All posts tagged: Los Angeles

Hold Up Art Gallery Presents: KRAKEN “Fantasmas” (Los Angeles, CA)

September 14, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, L.A., Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Opening

KRAKEN

OPENING RECEPTION

Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 7:00PM to 11:00PM

Exhibit runs September 17, 2011 through October 20, 2011

Hold Up Art

358 E. 2^ndStreet, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fantasmas is the first solo exhibition by prolific Mexican street artist Kraken. Consisting of twenty-one pieces, ranging from giclee reproductions to handmade silkscreen prints and original drawings, Fantasmas showcases the unique style and voice of this talented artist. The exhibit’s opening reception will feature a live performance by Adrian Terrazas Gonzalez (The Mars Volta) with Jazztec.

Known for his dark, gothic and somewhat disturbing images, Kraken is a highly sought after commercial graphics artist in Mexico. His work has been used to brand products from alcoholic beverages to sneakers, from apparel lines to bands. As a member of Mexico’s E3 Collective, Kraken has been involved in numerous group shows around the world. His work has appeared in an Amnesty International art book to raise money for the cause in Darfur, and he has had his work featured in an installation by the Centro Cultural España. Kraken’s work is often recognized for his use of repetitive graphics and what could be called an obsession with eyes.

“I am inspired by different things when I work; comic books, movies, but mostly emotions. I get a lot of inspiration from reading psychological case studies of serial killers,” shares Kraken, “That’s where I got the idea of deforming humanity with unnatural light and dark colors, and repetitive imagery, like eyes. The eyes represent different things in my work, but lately they represent anxiety. I have this notion that your eyes see things differently when you’re having a panic attack; your stomach aches and your palms itch. It’s like those parts of your body are filled with eyes.”

For more information about this and other exhibits,

please visit www.holdupart.com.

Post No Bills Presents: “Reality Bites” (Venice Beach, CA)

September 13, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, L.A., Opening, Venice Beach

Post No Bills

POST NO BILLS presents…

“REALITY BITES”Print Release & Website Launch Party
Opening Reception: September 15, 2011 (7 – 10pm)Exhibition Runs: September 15 – October 2, 2011

Featuring New Exclusive Limited Edition Prints and Hand Finished Multiples by: Borf – Brett Amory – Kelsey Brookes – Mark Jenkins – Morley – Ravi Zupa – Sage Vaughn

POST NO BILLS: The term POST NO BILLS is commonly identified in stencil form – on barriers erected around construction sites in an effort to deter clean walls from being altered. Generally speaking, this practice produces a contrary effect. Our founders subscribe to the notion that breaking rules, generally inspires more ingenuity than following them. Which is why POST NO BILLS was created.

POST NO BILLS is an inventive print shop with a focus on hand made limited edition multiples. We are a singular destination where groundbreaking artists from around the globe can sell their wares directly to passionate collectors at all levels. Editions will be made on the premises with a true dedication to quality.

1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice Beach, CA 90291 / 310.399.2928 / www.postnobillsshop.com

ROA in Los Angeles and Chicago

September 12, 2011 Artists, California, Chicago, Features, L.A., Los Angeles, On the Street

When Street Artist ROA hits your town with his aerosoled animal world, large swatches of walls, even blocks, become alive and are instant gathering places for new and old fans alike. The one man monochrome machine from Belgium depicts a curious mix of overlooked animals, sometimes in states of death and decay by way of commenting on human’s impact on the natural world.

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Whether in rural Mexico or urban New York, his work is reliably riveting and a favorite for neighbors and Internet surfers alike. After catching the eye of LA MOCA this spring, his last minute addition to the “Art in the Streets” exhibit brought the collection up to the minute and cemented his place in the graff and Street Art continuum. BSA captured these images of ROA’s work this year on the streets of Los Angeles and Chicago this summer and we’re looking forward to his next stop at “Living Walls: Albany”.

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA’s work in Chicago was done in collaboration with Pawn Works Gallery. Thank you to Nick and Brocke for their hospitality.

ROA’s work in Los Angeles was produced with Daniel Lahoda for LA Freewalls Project in The Arts District of downtown LA. Thank you to Daniel for his passion and his time with BSA. We wish Daniel a speedy recovery from a recent accident.

Lab Art Gallery Presents: “Fixed Bicycles and Canvas Art” (Los Angeles,CA)

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

Lab Art Gallery

Street art meets fashionable bicycles as LAB ART Los Angeles, the nation’s largest gallery dedicated to street art teams up with Solé Bicycles, the one-stop-online-shop for contemporary fixed-gear bikes. On September 15th, 2011 the Fixed Bicycles & Canvas show will premiere custom designed Solé Bicycles by 12 of the biggest, most influential street artists including: AJL, Chad Muska, Common Cents, Cyrcle, Desire Obtain Cherish, GoodBoy, Gregory Siff, KH No. 7, LOUIS XXX, Mar, Septerhed, and Thank You X.

