Exhibits

Jamie Hewlett’s Premier USA Exhibition, The Suggestionists, Continues Through July 16 at Woodward Gallery

June 27, 2016

Currently on view at Woodward Gallery is The Suggestionists, the first USA exhibition of international artist, designer and co-founder of the Gorillaz band, Jamie Hewlett. Divided into three distinct thematic sections – all linked through the power of suggestion — the exhibit is a mesmerizing foray into a world whirling with urbane wit and seductive charm.

Close-up from one of 22 larger-than-life Tarot cards, as distinctly interpreted by the artist

Honey, Hewlett’s homage to the exploitation movies of the 60s and 70s, presented in a series of giant light boxes

And — in an entirely different vein — Pines, detailed illustrations of trees Hewlett observed while in the south of France

Pine 20, close-up

Hewlett explains his obsession with pine trees and why he’s not likely to ever draw another one!

Woodward Gallery, located at 133 Eldridge Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, is open Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm and Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm.

Photo credits: 1, 3 & 4 courtesy of Woodward Gallery; 2 & 5 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.

{ 0 comments }

Deep Calls Deep Continues at World Trade Gallery through July 12 with: Michael Alan, Rubin, Erasmo and more

June 26, 2016

Back in March, Joshua B. Geyer‘s splendidly curated exhibit introduced us to the World Trade Gallery. We recently returned as its current exhibit, Deep Calls Deep, again features some of our favorite artists. Pictured above is a recent work by the wonderfully talented and highly imaginative Michael Alan.

Also by Michael Alan

Rubin

With Erasmo to his left

Located at 120 Broadway in Manhattan’s Financial District, the World Trade Gallery is open Monday – Thursday 9am-7pm; Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 11am-5pm.

Photo credits: 1, 4 & 5 Tara Murray; 2 & 3 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.

{ 0 comments }

NET on TAGSTRACTION, Tonight’s Unsanctioned Exhibit, the Art World and more

June 23, 2016

As NET was getting ready for TAGSTRACTION, tonight’s unsanctioned exhibition on the streets of NYC, I had the opportunity to speak to him and find out a bit about it all.

Just what is TAGSTRACTION?

It is a mix of tagging and abstraction, blurring the lines between graffiti tagging, abstract expressionism and stylized signatures.

And when was NET born?

NET was born in 1987, but I’ve been tagging since I was a child.

Were you ever arrested?

I was arrested about fifty times for graffiti since I was 14.

Who are some of your inspirations?

There are many: Barry McGee aka Twist, Adam Cost, Jon 156, Al Diaz, Easy, Phantom 13 aka P13, Old English, Enx, Phil Frost and multiple Brooklyn artists.

You define TAGSTRACTION as “too hood for the nerds and too weird for the thugs.” Who is your audience?

Anyone and everyone who’s on the street with eyeballs.

How can folks see tonight’s exhibit?

The location will be announced one hour prior to the 7pm opening. Check out my Instagram for it.

And why did you choose an unsanctioned outdoor location for an art exhibit? Is there a message here? You seem to be on a mission of some kind.

My message is that you do not need the approval of the Art World to accomplish your goal. It is time for us to take it into our own hands.

Yes!

All images courtesy NET; 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.

{ 0 comments }

With Valeri Larko at the Bronx Museum of the Arts

June 9, 2016

On view through June 26 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts is Bronx Focus: Paintings by Valeri Larko, an extraordinary visual ode to a borough whose landscape is rapidly changing. Among Valeri Larko‘s paintings are many that are infused with the Bronx’s gritty graffiti. With her impeccable renderings of tags, throw-ups and pieces, the artist has immortalized our favorite art form in the borough that birthed it. On revisiting the exhibit last week, I had the opportunity to meet Valeri, who gave a tour of her exhibit.

We love the way you are keeping some of our favorite walls alive through your paintings. What spurred you to focus on this aspect of the Bronx?

I’ve always been interested in the urban landscape, and when I moved from New Jersey to New Rochelle — just a short drive from the Bronx — I discovered the just how rich the graffiti in the Bronx is. I think it is gorgeous, and I love how sites with graffiti always have great stories to tell.

Can you tell us something about your process? How long does it take from beginning to end to create a painting?

