All posts tagged: Rochester

BSA Images Of The Week: 07.26.15 Rochester Special

July 26, 2015 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

It’s not all about the murals! A sacrilegious thing to say perhaps, especially on a Sunday, especially when we are in town to see fresh new murals at the Wall\Therapy festival in Rochester. But none of the artists will take us to task because everyone knows that the roots of Street Art and graffiti are in the un-permissioned work that happens underground in hidden spots that become revered; magnets for aerosol mark-making, veritable spray can galleries. These crumbling houses of the holy are foundational to the modern Street Art scene. After all, if the good Lord didn’t want teens to get high, have sex, and catch tags he wouldn’t have created urban decay.

Top image above >>> Freedom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Freedom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

So it was good to get to the dirty stuff with some help from an affable Roc native named Jason who showed us around some of the darker caverns in the city this week where you can get a sense of the conversations that bubble just below the surface. These places of decay feature some old school tags, rollers, characters, bubble letters, rants, political critique – the gamut. Also, homeless people, restless hoodies on BMX bikes, and funny smelling cigarette smoke wafting past you periodically.

Freedom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We were really honored to speak at the museum Friday and to be introduced by the director Jonathan Binstock and Wall\Therapy founder Dr. Ian Wilson for our talk and show of a series of short films about the evolving Street Art scene globally. Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) is part of the University of Rochester and houses a huge encyclopedic collection of 12,000 works of art representing cultures from around the world and across millennia so to have the opportunity to share contemporary works from across this global grassroots art movement is especially gratifying and many in the audience came up afterward to talk about how inspiring this moment in art history is to them personally.

Typically academia and institutional support has been a few steps removed from this means of expression but the last decade and a half continues to see a shifting of perspectives by some who traditionally resisted the work in the streets. We’re just glad that we can continue to provide a platform for voices high and low, trained and self-taught, polished and in development – and the feedback we continue to get from you is that the work strikes a strong chord and we are grateful. Just to keep it real, here’s a tiny collection of work from Rochester’s organic urban art scene.

So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring AX, Cash4, Eder Muniz, Freedom, FUA Krew, Icy and Sot, Jeff Soto, Mr PRVRT, ND’A, OverUnder, ROA, Smear, and Thievin Stephen.

Freedom (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Eder Muniz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

FUA Krew commenting on the bulldozing of a homeless tent city in Rochester days before Christmas in December. Mayor Lovely Warren took a great amount of criticism for her decision in the press, and here in the tunnels. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. PRVRT (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. PRVRT and a partial ROA on top. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. PRVRT and a Cash4 on top. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder . NDA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder . Thievin’ Stephen (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Thievin’ Stephen (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Smear (photo © Jaime Rojo)

AX (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Soto (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Rochester, NY. July 2015 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

$Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 6$

Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 6

July 25, 2015 Artists

These have been a stunning few days here in Rochester with a dedicated crew of volunteers and artists is coming to it’s culmination as murals are finished or in their final stages. Again last night Onur and Wes21 were heading back to their wall right after the big celebratory dinner at The Yards – or as people call it, “The Nest”.

“This structure was designed to create a space for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. It was designed to rest tired minds flying back at the end of the day in the hot sun, on a lift and far from home,” said Yards member Sylvan Hemingway in a speech he gave to the group of 40 or so folks gathered at long tables in the collaborative art space. “The energy in this room is real and I am truly grateful that everyone in this wild family reunion is helping to create a dream-like production.”

Eder Muniz. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

This small city in Northwestern New York State is warm and very green and lush in this part of the summer, and neighbors assemble on lawnchairs in the shade of leafy trees to watch the artists going up and down in their cherry pickers or ladders – keeping a respectful distance so they don’t interrupt progress, but sometimes its too irresistible not to ask a question or two or take a picture.

As murals are completed the volunteers help to keep the paint and water supplies replenished and to keep an eye on the situation as many of the painters are here in the States for the first time or are simply not familiar with the environment. Aside from the occasional raving opinionator shaking a finger or asking curiously incomprehensible questions, the average observer is amenable.

