urban art

Currently on exhibit at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Hang It or Skate It features over 20 inventive artworks, each incorporating at least one skateboard.  Here are a few:

Chris Soria, Harold Hunter

chris-soria-hang-it-or skate-it

Savior ElMundo and N Carlos Jay, Legends Never Die

Savior-ElMundo-N-Carlos-J-artwork

Danielle Mastrion, Brooklyn Banks

danielle-mastrion-hang

Ben Angotti, Hamya

"Ben Angotti"

Esteban del Valle, The Curator, Collector and Artist

Esteban-del-valle

Curated by Savior ElMundo, Terry Nelson and Frankie Velez and presented by Hip Hop USA, the exhibit continues through February 27 at the Abrazo Interno Gallery on 107 Suffolk Street.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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A specialized new online gallery certain to appeal to us street art aficionados, Cluster Wall launches tomorrow evening with an exhibit and party at 17 Frost in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We recently had the opportunity to speak to Cluster Wall’s founder, Evan Tobias. 

Chris-RWK-Cluster-Wall

What is Cluster Wall? Why that name?

It is a term I respond to! As an art-lover and collector, I tend to cluster art of all colors and styles in our Brooklyn apartment. The results are vibrant, bold and kinetic, like New York City, itself!

What is your mission in launching Cluster Wall?

My mission is to provide art lovers with the opportunity to purchase first-rate, hand-embellished affordable art. There will not be any ink jet prints. All of the artworks will be signed and numbered, and editions will be limited. Prints will be released in a series of 100 or fewer. And, in addition, a small number of original works will also be made available.

"Evan Tobias"

What work experiences do you bring with you to your current position?

I was the founder and editor of Block Magazine, and founder of the Full Circle Bar in Williamsburg.

Most of the artists — whose works you will be exhibiting and selling — are active on the streets. Why the focus on street art?

I’m a big fan of street art. I’ve been living in Williamsburg since 2001, and I’ve seen how street art has enhanced my neighborhood. It has made it a better place to live. But Cluster Wall is not limited to street artists. I will be releasing artworks by other contemporary urban artists, as well.

the-drif

How did you decide which artists to work with?

I started off by contacting artists I know, and then I was connected to some others. I was specifically looking for artwork that I love that would also work well as prints.

Can you tell us something about this weekend’s exhibit? What can we expect to see?

We will be featuring prints and original artworks by Chris RWK, Joe Iurato, Rubin, ASVP, Elle, The Drif, London Kaye, Solus, Opie and ORYX, along with collaborative works by John Paul O’Grodnick and Jilly Ballistic, who will also be painting live.

Jilly-ballistic-and-j-p-o

What is Cluster Wall bringing to the art scene?

It provides art lovers with the opportunity to collect outstanding, innovative artwork at modest prices.

That all sounds great! Good luck!

Joe-Iurato-cluster-wall

Note: The launch begins at 7pm tomorrow — Saturday — at 17 Frost Street and will feature, along with dozens of artworks, music by DJ Nigel Rubirosa and refreshments provided by Lion Beer and Sea Grape Wines.

Interview conducted by City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud.

Photos

1. Chris RWK  

2. Cluster Wall founder Evan Tobias, seated in front of artwork by London Kaye 

3. The Drif

4. John Paul O’Grodnick and Jilly Ballistic

5.  Joe Iurato

All photos courtesy Cluster Wall, except for pic of Evan by Lois Stavsky

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"Tats Cru"

Founded by John Matos aka Crash and Robert Kantor and directed by Anna Matos, WallWorks NY is a wonderful new gallery space at 39 Bruckner Boulevard in the South Bronx. While visiting its current  — and final — unofficial exhibit, Open Gallery, we had the opportunity to speak to Anna.

"anna matos"

When did WallWorks NY open?

We had our first “unofficial” opening exhibition, First Taste, on September 12.  Its focus was on promoting street art and graffiti as a viable art form within galleries and museums. Among the many local and international artists whose works were featured were: Daze, Futura, Nick Walker, Stash and TATS CRU members: Bio, Nicer and BG 183. This was followed by Point. Focus. Click. featuring photos – that had never been exhibited before — by such photographers as Henry Chalfant, Martha Cooper, Joe Conzo, David Gonzalez, Lisa Kahane, Francisco Reyes II and Ricky Flores.