Everything is done on location. If a site interests me, I begin with a quick pen and ink sketch in a small notebook using a uni-ball pen. If I then decide that I want to do a painting of the particular scene, I do an oil sketch of it. For most of my studies, I work on 300 pound watercolor paper that I staple to a board. For the larger version, I typically paint two to three months, also on location.

What are some of the challenges you face in producing this work?

The weather is, by far, my greatest challenge. The wind is my biggest enemy. My car is — many times — my only shelter, and that is where you will often find me painting, especially in the winter months.

How do the graffiti artists feel about what you are doing?

They love it. If they see a blank surface at a particular space where I am painting, they will sometimes ask if they can leave their mark on it — to be included in my painting.

What is your most memorable experience of painting on location?

There are so many, but here is one that comes to mind: I had been working at a site for several weeks on Top Dollar, a painting of a trailer truck. Then one day when I showed up, I was surprised to find a very large boat in front of the truck. I could’t imagine how it got there! Luckily, I had mostly finished the painting, and the boat seemed too clean, too pristine and too out of place to include. But a few days later, the graffiti artist SAET with his friend NARO showed up. Once SAET had christened the boat with his tag, it was totally transformed. And so I decided to add the boat to the painting. I was even thinking of doing a new painting of the boat. But that never happened!

Why was that? Why didn’t you get to do the new painting of the boat?

While I was still working on Top Dollar, Tommy — who was living in the Jay’s Hot Dog Camper — informed me that the site was about to be demolished. That is one of the hazards of working on site. Whoa! I still needed at least a week to finish my painting. Luckily I found the guys doing the demolition work, and they agreed to give me one more week to complete my painting! It actually took me eight days, and within hours after I finished, everything on the site was demolished. And what about Tommy who had been living in the camper? He headed on a Greyhound back home to Kansas City where he and his sons had built two houses!

What’s next? Are any walls calling you? Any sites that particularly intrigue you?

Yes! I discovered an abandoned golf course across from Co-op City. And since I don’t know how much longer it will be around, I’ve been heading there as often as I can!

What an incredible visual history you are creating! And we are already looking forward to your upcoming solo exhibit at WallWorks in the fall.

Images

1. Valeri Larko — as seen last week — at the Bronx Museum

2. Ferris Stahl Meyer Diptych, close-up

3. Corner of Boone Avenye and 173rd Street

4. Bronx Drawbridge

5. Valeri Larko painting at Top Dollar

6. Top Dollar

Photo credits: 1-3 Lois Stavsky; 4 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen; 5 John Wyatt & 6 courtesy of the artist; interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky with Sol Raxlen

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.

{ 0 comments }

Scholastic’s Art.Write.Now. National Exhibition Continues at Parsons at the New School and at Pratt Manhattan Gallery through June 12

June 6, 2016

Since 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have identified, celebrated and fostered the talents and visions of our nation’s teens in grades 7-12. Works by this year’s winners remain on exhibit through this week at the Parsons School of Design at The New School and at Pratt Institute’s Manhattan Gallery. Pictured above is Subway Story, a cardboard sculpture, fashioned by 16-year old Shaun Rogers. Here are several more artworks reflecting not only extraordinary talent, but a strong social consciousness, as well.

Vanessa Anthony, Collateral Damage, age 16

Sophia Cai, Faces of Baltimore, age 16

Alexis Peabody, Black Lives Matter, age 18

Eli Lederberg, The Presidentials, age 17

Ryan Sundada Wong, Insatiable Appetite, age 15

Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Art.Write.Now.2016 remains on view through this week. Parsons School of Design at The New School is located at 66 Fifth Avenue at 13th Street in the Village, and Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery is just up the block at 144 West 14th Street.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 5 & 6 Tara Murray; 4 Lois Stavsky

{ 0 comments }

At the Bushwick Collective Museum with: Giz & Ghost, Dan Witz, Tim Okamura, Enx, Anna Orcutt-Jahns, Nicer, See One and more

June 4, 2016

While visiting the Bushwick Collective on Thursday as it was readying for its 5th Annual Block Party, we had the opportunity to spend some time in its wondrous pop-up museum at 198 Randolph Street. The brainchild of Bushwick Collective founder Joe Ficalora, it showcases an extraordinary array of works by Bushwick Collective artists, along with art by community members, local youth, Parsons School of Design at the New School students and more. We also had the chance to speak to the Bushwick Collective Museum‘s director, Asja Gleeson.

