All posts tagged: Ukraine

Alexandra Parrish : 14 From 2014

Alexandra Parrish : 14 From 2014

December 19, 2014
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Happy Holidays to all of you charming and sparkling BSA readers!
It’s been a raucous sleigh ride with you and we thank everyone most sincerely for your support and participation this year. A sort of tradition for us at the end of this December we are marking the year with “14 from 2014”. We asked photographers and curators from various perspectives of street culture to share a gem with all of us that means something to them. Join us as we collectively say goodbye and thank you to ’14.
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Alexandra-Parrish-Curator

Writer and curator Alexandra Parrish has contributed her personal accounts and observations on BSA with her experiences in organizing Atlanta’s Living Walls festival and her various travels abroad. BSA was very fortunate this year when Alex wrote directly from Kiev during the democratic uprising there, where she explained a new sculpture installed amidst the crowds in Independence Square. Not surprisingly, it remains her favorite installation of the year.

“Members of the Euromaidan movement in Kiev face the sculpture titled “New Ukraine,” illegally installed in solidarity with the on-going civil unrest in Ukraine by French artist Roti. This photo was taken on the 16th of January, 2014, the day President Yanukovych attempted to thwart opposition by passing a series of anti-protest laws, and just a few days before a conflict with deadly consequences between protestors and riot police. While the area has been wiped clean following Yanukovych’s resignation, “New Ukraine” remains to this day a monument to the many months of struggle and lives lost, but more importantly, a symbol of renewal and hope.”

~ Alexandra Parrish

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Roti. Kiev, Ukraine. (photo ©Maxim Dondyuk)

 

Read Alexandra’s original piece, A ‘New Ukraine’ Sculpture In Kiev By Street Artist Roti

 

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BSA Film Friday 02.28.14

BSA Film Friday 02.28.14

February 28, 2014

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

Now screening :

1. Roti “To the New Ukraine”
2. Getting “GREASY” with Narcelio Grud
3. Mr. Toll from DEGA Films
4. NDA from DEGA Films
5. “I Can See You” in Iraq
6. Experimenting with Projection Mapping

BSA Special Feature:Roti “To the New Ukraine”

From Chris Cunnigham comes  this short version of a documentary that follows French Grafiti artist ‘Roti’ as he works on his most ambitious project to date, we get a glimpse of an untold side story in Ukraine’s revolutionary struggle.”

Read more about it on BSA here. A ‘New Ukraine’ Sculpture in Independence Square by Roti

Getting “GREASY” with Narcelio Grud

From the man who showed us how to paint with discarded fruits and vegetables, we see a sweetly crude painting with the one thing that is keeping the world running while simultaneously killing it. Narcelio takes on the sticky stuff and gets greasy.

Mr. Toll from DEGA Films

In a category all his own, Mr. Toll sculpts with his fingers the ironic and the naturally beautific (warning: may not be a word). Over the last 3 or 4 years, you could say prolific. The 3-D is a welcome variation, and surprisingly easy to overlook as a possible adornment deliberately placed there by a building owner.

 

N’DA from DEGA Films

Hard won street cred can sometimes be achieved one character at a time, no matter how brutishly plain or comically pequeno. What a character N’DA is! Painter, wheatpaster, illustrator, idiosyncratic outside artist – don’t underestimate and don’t overlook this one.

 

“I Can See You” in Iraq – A film by Sajjad Abbas

Translated as “I can see you” the giant eye placed on the top of this building is a way that was Street Artist Sajjad Abbas wanted to keep Iraqi politics on their best behavior. Even though he got permission from the government to install it, soon enough it had to come down because some people thought it had to do with the Freemasons. Here he offers an unvarnished direct recording of the installation and de-installation, less documentary than document.

Experimenting with Projection Mapping

From computational designer Lukas Z here is a fun example how much you can do with projection mapping and some pin tape these days on the street. Our forays into the projection world over the last 5 years tell us that this is one small example of the possible, but this is well realized.

