Fresthetic
Death Warmed Over
Opening Friday, June 25th
Fresthetic
560 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
There can be a bit of grand posturing around the word “community” especially by people (or corporations) who spend more time chasing the Gravy Train than climbing on the Love Train. And swimming in an acid-tongued media landscape that keeps saying we’re are a giant polarized society simply bubbling with animosity, you could be forgiven for not leaving your house, let alone breaking bread with your neighbor who is different.
New York people prove that lie to be wrong every day – we are a hugely diverse lot- our different mother tongues alone could lick a frosting bowl the size of Shea Stadium. And yet mysteriously all of us weird different kinds of people are all getting along with each other day after day – sometimes we even enjoy each other!
Welling Court Murals, a project with Street Artists in a neighborhood in Queens, New York, came to fruition on Saturday and the results were as colorful and eclectic as we are. While the people on the block barbecued and danced and played games, kids chased each other and rode their bikes and took many pictures of Street Artists doing their thing on the walls- spray cans, paint brushes, wheat paste, and markers busy.
Saturday was the “show day” for this project that the folks at Ad Hoc Art, with Alison and Garrison Buxton at the helm, have been “community organizing” for a long time. However, by no means is it the end of the project, as new friendships and alliances were forged and a neighborhood has a new panoply of street art to look at, ponder, and hopefully be inspired by.
The Welling Court Mural Project was one of the most cohesive “community” events we’ve seen in a long time. Street Artists plus an engaged neighborhood of very nice people… delicious home-made foods, music from Latin America and India/Pakistan, adults, kids, painting, asking and answering myriad questions, posing for pictures in front of pieces — all proving again that the arts can bring people together. A sincere “Thank you” to Ad Hoc and Allison and Garrison and all the artists for putting your best out there for others to share.
Welling Court Artists include: Alice Mizrachi, Beast, Chris Mendoza, Chris Stain, Celso, Cern, Cey Adams, CR, Cycle, Dan Witz, Darkclouds, Daryll Peirce, Don Leicht, Ellis G, Free5, Gaia, Garrison & Alison Buxton, Greg Lamarche, JMR, John Fekner, Lady Pink, Leon Reid, Matt Siren, M-City, Michael De Feo, Mr. Kiji, Pablo Power, Peripheral Media Projects, R. Nicholas Kuszyk, Remi/Rough, Ron English, Royce Bannon, Sofia Maldonado, Stormie Mills, Sweet Toof, Swoon, TooFly, Tristan Eaton, and Veng RWK.
Our Weekly Interview With the Street
Artists participating are Aakash Nihalani, Billi Kid, Blanco, Cake, Celso, Cern, Damon Ginandes, Darkcloud, David Cooper, Elbow-Toe, James and Karla Murray, Joe Iurato, Matt Siren, NohJColey, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Skewville, Sofia Maldonado, Stikman, UR®New York and Veng.
Our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Aakash Nihalani, Billi Kid, Blanco, Cake, Celso, Cern, Damon Ginandes, Darkcloud, David Cooper, Elbow-Toe, James and Karla Murray, Joe Iurato, Matt Siren, NohJColey, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Skewville, Sofia Maldonado, Stikman, UR®New York, Veng, Faile, Shepard Fairey, Various & Gould, Ron English,Mr. Kern, DAIN, and Primo.
Big Ups to Billi Kid and Ms. Luna Park and the whole glittering menagerie of street artists who blew up this beautiful little window in Barneys!
Here’s a pic from last night on the street by Luna – see more on The Street Spot
Read More About the Project and See More Pics HERE.
Artists participating are: Aakash Nihalani, Billi Kid, Blanco, Cake, Celso, Cern, Damon Ginandes, Darkcloud, David Cooper, Elbow-Toe, James and Karla Murray, Joe Iurato, Matt Siren, NohJColey, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Skewville, Sofia Maldonado, Stikman, UR®New York and Veng.
American designers Charles and Ray Eames worked and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture during their life together, which stretched 4 decades or so in the last century. During that time they created many classics – like this, this, and this. So celebrated are their designs that the postal service even issued a collection of stamps a couple of years ago featuring their designs.
As with most things that become classic, they also can use an update periodically – even though I know that statement causes a shudder to go down the spines of those who consider the designs “timeless”.
