Meres

Reclaimed, Meres One‘s solo exhibit at Bushwick’s Low Brow Artique, brilliantly celebrates Meres‘s wonderful talents and his love of graffiti. I spoke to Meres soon after visiting the exhibit:

meres-graffiti-art

Can you tell us something about the title of the exhibit, Reclaimed? What does it mean?

After many months of coping with the loss of 5Pointz, Reclaimed is my way of revisiting and reclaiming my early days as a graffiti artist.

Meres-graffiti-colors

When did you first come up with the concept with the exhibit?  And can you tell us something about the process of preparing for it? 

I came up with the general idea in January, and when I showed some of the pieces I was working on to Bishop, he offered me a solo show at Low Brow Artique. In preparation, I revisited hundreds of photos of walls that I had painted at 5Pointz. My next step was to reinterpret them — selecting fragments from them and honoring my appreciation of hand-style.

"Meres One"

What about the centerpiece? It is so impressive! Its texture is just beautiful. It looks as though it was painted on reclaimed wood.

Yes, I painted it on a piece of wood that was reclaimed from the Coney Island boardwalk. I love that it has taken on a new life in this exhibit.

Meres-Reclaimed-found-wood

How has the response been to the exhibit?

It’s been great! The opening was wonderful, and only two pieces remain. The others were sold shortly after the exhibit opened. I am currently preparing for a Part II, where I will take my work on this same concept to another — more abstract — level while working on a range of different surfaces.

Meres-graffiti-art-at-lowbrow-artique

Note: Reclaimed remains on view at Low Brow Artique through Saturday May 9.  Now open seven days a week, Low Brow Artique is situated at 143 Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Interview and photos by Lois Stavsky 

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In an eclectic range of visual styles and themes, music makes it way to NYC walls. Here  is a small sampling:

Zeso, close-up from huge mural in Bushwick

zeso-close-up

Andre Trenier, lead artist, in the Bronx

andre-collaborative

 Kingbee, Pose2 and Chemis in East Harlem

kingbee-pose2-chemis-harlem-street-art

MeresSloneSee TFShiroIZK and more in Bushwick

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Close-up

meres-and-slone-street-art-nyc

Manny Vega in East Harlem

Manny-Vega-street-art-portraits-NYC

Sonni in Bushwick

Sonni-street-art-NYC

Mike Brown on the Lower East Side

Mike-Brown-street-art-nyc

Unidentified artist in Bedford-Stuyvesant

unidentified-bed-stuy-nyc

Photo credits: 1, 2, 5 – 9 Lois Stavsky; 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 4 Tara Murray

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frank-lexi-Bella-Kosbe-the-best -of-the-worst

The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak, a graduate student in Museum Studies at New York University.  

This past weekend, Hanksy’s much-anticipated show, The Best of the Worst, drew hundreds of street art fans to the former Chase Bank at 104 Delancey Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Along with some of NYC’s most notable graffiti writers and street artists, Hanksy transformed the space into a NYC playground-like arena — with a skate ramp, a Chinese massage parlor and more wonderfully-engaging site-specific installations. Dozens of intriguing, overlapping pieces, paste-ups and stickers paid homage to street art, while, also, poking fun at the scene.

Miss Zukie

Miss-Zukie-

CB23 

CB23

Magda Love and Hanksy and more

Magda-Love

Meres and more

Meres-the best-of-the-worst

Russell King, Col and UR New York

Russell-King-& more

Hanksy

Hanksy-the best of the-worst

Included, too, was a rather formally installed art exhibit in the wittily-titled Gag-Osian Gallery featuring some of NYC’s most popular street artists.