File under
1. tape-art.
2. projection mapping.
3. audio responsive generative visuals.
4. openframeworks

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A ‘New Ukraine’ Sculpture in Independence Square by Roti

A ‘New Ukraine’ Sculpture in Independence Square by Roti

January 29, 2014

French Street Artist Trucks 4 Ton Marble Sculpture with Kiev Crowd Watching

The Prime Minister and his cabinet have quit and the freezing crowds are still demanding the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovych. Here in sub-zero Independence Square amidst the Molotov cocktails and burning tires appears a “New Ukraine,” thanks to the just carved sculpture of the same name. Street Artist Roti channeled his rebellious graffiti ethos into this project featuring the image of a Ukrainian woman emerging from the depths. He hopes to inspire the demonstrators who have been mobilized for two months plus.

Inflamed since their presidents’ sudden withdrawal from a trade agreement with the European Union (EU) in November, most say the real oxygen that is feeding this populist fire is disgust with a political class that became corrupt. With this unsanctioned gift of public art Roti examines and tests the ambiguous nature of illegality that also possesses beauty, claiming public space for a rippling people’s movement that now looks like a revolution.

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“New Ukraine” by Roti (photo © Chris Cunningham)

 
Writer, scholar, and occasional BSA contributor, Alexandra Parrish was perfectly placed in Kiev this winter to see the uprisings swell and to witness the carving out of this now historical public sculpture by Roti, as well as its placement. We are pleased that she shares with us today an essay that provides context and background for Roti’s gift to The Euromaiden (Євромайдан, #EuroMaiden #EuroMaidan) and to the related events.

Roti’s “New Ukraine”
by Alexandra Parrish

“Throughout history, art has served as a representation of religious, cultural, political and social movements,” remarks Roti, the 25-year-old artist cum laude. Today, while many artists seemingly work for the market alone, others continue to negotiate the relationship of art to society. French artist Roti is certainly moving towards his own interpretation of such, particularly after the installation of his 2-metre sculpture titled “New Ukraine” in the centre of Kyiv to express his solidarity with the current revolution underway.

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Roti at work in his studio. (photo © Chris Cunningham)

By trade, Roti is a stonecutter specialized in sculpture; in a separate pursuit, he’s negotiated illegality in public space via graffiti for the past decade. An artist in all regard, Roti’s surreal work depicts the spiritual realm, the intangible realities that exist in the mind. He’s found much success with his style, which has allowed him to travel with his work to New York, Atlanta, Paris and London.

However, it was his trip to Ukraine for the Gogol fest back in September of 2013 that sparked an intense appreciation and curiosity about the spirit of the art scene underway, predominately in the capital city of Kyiv. He spent a month deep within the community of artists who have “built beauty out of nothing;” in this experience, he learned how the individual could be a part of a collective. He promised to return, one day.

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Roti at work in his studio. (screen shot from a yet to be released film © Chris Cunningham)

In late November of 2013, rumblings of a new revolution in Ukraine began. Acts of peaceful civil resistance and demonstrations activated Independence Square, the centre of Kyiv. These demonstrations were a direct response to president Yanukovych’s decision to retrench from trade agreements with the European Union in favor of a renewed arrangement with Russia.

The movement, affectionately referred to as “Euromaidan,” has been generally characterized in Western media as an aspiration for EU-integration. However, Ukrainians continue to endure freezing temperatures and police intimidation for a more humanist cause – they are through with Yanukovych’s corrupt government and they demand a better quality of life (the average Ukrainian earns about $300 per month).

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Roti at work in his studio. (screen shot from a yet to be released film © Chris Cunningham)

Roti, after observing the resistance through media outlets and Facebook feeds, felt a strong urge to return. Initially, he felt compelled to just be there. After much consideration, he realized he needed to do something. For months, he’d worked on the concept of a sculpture he assumed would install one day in Paris. Yet the movement happening in Ukraine assigned a new meaning to his initial idea – a woman, emerging from water – an allegory for the current revolution.

Two days after his initial proposal to several friends involved with Euromaidan, he booked a ticket to Kyiv. Two days after that, he miraculously managed to find a rose-marble stone and a workshop. The entire process fell into place so smoothly that his efficiency followed – generally, he would work 14-16 hours a day carving and polishing the stone. By the 13th day, the stone was complete.

