Sculpture

Speaking with Toronto-Based Jerry Rugg aka Birdo

July 25, 2017

Fashioned by the hugely talented Jerry Rugg aka Bird0, a delightful range of brightly-hued, surrealistic geometric creatures have made their way onto Toronto’s visual landscape. We were delighted to meet the artist while visiting Toronto and have the chance to interview him.

When and where did you first get up?

It was in 2002 in Toronto with a wretched, shitty, embarrassing tag.

What inspired you at the time?

The 90’s freight graffiti that I saw on the Canadian Prairies.

Do any early graffiti-related memories stand out?

Discovering that someone in my local town — Rove CBS — was a great graffiti artist and watching him paint.

Have you painted with any crews?

Six years of mayhem with the DMC crew!

These days, would you rather work legally or illegally?

I’d rather not be in handcuffs!

What is the riskiest thing you ever did?

Quit my day job.

What are your preferred surfaces?

I like painting outdoors – the bigger the surface the better.

Have you any thoughts regarding street artists’ engagement with the corporate world?

We have to pay our bills and we have to sleep at night. I guess it’s up to the individual to strike a balance.

What about exhibits? Have you shown your work in formal settings?

Yes. I’ve participated in quite a few group shows.

Would you rather paint alone or collaborate with others?

I’m a lone wolf. But I like the concept of collaborating and I like interacting with others. It’s part of our evolution as artists.

Any thoughts about the graffiti/street art divide?

There is friction; they’re different mentalities painting the same surfaces. I’ve always believed that you gotta give respect to get respect.

What percentage of your time is devoted to art these days?

All if it!

Do you work with a sketch in hand or do you let it flow?

I always have a sketch. I’m very strategic.

Have you a formal art education?

The graffiti culture has been my teacher.

Are there any particular cultures – besides the graffiti culture – that have influenced your aesthetic?

Not any specific cultures — but movements, like Surrealism and artists like Escher and Dali.

Are you generally satisfied with your finished work?

People who know me best would likely say I’m rarely satisfied with anything.

How has your work evolved through the years?

My style is similar, but my technique has evolved, particularly the way I work with shapes.

How do you feel about the photographers and bloggers in this scene?

I love it! We artists are in the business of exposure.

What do you see as the role of the artist in society?

Artists are independent thinkers. Our role is to mix things up. Artists should challenge, disrupt, or beautify.

What’s ahead?

Traveling, painting, drinking tea. Repeat.

Sounds good! We hope you make it to NYC soon!

Photo credits: 1, 3-5 courtesy the artist; 2 Lois Stavsky; interview conducted by Lois Stavsky with 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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Bizarre Bazaar: A Found Art Exhibit at Fat Free Art with Hektad, Urbanimal, Raphael Gonzalez, Tomaso Albertini, What Will You Leave Behind, Icy and Sot, Bianca Romero, SacSix, JPO, Suckadelic & more

February 7, 2017

An extraordinary array of found objects have been transformed into intriguing repurposed art for Fat Free Art‘s first annual Bizarre Bazaar. Pictured above is Hektad‘s American graffiti flag looming over Urbanimal‘s table. Here are severel more works from this stylishly imaginative exhibit.

Raphael Gonzalez, An Ciana

Tomaso Albertini, Butterfly Effect, huge segment of framed piece

What Will You Leave Behind, Worth Nothing

Icy and Sot, Let Her Be Free

Bianca Romero, The Muse Says — to the right of Hektad‘s spray cans — and shoes designed by SacSix on shelf below

JPO, 3 of a Kind

Suckadelic, Pussy Grabs Back

The exhibit continues through March 4 at Fat Free Art, 102 Allen Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is open Tuesday – Saturday 11AM-7PM & Sunday 12PM-5PM,

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from Wide Walls to the Huffington Post and the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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At Huerto Roma Verde in Mexico City: Where Ecological Awareness Meets Public Art

December 28, 2016

While exploring the streets of Mexico City earlier this month, I meandered into Huerto Roma Verde, a huge urban community garden — largely constructed with salvaged materials — in the South Roma colony. Committed to ecological awareness and sustainable consumption, it features a range of workshops and activities for folks of all ages. It is also rich and varied not only in its offerings and produce, but in its public art, as well. Here is a small sampling:

One of many art pieces on its grounds

And this one capturing its spirit–

As seen from the outside

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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New RAE BK Exhibit, All Systems Go, to Launch New Years Eve with DJ Kool Herc at 99 Bowery

December 12, 2016

NYC’s prolific RAE BK will join forces with the legendary DJ Kool Herc at 99 Bowery on New Year’s Eve for an unprecented event. A brief interview with RAE BK about his new exhibit and its New Years Eve launch follows:

This sure seems like a fun way to spend New Years Eve! What spurred you to do this?