Eder Muniz. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Today it is raining and the sky is overcast so there is some sleeping-in late in the morning, but of course if you are still painting, it can be a rather unwelcome occurrence. Let’s see those last horses coming round the final corner to cross the finish line (which officially is Sunday).

Tomorrow we’ll give you a mini-wrap of the week –including our trip into some sketchy underground explorations off the beaten path infused with the sound of water gushing out of pipes and the smell of teen spirit wafting through the dimly tunnels that serve as magnets for restless youth with cans in hand. Have a look at these more sunny scenes from Thursday and Friday in the mean-time.

Eder Muniz hit the ground running in style on Thursday, quickly tracing out the natural/fantastic forms and figures that he later would be adding dimension and character to across a saturated cyan sea wall. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Trading tales and sketches and tags in black books after dinner at The Yards (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Never Crew. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Daze. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Troy Lovegates aka Other from August ’14 when he stopped by to see the Wall Therapy folks. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Matthew Roberts . Joe Guy Allard. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“People of Rochesterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” Sung to the tune of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” by Joe Guy Allard. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Vexta acknowledges the people who stop by below with a sign of peace. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Vexta. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Local talent Nate Hodge in the zone as he becomes ever-more abstract and gestural working across his wall. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andreas Englund with reference material in hand. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andreas Englund’s superheroic figure putting on his boots, or maybe he is shaking a stone out. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Andreas Englund. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For wall locations, schedule of events and further details about Wall Therapy 2015 Rochester click HERE

BSA Film Friday 07.24.15

July 24, 2015 Artists

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :

1. Brazilian Street Artist Eder Muniz
2. David Flores’ Nelson Mandela Mural Project
3. New TED Talk from eL Seed
4. BSA LIVE Tonight in Rochester for Wall\Therapy 2015 and Urban Nation (UN)

BSA Special Feature: Brazilian Street Artist Eder Muniz

Eder Muniz joins the Wall\Therapy mural festival this year with his magic infused fantasy forms that have been blanketing his hometown of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The self-taught artist goes by the name of “Calangos de Rua” (Street Lizard) back home but clearly that must be an endearing term as his sentiments toward humans and nature are anything but reptilian. Here is a profile made of the artist three years ago that gives some good insight into his inspirations and working style.

David Flores Nelson Mandela Mural Project

This week was Nelson Mandela’s birthday and we were reminded of the great mural David Flores did of the man two years ago. Done to commemorate his 95th, we remember him through his own words on his 97th in this video by Banded Arts.

New TED Talk from eL Seed

“Born in France to Tunisian parents, eL Seed delights in juggling multiple cultures, languages and identities. Not least in his artwork, which sets Arabic poetry in a style inspired by street art and graffiti. In this quietly passionate talk, the artist and TED Fellow describes his central ambition: to create art so beautiful it needs no translation.”

BSA LIVE Tonight in Rochester for Wall\Therapy 2015 and Urban Nation (UN)

Join us tonight in person for BSA Film Friday LIVE – at University of Rochester. We’re proud to be working with this grassroots festival and to be your hosts at the revered 100+ year old Memorial Art Gallery in the MAG Auditorium. We’ll be showing 16 of our favorite videos from the past year of BSA Film Friday, pieces that are examples of what’s been on our radar – exploring, experimenting, inspiring, and just plain badass videos that keep this scene fresh. If you are in the area we’s love to see your smiling face in the audience tonight!

Click HERE for further information

$Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 3$

Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 3

July 22, 2015 Artists

In Rochester the weather has been warm but workable, as evidenced by the progress that all the artists have been making. You don’t have a long summer in this city of Kodak so we happily have images to share from a dedicated crew of photographers who are catching all the action while the sun is still blasting and slowly baking the artists.

You’ll see that the Jeff Soto and Maxx242 is nearing completion, Daze is already making plans for a production wall with FUA crew around the corner and Andreas Englund has a number of inquiries from local passersby while he’s painting his first mural here. We’re thinking it will be something rather superhuman.