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Roti at work in his studio. (screen shot from a yet to be released film © Chris Cunningham)

In the end, he saw life in the sculpture. The ripples had energy and movement. The face of the woman, while modeled after a friend and talented performer of the Dakh Daughters, represented the strength and perseverance of the Ukrainian population. Roti himself felt as if he’d emerged from a descent into the murky waters of insecurity. The sculpture, which he titled “New Ukraine,” became alive in symbolism, hope and energy – everything he felt during his experience and understanding of Euromaidan.

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Roti (photo © Alexej Zaika)

The installation took place on the day of Orthodox Christmas, January 7, 2014. At around 6:00 p.m., the procession into Euromaidan began with the Dakh Daughters, who performed traditional Ukrainian folk songs about patriotism and freedom; a truck carrying the 4-tonnes sculpture trailed their spirited performance. “Around 200 people followed us into the centre,” Roti observed.

Everyone was curious, even confused, as no announcements had been officially made. This was, after all, an illegal installation. No authorization was given. However, it didn’t take long for those perplexed observers to understand why this was happening. “New Ukraine” was more than a gift; it was a proclamation of hope. After the sculpture was successfully hoisted from the truck to the ground, people sang and danced into the night in celebration.

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Roti (photo © Alexej Zaika)

Two months into Euromaidan, the celebration of Christmas and the “New Ukraine” sculpture were hardly indicators of an end to the protests, although demonstrations began to decrease in number. On January 16, Yanukovych forcefully passed legislation that would colossally curtail a number of free speech rights, notably the right to assemble and protest. This move sparked civil unrest that ultimately culminated into a violent stand off between protestors and police.

The first deaths of the revolution were reported in the week that followed. Protests spread to nine other cities across Ukraine, marking a fundamental shift in the Ukrainian revolution. While Yanokovych has agreed to make concessions towards peace, talks have yielded no success. The situation may seem dire to some, but there is some hope out of all of it. Increasingly more government buildings are now occupied and riot police and government troops are vastly outnumbered.

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Roti (photo © Alexej Zaika)

Since the rise in tension, greater media attention has been given to the movement and supporters across the world have asked their leaders to enact concessions on the Ukrainian government. During the World Economic Forum in Switzerland Friday, January 24th, 50 Ukrainian sympathizers stood outside with signs that read “thank you for your concern, now do something.”

In a way, this sentiment can be addressed to many of us. Social movements and revolutions require more than assembly, they also command a shift in ideology and action. Roti’s “New Ukraine” sculpture in Kyiv is almost an unconscious rallying call to continue the independent and free ethos of graffiti with new disciplines.

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Roti (photo © Alexej Zaika)

“If I use art illegally, in the graffiti spirit, by giving all this energy inside the stone,” Roti explains, “it can leave an eternal trace of this movement.” Likely, this stone will remain for hundreds of years as a continuous reminder of the Ukrainian revolution.

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Roti (photo © Chris Cunningham)

This article also appears on The Huffington Post 

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Our special thanks to Alex Parrish for sharing her essay with BSA readers.
 
 
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Baltimore Opens Its Walls To Street Art

May 30, 2012 , , ,

Abstract geometrist and Street Artist MOMO is still sweeping across a massive brick wall in his cherry picker as he leads Open Walls Baltimore across the finish line with more than twenty artists and murals spread across these blocks straight off “The Wire” TV series.

 

 

MOMO. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. Stay tuned for process shots of MOMO’s wall on BSA tomorrow. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Oh, man, he’s really getting it down over there,” says local pigeon trainer Tony Divers, who is looking out his back door past the bird’s coop at the new 5-story MOMO piece coming alive in the empty lot next door. Mr. Tony, whose pigeons have also had a starring role in the series, himself became the subject of a massive building-sized portrait by Jetsonorama two blocks up the street.

 

VHILS. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Welcome to Open Walls Baltimore.

