Shiro

gallery nine5 will host a block party this evening — from 6-8pm — to celebrate the transformation of its gallery walls into a vibrant, magical public sphere. Here are a few recently captured images:

Vor138‘s completed piece with TATS CRU on the left and Bisco Smith to the right

"group ink"

Vor138

Vor138

Shiro at work

"Shiro at Gallery nine5"

And her completed piece

Shiro

Ket — who has been transforming his original piece with political references and names of victims of violence and war; it’s certain to look different this evening from the close-up captured here!

"Alan Ket"

And the always-wonderful Rubin415 at work on Monday

Rubin415

gallery nine5 is located at 24 Spring Street, and if you can’t make it this evening, you can check out the site-specific exhibit through July 30.

group-Ink

Photos: 1-4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 5-6 by Lois Stavsky

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Speaking with Shiro

June 25, 2014

Huge fans of Shiro’s vibrant, playful aesthetic, we were delighted to meet up with her this past week at SoHo’s gallery nine5, where she will be participating in the gallery’s summer show, GROUP INK.

Shiro

When and where did you first get up?

Back in 1998 in Shizuoka, Japan.

What inspired you at the time?

I remember seeing a video with graffiti as the backdrop. I was impressed!  And soon after, I saw the movie Wild Style.

Any early memories stand out?

I remember having to create my own tools. I couldn’t get hold of any spray paint in aerosol cans at the time, and so I had to be inventive. I mostly used hair spray and mosquito spray containers that I filled with paint.

How did your family feel about what you were doing?

At the time my mother didn’t understand it, but now she appreciates it.

Shiro

What percentage of your time is devoted to art?

When I am in NYC, 100%. But back in Japan, I work as a nurse, and I can’t devote as much time to my art as I would like to.

Wow! A nurse and a graffiti writer!

Yes, a nurse heals, and so does art.

Have you exhibited your work in galleries?

I’ve shown my work in galleries in the U.S., Germany and Japan. And I’ve participated in projects in India, China, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Have you any thoughts about the movement of graffiti and street art into galleries?

I’d rather paint on a wall than on a canvas. But when I create work for galleries, I learn and perfect new techniques.

shiro-yes1-tone-sans 2

What inspires you these days?

I’m inspired by my own experiences in different situations…and by my imagination. In my art I can be anything!

Are there any particular cultures that have influenced your aesthetics?

The entire graffiti and hip-hop culture, along with, I suppose, my Japanese roots.

What is the riskiest thing you ever did?

I hadn’t planned it to be risky. But back in 2002, I found a deserted wall in Forest Hills, Queens that I thought would be the perfect canvas for me.  As I began painting, a group of boys suddenly appeared and stole my spray paint. One of them had a gun. Soon they were hurling stones and although they weren’t aiming the stones at me, some rocks did hit me and injured me.

Gee, that sounds traumatizing. Do you generally paint alone?

I love painting alone. I am very independent! But I’ve also painted with crews and collaborated with other writers.

Shiro

What are some of the crews you’ve painted with?

TDS (The Death Squad), SUG (Stick Up Girlz), FX and UZNJ (Universal Zulu Nation Japan)

What’s it like being a female writer in what is so much of a man’s world?

I forget about gender when I’m painting. It’s irrelevant.

Do you work with a sketch in hand or do you just let it flow?

Sometimes I work with a sketch; other times I just let it flow.

Shiro-and-Ree-graffiti-NYC

Are you generally satisfied with your finished piece?

I mostly feel very happy with it!

How has your work evolved through the years?

It is more detailed, and I paint more quickly. I’ve developed much better can control than I had earlier.

What’s ahead?

I just got my artist’s visa, and so I’m looking forward to spending more time here.  I will just go with the flow!

Note:  Shiro will be participating in gallery nine5‘s summer show, GROUP INK. Along with TATS CRU, Bisco Smith, Alan Ket, Vor138 and Rubin415, she will be transforming the private space over at 24 Spring Street into a public one. It all begins today, Wednesday, June 25 with TATS and bare walls! Keep posted to our Facebook page for updates.