Mr. Toll at the Gag-Osian

Mr-toll

El Sol 25 at the Gag-Osian

El-Sol25

All photos by Houda Lazrak; pictured in the first photo are Frank Ape, Lexi Bella and Cosbe

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"Meres and Seetf Graffiti"

Gracing Prospect Heights — a short walk from the Brooklyn Museum — is a wondrous wall fashioned last month by Meres One, See TF, Danielle Mastrion and NME. Here are a few more images:

NME and Meres

nmeoner-meres-street-art-nyc

 See TF

"See TF"

Danielle Mastrion

"Danielle Mastrion"

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson; the first photo features Meres One and See TF

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Just one block off the MTA Broadway-Junction station in East New York, Brooklyn are some of NYC’s most intriguing walls. Here’s a sampling of what I captured earlier this week in the bright sun:

Nicole Palapoli and Bugn

Nicole-Palapoli-and-Bugn-graffiti-NYC

Rez

Rez

Meres One

Meres

Sek3

Sek3

Topaz

Pazroc

Lites 

Lites

Jerms

Jerms

Adam Fu

"Adam Fu"

Note: The image of Lites’s piece features the fashion model Tabitha Annette Miller, whom I met along with her stylist Sheryl Roberts during a photoshoot by RedHanded Imagery.

Photos by Lois Stavsky; keep posted to the Street Art NYC Facebook page for more images of recent walls in that location.

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Cope2

Currently on view at Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village is Strada Veloce, an intriguing exhibit largely fusing the divergent — seemingly contradictory — cultures of luxury autos and expressive graffiti. Here are a few more works (Cope2 pictured above):

John “Crash” Matos

"John Matos aka Crash"

Luxury car customizer and furniture designer Joe MAC Lapadula of Martino Auto Concepts

Joe-MAC-Lapadula-at-Dorian-Grey-NYC

Nick Walker‘s iconic vandal 

Nick-Walker-at-Dorian-Grey-Gallery

 A luxurious sofa featuring graffiti by Meres One

"Meres One"

And — in the window — a reproduction of a Ferrari painted by the legendary John “Crash” Matos

John-Crash-Matos-car-in-window

This exhibit continues through next Sunday at 437 East 9th Street between 1st Ave and Ave A.  The gallery is open today — Sunday — from 12pm-6pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

Photos 1, 2 and 3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; photo 4 by City-as-School intern Robert Verdejo; photo 5 by City-as-School intern Tyler Dean Flores and final photo by Lois Stavsky.

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Meres One on Life after 5Pointz

September 18, 2014

Meres

It’s been almost a year now since we awoke to the horrific news that our beloved 5Pointz had been whitewashed overnight. What has life been like since for Meres, its founder and director, who had devoted just about every waking hour to this world-renowned aerosol art Mecca?  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to Meres.

We miss 5Pointz so much. I’m eagerly awaiting its rebirth! Is that likely to happen?

Time will tell. It’s an open option.

"Meres One"

What do you miss most about it?

I loved having a space where I could bring all the elements of hip-hop together. And I loved having so many opportunities to educate others.

Were there to be a rebirth of 5Pointz, how would you approach it differently?

I would want to work with a landlord who embraces what 5Pointz represents and is committed to collaborating with me in assuring its long-term success and survival.  I would, also, want to establish enduring relationships with art-friendly politicians.

"Meres One"

Is there any specific neighborhood or borough that you would prefer as a potential site for a new venture?

Some place that is accessible to folks from all boroughs. I’m open. Anywhere but Long Island City!

In what ways has your life been different since the demolition of 5Pointz?

I never used to have time for myself.  Lately I’ve had.

"Meres One"

What’s that like?

Very weird! At first I just felt very angry, and I was trying to come to terms with my anger. Now I’m looking forward to painting in my new Brooklyn studio in the months ahead.

Anything specific in mind in terms of your own work?

Yes, I’m interested in recreating the Old New York, the New York I once knew that has disappeared.

"Meres One"

Although you may not feel all that busy, your last few months certainly seem to have been quite productive! We’ve seen your work both on the streets and in galleries. What have you been up to?