New York Street Artist Gaia had been racing his fixie around this town since he started studying at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) a few years ago. In between trips back home he began hitting walls with his large scale paste-ups on sides of some of the abandoned buildings that comprise entire blocks in this city. Somewhere along the way he gradually fell in love with the neighborhood and it’s lively conversations on the stoop, secret speakeasies on the weekend, and eclectic shows with Dan Deacon and the Wham City Arts Collective.

Freshly graduated, the talkative 23 year old artist with a natural knack for organizing decided to stay in B’more and plot a Street Art revitalization of sorts. With Ben Stone and Rebecca Chan of Station North Arts & Entertainment as partners, the trio secured monetary backing and city support for 20 artists to come and paint murals this spring.  When asked if the grand outlay of almost a hundred thousand dollars is a civic/private program, Gaia is quick to answer, “Totally private. I guess you could call it civic because they’re non-profit.”

Gaia. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Armed with a budget and Gaia’s knowledge of Street Artists on the scene, the team was able to garner a wide collection of artists to create murals. When Baltimore native and famous graffiti/hip-hop photographer Martha Cooper agreed to shoot it all, Gaia knew OWB was going to be a hit. Large walls were pretty easily secured with help from the City of Baltimore and sponsors helped with paint and services. From March to May the neighborhoods of Station North and Greenmount West have played host to internationally known Street Art names of the moment like Vhils, Sten and Lex, Swoon, Jaz, MOMO, and Interesni Kazki getting up on walls alongside a list of local and regional talents.

 

Chris Stain and Billy Mode. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The reviews and interactions between the organizers, artists and local residents have generally been positive in this part of town where the drug trade has filled the vacuum since all the factories died and communities were destroyed. With “art as a gentrifying force” being a huge discussion, these hippy kids have formed community in bombed out factory buildings here over the last decade and a burgeoning artists community has somehow sustained itself tenuously through the rigors of a ruthless recession. Programmatically OWB is not entirely new as a cultural stimulus but this sort of “jump-start” approach to engendering a creative renaissance by public/private development may be watched carefully by other cities as a possible formula to imitate.

Sten & Lex. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For the upbeat organizer/curator of the project, it’s been extremely gratifying and an eye opener to be accountable to such a range of interests, “I learned that murals can be a little threatening to people and bring out their latent fears and that the parties you think who are going to be most afraid generally might not be,” Gaia explains, “and the ones you think might be the most into it – provide the most criticism.”

“For example the artists community turned out to be the one that was most afraid of being a gentrifying force and was most critical of the project. And all the legacy residents were generally not bringing that up, even if I asked them,” he says.

 

Sculptor John Ahearn performs a live casting of a couple. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Two young art fans watch in wonderment as Mr. Ahearn applies the liquid rubber to cast the mold. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mr. Ahearn’s street installation of previous casts. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Street Artist Nanook, also a student at nearby MICA and a logistical lynchpin for OWB, created his own mural that strikes at the historic manufacturing base that once provided a livelihood for the people who lived in many of these abandoned buildings. For him, the artist’s role is to connect the lines between past and present, “And so it’s just about bringing back these signifiers to the neighborhood. Especially for this housing area that was built to house the people who were working at these factories. It has been interesting to meet the people who are old enough to have worked at these factories – they actually worked at the coat factory and the rudder factory and the bottling factory down the street.”

As he smokes and points to the gears and the large hand on his mural, Nanook also talks about the former coat factory two blocks away that is now being renovated to be a magnet art school, and the possibility that work by creatives can create help neighborhoods re-imagine a future, “I think most artists are intermediaries for the communities they reside in.”

 

Swoon. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As we tour around the streets with Ms. Cooper, we make sure to hit the hot graffiti spot in town, an alley she’s known for more than 50 years and one that has provided uninterrupted opportunity for exploration with an aerosol can for many artists who start out here. “Usually there are people painting back here and there’s often somebody doing a fashion shoot back here,” she remarks while snapping images of tags and colorful pieces. “There was a “Wild Style” reunion here a few years ago with Charlie (Ahearn), and they painted all kinds of stuff. It’s fun and they all come to this – because there really aren’t too many locations to do this”

While we watch a handful of 20-year-olds pulling cans from backpacks and arranging them on the cracked concrete in front of a wall, we talk to Jeremy, a local Baltimore artist who also makes puppetry and masks. He says he likes the effect that OWB has been having on the neighborhood. “It’s an interesting project. It’s nice to see a kind of subtle but effective change. Baltimore is kind of rough. But because (OWB) is there it invokes something different and the space actually is transformed.”

