The rooftop of the former Seward Park High School on Manhattan’s Lower East Side has evolved into one of NYC’s most enticing graffiti canvases. Following is a sampling of what we saw this past Sunday as Rooftop Legends, curated by New Design High School dean, Jesse Pais, celebrated its sixth anniversary.
Graffiti pioneer Part One
Smoke
Style masters Shank aka Dmote, Wane and Aplus
Photos by Lenny Collado and Tara Murray
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Last Monday – Memorial Day – SinXero, Sien, Fumero and Joe Conzo brought their vision to a new legal wall in the Bronx. Inspired by SinXero’s memories of growing up on 181st Street and Prospect Avenue, the collaborative mural pays homage to the roots of graffiti and hip-hop.
Located at 1401 Ferris Place, this mural is the first of four legal Bronx walls by the TAG Team — in collaboration with such legendary documentarians as Joe Conzo, Ricky Flores and Henry Chalfant. Sponsored by All City Paint, the murals are intended as a tribute to those who played a significant role in the development of the borough’s distinct culture that continues to impact the world. These walls also represent, SinXero reports, an effort to bring a new form of street art, grafstract— with its melding of styles — to the birthplace of it all. Here are a few more images:
Sinxero pastes up his iconic “Ode to the Streets” image. Photo by Trevon Blondet.
Close-up of SinXero image with Sien to the right. Photo by Tara Murray.
Sien at work. Photo by Trevon Blondet.
SinXero and Fumero in front of completed mural. Photo by Trevon Blondet.
Joe Conzo with image based on his photo of Bronx hip-hop legends, the Cold Crush Brothers. Photo by Trevon Blondet.
Close-up of Cold Crush Brothers. Photo by Lois Stavsky.
Westchester Square Plumbing Supply Co., Inc has provided TAG with multiple legal walls for this project.
All photos by Trevor Blondet, courtesy of SinXero — except for SinXero and Sien close-up by Tara Murray and final close-up by Lois Stavsky.
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Crasty is just about everywhere here in NYC — from the footpath of the Williamsburg Bridge to way up high in Bed-Stuy. And — along with his variations — he can be found fashioned onto stickers throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. We recently caught up with him at the North Brooklyn Collective aka NBKC at 121 Knickerbocker Ave., where he’s been busy at work.
When did you first hit the streets?
Back in 2000, when I was eighteen.
Have you any preferred surfaces?
I love getting up everywhere and anywhere.
We see your characters everywhere. What keeps you so active on the streets?
I love getting up. I want to see my characters everywhere, and I feel I have a duty to keep graffiti alive.
Much of what you do is illegal. Have you ever been arrested?
Yes, a couple of times. But I’ve learned how to run fast.
Do you prefer working legally or illegally?
I enjoy both, but there is more fun and satisfaction from doing it illegally.
What percentage of your time is devoted to the streets?
I can’t measure it in hours. It’s my life style.
What was the riskiest thing you ever did?
Getting up on elevated trains as they were going by.
And why were you willing to take that risk?
The sense of adventure.
How does your family feel about what you are doing?
My mother worries.
How do you feel about graffiti and street art moving into galleries and commercial spaces?
It’s good. It gives me an opportunity to earn money from my art. And artists need to make money to do what they do.
Where have you exhibited?
I showed my work in Bed-Stuy at the Meat Market. I also exhibited along with Sucklord and Kosby in Chinatown. And I’m now here at the NBKC.
Any thoughts on the street art/graffiti divide?
I appreciate them both. I have somewhat of a preference for graffiti, but I see my work as blurring the line between both.
We see your stickers everywhere. Have you any favorite sticker artists?
Kosby, MQ, Kech, OC, Ader, Baser, Desa, 23145 and Pez from the coast.
Do you prefer working alone or collaborating with others?
I usually work alone, but I love collaborating with artists I like.
How do you feel about the role of the Internet in all of this?
It’s good and bad. It’s good because it allows people to see fresh graffiti. But it’s bad because it can make somebody famous who doesn’t get up much, and it encourages snitches.
What are some of the sites you follow?
I follow different tumblrs, 12oz Prophet, Fresh Paint and StreetArtNYC.
How has your work evolved through the years?
I began with one character and added three more. So there’s Crasty, Kami-kun, Money Cloud, and Joint-Kun. And my skills get better all the time.
What are some of your other interests?
Hip hop music. I’m a big fan of Big L, A Tribe Called Quest, Pro Era, Biggie, Smif-N-Wessun, J-Dilla, Wu-Tang and J-Billion. I love taking photos and making zines and videos.
What’s ahead?
More Crasty on the streets. Crasty toys and Crasty jewelry.
