Curated by Robert Aloia, along with VNA Magazine, Beau, Todd Masters, NY St. Gallery and Suzuki Capital LLC, 21st Precinct opens this evening at the former space of the 21st Precinct at 327 East 22nd Street. Reminiscent of this past winter’s Surplus Candy – although on a much larger scale – dozens of artists have transformed five stories into an expressive, inventive canvas charged with unfettered energy. What follows is a small sampling of close-ups from larger installations:
Ghost, GIZ and Duel with a message
Presented by Outlaw Arts, Savior Elmundo and Pesu, the exhibit opens this evening at 6pm. It will be open again tomorrow from 1-6pm and next Saturday and Sunday 1-6pm.
Photo of Nepo by Lois Stavsky; all others by Sara C. Mozeson
Note: Keep posted to the StreetArtNYC Facebook page for more images from this landmark exhibit.
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La Maison d’Art, a lovely guesthouse on West 132 Street in Harlem, is also home to some intriguing art. On exhibit in its indoor gallery through August 28 is “GETTING UP!” — the Evolution of Graffiti. Here is a small sampling of what is on display:
The legendary T-Kid, Back in Da Day, Acrylic spray on canvas
King Trio, Acrylic spray on canvas
MRS — whose works we’ve seen on the streets of the Bronx –Contact High, Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
French artist Oeno, Mechanical Child Stencil, spray paint, pencil, markers on canvas
Harlem-based Royce Bannon aka Choice Royce, Everyday Hustle, Acrylic on oak (top left); Alone by Myself, and Ride or Die, Acrylic and spray paint on wood
And in the garden is a huge array of works in different media forged with found objects by the masterful Linus Coraggio.
Close-up from huge mixed-media installation
Also on exhibit in the gallery are works by Paul Deo, Mathametics Patterson, Flygirrl and Ausm. La Maison d’Art is located at 259 W 132 Street in Harlem.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Bronx-based Sienide aka Sien is one of NYC’s most versatile artists. His delightful compositions — in a range of styles from masterful graffiti writing to soulful portraits — continue to grace public spaces throughout the boroughs. I recently had the opportunity to interview him:
When did you first get up?
I started tagging and bombing on the Grand Concourse in 1981 with my older brother. I was living at 176th street and Morris Ave. I did my first piece in 1985 with my then-bombing partner SEPH. Jean13 was also there, and he helped me shape up my letters. Ironically, my first piece was also a legal commission.
What was your preferred surface back then?
I really wanted to get into the yards. But I couldn’t, so I hit trailers instead. There was a great lot over in Castle Hill, where we painted and made a tree-house to store our supplies.
What inspired you to get up?
Everybody around me was writing.
Did you paint alone or with crews?
Both. In 1986 IZ the Wiz put me down with TMB after he saw my black book. Since, I’ve painted with the best of the best: OTB, FX, KD, GOD (Bronx) and GOD (Brooklyn), MTA, Ind’s, Ex-Vandals, XMEN, and TATS CRU
What about these days? Do you paint only legally?
Oh, yes! I’m too old to play around, and I want to get paid for what I do. I also want to paint in peace.
How did your family feel about what you were doing back in the day?
They weren’t happy. When I was arrested for motion tagging with my cousin on the 6 train, my uncle — who was my dad at the time — told me that no one would ever hire me because I defaced public property.
What percentage of your time is devoted to art?
At least 85% of it.
What is your main source of income these days?
It’s all art-related. I sell my work, earn commissions for painting murals and I also teach.
Have you any thoughts about the street art and graffiti divide?
I love them both. I have forever been trying to marry them.
How do you feel about the movement of graffiti and street art into galleries?
I think it’s cool. I love to see my stuff hanging on walls, and when someone asks me to be in a show, I feel honored.
What about the corporate world? How do you feel about its engagement with graffiti and street art?
I have no problem with it. If the corporate bank writes me a check, I’ll cash it.
Is there anyone in particular you would like to collaborate with?
I would like to collaborate more with Eric Orr.
How do you feel about the role of the Internet in all of this?
The Internet is useful. It works for me.
Do you have a formal art education?
Yes I have a Masters Degree in Illustration from FIT.
Did this degree benefit you?
Yes, I now know my worth.
How would you describe your ideal working environment?
