NYC

Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert to Present Michael Alan’s Immortal Equations: An Exhibit, Living Installation & Theatrical Happening

February 9, 2015

A new series of painting and drawings by the wonderfully talented multi-media artist Michael Alan will be on view at the Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Gallery for two days later this month. The second day of the exhibit, February 25, will feature a Living Installation. Curious about it all, I posed a few questions to Michael.

Can you tell us something about the title Immortal Equations? What does it mean?

For me, great artwork conveys a taste of planning mixed with spontaneity. The great masters made sure your eyes moved all around the picture plane. They sure didn’t want their heads cut off. When I work, whether on a flat surface or on people, I think in terms of something that will live past NOW and, also, has an algorithmic pop to it – whether through color and line or just balance.

The Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Gallery describes Immortal Equations as a Living Installation, a solo exhibition and a theatrical happening. What can attendees expect to happen?

I’ve been going through myriads of health issues, so I just wanted to do a 2-day special show. On Feb 24^th, day one, there will be an exhibit of some new works. I will be there. It’s a basic opening, but my crowd varies from high-end collectors to my boys I grew up with. It’s a real NY show! And I’m planning to return for a month-long exhibit somewhat later on.

What about the second day?

On the 25^th starting at 6pm, the drawings come to life. I will do my staple event, a Living Installation, with nine others, and six hours of live music by me and Tim “Love” Lee. There will also be six hours of non-stop live-action over-the-top recreation of the human body.

What would you like your participants to walk away with? What is the mission of this event?

Creative inspiration, happiness, and many thoughts. We live to shut off, especially in a time of high technology. I try to slow time down and let people watch a Human Fish Tank. It’s for the people. I do this for community and for people to come and participate: to make drawings, write and be turned into living paintings.

Can you tell us something about this specific venue? The curator? Who else – besides – you will be featured?

The venue is Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Gallery at 33 Orchard Street off Hester on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Mitra Khorasheh is curating the show. The performers and participants include: David Modelo, Stacey Dawn, Selina Lee, Genevieve Sophie Snow, Kimtacular, Wren, Laura Weyl, Alyssa D’Anna and photographer Kristen Collins, along with live music by me and Tim “Love” Lee.

How can folks gain admission?

The first night’s exhibit is free and open to the public. The second night – the Living Installation – is by admission only. For tickets, please visit www.michaelalanart.com under Installation.

Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos 1-3 courtesy of the artist; final photo by Kristen Collins

{ 0 comments }

Politically and Socially Conscious NYC Street Art: Bikismo, Gilf!, #Dysturb, LMNOPI, Luis Rosenfeld, Sophia Dawson & Hunt Rodriguez

February 7, 2015

Here are a few of the works reflecting a range of political and social issues that have surfaced on NYC streets:

Bikismo in Williamsburg

Gilf! in NoLita

#Dysturb in Manhattan

LMNOPI in Bushwick

Luis Rosenfeld at work in SoHo

Sophia Dawson, lead artist, in the East Village

Hunt Rodriguez in SoHo — in response to the Charlie Hebdo attack

Photo credits: 1, 3, 4 & 7 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2. Lois Stavsky; 5. Lenny Collado aka BKLenny & 6. Tara Murray

{ 0 comments }

20in15 Continues through February at Woodward Gallery with Moody, Darkcloud, Kenji Nakayama, Cycle, stikman, Richard Hambleton & more

February 5, 2015

Woodward Gallery‘s first exhibit of 2015 presents a wonderfully diverse selection of works in a range of media by 20 contemporary artists. Among those artists featured are several with special appeal to us street art aficionados, as their artworks have also surfaced in public spaces. Here’s a sampling:

Moody, Mixed media on album cover, 2015

Darkcloud, The End Times, Spray paint, enamel and resin on foam core, 2014

Darkcloud, close-up

Kenji Nakayama, Naked Lunch, Acrylic on wood, close-up, 2012

Cycle, Rex vs Rex, Acrylic on canvas, 2013

stikman, Threaded, Acrylic on plexiglass, 2014

Richard Hambleton, (L) Malibu Seascape, 1986 and (R) Dancing Shadowman, Acrylic on paper, 1983

Woodward Gallery is located at 133 Eldridge Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is open Tuesday – Saturday 11-6pm and Sunday from 12-5pm.

Photos credits: 1 & 3 City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; 2, 5 & 7 courtesy Woodward Gallery; 4 Lois Stavsky & 6 Dani Reyes Mozeson

{ 0 comments }

Melbourne-based Photographer Dean Sunshine on Street Art and Graffiti, Land of Sunshine, NYC, His Newly Released Book and more

February 1, 2015

With his keen eye and infinite passion, Melbourne-based photographer Dean Sunshine avidly documents the graffiti and street art he encounters in his hometown and beyond. His second, newly-released book, Street Art Now, is a first-rate chronicle of the art that has been surfacing — not only on the streets of Melbourne — but in other cities across the globe that Dean has recently visited. I met up with him when he was in NYC this past fall. Soon after, his stunning second book Street Art Now made its way into print.