That sounds great! Good luck!
You can check out Crasty’s work, along with art by Vato, Kosby, Tone Tank, Wizard Skull and Trice this weekend at BBKC at 121 Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, alongside other openings in conjunction with Bushwick Open Studios. You can soon find more of Crasty’s work here and over at Making Deals. And Crasty sticker packs will be available for purchase this weekend.
Photos by Dani Mozeson and Lois Stavsky
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During the past few weeks, over a dozen first-rate artists have been busy gracing the walls of the Bushwick Collective with an extraordinary array of images. Here is a sampling of what’s been happening:
Brooklyn-based Beau Stanton at work
Zimad signs his piece
Sexer‘s completed masterpiece
Brett Flanigan and Cannon Dill — in from the West Coast
Col Wallnuts collaborates with Toofly
Brendon Rogers at work during his stopover in NYC
Creepy — in from Australia; segment of larger mural
Melbourne’s Facter at work
Brooklyn-based Sonni
And we can expect even more great art — along with: guest food trucks, Miami Food Machine, Mike N’ Willies and Hibachi Heaven; a beer tent, sponsored by Corona Familiar, Bodega Wine Bar, Pearls Social and Billy Club, Mesa Azteca and Codigo Music, LLC; several bands, including Wild Yaks, Dead Sexy Shelia, Big Volcano, Cardboard, Dian’s Coffee, Grand Resor and ShiShi and DJ Jah Star of Ninjasonik — at this Sunday’s block party celebrating the Bushwick Collective’s first anniversary. Bushwick Collective curator Joe Ficalora reports that among those artists painting live are: Franck Duval — in from Paris — on Flushing Avenue and Scott; Beau Stanton on Troutman between St. Nicholas and Cypress and Zimad and Sexer inside the beer tent, along with some surprise guests! Art, jewelry, clothing and more will be available from local merchants, and Limited Edition Bushwick Collective tee-shirts will be for sale. The official sponsor of this year’s event — held from 11am – 8pm at St. Nicholas Ave. and Troutman St. — is NOOKLYN.COM
Photos by Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky
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While not conducting his post-doctoral research on Brain and Behavior at The Rockefeller University, Jerusalem native Yoav Litvin can be found on our city streets pursuing his passion for street art. We recently met up for a chat.
What spurred your interest in public art?
As a result of an injury, there wasn’t much I could do other than walk around. So that’s what I did. And once I began to notice street art, I couldn’t stop taking photos of it. I also appreciate the risks artists take when putting up pieces; it’s a rush I can relate to. And I admire the artists’ generosity in taking these risks to share their vision with the public.
What is it about street art that continues to so engage you?
I love its beauty and humor. I appreciate its aesthetic and the way it challenges convention. It is a beautiful, non-violent way to raise issues in the public sphere. And as a political person, I am drawn to the confrontational nature of much of it.
What do you see as the role of the photographer in today’s street art movement?
Because of the transient nature of public art, I see it as essential. The image is important, but so is its context and appropriate accreditation to the artist. And documentation of NYC’s street art trends is especially essential as this city is the world’s cultural Mecca.
Tell us a bit about your current project.
I’ve been working for over a year now on a book that profiles 46 of the most prolific urban artists working in NYC. It will feature images and interviews, along with some exciting supplements.
Have you any favorite artists whose works you’ve seen here in NYC?
There are too many to list. I love them all for different reasons.
How do you keep up with the current scene?
In addition to documenting what I see and speaking to artists, I follow popular street art blogs such as StreetArtNYC, Brooklyn Street Art and Vandalog. I also check Instagram daily for new images that surface not only on NYC streets, but across the globe. And I try to attend gallery openings as often as possible.
We certainly look forward to reading your book. Tell us more about its current progress. How close it is to publication?
I’ve finally completed the stage of collecting texts and images, and am currently working together with a first-rate designer. I am now seeking a publisher.
Yoav can be contacted at yoavlitvin@gmail.com
Featured photos are in the following sequence:
1) Dain. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
2) Alice Mizrachi and Cope2. Boone Avenue, The Bronx.
3) Never Satisfied. Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
4) gilf! Grattan Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.
5) Jilly Ballistic. Astor Place 6 Train station, Manhattan.
6) Enzo and Nio. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
7) ND’A and Elle Deadsex. Jefferson Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.
All photos by Yoav Litvin.
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The French NYC-based artist GOREY and Paris’s prolific PAL Crew, consisting of HORFE, CONY, TOMEK, SAEYO, MOSA, ESSO and SKUB, have brought their expressive aesthetic to the streets of the Lower East Side and to Klughaus’s pop-up location at 154 Stanton Street. A closing reception for the exhibit PALINGENESIS — that showcases the artists’ rebirth as evolving fine artists — will be held this Sunday, May 19 from 2-6pm.
