serve-graffiti-on-train-on-canvas

After visiting the superb Ex Vandals exhibit — featuring over 30 artists — at More Points Bx last week, I had the opportunity to speak to its curator, Sienide.

What prompted you to curate an exhibit featuring the Ex Vandals?

It’s my way of paying homage to the pioneering graffiti crew.  It was one of the first organized crews dedicated exclusively to writing that went on to develop various styles of piecing. I am one of the newer members.

sienide-graffiti-on-canvas

What was your greatest challenge in curating such an ambitious exhibit?

Trying to represent the spirit of the Ex Vandals by getting as many writers involved as I possibly could. The Ex Vandals is now international, but the focus here is on local writers.

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There’s such an incredibly diverse range of artworks here. I was wondering how that happened. Were artists given specific instructions of assignments?

No! I just asked each artist to bring in one work on canvas.

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How did the opening go?

It was great! It was definitely the most successful show I’ve done! And we sold several pieces — an added bonus to an amazing event!

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How can folks see the exhibit? 

It will be up through the 29th at 527 Faile Street in Hunts Point. An appointment can be arranged to view it by contacting me at sienide@gmail.com.

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What’s ahead for More Points Bx?

We are booked through November with a new exhibit every month. Among those artists who will be featured are: the TMT graffiti crew and the photographer Joe Conzo. We are also planning a pop-up show featuring new works by BG 183.

Great! We are looking forward!

Special thanks to Eric Orr for hosting us at More Points Bx on short notice!

Images of artworks on exhibit:

1. Serve

2. Sienide

3. Cone

4. Will Power

5. Kool Kito

Photo credits: 1, 2 & 5 Tara Murray; 3, 4 & 6 Lois Stavsky; interview 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 here for Android devices.

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As the line between street art and public art continues to blur, we find ourselves increasingly intrigued by the range of public art that surfaces in NYC parks. What follows is a sampling of what we’ve captured these past few months in Battery Park.

German sculptor Fritz Koenigthe Sphere, the sole surviving artwork from the grounds of the original World Trade Center

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Ned Smyth, The Upper Room, close-up

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British artist Tony Cragg, Resonating Bodies (one of two bronze sculptures resembling giant musical instruments)

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Jim Dine, The Ape & Cat (at the Dance)

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 Constance Mallinson, Souvenir (fragment) for the Cool Globes traveling exhibition

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Nancy L Steinmeyer First We Scream, Then We Are for the Cool Globes traveling exhibition

Nancy- L- Steinmeyer-public-art-battery-park

Photo credits: 1-5 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 6 Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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Bizer-and-graffiti-bushwick-nyc

This past Sunday. a group of veteran writers — several members of the legendary Mission Graffiti Crew  —  brought their classic graffiti styles to Bushwick. Here are a few more images captured:

Checker 170

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Bizer

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Kit 17

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And earlier on — with Kit 17  at work on his outline — on the right

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Nest 156 

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Easy

easy

Styx

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Australian writer Perv

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Plot 162

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Photo Credits: 1-3,6, 8-10 Tara Murray; 4, 5 & 7 Patrick Styx 

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icy-and-sot-art-on-dollar-bill

Opening this evening from 6-9pm at World Trade Gallery is Off the Wall, an exhibit featuring artwork by some of our favorite artists. We recently had the opportunity to speak to its curator, Joshua B. Geyer.

What is the concept behind this exhibit?

I wanted to showcase in a gallery setting artworks by a diverse group of high-caliber artists who work in public spaces, as well as in their studios. My current job is just a few blocks away from the Top to Bottom Mural Project on 21st Street. I pass it every day, and I love it. I thought it would be a great idea to feature those artists, as they are among the best anywhere.

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When did you first begin working on Off the Wall?

I first found out about the availability of the space three weeks ago. One of my friends who works in World Trade Gallery offered me the opportunity to curate an exhibit beginning in mid-March.

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What was your greatest challenge in getting this together in such a short timespan?

My greatest challenge was selecting the artists.  There was so much talent to choose from.  Close to 50 outstanding artists have painted in the Top to Bottom Mural Project.  I also wanted to take into consideration the input I was given from the team — James P Quinn and Geoff Kuffner — who implemented the project.

