Exhibits

"WK Interact"

A pop-up exhibit — celebrating the release of WK‘s fourth book WK/ACT4 (DRAGO) and the launch of his partnership with KLINIK — opened on Tuesday evening at The Garage in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.  A huge range of work — from mixed-media installations to huge murals — is featured. Here’s a sampling:

WK-Installations

"WK Interact"

Close-up from huge mural featuring locations and images of WK‘s works in NYC public spaces

"WK Interact"

And the book

"WK Interact book"

"WK Interact"

The exhibit continues until Wednesday at 22 Little West 12th Street.  It remains open from 12 – 6pm.

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Kurar-stencil-art

Based in France, Kurar crafts visually and conceptually engaging stencils. Often incorporating graffiti elements, they frequently take on such contentious subjects as politics and consumerism. Here are a few more images from his exhibit – on view through October 21 at Chelsea’s Artemisia Gallery.

Dirty Money

"Kurar stencil art"

Liberty of 21st Century, close-up

"Kurar stencil art"

Heritage

"Kurar stencil art"

Wide view of select artworks on exhibit

Kurar

Sharing the space at 617 West 27th Street with Kurar is an exhibit of alluring new artworks by Indie 184, presented by Azart Gallery.

Photos of Kurar’s artworks by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Jose-Parla

Continuing through Saturday at Chelsea’s Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, José Parlá’s solo exhibition, “In Medias Res,” features a range of exquisitely richly-layered, abstract works focusing on the artist’s personal interactions with particular places. Here is a small sampling:

The Ghetto (on right) and San Lazaro y Genios

Jose-Parla-installation

Hot Gowanus

Jose-Parla-hot-gowanus

Bowery and Houston

Jose-Parla-Bowery-and-Houston-4

The Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery is located at 505 West 24th Street in Chelsea. On its exterior you will find the following collab between José Parlá and JR captured last fall.

"Jose Parla and JR"

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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U-R-New-York-ill-the-last-stop

UR New York has fashioned an amazing array of works in a range of media for their newest exhibit, Product of UR Environment, that opened this past Thursday evening. On view at Pop International Galleries at 473 West Broadway in SoHo,  Mike Baca’s (aka 2Esae) and Fernando Romero’s (aka Ski) pieces on a range of surfaces — from spray cans to found objects to canvases — brilliantly reflect NYC’s distinct grit and the passion that it rouses. Here are a few more:

New York Side Hustle

UR-New-York-side-hustle-mixed-media-on-board

Brooklyn Boro

UR-New-York-Brooklyn-Be-the-Boro

Intersection

UR-New-York-Intersection

Close-up from one of a series of fenced-in artworks with paste-ups, stickers, tags and more

"UR New York"

And spray cans with a message

UR-New-York-art-on-spray-cans

UR-New-York-Spray-cans

Pop International Galleries SoHo location is open Mon to Sat 10am – 7pm and Sun 11am – 6pm.

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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stikki-peaches-hot-mess

For the past few days, we New Yorkers have been treated to a Hot Mess, the wildly expressive aesthetic of Montreal-based Stikki Peaches. Brought to us by Station 16, a Hot Mess, Stikki Peaches‘s first international exhibit, found a transitory home here at 345 Broome Street. Here are a few more images:  

Stikki-Peaches-NYC

stikki-peaches-portrait

One of many skulls

stikki-peaches-skull

stikki-peaches-skulls

And a somewhat wider view of the transformed Broome Street space

Stikki-Peaches-art-work

For some insight into it all, you can check out Yoav Litvin‘s interview with Stikki Peaches here.

