Welcome to BSA Images of the Week, baked fresh daily for you from New York, infused naturally with a gritty melange of international flavors. In this city, global IS local.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring Adam Fu, Aine, Cekis, Cole Ridge, HOACS, HOXXOH, Jeremy Novy, Lik Mi, Low Bros, Phetus88, Soten, Such, Tito Ferrars, and Trace.
Top banner Tito Ferrera (photo © Jaime Rojo)
An impromptu mid-sized style meeting of talented graffiti writers hit up an industrial block in Bushwick last week and we’re lucky to have these fresh pieces for you today.
Locals, out-of-towners, and international visitors brought letterstyles full of spring energy, adding classic and fresh new licks together for a proper BK jam. It’s always good to see talents like these getting together to write on walls, paying tribute to their peers and catching up with old friends.
The eyes have it.
Have you noticed the number of faces and eyes that are pasted, painted, drawn on the Streets right now? Maybe they are an indicator that many more of us are truly paying attention and that we see how close the danger is, even if we don’t know exactly what to do.
The first step of course, is to pay attention. Turning off the corporate controlled media helps.
What do you see?
So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this time featuring Arkane, CP Won, Dylan Egon, Eyebrows, Greta Thunberg, Himbad, Hiss, Little Rickey, LMNOPI, Lungebox, SacSix, Sara Lynne Leo, Soten, The Postman Art, and Who is Dirk.
Top image: Little Ricky imagines three icons through the eyes of a ewe – Madonna, George Washington, and John Lennon (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Box trucks are a favorite canvas for many graffiti writers in big cities and have become a right of passage for new artists who want the experience of painting on a smooth rectangular surface that becomes a rolling billboard through the streets advertising your name, making you truly “All City”.
When in French Polynesia a few weeks ago with the ONO’U festival, a number of artists were given the significant gift of a large truck or school/commuter bus on which to create a mural, a message, a bubble tag.
Together on the islands of Raiatea and Bora Bora there were about 10 of these long and low autobuses that became sudden celebrities in the sparsely travelled streets, debuted as some of them were in Raitea, when painted live at an all night party for the public.
With a similar sized surface to paint, the comparing and contrasting between styles and techniques among the artists was suddenly on full display. In contrast to the cities that many of these artists began in, you could not have found a more appreciate audience of people for these artists and their talents. The best part is that these buses are currently rolling through the streets even though the festival is over.
As upbeat as celebrations like today’s LGBTQ Pride events are here in NYC, they are rooted in defiance of the suffocating unjust norms that entrapped people in this city and across the country for generations – newly emancipating broad groups of people over the last 50 years or so. As New York City led the way with the Stonewall riots for sexual minorities, it sends this message today to people across the globe that you will be free too, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now in your country.
But LGBTQ folks needed straight allies to get their rights over five decades. Today we have to speak up loud and proud for immigrants. If you need to punch, figuratively, don’t punch downward. These people have done nothing to hurt you and are bringing a the identical aspirations your parents, grandparents, great grandparents did. Don’t believe the hype of the traumatizer who blames the traumatized.
Punch UP at the folks who shifted all the jobs away, just lowered their own taxes to their lowest rate in your entire lifetime, who are shredding the social safety net, who are creating jobs that pay so little you still have to get food stamps, who are trying to convince poor people that poor people are their enemy. It’s an old old trick and it appears to still work marvelously.
This week on BSA Images of the Week we see that just a few Street Artists are addressing these new disgusting revelations and systemic problems, even as 700 Migrant Kids Separated From Parents Are in NY.
Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Anthony Lister, Bordalo II, Charles Williams, City Kitty, Danny Minnick, Etnik, FKDL, Lapiz, LMNOPI, Individual Activist, Niko, Nick Walker, Olivia Laita, Revaf, Sofles, Soten, and Strayones.
“The soccer world cup has begun and I took the opportunity to paint a mural about Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. It was painted during the FARBFLUT festival which took place last weekend where 200 artist painted a 1000 m wall. The mural itself measures 6 x 3.50 m.
The motive shows the Russian president Vladimir Putin kissing Vladimir Putin. The colours are those of the rainbow flag and it has the words ‘One Love’ written above it. The picture addresses Putin’s narcissism and even more the homophobic tendencies supported by the Russian
government.”