Outdoors, Florida-type weather and a generous paint sponsor.
What inspires you these days?
I’m inspired by the life I live and by the students I teach.
Are there any particular cultures that have influenced you?
The human culture.
Do you work with a sketch in hand or just let it flow?
I work with a rough sketch, but I never have colors in it. This prevents me from becoming a slave to my reference, and it allows my creative mojo to experiment freely.
Are you generally satisfied with your finished piece?
Never.
How has your work evolved through the years?
My work keeps evolving and changing because I allow myself to experiment. I don’t like being stuck in one particular mode. That bores me.
What do you see as the role of the artist in society?
To give back… to share a gift that we artists have with others.
How do you feel about the photographers in the scene?
I think they’re helpful, but they should share any profits they make with the artists whose works they photograph.
What’s ahead?
I hope to be still doing what I’m doing while advancing my skills. I hope never to lose my passion.
Interview by Lois Stavsky; photos 1, 2 and 8 (collaboration with Kid Lew) by Sienide; 3, 4 and 7 (on canvas) by Lois Stavsky; 5 (collaboration with Eric Orr) and 6 by Lenny Collado
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Last weekend, the walls in Bushwick on Moore and White Streets became the canvas for Miami-based oo4’s East Coast tour. Here is a sampling of what was seen:
Miss Reds at work and more
First photo is of Abstrk and Miss Reds. All action photos by Tara Murray; all others by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Born in 2011, BucketFeet has since connected with over 2000 artists in more than 35 countries to design original footwear. But BucketFeet isn’t just about shoes. It is a celebration of artistic expression across cultures. Here in New York City, a range of artists — from graffiti writers to tattooists to illustrators — not only share their designs on footwear at BucketFeet’s SoHo venue, but exhibit and sell their artworks there, as well. Here is a small sampling what we saw on a recent visit:
Marka27, this past month’s artist-in-residence, whose artwork has also graced our walls for the Juicy Art Festival
Chicago-based JC Rivera
New York-based Jimmy Sheehan
In addition to the works on exhibit, BucketFeet also sells dozens of wonderfully affordable prints both online and in its NYC store at 108 Wooster Street in SoHo.
Photos of artworks by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Born in Argentina and now based in Brooklyn, LR is a young photographer and artist with a deep passion for street art and documenting the streets. I met her in late spring in Bushwick when I was interviewing the Argentinian artist Cabaio, whom she had photographed at work earlier that day. We met again last week at Exit Room, and I had the opportunity, this time, to find out a bit about her.
When did you first become interested in photography?
I was 12 years old and living in Buenos Aires. I had told my mother’s friend that I was interested in photography, and he gave me a camera. It was a 35 mm Canon.
And then what happened?
I didn’t know what to do with it. And so I took my new Canon to a camera store, and the shop owner installed film for me and set it on “Automatic.” He said, “Just shoot!” So that’s what I did! And I fell in love with the art form at once.
Did you ever study photography on a formal basis?
Early on, I began visiting photographers’ studios, and I started taking classes with them. The classes were informal – with no more than five students in a class.
What — would you say — is photography’s appeal to you? What is it about this art form that so engages you?
With a camera in hand, I feel that I am somewhat in control of my environment. And it allows me to create compelling narratives. I am obsessed with paradoxes – and recording them.
What brought you to New York City?
I felt a strong need to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone.
How has living here affected you and your passion for photography?
I quickly found myself seeking other Spanish speakers and other immigrants. And the streets became even more important to me. I see public spaces as a reflection of society.
And what about street art? You’ve documented hundreds of images. When first I met you, you had just finished photographing Cabaio at work over at the Bushwick Collective and you seem to be quite involved over here at Exit Room – one of my favorite spaces. What is the appeal of street art to you?
It serves as both a mirror of society and as a perfect expression of resistance. I love the way the artists take ownership of the streets, and their work on city streets looks amazing. Street art has the power to change a city – visually and psychically. It also makes art accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise see it. It’s an always-open free museum. And documenting the art I discovered on these streets – along with its people – saved my life!
Have you any favorite artists who work on the streets?
Among my favorite ones are: Cabaio, Iena Cruz, Werc and Ever.
What’s ahead for you?
