All posts tagged: Peace

Poetry, Prose and Witty Texting: The Conversation on The Street

August 27, 2015 Artists

“True poetry cares nothing for poems” says Raoul Vaneigem, the Belgium Situationist who taught us that we are creating our lives twenty-four hours a day, in his book “The Revolution of Everyday Life.” The act of living is a certain poetry in itself, we have decided.

Jef Aeorosl pays tribute to Andy Warhol on the streets of Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When an artist is acting of his or her own industry, they will think, will consider their choice of written words on the street. Poetry or prose; full stanza, furtive phrase, stalwart screed – the message is not incidental if it has made it into the public space for a theater of many possible audiences.

Over time you will see these hand rendered, scrawled, sprayed, paint-brushed text-based missives as diary entries. Not all are profound, and many are perplexing or maddeningly cryptic or coy. Others are statements of conviction or punch lines. Lucky you on the day the sentiment hits you in the funny bone, hits closer to the heart, or reveals a truth. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to add your own entry in response to, or in spite of this conversation on the street.

John Fekner (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dont Fret (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Homo Riot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rambo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tatyana Fazlaliadeh (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ben Eine (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chivalry is dead. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Forgive (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow toe (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zimad (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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A Community Mural Festival in NYC, Highlights From Welling Court 2015

June 17, 2015 Artists

An annual mural tradition of non-pretense, New York hosted the 6th Annual Welling Court mural festival this weekend in a working class neighborhood in Queens, thanks to a grassroots couple who hustle to match artists with walls and opportunity. More than a hundred artists, whose styles span the graffiti-urban art-street art spectrum, participate every year in this community event that eschews the creeping fingers of commercial interests and the pontificating tongues of the art critics.

That is not the point here. That’s not why you fell in love with Street Art and the unvarnished expression of the creative spirit.

LMNOPI. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Thanks to hearty and big-hearted organizers Alison and Garrison Buxton, the selection is as varied as the participants and the neighbors who come out to share home made dishes, music, and personal stories. Invariably the kids are racing around on their bikes and skates, people are meeting artists and posing for selfies, and some of the kids get to try their hand at painting.

So if you want to see what some of the organic art work is on the scene at the moment, walk through this unassuming Queens neighborhood with us and enjoy the real beat of New York. It’s a small selection, but you can get the flavor.

LMNOPI. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LMNOPI (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Fekner (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Amanda Marie (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

XO. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rubin415 . Joe Iurato (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WANE (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C. Cardinale. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C. Cardinale (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Damien Mitchell (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea . Mick La Rock. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea . Mick La Rock (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SHIRO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andy Golub . Leif G. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andy Golub . Leif G. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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.

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.

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:

“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

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

John J. Mahyo; After Xmas (War Will Be Over)

January 12, 2011 Artists, On the Street

From Italy we find that stencil street artist John J. Mahyo paid tribute last month on the anniversary of John Lennon’s murder to his anti-war past. Lennon’s song with Yoko Ono “Happy Xmas (War is Over) is re-interpreted here with a stencil called “After Xmas (War Will Be Over)”.

We contacted the stencil artist to get an understanding of the piece and it’s placement on the wall of a military zone. He discussed how the original song was a protest against the war in Vietnam and now 40 years later it looks like history has repeated itself as we are told that the 9 year war in Afghanistan must continue 2,3,4,5 more years. And he worries about other potential conflicts brewing on the world stage. He says he intended this piece as “a call to prevent the imminent threat of a hypothetical nuclear war, if the tests carried out by North Korea (the 9th country in the world to have the atomic bomb and the 3rd most militarized) go wrong, it could potentially have disastrous consequences.”

Today, with a multitude of electronic images flying at people from every screen, a simple hand made stencil seems “retro” and tied to that earlier age – and a reminder that every person reading this was born into an age of war that never seems to end. Says Mahyo, it’s “The same old story… Men who hate other men, who face each other in a game of dominoes with weapons of mass destruction instead of the common cards. The wars of any size only bring destruction, sadness and anger. So to avoid this, I wish you all a happy New Year of peace and love, and hope that others will come.”

John Lennon listens to the streets in this photo attributed to Yoko Ono on beatlesbible.com.

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Jef Aeorosl pays tribute to Andy Warhol on the streets of Brooklyn. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Fekner (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Dont Fret (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Homo Riot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rambo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rambo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tatyana Fazlaliadeh (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ben Eine (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chivalry is dead. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Forgive (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Elbow toe (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Zimad (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LMNOPI. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LMNOPI. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LMNOPI (photo © Jaime Rojo)

John Fekner (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Amanda Marie (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

XO. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rubin415 . Joe Iurato (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Too Fly (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Peace (photo © Jaime Rojo)

WANE (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C. Cardinale. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

C. Cardinale (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Damien Mitchell (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea . Mick La Rock. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Queen Andrea . Mick La Rock (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SHIRO (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andy Golub . Leif G. Process shot. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andy Golub . Leif G. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Somebody Brought Moonshine to this Picnic

Peace Brotherman. Overunder (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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

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

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)

From Italy we find that stencil street artist John J. Mahyo paid tribute last month on the anniversary of John Lennon’s murder to his anti-war past. Lennon’s song with Yoko Ono “Happy Xmas (War is Over) is re-interpreted here with a stencil called “After Xmas (War Will Be Over)”.

John J. Mahyo “After Xmas (War Will Be Over)” Photo © John J. Mahyo

John Lennon listens to the streets in this photo attributed to Yoko Ono on beatlesbible.com.

Featured Video | Martin Wong’s “Houston Street”

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