On his recent brief visit to New York City, Sheffield-based artist Phlegm transformed the visual landscape of a Chelsea playground — adjacent to a public housing project on West 17th Street. We can’t get enough of it!
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Street Artists
This is the second in an occasional series of artwork on NYC shutters by both local artists and those visiting from across the globe:
Canadian Troy Lovegates aka Other on Manhattan’s Lower East Side
Chilean Native Cekis @ Welling Court in Astoria, Queens
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For the third consecutive year, dozens of talented artists graced the walls of the Welling Court neighborhood of Astoria, Queens with a diverse range of images. We visited several times this past week beginning with the day before the Welling Court Mural Project, organized by Ad Hoc Art, held its official opening. On our most recent visit, we had the chance to observe and speak to neighborhood residents – all of whom expressed tremendous pride in their neighborhood’s visual landscape (and curiosity, as well, about the artists). Here are a few images whose progress we observed:
New Jersey-based Joe Iurato aka .01
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Brooklyn-based artist See One has been busy gracing a huge wall outside the Running Rebel Studios at 6 Charles Place in Bushwick with his distinct aesthetic. Earlier this week, we caught up with him in his studio and had the opportunity to ask him a few questions.
When did you first start getting up in public spaces?
I was 17 living in Florida. We moved from Queens when I was 10, but graffiti had already had its impact on me. It had slowly worked its way into my blood.
What motivated you to hit the walls?
I started drawing when I was two years old. All the walls and floors of our home bore the markings of my oil-based crayons. As I grew older, I focused on black books, but wanted to go bigger and bigger and reach more people. Hitting huge walls was a natural progression.
What was your style like at the time?
When I first started getting up, my letters were good but I was really into characters. I’ve always loved cartoons.
How has your style evolved?
I wanted my art to stand out. I have an overactive imagination. I’ve always drawn characters but needed a secondary distinct style. I call the style “Shards” because it reminds me of broken shards of glass. This evolved into a style of abstract graffiti, my current focus.
How did you get your name?
My first tag was Focus, because I always needed glasses to focus. But I didn’t quite like the ring to it. So I took my birth date, 10/19, and in Roman numerals, the first three numbers are written CI. This became See One.
Have you had any formal art education?
No. I was never really good at school. I am self-taught.
Who or what have been your main influences?
My main influences have always been comic books, character design, and early graffiti. Japanese animation has also had a strong impact on my aesthetic. And, of course, comic books like X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bone were among my first inspirations.
Any favorite artists?
Many, many. Among the comic artists: Joe Mad, J. Scott Campbell and Jeff Smith. In graff: Seen, FX Crew, Futura, Cost and Revs. Among street artists, my favorites include: Space Invader, D’Face and London Police. I also love Tomokazu Matsuyama and Takashi Murakami.
Any artists you’ve recently checked out?
I’m looking forward to seeing Doze Green’s work at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery and I’m also into Remi Rough and anything by Jose Parla.
What about galleries? We’ve seen your work at Mighty Tanaka and at Dorian Grey. How do you feel about the gallery scene?
I used to hate it because it seems to be all about who you know. I’m getting used to it, but I wish it were easier to get my work into galleries. It’s difficult to get a response from most galleries.
You seem to fuse both graffiti and street art elements into your pieces. Have you any thoughts about the graffiti/street art divide?
I think of Street Art as Graffiti’s little brother. A first-rate graffiti writer has to have the ability to improvise skillfully on a variety of surfaces while enduring the risks of getting up. Most street artists do their work in a studio setting and face far fewer risks in pasting their work up or stenciling it onto surfaces. Like most little brothers, Street Art is resented by his big brother, Graffiti, and his big brother’s friends.
Interesting! ‘will have to think about that! Have you ever been arrested?
No. I’m semi-careful. I’ll usually find a lookout when I can.
Have you collaborated with any artists?
My most recent collaboration was with 2Esae and Ski of URNewYork.
How do you see yourself in the future?
