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Launched by artists and arts educators Max Frieder and Joel Bergner aka Joel Artista, Artolution is a community-based public art initiative with the goal of promoting healing and positive social change through collaborative art making. For two weeks last month, Artolution directors, Max Frieder and Joe Artista — along with members of the local community — worked with LGBTQ+ students from NYC’s Harvey Milk High School and with students facing such challenges as autism and down symdrome from the Manhattan School of Career Development. The results are remarkable!

Planning session in progress

Young artists at work

Discarded objects become not only an art installation, but musicial instruments, as well

Segment of final mural

Completed mural

A cause for celebration

The mural can be seen on 5th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues in the East Village.

Photos by Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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It’s been a busy week at the Bushwick Collective, as arists from near and far ready for its 7th Annual Block Party. Pictured above is Miami-based Dominican artist Ruben Ubiera captured at work. Several more images of new works — mostly in progress — follow:

Long Island-based Reme821 

The masterful Argentine stencil artist Cabaio at work, close-up

Holland-based Mr. June at work, close-up

Brazilian artist Sipros at work

For specific information about the Bushwick Collective’s 7th Annual Block Party, check out its Facebook page.

Photos by Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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Launched by Tel Aviv-based Mas 972 this past December, EZXS Gallery showcases artworks in a range of media by a variety of urban artists. On view through tomorrow evening is Rats Rats Rats, an homage to our all-too-frequent guests. The image featured above was fashioned by Mas 972, who conceived and curated Rats Rats Rats, his gallery’s second group exhibit. What follows are several more images of works on exhibit:

Tel Aviv-based visual artist Shay Katz

Tel Aviv-based multi-media artist Damian Tab

Multi-disciplinary visual artist Kot-Art

Russian visual artist Stepa Aifo

And outside the gallery Stepa Aifo in collaboration with Mas 972

In addition to the original artworks on display, prints, stickers, T-shirts, totes and more are available for purchase. The space — located at Hatzerim 9, off Abarbanel Street — remains open today and tomorrow from 4pm until 11pm.

Photo credits: 1 & 6 Mas 972; 2-5 Lois Stavsky

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Learn and Skate — an organization dedicated to promoting skateboard culture and education in disadvantaged areas, while encouraging youngsters to pursue their dreams was conceived in France in 2012 by Toulouse-based Jean Claude Geraud, with the assistance of Richard Schenten. After building a skate park in the Ugandan countryside in 2016 with funds raised from auctioning skateboard decks, Learn and Skate is now raising funds to help support the production of the first skate park in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Ride for Mongolia, a charity exhibition dedicated to raising the money to make this happen, will take place from May 28 to June 2 at Manhattan’s MADE Hotel, 44 West 29th Street, with an official opening on May 31 from 6pm to 1am. Dozens of acclaimed artists from a range of countries throughout the globe have fashioned skate decks that will be available in auction. The three decks featured above are the work of the Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier. Several more skateboard decks featured in Ride for Mongolia follow:

The legendary NYC-based Futura, close-up, Gears, Black and white markers on skateboard, 2018

Toulouse, France-based Woizo, Figure – 037 Shakti, Acrylic and oil on skateboard, 2018

Bronx-based legendary graffiti artist, T-Kid, T-Kid, Spray paint and marker on skateboard, 2018

French artist Little Madi, Cactus Love, Acrylic on skateboard, 2018

You can check out all of the details for the NYC exhibit — beginning with its soft opening — here. And you can bid online here from May 29 to June 12.

All images courtesy Jean Claude Geraud

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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Opening this coming Saturday, April 28th at Detour Gallery, a hugely impressive space in Red Bank, New Jersey, is CLASH: An Urban Collective, a group exhibition presenting a diverse array of urban artists. The image featured above was fashioned by Brooklyn-based Dain who remains active on the streets of NYC. What follows are several more images from the upcoming exhibit:

LA-based Cleon Peterson

LA-based Ashleigh Sumner

Norweigian artist Ståle Gerhardsen

Montreal-based Stikki Peaches in collaboration with Dain

New York-based Faile

The opening reception will be held Saturday evening from 6 to 9:30pm at Detour Gallery, 24 Clay Street in Red Bank, NJ. The exhibit continues through June 2.

