Since 2013, Montreal has been hosting MURAL, an annual public art festival featuring a wonderful array of murals by both local and international artists. Here is a small sampling of what we saw while wandering on and off Boulevard Saint-Laurent this past week:
Montreal-based Five Eight, 2016
Melbourne-based Meggs, 2016
NYC-based Buff Monster, 2016
Brazilian collective Acidum Project, close-up, 2016
Chilean artist Inti, 2014
France native Mateo, 2016
Photo credits: 1-3, Lois Stavsky; 4, 5 & 7 Tara Murray and 6 Sara C Mozeson
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.
The newly released LET HER BE FREE documents Iranian brothers Icy and Sot‘s foray from skateboarding teens in Iran to politically-conscious, internationally acclaimed artists. To celebrate the launch of their book, the artists invite you to a pop-up exhibition of small and mid-scale stencil artworks that have been created exclusively for this book launch. Opening tomorrow evening. July 23 at 51 Orchard Street with a book signing, the exhibit continues through July 30.
Unity, spray paint on canvas
Justice, spray paint on cut-out wood
In Long Island City
And book cover
Published by Lebowsi Publishers with an introduction by filmmaker and poet Jess X Chen and an afterword by Brooklyn Street Art‘s Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington, the artists’ first collection of works features over 200 full color photos.
All images courtesy Icy and Sot
We’ve been huge fans of Stik and his distinctively singular — now iconic — character since he first visited NYC several years ago. We are delighted that his first book that was released in the UK last year is now available here throughout the US.
Featured in STIK are dozens of artworks ranging from unsanctioned pieces on the streets of East London — painted when the artist was homeless — to huge international murals across the globe. All are fashioned from six lines and two dots, the style Stik began when he had to paint quickly to evade the authorities.
Described by the artist as “a journal of the progression of the Stik Project,” STIK is a fascinating journey into the artist’s consciousness and aesthetic. Stik’s strong social mindfulness and acute political awareness are evident in this first collection of his works, as he increasingly devotes his talents and energies to a range of causes, often working in collaboration with children and members of vulnerable communities.
With over 200 heavy gloss pages and an exclusive, limited edition print, the book — published by Penguin — has now made its way into bookstores across the globe.
You can meet Stik and purchase a signed copy of his book with an orange or teal print — exclusive to the first US edition of the book — tomorrow, Thursday evening from 6-8pm at Strand Books, 828 Broadway on the corner of 12th Street.
Anyone who buys a copy of STIK or brings in a pre-purchased copy of the book for Stik to sign at Strand Books is eligible to enter a lottery to win a pair of artist’s unfolded, card stock Stik posters, signed by Stik himself. The posters, one orange and one blue, are number one of only five artist’s proofs and depict the same image seen on the book’s cover.
All photos courtesy Stik and Penguin Press
DDG’s 100 Franklin Street in Tribeca is now the site of a new massive mural by JR, the internationally acclaimed Parisian artist. The image is an enlargement of a photo that was originally taken in Ellis Island in 1908 and was featured in JR,’s Unframed — Ellis Island exhibit.
Installation in progress
With assistant Joshua B. Geyer taking command
The completed installation, as seen this past weekend
This same wall was the site of JR’s 100-foot ballerina, one of our favorite street art pieces of 2015. The following video by Jesse Whiles documents its transition:
We especially appreciate the new mural — and its reminder that we are a nation of immigrants — at a time when so many are seeking refuge from catastrophic events throughout the globe.
Photo credits: 1 Courtesy DDG; 2-4 Tara Murray
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.
This is the sixth in a series of occasional posts featuring images of New York City’s doors that sport everything from tags and stickers to sophisticated images.
Elbow Toe
RAE
Dain, Dee Dee and more
Kenny Scharf
And seen awhile back, Art Is Trash
Photo credits: 1, 2 & 4 Tara Murray; 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson & 5 Lois Stavsky
This is the 19th in an occasional series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace NYC public spaces:
D*face in Manhattan
Pixel Pancho in Manhattan
Commodore in Brooklyn
Faring Purth with Thievin’ Stephen in Brooklyn
JR in Manhattan
Photo credits: 1 & 3 Lois Stavsky; 2 & 4 Tara Murray and 5 Dani Reyes Mozeson
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.
Note: This blog will be on vacation through July 8. You can follow us on Facebook and on Instagram.
Recently released by Dokument Press, RUBIN NEW YORK SCANDINAVIA is a stunning survey of Rubin‘s distinct abstract and geometrical artworks that are rooted in traditional graffiti. With dozens of images documenting Rubin‘s journey — from Sweden, where he grew up, to NYC, where he is now based — Rubin New York/Scandinavia offers an overview of the works of an exceptional artist, who has brought a singular beauty to our NYC landscape.
The book’s succinct text by Björn Almqvist introduces us to Rubin’s experiences as a child of Finnish immigrants who made their way to Sweden in search of work. The alienation that Rubin felt among Swedes, along with the stark grey concrete walls of the housing complex that enveloped him, were calls to pick up a can and make a mark.
Inspired by Scandinavian design, Rubin has developed a unique aesthetic that uses geometrical, symbols in lieu of letters. With his splendid craftsmanship and unique aesthetic, he transforms the gritty language of graffiti into his own distinct expression that is as effective on the streets of the South Bronx, as it is inside a church yard or on the outside of a Manhattan boutique.
Rubin New York/Scandinavia also provides us with a handsomely curated survey of Rubin’s studio work that has been increasingly making its way into galleries.
Rubin New York/Scandinavia is a splendid ode to a distinctly wonderful artist. Its NYC release took place last month at WallWorks, where the artist’s works remain on exhibit through June 29th.
Images
1. & 2. Brooklyn, 2014
3. Brooklyn, 2014
4. Gothenburg, 1989
5. Brooklyn, 2015
6. Gallery nine5, 2014
Photo credits: Tony “Rubin” Sjöman and Mika Tuomivuo; all photos courtesy of Dokument Press; book review by Lois Stavsky
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.