My goal is to grow and attain recognition as an artist, so that I can have the means to further develop my vision and reach a larger audience with my work.
Images courtesy of the artist and Lenny Collado
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Born in 1983 outside of Paris, JR has achieved worldwide recognition for his enormous photographs of everyday people that have been pasted on a range of surfaces all over the world. Among JR’s numerous awards and grants is his recent “Inside Out Project,” which has turned the walls of New York City into an open-air photo gallery. This past weekend, JR was busy over at the High Line in Chelsea pasting his huge portrait in tribute to the Lakota people, an original Native American tribe.
Photos by Joshua Geyer
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We’re great fans of your wondrous characters that have found a home on the walls of our city. Who are these characters? Are they inspired by folks you know?
No. They’re straight from my head. They’re kind of a mix-up, I suppose, of different comic characters inspired by a range of sources from Marvel comics to Warner Bros cartoons.
When did you first start getting up in the streets?
About two summers ago. OverUnder got me into it. We started painting together, and he sort of encouraged me to start putting up work. I was drawn to it right away and got hooked.
Does the ephemeral nature of it bother you?
No. It actually helps me develop my work at a faster pace. There are just so many ways your work can get destroyed. Instead of getting frustrated, I try instead to not treat each piece as a precious object, and that frees me up to work more. If I was to get too worked up about everything that didn’t last, I’d be depressed all the time.
Have you any favorite spots?
Not really. I almost never make a piece with a spot in mind. Coney Island, the Bronx and Philly are all spots I’d like to do more work in.
Any fears when you’re getting up?
I tend to move around a lot, so when I’m up high I’m always a little concerned that I’m going to do something stupid like walk off a ledge.
Have you ever been arrested?
I did end up spending one night in jail. I got chewed out by the Sergeant at the Bed-Stuy precinct who said ridiculous crap – like, “How would you like it if I tagged all over you!?” The whole thing was kind of ridiculous.
I guess they just don’t get it! When did you first come to NYC?
I was actually born here. But I grew up mainly in Portland, Oregon. Then six years ago, I came to NYC for the summer. And I never left. I just feel like this city is more to my pace than the West Coast. I’m much more productive here.
We’re certainly glad you stayed! Have you any favorite artists?
Some of my favorite comic artists are Robert Crumb, Jack Kirby and the Hernandez Bros.
What about printmakers? Any favorites?
Quite a few. Ben Shahn and Saul Steinberg come to mind. I like anything with a heavy line that is a bit sloppy. It makes the work more relatable to me.
You’re quite a prolific painter. Have you had a formal art education?
Well, I recently went back to school to finish up my undergraduate degree. I was about half way done, and figured I should probably finish it up.
Do you feel it has had a positive impact on your artwork?
I have mixed feelings about it. In a lot of ways school sort of slows the creative process down. I’m definitely making more work now that I’m back in the real world.
Have you exhibited your work in any galleries?
I was in a three-man show at Pandemic Gallery a while back. It was with my friends, Labrona and OverUnder. It was stressful for me because I spent a long time worried that I was going to look like a fool. Those other guys are really solid, and I didn’t want to be the weak link. In the end it came together, but I remember thinking after it was done that I didn’t want to do that ever again! I’m beginning to think it’d be cool to try it again at some point, though.
How do you feel about the role of the Internet in all of this?
Without it, I wouldn’t know who anyone is!
What’s ahead?
I’d love to travel and paint some walls in other cities. Maybe even go to other parts of the world. But locally, this is a good time of year to just knock on doors and see who’ll let you paint the side of their building!
Good luck! We sure hope those doors open!
Photos by Tara Murray & Street Art NYC
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Distinct backgrounds, nationalities and styles seamlessly came together this past weekend on Bushwick’s Moore Street. Despite the fierce winds, the mood was mellow as the Yok, Sheryo and Never – all based in Brooklyn these days – graced the visual landscape of their current locale.
After some months abroad, Australia’s Yok is back in action here in NYC with his wondrous characters.