Have you any early memories of Melbourne graffiti and street art? When did you begin to photograph it?

Graffiti and hip-hop sprouted in Melbourne in the 80’s with VHS copies of Style Wars being handed around, educating the kids here about these subcultures thriving in NYC. My first piece of graffiti art was a present for my 21^st birthday in the mid eighties — a basketball backboard spray painted by Merda and Ransom – two of the stars of the Melbourne scene. Decades later this piece still hangs at my home and many of the writers who are now mates are surprised and envious of this original piece. I started taking photos in the early 2000’s.

What motivated you to do so?

I loved snapping all this amazing art seen on the streets, but it was actually my partner at the time who told me I was a fool to have thousands of images on a hard drive that nobody else could enjoy. She said, “You should start a blog,” and the Land Of Sunshine was born.

How do you find the time while working at a day job to photograph so many great pieces of street art, blog regularly and publish two books?

I find time during my daily grind in the rag trade driving around to appointments across the suburbs of Melbourne visiting textile factories. On these travels I often stumble over graffiti and street art, and I pull over and take a quick shot. On the weekends I often hunt out abandoned factories, get down into the drains, and search new lane-ways — always on the lookout for new work.

Do any particular moments stand out in your street-art hunting expeditions?

There are so many highlights throughout my time documenting. I have met, hung out and I’ve been privileged to watch so many incredible artists in action including: ROA, Kid Zoom, Herakut, Hush, D*Face, Stormie Mills, Rone, Makatron, Adnate, Slicer, Li-Hill, Shida, Smug, WANE, Sofles, Kaff-eine, DEB, Heesco, Meggs, Reka, Phibs, Bailer, DVATE, Does, Twoone, Mysterious Al, Dscreet, Vexta, 2501, Faith47, DALeast, Pixel Pancho, Phlegm, Insa, Sirum, The Yok, Sheryo, Gaia, Alexis Diaz, Maya Hayuk, Crash, Daze and ELK. But the times I have spent with Futura, Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper stand out the most, as these three are the pioneers of this scene in which we find ourselves submerged. I got to take each of them around the streets and lanes of Melbourne, proudly showing them my favorite spots in my own hometown. Such absolute legends, all with a passion that has lasted decades. I wish I will be as passionate 25 years on!

What brought you to NYC?

I came to New York this past September to keep my wife company who was shooting fashion week. (Yes, she is also a photographer!) As she went uptown each morning to the shows, I got on my pushbike and rode all over, snapping as I went.

What other cities have you visited?

Over the last years, I’ve been lucky to have travelled to Los Angeles, Hawaii, Berlin, Paris, Italy, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro, and even Perth. It’s funny how these days it’s a priority when I’m on holidays to track down and snap all the local art I find. My recent book, Street Art Now, documents some of these findings.

What’s ahead?

Well, I am soon to become a father so my priorities will change — although I will probably be doing the same, just with the little guy on my back.

Congratulations! I am quite certain you will.

Note: You can check out some local coverage that Dean’s recent book, Street Art Now, received here, along with a guided tour of the Melbourne scene by Dean here.

Photos of above artworks in Street Art Now:

1. Vexta and Shida in Melbourne

3. WANE in Melbourne

4. ROA in Melbourne

5. Adnate in Melbourne

6. Seth GlobePainter, Shida and TwoOne in Melbourne

7. Pixel Pancho in Perth

8. Li-Hill and Kaff-eine in New York City

9. The Yok and Sheryo in Zicatela, Mexico

10. Keith Haring in Melbourne, 1984

{ 0 comments }

NYC’s Stylish Trucks & Vans – from the Whimsical to the Wild, Part XI: Wane, Cone, Magda Love, Crane, Rimx & Seel and Sienide

January 30, 2015

This is the eleventh in a series of occasional posts featuring the diverse range of trucks and vans that strike our streets.

Wane in Manhattan

Cone in the Bronx

Magda Love in Bushwick for JMZ Walls

Crane in Washington Heights/Inwood

Rimx and Seel in Bushwick

Sienide in the Bronx

Photo credits: 1. Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2-4 and 6. Lois Stavsky; 5. Tara Murray

{ 0 comments }

Lorenzo Masnah aka AEON on APC’s First U.S. Exhibit, Romance, Recycled Art & more

January 28, 2015

I caught up with Bogota native Lorenzo Masnah — aka AEON and Third World Pirate — last week in his Bushwick studio as he was readying to head to Chicago’s Galerie F to join Stinkfish, Zas and Buytronick in preparation for APC’s first exhibit in the U.S.

You are leaving in a few hours for Chicago. What’s happening there?

I will be working with Stinkfish, Zas and Buytronick to produce a series of collaborative works. Each of us has a distinct graphic language and they all will come together on an array of surfaces – from found objects to huge outdoor murals — for this exhibit at Galerie F. Drawings, paintings, zines, shirts and all kinds of APC paraphernalia will be on sale at the gallery. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday, January 30.

