Brimming with color and intrigue, the artworks that surface in Little Haiti — largely by local artists — are among Miami’s most seductive. Here are a few more:
Also by Luis Valle
Photos by Lois Stavsky
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public art
As the line between street art and public art continues to blur, we find ourselves increasingly intrigued by the range of public art that surfaces in NYC parks. What follows is a sampling of what we’ve captured these past few months in Battery Park.
German sculptor Fritz Koenig, the Sphere, the sole surviving artwork from the grounds of the original World Trade Center
Ned Smyth, The Upper Room, close-up
British artist Tony Cragg, Resonating Bodies (one of two bronze sculptures resembling giant musical instruments)
Jim Dine, The Ape & Cat (at the Dance)
Constance Mallinson, Souvenir (fragment) for the Cool Globes traveling exhibition
Nancy L Steinmeyer First We Scream, Then We Are for the Cool Globes traveling exhibition
Photo credits: 1-5 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 6 Tara Murray
Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.
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Based in Brooklyn, Misha Tyutyunik aka MDOT is an accomplished painter, muralist and illustrator. His recent venture, fashioned along with a team of Groundswell youth, looms large at 11 Howard Street in SoHo. Earlier this week, we visited his studio and had the opportunity to speak to him.
When and where did you first make your mark on the streets?
Back in 1999, Wisher 914 and I hit up the water tower in Mohegan Lake in North Westchester where we grew up. But my outdoor work is largely commissioned murals. I painted my first one for SoBro in the Bronx in 2006. My most recent one is a collaboration with Groundswell youth at 11 Howard Street in SoHo, the site of Aby Rosen’s latest hotel venture.
You’re also a prolific painter of smaller works – from works on paper to paintings on huge canvases. Have you exhibited your works in gallery settings?
Yes! I’ve exhibited throughout NYC in a range of spaces from CATM in Chelsea and Tambaran on the Upper East Side to a variety of alternative venues.
Do you have a formal arts education? And was it worthwhile?
Yes, I have a BFA in Design and Illustration from Pratt. And, yes, as I learned how to problem solve through creative means.
Are there any particular cultures that have influenced your aesthetic?
I spent my first seven years in the Ukraine, and was definitely influenced by social realism. Other influences include: graffiti in its heyday; Japanese prints; abstract expressionism; traditional mural painting and German expressionism.
What about artists? Any particular influences?
Among the many artists whose aesthetic has influenced me are: Diego Rivera, Klimt and Egon Schiele.
Do you prefer working alone or collaborating with others?
I used to prefer working alone, but lately I’ve become more open to collaboration. I recently collaborated with Chris Soria.
If you could collaborate with any artist – alive or deceased – with whom would you collaborate?
Picasso – all day every day – and Max Ernst.
How does your family feel about what you are doing?
They love it! None of them are artists, but they all love what I am doing!
What percentage of your time is devoted to art?
Pretty much all of it.
Is art the main source of your income?
Yes, the money I earn from commissions, along with income from teaching mural-making and art sales. I’ve also begun working on fashion design.
How you feel about the role of the Internet in this scene?
It’s everything! Without the Internet I’d be nowhere.
Are you generally satisfied with your finished work?
I think so. But the question is: Is anything ever really finished?
How has your artwork evolved in the past few years?
By leaps and bounds! I’m much more comfortable than I used to be with different styles. My visual language has become more confident.
As your work on the streets is largely commissioned murals, have you run into any conflicts with street artists or graffiti writers?
On occasion. While painting a commissioned wall down in DC, for example, I was approached by graffiti writers who told me that the wall was theirs. When I explained to them what I was doing and they saw my work in progress, they came around.
What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
I see my role as to reflect on our times, while bringing a strong aesthetic sensibility back into a largely conceptual realm.
What’s ahead?
Everything! Taking over the art world!
That’s quite ambitious! Are there any particular projects we can look forward to?