Such

This current exhibit, Open Gallery, introduces us to many new artists.

Yes. It’s our final show before our official opening next month.  Along with works by emerging local artists in Open Gallery, are artworks in various media by artists from around the country – many of whom had never exhibited their works in a gallery setting before.

Buz163

How have these “unofficial” openings gone?

The response has been great. And the success that we’ve achieved so far is more than we could have imagined!

Why did you choose to open a gallery in the South Bronx?

Why not the South Bronx? Its history is so rich, and hopefully we will encourage people to visit it.

Funest

What is WallWork’s NY’s mission?

In the experimental and explorative vein of Fashion MODA, we want to exhibit new and exciting work from both emerging and established artists.

How did this space come to be?

My father, Crash, had dreamed for a long time of opening a gallery, and I loved the idea of directing one. On our trips into the city, we repeatedly passed this empty space on Bruckner Boulevard – that we saw as a potential site for a gallery.  After discussing it with an art dealer in Paris last summer, my father said, “Let’s do it!” And then a partnership with entrepreneur Robert Kantor made it possible for my father to realize his dream.

"John Paul O'Grodnick"

What experiences and skills do you bring to your position as gallery director?

I grew up around art. As a child, I regularly accompanied by father to his studio – where I would sit and draw. For a long time, in fact, I thought I would be an artist. But as a senior in high school, I discovered that I was more interested in the concepts behind the art than in creating art. I then majored in Art History with a double minor of Philosophy and Black Studies at Fairfield University, and after graduating from college, I studied Art Business at FIT.  And in addition to several internships, including one as Special Project Manager the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, I served as a liaison for my father, assisting him in everything from creating a strong social media presence to installing and selling art. I see myself as someone who is committed to each artist’s personal development and financial success — as well as to the success of the gallery.

"Stephanie Burr"

What’s ahead?

Our official launch takes place on next Saturday, January 10, with Ikonoklasts, featuring never-before-seen works by three legendary NYC artists: A-One, Dondi White and Rammallzee. Following Ikonoklasts will be our first solo show featuring works on canvas by Nicer of TATS CRU.

That sounds wonderful! We are looking forward!

Interview conducted by City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos by Lois Stavsky

Photos

1. TATS CRU

2. Anna Matos, gallery director

3. Such Styles

4. Buz163

5. Funqest

6. John Paul O’Grodnick

7. Stephanie Burr

Note: Open Gallery continues until January 7 at 39 Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx.

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Pablo-Power-City-Bird-Gallery

Co-owned by artists Sarah Wang and Shaina YangCity Bird is a creative space recently launched on the Lower East Side. While visiting its current exhibit Natural High yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to Shaina Yang and find out a bit about the gallery and its mission.

I love the eclectic mix of art in this exhibit. Can you tell us something about City Bird’s mission?

We see ourselves as a unique space in which we are free to unleash our creativity in a playful manner.  There is no one to tell us what to create or how to create it. It is up to us — the artists!

"Chris Mendoza"

When was City Bird born? 

Our inaugural exhibit opened on November 7. It was curated by the Under1roof Project.

"Lady Millard"

Many of the artists on exhibit – such as KingbeeWizard Skull and Dek 2DX— are also active on the streets. How did you meet each other?

Many of us know each other from the collective, Con Artist, and many of Con Artist’s members also get up on the streets.  Lady Millard’s Under1roof Project also brought us together in a collaborative manner. Basically, it was friends and friends of friends!

Kingbee

"Wizard Skull"

Dek2DX

I’d imagine that renting and maintaining a space like this on the Lower East Side could be expensive. How do you raise the money to do this?

When there are no exhibits here, we rent out the space to pop-up shows, poetry readings and a range of creative events.

"copie rodriguez"

What’s ahead?

A mix of imaginative exhibits featuring work by a range of artists, including street artists. We are already booked through the spring. You are in for some surprises!

Smurfo

City Bird is located at 191 Henry Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. 