I participated in WALL WORKS: The Art of Graffiti at Great Neck’s Gold Coast Arts Center and in W H I T E W A S H: A Requiem to 5Pointz , curated by Marie Cecile Flageul, at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery and several other exhibits both here and abroad. At the Galerie Rue de l’art in Lyon, France, I exhibited — along with ShiroAuksPoemSee TF Cortes and Just One — in NYC Subway Map – 5Pointz, I’ve also painted in several festivals and events including: Living Walls in Atlanta, Georgia; the Jersey Fresh Jam in Trenton, NJ and this past weekend at the Allentown ArtsFest. I’ve had numerous commissions, including a gym in Long Island  and a new restaurant opening in Brooklyn.

"Meres One"

It sounds like you’ve been quite busy! What’s ahead?

In addition to preparing work for an upcoming solo show focusing on the NYC in which I grew up, I’m working on involving 5Pointz artists in a number of events — including a festival in West Africa.  On November 3, Marie and I will be the recipients of the Arts & Activism Award at the Gold Coast Arts Center Gala 2014. And one of my artworks is featured in STRADA VELOCE, an exhibit featuring Italian automotive-inspired art and furniture, opening tonight at the Dorian Grey Gallery in the East Village.

Wow! Good luck with this all!

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos 1, 5 and 6 by Lois Stavsky; 2, 3, and 4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson

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5Pointz-artists-paint-9-11-Commemorative-wall

For years, the former aerosol art Mecca 5Pointz was the site of a 9/11 commemorative wall that surfaced anew each September 11. This year, thanks to the efforts of Marie Cecile Flageul, the annual mural found a new home — on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Bergen Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Fashioned by Meres, See TF, Remiks, Sloke, Spin, Danielle Mastrion and Lexi Bella, the mural pays special tribute to noted hip-hop historian and photographer Joe Conzo for his extraordinary efforts as a NYFD firefighter on Ground Zero. Here are a few more scenes captured yesterday:

Close-up featuring Joe Conzo, painted by See TF

Joe-Conzo-painted-by See-TF

Joe Conzo with See TF

See-TF-and-Joe-Conzo

Danielle Mastrion at work

Danielle-Mastrion-street-art-NYC

And giving Spin a hand here

Danielle-and-Spin

Meres at work

"Meres One"

And drawing his iconic lightbulb for Cydney, a local student and his newest fan

Meres-graffiti-character-on-paper

Photos 1, 3, 5-7 by Lois Stavsky; photos 2 and 4 by City-as-School intern Tyler Dean Flores

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Nic707

The brainchild of veteran graffiti writer Nic707,  InstaFame Phantom Art continues to bring graffiti back to NYC trains — with artists from across the globe now contributing to this ingenious project. Here are a few images of artworks captured on the 1 and 6 lines:

The legendary Kingbee

KingBee

British graffiti pioneer Pulse

Pulse

Bronx native Yes One

Yes-one-graffiti-subway-NYC

Bogota-based stencil artist Praxis

Praxis

Style-master Meres — of 5Pointz fame

Meres

Old School writer Tony164

Tony164

And new from Nic707

Nic707-2014-graffiti

Photos by Lois Stavsky 

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The following guest post is by Rachel Fawn Alban, a NYC-based photographer, arts educator and regular contributor to untapped cities.

meres-Jose-castillo-and-Zimad in-bed-stuy

Yesterday afternoon, Jonathan “Meres” Cohen and Zimad — whose talents graced the walls of 5Pointz for over a decade — were busy at work near the J Train’s Halsey stop painting a mural for 3rd Eye Sol. Founded by artist Jose Castillo3rd Eye Sol hosts exhibits and events and offers free workshops and children’s arts programming. Here are a few images of the artists and their wonderful work:

Meres at work

Meres

Zimad at work

Zimad

Meres and Zimad together

"Meres and Zimad"

Completed piece

Meres-and-zimad-graffiti-NYC

All photos by Rachel Fawn Alban

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