Opening Friday evening are two concurrent exhibits curated by Icy and Sot. Artworks of 35 NYC street artists will be on exhibit in Tehran, while we New Yorkers will be treated to a gallery show of 10 Iranian artists at 58 South Sixth Street in Brooklyn through Monday. Here is a sampling from this groundbreaking cultural exchange:
El Sol 25 in Tehran
CK1 in NYC
Alice Mizrachi in Tehran
Mad in NYC
LNY in Tehran
FRZ in NYC
Images courtesy of Icy and Sot
{ 0 comments }
An exhibition of huge works painted by Keith Haring in the 80’s remains on view through Saturday, June 14 at Gladstone Gallery. While all are characteristic of Haring’s boldly, playful aesthetic, some exude a dark social and political sensibility — referencing such themes as the AIDS crisis (pictured above), greed and economic inequality. Here’s a sampling:
The gallery is located at 515 West 24th Street in Chesea, Manhattan.
Photos of images by Dani Reyes Mozeson
{ 0 comments }
The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak, a graduate student in Museum Studies at New York University.
Currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 1, 2014 is the exhibit City as Canvas. To accompany the splendid exhibition featuring pivotal selections from Martin Wong’s exceptional graffiti art collection, the museum released a book by the same name. Edited by exhibit curator Sean Corcoran and cultural critic Carlo McCormick, it features hundreds of images, along with essays from experts in the field and artists’ recollections.
City as Canvas – New York City Graffiti from the Martin Wong Collection, the companion publication to the exhibit, is a fascinating window not only into the graffiti that surfaced in the 80s, but also into the life of artist, collector, curator, and visionary Martin Wong. A San Francisco native of Chinese origin, Wong moved to New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1980s. Immediately inspired by the surge of graffiti, he at once sensed the creative value of the then teenage-run art movement. Wong’s collection documents the roots of the graffiti movement in NYC and the evolution of writing styles through the 1990s.
In his introductory essay, Sean Corcoran, Curator of Prints and Photography at the MCNY, explains how Wong championed young graffiti artists by befriending them, collecting their works and ultimately opening a museum dedicated to the art form (Museum of American Graffiti). Essentially, Wong acquired artists’ black books and requested canvas reproductions of their street pieces – such as Lee Quiñones‘s iconic Howard the Duck, originally painted on a Lower East Side handball court wall. He also secured — what he considered to be — significant canvas pieces, such as Lady Pink’s Maniac Depression. These reproductions form the bulk of the Martin Wong collection and are presented in the second section of the book, alongside biographies of twenty plus instrumental graffiti artists.
As does the exhibition, City as Canvas spotlights the young graffiti artists’ black books. Perhaps the collection’s most prized pieces, these books illustrate the process through which the young writers honed their skills and shared their styles. The publication features full-size pages of sketches and tags by artists such as Zephyr, Kenny Scharf and Keith Haring. True to the original sketches, the pages contain minimal color enhancement and retain their ancient paper background shade and old coffee stains .
Finally, artists such as Lee Quiñones, Daze and Sharp share recollections of their first encounters with Wong. These unique testimonies illuminate Wong’s passionate personality and demonstrate his impact on legendary graffiti writers. Quiñones remembers his friend telling him: “Just when it all seems done, this is when I am going to buy,” a sign of his “wholly commit[ment] to supporting our work in a difficult time.”
Overall, City as Canvas provides an impeccable overview of the Martin Wong Collection treasured in the Museum of the City of New York. The publication’s splendid aesthetics and stimulating essays serve as a vital introduction to graffiti art, as well as an indispensible document for aficionados of the iconic movement.
All images from City as Canvas, New York City Graffiti from the Martin Wong Collection © 2013 Museum of the City of New York, Inc. 1. Book cover featuring Lady Pink mural; 2. John Naar, Graffiti Kids, 1973; 3. Lee Quiñones, Howard the Duck; 4. Zephyr, black book; 5. Peter Bellamy, Martin Wong, 1985
{ 0 comments }
In celebration of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil, McDonald’s has reinvented its French fry packaging. Twelve artists from around the world — many who are active on the streets — were chosen to create the special new designs to celebrate the game.
Among those selected from the 500 artists who submitted designs was UK-based Ben Mosley, who descibes his piece, Fans of the World (close-up pictured above), as a homage to the World Cup. “I believe the World Cup brings people together in celebration from all walks of life and backgrounds,” he explains, “so calling my piece Fans Of The World makes sense to me because it represents everything that I believe to be good about the game.” And at McDonald’s World Cup Launch Party held last night in Midtown Manhattan, we had the opportunity to meet the talented artist and watch him paint.
