Exhibits

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Noted Brazilian artist Mag Magrela recently spent a month in New York City. In partnership with AnnexB — a company focused on promoting Brazilian art in NYC — Mag Magrela painted several murals in different neighborhoods and presented her first NYC solo exhibit, Pindorama in Flames, at Galeria, a delightful gallery/cafe located at 43 Clinton Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Pictured above is Sem mais. The broken boat: eu tenho sue o pedaço que agora é meu in Long Island City. Here are several more outdoor murals:

“Pequenos atos de contra ataque,” Astoria, Queens with the Welling Court Mural Project

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“Dá a cara à tapa,” Bushwick

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“A paixão das ancas,” Brooklyn Brush X Mural Project

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And from her exhibit Pindorama in Flames, at Galeria featuring works created during her NYC residency:

Linha de frente

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“Suadade de sertão encantado” —  with figure painted live to the right

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“Meu murk” – the artist’s signature performance-installation at Brooklyn Brush, Brooklyn, New York

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The exhibit at Galeria — featuring a range of works that address the dichotomy between the ideal Utopian world and the bitter real one — continues through September 15th.

Note: Mag Magrela is a featured artist in Alexandra Henry‘s documentary film Street Heroines

Photos: 1, 3, 4 & 7 courtesy AnnexB; 2, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky

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The windows of NYU’s Kimmel Center are now home to a wide range of street art and graffiti artworks. Presented in partnership with 3rd Culture Creative, a cutting-edge media development company, ART STREET 13 WINDOWS 1 WALL showcases the distinct aesthetic of 15 artists whose works have surfaced on our streets. I recently had the opportunity to speak to its principal curator Pamela Jean Tinnen — who for the past five years has curated New York University’s Kimmel Galleries.

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I’m always delighted when universities embrace street art. Can you tell us something about how this project came to be? What might have prompted it?

Yes! Awhile back I went on a street art tour of the Bushwick Collective, conducted by one of my colleagues, Izzy Church. I loved what I saw, and I soon began researching street art. An exhibit featuring street art became a passion project of mine, and the Kimmel Windows Gallery seemed like the ideal site to showcase public art, particularly during the summer months.

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Exhibiting works by street artists and graffiti writers in a public space – that can be seen by everyone — is certainly a cool notion! Are there any other particular concepts underlying this exhibit?

Yes. Placing works of street art behind a glass wall also hints at the monetary value of the artworks by those street artists who have achieved mainstream success.

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How did you and your co-curators — Izzy Church and Marten Kale —  decide which artists to include?

We reached out to our favorite artists, and several of the other artists reached out to us.

Did you encounter any unanticipated challenges in seeing it through?

The unconventional nature of the artworks demanded careful attention to their placement in this particular setting.

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I think it looks great! Each window is engaging. How has the response to it been?

The response has been wonderful. I’ve received so many positive messages, particularly from my colleagues.

Until when will it remain on view?

 It has been extended through September 12th.  And during these next few weeks, be prepared for some surprises as we make some changes in the windows! A closing event will be held on Saturday, September 10th from 7:30 – 10pm in the Grand Hall at NYU Global Center, 238 Thompson Street, 5th Floor. There will be art, music and a cash bar.

It all sounds great! 

Kimmel

Images

1. Francisco de Pájaro aka  Art Is Trash

2. Gilf!, Iena Cruz and Cope2 with Indie

3. Ron English

4. Cost and Enx

5. Richard Hambleton

Located on Laguardia and West 3rd St, Kimmel Windows also features: John Fekner, ASVP, Lady Pink, Jonathan “Meres” Cohen, Fumero, Raquel Echanique, Federico Massa a.k.a. Iena Cruz, B.D. White, Joe Iurato, Martian Code and Skewville.

Photo credits: 1-4 Lois Stavsky; 5 courtesy Woodward Gallery; interview by Lois Stavsky

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Lady K Fever has been feverishly busy! Along with creating and installing All Along the Watchtower, an interactive public art installation at Marcus Garvey Park, she was also at work curating Inside Out, a group exhibit at the nearby Heath Gallery, to coincide with her installation.  This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit both the installation and the exhibit.

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Another segment of the Marcus Garvey Park installation — at night

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And at the Heath Gallery — Lady K Fever, Mystery

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Jenevieve, Two Views

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Natalie Collette Wood, Eliptical Star

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Marthalicia, Aquatic Boy

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Shame 125, Admiring

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Bio,Tats Cru, Let the Games Begin

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And “the crew” outside Heath Gallery

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The exhibit at Heath Gallery can be seen this weekend: Saturday from 12-6pm and Sunday 12-5pm. All Along the Watchtower remains on view through the end of this month. And for a guided walk of it, you can meet up with Lady K FeverSuprina and the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance members at the nearby Chéri Restaurant, 231 Lenox Avenue, between 6-7pm on Friday evening.