Working alongside the Yok, is Singapore native Sheryo. A member of the Army of Snipers crew, she has been sharing her talents and her uncanny, oddly appealing, characters with folks around the globe for the past few years. Currently based in Williamsburg, she recently began getting busy here in NYC.
And adding to the cast of characters and intriguing narrative is Never’s — constantly evolving — signature owl.
Photos by Lenny Collado and Tara Murray
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While in Manhattan’s Chelsea district and Brooklyn’s DUMBO this past month, we came upon captivating mini-homes constructed from Lego pieces perched onto trees We discovered that they are the works of the internationally acclaimed Brooklyn-based artist, Jaye Moon. Delighted that she had chosen to share her vision with us passersby, we posed a few questions to her:
Why do you choose to share your work with passersby in the public sphere?
I have been creating sculptures made out of Legos and Plexiglas such as suitcases, lunchboxes, containers, and drawers with living spaces inside.
My theme is about portable and instant living in the contemporary world. As an extension of my art project, I wanted to create urban landscapes that integrate actual architecture and nature with Lego bricks to share my ideas with the public.
Do they generally last? How do you feel when they don’t?
Sometime they last for a long time. Actually it depends on where I install them. If the locations are conventional, they are gone quickly. However, I don’t feel bad about that, because I want my work to function as mobile homes that can be taken away for their own purposes. Even though I don’t know how long they will last, I always make sure to leave enough spaces for trees to grow.
Why do you choose to work with Lego pieces?
Our lifestyles are portable and instant, and I am interested in creating modern architecture that reflects this. For me, Lego bricks are the perfect objects for they are associated with architectural forms, as they are ready-made — based on industrial and mechanical functions. These days we are trying to create universal living conditions that fit in anywhere — for anybody. The concept of Lego blocks is fitting for our mass-produced consumer culture, which I believe will continue to be our cultural trend in the future.
My tree houses also remind us of those homes that people sometimes wrap with cloth in the winter to protect them from cold weather, and viewers can also see the bricks’ primary colors sticking out from the green leaves before noticing that they are just plastic blocks.
Have you noticed folks’ reactions to your pieces as they pass them by? What kinds of responses have they elicited?
As soon as people pass by my work, they seem to feel connected with my projects, because they are made out of Legos. Toys are universal and innocent and bring people nostalgia of childhood memories. Someone said that he wants to climb up the tree house and fit inside. I see people with big smiles when they pass by my work, and that makes me happy.
What’s interesting is that every time I revisit the sites, I discover that something has been changed. Sometimes the doors are opened or closed. Sometimes bricks are missing; other times, people actually add their own bricks to the tree houses. I learned that people’s interactions recreate the shapes of the tree houses so they’re no longer my projects alone. This is what’s great about public art.
Outdoor photos by Street Art, NYC and Lenny Collado; Highrise II. 2007, courtesy of Newman Popiashvili Gallery
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A number of years back, a robot-like stick-figure began to migrate from the streets of Philadelphia, where it was conceived, to New York City. Little is known about its creator, who sometimes goes by the name “Bob,” other than that he’s continually devising variations of his iconic character and sharing them with us. Sometimes stenciled onto sidewalks, other times pasted onto walls and often installed as a wooden 3-D character, Sti(c)kman maintains a consistent presence on the streets of NYC.
We first started noticing him in lower Manhattan where we were intrigued by his endless variations.
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Over 30 years ago, Angel Ortiz aka LA 11 and Keith Haring met on the streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Sharing a similar aesthetic sensibility, they began to partner on dozens of projects. And while Keith Haring went on to achieve enormous recognition, LA ll has been largely overlooked. Recently, though, LA 11’s work has begun to surface in various gallery exhibits and festivals, including a solo exhibit at the Dorian Grey Gallery last spring, and on East Village walls, as well. Earlier this week, we revisited LA 11’s recent mural on East 11th Street. A welcome addition to the streets of NYC’s Lower East Side/East Village, its countless curves, lines and figures distinctly evoke Haring’s signature style.
Here are two images captured from the huge mural:
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