Images:

1. Pablo Power

2. Chris Mendoza, close-up

3. Lady Millard, close-up

4. Kingbee

5. Wizard Skull

6, Dek 2DX

7. Copie Rodriguez

8. Smurfo Udirty

First image courtesy of the gallery; all others photographed by Lois Stavsky

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

DALeast

"DALeast"

Icy and Sot

Icy-and-sot

NME

NME

Federico Massa aka Cruz

Cruz

Keo and Trim

"Keo and Trim"

Urbanimal

Urbanimal-truck-art-NYC

Pase

Pace

BG183

BG183

Photos: 1 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2-4, 6 & 7 by Lois Stavsky; 5 by Lenny Collado aka BK Lenny and 8 by Tara Murray

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In its mission to “make the JMZ lines more colorful – one wall, one gate, one space at a time,” JMZ Walls has brought not only color, but intrigue and charm, to Broadway and Myrtle and its immediate vicinity. Here is a  sampling:

Jay Shells

"Jay Shells"

@ducklings

ducklings-street-art-bushwick-nyc

Fumero

Fumero

Danielle Mastrion‘s homage to Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri

"Danielle Mastrion"

Claw Money

"Claw Money"

BK Foxx

"BK Foxx"

Zukie

Zukie

Photo of Claw Money by Dani Reyes Mozeson; all others by Lois Stavsky

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This is the seventh post in an occasional series featuring artwork on NYC shutters:

Elle at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens

Elle

Foxxface in Bushwick

Foxxface

Peruvian artist Biark in the Rockaways

Biark

Caratoes in the Bronx for the Tag Public Arts Project

caratoes

Claw Money and Lexi Bella at the Bushwick Collective

Claw-money-Lexi-Bella-street-art-Bushwick=Collective-nyc

Mark Paul Deren aka MADSTEEZ on the Lower East Side

mad-steez-street-art-shutter-NYC

UR New York in Bushwick

"UR New York"

Queen Andrea in the East Village for the LISA Project

Queen-Andrea-street-art-LES-JPG

Photos: 1, 4 & 5 Lois Stavsky; 2, 6-8 Dani Reyes Mozeson and 3 by Tara Murray

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NoseGo

Over two dozen talented toy designers and graphic artists  — many of whom also work on the streets — customized water tower models using Boundless Brooklyn’s Water Tower kits.  The results are on exhibit through November 21 at myplasticheart at 210 Forsyth Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  Here are a few more images by those artists who also use the streets as their canvas:

The Drif

"The Drif"

Toofly

Toofly

Rob Plater

"Marthalicia Mataritta"

Darkcloud

darkcloud

And Stencil1 — as seen from the outside looking in

stencil1

For those of you who would like to try designing your own water tower, kits are available here.

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson; the first image is of NoseGo

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ambi67

Featuring the artwork of a dozen talented Brooklyn and Queens natives, BQE: Brooklyn Queens Elite continues through this Sunday, August 24th at Dumbo’s powerHouse Arena.  Here are a few more images from this exhibit curated by Queens native Yvette “Yvey” Hidalgo.

UR New York

URNewYork

Alice Mizrachi

"Alice Mizrachi"

KEL 5MH

KEL 5MH

David Cooper

"David Cooper"

Cernesto

Cern

Included, too, are works by Ernie Paniccioli, Greg Larmache, Olivia Jarowski-­Lovera, TooFly, Tommy Rebel and WRY TCK. The powerHouse Arena, also home to a wonderful bookstore and more, is located at 37 Main Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

The first image is a close-up from a mixed-media work by Ambi67. Photos of images by Dani Reyes Mozeson.

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SinXero

The Tag Public Arts Project, founded and directed by SinXero, is continuing its transformation of the Bronx’s visual landscape. In addition to the alluring murals that have surfaced on the streets within the past few months, new artwork recently made its way up to a rooftop, visible from the 6 line.

Sexer (left) and SinXero at work:

"Sexer and SinXero"

SinXero pays tribute to the legendary graffiti artist Christopher Lee aka Shadow in “Shadow’s Kiss”

Sexer

Sexeis “Soaring High”

Sexer

And Chris and Veng RWK bring their iconic characters along

Chris and Veng

 All photos courtesy Tag Public Arts Project

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