All Along the Watchtower is sponsored by the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance Public Art Initiative with funding provided in part by the Harlem Community Development Corporation. 

 Photos: 1-3 & 10 courtesy Lady K Fever; 4-9 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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Currently on view at Chelsea’s Porchlight is New York State of Mind, a group show featuring a diverse range of artworks by eight of our all-time favorite artists. While visiting the space earlier this summer, I spoke to its curator, Joshua B. Geyer.

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This space is lovely, and the artworks are beautifully displayed.  How did you connect to such an ideal space?

My buddy, Michael Shain, is the general manager. We’d first met when we were students at the University of Hartford.  And after Michael saw my exhibit at the  World Trace Gallery, he invited me to curate a show here.

Can you tell us something about the title of the show – New York State of Mind?

Yes. All eight of the artists on exhibit have been active on the streets of NYC and have created artworks on a range of media while living in NYC.  And with the exception of Hellbent, all were born outside of the US. This is why there is such a diversity of styles.

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Every one of these artists has exhibited in a traditional gallery setting. How did they respond to your invite to show in an alternative setting such as this one?

They were all open to it. Here they can reach people who may not regularly visit galleries. And on our opening night we sold two pieces.

Yes, a reception was held here earlier this summer. How did that go?

It was great! All of the artists who were in town came, and I was told that it was the venue’s busiest evening.

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Did this exhibit present any particular challenges to you?

The biggest challenge was getting the word out about the exhibit. And then, of course, letting people know that the art is actually for sale!

How can folks see the exhibit?

Porchlight is open Monday through Wednesday from 12 pm until 12 am; from 12 pm until 2 am on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturdays from 4pm to 2am. It is located at 271 11th Avenue at the corner of 28th Street. The exhibit continues through the fall.

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 Images

1. Luna New Year, Ccollanan Pachacamac

2. Sonni, Rise and Grind

3. Icy and Sot, Hunger

Note: Final image with list of artists features Lady Aiko

Photo credits: 1 & 2 Lois Stavsky; 3 Tara Murray; interview by Lois Stavsky

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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Okuda-no-commissions

Held in a huge South Bronx warehouse, No Commission features the artworks of over two dozen first-rate established and emerging artists. Curated by the Dean Collection and directed by Swizz Beatz, the four-day event — currently underway — is designed to support artists by offering them free space and 100% of the sale of their artwork. Among the artists featured are several whose works have also surfaced on our streets. Pictured above is Okuda. Here are several more:

John Ahearn does Bio, Tats Cru

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Zio Ziegler

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Pablo Power

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 Faile

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Swoon 

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Nina Chanel

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And on the exterior: Nicer, Tats Cru, close-up from huge mural fashioned collaboratively with Sexer, BG 183, Crash and Bio

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Photo credits: 1-3, 6-8 Lois Stavsky;  4 & 5 Sara C Mozeson

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For the past several years NYC-based artist and photographer Appleton has been taking his message of diabetic awareness to our streets. While visiting his hugely impressive solo exhibit, Out of the Cold, I had the opportunity to find out a bit about him and his mission:

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The artworks on exhibit here are so impressive.  They are beautifully executed, as well as emotionally and intellectually engaging. How long have you been working on this body of work?

Many of the works displayed here have been created this past year. But this exhibit is, actually, a culmination of my artworks of the last few years.

Can you tell us something about your process, your particular aesthetic? It is certainly distinct.

I have been collecting insulin bottles for the past 35 years. I began shortly after surviving a diabetic coma at age six. The bottle has since  become my iconic image and has clearly informed my aesthetic. I work with a range of media — photography, paint, hand-cut images and sculpture — that almost always feature the insulin bottle.

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You are clearly a man with a mission! 

Yes. I want to raise and spread awareness of diabetes, a devastating disease that impacts over 30 million Americans. Too many people do not understand the challenges that diabetics face daily — the physical and psychological damage the disease can cause. It can be a living nightmare.

And have you a message to diabetics, as well?

Yes! I want them to feel less lonely and alone in the daily battle they face. There are millions of us carrying on. We never — even for a moment — can stop thinking about our disease.

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Your wheatpastes featuring bottles of insulin have become part of our visual landscape here in NYC. What other cities have you hit?

Among the cities I’ve pasted up in are: LA, Miami, Chicago, Boston and St. Louis.

How have folks responded to your work — both on the streets and in gallery settings?

The response has been consistently positive. Many folks who have the disease have thanked me for spreading awareness of it.

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Occasionally, I hear that we are close to a cure. 

I wish that were true.  I don’t expect a cure in my lifetime.  If there were one, there would be a global economic breakdown. A cure should have and could have happened by now.

