Exhibits

Apostrophe NYC Base 12 Artists at Mana BSMT: Ryan Bock, Kolter Hodgson, James Reyes, James Rubio, The Real Love Child, Sei Smith & Alana Dee Haynes

February 16, 2017

A collaborative hub for artists, the Mana BSMT occupies the entire lower level of Mana Contemporary‘s Jersey City headquarters. After completing their residency there, Apostrophe NYC’s Base 12 artists presented their artworks in a series of installations and performances this past Saturday evening. The image pictured above was fashioned by Ryan Bock, whose talents have also made their way onto walls on the Lower East Side and Bushwhick. Here are several more images we captured:

Also by Ryan Bock, Sacrificial Shanking

Kolter Hodgson, Cryami, close-up

James Reyes

James Rubio with his new Power of Prayer paintings

The Real Love Child, close-up

Sei Smith, Yellow and Blue — as observed by Houda Lazrak — with artist as masseur

Alana Dee Haynes, Photo Booth — with fashions designed by the artist

Photo credits: 1-7 Lois Stavsky and 8 Houda Lazrak

Note: Hailed in a range of media from Wide Walls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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ALL BIG LETTERS — Curated by RJ Rushmore — Continues Through March 3 at the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery in Haverford, PA

February 11, 2017

On view at the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery in Havorford Pa. is ALL BIG LETTERS, curated by Vandalog editor RJ Rushmore. In his “attempt to demystify graffiti,” RJ focuses on the tools and strategies of writers – rather merely on their styles. And he succeeds brilliantly. What follows are several images from the exhibit, largely illustrative of the various tools and strategies employed by writers in their quest to attain recognition. Pictured above is a huge wall painted by Faust who initially made his mark on our streets with hundreds of stickers featuring his exquisite handwriting.

Curve, an installation featuring his writing on a range of found materials

Lee Quinones, Howard the Duck

Martha Cooper, photography; below — a range of tools of the trade — both homemade and commercial

EKG, The Tools of Graffiti

A sampling of stickers from DB Burkeman’s stuckupofficial collection

And accompanying the exhibit is a catalog with an outstanding selection of images, accompanied by insightful essays by both RJ and Carlo McCormick. Located on the campus of Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery is about a 30-minute ride from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. ALL BIG LETTERS can be seen through March 3.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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Bizarre Bazaar: A Found Art Exhibit at Fat Free Art with Hektad, Urbanimal, Raphael Gonzalez, Tomaso Albertini, What Will You Leave Behind, Icy and Sot, Bianca Romero, SacSix, JPO, Suckadelic & more

February 7, 2017

An extraordinary array of found objects have been transformed into intriguing repurposed art for Fat Free Art‘s first annual Bizarre Bazaar. Pictured above is Hektad‘s American graffiti flag looming over Urbanimal‘s table. Here are severel more works from this stylishly imaginative exhibit.

Raphael Gonzalez, An Ciana

Tomaso Albertini, Butterfly Effect, huge segment of framed piece

What Will You Leave Behind, Worth Nothing

Icy and Sot, Let Her Be Free

Bianca Romero, The Muse Says — to the right of Hektad‘s spray cans — and shoes designed by SacSix on shelf below

JPO, 3 of a Kind

Suckadelic, Pussy Grabs Back

The exhibit continues through March 4 at Fat Free Art, 102 Allen Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is open Tuesday – Saturday 11AM-7PM & Sunday 12PM-5PM,

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from Wide Walls to the Huffington Post and the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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Hip-Hop Utopia: Culture + Community at Jersey’s City’s Dineen Hull Gallery Through February 21

January 30, 2017

While visiting Hip-Hop Utopia: Culture + Community at Hudson County Community College‘s Dineen Hull Gallery this past Friday, I had the opportunity to speak to Michelle Vitale aka woolpunk who — along with Fred Fleisher — curated the wonderfully eclectic exhibit.

What a fabulous tribute to hip-hop this is! What would you say is the exhibit’s mission?

Its mission is to celebrate the culture of hip-hop. Its four elements — MCing, Graffiti, DJing and Breakdancing — have had a huge, positive impact on today’s society. This exhibit is our way of paying tribute to these elements and to the community that has nurtured them.

Did anyone or anything — in particular — inspire it?

The notion of curating an exhibit on hip-hop was first suggested by Hudson County Community College Vice President Dr. Pando. It seemed like a great concept, as I love the communal aspect of hip-hop. Among the many inspirations was music industry veteran Tony Drootin who serves on the board of Hip Hop Public Health.

Just what is Hip Hop Public Health? I see it is represented in this exhibit.

