Back with our documentation of ILLicit Creatives claiming space on the streets of NYC, this post focuses on the markings that have surfaced on open spaces in Brooklyn. Featured above are the legendary 2DX members DEK and ZROC. What follows are several more images captured these past several weeks in Brooklyn.
Reap
Tears and Regae
South LNE
Post by the Pushing It Forward Collective
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An oasis of motley murals, graffiti art, paste-ups, stickers, tags and bombs. Freeman Alley has it all! The image pictured above was painted by Brooklyn-based artist and curator Miki Mu. Several more images captured on a recent visit follow:
SacSix, crkshnk, City Kitty, OH!, Drecks and more
Bronx-based artist and educator Lola Lovenotes
Brooklyn-based Ecuadorian artist Lasak
Mixed-media artist Drecks
Stealth Art and more
The enigmatic Crash 42170
Bronx-based graffiti and textile artist Mrs
17-year-old Soup 64
Freeman Alley is located at 12 Rivington Street, off the Bowery.
Photos: 1-8 Lois Stavsky; 9 Amelia Cleary
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Proclaimed by his former partner Keith Haring as the “Graffiti King of the Lower East Side,” Angel Ortiz aka LA2 is increasingly gaining the admiration and acclaim that he deserves. A self-taught artist, he has fashioned a distinct aesthetic that has evolved into a stylishly striking synthesis of graffiti, pop art and fine art.
Ranging in tones from black, white and gray to bright, bold hues, Angel’s new works on exhibit in “Ode 2 NYC” at Chase Contemporary vary from the seemingly simple to the remarkably intricate. Exuding a magical energy, together they are a glowing testament to LA2’s singular intuitive skills, as well as the perfect pean to NYC.
Featured below are several more images captured from the exhibit:
“Shazbot,” 2023, Acrylic and marker on canvas
“Rainbow Swirl,” 2023, Acrylic and marker on canvas
“Tiffany,” 2023, Acrylic and marker on canvas
“Subway,” 2023, Acrylic and marker on canvas
“DJ LES, 2023, Acrylic and marker on canvas
Exhibition curator and gallery co-owner and director Christopher Pusey with “Silver on Blue,” 2022, Acrylic and silver marker on canvas
“Ode 2 NYC” can be viewed through June 18 at Chase Contemporary, 413 West Broadway in Soho: Monday and Tuesday, 10 AM–6 PM; Wednesday and Thursday, 10 AM–7 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10 AM–8 PM and Sunday, 11 AM–7 PM.
Photos and post by Lois Stavsky and City-as-School intern Antonio Gomez
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On our recent visit to DC, we came upon several tantalizing new murals that had surfaced within the past few months at the DC Walls Festival in the ever-evolving NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood. The mural pictured above — featuring a jazz musicians trio and a portrait inspired by AP*ART — was painted by DC-based artist and activist Luther Wright. Several more images captured while exploring NoMa follow:
Seattle-based Chinese-American illustrator and muralist Stevie Shao
Masterful graffiti writer and photorealistic painter Grace
The itinerant Canadian-born muralist Emmanuel Jarus
DC area muralist Nicole Bourgea
LA-based artist Tommi Lin, now on a 2023 International Mural Tour
Photos by Lois Stavsky
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Currently on view at ACA Galleries in Chelsea, “PHASE 2: Myth Conception…” traces the development of the late visionary stylemaster’s distinct aesthetic from 1972 through 2019. Among the artist’s wide-ranging works included in this hugely comprehensive survey are: PHASE 2‘s hip-hop flyers, IGTimes graphics, varied works on paper, embossed aluminum plates and tantalizing sculptures — in addition to his works on canvas and plywood.
A first generation writer and hip-hop pioneer, PHASE 2 evolved into an astonishingly innovative contemporary artist, blurring the lines between style writing, urban art and fine art. Intricate and immensely intriguing, the works that he created in the last decade of his life exude a distinctly esoteric beauty.
“Don 101,” the image pictured above, was rendered back in 2008 with with ink marker on IGTimes, vol.4. What follows are several of PHASE 2‘s later works on canvas and plywood — all elegantly displayed at ACA Galleries.
“Interplanetary Deity 2,” ca. 2016, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
“Untitled,” Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on plywood
“Implosion 2.” 2015, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
“Chromatic Implosion,” ca. 2016, Paint marker and spray paint on canvas
“Untitled 3,” 2010, Mixed media on plywood
“Another Time and Space,” ca 2013, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
T.O.N.Y Oy/Not/Vehme/Yeldi, 2016, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
T.O.N.Y Oy/Not/Vehme/Yeldi, 2016, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, detail
Curated by ACA Galleries curator Mikaela Sardo Lamarche and IGTimes founder David Schmidlapp, “PHASE 2: Myth Conception…” can be viewed Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00am – 6:00pm at ACA Galleries, 529 West 20th Street,
Note:
Thursday May 11th @ 7pm
“Funky Nous Deco” and Beyond
Special presentation of PHASE 2 graphic works from his seminal hip hop fliers, IGTimes and album covers to his digital installations and backdrops with Pete Nice, Co-Curator, Universal Hip Hop Museum and David Schmidlapp, founder of the IGTimes and special guests.