On the streets — at Suffolk and Stanton
Close-up from huge mural on Attorney and Delancey
Gorey in the gallery
Photos from the streets by Lois Stavsky; image of Gorey in the gallery courtesy of Klughaus
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Since 5Pointz began its 11th season earlier this month, its walls have served as a canvas for artists visiting NYC from across the globe. Here’s a sampling of what has surfaced in the past two weeks:
Onur, Wes21, Kkade from Switzerland and Semor from Germany
Semor and KKade
Vova Zomb from Moscow
Ecuadorian artist Toofly
French Tunisian artist eL Seed, Jaye from Paris and Meres
Funk from Montreal
Australian artists Zert and Stain
Indonesian artist MiesOne
Article from Houston, Texas
Photos by Lenny Collado, Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray & Lois Stavsky
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For the past few years, See One’s dragon, Miru, has surfaced throughout NYC – on murals, on wheatpastes and on stickers. He even made an appearance this past fall at the Centre-fuge Public Art Project in the East Village. Now Miru is featured in See One’s first zine, Dragon Life. We recently had the opportunity to meet up with See One and find out a bit about the talented artist’s endearing creature.
Just who is Miru? And where does he live? Tell us something about him.
He is a small blue dragon that feeds on stars. In dragon years, he’s about three hundred years old. His current home is a two-family tree house with a separate entrance not far from here – on the Lower East Side.
Gee, he certainly gets around! When was Miru conceived?
He first surfaced in my sketchbook in 2005. I was riding the train from my home in Queens to my job in SoHo and drawing – as I almost always did on these travels. I thought about him for a while, but never did anything with him. And then about three years ago, I began wheat-pasting him onto walls.
How did you come up with the name Miru?
I typed the name “See” into a Japanese online translator and that’s what came up. It sounded weird and cool enough to work. He couldn’t have an ordinary name.
What inspired you to create a zine?
I love zines! I always thought that they were cool. So, one Saturday morning, I decided that I would create my own featuring Miru. A week later, three issues were completed, and the first one was just released.
What’s ahead for Miru?
A stop motion music video collabo with Motion Graff was just released a few weeks ago. It’s great to see Miru animated! Next, I’m working on a web-comic. I hope to release that by June 2013. After that, who knows? This guy is crafty!
See One’s zine, Dragon Life, featuring Miru, is available here.
Photo of See One painting Miru for Centre-fuge Public Art Project by Tara Murray; close-up of 2012 Bushwick mural with Miru & 2ESAE by Lois Stavsky
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In partnership with the New Museum’s Ideas City Festival, Centre-fuge’s Cycle 8, Influx in Flux, expanded to include additional containers on East 1st Street, along with wide panels inside the First Street Green Park. Here are a few images captured this past week:
Italian artist Federico Massa aka Cruz at work
Brooklyn-based Elle at work
Brooklyn native Mor at work
Brooklyn-based ND’A
Simply signed “Exit”
Veteran graffiti master Demer at work
The legendary Claw Money at work
NYC-based painter and musician Yuri Velez at work
Noted painter and sculptor Ray Smith
Puerto Rican native Sofia Maldonado at work
The young, talented members of Cre8tive YouTH*ink at work
Recently cited in TimeOut New York as one of NYC’s Top Spots for Street Art, the Centre-fuge Public Art Project, under the curatorial vision of Pebbles Russell and Jonathan Neville, is committed to transforming transitional spaces and construction sites in New York City into public works of art. To assist the Centre-fuge Public Art Project with funds needed to continue and expand their project, check out its Indiegogo campaign.
Keep posted to our Facebook page for additional images of artwork by Sheryo, The Yok, Cram Concepts and more.
Photos by Lenny Collado, Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray & Lois Stavsky
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A diverse range of work from dozens of artists is currently on view at Heath, a gem of a gallery housed in a landmark townhouse at 24 West 120th Street in Harlem. Among the artworks — all 6 inches by 6 inches — are many by artists who also share their works in public spaces. Here is a sampling:
Harlem-based artist and curator Royce Bannon — whose iconic monsters can be found just about everywhere in NYC
NYC-based TMNK who maintains an active presence both on NYC streets and galleries world-wide
Lower East Side-based graphic designer and painter BlusterOne
One of Jenevieve’s intriguing urban landscapes
And another cityscape — this one by the prolific Joseph Meloy
Curated by Mike McManus, the exhibit continues through May 10.
Photos by Lois Stavsky
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