Jeff Soto – Maxx242. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © @MarkDeffPhoto/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Jeff Soto. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Li-Hill. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Lisa Barker/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Li-Hill. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Joe Guy Allard . Matt Roberts. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © @MarkDeffPhoto/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Vexta. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Onur . Wes21. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © @MarkDeffPhoto/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Onur . Wes21. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Onur . Wes21. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Lisa Barker/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

NeverCrew. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © @MarkDeffPhoto/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

NeverCrew. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Lisa Barker/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Andeas Englund. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Andreas Englund. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Brittany Williams. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Daze. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Nate Hodge. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Nate Hodge. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo ©Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Nate Hodge. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

For wall locations, schedule of events and further details about Wall Therapy 2015 Rochester click HERE

$Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 2$

Wall\Therapy 2015 Day 2

July 21, 2015 Artists

A lot of great action at Wall\Therapy yesterday with Daze, Jeff Soto, Maxx Gramajo, Onur, Never Crew, Nate Hodge, Vexta, and Andreas making a lot of progress on their murals in Rochester.

“The artists have settled in and everyone is really enjoying the environment and vibe here in Rochester, especially the warm-welcoming from everyone involved. It’s very much about community, about becoming part of our ‘family’,” says organizer Erich Lehman.

We start with this sculptural installation by Li-Hill.

Li-Hill. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Vexta. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Nate Hodge. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Daze. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Maxx242. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Onur. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Never Crew. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Jeff Soto. Process shot of a collaborative piece he is doing with Maxx Gramajo . Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Andreas. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

For wall locations, schedule of events and further details about Wall Therapy 2015 Rochester click HERE

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA
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!
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

$Wall\Therapy 2015 Begins in Rochester, NY$

Wall\Therapy 2015 Begins in Rochester, NY

July 20, 2015 Artists

Rochester’s Wall\Therapy mural festival began in earnest this weekend with a fine art show at 1975 Gallery and arriving artists beginning to prime their walls and sketch the outlines of the works they’ll be giving to this city in the northwestern part of New York state.

It’s 4th year as Wall\Therapy, this grassroots funded initiative has the unique role of being an art festival that also raises awareness of a medical aid program: assisting people in developing countries to have access to hi-tech diagnostic imaging and doctors. By raising funds to set up teleradiology services within these communities and working with a network of volunteer radiologists around the world, people can get x-rayed where no previous opportunity existed.

Onur and Wes21. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jason Wilder/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Begun by Brooklyn native Dr. Ian Wilson, he and associated organizations make a connection between philanthropy for the arts and medical care – with the help of an ardent local core of volunteers who hold fundraisers throughout the year and do community outreach to organize and make this event happen.

Onur and Wes21. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

This year partnering with Berlin’s Urban Nation (UN) Director Yasha Young, Wall\Therapy is beginning a cultural exchange program by hosting a selection of international artists specifically selected by her to participate.

BSA will be bringing you regular updates and at the end of the week will be bringing an entertaining LIVE version of BSA Film Friday to the University of Rochester at MAG auditorium. Stay tuned!

Nate Hodge. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Andreas Englund. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Joe Guy Allard . Matthew Roberts. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Jenn Poggi/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Never Crew. Process shot. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

Dinner time at The Yards after a long day’s work. Wall Therapy 2015. (photo © Mark Deff/Courtesy Wall Therapy)

$Handiedan Sets a Pinup Tone for Wall\Therapy 2015 in Rochester$

Handiedan Sets a Pinup Tone for Wall\Therapy 2015 in Rochester

July 9, 2015 Artists

Rochester, New York is the home of the Wall\Therapy festival and BSA is partnering with the team and Urban Nation (UN) to bring you coverage of the grass-roots mural festival for 2015. It will begin in a few weeks but the Amsterdam-based Handiedan got into town early due to being in New York for her show with Jonathan Levine Gallery.

Handiedan in progress. (photo © Jenn Poggi)

Her curvaceous pin-up girls and orientally adorned femme fatales from noir films and rockabilly imaginations intricately layered with patterns and designs from currency – sometimes it is all about getting that paper.

