Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. A History Of The World According to Getty Images
2. Cypress Hill: INSANE IN THE BRAIN
3. Earth to COP
BSA Special Feature: A World History – In Moving Pictures
History is written by the victors: That is, those who dictate and control the dominant culture and hold the reins to industry, property ownership, etc. Not a lot of history is written by slaves, or marginalized populations, or those disempowered by the systems in which they just barely keep their heads above water. So, when we saw this “History of the World”, we were happy to see the “A” in front of it.
In a similar, related vein, FIPADOC releases this film about the moving image in the public domain and reveals that regardless of the original filmmaker’s intent, these can become privatized. Similarly, the narrator poses questions regarding the implied power dynamic between the shooter and subject and comes away with some very enlightening realizations about the form. Who owns access, who controls it, and what stories are told, or hidden?
A History Of The World According to Getty Images
Cypress Hill: INSANE IN THE BRAIN / Trailer
Estevan Oriol gives you a deep dive and thoughtful discourse on Cypress Hill as they germinated, grew, and took over – telling “the story of a brotherhood that has withstood the test of time to create a truly original, everlasting legacy.”
EARTH TO COP
The Earth is already speaking to us, and while this video offers astounding views of destruction, let’s take a step back and find out who caused, and is causing, the damage – and if large meetings like COP are holding them responsible, and accountable. Many today point to corporations that are taking on climate change as a virtue signal, a marketing lever, and a way to push other agendas under a green flag.
Suspended time is the thematic thread that runs through an exhibition of six Berlin-based photographers on view at Urban Spree Galerie, itself a rare street adjacent respite balanced on the knife’s edge of renegade artistic autonomy and muscular steely gentrification.
Appropriate for an era when many in modern society feel unsteady and unsure of our collective direction due to shifting power centers, degraded institutions, unraveling capitalism, wars, and rumors of war, ‘Lost in Time’ presents “an eerie cartography of Berlin and beyond, encompassing emptiness, directionless pathways, time capsules, and social nature.”
Featured are photographic works by Anika Spereiter, Lena Lotte Agger, Lukas K. Stiller, Norman Behrendt, Olf, and Romeo Alaeff.
Included in the misty mix are surreal street photography nightscapes, misplaced Texan “cowboys”, a survey of the surreal emptiness in Berlin club culture when no one is there to bump and grind, wandering lonely through streets filled with strangers and ochre, emergency exits perplexingly ajar on the Ubahn, cloud-engulfed confrontations between police and protestors in the forest, and the immigrant curse of always feeling misplaced – a “haunting, cinematic, and evocative survey of Berlin as seen through the lens of an eternal outsider”
The combination of surrealism and ostracism creates a unique blend: irrational and unexpected surveys of the “normal” built city, amplified by feelings of ostracism and detachment. Together, these two elements can create a complex and thought-provoking atmosphere that challenges traditional ideas of reality and belonging. Time becomes malleable, unanchored, and suspended.
The mysterious, trouble-making, wise-cracking, sporty, surfing graffiti-street-art-fine-art duo Yok & Sheryo haven’t graced our pages since pre-pandemic days, which may as well be the Paleolithic Period. With some relief, we report that they are alive and making temples thank god, and now showing one of their most grand upon a sea of red shag carpeting in Perth.
“We escaped to a world of our own,” they tell us, “a mysterious sweltering tropical island with everything we’d ever wanted; killer surf, cold beers, lush, unique flora and fauna with quirky customs, culture, folklore and mythology stories”
Indeed the sun-bleached white and burning blood red-themed installation with The Art Gallery of Western Australiais replete with the eclectic ideas and items that have thrilled Y&S fans for well over a decade.
“There is so much to tell you, where do we even start?,” they exclaim. Begin at the beginning darling, that always seems like a good strategy. “We named it “Yeahnahnesia”, says Sheryo. “It’s our biggest installation to date,” says Yok.
It all makes sense as you wend your way (without shoes, please) around this “Temple of Frivolous Wishes” high on hallucinogenics. There’s the Banana Boner Incense Burner. Hanging up above is The Cool “S. Nearly hidden over here is the Pig-Nose Dragon Cup Thing. Should you get the munchies, you can order snacks from a price menu listing delicacies such as Dragons Claw and Vegemite Toast.
A suave music impresario/high school science teacher will lead you through the offerings in the video below. Maybe later, he’ll invite you to stop by his place for a Pina Colada and to check out his new 2-person Pong video game on the TV – or perhaps take a ride on his velour-covered waterbed.