Photos of artworks by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Cope2

Currently on view at Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village is Strada Veloce, an intriguing exhibit largely fusing the divergent — seemingly contradictory — cultures of luxury autos and expressive graffiti. Here are a few more works (Cope2 pictured above):

John “Crash” Matos

"John Matos aka Crash"

Luxury car customizer and furniture designer Joe MAC Lapadula of Martino Auto Concepts

Joe-MAC-Lapadula-at-Dorian-Grey-NYC

Nick Walker‘s iconic vandal 

Nick-Walker-at-Dorian-Grey-Gallery

 A luxurious sofa featuring graffiti by Meres One

"Meres One"

And — in the window — a reproduction of a Ferrari painted by the legendary John “Crash” Matos

John-Crash-Matos-car-in-window

This exhibit continues through next Sunday at 437 East 9th Street between 1st Ave and Ave A.  The gallery is open today — Sunday — from 12pm-6pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

Photos 1, 2 and 3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; photo 4 by City-as-School intern Robert Verdejo; photo 5 by City-as-School intern Tyler Dean Flores and final photo by Lois Stavsky.

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"Harrison Love at Scholastic"

Celebrating the launch of the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Scholastic is hosting a pop-up art studio, titled Art.Write.Now.POP-UP!, in its Scholastic Headquarters Window at 557 Broadway in SoHo. Harrison Love, an award-winning artist, is creating live art daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. through Friday. We stopped by yesterday afternoon and had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Harrison.

How did you team up with Scholastic?

In 2004, when I was a senior in high school in Connecticut, some artwork that I had created was submitted to a contest sponsored by Scholastic. I then received an invitation to a Scholastic event where I received five awards.

"Harrison Love artwork"

What was that like?

It was amazing! It gave me the encouragement I needed to continue to be creative and to establish a career as a visual artist. Scholastic also continues to give me a sense of community. And as so many of us artists tend to be loners, this is something that we need.

What is it like for you — 10 years later — to be painting in such a public space as a window in SoHo on a street as busy as Broadway?

It is very interesting. I like it! It gives me an opportunity to communicate with people without talking!

"Harrison Love"

Have you ever painted in public before?

Not quite like this! But I’ve done live painting in a few cities including San Francisco.

What inspired you to create these particular pieces that you are working on now?

They are prints for an upcoming book that is based on my travels to the Peruvian Amazon.

"Harison Love public art"

What’s ahead? 

One of my artworks was recently acquired by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).  I’m looking forward to getting my art out in many more settings both here and in my travels abroad.

Note: Triangle mirrors, prisms, mylar and glass structures fabricated by Colin Bowring, the Art Science Wizard.

Interview conducted by City-as-School intern Tyler Dean Flores; photos 1 and 3 by Tyler Dean Flores, 2 and 4 courtesy of the artist. Educators and students interested in the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards can register here.

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"Ramiro Davaro"

A motley crew of  characters, conceived by Argentine American artist Ramiro Davaro, can be found not only on the streets of Brooklyn, but — for the next few days — his Manimal Friends remains on exhibit at Williamsburg’s Cotton Candy Machine. Here are some more of his characters that have surfaced on the streets:

For Juicy Art Fest

Ramiro-Davaro-and-Tony-Washington-street-art-NYC

On Scholes and Waterbury, 2013

"Ramiro Davaro"

Close-up, on Waterbury and Meserole, 2014

"Ramiro Davaro"

Outside the Cotton Candy Machine

"Ramiro Davaro"

And inside the Cotton Candy Machine — one of many, Pen and Ink, Acrylic Paint on Paper

"Ramiro Davaro"

Also on sale at the Cotton Candy Machine are signed copies of Ramiro’s colorfully illustrated new book Manimal Friends. Located at 235 South 1st Street (between Roebling and Havemeyer), Cotton Candy Machine is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 8pm.

Photos 1, 3, 5 and 6 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2 and 4 by Lois Stavsky 

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Erro

“Works of art in public spaces can have a highly beneficial effect upon the environment – beautifying it, sparking debate, and nurturing public interest in visual art,” concluded Reykjavik’s Executive City Council in a recently released report. Among those artists selected to add style and intrigue to apartment building walls of Iceland’s capital is the celebrated Icelandic pop artist Erró. As there has always been somewhat of a crossover between street art and comic art, the choice seems perfect. And here at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, a short ride from downtown Manhattan, an exhibit of the celebrated artist’s works, presented by Galerie Ernst Hilger, opens tomorrow.