In this case the paper in use is covering the facade of a beautiful brick building dating back to 1890 that was originally a church and later became a machine shop and home to the Rochester Community Players theater group for a half century or so. After a fire a few years back the building has sat vacant for a while. At least, that is what most people from the area can remember.

Handiedan. Taking in the action from inside the building. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Here Handiedan’s specially treated custom designed paperwork brings added dimension while stunningly emulating the template shape and color palette. In many ways it is bringing the building back to life – perhaps in anticipation of its new use as another playhouse to open at the end of the summer.

Handiedan in progress. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Wall\Therapy 2015 has released its line up of artists curated in collaboration with Yasha Young, director of Urban Nation (UN) Berlin. This years theme of surrealism and the fantastic is off to a rather spectacular start obviously and in addition to bringing you daily updates BSA will be in the house on Friday July 24th for a special live edition of BSA Film Friday at the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester. We are really looking forward to meeting you in person.

Artists included for this years Wall\Therapy include: Andreas Englund, Onur, Wes21, Never Crew, Vexta, Li Hill, Handiedan, Daze, Jeff Soto, Maxx242, Eder Muniz, Brittany Williams, Matthew Roberts and Joe Guy Allard.

Handiedan in progress. (photo © Mark Deff)

Handiedan (photo © Mark Deff)

To learn more about Wall Therapy and more details, schedules, program and dates click HERE

BSA Images Of The Week: 08.10.14

August 10, 2014 Artists, BSA Images Of The Week

If you haven’t gone barefoot in the park yet this summer, what are you waiting for? Everybody’s doing it. Not recommended for the sidewalk in Bushwick, Bedstuy, …okay, most of Brooklyn. Limit your barefootness to grassy areas.

Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring AK, Bifido, Che Man, Clint Mario, Cooper, Crummy Gummy, Damon, Jilly Ballistic, Karl Addison, ME, OverUnder, Pyramid Oracle, Razo, Sean9Lugo, and Skount.

Top Image >> Jilly Ballistic blasts something out of the sky while the modern version of the Keystone Cops blasts an advertisement at unsuspecting citizenry. What’s with all the guns all the time? Jeez.(photo © Jaime Rojo)

Che Man makes a comparison with Pancho Villa and the EZLN in Bushwick. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder continues to completely blow your mind. This one for Wall Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY (photo © Mark Deff)

And it goes something a little like this… Karl Addison for Wall Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY (photo © Josh Saunders)

Skount at Java-Eiland. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (photo © Skount)

Sean9Lugo making perfect sense as always. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Love in the bushes. Sean9Lugo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here’s something from waaa-hay-hay back. Sean9Lugo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cooper (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Clint Mario and ME do a collaboration and an ad takeover. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Damon (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Crummy Gummy new installation in Detroit. (photo © Crummy Gummy)

“I recently visited Detroit, MI and created some new work while I was there. When I told people I was going to Detroit the typical reaction was “It’s Dangerous” Or “That place is dirty!” or they would just make a face about it like I’m crazy for going. After visiting I felt, yes there are some areas that are not great to hang around at, but I also fell in love with the people there and how they take a lot of pride in their city. So the two works loosely were inspired by people’s reactions to visiting Detroit using references of “crime” and “cleaning up” with my twist of humor put in them” – CG

Crummy Gummy new installation in Detroit. (photo © Crummy Gummy)

AK (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Bifido. Cusano Talk Festival. Cusano Mutri, Italy (photo © Bifido)

Razo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Razo feeling the pulse of the city EKG (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Razo (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pyramid Oracle (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Untitled. Brooklyn, NYC. August 2014 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

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!

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Wall Therapy 2014

July 29, 2014 Artists

Wall\Therapy has concluded in Rochester again, this year with a focus on portraits and today we bring you an update from some of the talented photographers on the scene in this north western New York town. Essentially a mural project that is beautifying the city with a very eclectic mix of artists working in styles across the board, Wall/Therapy had a smaller roster this year, and perhaps a more local focus. Here’s a snapshot of some finished walls.