Daze-canvas

Do you feel that you have accomplished your mission?

Yes! The artworks in Off the Wall are representative of the diverse range of outstanding pieces that have surfaced at 43-01 21st Street in LIC since this past September. And this space couldn’t be more ideal!

Off the wall-flyer

We love your flyer. Did you design it?

It was a collaborative venture between See One and me. The photo is mine and the actual design is See One’s.

What’s ahead?

I’d love to build a relationship with World Trade Gallery, and I look forward to curating more exhibits featuring artists whose works are seen on our streets.

Images

1. Icy and Sot, close-up

2. Erasmo and Case Maclaim

3. See One

4. Daze

Photo credits: 1, 3 & 4 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2 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 here for Android devices.

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Hoacs-graffiti-H-Eden-Fine-Art

Currently on view at Eden Fine Art in SoHo is No Days Off, an ingenious installation of vibrant images in a range of media by the wonderfully gifted Queens-based graffiti master Hoacs.  While visiting the space this past Friday — while Hoacs was adding the final touches to No Days Off for his Saturday evening opening — I had the opportunity to speak to him.`

This is amazing! What a brilliant installation! How long have you been working on it?

I began several months ago — in mid-December.

Hoacs-graffiti-exhibit-soho-nyc

Integrated within the huge pieces painted on the walls is a range of media here. I love the varied surfaces you’ve painted on. Can you tell us something about that?

Yes! With the exception of several canvases, everything has been painted on pieces of discarded wood that I found. I hand sanded and treated them all before painting on them. Each is distinct.

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What would you say was your greatest challenge in executing the installation — as everything seems to work so well together?

My chief concern was my choice of colors. It is important to me that the individuals walls — particularly those across from one another — work well together.

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This space and this neighborhood couldn’t be more perfect! How did this wonderful space come your way?

A friend of mine, the jeweler Mr. Flawless — another Queens native — knows the owner of this gallery and introduced us.

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What would you say is the principal difference between working on the streets and working in an indoor space like this one? 

When I paint outdoors, I am at the mercy of the elements — the cold, the heat, the rain, the winds — and I often stop what I’m doing to speak to folks who drop by. I also tend to paint with others. Here  — I am in my own world!

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Are you satisfied with the way it is looking?

Yes! I got to do exactly what I wanted to do!

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What about the title of the exhibit, No Days Off?

Graffiti is a passion that comes with huge demands! There are “no days off” for a graffiti writer!

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How can folks see the exhibit?

Eden Fine Art SoHo is s located at 470 Broome Street and is open seven days a week, 9AM to 9PM.

That’s perfect! Congratulations!

Interview by Lois Stavsky

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

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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Host to some of the most stylish graffiti walls in NYC, Bushwick never lets us down! These were captured this past week:

Kems

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 Sp One

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Amuse

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Roachi

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Toper

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Fecks

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Hoacs

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And if you are anywhere in the vicinity, be sure to check out Hoacs’s brilliant solo exhibit opening tonight — Saturday — at Eden Fine Art.

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Photos of Bushwick graffiti by Tara Murray

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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Misha-Tyutyunik-MDOT-SoHo-Mural-Art

Based in Brooklyn, Misha Tyutyunik aka MDOT is an accomplished painter, muralist and illustrator. His recent venture, fashioned along with a team of Groundswell youth, looms large at 11 Howard Street in SoHo. Earlier this week, we visited his studio and had the opportunity to speak to him.

When and where did you first make your mark on the streets?

Back in 1999, Wisher 914 and I hit up the water tower in Mohegan Lake in North Westchester where we grew up.  But my outdoor work is largely commissioned murals. I painted my first one for SoBro in the Bronx in 2006.  My most recent one is a collaboration with Groundswell youth at 11 Howard Street in SoHo, the site of Aby Rosen’s latest hotel venture.

Misha-Tyutyunik-MDOT-mural-11-Howard

You’re also a prolific painter of smaller works – from works on paper to paintings on huge canvasesHave you exhibited your works in gallery settings?

Yes!  I’ve exhibited throughout NYC in a range of spaces from CATM in Chelsea and  Tambaran on the Upper East Side to a variety of alternative venues.

Do you have a formal arts education? And was it worthwhile?