This week BSA is checking out French Polynesia to get an appreciation for the Street Art, graffiti and street scene here while the 5th Annual ONO’U is taking place. Join in the tropical action while we take you to Tahiti, Raiatea, Bora Bora, and Moorea to see the artists and the action.
The walls in Raiatea have been completed and the town folks came out for a block party with music and food and for the unveiling of Spanish artist OKUDA’s fiberglass sculpture of dolphins playing with the globe that he created specifically for this festival and for the the people of Raiatea.
Each of the artists created new walls while our traveling troupe was stationed here so before moving on to Bora Bora action here are some finished walls in Raiatea. We’ll report on the happenings of that beautiful island soon (when we are not cavorting in the ocean) but in the meantime we leave you here with the Raiatea Walls.
Raitea, or more correctly, Ra’iātea, is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. A 50 minute plane ride from where we spent a week in Tahiti for the ONO’U Festival, the organizers treated us and some of the artists and documentarians to an additional few days on this island this week.
The experience in this down to earth environment deepened our understanding and appreciation for the history, the sacred sites, and people here – many who have not previously had any interest in so-called Street Art or graffiti- or the current iterations of it anyway. The mainly port town is lush in vegetation with modest architecture, a lot of fresh produce, bare feet, a number of impressive tattoos, coral reefs, brightly colored schools of fish, vanilla beans, pineapples, black pearl farms, and now, murals from Street Artists from New Zealand, Paris, Madrid… Yes, we had the conversations about colonialism, cultural imperialism, hip hop culture, western culture, respecting traditions, giving and receiving. We’ll probably need more.
In the end, the artists thought perhaps more carefully about their work here than usual, sensitive to the audience, wanting to share. It’s this attitude of cultural exchange that inspires us to share them with you as images of our week. With gratitude to the organizers Sarah Roopinia, Jean Ozonder, Sarah’s kind parents, people of Tahiti and Raitea, and to you the loyal BSA reader here are some of the scenes that Jaime shot this week.
Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Akimbo, Charles & Janine Williams (Phat1 and Lady Diva), Kalouf, Marko93, Okuda, and Soten.
And so the summary of the genteel and warm Tahitian week we have just spent here for the ONO’U Festival. The words above from a local proverb that appear on the wall of Phat1 and Lady Diva’s newest painting inside the small museum here. The message has been peace, in words and deeds.
And yet we know that the War Machine is threatened once again as our overcompensating low-information leaders are ready to start a war somewhere, anywhere, out of hubris and spurious self esteem. Killing has become profitable, regardless of what rationale is offered. To them, profit is what matters most. Perhaps that is why it is most poignant for us to look for a messenger of peace from the light today.
Interestingly on an island full of natural beauty, we learn that many of the works that are made here on the street give special honors to the natural world, with fears for the future of the planet, disappearing species, the poisoning of the air, water, soil, food supply.
According to Sarah Roopinia, who began this festival four years ago here in Papeete, most of the 80 or so international and local Street Artists who are invited here have gravitated to the natural world in their work. It was also interesting to learn that one of the biggest names on the graffiti scene here is an environmental consultant; a friend of the fern and the fauna and the marine life. With no direction on themes for the museum show the artists chose their own. Are we listening?
We decided for Images of the Week to take you inside the museum show at ONO’U for Friday night’s opening, to show you the new installations on display because collectively they speak to matters that typically transcend street culture as we know it – and that is worth considering.
Here’s our weekly interview with the streets, this week featuring Charles & Janine Williams (Phat1 & Lady Diva), Kalouf, Marko93, MrZL, Romain Lardanchet, and Soten.
All week we watched sculptor Romain Lardanchet as he constructed this three dimensional fish while sitting on an overturned plastic bucket on the sidewalk outside the museum. Using sheets of wire mesh, a glue gun, aerosol can tops, and two clear plastic half-spheres, he created this surreal vision popping through the concrete, illuminated from within.
A special installation by Māori graffiti artists Charles and Janine Williams uses two life stages of the OMAOMAO bird to speak to the changes that life takes. Charles tells us “the red link is the messenger of love and the bird is holding onto love in the middle of Tahiti”. Schooled by local orinthologists, the Williams painted from a gentlemen’s photographs of the bird. During the opening the an audio recording of the birds’ songs was playing in the room as well. To the left is a proverb provided by local wise people – words that tie the spiritual message of the work together beautifully.