Sam Rodriguez. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Tomas Flint)

Omen. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Josh Saunders)

Omen. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

David Walker. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Mark Deff)

Jarus. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Jarus. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Josh Saunders)

Caitlin Yarsky. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Shawn. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Alice Pasquini. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Shawnee Hill. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

John Perry. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Alice Mizrachi. Detail. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Alice Mizrachi. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

Elicser. Wall\Therapy 2014. Rochester, NY. (photo © Jason Wilder)

BSA would like to thank the organizers, photographers and volunteers at this year’s edition of Wall\Therapy for sending these exclusive images to us to share with our readers.

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

Tagging Somebody’s Painting : Two Walls Interrupted

February 19, 2014 Artists

Whose voice gets to be heard, and at what cost? It’s an ongoing battle with companies and politicians and citizens fighting to control the radio airwaves, broadcast television, cable providers, news outlets, the Internet. In the conversations that take place on walls in public, the struggle is just as strong and often as vehement. We just aren’t happy when somebody else gets the mic if we can’t grab it and rock it too.

Maya Hayuk. Detail. Houston Wall, NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A couple of recent visual disruptions of Street Art installations have us thinking about the need to be heard at the expense of an artist’s work mostly because we learned about them both within a few days of each other. Maybe it was the amount of time and labor that went into the walls, or maybe it’s because it can still be shocking even when you know it goes along with the rules of the street.

It’s always been part of the game; once you put it on the street you must be prepared to let it go, even though you secretly hope it will ride a while. Without doubt it will be buffed, slashed, ripped, taken, crossed out, tagged over, and deteriorated by the elements. If you’re going to play, you might get played and most artists know it and accept it.

Maya Hayuk. Houston Wall tagged while the artist was in the process of completing her work. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Houston Street wall in Manhattan has become a touchstone for many a graffiti and Street Artist over the last few decades thanks to its early beginnings as a canvas for artists like Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf and because as Soho and the Bowery gentrified most available walls disappeared. Now its an honor to get chosen to do your thing on the wall, even as it often provides a stage for the the still breathing battle between some graffiti writers and the rest of the Street Art making world.

Before the latest painter finished her piece last week, Maya Hayuk found her eye crossing color jam geometry had some unexpected collaboration. It’s not the first time Street Artists have been hit by graffiti on this wall; Shepard Fairey’s installation famously got hit so heavily that holes were literally punched into the wall, and Swoon’s community collabo with the Groundswell kids got wrapped with a thick belt of throwies last fall.

Maya Hayuk. Completed and restored. Houston Wall. Manhattan, NY (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Hayuk tried to shrug it off like a champ and uttered a few terse words – but ultimately recovered her poppy patterning and finished the wall victorious.

The new tagging on Hayuk’s wall brought a fussilade of opinions, wizened philosophical observastions and bromides on social media, including this sampling from Instagram:

“Ever since Banksy month these toys having been running rampant” @phillip_s

“We love your work. Forget the jealous ones” @christianguemy

“It sucks that the work wasn’t even finished buuuut you paint something on the street you run the risk of it getting dissed/painted over. End of story” @jaackthebeard

“That’s too bad, but sadly part of the life of a work on the street. Still an absolutely beautiful piece though.” @denverstreetart

“Someone who wants pristine work that persists is always free to paint privately on canvas. The chaos and struggle of the image on the street is part of what makes graffiti awesome. This doesn’t strike me as a spoiler bomber and their throwie looks great on the piece. There are no tears in street art. I know what its like to have someone hit up your piece. You can get good with it, go over it, or move on.” @zoharpublishing

“Wow. What is wrong with people” @erromualdo

“So rude! It’s just takes one a/hole. Looking great anyway” @lisakimlisakim

After completing the new wall and taking a bow, it was hit again. This time harder.

The tags are mostly unreadable to the average public passerby, but it is not those people who these additions are usually speaking to but rather to their peers. So the collaboration is insistent, and in some way perfectly New York.