Still have questions about what Yeahnahnesia is? All the mysteries, culture, and symbology are documented in this exquisitely designed 108-page, full-color, hard-cover scientific journal. Island of Yeahnahnesia, Vol 1. A welcome addition to any lord of the leisures lounge room.
Similar to how photographers in the 1970s discovered graffiti on trains, photogs learn about new pieces on walls today through a circuitous route. Importantly, upon hearing of the latest additions, they realize that time is of the essence as the art has an expiration date and will soon disappear.
Lluis Olive Bulbena, a Spanish photographer and documentarian of graffiti and street art, recently learned of new pieces by well-known graffiti writers from Barcelona at an abandoned warehouse that’s infamous for a rave party that was organized there at the height of the Pandemic. Although the party attracted an estimated 1,500 partygoers and lasted for a few days, it was eventually shut down by the police.
Bulbena recognized that the opportunity to capture them on film was fleeting and he promptly headed to the site with his camera to photograph these newest pieces by the writers, which he now shares with you. In addition to the pieces from the warehouse, Bulbena documented and shared with us what he found at the Congal River near Barcelona. Enjoy!
Today in the USA we celebrate Presidents’ Day. It’s a Federal holiday to remember and honor all individuals who served as presidents of The United States. The holiday created in 1971 was originally established in 1881 in recognition of President George Washington.
This year we have chosen to honor President Jimmy Carter, who this week announced his decision to receive hospice care at his home at the age of 98. Alongside him is the former First Lady and his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter. Mr. Carter was elected as the 39th President of The United States. After serving only one term from 1977 to 1981 he became a statesman, a diplomat, and a humanitarian who dedicated his life to building homes for people through Habitat for Humanity. We wish President Carter and his family well as he makes his transition.
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! We’re in the middle of a long weekend thanks to tomorrow’s President’s Day. Usually, its a good weekend for some people to get out of the city to go skiing, but seriously there has been no snow here this year, which is troubling. We might as well stay at home and get to know our friend ChatGPT. Maybe make some comfort food and play board games with it. What? Why did you make a face?
Big things are happening in the Bronx right now, thanks to Tats Cru and the cultural ecosystem surrounding them and the community of Hunts Point in the Boogie Down. See some new images below and look out for some new serious Hip Hop & graffiti collaborations this year.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: Praxis, Tats Cru, Dmote, Bio, Ribs, Andaluz the Artist, BG183, Qzar, Anahu, R. Flores, XSM, OTL, Skemes, Sheek Louch, The Lox, and YesOne.
Calligraffiti pioneer Niels “Shoe” Meulman tells us that he’s been having a great time during the opening of Beyond the Streets in London, where he is showing some new work that meditates on his path and represents this moment in his evolution. The unruly and elegant Dutch contemporary artist, designer, and calligrapher says that seeing his peers and heroes in person and on display in the exhibition reminds him of why he fell in love with graffiti in the 1980s.
Now principally a painter, Shoe continues in calligraphy and design and even teaches, but to get him excited here at the opening, show him what appears to be a precise replica of the “Duck Rock” boombox carried by Malcolm McLaren in front of Keith Harings’ wall on Houston Street in the 80s. Featured on the album cover of the same name in 1983, the artwork was designed by style writing master Dondi and designer Nick Egan against a backdrop by Haring. It’s a perfect nexus point for this prominent figure in the world of urban art and design – a point he doubles down on by rolling up his shirt sleeve to show you his bicep tattooed with a wild-styled “Duck Rock.”
We asked Shoe to tell us about his three-year triptych presented here at Beyond the Streets in London’s Saatchi Gallery, and he took us on a trip through his own memories and experiences to arrive at this moment.
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist. Even though I didn’t see graffiti as an art form in the beginning. I mean, all the kids were writing some kind of sobriquet in 1980’s Amsterdam and –apart from Dr. Rat (1960-1981) and friends– there wasn’t much artistic going on. Until I saw what they were doing on New York subway cars, and later in museums and galleries.
When Dondi (1961-1998) and I were hanging out in Amsterdam in 1984, I proudly told him, my mentor, that I was going to drop out of school to study graphic art. There, I was just in time to learn many obsolete graphic techniques. One of them was metal typesetting (letterpress) with its typical case; a big, undeep wooden drawer with compartments for each glyph of the alphabet, cast in lead. Every size would have been cut by hand, in reverse. It was real easy to mix up the d, b, q and p.
Ever since those early days of writing graffiti, I always felt that what we were doing was part of something much bigger. Something old and dirty, as Ol’ Dirty Bastard (1968-2004) would later tell us. Maybe it was because of the teachings of my other mentor, the iconoclast Rammellzee (1960-2010) who stated in his rhymes with Gregorian chants that what we were doing started in Medieval catacombs.