This is all so amazing! There are works here by artists who’ve exhibited in museums, along with art by children who live in the neighborhood. Just about every art genre and style is represented here. How did you connect to so many diverse artists?

Joe Ficalora simply gave me a list of the folks he’d already reached out to. In the five years since he’s founded the Bushwick Collective, he’s made so many wonderful connections.

How did you connect to Joe?

Dan Witz introduced me to Joe two years ago, and I worked with Joe and Dan on the exhibit for the Collective’s 3rd Annual Block Party. The experience was so fantastic that I was thrilled to have an opportunity to be involved once again with the Bushwick Collective.

As director, what are some of your responsibilities in managing an exhibit of this scope?

I had to contact all the artists and make sure that their work arrived in a timely fashion. I assisted Stan Sudol the director of the Mana Urban Arts Project, in installing the works. And, basically, I was in charge of organizing the exhibit and assuring that it runs smoothly.

What — would you say — was your greatest challenge?

Getting it all together in the span of a week.

That’s quite an accomplishment! Have you an academic or professional background in art?

Both my parents are artists, and I studied Art History and related fields at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. I’ve also worked in several Chelsea galleries.

How does working here differ from working in Chelsea?

It’s more of a labor of love here! The pace is faster, and there’s far more community involvement here in Bushwick than in Chelsea.

What is your impression of the art on exhibit here? Have you any favorites?

I’m so impressed by the quality of it all. There are so many wonderful pieces. Among my favorites is the one by Enx. It speaks to me!

How can folks see this exhibit? It’s an amazing opportunity to not only view such an eclectic selection of quality artworks, but to purchase art at remarkably reasonable prices — with all proceeds going directly to the artists.

It remains open to the public from 10am-5pm through the weekend.

Images

1. Giz and Ghost, RIS

2. Dan Witz, with director Asja Gleeson

3. Tim Okamura

4. Enx

5. Anna Orcutt-Jahns

6. Nicer, Tats Cru

7. See One

Photo credits: 1, 2, 4 – 7 Tara Murray, 3 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen; interview conducted and edited 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.

{ 0 comments }

Collaborations at 17 Frost: Crash Collaborates with Stash, Nick Walker, Bio, KAWS, Remi Rough, BR163, James Choules aka She One & more

June 3, 2016

Splendidly curated by Ellis Gallagher, Collaborations features selected works by Crash fashioned collaboratively with both local and global artists. The mural pictured above was painted by Crash in collaboration with Stash. What follows is a sampling of works — representing the diverse range of collaborative styles and sensibilities — inside the gallery at 17 Frost Street in Williamsburg:

Crash with Nick Walker and Bio, Tats Cru

Crash with KAWS

Crash with Remi Rough

Crash with Bio

Crash with BR163

Crash with James Choules aka She One

Collaborations remains on exhibit through June 26 at 17 Frost by appointment only.

Photo credits: 1 & 7 Lois Stavsky; 2, 4, 5 & 6 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen and 3 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.

{ 0 comments }

Painter and Performance Artist Gregg Deal on Silenced Indigenous Voices

June 1, 2016

A member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Colorado-based Gregg Deal is an accomplished muralist, painter and performance artist. I first encountered his artwork awhile back on the grounds of the EBC High School For Public Service in Bushwick, Brooklyn. This past weekend, I met him down in DC at the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building, where he was one of 40 artists featured in CrossLines, presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.

What spurred you to so fervently embrace your Native American identity?

I don’t know that I specifically embrace it. It is just one of my many identities. I am, foremost, a human being. I am also an artist, a husband and a father.

You are sitting here in a tipi. What does this particular setting represent?

This tipi represents Washington DC. It is where museums, politics, sports and commerce all contribute to a view of Native Americans.

What about the paintings inside this tipi? How did you decide which to include?

I had to include works that would be acceptable to the Smithsonian. They had to be safe. And so I chose identifiable stereotypes of Native Americans — the only image most others have of us.

And as today’s event progresses, you continue to cross out the mouths of your portraits with bold red lines.

Yes! That is because of voices our censored. We have not been permitted to speak for ourselves. I, myself, have been censored.

What about your interpreter? You often speak through an interpreter.

