public art

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On our brief visit to Dublin, Ireland, we discovered a vibrant street art and graffiti scene teeming with infectious images. Here are a few more:

Cork, Ireland native Fin DAC, whose aesthetic we first came upon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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Dublin-based James Earley, close-up

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Dublin-based Fink

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Irish illustrator and painter Dan Leo

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South African native MARCAMIX aka bryite1one

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Belfast-based Friz

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Irish graffiti artists Koce and Vents

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Photo credits: 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8 Tara Murray; 3, 5 & 7 Lois Stavsky

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el-nino-and-werc-street-art-brownsville-NYC

Conceived and facilitated by N Carlos J — noted artist, community revitalizer and founder of Brooklyn Is the Future — Writing on the Walls is a Brownsville-based mural arts initiative. Inspired to launch this project for his father, a Brownsville native who was diagnosed with cancer last year, N. Carlos’s Jay has engaged over a dozen artists in transforming his dad’s former stomping grounds into a vibrant outdoor canvas.

Another close-up from Werc and El Nino de las Pinturas

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Eelco, close-up

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BK Foxx based on photo by Bytegirl

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Lexi Bella

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Fumero

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N Carlos J

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Note: This blog will be on vacation through mid-September. You can follow us on Instagram and on our Facebook page. Part II of Writing on the Walls to be featured on our return.

Photo credits: 1, 4 & 6 Tara Murray; 2, 3, 5 & 7 Lois Stavsky

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The Weird-street-art-and-graffiti-Bushwick-NYC

Five members of the blazingly brilliant Weird Crew have made their way to NYC.  And to our delight, they’ve just completed an ingenious mural on Johnson Avenue and are busily preparing for an exhibit to open tomorrow evening at Exit Room. We had the opportunity to meet them yesterday.

Just what exactly is the Weird Crew?

It’s a collective of ten artists spread throughout Germany and Austria.

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How and when did you all meet? And what brought you together?

We met back in 2011 at a festival in Vienna. Some of us knew each other from before, but 2011 is when the crew was founded. We’ve all painted live, participated in festivals and exhibits and have engaged in projects with international companies. Two of us — Cone and Vidam — are also professional DJs and music producers.

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You all have distinct styles, and yet you work so seamlessly together.  It is quite amazing!

Yes, although our styles are different, we share a similar aesthetic sensibility. And we stay in touch and exchange ideas with each other regularly.

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What inspired the particular mural that you just completed painting in Bushwick?

Soon after we arrived in Bushwick, we took a bike ride into Manhattan. We were struck by those folks who often go unnoticed — the workers who keep this city going, who are also the “invisible New Yorkers.” Our mural is a homage to them.

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And what do you guys think of New York City?

We love it. We love its energy and diversity — its wonderful mix of cultures.

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What can we expect to see at Weird World  — your soon-to-open exhibit at Exit Room?

Something weird!

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Note: Weird World featuring works by Weird Crew members CONE, DXTR, HRVB, LOOK and VIDAM opens tomorrow evening, Friday, at 6pm at Exit Room. Curated by Zoe Beatwoman, the opening will continue until late with DJ Angel Russell aka Sloane Sophisticate and live musical performances by Perla Cozzone, Starr Busby and Jadon Woodard. The works will remain on exhibit through September 10.

Images: 1. Close-up from completed outdoor mural; 2. Look the Weird at work; 3. Cone the Weird at work; 4. Dxtr the Weird at work; 5. Segment from completed mural and 6. Cone the Weird in Exit Room NY, close-up

Photo credits: 1, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 2-4 Tara Murray

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Gorey-and-Ezo-street-art-and-graffiti-apple-gate-project-bushwick-nyc

A huge industrial building at 61 Jefferson Street – a short walk from the JMZ Myrtle Avenue line – has become the backdrop for a wonderful mix of vibrant public art. I recently spoke to its curator, Whisper aka Chip Love.

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What an ideal space for this wonderfully diverse artwork! How did you come upon it?

My friend, Brian Sturm, introduced me to John Weiss, the president of Apple Restoration & Waterproofing. John was interested in beautifying the exterior of his business, and Brian thought I might be interested in curating such a project.

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Can you tell us a bit more about Apple Gate Project Bushwick’s mission?

Its mission is to beautify the property here at 61 Jefferson with public art and to aesthetically connect to the community.

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How many artists were engaged in the project?

By the time it was completed, 15 had been involved.

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The art here represents such a wonderful mix of cultures. In addition to many legendary NYC-based artists, participants include: Brazilian artist Binho; Australian artist John Kaye and French artist Gorey.  How did you manage to engage such an eclectic group of talented artists?

I called my friends who then called their friends.