Photos courtesy Detour Gallery

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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Opening Saturday evening at WallWorks New York is “Tough Love,”  Irish artist Solus‘s first solo exhibition in NYC. Featuring 15 new paintings and prints, along with resin sculptures, “Tough Love” is a testament to the artist’s universal appeal as he continues his works’ theme of “overcoming life’s obstacles, being victorious against all odds, “hope” and not going down without a fight.”

The following images were captured at Solus’s studio back in Ireland, as he was readying for the exhibit:

Untitled

A glimpse of the artist’s studio

Tough Love

And his now iconic “Dream Big”

Opening this coming Saturday evening 5-8pm at 39 Bruckner Blvd in the Bronx, the exhibition continues through May 16.

And to coincide with the opening of “Tough Love,” Solus will be creating a mural courtesy of The L.I.S.A Project in downtown New York City. Sponsorship for this exhibition is in collaboration with The L.I.S.A Project and Culture Ireland.

All photographs courtesy of the artist

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On his first visit to NYC, Barcelona-based Pejac created two mesmerizing artworks reflecting environmental concerns. With his distinctly provocative aesthetic, he graced walls in both Bushwick and Chinatown celebrating the beauty and power of nature amidst the bustling metropolis. The image featured above, entitled Fossil, suggests a frightful future in a gentrifying neighborhood in which the only memory of nature is the fossilized appearance of a tree on a brick wall.

 Pejac at work on Fossil 

The completed piece

In  Pejac‘s second piece, Inner Strength, nature triumphs over the hand of man and all that the neighboring Wall Street represents, as the artist alludes to traditional Chinese imagery.

Inner Strength

Inner Strength, close-up

Fossil is located at 27 Scott Ave. in Bushwick, Brooklyn and Inner Strength — in coordination with The L.I.S.A Project NYC  — is at 2 Henry Street in Chinatown, Manhattan.

Photo credits: 1 Raphael Gonzalez aka zurbaran1  2 & 3 Ben Lau aka just a spectator 4 Pejac and 5 Rey Rosa aka the DRiF of  The L.I.S.A Project NYC

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Dreyk the Pirate — whose street art character captivated me on my recent visit to Athens — has just completed a huge mural commissioned by E.KE.A., the National Blood Donor Center of Greece, for World Blood Donor Day 2018. What follows are several more images of the completed work, along with progress shots, as photographed by Nikos Pekiaridis and Kostas Kallipolitis of Phifactor Photograpy.

The other side of the mural

In the beginning

In progress

With a message to convey

Located in Thrakomakedones, Athens, the mural was sponsored by Kraft Paints Greece.

Photo credits: 1, 2  & 3 Kostas Kalipolitis 3 & 4 Nikos Pekiaridis

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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Recently released by Schiffer is Tokyo Graffiti, a delightfully intriguing and wonderfully informative survey of  Tokyo’s current street art and graffiti scene documented by London-born photographer David Sharabani aka Lord K2. After reading the book, I posed a few questions to Lord K2:

You’ve documented urban art in several cities and have previously published a book on Santiago’s rich street art scene.  What drew you to Tokyo?

Tokyo’s street art scene has never been documented and published before in a book of this format, and its urban art is relatively overlooked by locals and tourists alike. The walls and streets are so pristine and well-organized — many with an abundance of logos and commercials – that you may get the impression that street art is not needed. But when well-placed and in the right context, it enhances Tokyo’s well-planned and maintained architectural surroundings.

Also, I saw this book as a challenge. I was in Tokyo photographing the Sumo wrestling culture. The majority of my time was spent handling bureaucratic paperwork, and out of frustration and impatience, I decided to hit the streets. Initially, I wasn’t entirely sure there would be enough art out there to justify a book. But the more I dug in, the more hidden gems I discovered. Since Tokyo’s graffiti is not so apparent, I thought it would be a good idea to compile a book of some of the most significant pieces in one format to be viewed easily.

How does Tokyo’s street art and graffiti scene differ from other cities you’ve visited?

Regarding graffiti and art that is often regarded as vandalism, it’s not in the nature of Japanese to vandalize, rebel or speak up. Their economy functions well; there is virtually no street crime, and the education system is excellent. It seems that there is not too much to protest about. Also, conformism is an integral part of the Japanese way. Going against the flow of polite dignified behavior is considered a far more extreme form of misconduct than it is in most other countries.

Another distinct difference between Tokyo and many other cities is that in Tokyo it is a nightmare-of-a-process to obtain permissions, limiting the quantity of “decorative art,” even though the quality is generally high.