Before Gutenberg invented his wood block printing press, which lead to this moveable type setting, books were being copied by hand by monks, who I see as the graffiti writers of their age. Just like us, they were traveling with books, comparing handstyles, driven by competition and togetherness. But of course writing itself is much older than that. The oldest cave drawings (mostly done by women, recent research shows) were the beginning of letters. The letter ‘A’ derives from the sound and drawing of an ox. Letters have figurative origins. Words are images. Writing is painting.
I feel connected to all of this and very excited to see where writing culture will go in the future. Already so much has happened. For instance when I first named my work Calligraffiti in 2005, I never imagined that it would become the world wide art form it is now. And whether is was in caves, catacombs or the subway systems, the culture began under ground and is having a peek above ground. My piece for Beyond the Streets is about that.”
Artist: Niels Shoe Meulman Title: WRITING IS PAINTING AND PRINTING
A triptych consisting of three pieces:
Title: THE INVENTION OF WRITING MARKS THE END OF PREHISTORY year: 2021 medium: acrylic and ink on linen size: ± 400 x 280 cm (± 13 x 9 feet)
Title: FROM PAINTING TO PRINTING AND BACK AGAIN year: 2022 medium: acrylic and spray paint on ten stretched cotton canvases size (total): ± 160 x 160 cm (± 63 x 63 inch)
Title: UNAMBIDEXTROUS LETTER R year: 2023 medium: stone lithography print on handmade Japanese paper size: ± 32 x 43 cm (± 12.5 x 17 inch)
Beyond The Streets – London is open for the general public at Saatchi Gallery and tickets are available now for booking through saatchigallery.com/tickets
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.
Now screening: 1. MOMO “Final Call” Via Studio Cromie
2. 5 Minutes with: Rosy One (Schweiz)via ILoveGraffiti.de
3. PichiAvo “Used to Be” at Underdogs gallery in Lisbon
4. ARAI sings “Little Stupid Boy”
BSA Special Feature: MOMO “Final Call”
MOMO and that dude from Studio Cromie have an in-depth conversation about a new series of non-representational artworks by MOMO, as represented by that dude from Studio Cromie.
Buon appetito!
MOMO Final Call. Via Studio Cromie
First entranced by hip-hop culture in the late 80s and writing graffiti in the early 90s in Switzerland, Rosy One moved on to train bombing and was hooked for life. Rosy One says she doesn’t see herself accommodating herself into conventional society; she favors working alone although she’s been in crews, and describes her style as having a “sweet and tough” aesthetic, clearly influenced by the New York, Paris, and Berlin scenes.
Turn on the subtitles – they work!
5 MINUTES WITH: ROSY ONE (SCHWEIZ) VIA I LOVE GRAFFITI DE
“What first draws their attention is the mixture of graffiti with classical art. We try to convey our roots and that this is what we know.” PichiAvo have always traveled and spoken to you in the myths and the margins. The nexus of the two is the genius that can be found amidst the ruins, at the margins of society. Exposed to the elements, these generations are called to the fore, equally at home inside or outside.
“Our work is in the studio, and our work is in the street, and we aim for there to be a balance between both worlds.”
Keep your eyes open for a collaborative canvas with Vhils. Another diamond in the rough.
PichiAvo “Used to Be” at Underdogs gallery in Lisbon
Tonight is the VIP opening at the unveiling of Roger Gastman’s Beyond The Streets London edition, a combination gallery show, fine art exhibition, and superstore targeting the youngish hip fans and collectors of urban art. With historical roots and knowledge of culture at its base, BTS brings a largely American-centric roadshow previously configured for Los Angeles and New York into friendly European territory.
Most illustrative, perhaps, are the chapters that punctuate the multitude of stories installed throughout the entire Saatchi Gallery, known for its exhibitions of contemporary art and emerging artists since its founding in 1985 by the British art collector and advertising executive Charles Saatchi. The cross-culture nature of graffiti and street art and all of its worldwide tributaries during the last six decades is presaged perhaps by the intersectional spirit of such Saatchi shows as “Post Pop: East Meets West” in 2014.
Roger tells us that it was very important for him to bring this traveling feast here because of the interconnections shared in the shared evolution of popular culture and political movements between Britain and US cities during the last half-century in art, fashion, music, and the street.
“The story of graffiti and street art can’t be told without highlighting the significant role London, and the UK in general, has played in revolutionizing these cultures and continuing to spread the word of their existence,” Gastman says. “Pushing the global narrative has always been important to us, so we’re honored to continue telling these stories at a respected institution like Saatchi Gallery, whose prestige and impact are unmatched in the UK.”
