone” at the Artspace + Us Gallery.

To read more details, time and location for this show go to:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=20986

Melrose & Fairfax Saturday “What Graffiti is to New York, Street Art is to Los Angeles”

On Saturday the West Coast Street Art site Melrose&Fairfax invites you to attend the opening reception of their curatorial debut “What Graffiti is to New York, Street Art is to Los Angeles” at the Maximillian Gallery in West Hollywood, CA.

Desire Obtain Cherish (photo © Birdman). Desire Obtain Cherish collective is included in this show and they are based in Los Angeles, CA. This is their most recent billboard takeover. Click on their name above to go their site for more information about this project.

Participating artists include: Alec Monopoly, Free Humanity, Smog City, Bankrupt Slut, DeeKay, Bod Bod, 2twenty, Snyder, Gregory Stiff, KH no. 7, Desire Obtain Cherish, CYRCLE. & DD$, Leba and Homo Riot.

For more details on this show, time and address click below:

http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=21183

FAILE SAYZ: PLAY WITH YOUR ART! Release Puzzle Boxes

Brooklyn Street Art: You know I was just thinking about the blocks and interactivity. I wonder if you could make a piece where some of the blocks were free and the person who buys it could play with the blocks.

Patrick Miller: Hey, you’re really onto something!

Patrick McNeil: Let’s go upstairs.

Brooklyn Street Art: You’ve already thought of this!

(from FAILE Studio Visit on BSA last fall)

Street Art Collective Faile have released a set of six different Puzzleboxes to the public. When we visited their studio last year they were in the process of creating these fun, interactive fine art pieces and now they are available, with an app on Itunes to boot.

For information about the Puzzleboxes and to purchase go to:

http://failepuzzleboxes.com/

DJ Mayonaise Hands Insightful Review of ELIK at Brooklynite

Narcelio Grud

Brazilian artist Narcelio Grud was filmed getting up all day in Manhester, UK where the only thing that really got in his way was a flock of adorable baby geese crossing his path.

FEIK in Brazil by Sampa Graffiti

Maximillian Gallery Presents: “What Graffiti is to New York, Street Art is to Los Angeles” Curated by Melrose & Fairfax (West Hollywood, CA)

May 23, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, Los Angeles, Opening, West Hollywood

Melrose & Fairfax

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