Yes, I have a BFA in Design and Illustration from Pratt. And, yes, as I learned how to problem solve through creative means.

Are there any particular cultures that have influenced your aesthetic?

I spent my first seven years in the Ukraine, and was definitely influenced by social realism. Other influences include: graffiti in its heyday; Japanese prints; abstract expressionism; traditional mural painting and German expressionism.

Misha-Tyutyunik-mdot-rapper-painted-on-canvas

What about artists? Any particular influences?

Among the many artists whose aesthetic has influenced me are: Diego Rivera, Klimt and Egon Schiele.

Do you prefer working alone or collaborating with others?

I used to prefer working alone, but lately I’ve become more open to collaboration. I recently collaborated with Chris Soria.

If you could collaborate with any artist – alive or deceased – with whom would you collaborate?

Picasso – all day every day – and Max Ernst.

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How does your family feel about what you are doing?

They love it!  None of them are artists, but they all love what I am doing!

What percentage of your time is devoted to art?

Pretty much all of it.

Is art the main source of your income?

Yes, the money I earn from commissions, along with income from teaching mural-making and art sales. I’ve also begun working on fashion design.

MDot-Fashion-Design

How you feel about the role of the Internet in this scene?

It’s everything! Without the Internet I’d be nowhere.

Are you generally satisfied with your finished work?

I think so. But the question is: Is anything ever really finished?

How has your artwork evolved in the past few years?

By leaps and bounds! I’m much more comfortable than I used to be with different styles. My visual language has become more confident.

Misha-Tyutyunik-M-Dot-Mixed-media-on-canvas

As your work on the streets is largely commissioned murals, have you run into any conflicts with street artists or graffiti writers?

On occasion.  While painting a commissioned wall down in DC, for example, I was approached by graffiti writers who told me that the wall was theirs. When I explained to them what I was doing and they saw my work in progress, they came around.

What do you see as the role of the artist in society?

I see my role as to reflect on our times, while bringing a strong aesthetic sensibility back into a largely conceptual realm.

What’s ahead?

Everything! Taking over the art world!

misha-Tyutyunik-SoHo

That’s quite ambitious! Are there any particular projects we can look forward to?

I am currently painting an anti-gun violence mural in conjunction with BRIC, and I will soon begin working on a mural with Groundswell youth at Stapleton in Staten Island. And opening tonight and continuing through March 31 is The Internal Muse, a selection of my new paintings at Melet Mercantile at 84 Wooster Street in SoHo.

It all sounds great! Congratulations!

Interview conducted by Lois Stavsky with Tara Murray

Photo credits: 1 & 2 courtesy Lindsey Brown McLravy | SLATE PR; 3, 5 & 6 Lois Stavsky; 4 Tara Murray 

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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Peter-Bengsten-the-street-art-world-cover

Currently based in Sweden, Peter Bengtsen is an art historian and sociologist who has been researching street art for the past nine years. The Street Art World, a 248 page book, is the result of his research based on studies of everyday interaction among artists, gallerists, collectors, bloggers and street art enthusiasts.  I recently had the opportunity to read Peter’s engaging book and pose some questions to him.

When and how did you first become aware of street art?

I grew up in a small town in the Danish countryside, with virtually no exposure to graffiti or street art. As a kid I would sometimes see throw-ups by Tower and Carn in the underpasses when driving with my parents on the freeway, and those names have been stuck in my head ever since. It wasn’t until I moved to Copenhagen in 2000 that I really became aware of street art and graffiti, though.

You write that when you first discovered street art, you did not deem it “worth documenting and preserving.”  What changed your mind?

When I say that street art wasn’t worth documenting, what I really mean is that for a while the immediate and brief encounters with the work on the street were enough for me. However, over time I started getting attached to some of the artworks I passed regularly, and I also began recognizing the work of certain artists like HuskMitNavn and later Armsrock and Faile. I found myself feeling a bit sad when the artworks eventually disappeared, and I felt an urge to somehow keep them. Photography was one way of doing that. The technological developments around that time had a lot to do with making this form of documentation possible. Back in the early years of the 2000s I was using a film camera and I couldn’t afford to photograph graffiti and street art, but that changed when I got my first digital camera in early 2005.