I am currently painting an anti-gun violence mural in conjunction with BRIC, and I will soon begin working on a mural with Groundswell youth at Stapleton in Staten Island. And opening tonight and continuing through March 31 is The Internal Muse, a selection of my new paintings at Melet Mercantile at 84 Wooster Street in SoHo.
It all sounds great! Congratulations!
Interview conducted by Lois Stavsky with Tara Murray
Photo credits: 1 & 2 courtesy Lindsey Brown McLravy | SLATE PR; 3, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 4 Tara Murray
Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.
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We recently had the opportunity to meet up with Apostrophe founders and curators — Sei and Ki Smith — and find out a bit about their plans for 2016:
Just what is Apostrophe?
Apostrophe began as a gallery and performance space in Bushwick in 2012, and it has since evolved into a series of pop-up exhibits and events. As a collective, it is designed to offer exposure to artists while sparking a creative energy that can be experienced by everyone. Our last exhibit, Subway Show, took place at the Kosciusko Street stop on the J train. The subway passengers, along with anyone else who came by, were treated to art, music, a comedic performance and refreshments!
What about its name, Apostrophe?
Our concept came before the name. The name was inspired by the title of Frank Zappa’s eighteenth album Apostrophe’. It suggests an inclusive fusion of energies.
What is Apostrophe’s current mission?
The mission of our current project Base 12 is to highlight the art of twelve talented artists in a dozen diverse, unconventional settings, while making their art accessible to folks who might not otherwise see it. When art is shown exclusively in gallery settings, its audience can be limited.
What kinds of alternative settings are you referring to?
Of the nine upcoming pop-up shows here in NYC, three will take place on subway platforms, three in museums and three in parks. They will all engage passersby in non-traditional ways. Details will be announced the day of the event via Instagram and Facebook.
That sounds great! How did you select the artists?
Some had participated in exhibits in our former Bushwick space; others we met through friends. And some we discovered through our open call for submissions. We’ve all gotten to know one another, and we all work well together. Once a month we come together, and we critique each other’s artworks. We love not only the works of the artists we are showing, but their energy, as well!
Do you both have a formal art education?
We both went to art school, but neither of us finished. We grew up, though, in a family of artists and have always engaged in art-related projects here and abroad.
What’s ahead?
In addition to what will be happening here in NYC, we are planning three exhibits and events abroad: at Alan Istanbul in Turkey; at corretger5 in Barcelona, and at a gallery space — to be announced — in London.
It’s all very exciting! Lots of luck! We will definitely keep posted to your Instagram.
Interview by Lois Stavsky with Houda Lazrak
Photo credits: 1 Lois Stavsky; 2-4 courtesy of Apostrophe; 5 Tara Murray
3 James A Reyes, My Shorty
4 Sei Smith, Half Portrait No. 5
5 James Rubio, Black Flowers, close-up of public art work
Apostrophe’s Base 12 will also feature the works of Caslon Bevington, Ryan Bock, Morell Cutler, Alana Dee Haynes, Kolter Hodgson, Charlie Hudson, The Love Child, Julia Powers and Bruno Smith
Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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This is the tenth in an occasional series of posts featuring the range of faces have surfaced in NYC public spaces:
Chilean artist Otto Schade with JMZ Walls in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Luis Rosenfeld in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Brown Boyz — Don Rimx, Ricardo Cabret, LNY, Alex Seel and Mata Ruda — in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Dasic with the Bushwick Collective on Manhattan’s Lower East Side
Sonni in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Mast and Logik with the Welling Court Mural Project in Astoria, Queens
Beau Stanton with the L.I.S.A Project on Manhattan’s Lower East Side
Chris Soria, lead artist, with DonChristian Jones and Groundswell youth in Brownsville, Brooklyn — since 2013
Note: Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
Photo credits: 1, 2 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 3 – 5 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 7 & 8 Tara Murray
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This is the fourteenth in a series of occasional posts featuring the diverse range of trucks and vans that strike our streets.