On a Friday evening at a block party celebrating the completion of the final wall, Gaia is happy with how it has turned out, and pleased with the multiple conversations he’s been able to have with people in the community about murals, walls, pigeons, paint, and wheat-paste. “My only curatorial process was matching the artists with walls and sites that I thought would be pertinent and I thought would really work with the artists’ process – that was my biggest goal and it succeeded.”

Interesni Kazki. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Ever. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JAZ. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

JAZ. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Freddy Sam. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Specter. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Maya Hayuk. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Josh Van Horn. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder created a new facade within the facade of this building and a tribute to a local resident, Dennis Livingston. Says Gaia, “OverUnder is remarkably improvisational and really works well with children and people and is super engaging.” Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Overunder.Dennis Livinston. Detail. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Mata Ruda. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Doodles. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jetsonorama’s portrait of Mr. Tony as he watches his pigeons in the sky. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Jetsonorama and Nanook collaboration from a Martha Cooper photograph. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Jetsonorama and Nanook collaboration from a Martha Cooper photograph. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Jetsonorama and Nanook collaboration from a Martha Cooper photograph. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Nanook’s wall in progress. Open Walls Baltimore 2012. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Open Walls Baltimore includes the following artists: Gaia (Baltimore), Momo (New Orleans), Doodles (Port Townsend, WA), Maya Hayuk (New York City), Ever (Buenos Aires, Argentina,  Overunder (Reno, NV), John Ahearn (New York City)
Specter (Montreal), Mata Ruda (Baltimore), Josh Van Horn (Baltimore) , Caitlin Cunningham (Baltimore) , Jessie Unterhalter & Katey Truhn (Baltimore), Freddy Sam (Capetown, South Africa), Intersni Kazki (Kiev, Ukraine),
Gary Kachadourian (Baltimore), Chris Stain (New York City, Baltimore), Billy Mode (Baltimore),  Jetsonorama (Arizona), Swoon (New York City), Sten and Lex (Italy), Nanook (Baltimore), Jaz (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Vhils (Portugal)

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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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Mexico City: High Art in Thin Air

May 16, 2012 , , , , , ,

Capital Soars with Huge New International Street Art Murals

An Amazing Week in DF with Interesni Kazki, El Mac, Saner, Sego, Roa, Herakut, Vhils, and Escif

Gazing out at the sweep of metropolis that is modern Mexico City, you’ll have to catch your breath once in a while. A culture known for it’s historic public murals of the 20th Century, it looks like a resurgence is at hand, but this time the muralist are international Street Artists, and the scale is soaring.

Escif (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

The project “All City Canvas” invited nine artists from around the world and locally to use some of Distrito Federal’s prime real estate as just that – a canvas. With cranes and rollers instead of ladders and cans, these are some of the largest works we’ve seen by some of these artists. Here’s Portugals’ Vhils on the Dolores Building near La Alameda, there’s Germany’s Herakut on the side of the oldest newspaper in Mexico El Universal, and look way up to see LA’s El Mac signature portrait on the side of the Hotel Reforma Avenue. After eleven months of work getting permission from building owners, convincing city leaders, and securing major corporate sponsors, the capital of Mexico now has a few more major public art pieces that will blow you away and the resulting collection further secures this city of 21 million as one of the growing hubs of the Street Art scene.

ROA (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

We spoke with the three guys who organized the festival to get an understanding of the logistics and their aspirations for the project. As organizers and innovators with ties to their own arts organizations in Mexico City, each one of these guys hustled to make it happen; Victor Hugo Celaya of ARTO, Roberto Shimizu of MUJAM,  and Gonzalo Alvarez of MAMUTT. Participating artists were Interesni Kazki (Ukraine), El Mac (USA), Saner (Mexico), Sego (Mexico), Roa (Belgium), Herakut (Germany), Vhils (Portugal) and Ecif (Spain).

