Inaugurating its New York space with a sprawling, hugely impressive exhibition of a broad range of works by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Brant Foundation has brought the spirit of the legendary artist back to the East Village. Curated by Brant Foundation founder Peter M. Brant with Basquiat scholar Dieter Buchhart and organized in collaboration with the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the exhibition, itself, is a cause for celebration. The image featured above, “Untitled,” was fashioned by the artist in 1981 with acrylic, oilstick, and spray paint on wood, A few more images featuring Basquiat’s raw and largely irreverent aesthetic, captured at this splendid exhibition, follow:
Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown), Acrylic, oilstick and paper collage on canvas, 1983
Big Shoes, Acrylic, oilstick and collage on canvas, 1983
Hollywood Africans, Acrylic and oilstick on canvas, 1983
Irony of a Negro Policeman, Acrylic and lipstick on wood, 1981
Arroz con Pollo, Acrylic and oilstick on canvas, 1981
Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, Acrylic on canvas, 1982
The exhibition continues at the Brant Foundation, 421 East Sixth Street, through May 15. Although admission is free, reservations are necessary.
In what is certain to be the Living Installation show of the year, Jadda Cat becomes our country’s first female President replacing our current toxic one. With scored music created by the inimitable Michael Alan Alien, the talented Jadda will morph into various living sculptures — using every material she can find — as she shares her wisdom with us. All will be on view both in Michael’s Bushwick studio and online tomorrow — Saturday evening — from 8pm to midnight. Ticket information is available here.
Scenes from recent Living Installations
And a sample of Michael’s ingeniously conceived and executed visionary artwork
Continuing through April 28th at Hashimoto Contemporary on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is “Spotlight: Stencil,” a thoroughly delightful exhibition featuring a range of works by several outstanding artists celebrated for their stylish stencil art. Pictured above is the work of multidisciplinary artist Joe Iurato, whose infectious aesthetic has graced many public spaces here in NYC and beyond. Several more images from “Spotlight: Stencil,” follow:
UK-based muralist and screenprinter Eelus, The Great Unknown, Aerosol and silver leaf on panel
UK-based Penny, Illusions of Grandeur, 2 layer hand-cut stencil, spray painted onto a 10 Pound note
Colorado-born Mando Marie, Been Both Ways, Acrylic and aerosol on paper
Austro-French duo Jana & JS, La Femme Aux Fleurs, Acrylic, spray paint and stencil on wood assemblage
Anonymous French artist OakOak,Orange’s Revanche, Spray paint and acrylic on palette
Located at 210 Rivington Street on the LES, Hashimoto Contemporary is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10AM to 6PM.
Photos of artworks: 1-3 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 4 & 6 Courtesy the gallery
Dedicated to expanding skateboard culture and education throughout the globe, Learn and Skate — the non-profit founded in France in 2012 — is now on a mission to build a cultural center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia that will host a library, along with English, music and art classes. Earlier this month, Learn and Skate joined forces with the Museum of Les Abattoirs in Toulouse to launch a skateboard exhibition, featuring works — now online for bidding on Paddle 8 — designed by a diverse range of first-rate urban artists. Featured above are decks designed by Abstrk, Skount, Zalez and Ricardo Cavolo. The following images were captured at the festivities that accompanied the exhibition’s launch:
Limited edition signed and numbered photograph by legendary skater and artist Steve Olson
You can view all of the artworks and bid on them here to help support the production of a cultural center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Bidding ends on April 24 at 12pm.
LIMINAL SPACE,Dave Persue‘s first solo exhibition at GR Gallery, showcases the varied and ever-evolving aesthetic of the acclaimed, pioneering West Coast urban artist. Along with works on paper and large canvases are images painted directly onto the gallery walls. On display, too, is a sampling of classic merchandise — including a children’s book — featuring the legendary Bunny Kitty. Pictured above is the exhibit’s exuberant title piece, Liminal Space, fashioned with acrylic on canvas and glued onto a board in the artist’s frame. What follows are several more images I captured while visiting the gallery:
Dreamstate (Reprise), Acrylic on canvas
A series of artworks inspired by the West Coast artist’s current city, NYC, and its sprawling subways
Luck Dragon painted onto gallery wall
New York Wet Paint, acrylic on canvas, collaboration with WANE
And from graffiti art to the aesthetics of fine art with Lafayette, Acrylic on canvas
LIMINAL SPACE continues at GR Gallery, 255 Bowery, through next Sunday. The gallery is open Tuesday – Sunday from 12-7pm.