There are, though, a fair amount of stickers mounted in the highly populated central neighborhoods of Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku, since these are quick and easy to put up with a minimal chance of being caught. Many of these stickers have been put up by foreigners.

What were some of the challenges you’ve faced in documenting it?

A big challenge was getting the artists to talk. They were happy to be interviewed, but cautious as to what they would reveal. It was hard to extract any juicy or emotive information. Fortunately, I was introduced to Little Pink Pills, who was already well-informed on the scene. She ended up writing the book’s text that accompanies my photos.

The other challenge was sourcing the graffiti. Even though artists would pinpoint locations, this didn’t suffice. I had to scout the streets for hours on end on my bicycle. I was inevitably much fitter for it.

Do any particular images or styles stand out to you? Any that are distinctly Japanese?

The mural that stands out most to me is one that was painted by German artist Case Maclaim. It’s a gigantic mural on the back of a building in Tennozu Isle painted for Pow! Wow! Japan depicting Sumo video game fighter E .Honda. It’s striking to see it in the distant urban scape.

Half the street art in Tokyo is painted by Westerners. They often incorporate images from popular Japanese culture such as Samurai, Geishas, Sumo, as well as comics that portray social issues. Japanese artists do not have a collective style of painting, as each individual/crew has its own distinctive style. Many of them incorporate less commercial elements of Japanese culture. For example, Usugrow blends Japanese calligraphy with pointillism and Los Angeles Cholo culture. Shizentomotel paints Namahage, a traditional Japanese folklore demon. Dragon‘s style is a fusion of graffiti, manga and ukiyo-e. Tamura Yoshiyasu, a manga artist, painter and illustrator, mixes modern manga with traditional Japanese art.

I’m so glad that you and Little Pink Pills made this book happen! Congratulations!

Photos 1 Book cover 2 Fin DAC 3 Unidentified 4 Kami and Sasu aka Hitotzuki 5 Assorted stickers 6 Little Pink Pills 7 Case Maclaim  & 8 Makoto; interview by Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls 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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Best-known for his interactive performance art and visual art that have been featured in a range of galleries, art fairs and museums, Miami-based artist David Rohn has recently taken his vision to the streets. In his new series, Street Peeps, he focuses on raising awareness of the issue of homelessness. While in Miami, I had the opportunity to speak to him:

When did you begin this project– with its focus on wheatpasting images of  yourself in various disguises representing street peeps?

I started three months ago.

Had you ever gotten up on the streets before you began working on this project?

Back in the 90’s, I did a series of boys’ heads based on an image that I had seen. I got them up in Miami – mostly on lampposts – Downtown and on the beach. One even made it into the bathroom of the Perez Art Musem, back when it was the Miami Art Museum. I painted the heads in different colors mixing guache paint with wallpaper paste.

What inspired you to do so back then?

I’d seen graffiti and wheatpastes up in NY, and I wanted to be out there.

What spurred you to hit the streets this time around? 

Between 2008 and 2014, I was represented by a gallery in Miami. After that ended, I wanted a way to share my vision — and concerns — with others. Things had tapered off. Getting up in the public sphere seemed like the most sensible way to accomplish this.

And why this particular project?

I feel very strongly about homelessness. I’ve seen it explode in recent years. It is appalling! And the income disparity is continually increasing. I’ve been interested in these two issues for awhile.

Each of your portraits is another rendition of you as someone who is homeless!

Yes! I’ve been doing portraits of myself since 2008 as part of my performance art.

Who exactly are these characters you are portraying?

They are inspired by homeless folks and street people I see when I’m out on the streets. The ones who are the casualties of gentrification. This city is changing so rapidly.

And what about the characters with the masks? Who are they?

They represents the power structure. The eilite – those who control our economic assets. The developers who can easily evolve into a monsters.

What about your relationship with the homeless?

For awhile, I was bringing them sleeping bags and cots. But these days, I bring loaves of day-old bread and bottles of water. And socks – white socks and gray socks. They choose which ones they want. These items are what they seem to need and want the most.

And how has this project – getting your portraits out there in public space — impacted you?

It’s been very liberating! It’s fun! And I like the idea of short circuiting the gallery system.

What’s ahead?

Creating and getting up more images suggestive of the homelessness crisis.

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky with photos by Lois Stavsky.

Special thanks to Andrew Ringler for introducing me to David.

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