Photos: 1. Welling Court Mural Project, Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2. 5Pointz, Tara Murray; 3. With Sans, Tone and Yes One in Greenpoint, Dani Reyes Mozeson 4. With Meres and Demer at 5Pointz, Dani Reyes Mozeson & 5. On uptown wall with Ree on right in Inwood, Lois Stavsky

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Meres

On November 19, 2013, 5 Pointz, the world’s aerosol art Mecca, was whitewashed overnight.  Its heartless destruction profoundly saddened not only the artists who called it home and those who traveled there from across the globe, but all of us who loved the creativity and camaraderie that 5Pointz represented. Currently on exhibit at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery, just a short walk from the site of the “art murder,” is W H I T E W A S H.  Curated by Marie Cecile-Flageul, it features the works of nine aerosol artists and two photographers.  Here’s a small sampling of what is on exhibit:

Another by Meres One

Meres

Christian Cortes

"Chris Cortes"

Zimad

Zimad

See TF, close-up 

"See tf"

Shiro

Shiro

Also on exhibit in W H I T E W A S H are works by AuksHans Von Rittern, Jerms, Just One, Orestes Gonzalez, Poem and Topaz.   The exhibition continues through June 8 at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery. Located at 2137 45th Road in Long Island City, the gallery is open Friday – Sunday 12-6pm and by appointment, 917 767 1734.

Photos of artworks by Lois Stavsky and City-as-School intern, Dea Sumrall

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"Zimad and Meres"

On exhibit through February at Great Neck’s Gold Coast Arts Center is WALL WORKS: The Art of Graffiti featuring works by 5Pointz (Rest in Power) curator and CEO Jonathan “Meres” Cohen and other artists who found a home at 5Pointz. Here’s a small sampling:

Meres

Meres

Shiro

Shiro

 See TF

"See tf"

Kid Lew

Kid-Lew

Hunt Rodriguez and daughter, close-up from sculpture, “Rest in Power, 5Pointz” (Click on link for video clip with full view)

"Hunt Rodriguez"

John Paul O’Grodnick

"John-Paul-O-Grodnick"

Zimad

Zimad

 First image of Zimad and Meres, close-up from photo by Richard Alicia; all others by Lois Stavsky

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Dozens of new artworks, representing a wide range of cultures, styles and approaches, have surfaced this summer at 5Pointz. Here are a few from NYC’s ever-evolving open-air gallery:

Veteran graff artists Bis and Vor 

Bis and Vor

Austrian artist Roofie

Roofie

Japanese artist Shiro with PartYes1 and Meres

Shiro, Part, Yes One and Meres

ND’A and Bishop

NDA and Bishop

The Mexican Har crew, close-up

Har graffiti

Har Crew, complete mural

Har Crew

French artist Zeso

Zeso

Brooklyn-based international muralist Joel Bergner

Joel Bergner

Barcelona-based artist Dase

Dase

Photos by Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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This is the seventh in a series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace New York City’s public spaces:

Toofly on Manhattan’s Lower East Side

Toofly

 French artist Frank Duval aka FKDL in Brooklyn

FKDL

FKDL

Lady Aiko in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Lady Aiko

Hef in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Hef

 Russell King on the Lower East Side

Russell King

Shiro and King Bee in the Bronx

Shiro and King Bee

 Photos by Lenny Collado, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky; Toofly image courtesy of the artist

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This is the fifth in a series of posts of images of girls — and women — who grace New York City’s walls:

The legendary Chilean artist Cekis in Bushwick, Brooklyn

"Cekis street art"

Queens native Cern at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens More after the jump!

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Few NYC walls successfully fuse as many distinct styles and sensibilities as those up in the Bronx. Among these is the huge wall on Boone Avenue in the West Farms district.  East meets West; graffiti couples with street art and comic art merges with folk art. Here are a few images:

Shiro, Deem, Rubin415, King Bee, Logek & Obey

"Shiro, Deem, Rubin415, King Bee, Logek & Obey Bronx street art & graffiti"

More after the jump!

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From the playful to the poignant, dozens of girls — and women too — grace the walls of New York City.  Here’s a sampling of some that are currently part of NYC’s visual landscape:

Cekis close-up in downtown Brooklyn

"Cekis street art in Brooklyn"

Chris Stain close-up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

 Cro stencil in West Harlem

"Cro stencil in Harlem"

Dasic portrait in the South Bronx

"Dasic street art in the Bronx"

Elle paste-up in Chelsea

"Elle paste-up in Chelsea"

Shiro in Bushwick, Brooklyn

"Shiro street art in Brooklyn"

Toofly mural in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"Toofly street art in Williamsburg, Brooklyn"

Photos by Street Art NYC, Lenny Collado & Dani Mozeson

 

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