A visit to the South Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point this past Monday led to the discovery of some of its recently-surfaced graffiti murals. Here is a sampling:
All photos by Tara Murray
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Co-owned by artists Sarah Wang and Shaina Yang, City Bird is a creative space recently launched on the Lower East Side. While visiting its current exhibit Natural High yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to Shaina Yang and find out a bit about the gallery and its mission.
I love the eclectic mix of art in this exhibit. Can you tell us something about City Bird’s mission?
We see ourselves as a unique space in which we are free to unleash our creativity in a playful manner. There is no one to tell us what to create or how to create it. It is up to us — the artists!
When was City Bird born?
Our inaugural exhibit opened on November 7. It was curated by the Under1roof Project.
Many of the artists on exhibit – such as Kingbee, Wizard Skull and Dek 2DX— are also active on the streets. How did you meet each other?
Many of us know each other from the collective, Con Artist, and many of Con Artist’s members also get up on the streets. Lady Millard’s Under1roof Project also brought us together in a collaborative manner. Basically, it was friends and friends of friends!
I’d imagine that renting and maintaining a space like this on the Lower East Side could be expensive. How do you raise the money to do this?
When there are no exhibits here, we rent out the space to pop-up shows, poetry readings and a range of creative events.
What’s ahead?
A mix of imaginative exhibits featuring work by a range of artists, including street artists. We are already booked through the spring. You are in for some surprises!
City Bird is located at 191 Henry Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Images:
1. Pablo Power
2. Chris Mendoza, close-up
3. Lady Millard, close-up
4. Kingbee
5. Wizard Skull
6, Dek 2DX
First image courtesy of the gallery; all others photographed by Lois Stavsky
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A graffiti writer and b-boy back in the 70’s, California-based Doze Green crafts extraordinary artwork that exudes all the energy, exuberance and irreverence of the New York City streets that were once his. Out of Nowhere, his current exhibit and fifth solo show at Jonathan LeVine, continues through Saturday at 557C West 23rd Street. Here are a few more images:
Set with Osirian Strap (Penis Envy), mixed media on canvas
Napoleon Bonefart, mixed media on wood
H Thrice, mixed-media on canvas
The Initiate, mixed media on canvas
The Jonathan LeVine Gallery is open from 11am to 6pm.
Photos of images by Dani Reyes Mozeson; first image is Prophet in the Desert, mixed-media on canvas
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Earlier this fall, the Dodworth Street Mural art project began a wondrous transformation of the area on and around Dodworth Street between Bushwick Avenue and Broadway. Here are just a few of the murals that have surfaced:
Eelco ’Virus’ Van den Berg, Rocko and Vera Times
Miss Zukie and Lexi Bella
Col Wallnuts, Marthalicia, BK, Damien Mitchell & Edob LOV3
Photo credits: 1, 3 – 5 Lois Stavsky; 2 & 6 Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Moving Murals: Henry Chalfant & Martha Cooper’s All-City Graffiti Archive, a mosaic of 850 wall images of subway graffiti photographed by Chalfant — along with a series of Martha Cooper’s artist portraits — continues through this Thursday, December 18 at 4pm. A homage to the boundless creativity of the graffiti artists whose talents and passions paved the way to the global street art movement, Moving Murals is the first exhibit to grace the City Lore Gallery at 56 East 1st Street.
Another close-up from Henry Chalfant collage, featuring the legendary Iz the Wiz
Martha Cooper’s portraits
Including such contemporaries as Lady Aiko (top left)
And next Saturday, December 20, 12pm – 6pm, you will have the opportunity to take home one of Henry Chalfant’s graffiti train prints as City Lore will be offering Chalfant’s train photographs from the Moving Murals exhibit with each membership purchased. Membership begins at $35. Hot cider and a variety of gifts by local NYC artists will also be available for sale at the City Lore Store.
Final photo courtesy of City Lore; photos of Henry Chalfant’s installation by Lois Stavsky; of Martha Cooper’s by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Currently based in Brooklyn, New York, Genea Barnes began exhibiting her artful photography in 2005. Her current work has taken her into the streets of over 50 cities where she has photographed hundreds of ghost bikes.
When and where did you begin photographing ghost bikes?
I saw my first ghost bike in Brooklyn in May 2010. It struck me. It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. That was the first ghost bike I photographed. I’ve since traveled to over 50 cities photographing them.
Why — do you suppose — you became so committed to this project?
I feel a special connection to these bikes. I am taken by their intense beauty. Their impact was — and still is — tremendous on me. They remind us of lives that were lost and they remind us to keep safe. I knew, at once, that I wanted not only to photograph them, but to share my findings with others.
Have you any particular message you would like your photos to convey?
I am frustrated by people’s lack of spatial awareness. A ghost bike represents the most grievous outcome of this. A ghost bike, like much of street art, is a way to call people out. We must all start paying closer attention to our surroundings.
