Montreal’s ASHOP crew is a complete team of talented writers and painters who can handle the commercial jobs – but when it comes to having fun they just want to hit the wall with their own stuff for a few hours.
While in Sacramento last month, WIDE OPEN WALLS founder David Sobon found the aerosol team some primo possibilities and they didn’t hesitate.
“Meeting their deadline, you would think they would have been exhausted and glad to relax for a day or two,” says photographer and co-author of Spray Can Art, Jim Prigoff. “In the true graffiti spirit, they asked ‘Isn’t there a wall we could go and paint?’” he marvels as he describes these new photos he took of the jubilant day.
Often an activity overlooked by the everyday joe, outside painting is one of the most joyous activities a person can do – especially when COVID has you cooped up and afraid of getting or spreading the virus. Here are a talented group working side by side, leaving new works for the city to enjoy.
Depth, volume, shadows, movement; Perhaps some new stuff for the graphic and geometrically-inclined Street Artist Tavar Zawacki in Sacramento, California.
Actually, this new wall may be an indicator of the freedom the artist is experiencing now that he has dropped his street nom de guerre of 20+ years, ABOVE and replacing it with his given name: Tavar Zawacki.
The artist says this mural painted for Wide Open Walls is the first under his new old new name and he’s proud of his decision to unveil his face and claim his name – something he did with a heartfelt confessional on Instagram, where he published an account relating his thoughts and the genesis of his journey to his friends and followers.
After a period of soul searching and introspection we are glad to see that things are looking up for Tavar. Many will be looking forward to see how this great re-invention manifests in his new street work and everywhere else!
Tavar Zawacki. If you wish to read in full the rest of his testimonial click HERE
“Lame Uncle” Joke, sorry. God, you kids are so critical! Go back to your phone! Wait, you are on your phone.
Anyway, the Coho Salmon is losing seriously. They’ve gone from 300,000 to 10,000 in the last 65 years, and the population trend is decreasing. You used to find them spawning in Southern Oregon and Northern California, but we’re going to kill them off soon if you just stand by and do nothing. One thing we can be sure of ; someone else is taking care of it.
“We drove through snowy mountains from Reno to Lake Tahoe, and then descended a continuous downwards road for 6000 feet – which took about an hour to get into Sacramento,” he says. “What an incredibly diverse landscape! It’s just mind-blowing.”
Hosted by a collector of his artwork, Louis says their relatives own a restaurant where he painted this image of the Coho Salmon. Do they have salmon on the menu?
“These guys were aware of the issues surrounding the salmon and a few years ago they made the decision not to serve salmon,” he says. “I salute a business that can take even the smallest changes to accommodate for the environment.”
Side question: Why is the “L” in salmon silent? Anyone?
Want to help? Sign a CREDO petition. Also learn more about species extinction, the historical era of killing off thousands of species that we are currently living in, at www.psf.ca . Your kids and nieces and nephews will thank you. Or not. Depending.
1. “Lost and Found” Tonight in Brooklyn
2. “On the River…”, Robyn Hasty AKA Imminent Disaster Open Today
3. SuperTwins Skewville in San Francisco Employing “Playground Tactics”
4. “Hybrid Thinking” at Jonathan Levine Saturday
5. Muhammad Ali Hits 70, and the Show Begins Saturday
6. Klughaus Gallery, Jesse Edwards show “Dialogue of the Streets”
7. Le Salon d’Art, Fumero and Joseph Meloy , “90 Stanton Street Art Show”
8. Jesse Edwards by Tom Gould (VIDEO)
9. Kophns One: Kophenjoy by The Site Unscene (VIDEO)
10. Ben Eine Off Canvas by Studio Stare (VIDEO)
“Lost and Found” Tonight in Brooklyn
“Lost & Found” opens today at Mighty Tanaka Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn with the participation of Adam Void, Alice Mizrachi, Curtis Readel, ELLE & John Breiner:
“On the River…”, Robyn Hasty AKA Imminent Disaster Open Today
Her first New York solo show “On The River…” is actually the joining of two strong and handsome rivers into one. Her Street Art work finds a sister in this new wet-plate photograph collection at the cozy Kesting/Ray Gallery in Manhattan.
For further information regarding this show click here
SuperTwins Skewville in San Francisco Employing “Playground Tactics”
The Queens natives and New York wiseguys are re-wiring an entire band from their imagined musical teen heartthrob youth – the one where Droo was adding more gel to his perfect hair and punishing his Fender onstage and Ad was getting high in the mop closet. White Walls in San Francisco takes the risk of letting the Street Art duo put on a show this time, and you can expect more “Playground Tactics” Saturday.
Skewville “Playground Tactics” (image courtesy of the gallery)
For further information regarding this show click here
“Hybrid Thinking” at Jonathan Levine Saturday
“There’s a growing creative movement that we’ve dubbed Hybridism: a blend of both street art and fine art – a hybrid – as the raw meets the refined,” as the 2009 group show at Brooklyn’s Mighty Tanaka observed while giving evidence of what was happening on the streets and in galleries in the Brooklyn show “Hybridism”. Of course, Daniel Feral’s diagram points to 2008 as the beginning of “Hybridism”.
Similarly a year ago at Hold-Up Gallery in LA there was the “Hi-Graff” show that excitingly merged many Graff and Street Art movements as we observed at the time, “Those Cold War years are being chopped away brick by brick like the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, and a new language borrowing vocabulary from graffiti, street art, fine art, advertising, and pop/punk/hiphop/skater/cholo/tattoo culture continues to emerge in ways we never thought of before.”
Now in 2012 Manhattan’s Wooster Collective continues the conversation to reveal “Hybrid Thinking”, their collection of an international roster (South Africa, Germany, Spain, Amsterdam, Beijing) of names that have been successful in the galleries and streets, illustrating what you have been seeing alive and expanding for the last decade. In the curators’ words: “Hybrid Thinking refers to the current zeitgeist of our time: disparate cultures coming together to create something completely new.”
This roster includes Dal, Herakut, Hyuro, Roa, Sit and Vinz.
For further information regarding this show click here
Muhammad Ali Hits 70, and the Show Begins Saturday
An culturally interesting thematic show honoring the fighter Muhammad Ali called “Ali The Greatest”opens tomorrow at Evolve Gallery in Sacramento, CA. With new stuff from Joe Iurato and David Flores among others, the show is expected to travel to Vegas and New York and celebrates the 70th birthday of the man.
Ali The Greatest
“Ali: The Greatest” celebrates and commemorates Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday.
“Ali: The Greatest”
A fine art exhibition and tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s 70th Birthday
January 12 – 28, 2012
Featuring: Adrian Pickett, Alvin Burts, Alex Forster, Corey Pickett, Charly Palmer, Gerry GOS” Simpson, Frank Morrison, Joe Iurato, James Gayles, James Henninger, Kadir Nelson, Kevin OKeith, Kelvin Curry, Kinzie Davis, Lauren Gillette, Lisa Alonzo, Paul Goodnight, Tim Okamura, Charles Bibbs, Michael Grattan, Michael Brennan, and David P. Flores.
Preview Reception – Thursday, January 12th (6pm-9pm)
Opening Reception – Saturday, January 14th (6pm-10pm)
Evolve Gallery
2907 35th Street, Sacramento, California 95817
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Saturday |1-6pm | Please call first (916) 572-5123
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BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