Fixed Bicycles & Canvas is a collaboration between street art curators and owners of LAB ART, Rachel Joelson and Iskander Lemseffer, and Solé Bicycles owners, USC schoolmates Jonathan Schriftman and Jake Medwell.

As street art began on the street as guerilla artwork and has recently transitioned from the streets into galleries, fixed gear cycling, otherwise known as fixie, has gone through it’s own transition. What started as a signature among urban bike messengers, fixies have become a lifestyle trend in major cities worldwide.

The exhibit is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Joelson and Schriftman who wanted to bridge two popular cultural phenomenons: street art and fixies. The pair decided to fuse the renegade art spirit of LAB ART’s street artists with the youthful, hipster appeal of Solé bikes.

Fixed Bicycles & Canvas will also feature paintings corresponding to each artist. The one-of-a-kind artist custom designed bicycles retails for approximately $950 to $ 1,200.

The exhibition will debut at a private viewing party on September 15th, 2011 at LAB ART and will be open to the public on September 16th and continues through October 16th, 2011.

About LAB ART Los Angeles:

LAB ART Los Angeles is the largest art gallery in the nation dedicated to an alternative exhibition of street art and installation. Spanning 6,500 square feet of space, the gallery features approximately 300 works of art and installation from over 50 of the most prominent and up-and-coming street artist of the Los Angeles Street Art scene and beyond. LAB ART has been featured on FOX News, KTLA News, Huffington Post, LA Times, LAist, and more.

About Solé Bicycles:

Solé Bicycles provides supremely designed, high quality, affordable fixed gear and single speed bikes. Started in 2010, Solé has grown to be one of the industry leaders and featured in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, LA Confidential, and more.

Gilf! “Back Talk” Conversation

September 2, 2011 Artists

To introduce readers to some of the Street Artists in the show “Street Art Saved My Life: 39 New York Stories”, BSA asked a number of the artists to take part in “Back Talk” with one of our most trusted and underground and sweet sources for modern art, Juxtapoz.

Today we hear from Gilf!

One reason you make art: I make art to change people’s perspectives, and to bring awareness to major issues that face our whole planet. I also do it to make people smile. Street art is an amazing tool that allows me to speak to people with whom I wouldn’t get the chance in real life.

Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Gilf!” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-gilf

Rene Gagnon “Back Talk” Conversation

September 1, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Rene Gagnon.

The first record or CD you ever bought? The last album you downloaded?
“First has to be RUN DMC – with the Krush Groove jam. Eminem, ‘Relapse & Recovery.’ “

Rene Gagnon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Rene Gagnon” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-rene-gagnon

Hold Up Art Gallery Presents: “Cluster Mess” Gosha Levochkin New Works and a Collaboration with Cyrcle (Los Angeles, CA)

August 31, 2011 Artists, California, Events, Gallery, Los Angeles, Opening

Hold Up Gallery

HOLD UP ART GALLERY

PRESENTS

New Works by Gosha Levochkin

Cluster Mess

Opening Reception

Saturday, September 3, 2011 from 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM

Exhibition runs through Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Hold Up Art

358 E. 2^nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Hold Up Art presents the work of Los Angeles-based artist Gosha Levochkin, whose latest collection of ink and watercolor works entitled CLUSTER MESS will be on display from September 3 through October 5. Twenty-seven original paintings, depicting a surreal urban environment and the characters that dwell there, will fill the space. This exhibition will also feature a collaboration between Gosha and Cyrcle, the Los Angeles street art collective whose “cut it out” works have taken the city by storm.

CLUSTER MESS refers to Gosha’s approach to the urban landscape, something that has always intrigued him. His work often strives to capture the aging of a building through the effects of time or use, and how people live among the dense clutter of the city and make it work, while still maintaining an underlying sense of humor. His fans have come to expect playful and thought-provoking compositions. This new collection of paintings from Gosha is marked by a conscious departure from his previous works in palette and narrative.

“My palette is different this time. I wanted to add more colors and I kind of let them do their own thing,” says Gosha of CLUSTER MESS. “I also added a storyline to my characters which is something that I haven’t done before. My installation will be a good example of showing how everything is disconnected yet connected at the same time.”

Gosha’s goal with this new exhibit is to make the viewer want to learn more about the characters; to imagine themselves in the world that he’s created.

Mark Carvalho “Back Talk” Conversation

August 31, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Mark Carvalho.

Something you want the world to know about you:
“I only sing two songs for karaoke; Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ and Tupac’s ‘How do you want it’.”

Mark Carlvalho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Mark Carvalho” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/back-talk-a-conversation-with-mark-carvalho

Indigo “Back Talk” Conversation

August 30, 2011 Artists

Today we hear from Indigo.