Maya Hayuk. Houston Wall tagged once more after the original was restored and completed. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The other sanctioned wall we’ve been thinking about is in Rochester – still in New York State, but close to the border of Canada and near Lake Ontario. Faring Purth took a long time to finish this long limbed lady throughout the autumn months, enduring wayward comments, praise and sometimes harsh words from this upstate community who liked yelling things out their car (and school bus) windows as they drove by. “I received equally supportive and hostile attention from the public while I was painting her. It was a new experience in more ways than I can count,” she says of the mural that measures 12 feet high by 125 feet long,

Faring Purth. Detail. Wall Therapy. Rochester, NY. (photo © Faring Purth)

Ultimately the religious contingent who had badgered previous visiting artists in Rochester over perceived thematic threats to family values tagged the face of her “Etty” and put a rudimentary cross in her hand when Faring had gone a way. This was a different sort of diss. It wasn’t a turf battle, it was a theological one and more broadly, it was about community norms. As in the case of Hayuk, the aerosol writer may not even have been addressing the artist or even known who she was. They may have been just striking a victory for the Lord against the evil of the art. Who knows?

Also like Hayuk, Ms. Purth decided to repair her work.

“I fixed her. Or rather, changed her, before hitting the road. She’s different now, it taught me a great deal. So finally, stitches and all, here she is.”

Faring Purth. Restored. Detail. Wall Therapy. Rochester, NY. (photo © Faring Purth)

There is no real end or summation to this story and these two recent examples are merely a fraction of the works that get tagged or crossed out every day. It is interesting to note that although the motivations were different for the people who defaced the mural art, the aerosol tool used to express their opinion was the same. Additionally let’s all recognize the sublime irony that we are perilously close to using the word “vandalism” in this article.

But in a way, it is still about having a voice and using it, however edifying or injurious. The continuous cycle of constructive and destructive, adorning and scarring, speaking and silencing, is likely to continue as long as artists create in the street. As long as people have a need to be heard, they are going to find a way to get their voice out there.

Faring Purth. Detail. Wall Therapy. Rochester, NY. (photo © Faring Purth)

Faring Purth. Restored. Detail. Wall Therapy. Rochester, NY. (photo © Faring Purth)

The complete piece Faring Purth for Wall Therapy in Rochester, NY. (photo © Faring Purth)

For more on Faring’s wall please see

Faring Purth Repairs “Etty” In Rochester for Wall Therapy

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

This article also appears on The Huffington Post

Huffpo-740-Maya-Hayuk-Faring-Purth_Screen-shot-2014-02-19-at-10.29

Faring Purth Repairs “Etty” In Rochester for Wall Therapy

February 3, 2014 Artists

Street Artist Faring Purth is in many places and none of them as she likes to travel and paint and couch surf a bit – whether its Boston and Rochester or places further away like Uraguay, Argentina and California. Her slim and tapered figures and longly distorted portraits have character and sometimes symbolism, but usually they reflect her personal relationships and imagination.

brooklyn-street-art-fairing-purth-mark-deff-rochester-ny-01-14-web-1

In contrast with the hyper sensual or sexualized depictions of the female perhaps more common in graffiti or street art, Purth wraps and unwraps the layering and complexities of character in the humans she depicts. She takes her time to create, sometimes painting over days or even weeks in a public space, where the work usually remains untouched by more than the sun, wind, rain, snow.

In the case of Etty, her piece completed in December in Rochester, New York for Wall Therapy, it was damaged almost immediately, and the act caught her by surprise, but maybe it shouldn’t have.

“Etty created some waves. As you know, a lot of my work involves blatant female nudity. With the tension Roa’s Sleeping Bears and Faith 47’s piece caused last year, they asked me to refrain from having her completely nude. So, I tried,” she says of the long figure lying (or floating) parallel to the sidewalk in an underpass. In fact the figure is not nude, at least not in any conventional sense, but it bothered someone enough for them to spray religious references in aerosol across the artwork. The birds are unclothed, maybe that was what upset them.

It is not often that you hear of Street Art festivals having problems with the reaction of people to bringing talented globally recognized artists in to adorn walls – in fact developers, city agencies, and arts organizations from Montreal to Lima to Baltimore to Łódź to Paris are now routinely dreaming up similar festival schemes to reinvigorate the cityscape and enliven public spaces.