BSA was proud to host the first ONO’U Conference on Thursday night to bring alive a somewhat academic experience to the festival for a curious crowd of 175 in the showroom of a local car dealership. The theme of “Personal Genesis” invited our 7 panelists to talk about their unique entryway into the graffiti and Street Art scene, and we were treated to genesis stories, images, and video about all of them.
With Steven P. Harrington, BSA Editor-in-Chief running the panel, we heard from American photographer and documentarian Martha Cooper, Australian film maker Selina Miles, French graffiti writer/ light writer Marko93, Dane graffiti/ fine artist SOTEN, UK graffiti/Street Artist/ illustrator Inkie, Maori graffiti writer/naturist muralist Phat1, and French graffiti writer/ hyperrealist naturalist Kalouf.
With each panelist asked to speak about their start in the graffiti/Street Art/ Urban Art world, guests were treated to stories of discovery and aspirational routes to success that took many directions. Each guest narrated images and videos of their work and illustrated that no one comes to this scene from the same vantage point, yet there are many who With so many panelists it was obvious that the stories could have filled three hours easily, but we kept it to an hour and a half, with questions from the audience being particularly illuminating.
Our thanks to hosts Sarah Roopinia and Jean Ozlander at ONO’U Festival for helping translate to French and then back to English sometimes, and our thanks to all of the talented artists and documentarians who participated.
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening :
1. Marko93 & MrZL Video Mapping Collaboration
2. ONO’U Tahiti 2017 Fashion Show
3. Museum Preparation: ONO’U TAHITI 2017
In this work-in-progress video you get an idea of the gestural choreography that is required to effect the symbols and patterning of the this work by Marko93. The homemade video by Jaime Rojo of this work in progress also shows some of the extremely organic digital work of MrZL as he overlays the patterns that Marko93 is laying down. Tonight at the block/party and museum opening the full collaboration is unveiled for the you here at ONO’U Festival 2017.
Highlights from Tuesday’s fashion show where artists painted directly on dresses, tastefully paraded down a runway by local beauties with gentle excitement. Each artist joined the show at the end of the show, giving a collaborative warmth to the event.
Concept and design by Sarah Roopinia, Dressmaker: Myrna from Kahaia Couture, Accessories: Turere & Rio from O’TAHI Creations & Tevei from TEVEI PERLE, Choreographed by Sarah Roopinia and Hiro from HANATIKA, Decoration by Hiro, MUA by Teura Allain and Jad’Art, Hair by Mr. Johns & Hiti from UNIK HAIR
A small building only a block from the marina holds a series of rooms that are being painted and projected and hung with art for the opening Friday night for the public to see. Here is a sense of the action inside.
This week BSA takes you to the French Polynesian Islands to see the new murals going up for this tropical island cultural festival called ONO’U Tahiti 2017. We’re happy to bring you the daily events and the insights as we discover them.
There is excitement in the warm sunny air today as some of the murals are coming into their fullness on walls. Needless to say, some minds are being tweaked on the street here, in a good way.
Also Kalouf, Phat1 and Lady Diva, Soten, and Romaine Lardanchet are all working today in a cloud of aerosol paint to complete their indoor installations for the block party that closes this week of the ONO’U Festival 2017.
A great atmosphere of collaboration is here, with artists offering to lend a hand or locate supplies for each other – and of course offer a bit of advice if needed.
For example would you believe that director Sarah Roopinia has such a sweet mother, Sabine, who actually cooks lunch for everyone every day, including the vegetarians? This gives you an idea of the warmth of community that exists at ONO’U.
Tonight BSA is hosting the panel discussion “Personal Genesis” with Martha Cooper, Selina Miles, Marko93, SOTEN, Inkie, Phat1, and Kalouf. It looks like it will be a packed house so get there early!
From “Latido Americano” in Lima, Peru comes Part Two of our photo survey of a Street Art / Graffiti event that blasts vibrant color all over your keyboard and onto your desk. No amount of pollution and traffic congestion in this crowded city can get these Street Artists and their color palettes down, even as the metropolis itself can seem like it’s often enveloped in grey. Entes y Pesimo obviously have a sincere love for their city and the fortitude that it takes to get such a large group of walls and artists and resources organized to make this a success, and our hats are off to them.
See our Part 1 here: From The Streets of Lima, “Latido Americano”, A Latin Heart Beat
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