Artists you admire:

“I admire everyone who has the courage to spend hours, weeks, months and years turning thoughts and feelings into things, then putting them out into the world for others to respond with love or hate or complete indifference. I admire anyone who has the integrity to create for themselves, first and foremost. I admire those who are constantly pushing themselves to try new ideas, use new mediums, reach out to new audiences and immerse themselves in uniquely challenging experiences. I admire everyone who has taken a leap of faith, fallen into dark and swirling waters and after what often seems like a lifetime of struggle, reached the sunshine on the other side – only to do it all over again.”

Indigo (photo © Victoria Potter)

Read “Back Talk: A conversation with Indigo” on Juxtapoz: http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/back-talk-a-conversation-with-anthony-lister

LUDO in NY, Chicago, and LA with More of “Nature’s Revenge”

August 29, 2011 Artists, Brooklyn, California, Chicago, L.A., Los Angeles, NYC, On the Street, Venice Beach

Parisian Street Artist LUDO brought “Nature’s Revenge” to the US this month and his eye-popping surreal wheat-pasted creations are now on walls in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. By combining weaponry with insects and plants into hybrids, LUDO is using this ongoing series to draw attention to how we are messing with nature in ways we never have in an unquestioning way and at our own peril. From biotech to nanotech to robotics to remote controlled drones, the face of war is sold with branding and a sizzling “wow” factor, accompanied by vague assurances that these developments are necessary to protect us good guys from the bad ones. From the perspective of this ongoing “Nature’s Revenge” series, our romance with all things shiny and futuristic is quickly morphing out of our control and it’s likely to come back and bite us, or worse.

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Using a reliably greyscale, white, and acid green palette, LUDO’s high-tech hybrids are alternately frightening and amusing, and even super cool. While a Freddy Kruger facemask is obviously symbolic, it’s pairing with a mechanical daisy is unnerving. The wheat paste of a tarantular top-loaded missile delivery device is laughable until you see the video of unstoppable multi-limbed all terrain “big dog” robots being developed to do the same thing. Even the bunch of grape skulls seems sort of blunt until you think of what we’re now learning about irradiation, pesticides, and genetically modified foods. Taken as a whole LUDO’s work is one of the more message-driven on the street today and is another example of the new narrative-driven story telling we continue to witness in Street Art. Luckily, it’s also visually compelling.

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO applies his custom-mixed acidic green goo in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A LUDO discovered in Brooklyn with a bit of his other “Co-Branding” campaign, which pairs disturbing imagery with a friendly logo to assuage discomfort. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A LUDO piece currently on view in a gallery setting: The group show “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories”on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, is curated by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo and produced with ThinkSpace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

<<<><>>><><><>>>><>

In LA Ludo installed work with Daniel Lahoda for LA FreeWalls, C.A.V.E. Gallery, and with curation by BSA. Special thanks to Daniel for his total support, hospitality, and vision.In Chicago special thanks to Nick and Seth from Pawn Works Gallery and to Brock for making this happen and for providing the wheels and the good company.

Images of the Week 08.28.11

August 28, 2011 Artists, Brooklyn, California, L.A., Los Angeles, Manhattan, NYC, On the Street

Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Bast, Chris Uphues, Cyrcle, Dain, Enzo & Nio, Ja Ja, LMNOP, Shepard Fairey, Skewville, Swampy, and Willow.

Carlos Gonzalez shares with you this huge floral skull from the Cyrcle opening this week in Los Angeles (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Artist Unknown. A tribute to the much maligned and misunderstood urban dwellers. We love pigeons here at BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mystery Revealed : Hellbent’s Jaw belonged to Sigmund Freud

August 27, 2011 Artists

The streets are covered with symbols and markings that have meaning to the maker, their peers, and to passersby. Depending on socio-political-geo-historical factors, you may or may not know what certain tags or images are meant to indicate and aside from gang indicia, no one seems particularly alarmed by this fact that street art and graffiti is often a nest of hidden meanings.

One such symbol that has often appeared on the street is the bottom jaw from Hellbent, rough and jagged, hovering above a bed of psychedelic or pastel floral patterns. If it happened once, you might think “Oh, it’s part of a series and I’ll figure it out when I see the other pieces”. In fact, no. It’s the one symbol that Hellbent repeats most often, and it is perplexing.