Also on view at last night’s party were original designs, along with the final products, of the other 11 artists whose works were selected to package McDonald’s fries. Here’s a sampling of what was seen:
São Paulo-based artist Eduardo Kobra — whose wondrous aesthetic has graced Chelsea for the past two years
Hua Tunan, a graffiti artist and painter, based in Foshan, China
And representing the U.S., Tampa, Florida – based graphic designer and street artist Tes One
Other featured artists include: David Spencer, Australia; Mügluck, Canada; Skwak, France; Roman Klonek, Germany; Doppel, Japan; Egor Koshelev, Russia; Adele Bantjes, South Africa and Martin Satí, Spain.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
Note: This post was created in partnership with McDonald’s. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
{ 0 comments }
The walls along Meserole and Waterbury in Bushwick and on and near Borinquen Place in Williamsburg have become canvases for an extraordinary array of magical murals. They are among the highlights of the Juicy Brooklyn Art Festival launched by Exit Room. Here’s a sampling:
Chilean artist Dasic Fernández
Mexican artist Werc
Bogota-based Stinkfish
Argentinian artist Ever at work with Zio Ziegler
Close-up from huge collaborative mural by Puerto Rican artists Rimx, SON and Ricardo Cabret
Mexican artist Marka27, close-up
The Juicy Brooklyn Art Festival begins today, Thursday June 5, at 270 Meserole Street in Bushwick and continues through Saturday. Keep posted to our Facebook page for images of more magical murals that are surfacing along Meserole and Waterbury.
All photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson — except for Stinkfish by Lois Stavsky
{ 0 comments }
Nick Kuszyk‘s impeccably-crafted robots are among NYC’s most seductive images. With their bold colors and expressive movements, they brilliantly enhance our urban landscape. I had the opportunity to speak to their creator, R. Nicholas Kuszyk aka RRobots, shortly before he left for his one-month residency in Jaffa, a seaport town on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
When and where did you first get up?
It was back in 1993 in the suburbs of DC.
Had you any preferred surface or spot back then?
I hit whatever walls and trains I could.
Who or what inspired you at the time?
Cycle and Cool Disco Dan were among my main inspirations.
Do any early memories stand out?
My friend’s older brother had a black book and a copy of Videograf. It seemed monumental. I was 12 years old when I discovered another reality.
How did your family feel about what you were doing?
My parents didn’t know what I was doing. But my family has always been supportive of my art. My mom is an interior decorator and my sister does cool drawings.
Were you ever arrested?
No. I never got caught.
Most of us here identify you with your signature robot. Can you tell us something about it? When was it born?
It was born in 2000, and my first legal robot wall surfaced in 2002 in Richmond. Since then, it has traveled to over a dozen cities in the US and abroad to Berlin, London, Prague and now to Tel Aviv.
Why a robot? What does this robot represent?
I like its simplicity, its universality. It’s up to you to decide what it represents.
How do you feel about the movement of street art and graffiti into galleries?
It’s fine.
Is there anyone with whom would you like to collaborate?
Satan.
Are there any particular cultures that have influenced your aesthetics?
The skateboarding culture and graffiti.
Do you work with a sketch in hand or do you just let it flow?
I always have a general idea of what I will be painting. But I don’t prepare sketches.
Are you generally satisfied with your work?
It depends.
Do you have a formal arts education? Was it worthwhile?
Yes. I studied art at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. It was definitely worthwhile, as it widened my perspective.
How has your work evolved in the past few years?
It has become more geometric, and the robots are becoming less central to my pieces and more integrated into them.
How do you see the role of the artist in society?
The artist is here to educate and to entertain. And the street artist has a distinct role – to increase property values.
Note: Nick’s exhibit, consisting of artwork created during his one-month residency, opens tomorrow, Thursday, June 5 at SAGA, a new space for art in Jaffa.
This interview was conducted by Lois Stavsky; photo 1 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by Lois Stavsky; photo 2, courtesy SAGA; photo 3 at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens by Tara Murray; and photo 4, courtesy SAGA
{ 0 comments }
On exhibit through June 13 at Acquavella Galleries on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is an exhibit of 22 works on paper and two paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat. From the collection of Herbert and Lenore Schorr, who recognized and valued Basquiat’s talents early on, many of these have never been exhibited before. Here’s a sampling:
Untitled, acrylic marker, paper collage, oil paintstick, and crayon on paper, 1981
Untitled, oil painstick on paper, 1981
Portrait of Herb and Lenore, acrylic on paper, 1983
Untitled, acrylic and oil paintstick on paper, 1982
Untitled, graphite and colored pencil on paper, 1985
Jean-Michel Basquiat Drawing: Work from the Schorr Family Collection was curated by Fred Hoffman who co-curated Basquiat’s 2005 retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. None of the artworks in the exhibit are for sale. “It is strictly educational,” Lenore Schorr is quoted as saying earlier this year in the New York Times. Acquavella Galleries is located at 18 East 79th Street.