Swedish writer Marvel aka Marr
Buff Monster and KA
Photo credits: 1 Nic 707; 2 Tara Murray; 3 Lois Stavsky; 4 & 5 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 6 Houda Lazrak
Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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This is Part III in an ongoing series of posts featuring politically and socially conscious artworks that have surfaced on NYC streets:
Kingbee and Tito Na Rua take on gentrification in the Bronx
Hanksy‘s famed portrait of Donald Trump in Downtown Manhattan
Groundswell youth — with lead artist Danielle McDonald and assistant artist Jazmine Hayes — in Bed-Stuy
Hunt Rodrigues on the pavement in Bushwick
Sophia Dawson on Myrtle Avenue — with quote from Assata Shakur — for Black Artstory Month
Photo credits: 1 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 2, 3 & 4 Tara Murray
Note: Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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After a brief hiatus, I was again riding the subway trains with Nic 707 as he continues to bring Old School writers, along with new artists, back to where it all began. Here are a few more images captured yesterday from another chapter in the Instafame Phantom Art movement:
Nic 707, Surround Yourself with Love
Nic 707, Fill Your Heart and Mind with Love
Styx
Gear One does Che Guevara
First image is: Nic 707, Love Is Not Alien Technology
Photos by Lois Stavsky
Note: Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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East Harlem resident Naomi RAG has continued to yarn bomb her neighborhood, enhancing it with color, warmth and intrigue. Here are some more images of trees that she has cloaked:
Tree pictured above, as seen last week from another angle
As seen last week
As revisited a few weeks back at night
And as seen a few weeks back at dusk
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
Note: Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.
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In his highly acclaimed book Graffiti Murals: Exploring the Impacts of Street Art, free-lance writer and photographer Patrick Verel presents six case studies, along with dozens of photographs, exploring the role of sanctioned graffiti murals and street art in the urban environment. I recently met up with him and had the opportunity to ask him a few questions:
What spurred your interest in this topic?
I was always into graffiti. I have a short attention span, and I love being surprised! Cities stimulate me and graffiti is part of that stimulation.
How did this initial interest evolve into a book?
I never thought I’d actually write a book. It developed from the thesis that I wrote when I was enrolled in Fordam University’s Urban Studies Master’s Program.
You focus on six cases from the South Bronx to Trenton, New Jersey. How did you connect to all of the folks whom you interviewed?
I sent out lots of emails after poking around the Internet. And I made some of the connections via my Flickr contacts — like the photographer Luna Park, who hooked me up with Robots Will Kill.
What were some of the obstacles you encountered while doing your research?
Getting people to talk to me and synthesizing all of the information.
You seem to have accomplished that quite well! What — would you say – was the mission of your book?
To change the way so many people think about graffiti. To introduce them to the positive benefits of graffiti murals in enhancing the urban environment.
Are there any particular factors that assure the success of these interventions?
So much depends upon the owner of the space and his relationship with the artists. That owner must be able to trust the artists to do what they want. And a successful collaboration demands money, effort and time.
Were there any unexpected outcomes following the publication of the book?
Yes! I received a positive response from City Government, and I connected to Natalie Raben of the Lower East Side BID and the 100 GATES Program.
Have you noticed any changes in the graffiti/street art since you wrote your book?
There seem to be more projects, like the Bushwick Collective and the Welling Court Mural Project, that give artists legal opportunities to paint outdoors.
Published by Schiffer Publishing, Graffiti Murals: Exploring the Impacts of Street Art, is available online and in most bookstores.
Interview by Lois Stavsky
Photos of murals by Patrick Verel
1. Book cover, Lank completes mural he painted with Delve, Luv1 and Casso in Jersey City
2. Wallnuts mural in Gowanus with Dos, Chester, Muse, Been3 and Werc
3. 5Pointz in LIC with Meres, Zimad and more
4. Robots Will Kill in Bushwick with Chris, Veng, Peeta, Never & ECB
5. Taste, Mek, Evak, Sno Reo & Zoe at TerraCycle in Trenton, NJ
Note: Our highly acclaimed Street Art NYC App is now available here at Google Play for Android devices.
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