Brooklyn Street Art: Often Street Artists are relegated to the buildings that are abandoned and in a state of decay. In this case, your program featured work on the sides of some of the most important buildings in Mexico City. How did you get permission to do this?
Victor Hugo Celaya: Since the beginning, we wanted to offer an unique experience to the city so we took urban art to everybody – youth, businessmen, doctors, moms… In order to make a huge impact, we worked to obtain the best spots in Mexico City. Each of these buildings is seen by thousands of people each day and are all located in the city center of Mexico City. It was a difficult job, but in the end we got everything set up. The impact would not have been the same if we had painted other walls.

ROA (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Brooklyn Street Art: Mexican culture has a proud tradition of public murals. How does the style of Street Art in 2012 differ from that tradition?
Roberto Shimizu: Obviously the Mexican history with mural painters and our cultural background, with artists like David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera – played a big part while we were conceptualizing the project. Mexico City has the perfect moral background to invite the best urban artists in the world to intervene its walls to create huge murals. We wanted to  innovate and create a new link with the past with some of the renowned urban artists of our time.

Brooklyn Street Art: Did you have difficulty persuading building owners to allow this work on their property?
Gonzalo Alvarez: It was difficult to get to the owners, since these people are important business people that don’t have “a lot of time”. Nevertheless, after a lot of work and perseverance we got to show them the project.  Once we got to them, we realized they are great people who were interested in getting involved in new innovative projects for the city. At the end, all of them were very happy with the outcome of the festival.

ROA. Detail. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Brooklyn Street Art: Is there a graffiti/Street Art “scene” in certain areas of D.F.?
Victor Hugo Celaya: DF is one of the biggest cities in the world – the 2nd biggest, so it is a natural hub for the urban art scene. The movement is very alive at the moment and it is giving Mexican artists an opportunity to show themselves to the world. With this project we wanted to make a statement to the world, that urban art is not only for young people that live in and around big cities – it’s for everybody – doctors, politicians, business people, Moms, merchants… For example, the intervention of the W Hotel, which is located in one of the most “posh” neighborhoods in the country, was very disruptive because nobody could have imagined an urban artists painting a huge mural on the same terrace where they usually eat their lunch or have their business meetings.

SEGO (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Brooklyn Street Art: In the last few years we have been seeing many international Street Artists traveling to large cities around the world doing commissioned work for local festival organizers. How do these traveling artists affect the art scene in the local Mexican context?
Gonzalo Alvarez: This was also very important to us when we were conceiving “All City Canvas”. First we wanted to show young artists that if you do a good job doing what you like, you can actually earn money and travel around the world. You can take your art to other cultures and if you are good enough, you could influence someone else.

Secondly, many artists in Mexico have no money to travel to other countries, and many of their influences  come from the pictures they see on the Internet. To have this world-known urban artist in Mexico City was an unique opportunity for these young artists to watch, compare and learn their techniques.

SEGO. Detail. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Brooklyn Street Art: Can you talk about the vibrant youth culture in Mexico City and how it responds to this kind of work?
Roberto Shimizu: Yes, Mexico is a young country, and more than half of the population is under 30 years of age. We noticed how important cultural events like this are for the young people. Each day thousands of young Mexicans congregated outside of the buildings the artists were painting – they wanted to watch the work and to understand the artistic process of the artwork. Also we offered a series of conferences called WORDS and a gallery exposition called WORKS to offer different points of view of the urban art scene. What we found is that young people in Mexico are very keen to learn and participate in these kinds of projects.

Also on the other hand, the feedback from the Mexican youth is very honest and direct. If you are doing something wrong they will let you know –  also they’ll let you know if you are doing something right.

Vhils. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Vhils. Detail. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Sego and Vhils process shots. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Herakut (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Herakut (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

SANER (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

SANER. Detail. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Interesni Kazki (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

Interesni Kazki (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

El Mac (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

El Mac. Detail. (photo © courtesy of All City Canvas)

For more information about the “All City Canvas” project, please click here.

MAMUTT (www.mamutt.mx)

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