Why a book?
I had always hoped that my art would make a difference…that it would raise awareness. And after my first exhibit of ghost bike images, I knew that it could. Not everyone will attend an exhibit, but anyone can check out a book and, hopefully, be moved by it. We are so distracted by technology that we often forget to pay attention to our surroundings. And the outcome of that can be fatal.
You can find out more about Genea’s remarkable photography project here and help fund her book at her Kickstarter here.
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Earlier this fall, the wonderfully talented multi-media artist Michael Alan released a book of selected drawings and writings. With the limited edition just about sold out, Michael offers some insights into it all.
Why did you decide to publish this book?
I am tired of artistic control. The government. The police. Most outlets for publication. I am also tired of solo shows in New York. Super stress to basically make some dumb money and hear people talk about beer. So came the idea of the book. My work is too intricate for the web. It needs to be in your hand. People need to slow down. That’s what books do. They slow you down. I also wanted my friends and fans who can’t — or don’t want to — buy a painting to be able to own a handmade affordable piece. The book is a work of art. And I’ve been sick. In case something happens to me, I don’t want anyone rewriting my mind.
How did you decide what to include?
Kristen Collins chose the works. She is a lovely, brilliant artist who made this possible. She is passion.
What are your personal favorites and why?
They are all my favorites. My work is about change. Energy. Life. These differ every day. That’s why I work in multiple styles.
How have folks responded to the book?
The response has been great. It’s attracted a range of fans – from as far as Australia. We had only gotten the word out on Facebook and Instagram, and we are almost sold out. This will be the first blog to cover it.
If you are interested in owning a signed copy of the book, you can contact the artist at artisticrevolution@gmail.com.
All images © Michael Alan
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Last month, Minneapolis-based artist Eric Rieger aka Hottea came to NYC with a message. Here’s what he has to say about his installation on the iconic, recently-purchased building on Bowery and Spring Street:
Can you tell us something about this specific site? What is its significance to you?
This building used to be the old Germania Bank and was built in 1898-99. Today it is no longer a bank, but a residence. For such a big building you would think that there is more than one tenant. Not the case. There is only one family living there, and that is the family of Jay Maisel. Unfortunately, this is not for much longer. He reportedly sold the property for 50 million dollars. That is quite the profit considering he bought it for around 100k. Over the years that Jay and his family lived there, they refused to clean its exterior walls. The outcome was a collage of graffiti, wheatepastes and stickers. This building is significant to me because it made me think of a different way of installing my work.
Why did you choose to install the word “UUGGHH?”
I wanted this piece to be about the recent purchase of the building and the decision to turn it into a condo development/private gallery space. I have seen gentrification taking place all over the world, and NYC is no stranger to it. There are so many iconic buildings that are lost due to the desire for “New.”
What about the process of the installation? How did you go about it? How long did it take?
The process was done in three parts. I did a lot of organizing in my hometown of Minneapolis, such as ordering lumber, reserving a moving truck, etc. The second part was gathering all the materials once in NYC and building the lettering. This proved to be much more complicated than I was expecting. Many of the supplies were hauled via the subway and once on site, there was little room to work. We used an abandoned lot, but got kicked out so we just worked in front of where I was staying. Not much room at all. The third and final part was hauling the letters on site and installing. The whole process from beginning to end took about two weeks.
What kinds of responses has your installation received?
A lot of people were curious when I was installing. They were curious as to what it meant and who it was for. I think a lot of people assume that if you are wearing a reflective vest and working during the day, that you must be doing something for a brand or for the city. This installation was done to remember what NYC once used to be. I was never able to experience it first-hand, but through images and video I was able to sense the energy and spirit behind the work being done. The reactions have been like mine. UUGGHH, not another building lost to gentrification.
And for a wonderful documentation of it all, check out this video.
All photos courtesy Hottea
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In its mission to “make the JMZ lines more colorful – one wall, one gate, one space at a time,” JMZ Walls has brought not only color, but intrigue and charm, to Broadway and Myrtle and its immediate vicinity. Here is a sampling:
Danielle Mastrion‘s homage to Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri
Photo of Claw Money by Dani Reyes Mozeson; all others by Lois Stavsky
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Dorian Grey‘s current exhibit, East Village Alchemy, takes us on a magical foray through the East Village’s 1980’s street art scene presenting a range of artworks by four of its key practitioners. Here’s a sampling:
Keith Haring subway drawing, early 80’s
Paolo Buggiani, Performance Art, Unsuccessful Attack to the World Trade Center, 1983
Ken Hiratsuka, whose intricately-carved artworks have been part of our city’s visual landscape since the early 80’s
Scot Borofsky, whose symbol-based graphics graced the walls of the East Village in the 80’s
The Dorian Grey Gallery is located at 437 East 9th Street at Avenue A in Manhattan’s East Village..
Photos of artworks 2-6 on exhibit by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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