Based in NYC, Hip Hop Public Health uses music as a message to improve health literacy and encourage positive behaviors among school children. Its founder and president, Dr. Olajide Williams, MDMS serves as Chief of Staff of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. Among the artists involved in Hip Hop Public Health are: Doug E. Fresh, Easy A.D Harris and Jordan Sparks.

Can you tell us something about some of your other partners? There are some great T-shirts on display here!

Among our partners is Chilltown Collective, an apparel and lifestyle brand based here in Jersey City. It was co-founded in 2015 by Lovelisa Dizon as a platform for “passionate creatives.”

And there are quite a few bikes in the gallery!

Yes! We’ve partnered with both Grove Street Bicycles and Animal Bikes. Grove Street Bicycles is a nearby full-service shop that sells all kinds of bikes, accessories, clothing and shoes and handles all kinds of bicycle repairs. And Animal Bikes, owned by Ralph Sinisi, supplies bike parts for BMX street riding and also sells gear.

What are some of the challenges you faced in curating an exhibit as multi-faceted as this one?

Once we knew what direction we wanted to go with the theme of Hip-Hop, everything came together easily. Our Karma has been great! We are showcasing works of noted established artists together with talented younger ones, several who are Hudson County Community College alumni. We have local DJ’s participating, as well as spoken-word artists. We’ve planned a range of events open to the community.

How has the response to the exhibit been?

We’ve been open just a few days, and the response has already been great. We’ve been featured in the Jersey Journal and listed as one of the top 10 current attractions in Jersey City.

How can folks see the exhibit?

Our opening reception takes place Tuesday evening, January 31, from 6-8pm. The exhibit continues through Tuesday, February 21 at 71 Sip Avenue 6th Floor. Gallery hours are: Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and those who attend have a chance to win a graffiti-tagged, fat-tire bicycle donated by Grove Street Bicycles.

Congratulations! It’s looking great!

Images

1. Raphael Gonzalez, The Art of the Throw Up! Giz

2. Alex Melo, Diplomatic Immunity

3. Yishai Minkin, Biggie

4. Karlos Carcamo, One, Two Three…

5. Mr Mustart with Chilltown Collective, I free myself…

6. Freddy Samboy, two works suspended from ceiling; Grove Street Bicycles, Donated Fat Tire Bikes and Videos courtesy Grove Street Bicycles, Animal & Hip Hop Public Health

7. Raphael Gonzalez, Danielle

8. Freddy Samboy, Breaking Free

9. Jeremy Coleman Smith, DJ Shrine with Michelle Vitale aka wool punk seated

Photos and interview by Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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A Visit to Home, Memory, and Future at Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute’s (CCCADI) New East Harlem Home

January 5, 2017

While visiting CCCADI’s inaugural exhibit in its new East Harlem home, I had the opportunity to speak to one of its curators, Regina Bultron-Bengoa.

Just what is CCCADI?

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute is a multi-disciplinary arts center that showcases and promotes the distinct contributions of African Diaspora cultures.

How would you define its mission?

Through arts, education and activism it strives to advance change by uniting the various cultures of the African Diaspora, while promoting their value.

When was it originally established?

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega founded it in 1966 as a center where African and Native cultures of Caribbean and Latin American countries could be recognized and honored. Its first home was on East 87^th Street and its last home was in a brownstone in Hell’s Kitchen.

Can you tell us something about its present locale here in this landmark space on East 125 Street in East Harlem?

A few years back, several shuttered landmark firehouses were offered to cultural institutions. With city and state support, nine million dollars were raised to renovate this particular historic one for CCCADI, and on September 16, 2004, we broke ground.

Who is its audience?

We have a wide audience from students and educators to arts professionals to families. We offer a huge range of free or low-cost exhibits, workshops and activities.

Your inaugural exhibit, Home, Memory, and Future is quite impressive. It is divided into three distinct parts.

Yes. Part I: Harlem: East and West features the works of three acclaimed photographers who have been documenting Harlem since the 70’s. Part II: Harlem and Home in the Global Context showcases artworks that suggest how cultural traditions are used to establish “home” in distant places. And Part III: Mi Quirido Barrio (My Beloved Community) – focusing on the social history of El Barrio — takes place outdoors and in cyberspace, using augmented reality. Among its themes are: migration, nostalgia for the past. gentrification and looking to the future.

Can you tell us some more about the outdoor element of the exhibit?

Yes. It features locations of importance within the social history of El Barrio. Among these are memorial walls painted on the streets — whose history is documented on a free mobile app, Blippar. Through augmented reality, the app allows us to bring the past to life.

That is quite amazing! How has the response been to CCCADI‘s new home and inaugural exhibit?

The response has been great. There were long lines for the fall opening, and folks who see it love the art and identify with it.

How can folks contact CCCADI if they would like to visit or become involved?