Rochester for some reason isn’t having it, and this incident is just one more to add to those publicized in the press and privately related among some participants that certain locals aren’t always going to open their arms to you, regardless of your abilities or intentions.

“Etty was created for Wall Therapy, but unlike most of the other artists involved I took my time with her while going back and forth to Boston and South America,” Purth says of the lengthy period for her installation of Etty which spanned some months. “I received equally supportive and hostile attention from the public while I was painting her. It was a new experience in more ways than I can count,” she says of the mural that measures 12 feet high by 125 feet long, her biggest yet.

Finishing it in early December, she left her temporary home base in Rochester and travelled south to Buenos Aires to do some more painting with Street Artist EVER and to enjoy the warmer weather. But what awaited her when she got back was a surprise. “When I finally returned to Rochester, Etty had been defaced with the word “JESUS” and a red crucifix over her hand- a hand that was, in fact, feeding a bird,” she relates about the discovery, which left her cold.

“It was a profoundly difficult experience for me; That after giving so much to a single piece of work, she could, with one cheap can of Rustoleum, be so grossly wounded.”

These are the “rules” of the street of course, and anyone working in the public sphere doing approved or unapproved work fully knows that their labors are up for crossing out, additional commentary, or outright destruction. So no tears were shed.

Intrepidly, Faring says she made her piece whole again. “I fixed her. Or rather, changed her, before hitting the road. She’s different now,” Faring describes the repairing she did like a surgeon. “(With) stitches and all, here she is.”

So have a look at the progress shots of Etty, the before and the after repair work. As she keeps moving and painting – just now she was in Kentucky – Faring Purth is still thinking about her experiences in the cold north. “It taught me a great deal,” she says. No word on how Etty looks now, a month later.

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

ROA Gets Up With New Animals In Tow

November 27, 2013 Artists

BSA travels with ROA to Austria, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the US.

Today we visit with Street Artist, urban naturalist, and globe trotter ROA to see what walls he has been climbing since we last checked in with him and his traveling curious circus of animals. Alternating between the cuddly and the killing, the endoskelton and the excrement, the pugnacious, playful and the putrefying, this Belgian world citizen is no romantic with his subjects and he isn’t asking for you to be either necessarily.

If you consider the brutal natural and man-made world that animals have to survive in and the ruthless depravity of humans throughout the ages (including right now), perhaps ROA’s depictions of these regionally based creatures are a healthy counterbalance to the fictional storytelling we customarily see in large public depictions of animals. Rotting Big Bird, anyone?

In one instructive example, a local town meeting in Chichester in Great Britain erupted into a heated debate this spring and a vote was called over whether to remove one of ROA’s fresh paintings from public view. The aerosoled portrait featured a rotting badger lying belly up and pock-marked across the front of a neglected building.

“It’s not appropriate, it’s grotesque and I hope it will be removed,” said the district and parish councilor who was outraged at the factual representation of a dying animal, according to a local website. The article does not mention if she was equally outraged at the culling of badgers locally, which ROA was drawing attention to, or if she would call the culling of undesirable animals “grotesque”.

You wouldn’t cheapen the spray-painted monochromatic realism of ROAs work as activism per se, or even moralizing. Sometimes a bear is just a bear.

But sometimes the poses and positions and selectively illustrated details are more pronounced than one may see in nature, so clearly his desire is to draw attention to them. And why not try to give a voice to them? Otters don’t do email and bison hooves are too clunky for texting and nary a narwhal has his own Facebook page. If they have been displaced, marginalized, or are suffering, you won’t see a cluster of clamoring squirrels arrayed before a bank of microphones and cameras issuing a press conference.

But slowly and gradually and almost systematically the former graffiti artist has been raising the awareness of even the dullest among us bipedal primates that the animals we are sharing the world with are plausibly pissed about that whole “dominion over nature” clause that pious Pulcinellas spout when justifying treating some animals like trash even while their blue-blooded poodles are having pedicures. Now that you think of it, this may not be exclusively about the animal kingdom.

