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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This is the sixth in a series of occasional posts featuring images of children that surface on NYC public spaces:
Jerkface in the East Village
Axel Void in East Harlem
Billy Mode and Chris Stain at the Bushwick Collective
Damien Mitchell at the Bushwick Collective
Enzo and Nio in Williamsburg
Banksy on the Upper West Side
Jef Aerosol at the Bushwick Collective
Razo and Dead Rat on the Lower East Side
Photo 1, 3 – 6 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2, 7 & 8 by Lois Stavsky
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Currently based in Bogota, Colombia, the Australian artist CRISP continues to bring his vision to a range of spaces throughout the globe. We met up with him on his recent visit to NYC.
When did you first start painting on public surfaces? And where?
I’m a late bloomer, as back in Australia and during my time in the UK, I was mostly into sculpting and drawing. But when I moved to Bogota, I became very interested in getting my art out in the street. That was over five years ago now, and I never looked back.
Were there any particular folks who inspired you?
Definitely the Canadian graffiti writer Opek — who was living in Bogota at the time — as he encouraged me to get my art up in the street. Dj Lu / Juegasiempre was an important influence, great support and my favorite stencil artist. Also the local work of Toxicómano , Guache, Kochino, Senil, Vogel, Praxis and others certainly inspired me.
Do you have any preferred surfaces?
The great thing about the urban space is that it’s filled with different textures and surfaces. In terms of my stencils, though, I generally like flat concrete ones, as they’re easier to work with and brighten up an otherwise dull, grey corner of the city.
Any thoughts on the graffiti/ street art divide?
To me they are one and the same. I try not to get into the politics. Live and let live I say. It’s all expression, creativity and passion.
Have you any thoughts about the corporate world’s engagement with graffiti and street art?
I’ve never liked how corporations have always been able to impose their images on our urban environment while graffiti and street art are almost always deemed illegal. Public spaces are for everybody, not just for companies that want to make sales and money. I feel uneasy how private corporations now use urban art to sell their brand, but I also understand that artists need to earn a living!
How you feel about the role of the Internet in this scene?
It’s changed everything. So much more artwork is accessible to so many. It’s not just the people in a particular neighborhood or city who can enjoy the pieces now. It also helps bring awareness to a wider audience of street artists from countries that are less visited or unknown. Bogota has one of the most prolific and best urban art scenes in the world, but not many people know about it or visit.
Do you have a formal arts education?
Not in the formal institutionalized sense, but both my parents are artists, and I grew up around art all my life. My dad is a sculptor, and my mom is a traditional painter. They taught me a lot from a very young age.
How do they feel about what you are doing these days?
They love it. I’ve even turned my mom on to street art! When she came to Bogota, she painted some walls with me!
What’s the riskiest thing you’ve done?
Well, I did get stabbed in the hand during a robbery this year while photographing street art in a dodgy neighborhood in Bogota. I was stupidly doing the wrong thing in the wrong place, and I learnt the hard way! I had to paint with my left hand for a few months while my right hand healed.
What inspires you these days to keep getting your art up in public spaces?
I love the idea of sharing my work with a wider audience without the limitations galleries and internal private spaces impose. And I love it when folks discover my work by chance and enjoy it! I want to be a part of a city’s visual landscape – the one I live in and the ones I visit.
What’s your ideal working environment?
Working in areas of cities where my street art will impact passersby by adding something to their commute, walk or day. Every city and street has its own unique aesthetic and feel.
Has your aesthetic been influenced by any particular cultures?
I’m especially influenced by Asian cultures and by different tribal aesthetics from around the world. Also popular culture, current world events and the environment influence my work. My work is a mix of socio-political and solely visual expression.
How has your work evolved in the past few years?
I work on larger surfaces, and I’m experimenting more with different materials and subject matters. I’m doing more complex stencils and experimenting with mixing free style with stencils. Also, I’ve started doing more sculptural works in the street through my masks.
Would you rather work alone, or do you prefer to collaborate with others?
Both. It’s always fun to collaborate with other artists, as it can add something new to all our pieces. Among the artists I’ve collaborated with are: Ronzo, Pez, DjLu, Dast, Tarboxx2, Miko and Kochino.
Where else – besides Bogota and NYC – have you gotten up?
I’ve gotten up in London, Mexico City, Miami, Atlanta, Sydney, Alaska, Canada and the Dominican Republic. May favorite place by far, though, is Bogota, Colombia!
What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
To visually reflect a particular perspective of the history and culture of the times and place. The artist highlights a people’s social and political values in a way that’s aesthetically expressive and open to different interpretations.
What about the photographers and bloggers? How do you feel about them?
Urban art is continuously evolving, changing and disappearing. It’s important that it’s documented as eventually it won’t exist. And as I mentioned before, it helps people discover and learn about scenes and artists they wouldn’t generally access.
What’s ahead?
I want to keep painting and creating as much as possible. I want my work to keep evolving. I love combining my love of travel with street art, so I will keep mixing that up! My family and my art are the most important things in my life!
Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos 1, 2, 4 & 6 courtesy of the artist; photos 3 and 5 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by Lois Stavsky
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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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This is the fourth in a series of occasional posts featuring the range of creatures that share our streets with us.
Rotterdam-based Eelco ‘Virus’ Van den Berg at the Bushwick Collective
Miami-based Ramon Brito aka garabatoarte in Bushwick
Brazilian artist Eder Muniz in Bushwick
Rochester-based Mr. Prvrt in Bushwick
Australian artist Mike Makatron in Williamsburg
Dan Witz at the Bushwick Collective
Never at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens
Photo credits: 1, 4-6 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2, 3 & 7 by Lois Stavsky
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This is the 14th in an occasional series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace our public spaces:
Dasic in Bushwick
Ben Angotti in Bushwick
Mexican artist Fusca and French artist Kazy in Bedford-Stuyvesant
Swoon in Red Hook
Ree2 and Teck1 in Washington Heights
Alice Mizrachi in the Rockaways
Photos: 1, 2 & 4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 3 & 5 by Lois Stavsky and 6 by Tara Murray
Note: StreetArtNYC will be on vacation through December 1. Follow what’s happening here in NYC on our Facebook page.
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Straddling the border between Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the building at 106 Bayard Street was transformed this past spring into a 3,000-square foot outdoor canvas. The 70’s and 80’s NYC subway and graffiti movement was the theme of the inaugural 106 Bayard mural project, curated by Gee Dajani and Keene Carse. Here are a few more images from both the exterior and interior of 106 Bayard captured when we recently revisited the spot.
Part One, Dr. Revolt, Wolf 1 AOK and Futura
A wide view from across the street with Part One, Dr. Revolt, Wolf 1 AOK, Futura and Team
And inside — Whisper and Pure TFP, segment of huge mural
Created and sponsored by Cirkers Fine Art Storage & Logistics, 106 Bayard will be transformed once again this coming spring.
Note: First photo features the legendary Cycle with Jackson and artwork by Williamsburg Charter High School students.
Photo credits: 1, 4 & 5 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2 & 3 by Lois Stavsky
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Opening this evening from 6-9pm at the Hi-Arts Gallery on 304 East 100th Street is JR’s Inside Out Mi Gente/ Oyáte kiŋ Art Project — focusing on and uniting two communities: NYC’s East Harlem and South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. Here are a few images captured yesterday while visiting the exhibit, curated by Carlos Mare:
Closer-up
And more
And outside with murals by Alice Mizrachi and Part One
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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