All posts tagged: Street Art Festivals

Urban Art, Human Space. 6th Edition of “Avant Garde Tudela” in Spain

June 27, 2018 Artists

“Contemporary Muralism” is the tag that organizers of this international exhibition gives to the current practice, and this northeastern Spanish city of 35,000 has hosted a number of primarily European Street Artists for a half dozen years here to do just that.

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

“Urban art is an incomparable tool for the transformation of the public space,” say organizers, and this years roster includes SpY, Miquel Wert, Kenor and Lucas Milà. Additionally a program of workshops was given by Andrea Michaelsson – Btoy, along with round tables and conferences in which international and local speakers participated.

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Under the auspices of the Department of Culture and the City Council of Tudela – EPEL Castel Ruiz, the program of “Arte Urbano, Espacio Humano” focuses on a democratic approach to the city that recognizes the contributions of many people who make a city work.

“In the street the work merges with the morphology and geometry of the city,” says one of the curators of this years edition, Arcadi Poch, “at the artistic level the city is an extraordinarily fertile land”.

Our sincere thanks to photographer Fer Alcalà for sharing his excellent documentation here with BSA readers.

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Btoy. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

SpY. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Lucas Milá. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © courtesy of the artist)

In this new piece by Catalan artist Lucas Milá the paint itself plays a role in the story because it appears and disappears with the light and temperature – a project of photochromic paint.

In the mural, made in the town of Peralta, you can see a vegetable farmer, possibly from the area known as the Ribera, whose shirt goes from a dark blue to an absolute white covered with vegetables. Similarly in the background landscape some clouds disappear when the sun hits.

Lucas Milá. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Kenor. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Jorge Rodríguez Gerarda. Work in progress. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Jorge Rodríguez Gerarda. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo courtesy of the artist)

C215. Avant Garde Tudela (Work from previous edition). Detail. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

C215. Avant Garde Tudela (Work from previous edition). Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

VI AVANT GARDE TUDELA Y RIBERA 2018
International Exhibition of Contemporary Muralism
‘ARTE URBANO, ESPACIO HUMANO’ VI International exhibition of contemporary muralism. Avant Garde Tudela ‘Arte Urbano Espacio humano’ is an international exhibition of contemporary muralism that was organized by the Department of Culture of the City Council of Tudela – EPEL Castel Ruiz. In this VI edition, the exhibition opened to Ribera with the participation of the towns of Arguedas and Peralta.

“No Limit” in Borås, Update 2: Joe Iurato Climbing the Streets

September 8, 2015 Artists

The city of Borås, Sweden is picturesque already when you are wandering through its cobbled side streets and along the Viskan River that whispers and weaves through it past churches, old textile factories, and small rolling green parks and sweeping willow trees. Suddenly finding a small impromptu but perfectly placed installation from New Jersey’s Joe Iurato is just another surprise you weren’t expecting.

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A skateboarder, hiker, rock climber, and young father, Joe brings a sense of discovery to a spot with his stenciled cut-out 2-d sculptures. Over the last couple of years he has really mastered the art of placement and it was not uncommon this past week to see the clean-cut cargo-shorted dude scoping the streets and facades of this 400 year old city looking for the perfect spot to pitch one of his figurative elements.

A couple of years ago in a feature we did on Joe he said he isn’t looking for longevity with the pieces, just a moment of recognition of the humanity of the scene. “I’m not under any false impressions that these could be landmark pieces or anything,” he told us.

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Each piece has a specific personality and usually is caught mid-movement, adding a story to the moment if you care to use your imagination and place the piece into your own tale.

“I try to see the possibilities for a larger picture within a smaller space: a puddle can become a lake, a small crack in a cement wall can become a magnificent climb, a curb or window ledge can fall away into a desperate void, a planter box can become a place for a child to play, and a shadow might be a tangible space for a few seconds a day. There’s no limit to the possibilities and I find myself more and more looking at the environment for ways to interact.”

Here are some examples of Joe’s pieces in Borås during the last few days. One in particular featuring Joe’s two sons proved to be a perfect posing spot for some Swedish youth who sat for our photographer to get the shot on this bridge over the Viskan.

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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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!
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“Urban Xchange: Crossing Over” A New Festival in Penang, Malaysia

December 11, 2014 Artists

Urban Exchange: Crossing Over 2014 is a brand new street art festival in George Town, Penang in Malaysia. In November they hosted 16 artists to paint walls throughout this city of two and a half million on the Strait of Malacca.