They can email: info@cccadi.org

Images

1 & 2 Adrian “Viajero” Roman, Mixed media, 2016

3 Scherezade Garcia, Sea of Wonder, Mixed media, 2016

4 & 5 Oliver Rios & Luis Martinez, Memorial Walls, as seen on the Blippar app while on site

Photo credits: 1-3 Lois Stavsky; 4-5 Courtesy CCCADI

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

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The Art of Peace Opens Tonight at Avant Garde with Bio, Jerms, Danielle Mastrion, Murj, Hef, Stem and more

December 29, 2016

Curated by Lady K Fever and Kate Storch, The Art of Peace opens this evening from 6-10pm at Avant Garde on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. An art show and benefit in celebration of the NY Peace Coalition’s 6th Annual Peace December, it features the visual reflections of 31 artists on the theme of peace. Pictured above was painted by Bio, Tats Cru. Here are several more:

Jerms

Danielle Mastrion

Murj, close-up

Hef

And Stem, YNN on a political note

Curators Lady K Fever and Kate Storch in the gallery window — where there will be live painting tonight

And if you can’t make it tonight or would like to return, the exhibit continues through New Years Day.

Photos: 1-4, 6 & 7 Lois Stavsky; 5 courtesy of Lady K

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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iwillnot on the DC Street Sticker EXPO 3.0 at the FridgeDC

December 21, 2016

Currently on view at the FridgeDC is DC Street Sticker EXPO 3.0, an extraordinary ode to street art stickers. Curated by iwillnot and hosted and sponsored by the Fridge Gallery, it features over 100,000 striking stickers. They’re all here: handsome handstyles, curious characters, political posits and social statements. While in DC, I had the opportunity to speak to iwillnot.

When did you first become involved in the sticker art culture? And what attracted you to it?

It was about ten years ago. I liked the way I could easily transport stickers in my pockets and get them up quickly on the streets.

And what was it about the streets that appealed to you?

Getting my name and message across in a public space.

This is the third sticker art exhibit that you’ve curated at the FridgeDC. What inspired you to bring it indoors?

My son was born five years ago. I no longer had the time to hit the streets. Nor could I take the legal risks. DC’s laws are harsh. One can get fined $1,000.00 and be sentenced to 3o days in jail just for getting a slap up.

Gee… And with Trump here, the penalties could get even harsher. How does this current exhibit differ from the previous two that you curated?

This is the first one that covers the entire gallery. There’s been more involvement, and — with a six-week run — it will be the longest-running sticker expo that I’ve curated.

What were some of the challenges involved in curating such a huge exhibit?

It’s quite costly. Getting something like this together is expensive. And it demands endless hours of work, including time spent training volunteers.

How were you able to collect so many stickers? There are tens of thousands here!

When I first started posting my stickers online, Skam reached out to me to trade stickers. I’ve been trading with artists all over the world ever since. Every participant in the expo gets a return pack from me. It takes months to get them mailed out… but a trade is a trade. After years of trading with artists I have hundreds of thousands of stickers.

And how do you keep track of them?

I document each and every entry. I tag each one and acknowledge receiving it.

That must be some task!

It’s a year-round lifestyle.

How has the response been to this show? The opening was packed with folks of all ages!

The reaction has been great. People seem to have discovered an untapped passion for this art form. All year round, I’m asked about the “next sticker expo.”

How can folks see the exhibit?

It continues through New Years Eve at the FridgeDC, 516 1/2 8th Street SE, and is open Thursday-Saturday 1–8pm & Sunday 1-5pm.

Great! I’m already looking forward to next year’s!

Note: Among the many artists featured in the above close-ups are: Skam, Beas, Klozr, Jamie XV, Ed Gein, iwillnot Hugh Brisman, Sarah Jamison, Sladge & Konjak, 2front, Psyco, Nikolay Milushev, da_weiss, 702er, P Lust, Zas, Chris RWK, nite owl, Feln One,…(more to come!)

Photo credits: 1 Tara Murray; 2 – 6 Lois Stavsky; interview by Lois Stavsky

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DAIN Solo Exhibit Continues at Fat Free Art on the Lower East Side

December 14, 2016

Showcasing established artists, as well as emerging ones, Fat Free Art recently opened in an elegantly gritty space on the corner of Allen and Delancey on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A dazzling solo exhibit presenting new works by the ever-ingenious Dain has inaugurated the space. Here is a sampling:

Several more of Dain‘s distinctly beguiling women

And on the street — Allen and Delancey — with Cost & more

Closer-up

The exhibit — produced in partnership with Street Art Direct — remains on view at 102 Allen Street through January 9.