Can you tell us something about APC? What does it mean? When did you guys all meet?

The crew originated almost ten years ago back in Bogota with a few artists who participated together in festivals. These days we have over 50 members representing APC throughout the entire world. The acronym has many different meanings. Its principal one is Animal Power Cult, as animals play an essential role in our individual and common aesthetic.

What about you? You seem to have three distinct identities. I primarily associate you with Third World Pirate as I remember watching you paint your iconic pirate almost ten years ago in Bogota. But there everyone seems to refer to you as AEON. And, here in NYC, I’ve come to think of you as Lorenzo Masnah.

I’ve been obsessed with pirates and drawing them in endless variations since I was a child growing up in Bogota. That explains Third World Pirate! He is the one character who always travels with me. AEON is my acronym for Al Estilo Orto Nombre (Another Name for Style) – as I began getting up back in 2002 in Bogota with distinct one-line drawings. And I adopted the name Lorenzo Masnah when I had my solo show at Fuse Gallery in 2013.

Among the highlights of your solo show at Fuse Gallery were your refashioned images of beautiful Mexican women. That is another theme that resurfaces in your work. Can you tell us something about that? You seem to be quite obsessed with Mexican ladies!

Yes, for years I’ve been collecting Mexican erotic magazines dated from the early 1950s. This past year, in fact, while visiting Mexico, I discovered in a used book store in Puebla a huge stack of 45 records with covers fashioned from these vintage magazine pictures. I bought them all! And I am now working with them, recreating them with images that transcend that specific era.

Why do you suppose these images so engage you?

I love their pure innocence, their nostalgic beauty! And they represent so much of what we are missing in our era of Internet dating, where romance has lost its essence. And I’ve also always loved working with recycled materials. It is my way of preserving the past, as I create a visual encyclopedia of aesthetics and issues that speak to me – and, hopefully, to others.

What’s ahead?

After Chicago, we plan to travel out West and then return to NYC for APC’s first East Coast exhibit.

It all sounds great! We look forward to seeing you guys in NYC.

Note: Animal Tricks opens this Friday, January 30, at 6 pm at Galerie F. Located at 2381 N Milwaukee Ave in Chicago IL. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 6 PM.

Interview by Lois Stavsky. Photos: 1. AEON paints in Chicago, courtesy Galerie F; 2. flyer for exhibit, collaborative by featured APC artists; 3. APC in NYC with AEON, Zas, Rimx and Arepa photographed by Tara Murray; 4. AEON on canvas photographed by Lois Stavsky; 5 – 7. APC in Chicago courtesy Galerie F.

{ 0 comments }

Comic Characters on NYC Walls: John “Crash” Matos, Ozmo, Jerkface, Mr OneTeas and See One

January 26, 2015

A range of comic characters — from Calvin and Hobbes to Snow White to Batman — have made their way onto NYC walls. Here are a few:

John Matos aka Crash in the South Bronx for the Tag Public Arts Project

Ozmo in Little Italy for the LISA Project

Jerkface in Bushwick

Mr OneTeas at the Bushwick Collective

See One at the Bushwick Collective

Photos 1, 4 – 6 by Lois Stavsky; 2 by Tara Murray & 3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson

{ 0 comments }

Rainer Judd’s Journal Pages at rag & bone’s Houston Wall Project Space

January 24, 2015

Often showcasing artworks by diverse street artists – from DALeast to Ludo to Meres – the wall outside rag & bone has also featured various artists who don’t generally share their visions in public spaces. For the past several weeks we have been treated to a selection of pages from the journals of Rainer Judd, the daughter of the late artist Donald Judd,

Close-up from “Sunlight on the Iguanas.” Book no. 6, Black Leather Silver Corner, 1987- 1989 — as seen last week

“The idea was to see books on the wall, changing pages,” Rainer explains. “I’ve been filling journal books since I was 11. On November 16, 2014, I brought Swiss bags full of these books to photographer Henry Leutwyler and Javas Lehn. With a focus on the graphic quality of them as objects I could see them differently. For me, journals are a place of dialogue with myself, a testing ground for ideas, a pal, a repository for the stuff of the highway of my heart. This is a small window into a deep archive.”

Here are some pages from Rainer Judd‘s journal that surfaced in December

Then earlier this month

And through the end of this month, you can check out the final piece now outside rag & bone on Elizabeth Street off 73 East Houston.

Photos 1-3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 4 courtesy rag & bone’s Houston Wall Project and 5 by Lois Stavsky

{ 0 comments }

New York City’s Uptown Open-Air Gallery with Cone, Kool Kito, Panic, Jero, Pulse and Ree

January 22, 2015

Few NYC graffiti walls change as frequently as those in Upper Manhattan’s open-air gallery. Curated by South Bronx native, Crane, the walls off the 1 train on 207^th Street and 210^th Street serve as revolving canvases to several veteran NYC writers and their occasional guests. Here’s a sampling of what has surfaced in the past several months:

Uptown stylemaster Cone