What’s ahead for you?

I plan to take my message abroad this year. Among the cities I will visit are: Paris, Barcelona and London.

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That sounds wonderful and thank you for what you are doing!

Note: Although the exhibit remains open through Sunday, a closing reception takes place tonight, Thursday, from 5-9pm at 51 Orchard Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. There will be limited edition signed artist prints for sale.

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 Images

1. Skid RowMetallic paper, Museum glass, Archival elements

2. Out of the Mine, Mixed media: Paint, Paper, Acrylic

3. Empire State Building, Photograph on metallic paper, Museum glass, Archival elements

4. Insulin to Ashes, Metallic paper, Museum glass, Archival elements

5. Top of the WorldMixed media: Paint, Paper, Acrylic

Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos of artworks: 1, 2 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 3 & 4 Tara Murray

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keith-Haring-city-kids-mural-art copy

Coinciding with the Democratic National Convention, the non-profit Rock The Vote launched its Truth to Power campaign in Philadelphia earlier this week. Among its events was a three-day pop-up art exhibit featuring a varied range of socially and politically engaged works in different media. Among the artists who participated are many whose works have also surfaced in public spaces. Pictured above is Keith Haring with the City Kids Foundation. Here are several more:

Mear One, False Profits

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Beau Stanton, Elemental Crisis 

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Shepard Fairey aka Obey

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Lmnopi, Tehrir

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Mata Ruda, How Can I Write My Own Future with My Hands Bound?

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Photo credits: 1-3, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 4 Sara Ching Mozeson

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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Earlier this year we met up with the wonderfully talented and intrepid Apostrophe founders and curators — Sei and Ki Smith. Since, they’ve successfully hosted guerrilla pop-ups at The Whitney Museum  of American Art — from which they’ve been banned for life — and at MoMA PS1. This past Friday we attended Apostrophe‘s  Base 12 Subway Show, a pop-up exhibit at the Kosciuszko Street stop on the J Line featuring works from Apostrophe‘s 12 artists. And what fun it was!

Kolter

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The Love Child

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Julia Powers

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James Reyes

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Sei Smith, curator and recently featured, along with his brother, in Time Out New York’s 10 NYC artists 35 and under you should know

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Morell Cutler and artwork by James Rubio on right

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Alana Dee Haynes

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And healthy non-alcoholic beverage — provided by Costa Brava — served at artists’ reception on subway platform!

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Apostrophe‘s Base 12 Project will continue throughout the year with three pop-ups in city parks, three in European galleries, one more museum pop up and then finally a project retrospective at Mana Contemporary that will exhibit all 144 paintings from the 12 pop-ups.

Photo credits: 1-7 Lois Stavsky; 8 & 9 Tara Murray; additional photos on the Street Art NYC Instagram

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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Icy-and-Sot-flyer

The newly released LET HER BE FREE documents Iranian brothers Icy and Sot‘s foray from skateboarding teens in Iran to politically-conscious, internationally acclaimed artists. To celebrate the launch of their book, the artists invite you to a pop-up exhibition of small and mid-scale stencil artworks that have been created exclusively for this book launch. Opening tomorrow evening. July 23 at 51 Orchard Street with a book signing, the exhibit continues through July 30.

Unity, spray paint on canvas

icy-and-sot-Unity _ 30x36 inch _ stencil spray paint on canvas

Justice, spray paint on cut-out wood

Icy-and-Sot-Justice _ 30x24 inch _ stencil spray paint on cut out wood

In Long Island City 

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And book cover

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Published by Lebowsi Publishers with an introduction by filmmaker and poet Jess X Chen and an afterword by Brooklyn Street Art‘s Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington, the artists’ first collection of works features over 200 full color photos.

All images courtesy Icy and Sot

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Caps-Matches-Color-HomeStyle

Celebrating the history of today’s spray paint culture, Bristol-based HANGFIRE has teamed up with U.S.- based spray brand collectors Cap Matches Color to present HomeStyle.  On display and for purchase will be a strong collection of spray paint memorabilia from the archives of  Cap Matches Color and U.K. based collector, Ticks. Also on exhibit will be limited edition photographic prints from worldwide traveller and photographer Mr. Yoshi and original artwork and limited prints from Cheo.

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Copies of Two Decades of Digging will be available for purchase, along with limited edition silkscreened skate decks featuring vintage spray paint graphics of Marabu Buntlack, Krylon and Rust-Oleum by HANGFIRE.

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The exhibit opens at tomorrow — Friday evening — at 49 North Street, BS3 1EN Bristol, UK on the eve of Bristol’s famed Upfest Festival and continues through August 5th.

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Images for this post courtesy HANGFIRE and Cap Matches Color; photo of Cap Matches Color by Lois Stavsky

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