The finale of the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt began this past weekend and continues through Friday. Among the 260 egg sculptures on view at 30 Rockefeller Plaza are quite a few by artists with roots in the streets. Here’s a small sampling:
Enx
Friday marks the final day of the auction with all proceeds going to Studio in a School and to Elephant Family.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Whether seen on gritty city streets or in formal gallery settings, DAIN’s masterfully conceived artworks always intrigue. And those in his upcoming exhibit at Dumbo’s Folioleaf are among his most dazzling to date. While previewing a few of his new collaged portraits at the Folioleaf gallery space at 111 Front Street, we had the chance to ask him a few questions:
What is it about these particular women’s faces that you find so alluring?
I’m drawn to their eyes. The way they stare at us. And like the women in the old Hollywood movies that I love, these women are naturally beautiful.
We are wondering why so many of these women’s faces are attached to men’s bodies. What is the significance of this? Is there a message here?
There is beauty beyond the physical. Everything doesn’t have to hang out. Women need to leave something to the imagination.
This is quite an impressive body of work. Your distinct aesthetic continues to evolve. Have you any thoughts on this?
I hope it’s getting better. I actually think this is my best work so far. I’m just starting to scratch the surface.
How long did it take you to prepare for this exhibit?
I began working on it in my head many months ago. The final pieces came together in the last few weeks.
Are you satisfied with the results?
So far, yes! If I am not satisfied with a piece, you will not see it in this show.
The public opening of DAIN’s new work will take place tomorrow, Thursday, April 3, 6-9pm, at Folioleaf, 111 Front Street, #226, in Dumbo. The exhibit continues through Saturday, May 17.
Questions for DAIN by City-as-School intern Anna Louka; photos of DAIN’s works by Lois Stavsky and City-as-School intern Dea Sumrall.
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A stand-out among the street art books published this year is the brilliantly conceived and curated It’s a Stick-Up, designed by Oliver Walker aka Ollystudio with text by Margherita Dessanay. Published by Laurence King, it is devoted solely to the art of the wheat paste, featuring 20 real — easily removable — paste-ups by 20 international artists. Among those featured are two of our favorite Brooklyn-based artists: Dain and Cake.
Book cover featuring Paul Insect
All images courtesy of Laurence King Publishing
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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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Dain’s intriguing portraits have been part of NYC’s visual landscape for years. Curious about the man behind these beguiling images, we posed a few questions to the Brooklyn-based artist:
We are mesmerized by your portraits that seem to recurrently surface throughout NYC. We just love them. Who are these figures –mostly females — that greet us just about daily?
Thank you for your kind words. They are faces of eyes that speak to me.
Tell us something about the process of creating them.
I usually take the face of a woman and a match it to the body of a man. I mix in collage, spray paint, bright colors and some graff.
What about the dripping eye? We’re not sure what it represents.
I’d rather not say.
And why have you chosen to post your portraits in public spaces?
Unlike many of the massive murals that seem to be popping up like car ads, I still smile when I stumble upon a rusty old door way in the back alley of Chinatown and see some art.
When did you first start getting up?
I started by doing graffiti in grade school.
You are obviously taking risks, as the “authorities” haven’t been too kind these days to those artists who continue to use the streets as a canvas — especially when their work hasn’t been sanctioned. Any thoughts about that?
Not really. I’m adding beauty. I’m also selective about where I put up my work.
Have you a formal art education?
No. If that works for you, you got my blessings.
How do you feel about exhibiting your work in galleries? Your work looks fabulous on just about any surface in any venue.
Thank you again…you are kind I really enjoy bringing a taste of the streets to the galleries.
What’s ahead?
I’m working on a few projects, and I have a couple of shows coming up at the end of this year/early next year…hitting more streets!
Great! We’re looking forward.
Photos by Street Art NYC; all images from NYC streets, except for final one, which is from Leo Kesting Gallery, 2010
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More images of girls — and women — who grace the walls of New York City:
Cake in Red Hook, Brooklyn
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