We finally got an answer from the artist regarding the genesis of the jaw when he was describing his current piece in the LA show “Street Art Saved My Life” and, while it sheds light on the background, somehow it raises more questions. In the story about this Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, we postulate that the jaw represents our base animal qualities and our similarities to the ruthless animal kingdom, all the while acknowledging the ultimate fragility of a simple bone structure, and be extraction, us. Anyway, before we psychoanalyze it further and bore everybody in the room, here’s what Hellbent says:

“Sigmund Freud at age of 67 appeared in a clinic in Vienna because he had discovered some hard, smooth spots on his jaw. After the doctor examined him it was discovered that they were cancerous and the lesions had to be removed immediately. Since the hospital population at that time was at capacity, Freud was put in a makeshift room that he shared with dwarf. After his operation while his family was out, Freud began to hemorrhage and was unable to call out, while laying bleeding on the floor. If not for the dwarf roommate Freud would have surely died and with this I began thinking of the jawbone.

Hellbent currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in the show “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (Photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

The earliest images I was influenced by as a kid were the graphics on skateboards and punk albums. The image of the human skull was a constant in a lot of these images. It was a sign of rebellion and it seemed the embrace death, where society was much more concentrated on living. But as I grew up I noticed that a lot of people who where similarly influenced by these images began to bring the skull into the mainstream. Now you see cute skulls on Paul Frank baby clothes and such.

So to get away from this trend I began to concentrate on just the jaw bone as an image. The jawbone is what is used to communicate and form words with and the way we consume food to sustain life, an important part of the human experience. I have come back to the skull and separated it from the jaw; making it two unique images that are connected through this separation. I also use a lot of animal imagery on the streets, so the jaw bone represents the human element of this world…

I have been calling the new use of multiple floral stencils “Quilting”. I like the idea of taking all these used “scraps” to form something more tangible, something other than its self. Sometimes it makes up the border around the image and other times it is used inside of the image, giving it a cubist like quality. The colors in each of the patterns also play off one another, giving them a natural 3D quality (which is actually intensified with 3D glasses, as was discovered at my last gallery show at Mighty Tanaka) that further emphasizes this cubist element. The shapes seem to pull and push of the surface, but the image is still readily available to the viewer.”

BSA Images Of The Week: 11.17.24
November 17, 2024
Right out of the gate, Pres-elect Trump is telling us that one must destroy the government to save it, just …Read More »
SpY’s “ORB” Lands in Montreal: A Mirror of Street Art’s Evolution
November 14, 2024
SpY, a prominent public artist hailing from Madrid, has unveiled his latest sculptural work titled “ORB” in Montreal’s renowned Place …Read More »
Birch Bark, Rosehips, and a Family Affair: Faring Purth’s New Chapter in Mural Form
November 12, 2024
In her latest mural, Faring Purth delivers a powerful reflection on connection, continuity, and the complexity of evolving relationships—a true …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week: 11.10.24
November 10, 2024
Well, the world ended this week—again. Yet here we are, still standing, and so are you. It turns out Donald …Read More »
Réunion Island’s Evolution: Eko and the Graffiti/Street Art Festival That’s Making Waves
November 7, 2024
A place you may not have heard of, Réunion Island has quickly become a remarkable hotspot for urban art, largely …Read More »
Transforming Tafí Viejo: Argentina’s First International Street Art Festival in Tucumán
November 5, 2024
The Circuito Mural: Encuentro Internacional de Arte Urbano just wrapped up its first run from October 1 to 5, 2024, …Read More »
BSA Images Of The Week 11.06.24
November 3, 2024
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Set your clocks back one hour today. A chilly but warm NYC welcome …Read More »

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

ROA in Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gilf! (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rene Gagnon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mark Carlvalho (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Indigo (photo © Victoria Potter)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO applies his custom-mixed acidic green goo in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO’s snail tank on a rooftop in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO on an abandoned building in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Brooklyn, NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A LUDO discovered in Brooklyn with a bit of his other “Co-Branding” campaign, which pairs disturbing imagery with a friendly logo to assuage discomfort. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Brooklyn, NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Downtown, Los Angeles with LA Freewalls project (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LUDO in Venice Beach, Los Angeles (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A LUDO piece currently on view in a gallery setting: The group show “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories”on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, is curated by Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo and produced with ThinkSpace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ja Ja (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain’s new work in NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dain’s new work in NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Carlos Gonzalez shares with you this huge floral skull from the Cyrcle opening this week in Los Angeles (photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Chris Uphues (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Enzo & Nio (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Enzo & Nio (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. A tribute to the much maligned and misunderstood urban dwellers. We love pigeons here at BSA. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast Corner Deli (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast Corner Deli (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bast Corner Deli (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LMNOP (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey OBEY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville goes green (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swampy giant pink rooftop in Brooklyn (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Willow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Willow (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hellbent currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in the show “Street Art Saved My Life : 39 New York Stories” (Photo © Carlos Gonzalez)

Hellbent (Photo © Jaime Rojo)

Featured Video | Martin Wong’s “Houston Street”

Recent Articles on BSA

Enjoy BSA? Please tell your friends :)

Sign up for the BSA Newsletter !

Enter your email address for insight, photography, reviews and news directly in your inbox.