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What particular challenges did you face in seeing the project to completion?

Challenges were limited. Because the property is a restoration company, we had everything we could possibly need at our disposal: lifts, scaffolding, ladders. John Weiss was wonderfully accommodating. And the entire exterior was power-washed before it was painted.

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How has the response been?

There hasn’t yet been much publicity, as we’ve kept it largely undercover while we were working on it. But the word is getting out, and the response that we’ve been getting is incredible. You can check out the hashtag #AppleGateProjectBushwick on Instagram.

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What’s ahead for you?

Continuing my art, connecting with like-minded people and building more projects like this one!

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Images: 1. Gorey 2. Greg Lamarche aka SP.ONE 3. Bis Uno & Diego 127 4. Whisper 5. Mast; bottom side gate Noxer 6. Quik 7. John Kaye & Spar 8. Noxer & Binho 9. Noxer with Whisper standing and John Weiss of Apple Restoration and Waterproofing seated to his right

Photo credits: 1-5, 7 & 9 Lois Stavsky; 6 & 8 Tara Murray

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Warmi-Paint- Ecuador

We miss Toofly when she isn’t in NYC, but we love what she’s up to in her native Quito. You can find out about her current project here:

Just what exactly is Warmi Paint?

Warmi Paint is an all-women arts and culture festival that will launch this fall in Quito, Ecuador.

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What is Warmi Paint’s mission?

Its mission is to celebrate and empower Latin American women street artists with a focus on graffiti, street art and murals.

What does the name Warmi mean or represent?

Warmi means “woman” in Quechua. It is the name of the people of the Central Andes of South America. It is also the name of their language. Women of all ages from this part of the world will create a new vision of themselves, nurture their communities and reflect a powerful message.

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What can visitors expect?

Special guests and 20 women artists will paint collaborative murals, host workshops, and present their work to the Ecuadorian community. We will have graffiti films, slideshow presentations, panels, youth workshops, pop-up shops and a concert! People of all ages will benefit from this unique cross-cultural exchange and community-building experience.

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It sounds wonderful! Good luck with this!

Note: Your support will help artist/curator TOOFLY (NYC) and artist/curator HTM (Ecuador) realize their mission.  Find out how you can help fund the project here.

Photos courtesy of Toofly

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This is the eighth in a series of occasional posts featuring images of children that have surfaced on NYC public spaces:

Nick Walker in the South Bronx

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Izolag in Hunts Point

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Chain for JMZ Walls in Bushwick

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Lorenzo Masnah on the Lower East Side

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Miss 163 in Hunts Point

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Australian artist Adnate at the Bushwick Collective, close-up

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Icy and Sot on the Lower East Side, close-up

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Shiro in Bushwick

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Note: Entre La Guardia y El Dorado, featuring works by Lorenzo Masnah (featured above) and Alex Seel, will open this evening at 6pm at XY Atelier Gallery, 81 Hester Street on the corner of Orchard. It will remain on view until August 30.

Photo credits: 1 Tara Murray; 2, 3, 5, 6 & 8 Lois Stavsky; 4 courtesy of the artist 7 Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Werc-rubin415-Billy-Mode-street-art-Baltimore-section1-Project

While in Baltimore earlier this month, I stumbled upon an intriguing medley of murals just a few steps from Station North. I soon discovered that they were sponsored by Section 1, an ambitious urban art project aimed at transforming an adjacent abandoned 3.5-acre site into a huge urban art park with over 70,000 square feet of paintable surfaces. Here are a few more murals I sighted that day, some of which are certain to have been repainted in this open-air revolving canvas.

Baltimore native Nether

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New Orleans native Adam Estes

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Baltimore-based Adam Stab

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La Anarchy

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Baltimore-based Colombian tattoo artists Kike Castillo and Jesse Kuzniarsk

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 Note: The first image pictured is a collaborative mural by Werc, Rubin and Billy Mode

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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Nether-Freddy-Gray-Mural-Baltimore copy

A few years back, several wheatpastes – many of children — surfaced on the walls of NYC’s marginal neighborhoods. The works of Baltimore-based artist and activist Nether, they seamlessly reflected the folks with whom they shared the streets. In his native Baltimore, Nether has been actively involved in several community-oriented projects, including Baltimore Slumlord Watch drawing attention to neglected properties and the issue of vacant housing. And in 2013, as founder and president of the non-profit, Wall Hunters, INC, he facilitated the installation of 17 murals on abandoned properties in Baltimore.  More recently,  Nether‘s focus has been on the death of Freddy Gray at the hands of his city’s police and Baltimore’s broken justice system. While visiting Baltimore earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak to Nether and visit some of his recent murals.