All photos by Tara Murray

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New RAE BK Exhibit, All Systems Go, to Launch New Years Eve with DJ Kool Herc at 99 Bowery

December 12, 2016

NYC’s prolific RAE BK will join forces with the legendary DJ Kool Herc at 99 Bowery on New Year’s Eve for an unprecented event. A brief interview with RAE BK about his new exhibit and its New Years Eve launch follows:

This sure seems like a fun way to spend New Years Eve! What spurred you to do this?

After everything that has gone on with this Presidential Election in the US, I decided the best way to bring in a 2017 is with a bang. I hope it’s a way to at least turn the page for an evening for those who attend. The name of the exhibition is All Systems Go and it centers around the comparison of discarded objects and human beings.

What kinds of works can we expect to see? On the streets we’ve spotted everything from your stickers to your huge installations?

There will be about 40 pieces ranging from ‘found object’ sculptures to large scale canvases to paintings on paper. These are works I have made over the course of eight months. And what better way to say goodbye to 2016 than to have a living legend, the Father of Hip-Hop, DJ Kool Herc, to bring some bass and get people moving later on?

Can you tell us something about the found objects that you have been working with? Where did you find them?

A lot of the parts I have collected and used to make the work have come from an area in Willets Point. Queens, NYC. It’s about a 10- block section full of “chop shops,” huge pot holes and some really weathered people. The feeling is third-world for sure. For someone looking at it from the outside — like me — it’s like the land of the forgotten. Mechanics look like they’ve put in a week’s straight worth of doing car repairs. Others are selling drugs and looking to turn tricks. The work I have created is as much a reflection of the materials as it is of the environment. A lot of rusted metals, worn fabrics and scraps of plastics… Think “pop-artifacts.”

What was it like to work with these objects?

While working in my studio, I kept seeing the worn and weary faces of the people I encountered in the weathered parts. I adopted the philosphy of making the best of the materials you are given. And these materials came from the people of Willets Point. People there do what they have to do to make a living. Whatever it takes. The interesting thing is that for all the rusted, decayed, crushed pieces I found, I also found stuff that had a nice gold or silver shine or burst of color that created a cool high-end, low-end quality to the finished pieces.

How can one attend All Systems Go on New Years Eve?

Opening night will be a ticketed event with open bar and music spun on vinyl by DJ Kool Herc. I will be giving away a small original piece of work just before midnight too. You can get tickets here.

And if we can’t make it to the New Years Eve opening, will we still be able to see your show?

Yes! The show will run for at least another week after that. Check my Instagram for updates.

Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos 2 & 4 from NYC streets, Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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East Coast Flavor Meets Chicago Flair with Cornbread, Booey, Fritos, Gear One, Nic 707, Boar1, Dtel & more

December 8, 2016

Earlier this fall, several Old School East Coast writers — including the legendary Cornbread — made their way to Chicago for a one-night exhibit and a day of painting alongside local Chicago artists. We recently spoke to Brian M Convery aka Booey who curated the exhibit that took place on October 15 at Loft Zero Gallery.

How did you guys end up in Chicago? What brought you there?

Skeme had told me about an opportunity to exhibit my artwork in a solo show at Chicago’s Loft Zero Gallery. I decided that I would prefer showing in a group exhibit — that I would curate — as it would be more inclusive.

How did you decide which artists to include?

I was particularly interested in showcasing the work of classic East Coast writers. And so I largely reached out to folks I know who were painting back in the day. It was my way of giving back to the community.

What were some of the challenges you faced in curating an exhibit of this nature?

The greatest challenge was collecting all of the art I’d wanted to feature before heading out to Chicago. There were some kinks along the way. And then after twenty minutes of waiting in Newark in a rented van to drive five of us out to Chicago, Gear One called to tell me that Nic 707 was no where to be found! But, eventually, it all came together.

What about the night of the exhibit? Any challenges?

Having to compete with the Cubs who had a home game the same night! We had to work on getting the info about our show out on Cubs’ message boards.

Any particular highlights of the trip?

Having the opportunity to paint alongside several first-rate Chicago-based artists in Logan Square the following day. The interaction was awesome!

Can you tell us something more about that? How did it happen?

Constantine Ashford, the owner of Loft Zero Gallery, reached out to several local artists and made it happen.

What’s next?

I’ve been working on another show — Gold Standard — that will place this Saturday evening — December 10th at Lovecraft Bar NYC, 50 Avenue B. It will feature a range of artists from the legendary Taki 183 to such contemporaries as Tomas Manon and Gem 13.

Good luck!

Images

1. Constantine Ashford, Booey and Cornbread

2. Fritos and Gear One at work; also featured on mural are Booey and Nic 707

3. Chicago-based Boar1

4. Chicago-based Dtel

Photo credits: 1 & 2; courtesy Brian M Convery; 3 & 4 Tara Murray

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