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of Walt Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse and his influence on popular culture throughout the globe, Mickey: The True Original Exhibitionis an exuberant tribute to the beloved, famed mouse. Featuring artworks in a range of media — including: painting, comic art, yarn bombing, sculpture and installation art — in a labyrinth-like setting, the pop-up exhibition continues through February 10 at 60 10th Avenue in the Meatpacking District. Pictured above is Keith Haring‘s rendition of Mickey Mouse. Several more images from Mickey: The True Original Exhibition follow:
The legendary Kenny Scharf, Cosmic Cavern, close-up, inspired by Mickey Mouse watch
Mickey: The True Original Exhibitionis open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am – 8pm. To enter you must have a ticket purchased in advance. Tickets can be purchased online here.
If you missed Shepard Fairey’s massive, hugely significant, exhibition Damaged in late 2017, it is still possible to experience it. West Coast-based VRt Ventures – in its mission to make provocative exhibitions accessible to all – has created the experience for us in virtual reality with a mobile app that enables us to move around the entire gallery, tap on all artworks and listen to two hours of outstanding narration by the artist.
Experiencing Damaged now couldn’t be more timely, as Shepard Fairey focuses on those Americans most affected by current policies and social issues in our increasingly troubling political climate. Among the issues tacked are: xenophobia, racial bias, Wall Street corruption, economic inequality and sexism.
“I definitely think that art can be part of the solution because it can inspire people to look at an issue they might otherwise ignore or reject,” commented the artist. Damaged is an honest diagnosis, but diagnosis is the first step to recognizing and solving problems.
Officially launched earlier this week in collaboration with Juxtapoz, the app that will make it possible for you to experience Damaged can be downloaded for $4.99 via the iOS App Store and the Google Play store for Android, and on Oculus, HTC and Steam. You can also check it out at the Damaged pop-up open to the public through Sunday, October 21, at 136 Bowery.
If you haven’t yet had your portrait drawn with one line in under one minute by the wonderfully passionate, nomadic Brooklyn-based 0H10 M1ke, tomorrow is your chance. From 6 – 10pm, Mike promises to do that and lots more at 198 Allen Street. Last week, we met up and caught up a bit.
When we last spoke in 2014, you said that your goal was to create 100,000 one-line matchbox portraits? Mine was 11,206! How close are you to your goal?
My most recent was #13,021! I’ve done quite a few at 17 Frost, at 198 Allen, on the trains, on the streets — anywhere I can!
How do you approach folks? And how do they respond?
I simply say, “Give me a New York moment; I’ll draw your portrait in one line on a matchbox in one minute.” They generally respond with skepticism. But once they see the portrait I’ve created, they like it.
In addition to your ongoing matchbox project, what other projects have engaged you as of late?
I’ve been preparing for my upcoming solo show and performance If Basquiat and Keith Haring had a baby…reimagining the works of Basquiat and Haring in one-line drawings. I’ve, also, been working on creating sculptures inspired by Warhol; instead of using Brillo boxes, I use Nike boxes. And I’ve been staging wrestling as dance, which will be projected –along with large portraits — onto a huge screen outside 198 Allen.
What inspires you to keep creating?
I’m compulsive. I have to. And people, the street art community in particular, have been welcoming and supportive.
Are there any particular artists out there who continue to influenc your aesthetic?
I’ve been getting my original drawings into hand-made books. I recently constructed a 3o-pocket rotating magazine rack, and I’ve filled it with all hand-made original artbooks and magazines. I also create on a larger variety of surfaces.
What’s ahead?
Murals, prints and reproducibles.
Good luck with it all!
Note: You can keep up with 0H10 M1ke here — now that he’s posting on Instagram!