It is not a city that has hosted Street Art traditionally and one that frowns strongly on graffiti, but ever since Lithuanian Street Artist Ernest Zacharevic did some very successful installations here in 2012 which drew crowds and cameras, the citizenry and elected officials have become very hospitable to the idea — and have even enacted a formalized process for approving public art.

Skolo brings tradition, sport, and modern communications together in this brand new mural for Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Today we travel to Penang to see the brand new pieces for this first-year show, co-curated by Gabija Grusaite and Eeyan Chuah, who run Hin Bus Depot Art Centre, a creative space in the ruins of a bus depot that hosted a corollary gallery show. Alongside Berlin based Urban Nation’s director and curator, Yasha Young, the two invited a mixture of local and international artists to complete murals and to host some community workshops.

“There’s never a dull moment at Urban Nation’s exchange program,” says Young, “after a year in the planning we were excited to finally make the journey.”

Tank Petrol at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Among the various murals you’ll see a selection of figurative, realistic, and illustration styles that carefully walk a community moderated fine line, hoping to bring locals to be more actively engaged in the program. As a novelty outlier, you’ll also see Brooklyn’s Mr. Toll installing his colorful hand formed clay sculptures in unusual spots if you keep your head up.

In an interview with Malay Mail Online, Ms. Grusaite says, “We want to create an artistic international cultural exchange so that local artists can learn from international artists who will be here for the project while the international artists will get exposure to the local culture and art scene.”

Tank Petrol. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

As is the case more often, with Urban Exchange we are again seeing a new model of public art developing where at the forefront are artists who have laid their groundwork in graffiti rather than university exclusively. We’ve been using a term we’re calling the “New Muralism” to indicate the grassroots nature and populist generation of these works and we still think its definition is evolving. Not quite community murals in the strictest sense, and not seeking the approval of gate-keeping institutions either, these artists are looking for and finding new ways to challenge themselves creatively in the public sphere while being responsive to needs of the public. Huh!

Included in the Urban Exchange project are Antanas Dubra (Lithuania), Bibichun (Malaysia), Don John (Denmark), Donald Abraham (Malaysia), Elle (United States), Ernest Zacharevic (Lithuania), Fauzan Faud (Malaysia), Karl Addison (Germany), Kenji Chai (Malaysia), Rone (Australia), Sk10 (Singapore), TankPetrol (United Kingdom), Black Fritilldea (Malaysia), 4Some (a crew from Kuala Lumpur consisting of Donald, Black, Fauzan and Jojo), Mr Toll (New York) and Vexta (New York)

Our heartfelt thank you to Henrik Haven, who took a trip from Copenhagen which took 31 hours (and four different flights) for sharing his excellent photographs here with BSA readers.

RONE at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

RONE on the left with Karl Addison on the right. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

RONE. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Ernest Zacharevic at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Ernest Zacharevic. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

4Some Crew at work on their wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

4Some Crew (Donald, Black, Fauzan and Jojo) Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Vexta at work on her wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Vexta. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Bibichun. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Nikko Tan)

Don John at work on his wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Don John. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Elle at work on her wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Elle. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Karl Addison at work on his wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Karl Addison. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Antanas Dubra at work on their wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Antanas Dubra. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Sliz assists Skolo. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Mr. Toll installing his clay sculptures. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Mr. Toll. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Collaboration between Ernest Zacharavic and Etoja. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

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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!

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NUART 2014 Begins with “Broken Promises”

September 1, 2014 Artists

For our 6th consecutive year of covering Nuart for you BSA is actually here in Stavanger this time. The plane touched down at 2 pm with Icy and Sot on board as well from Brooklyn and we all were whisked away by waiting cars. BSA got to ride in the schmancy new Nuart branded Tesla – that has a screen on the dashboard big enough to serve an entire pizza on – and get an amazing tour by street art photographer Tor of all the previous walls that are still riding in this Norwegian port town. – Stuff we’ve posted for ya’ll but have never seen in person by ROA, C215, Nick Walker, Dot Dot Dot, Swoon, Dan Witz, Evol, DALeast, Vhils and more!

And of course the large phallic M-City out the plane window at the airport – can’t forget that.