Faile- Copenhagen-2004

When it comes to preserving street art, I am still conflicted. As an art historian, I see a value in keeping material examples of street artworks for posterity. However, a key part of street art for me is that artworks are transformed over time, because the street is open to change and dialogue. When street artworks are placed under glass or cut out of walls to be preserved in a more controlled environment that openness is taken away. In preserving street artworks, I think one of the essential things that set street art apart from other art may be lost.

Armsrock-street-art-Copenhagen- -2008- two months

As an academic, what are some of the challenges you face when researching and writing about street art?

Even before I started my research, I found expressions of a rather strong anti-intellectual and anti-institutional mindset in the street art world. These public expressions have become less dominant in recent years as street art gets more integrated in the mainstream art world. However, academics that are seen to attempt “investigating” street art – rather than actually engaging with the art and the social environment that surrounds it – are sometimes still looked upon as a species of “culture vulture,” swooping in to pick the bones of a social and cultural environment they know little about. Over the years I have seen researchers fail in their work because they lacked a fundamental understanding of the social rules of the field they were trying to study.

To mitigate the critical attitude towards academic researchers, and the institutional art world they are seen to represent, I think first impressions are very important. In my own case, because my interest in street art was not academic to begin with, I had already been socializing with other street art fans for some time when I started doing formal research in 2006. While I have still met some skepticism and received derisive comments regarding my role as a researcher and my attempts to intellectualize street art, I think the connections I already had with other enthusiasts made it a lot easier to move forward with my project. If I had come from the outside with a research agenda, things might have been different.

Banksy-stencil-art- London -2015-jpg

How have other street art enthusiasts – from bloggers and collectors to the artists themselves – responded to your academic approach to the subject?

Apart from the skepticism I already mentioned, people have generally been very positive during the research project. When I was working on the book, I had a lot of help from people who provided me with viewpoints, information, and – very importantly – photographs of artworks I couldn’t get to myself. My research budget doesn’t allow for expenses related to image rights, so if people hadn’t been so generous and willing to let me use their images, the book would have ended up looking very differently.

In terms of the finished book, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I was confident I had created a solid piece of scholarly work, but it was also very important to me to write something that people outside the academic world would be interested in reading and could relate to. From the comments I have received, street art enthusiasts enjoy the book and recognize the world I am describing. This doesn’t mean they always agree with everything I write, but to me that is really great. My goal with the book was never to present the “truth” about what street art is – I actually don’t believe one such single truth exists. My hope was that the book could be part of an ongoing dialogue about street art, and critical engagement and disagreement are essential to that.

Erica-ilcane mural-Grottaglie-Italy-2012

What are some of the changes that you have observed in the street art “world” since you first began documenting it and writing about it?

One of the most significant changes is that the street art world has become increasingly professionalized. This can be seen in for example the establishing of commercial magazines dedicated to so-called urban art, the increasing number of print houses and galleries that produce and/or sell limited edition artworks, the companies around the world that arrange commercial street art tours, and the vast number of street art festivals that have popped up in the past decade. With a more professional system in place, I think it has become easier for some artists to make a living from their work. While this is a positive development in many ways, from a personal point of view I do find it tiresome that some artists now seem to consider doing street work simply as a way of promoting their commercial wares. This is for example reflected in the number of websites and social media handles that are now included in, or placed next to, work in the street.

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Along with the professionalization, street art enthusiasts seem to have become increasingly focused on the market value of commercial products. I see this very clearly on street art forums. Members have always discussed the value of their collections, but investment potential has gradually become the main focus since 2006, when urban art really started becoming a thing with galleries and auction houses. I think this development may partly represent a change in attitude among the people who were into street art when I first started out with my studies, but I strongly suspect it is also because a different demographic has taken an interest in street art and/or urban art as an investment object. Sadly, it seems to me that critical discussion about the art itself has largely been quashed by the market.

What are some of the key factors that have contributed to these changes?

Money obviously has a lot to do with the way the street art world has developed. With the increasing recognition and popularity of street art/urban art, it has become big business for some to provide a growing customer base with consumable products like limited edition screen prints. As a result, a growing number of print houses are constantly on the lookout for new artists, and it is not uncommon to see prints from artists who have done very little street work. This is in part possible because artists today make very conscious efforts to be “discovered” quickly, for instance by placing their street work in highly photographed areas and by leaving their contact details in or next to the work.

