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“Strada Veloce” Continues through October 5 at Dorian Grey Gallery with Cope2, Crash, Joe Mac Lapadula, Nick Walker, Meres and more

September 28, 2014

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

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

Nick Walker‘s iconic vandal

A luxurious sofa featuring graffiti by Meres One

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

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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Stencil Art Master Nick Walker Kicks Off Yonkers Mural Project

September 26, 2014

As a kick-off to a mural program that will involve Street Art 101 classes and workshops, legendary UK-based artist Nick Walker recently completed a series of seven artworks in Downtown Yonkers. In an array of spaces – from a courtyard in the historic Downtown to a nearby rooftop — Nick Walker’s signature vandal can be found, along with the first public appearance of “Les Enfants Terribles.” Here are a few more images.

Nick Walker at work

Nick’s iconic vandal

And one of its many variations

With a message from Nick

Nick signs yet another variation of his iconic vandal

And graces Yonkers with the first public view of “Les Enfants Terribles”

In this initiative, managed by local nonprofit, Community Engagement Through the Arts, a team of youth will be assembled to maintain the murals that invited guest artists create in public spaces. Plans are, also, underway for a possible collaboration between the City of Yonkers and the Bushwick Collective.

Photo credit: @fafafooie

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Scholastic Hosts Art.Write.Now.POP-UP! with Harrison Love Creating Live Art in Its SoHo Headquarters Window

September 24, 2014

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.

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!

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.

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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Meres One on Life after 5Pointz

September 18, 2014

It’s been almost a year now since we awoke to the horrific news that our beloved 5Pointz had been whitewashed overnight. What has life been like since for Meres, its founder and director, who had devoted just about every waking hour to this world-renowned aerosol art Mecca? Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to Meres.

We miss 5Pointz so much. I’m eagerly awaiting its rebirth! Is that likely to happen?

Time will tell. It’s an open option.

What do you miss most about it?

I loved having a space where I could bring all the elements of hip-hop together. And I loved having so many opportunities to educate others.

Were there to be a rebirth of 5Pointz, how would you approach it differently?

I would want to work with a landlord who embraces what 5Pointz represents and is committed to collaborating with me in assuring its long-term success and survival. I would, also, want to establish enduring relationships with art-friendly politicians.

Is there any specific neighborhood or borough that you would prefer as a potential site for a new venture?

Some place that is accessible to folks from all boroughs. I’m open. Anywhere but Long Island City!

In what ways has your life been different since the demolition of 5Pointz?

I never used to have time for myself. Lately I’ve had.

What’s that like?

Very weird! At first I just felt very angry, and I was trying to come to terms with my anger. Now I’m looking forward to painting in my new Brooklyn studio in the months ahead.

Anything specific in mind in terms of your own work?

Yes, I’m interested in recreating the Old New York, the New York I once knew that has disappeared.

Although you may not feel all that busy, your last few months certainly seem to have been quite productive! We’ve seen your work both on the streets and in galleries. What have you been up to?

I participated in WALL WORKS: The Art of Graffiti at Great Neck’s Gold Coast Arts Center and in W H I T E W A S H: A Requiem to 5Pointz , curated by Marie Cecile Flageul, at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery and several other exhibits both here and abroad. At the Galerie Rue de l’art in Lyon, France, I exhibited — along with Shiro, Auks, Poem, See TF, Cortes and Just One — in NYC Subway Map – 5Pointz, I’ve also painted in several festivals and events including: Living Walls in Atlanta, Georgia; the Jersey Fresh Jam in Trenton, NJ and this past weekend at the Allentown ArtsFest. I’ve had numerous commissions, including a gym in Long Island and a new restaurant opening in Brooklyn.

It sounds like you’ve been quite busy! What’s ahead?

In addition to preparing work for an upcoming solo show focusing on the NYC in which I grew up, I’m working on involving 5Pointz artists in a number of events — including a festival in West Africa. On November 3, Marie and I will be the recipients of the Arts & Activism Award at the Gold Coast Arts Center Gala 2014. And one of my artworks is featured in STRADA VELOCE, an exhibit featuring Italian automotive-inspired art and furniture, opening tonight at the Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village.

Wow! Good luck with this all!

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos 1, 5 and 6 by Lois Stavsky; 2, 3, and 4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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New in Jersey City: Li Hill, Vexta, Kem5, Zimer, Enoe, Jerkface and Mes

September 17, 2014

On our recent visit to Jersey City this past Friday, Gregory D. Edgell aka the Green Villain gave us a tour of some of Jersey City’s newest murals, including some wonderful ones that he curated. Here’s a sampling of those:

Li Hill

Vexta

All photos by Lois Stavsky, except for Kem5, courtesy of Greg.

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Ramiro Davaro’s Whimsical Characters on Brooklyn Streets and His “Manimal Friends” at Williamsburg’s Cotton Candy Machine

September 15, 2014

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

On Scholes and Waterbury, 2013

Close-up, on Waterbury and Meserole, 2014

Outside the Cotton Candy Machine

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

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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Jersey City’s Mana Contemporary Presents: Erró: American Comics

September 13, 2014

“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:

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

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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5Pointz Artists Paint 9/11 Commemorative Mural in Crown Heights, BK

September 12, 2014

For years, the former aerosol art Mecca 5Pointz was the site of a 9/11 commemorative wall that surfaced anew each September 11. This year, thanks to the efforts of Marie Cecile Flageul, the annual mural found a new home — on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Bergen Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Fashioned by Meres, See TF, Remiks, Sloke, Spin, Danielle Mastrion and Lexi Bella, the mural pays special tribute to noted hip-hop historian and photographer Joe Conzo for his extraordinary efforts as a NYFD firefighter on Ground Zero. Here are a few more scenes captured yesterday:

Close-up featuring Joe Conzo, painted by See TF

Joe Conzo with See TF

Danielle Mastrion at work

And giving Spin a hand here

Meres at work

And drawing his iconic lightbulb for Cydney, a local student and his newest fan

Photos 1, 3, 5-7 by Lois Stavsky; photos 2 and 4 by City-as-School intern Tyler Dean Flores

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Faces in NYC Public Spaces, Part VIII: Dasic, Don Rimx & Ricardo Cabret, ECB, Jordan Betten, Alice Mizrachi, Chris Soria with Groundswell Youth, FoxxFace and Sexer

September 10, 2014

This is the eighth in a series of occasional posts featuring the range of faces that surface in NYC open spaces:

Dasic in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Rimx and Ricardo Cabret — in progress for NY Street Gallery — on the patio outside Exit Room NY, in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Long-running ECB in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Jordan Betten in Midtown Manhattan

Alice Mizrachi in Bushwick playground

Long-running Chris Soria — created with Groundswell youth — in Red Hook, Brooklyn

FoxxFace for the LISA Project in Little Italy, Manhattan

Sexer for the TAG Public Arts Project in the Bronx

Photos: Dasic, Jordan Betten and Chris Soria by Dani Reyes Mozeson; all others by Lois Stavsky

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Lamour Supreme and Sheryo & the Yok Go Big for Ink Master Rivals on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan

September 9, 2014

Promoting the Ink Master Rivals show on Spike TV, two tattooed arms have made their way onto a huge billboard on Broadway between 51st and 52nd Streets. Featured on the right side of the billboard are several eerie, brightly-hued characters fashioned by Lamour Supreme — as pictured above:

Lamour Supreme, close-ups

And the left side of the billboard showcases a crew of Sheryo and the Yok‘s delightfully zany characters:

Sheryo and the Yok, close-ups

It’s great to see work by some of our favorite artists so prominently displayed!

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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