After everything that has gone on with this Presidential Election in the US, I decided the best way to bring in a 2017 is with a bang. I hope it’s a way to at least turn the page for an evening for those who attend. The name of the exhibition is All Systems Go and it centers around the comparison of discarded objects and human beings.

What kinds of works can we expect to see? On the streets we’ve spotted everything from your stickers to your huge installations?

There will be about 40 pieces ranging from ‘found object’ sculptures to large scale canvases to paintings on paper. These are works I have made over the course of eight months. And what better way to say goodbye to 2016 than to have a living legend, the Father of Hip-Hop, DJ Kool Herc, to bring some bass and get people moving later on?

Can you tell us something about the found objects that you have been working with? Where did you find them?

A lot of the parts I have collected and used to make the work have come from an area in Willets Point. Queens, NYC. It’s about a 10- block section full of “chop shops,” huge pot holes and some really weathered people. The feeling is third-world for sure. For someone looking at it from the outside — like me — it’s like the land of the forgotten. Mechanics look like they’ve put in a week’s straight worth of doing car repairs. Others are selling drugs and looking to turn tricks. The work I have created is as much a reflection of the materials as it is of the environment. A lot of rusted metals, worn fabrics and scraps of plastics… Think “pop-artifacts.”

What was it like to work with these objects?

While working in my studio, I kept seeing the worn and weary faces of the people I encountered in the weathered parts. I adopted the philosphy of making the best of the materials you are given. And these materials came from the people of Willets Point. People there do what they have to do to make a living. Whatever it takes. The interesting thing is that for all the rusted, decayed, crushed pieces I found, I also found stuff that had a nice gold or silver shine or burst of color that created a cool high-end, low-end quality to the finished pieces.

How can one attend All Systems Go on New Years Eve?

Opening night will be a ticketed event with open bar and music spun on vinyl by DJ Kool Herc. I will be giving away a small original piece of work just before midnight too. You can get tickets here.

And if we can’t make it to the New Years Eve opening, will we still be able to see your show?

Yes! The show will run for at least another week after that. Check my Instagram for updates.

Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos 2 & 4 from NYC streets, Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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On the NYC High Line with Zoe Leonard, Tony Matelli, Matt Johnson, Kathryn Andrews and Barbara Kruger

November 8, 2016

With the mission of fostering a dialog with the surrounding neighborhood and urban landscape, High Line Art — curated by Cecelia Alemani — presents a wide array of provocative artworks in a range of media. Pictured above is I want a president, Zoe Leonard‘s 1992 text-based work installed on the occasion of today’s election. Here are several more works that can be seen on the High Line.

Tony Matelli, Sleepwalker — for Wanderlust, a group exhibition exploring the themes of walking, journeys and pilgrimages

And alone at dusk

Matt Johnson, Untitled — repurposed original High Line rail track — for Wanderlust

Kathryn Andrews, Sunbathers II, as seen at dusk

Barbara Kruger, “BLIND IDEALISM IS REACTIONARY SCARY DEADLY, an adaptation of a quote from Frantz Fanon

Photo credits: 1 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 2 & 4 Dani Reyes Mozeson and 3 & 5 Romare Taylor

Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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At Lisbon’s LX Factory with Bordalo II, Miguel RAM, Noty & Aroz, Mário Belém, Mariana Dias Coutinho and MaisMenos

September 19, 2016

A renovated industrial complex that how houses some of Lisbon’s coolest shops, design firms and restaurants, the FX Factory is also home to an eclectic collection of first-rate street art. Pictured above is a bee fashioned by Bordalo II from discarded objects. Bordalo II has the following to say about his work: …I belong to a generation that is extremely consumerist, materialist and greedy. With the production of things at its highest, the production of “waste” and unused objects is also at its highest. “Waste” is quoted because of its abstract definition: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. I create, recreate, assemble and develop ideas with end-of-life material and try to relate it to sustainability, ecological and social awareness.

Here are several other artworks I saw last week while visiting the FX Factory:

Miguel RAM

French artists Noty & Aroz

Mário Belém, close-up from huge mural

Mariana Dias Coutinho, close-up

MaisMenos, one of his “streetments”

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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At First Street Green Art Park: Santhori with Community Members, Vedran Misic, Murrz, Peter Missing and Stuart Ringholt

September 10, 2016

Back in 2008, First Street Green converted a derelict building lot at 33 E. 1st Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side into an open art space. In collaboration with NYC Parks and Partnership For Parks, it has successfully incorporated the lot into First Park.