Since coming to NYC, I’ve become more aware – than ever – as to the importance of community. There is a lack of community here, and there is a need for more alternative spaces where people can come together to create and to share. I am beginning an informal series of workshops on photography – similar to the ones I attended back in Buenos Aires. They are on a pay- what-you-can basis. I can be contacted at lucia.reissig@gmail.com. And on a personal level, I am continuing a series I began earlier focusing on immigrant life here in NYC.
Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky. Photos by LR
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The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak, a graduate student in Museum Studies at New York University.
To the discontent of many, the corporate advertisements plaguing the urban landscape have become integral to our every-day visual vocabulary. As a response, street art is often offered as an alternative platform to reclaim public space from the impersonal iconography of corporate publicity. However, Philadelphia native Stephen Powers has employed that very language to empower his own personal vision.
A Love Letter to the City tells the tale of how artist Steve Powers’ witty lettering and profound insight turned advertising on its head. Authored by Powers himself, the book is a visually astonishing compilation of his large scale public art projects in cities across the globe, such as Philadelphia, New York City, Dublin, Sao Paulo and Johannesburg. With each chapter focusing on a metropolis, the book illustrates the artist’s engagement and collaboration with local communities and art organizations to “reflect their collective visions and dreams… to make art for the people.”
Powers’ outrageously honest introduction retraces his debut into the graffiti world under the moniker of ESPO in Philadelphia. In first-person narratives, he highlights his experiences and encounters that propelled him to the status of acclaimed public artist. Readers are treated to his eloquent personal recollections, as well as captivating photographs of his beautifully executed street art pieces.
Steve Powers’ employs signage style graphics to produce poignant conceptual pieces, ranging from single word slogans to multiple line phrases. The publication’s images bear witness to Powers’ ability to marvelously blend colors into the pre-existing urban hues. Prior to hand-painting site-specific murals, Powers deeply immersed himself in the spirit of each city. He embraced the values and needs of communities, deciphered central issues of local histories, and appreciated the soul of its neighborhoods.
In Coney Island, Powers worked with local citizens to revitalize an abandoned space into a sign shop/social club. The shop produced street signage for the inhabitants free of charge, which served to invigorate local businesses, as well as to enhance the community’s visual landscape. In another instance in Dublin, Powers altered his design plans when he saw a neighborhood recurrent tag: “Please call me, I am home, the door is open, ” followed by a phone number. Inspired by the message of love and loneliness, Powers then created a mural that spoke to similar concerns.
A Love Letter to the City provides invaluable insights into the creative mindset of a unique street artist. It sheds light on the back-stories of his sign pieces, from his improbable conversations with passersby to the formally held community meetings. Ultimately, the book illustrates how Powers and his team remarkably wove intricate typographic art into the fabric of multiple cities around the world.
All images courtesy of Princeton Architectural Press
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Outdoor Gallery New York City author and photographer Yoav Litvin continues readings from his book and conversations about New York City street art this evening, August 6, from 5-:30 – 7:30 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Among the topics he will discuss are: documenting street art and graffiti; constructing and editing interviews, and publishing and promoting his book. Admission is free and you can hop off the Bronx Trolley that provides a free arts and culture tour of the South Bronx on the first Wednesday of every month. Yoav will be joined this evening by the wonderfully talented artist and art educator, Alice Mizrachi, who will speak about her own art and its evolution.
On Wednesday, August 20, Yoav’s special guest, Brooklyn-based street and subway artist Jilly Ballistic, will join him at Word at 126 Franklin Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The discussion will begin at 7pm.
And on Thursday, August 28, Chris Stain, one of our favorite stencil artists and muralists, will be joining Yoav at 7pm at the collectively-owned Bluestockings at 172 Allen Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Photos by Yoav Litvin
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This is the sixth in an occasional series featuring images of males who surface on NYC open spaces:
Icy and Sot at the Bushwick Collective
Jason Coatney in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Never in Bushwick
El Sol 25 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Abstrk in Bushwick, Brooklyn — in this past weekend from Florida on the 004 East Coast tour
Elbow-Toe in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Sien on Bronx Rooftop
Bradley Theodore in downtown Manhattan
Photos of Icy & Sot and Abstrk by Tara Murray; Jason Coatney, El Sol 25, Elbow-Toe and Bradley Theodore by Dani Reyes Mozeson; Sien by Lois Stavsky
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