Images of the Week 08.21.11

August 21, 2011 Artists, California, Chicago, Culver City, Los Angeles, On the Street, Venice Beach

Street Art is alive and well in Chicago and LA, two cities we’ve recently had the pleasure of touring with local expert guides. At our panel discussion at LA MOCA an audience member proffered the opinion that Street Art has peaked and is dead. Just like New York City itself, people have been pronouncing urban art and graff and Street Art as “over” ever since we got here – yet it all has a maddening and thrilling capacity for reinvention. It takes new forms and serves new purposes even as it thrives, distinguishing itself from what came before, as every new generation is bound to do by the laws of nature. We’ll let you know if it dies, promise. It’s like talking about the day music died. Ha!

So here’s our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Anthony Lister, Banksy, Herakut, Jetsonorama, Kid Zoom, KWT Crew, No Teef, Shepard Fairey, Skewville, Snacki, and Swoon.

Thank you to Nick from Pawn Works Gallery and Brock in Chicago for their hospitality and again thank you to all the people in Los Angeles who made us feel at home with welcoming smiles and generous hearts.

Stay tuned this week for a LUDO special and a ROA special – these cats both hit LA and Chi-Town and the results are hot. Banksy in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown. Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

No Teef and Snacki of KWT Crew. Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville wants you to call this number. He was in Chicago for his solo show “Not My Type” currently on view at Pawn Works Gallery. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville in Chicago (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skewville also contributed a piece to “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories” currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

Anthony Lister in Venice Beach, LA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Lister contributed a 3 mask installation to “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories” Currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

Herakut in Culver City, LA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Amen! Reverend in Downtown, LA (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon in the Arts District in Downtown, LA as part of the LA Freewalls Project. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Swoon contributed a piece to “Street Art Saved my Life: 39 New York Stories” Currently on view at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

Shepard Fairey with The Non Toxic Revolution Campaign in the Arts District in Downtown, LA as part of the LA Freewalls Project. The project is meant to raise awareness about the level of possibly harmful toxic ingredients we interact with and use in personal and household items and their deleterious effect on health of people and the planet. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Shepard Fairey with The Non Toxic Revolution Campaing in the Arts District in Downtown, LA as part of the LA Freewalls Project. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Kid Zoom in the Arts District in Downtown, LA as part of the LA Freewalls Project. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jetsonorama is a contributing guest this week with images of work he just recently put up in the desert. He sent along a brief but funny intro to the images:

“I installed this piece and shot these images this morning at Cameron, near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Chris is a local. He and his wife had been up all night gambling at Cliff Castle Casino. He said they lost about $400.00. His wife was pissed because she lost the money. Chris needed some space from her anger and his response was to get an 18-pack, trusting better times will come soon” ~ Jetsonorama