Photos of images by Dani Reyes Mozeson; all images The Schorr Family Colletion © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 2014.
{ 0 comments }
These past few days have been busy at the Bushwick Collective. New walls have been surfacing daily and the Collective has launched its first indoor exhibit. Here’s a bit of what we captured yesterday and Thursday:
Vexta‘s mural — as seen yesterday — and Vexta at work here
Adam Fu at work yesterday
Sexer‘s newly completed mural
Solus — in from Dublin — at work yesterday
Vers at work yesterday
FKDL — in from Paris — checks out his progress
FKDL inside the gallery
Jerkface begins
Jerkface inside the gallery
Also on view in the gallery — located at 426 Troutman Street — in the heart of the Bushwick Collective are works by: Blek le Rat, Solus, Rubin 415, Chris Stain, Dan Witz, Zimad, Joe Iurato, Sexer, Beau Stanton and Atom. And at tomorrow’s block party you can see and celebrate it all with live street art, bands, food trucks, a beer tent and giveaways.
Photos of Vexta, Adam Fu, Solus and Vers by Lois Stavsky; of FKDL, Sexer and Jerkface by Dani Reyes Mozeson; gallery images of FKDL and Jerkface by Houda Lazrak
{ 1 comment }
Celebrated for his tantalizing murals characterized by bold, primeval graphics, West Coast-based Zio Ziegler is one of our favorite artists. We’ve been huge fans since we discovered his distinct aesthetic on the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn over a year ago. A self-described entrepreneur, as well as an amazing artist, Zio Ziegler recently worked with PBteen to design a collection of bedding, backpacks, murals and more. We were delighted to meet him this past Wednesday evening at I. S. 289 in Tribeca, where he had been working with students as a visiting artist. Zio’s newest installation that was created for Hudson River Middle School was on view, along with selections from his just-launched PBteen collaboration. City-as-School student/intern Michelle Natanzon also had the opportunity to ask Zio a few questions:
What inspires your art?
My art is my personal response to the world. It comes from my soul. Literature is also an influence. I am trying to be less linear and more natural in my expression. The children here are wonderful teachers!
How does working on a project for Pottery Barn differ from painting in your studio?
It is a matter of putting my art on a different kind of canvas. I need both experiences. I love working on projects.
What about companies? Have you any feelings about working with private businesses?
I don’t think of it in terms of “selling out.” It’s about using leverage with companies as a way to canvas the world. It gives me the opportunity to share my art with people who would not otherwise experience it. But I certainly would not change my style to fit the demands of any business.
What about the streets? Would you rather work in your studio or paint on the streets?
Both. I like them both. I try to achieve a balance.
What has the experience of working with Pottery Barn been like?
PBteen has been really great! (Excuse the shout-out!) It is an ideal partnership. Pottery Barn, itself, started from a garage and is now global.
Note: You can meet Zio Ziegler tomorrow — Saturday afternoon — from 3-5 at PBTeen-NYC, 1461 Second Avenue and 76th Street.
Photos 1, 3, and 5 courtesy of PBteen; photo 2 of Zio at Hudson River Middle School by Lois Stavsky; and photo 4 of Michelle interviewing Zio by Houda Lazrak
{ 0 comments }
The following guest post is by Yoav Litvin, the author of the recently released Outdoor Gallery – New York City, a book on contemporary NYC street art and graffiti.
Today, May 29, 2014, marks the 33rd anniversary of the incarceration of Oscar López Rivera. Born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico in 1943, Rivera moved to the United States at age 9. At 18, Oscar was drafted into the United States army, stationed in Vietnam and awarded the Bronze Star for his service. After the war, Oscar returned to the Puerto Rican community in Chicago and found it in a dire state: the community was plagued with drug addiction, vast unemployment, inadequate health care and poor education. Profoundly affected by the condition of his community, Oscar became a community organizer and activist, working towards equality.
In a highly political and controversial trial, Rivera was sentenced to a total of 70 years in prison for numerous felonies, including seditious conspiracy for his actions resisting the forceful authority of the United States over Puerto Rico. Rivera was accused of being a member of FALN, the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Armed Forces of National Liberation), which had been linked to dozens of bombings aimed at raising awareness of Puerto Rico’s situation. Notably, the authorities were never able to tie Rivera or any of the other defendants in the case to any bombing. In 1999, President Bill Clinton offered clemency to Rivera and 15 additional Puerto Rican Nationalist members of FALN. However, Rivera rejected the offer because it was not extended towards fellow prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres, who was subsequently released in 2010.