Photos of artworks by with City-As-School intern Antonio Gomez and Lois Stavsky
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After a hiatus of several weeks, we are back with our documentation of ILLicit creatives claiming space on the streets of NYC. Pictured here is the hardcore international Red Eye Mob above the rather cryptic Bumer Randy. What follows are several more graffiti bombs and throwies captured these past few months in Queens.
Subi, Easy and more
Sice, BS
Ecal, Gio, Dink, Tru, Gio, AJ and more
Skiz and Sch, NBT
Sedit captured at work in the dark
Post and photos by the Pushing It Forward Collective
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Inspiring positive vibes and sparking conversations about mental health, ten artists were busy last week fashioning a wonderfully diverse array of murals at South Street Seaport. Conceived and curated by designer, illustrator and muralist Annica Lydenberg aka Dirty Bandits and mental health advocate and author Samantha Schutz, the project suggests that we are all connected through our common humanity and, therefore, never alone.
The image featured above was designed by the Chinese American artist Zipeng Zhu aka Mr.Dazzle. Several more images of newly designed “You Are Not Alone” murals follow:
Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Sally Rumble
Dominican-American visual artist and graffiti writer Indie 184
Brazilian designer and visual artist Cristina Pagnoncelli aka CRISPA
NYC-based type designer and educator Lynne Yun
The prolific Brooklyn-based designer and visual artist Jason Naylor
NYC-based lettering artist and designer Alanna Flowers
Filipino-American multidisciplinary artist Richard Tumang
NYC-based multidisciplinary artist Marco Santini
Brooklyn-based Japanese American artist Adam Fu
And a message from project co-founder Dirty Bandits
Stay posted to the Street Art NYC Instagram for images of Priority Bicycles — designed by six of the artists — that will be used for “Priority Delivers” in honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month and Bicycle Month.
Photos: Lois Stavsky
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Soi Books, a new series of delightfully curated mini books, celebrates a diverse range of hugely talented urban artists from across the globe. The artists’ varied works, distinct stories and personal histories are at once alluring and provocative. And not only do these booklets introduce us to these artists’ creations, but they acquaint us with the particular cultures and places that inspired them.
Among Soi Books,s newly published editions is TILL WE MEET AGAIN presenting an enticing array of artwork by the distinctly skilled Swiss-Peruvian woodblock printer Tania Brun. Included too is a variety of photographs — offering insights into her and her family’s lives. Crisp and infectious, Tania’s aesthetic largely reflects her Andean heritage.
“We used to live in a small town in Puno, where my father was a priest,” she relates. “He always taught us to appreciate the people of the Andes and not to take advantage of being half-Swiss.”
Another of Soi Books,’s inaugural editions focuses on the prolific Italian graffiti crew, SOOL. Curated in a feverishly frenetic and playful mode, the booklet, SOOL BOOMB BOOK, brilliantly captures the talents, energies and adventures of multimedia artists Claudio, Marco and Nicola who hail from the mountains of Northern Italy.
SUPER STRIKE presents a glimpse into Suiko, a wonderfully versatile artist who hails from Hiroshimo. With photos documenting the artist in a range of settings from his studio in Hiroshima to the streets of Nepal, along with engaging, informative text and images of hugely impressive artworks, SUPER STRIKE both educates and and inspires.
CHIP7LAND, the edition focusing on Bangkok-based Thai-American painter and Mayhen crew founder CHIP7, presents – in addition to photographs and random musings – masterful images of futuristic landscapes representing a fusion of Western and Eastern sensibilities.
And all of the booklets also give us a glimpse into the artists at work, providing further insights into the creative process.
To find out more about about these Soi Books, discover others, and find out how you can get your artwork published, check here.
All images courtey of the publisher
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We’ve become huge fans of Getafe’s ever-evolving, striking graffiti walls. On my recent trip, I revisited the Madrid municipality and came upon a wide range of exuberant new graffiti art amid huge graffiti productions. The image featured above was fashioned by Rikams TFC93 and Chema Rodriguez. What follows is a small sampling of what greeted us:
Close-up from huge, tantalizing production
Unidentified artist
Unidentified artists
Close-up from huge production
Another close-up
Photos by Lois Stavsky and Sara C Mozeson
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While driving through the central Spanish city of Illescas, we came upon a huge abandoned property covered with a captivating array of graffiti art. Pictured above is one of the many handsomely crafted burners. Several more artworks in a range of styles follow:
Unidentified artist
Unidentified artist
Another alluring burner
Varied bombs, tags & more
And on a different note — Jesús Moreno
Photos of artworks by Sara C Mozeson and Lois Stavsky
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