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; all images courtesy of the artist
Shoot the Pump, a wonderfully engaging exhibit featuring an eclectic mix of works in a range of media by two dozen NYC-based artists, continues through November 4 at Bullet Space, an urban artist collective at 292 East 3rd Street. Curated by Lee Quiñones, Alexandra Rojas and Andrew Castrucci, it is largely a pean to the ubiquitous fire hydrant and its massive significance to the lives and minds of NYC kids. Pictured above is Pink Pump fashioned with acrylic on canvas by the legendary Lady Pink. Several more images follow:
Bullet Space is open Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 6pm or by appointment — 347.277.9841. Check here for a full list of the artists on exhibit. Most of the artists, explains co-curator Alexandra Rojas, have strong roots on the Lower East Side, as Bullet Space continues to keep its culture alive amidst the rapid changes in the neighborhood. Lee Quiñones, in fact, lived in the building where Bullet Space is housed.
While visiting PS9’s STEAM Mural Project in Prospect Heights last month, I came upon a delightfully playful mural gracing the outside of the school building. STEAM Mural Project curator Jeff Beler told me a bit about the intriguing visionary artist behind it — Cuban native Myztico Campo. I was delighted to, soon afterwards, have the opportunity to interview the Brooklyn-based, self-taught shamanic artist.
When did you first begin to make art?
My earliest memory is of melting crayons on the radiator, so that I could watch the colors drip. When I was about five or six, I started to draw.
What inspired you at the time?
I used to watch my father draw caricatures. I was fascinated.
Are there any other early art-related memories that stand out?
Growing up in Hells Kitchen, I attended Catholic school for twelve years. When I was 7 years old, I drew an image of Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs eating nuns. My classmates loved it. But the nuns didn’t; they were horrified. They responded to it by slapping me across my knuckles.
How did your family respond to your early art-making?
Both my parents were encouraging. They loved what I did.
What about your particular visionary aesthetic? When and how did that evolve?
When I was sixteen, I started to explore psychedelics — such as mescaline and peyote — and I began to have visions. I started then to create art that reflected an alternate consciousness. I felt as though I was connecting to the Godhead of infinite love.
Are there any specific cultures that have inspired or influenced your visionary aesthetic?
Among those that have influenced me are indigenous cultures… aboriginal, prehistoric and African.
Are there artists out there who particularly inspire you? Who impact your visionary aesthetic — or whose aesthetic you relate to?
Your artwork can be amazingly detailed. Approximately how long does it take you to complete a piece?
Anywhere between 40-60 hours.
Are you generally satisfied with your final piece?
There is always room for improvement; I sometimes go back to a “finished” piece and tweak it.
What percentage of your time is devoted to art?
I’d say somewhere between 5-7 hours a day are devoted to visual art.
How has your art evolved through the years?
Originally creating art was a hobby; I didn’t take it seriously. But as I grew, I began to see myself as a vessel for the art to express itself. And it became very important to me. I’ve, also, expanded my range of media to include sculpture, 3-D art and digital art.
Have you shown your work in galleries?
Mostly in alternative venues. My work has been exhibited abroad in England, Spain, Peru, and here in the US in New Orleans and in New York.
You do quite a bit of live painting. What is that like?
I see it as sacred form of communication with the people who are around me.
I discovered your particular aesthetic while visiting the STEAM Mural Project at PS 9 in Prospect Heights. When did you first paint in a public space?
The first public mural that I painted was in 2005 in East Yorkshire, England.
And since then?
Among the places I’ve painted outdoor murals are North Bergen, New Jersey and Tarapoto, Peru. And last year, I painted New York’s first black light street art at Underhill Walls here in Brooklyn.
What are some of your other interests?
I also produce films, direct music videos, compose and play music and write poetry.
That’s quite impressive! What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
To heal and to raise consciousness. I see myself as a conduit to a higher consciousness.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos of Myztico Campo‘s artwork — as seen in his Brooklyn studio/living space — and of his PS 9 mural by Lois Stavsky
Directed by Myztico Campo, the featured video stars Dakota Day, co-founder and lead vocalist for the psychedelic soul band Brooklyn Bonez, performing Buddy Guy’s “Skin Deep.”