To mark the 33rd anniversary of the incarceration of Oscar López Rivera, Puerto Rican NYC-based artists COCO144 and Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo painted a collaborative mural in his honor at Camaradas El Barrio in Spanish Harlem, NYC. I recently interviewed both artists:
Why did you create this mural? What is its message, and whom do you aim to reach?
Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo: I was asked by Orlando Plaza, the owner of Camaradas El Barrio, to create a mural dedicated to Oscar López Rivera. I immediately thought of COCO144, a fellow Puerto Rican artist and friend I have worked with on multiple exhibitions since 2005. COCO’s work has always had a political dimension, and he has been an advocate for writers of the aerosol movement since its beginnings in New York City in the late 60s and early 70s. When I asked him to paint the mural, he agreed on the condition that we work on it together.
The mural’s message is ultimately for the viewer to determine. The piece we did obviously advocates for Mr. López Rivera’s release, but to COCO and me it is more. It’s an intergenerational dialogue representative of our artistic freedom; it is our inheritance as sons of the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York City and the world. My hope is to increase awareness about Oscar López Rivera’s case and reach the younger Latino youth in the city. As Puerto Rican artists and writers in New York, we have been instrumental to the development of the city’s progressive social-fabric since the industrial boom of the late 1800’s. We continue that historic legacy, but instead of rolling cigars or sewing clothing, we’re creating art.
COCO144: Eternal (Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo) approached me with the idea of painting a homage to Oscar López Rivera and, in turn, I asked him to collaborate. I feel that painting the mural at Camaradas El Barrio is another vehicle of reaching out to the public and, specifically, the establishment’s patrons. Its message is that after 33 years of incarceration, Mr. López Rivera should be set free.
How does Oscar López Rivera’s legacy affect your life — in general — and your artistic practice, in particular?
COCO144: I draw parallels with the legacy. First, there have been a number of Puerto Rican nationalists who have been treated in the same manner — or worse: Don Pedro Albizu Campos, Lolita Lebron, Oscar Collazo, and Alejandrina Torres, to name a few. As a Puerto Rican, their treatment carves into my soul. That they are restricted in expressing their national pride contradicts the US constitution and its foundations. Artistically? Everything in life affects me on that level!
Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo: Since my early childhood, my father taught me the history of Puerto Rico and its colonial relationship with Spain and the United States. It’s a lifelong dialogue. We would discuss it while I was sorting my baseball cards. It’s part of our condition as human beings. Oscar López Rivera is another political prisoner in this long colonial relationship, but he is still alive! We have a chance to help free him and continue to fight for the freedom of all political prisoners who strive towards a just and democratic reality. Engaging my history is part of my artistic practice. Without it, my work would not exist in the same way and I would not be the same person.
What do you perceive as the role of art and creativity within NYC’s Puerto Rican community?
COCO144: There shouldn’t be restrictions for art and creativity for Puerto Ricans — or for anyone — in NYC or anywhere. Puerto Rican artists have organized and created workshops/institutions for the arts in communities like El Barrio, Loisaida (the Lower East Side) and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We have, also, done so in other parts of New York, the United States and the world.
Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo: Art and creativity are at the very center of our culture. Art is our embassy. Arte es nuestra embajada. As Ana Lydia Vega, the Puerto Rican writer, once wrote, “Literature and art in Puerto Rico have to take the place of embassies and consulates…” Our artwork has been the embassy and consulate in New York and throughout the world. Art and creativity were at the center of the writing movement in New York City. Puerto Ricans contributed to the establishment of the writing tradition at its inception. We developed the art form and continue to propel it forward. One example is the artist Jean Michel Basquiat. Of Puerto Rican and Haitian heritage, he started as a writer in NYC and developed into one of the most influential artists in the world. Art and letters are our specialty, and they’ve travelled beyond the walls, trains, galleries and museums to become a global phenomenon — the foundation of a whole global industry and community. There’s not one writer in the world who can’t trace his/her roots back to New York City. It’s in every line of a writer’s signature, handstyle, tag, or piece. It’s our legacy.
A LA LETRA, an exhibit featuring new works by COCO144 and Fernando Ruíz Lorenzo, will open on Sunday, June 8, 6-10 pm at Camaradas El Barrio‘s Emperial Gallery. The artists’ new mural honoring Oscar López Rivera will be officially unveiled at the opening.
You can check out Yoav Litvin’s interview with COCO144 here.
Photo of the two artists in front of their mural by Yoav Litvin; mural close-up, completed mural and Camaradas at night by Vin Zarate.
{ 2 comments }