04 unknow artist, Copenhagen (2008)

Having witnessed the market success of some of the older generation of street artists, it is perhaps not surprising that members of a new generation see doing street work as a shortcut to a commercial career. Lack of experience and maturity on the part of these artists may be one reason a lot of the commercial work released today is very formulaic and/or blatantly rips off previous work by other artists. Despite this, much of the published work seems to sell out. It is hard to say whether this is because customers actually like the artwork, and perhaps are unaware of the source material, or because they don’t want to miss out on what is often deliberately presented to them as an investment opportunity. However, the number of prints on the secondary market is an indication that a lot of customers do see their purchases as investments.

Apart from money, technological developments have profoundly influenced the street art world. Digital photography and videography has made it simple for people to create visual material, and the internet in general – and social media in particular — enables people to share what they, and others, produce.

05 unknown artist, Malmö (2015)

I think the ease of sharing content has played a very important role in the developments seen in the street art world. It is to a large degree through the online sharing of visual material that the interest in street art is spread to new people. These new enthusiasts — and potential consumers — form a basis for the continued existence of the marketplace that now constitutes a central part of the street art world.

Is street art dead? Or is it just sleeping?

I would say that all depends on your definition of street art. The notion of the death of street art comes about when someone experiences a conflict between a specific, subjective ideal of what street art should be and what they think it has become. The statement “street art is dead” has been popping up at regular intervals for as long as I have followed the street art world, yet people are still making, documenting, discussing and trading what they call street art. Although the street art world has become more professional and commercially oriented, much to the frustration of some, I don’t think this implies that street art is dead or even dying. It simply means street art – like all things – is evolving.

06 Kissmama paste-up, Copenhagen (2013)

Note: If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book or if you want more information about it, you can contact Peter at peter.bengtsen@kultur.lu.se. You can also check out Joe Austin‘s review of the book here

Interview by Lois Stavsky; all images courtesy Peter Bengtsen

1. Cover illustration:  Ericailcane

2.  Failepolaroid of paste-up, Copenhagen, 2004

3.  Armsrock, photos of the Danish artist in Copenhagen, taken in July and September 2008, illustrating how artworks are gradually transformed in the street context

4.  Banksy, stencil painting behind acrylic glass, London, 2015

5.  Ericailcane, mural Fame Festival, Grottaglie, 2012

6. Stencil, filling the street – a space already over saturated with commercial messages – with additional advertising

7. Stencil painting, unknown artist,  Copenhagen, 2008

8. Stencil, Malmo, Sweden, 2015

9. Kissmama, paste-up, Copenhagen, 2015

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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swoon-women-coney-island-installation-Brooklyn-Museum

Featuring a wondrous range of approximately 140 artworks in various media referencing the iconic Brooklyn site, Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008 continues through March 13 at the Brooklyn Museum. Here are a few more images of works in the exhibit of special appeal to us street art aficionados:

Swoon, another close-up

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Daze

Chris-Daze-Ellis

Unknown

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Located at 200 Eastern Parkway, the Brooklyn Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. Check here for hours.

Photo credits: 1 Tara Murray; 2 & 4 Lois Stavsky and 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson

Note: Hailed in a range of media from the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available here for Android devices.

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lady-k-fever-abstract-graffiti

Launched and coordinated by the West Harlem Art Fund, Fusion NY presented a series of panels, tours, performances and pop-up exhibits earlier this week – Armory Week 2016 – in various venues throughout Harlem.  Of special interest to us graffiti and street art aficionados were the panel discussion,  Basquiat Still Fly @ 55, moderated by Jeffrey Deitch and the pop-up exhibit, Street Art Gone Fusion Crazy, curated by Lady K Fever and Savona Bailey. What follows are a few more images by artists — who also use the streets as their canvas — that we captured on our visit to Street Art Gone Fusion Crazy this past Wednesday.

Bind

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Brim, Tats Cru and Share 37

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BG 183

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Ree

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Curators Lady K Fever and Savona Bailey

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First image is close-up from huge piece by Lady K Fever

Photo credits: 1-5 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 6 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 here for Android devices.

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