The 70,000 square foot (6,500 sm) space is divided into chapters with names like “Dream Galleries,” “Blockbusters,” “Legends,” ”Larger Than Life,” and “Social Commentary,” the plastic arts, photography, ephemera, fashion, and site-specific installations will represent the multitude of ways western culture erupted and redirected itself with the aid of graffiti, hip hop, punk, and myriad expressions of DIY culture. By paying homage to these primarily youth-based monumental moments and the cultural narratives that reformed and rebelled, Beyond The Streets puts these 150 artists into representational roles for the hundreds of thousands of “rule-breakers and mark-makers” who collectively have pushed the culture forward.
Kenny Scharf creates a new Cosmic Cave at Beyond The Streets London. (photo courtesy of BTS)
Banksy “Valentine’s Day Mascara.” (image courtesy of Banksy’s Instagram)
Such dark witticisms accompany the new installation in Margate attributed to Bristolian Banksy, on the Instagram feed from the mysterious street artist. The Valentine’s Day installation features a caricature of a 1950s western housewife with a bruised eye gazing cheerily at her audience while her husband’s feet protrude from an old refrigerator. A frying pan and a broken chair lie nearby. In this seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England, the news traveled fast yesterday, and many came to look at the new installation before the freezer/fridge was removed by the local council (people think it will be returned).
For all the joking, there were more poignant comments on the artists’ feed that went to the heart of the matter.
Banksy “Valentine’s Day Mascara.” (image courtesy of Banksy’s Instagram)
“I lived that, so, thank you.”
“This is a voice for women who are abused.”
“My father used to beat my mother regularly. Countless black eyes, bruised ribs, concussions. Not to mention the mental pain. Coping with that as a child leaves traces in the past, the present, and the future. Nobody speaks publicly about violence in the family. Well done, Bansky, I bow.”
The artist is known for creating politically charged and socially relevant pieces, using the Banksy platform to draw attention to various causes.
“Thank you for always fighting for the stories that matter!” one commenter sums up a common sentiment.
Banksy “Valentine’s Day Mascara.” (image courtesy of Banksy’s Instagram)
Banksy’s take on domestic violence against women is universal. Millions of women worldwide are physically, verbally, and emotionally attacked in their own homes by their domestic partners. By highlighting this problem on a day to remember love among us, the artist calls on the hypocrisy of men with their conduct toward women.
The World Health Organization says that “globally, about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.”
If you or someone you know is a victim, or in danger, please look at this:
New York’s PORK is one of the few fire extinguisher writers who reliably has can-control, or nozzle control, as the case may be. If you know your extinguisher tags, these are examples of fine penmanship. Additionally, his necessarily brief cursive bon mots are cryptically funny, even if you don’t know his intention.
PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC
In this new softcover of street photography, many of his rattled-looking words are framed in their natural/unnatural environment and given their own page, or spread. In the index, you may get an insight into what the artist was thinking by the title given to the corresponding pages in the body. You’ll also gain insight into the irreverence, tempered at times with exquisitely poised timing.
PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC
“Vote” was placed in Prospect Heights to remind folks of election day, which seems quite civic-minded. “Woke” appeared during the Black Lives Matter protests on the Bowery Wall. “Prey” is a sly indictment sprayed upon a church being converted into high-end condos. These messages look wild and unnerving, injecting a visual shock into an otherwise run-down or decaying lot or boarded-up window or upon a semi-trailer.
The cover is reserved for one such burst of springtime exuberance; the white trailer set against a blue sky and framed by a cherry tree with it light pink blossoms simply declares, “Lovely Day.” The index informs us that it is of course, the song that must be running through your mind by Bill Withers as the soft breeze caresses your cheek.
PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC PORK: “I LEFT A NOTE”. Published by Blurring Books NYC
PORK – “I LEFT A NOTE”. The first edition published 2022 by @BLURRINGBOOKSNYC
“I LEFT A NOTE” is a 500-copy limited edition, and each copy is signed. You can purchase the book at BlurringBooks.com
Some kind of big game today we guess. Happens every year about this time – the streets will be empty this afternoon as people will be inside their homes, gathered around their screens, eating buffalo wings, pigs-in-a-blanket and tater tots with family and friends. Happy World Series everybody!
New York street art is heavy with pop icons, pop psychology, and popular culture in this week’s collection.
Here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring: SacSix, Sara Lynne Leo, Degrupo, Eye Sticker, Stickman, Ollin, Jorit, Steve the Bum, and Kir One.
Elfo is a graffiti writer and social commentator whose work intentionally sidesteps traditional notions of style or technical lettering. This …Read More »
BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