And so it came to be that Mr. Kid and Ms. Park summoned 20 of the current crop of rebels on the street to reface one of the Eames classics for a fundraiser auction benefitting Operation Design, which puts architects, artists and related professionals in mentorship programs with NYC public school students. The whole enterprise, which includes a film crew an on-line auction and a few parties ultimately involves a number of players.
But the aesthetically gratifying and thrilling part of this show to me is that it is freely available by walking down the street – specifically walking by the Barney’s windows starting May 11th – June 1st.
The MOMA has the original in it’s permanent collection, and TIME magazine named their dining chair the best design of the 20th century, but for us the real deal is in these 2010 versions that erupt with new life and the D.I.Y. spirit that is alive and well on the streets.
The chairs have been rocked! I think NohJ even set his on fire… Here are a few examples.
Eames classic by Billi Kid
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
“EAMES INSPIRATION”
CURATED BY BILLI KID AND LUNA PARK
ON VIEW AT BARNEYS WINDOWS FROM MAY 11th THROUGH JUNE 1st
See the whole collection of chairs HERE
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
presents
EAMES INSPIRATION
A unique collection of iconic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chairs, as re-imagined by some of today’s most celebrated graffiti and street artists, will be auctioned online
to benefit OPERATION DESIGN.
Operation Design organizes architects, graphic artists, design, construction and related professionals to work with public school students to create motivating and inspiring spaces and projects.
Featured in BARNEYS NEW YORK windows on Madison Avenue at 61st Street
May 11th through June 1st.
Bidding begins May 11th at opdesign.org and ends June 1st.
Curated by Billi Kid and Luna Park.
Artist List
Aakash Nihalani, Billi Kid, Blanco, Cake, Celso, Cern, Damon Ginandes, Darkcloud, David Cooper, Elbow-Toe, James and Karla Murray, Joe Iurato, Matt Siren, NohJColey, Peru Ana Ana Peru, Skewville, Sofia Maldonado, Stikman, UR®New York and Veng.
It wasn’t so long ago that these Brooklyn streets were at war, in a real army v. army battling sort of way, not just rappers out-rhyming each other at a block party.
Street artist General Howe researches significant sites in Brooklyn that relate to the Revolutionary War aka Battle of Brooklyn. It’s probably an extension of his childhood, where the General waged war regularly with these same toy soldiers.
Now the tiny plastic men are historically placed in exact locations around the city where battles actually took place. If you don’t notice the small cluster, you might smush an entire brigade with your foot – which is usually what happens. In the loud grit of the street, the bright little dudes, detritus and Duco cement mix with history, movies, and the nostalgia for childhood.
For the Street Art New York Silent Auction, the General has contributed this piece that ties in all his favorite themes and labeled it “Faith”. He says it’s “an icon to reflect on the experience of creating these battles in the streets of Brooklyn.” The scene is actually part of the Domino Sugar Factory on Kent Avenue, and the style is part of a new series he is doing to evoke the aesthetic of coloring books that children use.
See more pieces from the auction at http://www.flickr.com/photos/streetartnewyork/. We also uploaded Veng, UR New York (2easae & Ski), Tristan Eaton, Bishop 203, Royce Bannon, and Skewville today. More to come
El Celso Presents
Bring your art to Shred with Celso and Friends
NEW YORK, NY (February 24, 2010) – El Celso is pleased to present ART SHRED, a group exhibition/shredding of new original works on paper, photographs, letters and other priceless works.
ART SHRED is an on-site shredding service that will help artists and other participants liberate themselves of important works of art, meaningful love letters and one-of-a-kind photographs – and other significant material created, printed, or written on paper. After being sliced and diced, all works will be scattered on the gallery floor. If you have something of consequence that you would like to have shredded, e-mail celso@elcelso.com. Walk-ins welcome.
ART SHRED will showcase the shredded works of:
El Celso, C-Monster, Jennifer Dalton, William Powhida, Paul Kostabi, Jennifer Dziura, Darkcloud, infinity, Martha Cooper, ski, James & Karla Murray, 2esae, Keely, avone, Leonardo Furtado, Man Bartlett, Morgan Thomas, Buildmore Shrines, Abe Lincoln Jr., LA II, Pufferella, Skewville, Royce Bannon, Destroy & Rebuild, James Willis, Rednose, Luna Park, Robots Will Kill, The Endless Love Crew, Veng, Elisha Cook Jr., Felix Morelo, Reid Harris Cooper, Dean Radinovsky, Cake, Depoe, Stikman and many more to be announced!