Here is another close-up from Erró‘s bold, comic-inspired work, Excalibur Saga, on display:

Erro

And his Official Portrait of Sigmund Freud is one of many psychologically intriguing and provocative works also on exhibit:

Erro

Mana Contemporary is providing free shuttle service to us New Yorkers to and from tomorrow’s 1pm opening. Buses depart every half hour starting at 12:30pm from Milk Studios at 450 West 15th Street.

Photos of artworks by Lois Stavsky

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With a strong presence on the streets throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, Joseph Meloy’s distinctive aesthetic has also made its way into a range of galleries and alternative spaces.  Opening this evening at Galerie Protégé at 197 Ninth Avenue in Chelsea is The Playground of the Fantastical!, an intriguing selection of Meloy’s recent works on an array of surfaces. I stopped by the exhibit yesterday and also had the opportunity to speak to Joseph.

"Vandal Expressionism"

You have quite a presence on the streets. What inspired you to get your vision up on public spaces?

As a kid, I was obsessed with Cost and Revs.  Their presence on the streets fascinated me. I used to stay up until two in the morning to watch their public access show. Undoubtedly, they were an inspiration.

When did you first get up and where?

When I was a student at the Bronx High School of Science, I was into drawing squirrels – and I began hanging posters of them all over my school. But 2006 is when I started getting wheat pastes up on the streets. They were largely random digital creations at the time.

What about galleries? The Playground of the Fantastical is your second exhibit at Galerie Protégé.  When did you first begin showing in galleries?

My first exhibit was in a pop-up space back in 2011. Since, I’ve shown in quite a few spaces – from alternative ones to more traditional gallery settings. Among these are — in addition to Galerie Protégé — Le Salon d’ Art,  Succulent Studios, and the Fountain Art Fair.

"Joseph Meloy"

How do you feel about the movement of graffiti and street art into galleries?

It’s a natural and inevitable progression.  What’s happening now is a resurgence of what was going down 30 years ago.

Do you have a formal arts education?

No. I majored in Spanish in college. I’m self-taught.

What inspires you these days?

Introspection. My inspiration is internal.

"Joseph Meloy"

Has your aesthetic been influenced by any particular cultures?

No one particular culture. But there are obvious influences from ancient hieroglyphics and palaeographics.

What is your ideal working environment?

Any place with enough room for me to create without having to worry about messing it up.

Are there any particular artists whose aesthetics have inspired or influenced you?

Michael Alan – a friend who is a wonderful artist and inspiration. And I suppose that — like so many others — I’ve been inspired and influenced by Keith Haring and Basquiat.

"Joseph Meloy"

Would you rather work alone or collaborate with other artists?

I like the concept of collaboration, but it’s easier for me to work alone. I’ve successfully collaborated with Michael Alan and Fumero, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with Col, Wallnuts.

We identify you with the term Vandal Expressionism – that you coined. Can you tell us something about that?  When did it originate? What does it mean?

I came up with it in the summer of 2010. It seemed to best represent what I do and who I am. It signifies how I repurposed the visual language of graffiti and street art. And it’s quite universal, as it translates well into other languages.

What about the title of this show – the Playground of the Fantastical?

It was actually coined by the gallery’s director, Robert Dimin, as it reflects both my work and that of the Brazilian artist, Maria Lynch, who is exhibiting alongside me. The title is perfect as it suggests both a childlike innocence and a whimsical sense of adventure.

"Joseph Meloy"

What do you see as the role of the artist in society?

The artist has many roles – to reflect on society, to inspire…to amuse…and to make people think.

I can certainly see that in your work!

Note: The Playground of the Fantastical opens tonight, Thursday, from 6-8pm at 197 Ninth Avenue and 22nd Street and continues through October 3rd. Tomorrow evening Joseph Meloy will be exhibiting along with City Kitty and others in Downtown Denim at the City Life Gallery in Jersey City.

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos 1 and 4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2 and 3 by Lois Stavsky and 5 by Tara Murray.

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