Certainly we have all learned from ROAs travels that nature isn’t pretty – and can possibly be very alarming – and he won’t likely let you forget it.

So start trotting, galloping, swimming, scurrying, slithering, and scurrying! We have a lot of catching up to do with ROA as this year he’s been in Austria, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the US.

This wall was featured in our coverage this summer of the MURAL festival, where we wrote;

“For his first visit to Montreal, the Belgian Street Artist named ROA says that he had a great time creating this ‘still life’ with a bison and a bear. When talking about his inspiration, ROA says that he was impressed with the history of the so-called American bison, which was incredibly abundant in the early 19th century, numbering more than 40 million. After being hunted almost into extinction with a population of 200 a century later, the bison slowly have reestablished their numbers in Canada to 700,000. He decided to add a bear laying on top because it tells a similar story of a native mammal in the region.”

brooklyn-street-art-roa-2013-orebro-web-2

“This is the first time I actually painted a narwhal,” says ROA about the curiously speared whale that lives year-round in the Arctic.

“Their tusks make them a unique example of a species; in a way the narwhal is a mythical sea creature; The unicorns of the sea,” explains ROA about this Swedish piece. “The young male narwal that I painted here is unfortunately caught in a fishing line. I wanted to draw attention to how they and many other species become a victim of hunting and pollution.”

At the start of July ROA opened his second solo show – this time with Inoperable Gallery in Vienna.

The exhibition was called “PAN-ROA’s Box” and it was an animal curiosity focused show.

ROA was there as part of his invitation to participate at the Chichester Street Art Festival in May.

brooklyn-street-art-roa-2013-London-chichester-web-2

Here is the painting referred to above that upset a number of people in Chichester and called for a vote to take it down (it was 50/50 so they’ve left it up).

Regarding the Badger Cull 2013

“After several emails from Louise Matthews about the upcoming badger cull in GB, I painted a badger to support their efforts to save the badgers,” says ROA. The controversial practice in Britain has gained a number of very adamant foes, including Brian May from the rock group Queen.

As a guest of Griff from Street Art London, ROA did this piece in Bethenal-Green.

As part of his invitation to the Maus Festival, ROA painted this in Calle Casas De Campos, Malaga, Spain.

“If you have ever witnessed a squirrel fight, you might recognize the action,” says ROA of these two enraged fellas in mid air. He explains that when the North American Eastern Grey squirrel (top) was introduced it caused the red native Squirrel (bottom) to lose habitat and population, so now the red one is protected by conservation laws.

ROA would like to thank the Southbank Centre at the canal.

Regarding the dog above, ROA says :

” It took me a detailed search into the Dulwich Picture Gallery to find an animal expression that was involved with the daily life of the time and express on it’s own a fragment of the ordinary life. My eye was caught by a pooping dog in a large scale hunting scene; I found that an interesting detail. The people of the museum told me they have more hunting scenes with this same curious detail, but those were currently not exhibited.”

Dulwich: ‘Baroque The Streets: Dulwich Street Art Festival’ May 10-19, 2013. The festival was organized by Street Art London & Dulwich Picture Gallery

Roa wishes to extend his most sincere thanks to the following people:

In Southbank, London he sends thanks to the Southbank Centre at the canal.

In Linz, Austria he says thanks to Bubble Days Festival in Linz, and thanks to Poidle.

In Montreal, he says thanks to MURAL for all their good care and for the retreat in Quebec. Thank you also to Yan, Andre, Alexis and Nico!

In Malaga, Spain he says thank you very much Fer.

In Rochester he says thank you to Ian, Steven, Dan and Wise, who “made my stay excellent as usual.”

In Lagos, Portugal he says thanks to LAC Laboratório Actividades Criativas.

In Stavanger, Norway he extends his thanks to the NUART festival.

In Lodz, Poland he says thanks to Michael and the crew.

And we here at BSA say thank you to you all, and of course to ROA for sharing all his travels with BSA readers.

<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA

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 »