When I last visited Baltimore, you were involved in the Wall Hunters: Slumlord Project.  Its intention was to expose landlords who had neglected properties. Have you seen any outcomes from this project?

Definitely! Since the project began, there’s been dialogue on the issue and focus from the social justice community. It’s hard to know if we were directly responsible, but several buildings that we targeted have been demolished. The first one happened only a month after Stefan Ways painted his piece on it.

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How has the local art scene changed in these past few years?

It really has.  There seem to be many more projects coming from a variety of directions and approaches.  Also, recently there has been a lot of reflection in the art scene on the many barriers in the city that separate people. Hopefully, this will create pressure on curators, venues, gallery owners, and arts businesses to diversify their crowds, artists and outreach. There has, also, been a focus on social justice through street art this summer. I have been involved in organizing murals in Sandtown. BOPA has been running this amazing ART@WORK program — in partnership with Jubilee  —  teaching and employing kids in Sandtown to paint murals with professionals such as Ernest Shaw.  Also, a group of Morgan students organized an installation on Greenmount Avenue adjacent to a wall by Pablo Machioli and Gaia.  Other active projects include: Richard Best’s Section 1 Project and the Shift Project in Highlandtown.

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The memorial mural that you painted in tribute to Freddy Gray has garnered quite a bit of media attention.  At what point did you begin painting the mural?

The planning began after his death around the time of the first protest, and I began painting the mural the day the curfew ended.

What was the mood like the evening of his death?

People were respectful and united.  So much solidarity that evening. The people were taking their pain and turning it into an incredibly positive movement.

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How do folks in Sandtown respond to your presence in their neighborhood?

Generally, people are surprised, yet welcoming.  People constantly speak to me, and I always welcome that.  I essentially sit on a ladder all day and receive stories.  My feeling is that I’m a guest in their neighborhood, and I need the people’s blessings to paint.  Also, I’m very up-front about my personal background and what part of the city I’m from. I do get occasional comments that are meant to offend me, but street art in Baltimore has the potential to break down the social boundaries created by decades and decades of discrimination.  A mutual feeling of Bmore Love among Baltimoreans is one of those forces that is so strong that, I believe, it can get over any hurdle that is thrown in front of it.  When I go to a place like Sandtown, it is to create a dialogue and deal with hard topics that I have to be comfortable talking about. What I do isn’t easy; it deals with very difficult issues.  Many of the conversations that I have had with people have heavily influenced my artwork. I try to plan murals that are able to adapt and change through dialogue and the creative process.

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What did bring you to Sandtown at such a difficult time?

Having previously done many paste-ups and murals in Sandtown, loving Baltimore, and the fact that state violence had been the focus of my work for a while now.

And how has the response to the final mural been?

Folks have been extremely appreciative and supportive.  The mural has attracted media, often giving residents the chance to speak out about those issues that are so important to the entire city.  The more murals that go up from all the projects going on in Sandtown, the more this will happen. The idea is to promote a message that is amplified so loudly that it can no longer be ignored.

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What’s ahead?

More murals in Baltimore that will act to aid the movement and call out the issues that have plagued Baltimore’s neglected neighborhoods for generations.

Note: Photos 2 and 3 are of murals done in collaboration with Stefan Ways.

Interview by Lois Stavsky; photo 4 by Lois Stavsky; all others courtesy of the artist.

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This is the 16th in an occasional series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace NYC public spaces:

Dasic Fernandez at the Bushwick Collective

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William Power in East New York

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Toofly in Astoria for the Welling Court Mural Project

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Jorit Agoch at the Bushwick Collective

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QRST in Bushwick

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Tristan Eaton in Little Italy for the LISA Project

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Zeso in Astoria for the Welling Court Mural Project

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JR in Nolita

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Ananda Nahu in Hunts Point, as seen on this past weekend’s #NYTBronxWalk

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Photo credits:  1, 2, 5, 7 & 9 Lois Stavsky 3, 6  Tara Murray 4 Courtesy Jorit Agoch & 8 Courtesy M18

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Paul-wackers-street-art-tribeca-NYC

This past winter, a huge public mural, Slow Dance and the Daylight, surfaced outside the James Hotel on 6th Avenue off Grand Street. The work of Brooklyn-based artist Paul Wackers, its vivid colors and creative composition intrigue.

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Close-up

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On view through Friday at Morgan Lehman is Thank You for Being Youfeaturing a series of stunning paintings, along with ceramic sculptures ranging from the recognizable to the surreal. It is Paul Wackers‘ second solo exhibit at Morgan Lehman.

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A wide view with ceramic sculptures

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Morgan Lehman Gallery is located at 535 West 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in the Chelsea gallery district.

Photos 1-3 by Lois Stavsky; 4-6 Dani Reyes Mozeson

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