ART SHRED will be held on March 3rd, 2010 between 2pm-4pm
@ The WINKLEMAN Gallery
621 W. 27th Street
(between 11th & 12th Avenues)
ART SHRED a proud member of and is brought to you by #class
Organized by Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida
February 21- March 20, 2010
For more information please contact celso@elcelso.com or visit:
http://elcelso.com
http://hashtagclass.blogspot.com/
http://www.winkleman.com/
E
mpresario and street artist Celso has a sense of humor about most things, and street art in particular.
Without reading too much into it, it’s easy to understand how some of the hype surrounding the humongus Art Basel in Miami this week does tend to turn off the hot-headed anti-capitalist anti-consumerist anti-consumption anti-homogenization-of-everything-in-our culture-types in our midst.
Not that any of these artists are in that category, but it is pretty funny to learn that this one-day only art show ends with all the art being burned, and none of it added to your burgeoning street-art collection.
But Marge, what are they trying to say? While we prefer to create original content and not simply copy-and-paste, sometimes it just makes sense to take it directly from the press release >>
ART BURN: The Most Combustible Art Show in the World
International Contemporary Art Expo & Immolation
**To be held at LAS TIAS, 2834 N. Miami Ave., in Miami’s Wynwood District at sunset on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009***
(Miami, FL) — ART BURN, the most combustible art show in the world, will combine an international selection of original art with fire. Original works on canvas, wood and paper by a selection of more than three dozen international artists will be displayed and then flambeed in Miami on the evening of Thursday, December 3, 2009 at sunset. The exhibition/grilling, curated by NYC artist El Celso, will take place in the Wynwood Arts District, within walking distance of Miami’s lesser contemporary art fairs.
An exclusive selection of more than three dozen exceptional pieces by the hottest renowned artists and sizzling, cutting-edge newcomers will be displayed from 1pm until sundown. After the brief exhibition, all of these original works will be burned for the public’s viewing pleasure. Nothing is for sale.
We will be exhibiting and burning new works by:
Stikman
El Celso
Aurora Robson
infinity
Nick Fortunato
Skewville
Jayne Surrena
Darkcloud
Fabian Pena
Elbow-Toe
Rex Dingler
LA II
Royce Bannon
Leonardo Furtado (Brazil)
Rednose
Gore-B
Buildmore
Abe Lincoln Jr.
Cake
Paul Kostabi
Ellis-G
Jeannete Vidalia
2esae
Avoid Pi
Stefano Pasquini (Italy)
Keely
Destroy & Rebuild
Veng
F. Trainer
Ski
Joanne Mattera
Deeker
Sam Horine
Avone
Die Dose (Germany)
Billi Kid
Evelyn Metzger
Robots Will Kill
Adam Vincentz
Garrison Buxton (Peripheral Media Projects)
Michael DeFeo
James A. Willis
Dalva
Kristina Maria Lopez
Hargo
Ray Bradbury & very special guests TBA
You can even follow the events on Twitter at @elcelso and @cmonstah.
SPONSORS
C-MONSTER.NET
The official media sponsor of the ART BURN VIP Lounge
HYPERALLERGIC
The official blogazine, critic and beer sponsor of ART BURN
BROOKLYN STREET ART
The official street art and corporate snack sponsor of ART BURN
KINGSFORD Charcoal
The unofficial grilling partner of ART BURN
We’ve been assured that all local laws and safety precautions will be observed. At least Miami is a coastal town so they are near water.
Enjoy this hunk o burnin’ luv….
Veng, NohJColey, Milo Carney, Billy Russomano, Alex Mosley, Ca$h4, Awol, Erizk, Avone, Christian Vargas, Brandon Cox, Gabriel Smith, Jay Roberts, Carlito Bragonti, Jenevieve&!#, Nikeisha Nelson, Maximiliano Ferro, Royce Bannon
All The Pieces on the Wall Opening Reception
October 6th, 7-9pm Exhibition
Runs October 6th-27th, 2009
Habana Outpost 757 Fulton Street Brooklyn, NY 11217
Yes, I'd like a room with a vibrating bed please
LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES BY MICHAEL POWERS AND BAND (FEATURING GABRIEL ALDORT) WITH SPECIAL GUESTS MARK BIRNBAUM, MICHAEL FISHER AND MERYL LEPPARD.
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BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