The freshest new addition on the Nuart first tour came from veteran Street Artist and socio-political commentator John Fekner, who has reprised one of his famous text based “Word-Signs” from the bad old days of 1970s New York urban neglect. It was a shock to see this iconic placard on a Stavanger wall and a cool way to make the New York – Nuart connection.

Mr. Fekner is on the official artist roster for this years’ festival, but you can count on seeing him at Nuart Plus along with special speakers including yours truly. Some interesting conversations and exchanging of information and opinion will buttress the brand new works outside by the guests artists, with presentations, discussion, film screenings, and plenty of herring. Just checking to see if you were still reading.

John Fekner Broken Promises Falsas Promesas South Bronx NY 1980

Click HERE for NUART 2014 full schedule of events and details.

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Göla Finding Direction with a Deer God for Viavai Project in Italy

July 14, 2014 Artists

By way of re-balancing our chakras today, we check in with Göla and his new mural of the Deer God for the Viavai Project in Salento, Italy.

Along with Street Artists like Pastel, Ozmo, Eversiempre, CT, Basic, and Tellas, the festival takes the position that art in public spaces can shift the center of gravity away from the typical hype of a “scene” and focus instead upon the experiential aspects of art as a living thing and even an emotional one.

Göla tells us that his new piece is centered on an amiable antlered diety as a “symbol of the rebirth of nature and the cycle of the seasons studied since Paleolithic cultures, described here through vegetal elements and reflected as an oracle and a mouthpiece of behaviors.”

The name of the new piece is “Direzione” (direction) which he says, “speaks about coexistence of man and other species and creating a sustainable path forward.” Conceived as a sacred apparition, it uses symmetrical and metaphorical symbols in a way that echoes more established conventions of religious art.

While the street artist and performer describes his new work you may wonder how the allegories contained within it about resources, sharing, giving, receiving and communion with nature could ever be achieved. He admits that these are long time aspirational goals that people have had for centuries and he obviously believes that they are still worthwhile to contemplate. He speaks of the rising path in the image that is “guided by the light purple color of meditation and spirituality to a new conception of the planet that is in reality nothing more than a new-found understanding of the ancient tribal societies – married by advances current technology.”

Click HERE for more on the Viavai Project

Click HERE for more on Gola Hundun’s work.

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Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Miquel Wert. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Btoy. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Btoy. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

SpY. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

SpY. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Lucas Milá. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Lucas Milá. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © courtesy of the artist)

Kenor. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Kenor. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Jorge Rodríguez Gerarda. Work in progress. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Jorge Rodríguez Gerarda. Avant Garde Tudela VI. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo courtesy of the artist)

C215. Avant Garde Tudela (Work from previous edition). Detail. Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

C215. Avant Garde Tudela (Work from previous edition). Tudela, Spain. June 2018. (photo © Fer Alcalà)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Joe Iurato. No Limit Festival 2015. Boras, Sweden. September 2015. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skolo brings tradition, sport, and modern communications together in this brand new mural for Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Tank Petrol at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Tank Petrol. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

RONE at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

RONE on the left with Karl Addison on the right. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

RONE. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Ernest Zacharevic at work on is wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Ernest Zacharevic. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Ernest Zacharevic. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

4Some Crew at work on their wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

4Some Crew (Donald, Black, Fauzan and Jojo) Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Vexta at work on her wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Vexta. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Vexta. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Bibichun. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Nikko Tan)

Don John at work on his wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Don John. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Elle at work on her wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Elle. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Elle. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Karl Addison at work on his wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Karl Addison. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Karl Addison. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Antanas Dubra at work on their wall. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Antanas Dubra. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Sliz assists Skolo. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Mr. Toll installing his clay sculptures. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Mr. Toll. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

Collaboration between Ernest Zacharavic and Etoja. Urban Xchange: Crossing Over. Penang, Malaysia. (photo © Henrik Haven)

NUART 2014. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

John Fekner. NUART 2014. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

Nuart wheels when you need them. NUART 2014. Stavanger, Norway. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

John Fekner Broken Promises Falsas Promesas South Bronx NY 1980

Göla (or Gola Hundun). Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Matteo Bandiello)

Gola Hundun. Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Matteo Bandiello)

Gola Hundun. Detail. Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Vincenzo Basile)

Gola Hundun. Detail. Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Vincenzo Basile)

Gola Hundun. Detail. Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Vincenzo Basile)

Gola Hundun. Viavai Project. Racale, Salento. Italy. July 2014. (photo © Vincenzo Basile)

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