That is because our lives — our experiences, feelings and thoughts — are almost always interpreted through others. Authentic indigenous voices have yet to be heard or recognized.

You are certainly creating awareness of that here.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 4 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 3 Sara C. Mozeson; interview by Lois Stavsky

{ 0 comments }

High School of Art & Design Hosts First A&D Urban Arts Subway Car Design Competition and Graffiti Art Panel Discussion

May 23, 2016

This past Thursday evening, the High School of Art & Design hosted a reception, exhibition and panel discussion honoring 20 student winners of its first A&D Subway Car Design Competition. Soon after the event, I had the opportunity to speak to Art & Design alumnus and Old School graffiti writer George Colon aka AIM, who had invited us to this celebration of our favorite art form.

Thursday evening’s event was wonderful. We loved the way it brought so many folks – students, alumni, faculty, parents, artists and us graffiti aficionados — together. Whose idea was it?

Two years ago, I presented the idea of a panel discussion on the theme of graffiti art to the school’s administration. Art & Design seemed like the ideal site to host such a symposium, since so many famed writers are A&D alumni. The faculty, though, was hesitant at the time to engage in a graffiti-related event. They were afraid, I assume, of negative reprisals.

How, then, did last week’s amazing event happen? What caused the change? Why was the school suddenly receptive?

There were several factors. First, there was a change in the administration. The new principal is open to new ideas and programs that he feels are in the students’ interests. And I connected with A&D alumnus, George Alonso, who was in touch with Klim Kozinevich — the designer of the All City Style Blank NYC Subway Cars. It was George’s idea that a few of us alumni offer the students a workshop in designing subway cars. Alumnus Klim Kozinevich donated the All City Style Blank NYC Subway Cars and everything else followed.

What was your original inspiration behind this? What spurred you to see it through?

I felt that I wanted to give back. It was also an opportunity to educate folks about a global art form that has strong roots in this particular school.

The panel discussion was certainly informative. George Alonso was the perfect moderator, and you, along with Spar One and Kenji Takabayashi, had much to offer. The audience was totally engaged. Why do you suppose there seems to be so much interest these days in graffiti, particularly from the perspective of veteran writers?

As graffiti is increasingly embraced by professionals and recognized as a legitimate art form, it is more likely to spur the interest of folks who would ordinarily dismiss it.

Yes! Once an art form becomes the subject of museum retrospectives, it is difficult to relegate it to mere vandalism! What’s ahead for you?

We are planning to continue collaborating with Art & Design. We would like to make the A&D Subway Car Design Competition an annual event, and we’d love to conduct graffiti–inspired design workshops in other educational settings.

That would be great! Good luck!

Images

1. First-place winner, James Dundon (design — center top)

2. George Colon aka AIM SSB signing books presented to students

3. Trains designed by A&D alumni: Kenji Takabayashi, George Colon aka AIM, Sexer, Spar One and Flint

4. Spar One with black book in hand

5. Kenji Takabayashi

6. Joe Russo

Photo credits: 1, 3 & 4 Tara Murray; 2 Todd Atkinson; 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

{ 4 comments }

Holy Art Show at Williamsburg’s Cafe de la Esquina with: Marc Evan, Rocko, Savior Elmundo, Ben Angotti, Carlito 624!, Will Power & more

May 13, 2016

Fusing symbols of Latino Catholicism with elements of a pop sensibility, the Holy Art Show showcases the works of over a dozen artists, including many whose works surface on our streets. Curated by Frankie Velez and Savior Elmundo, the exhibit remains on view at Williamsburg’s Cafe de la Esquina through Sunday. Here is a sampling of the intriguing works on exhibit:

Marc Evan, The Lady of Guadalupe Appears

Rocko, Art Is My Religion

Savior Elmundo, Art Is My Religion

Ben Angotti, Sacred Heart

Carlito 624!, Purple Reign: Units in the City

Will Power, Crucified My Passion

Curators, Savior Elmundo and Frankie Velez

The exhibit continues through this weekend at the lovely Cafe de la Esquina at 225 Wythe Avenue between Metropolitan and North 3rd Street.

Photo credits: 1, 3, 5 & 6 Tara Murray; 2 & 4 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen and 7 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.

{ 2 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →

Exhibits

Categories