These days, First Street Green provides a wide range of cultural activities and programs in First Park by engaging with artists, architects, cultural groups and community members. It has also become a favorite destination for us street art aficionados, as it has evolved into an intriguing outdoor gallery featuring some of our favorite artists and introducing us to others. Pictured above is a segment of a collaborative mural created during #WeSpyNY, a community workshop conducted by Swiss pop artist Santhori. Here is a small sampling of other works that were seen earlier this month:

Bosnian artist Vedran Misic

Murrz

Bronx-born, Copenhagen-based artist, musician and activist Peter Missing, close-up of huge mural

Melbourne-based artist Stuart Ringholt

Photo credits:1-4 Lois Stavsky & 5 Tara Murray

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With Michael Cuomo and His Heads of State at the Yonkers Waterfront

August 27, 2016

Working with a motley range of discarded objects, Yonkers-based interdisciplinary artist Michael Cuomo repurposes them into masks that he calls Heads of State. Exhibited in both outdoor and indoor spaces, his unique sculpture assemblages provoke and entertain. This past week, some of his newest smaller masks made their way onto the Yonkers Waterfront.

Pigskin

Rex

Installation in Progress

A master of neo-primitive folk art in all media, Michael Cuomo recently released a coloring book with his original soulfakes drawings. You can purchase it here.

Photos by Richie DiFrisco

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At Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem with: Bayeté Ross Smith, Jordan Baker-Caldwell, Jack Howard Potter, Richard Vivenzio, Suprina, Jason Wallace, Capucine Bourcart and Bob Clyatt

May 25, 2016

In collaboration with the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance and NYC Parks, FLUX Public Art Projects has brought over three dozen arresting sculptures and installations — all rich with cultural references — to Marcus Garvey Park. Pictured above is Bayeté Ross Smith, Got the Power: Boomboxes. Here are several more:

Jordan Baker-Caldwell, Golem

Jack Howard Potter, Belvedere Torso

Richard Vivenzio, Untitled

Suprina, DNA Totem. close-up

Jason Wallace, Crosshairs

Capucine Bourcart, Trompe l’oeil

Bob Clyatt, (E)scape

Photo credits: 1, 3 & 6 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen; 2 Lois Stavsky 4, 5, 7 & 8 Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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At the Bronx Museum with John Ahearn, Rigoberto Torres & Valeri Larko

May 12, 2016

Among the thoroughly engaging exhibits currently on view at the Bronx Museum of the Arts are two with special appeal to us street art and graffiti aficionados. Spotlight: John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres showcases a series of sculptures by the two artists, whose works continue to delight us on the streets of the Bronx. And Bronx Focus: Paintings by Valeri Larko features stunningly realistic renditions of Bronx graffiti, including some of our favorite walls that no longer exist. While visiting the Museum last week, we had the opportunity to speak to Lauren Click, the Director of Community and Public Programs.

Thank you for reaching out to us. Can you tell us something about your role here?

As director of community and public programs, I organize public programs related to Museum exhibits and events. I also work with the Community Advisory Council (CAC) a volunteer group of local residents with the goal of raising awareness of the Museum and organizing programming in response to community needs.

What are some of the successful means that have been used to accomplish this?

I like to introduce folks to new experiences while mixing them with familiar ones. For example, on senior Thursdays we combine tea services with multimedia collaborative activities. We also have a weekly newsletter we send to subscribers informing them of all the events that take place. This is part of our effort to establish a large presence on social media. Our twitter page has over 38,000 followers. And since admission has become free, we have had four times as many visitors than we used to.

What are some of the challenges that you face?

The greatest challenge is fighting the stereotype of being located in the Bronx. People are not aware of how rich and varied the cultural opportunities are in this borough.

What would you like to see happen here at the Bronx Museum?

I would like to see it continue to evolve and engage increasingly diverse audiences.

How can people stay informed as to all that is happening here at the Bronx Museum of the Arts?

They can follow our Calendar of Events on the Museum’s website. They can also keep up with us on Twitter, on Facebook and on Instagram.

Note: This Saturday — May 14, 2:00pm to 3:30pm — Valeri Larko will offer a free guided tour of her exhibit Bronx Focus: Paintings by Valeri Larko. The Museum is located at 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx and is easily accessible by public transportation.

Images

1 Rigoberto Torres, Daze

2 John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres

3 Valeri Larko, Zerega Avenue

4 Valeri Larko, Ferris Stahl Meyer Shipping

5 Valeri Larko, Power Ball

Photo credits: 1 Tara Murray; 2-5 City-as-School intern Sol Raxlen; interview Lois Stavsky, Sol Raxlen and Tara Murray

Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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