This is the eleventh in a series of occasional posts featuring the diverse range of trucks and vans that strike our streets.
Wane in Manhattan
Cone in the Bronx
Magda Love in Bushwick for JMZ Walls
Crane in Washington Heights/Inwood
Sienide in the Bronx
Photo credits: 1. Dani Reyes Mozeson; 2-4 and 6. Lois Stavsky; 5. Tara Murray
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I caught up with Bogota native Lorenzo Masnah — aka AEON and Third World Pirate — last week in his Bushwick studio as he was readying to head to Chicago’s Galerie F to join Stinkfish, Zas and Buytronick in preparation for APC’s first exhibit in the U.S.
You are leaving in a few hours for Chicago. What’s happening there?
I will be working with Stinkfish, Zas and Buytronick to produce a series of collaborative works. Each of us has a distinct graphic language and they all will come together on an array of surfaces – from found objects to huge outdoor murals — for this exhibit at Galerie F. Drawings, paintings, zines, shirts and all kinds of APC paraphernalia will be on sale at the gallery. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday, January 30.
Can you tell us something about APC? What does it mean? When did you guys all meet?
The crew originated almost ten years ago back in Bogota with a few artists who participated together in festivals. These days we have over 50 members representing APC throughout the entire world. The acronym has many different meanings. Its principal one is Animal Power Cult, as animals play an essential role in our individual and common aesthetic.
What about you? You seem to have three distinct identities. I primarily associate you with Third World Pirate as I remember watching you paint your iconic pirate almost ten years ago in Bogota. But there everyone seems to refer to you as AEON. And, here in NYC, I’ve come to think of you as Lorenzo Masnah.
I’ve been obsessed with pirates and drawing them in endless variations since I was a child growing up in Bogota. That explains Third World Pirate! He is the one character who always travels with me. AEON is my acronym for Al Estilo Orto Nombre (Another Name for Style) – as I began getting up back in 2002 in Bogota with distinct one-line drawings. And I adopted the name Lorenzo Masnah when I had my solo show at Fuse Gallery in 2013.
Among the highlights of your solo show at Fuse Gallery were your refashioned images of beautiful Mexican women. That is another theme that resurfaces in your work. Can you tell us something about that? You seem to be quite obsessed with Mexican ladies!
Yes, for years I’ve been collecting Mexican erotic magazines dated from the early 1950s. This past year, in fact, while visiting Mexico, I discovered in a used book store in Puebla a huge stack of 45 records with covers fashioned from these vintage magazine pictures. I bought them all! And I am now working with them, recreating them with images that transcend that specific era.
Why do you suppose these images so engage you?
I love their pure innocence, their nostalgic beauty! And they represent so much of what we are missing in our era of Internet dating, where romance has lost its essence. And I’ve also always loved working with recycled materials. It is my way of preserving the past, as I create a visual encyclopedia of aesthetics and issues that speak to me – and, hopefully, to others.
What’s ahead?
After Chicago, we plan to travel out West and then return to NYC for APC’s first East Coast exhibit.
It all sounds great! We look forward to seeing you guys in NYC.
Note: Animal Tricks opens this Friday, January 30, at 6 pm at Galerie F. Located at 2381 N Milwaukee Ave in Chicago IL. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 6 PM.
Interview by Lois Stavsky. Photos: 1. AEON paints in Chicago, courtesy Galerie F; 2. flyer for exhibit, collaborative by featured APC artists; 3. APC in NYC with AEON, Zas, Rimx and Arepa photographed by Tara Murray; 4. AEON on canvas photographed by Lois Stavsky; 5 – 7. APC in Chicago courtesy Galerie F.
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A range of comic characters — from Calvin and Hobbes to Snow White to Batman — have made their way onto NYC walls. Here are a few:
John Matos aka Crash in the South Bronx for the Tag Public Arts Project
Ozmo in Little Italy for the LISA Project
Jerkface in Bushwick
Mr OneTeas at the Bushwick Collective
See One at the Bushwick Collective
Photos 1, 4 – 6 by Lois Stavsky; 2 by Tara Murray & 3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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Often showcasing artworks by diverse street artists – from DALeast to Ludo to Meres – the wall outside rag & bone has also featured various artists who don’t generally share their visions in public spaces. For the past several weeks we have been treated to a selection of pages from the journals of Rainer Judd, the daughter of the late artist Donald Judd,
Close-up from “Sunlight on the Iguanas.” Book no. 6, Black Leather Silver Corner, 1987- 1989 — as seen last week
“The idea was to see books on the wall, changing pages,” Rainer explains. “I’ve been filling journal books since I was 11. On November 16, 2014, I brought Swiss bags full of these books to photographer Henry Leutwyler and Javas Lehn. With a focus on the graphic quality of them as objects I could see them differently. For me, journals are a place of dialogue with myself, a testing ground for ideas, a pal, a repository for the stuff of the highway of my heart. This is a small window into a deep archive.”
Here are some pages from Rainer Judd‘s journal that surfaced in December
Then earlier this month
And through the end of this month, you can check out the final piece now outside rag & bone on Elizabeth Street off 73 East Houston.
Photos 1-3 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 4 courtesy rag & bone’s Houston Wall Project and 5 by Lois Stavsky
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Few NYC graffiti walls change as frequently as those in Upper Manhattan’s open-air gallery. Curated by South Bronx native, Crane, the walls off the 1 train on 207th Street and 210th Street serve as revolving canvases to several veteran NYC writers and their occasional guests. Here’s a sampling of what has surfaced in the past several months:
Uptown stylemaster Cone
Veteran graffiti writer Kool Kito
Local artist Panic Rodriguez
LA-based graffiti writer Jero ICR
Legendary UK graffiti writer Pulse
Veteran graffiti writer Ree
Photos 1, 2, 5 and 6 by Lois Stavsky; 3 and 4 by City-as-School intern Travis Hicks
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Wildly inventive and meticulously crafted, CYCLE’s recent body of work, Organic Distortions, is currently on view at Chelsea’s ArtNow NY. Here are a few more images from the exhibit:
Ant Blur, acrylics and spray paint on canvas
Bee One, acrylics and spray paint on canvas
Bee Two, acrylics and spray paint on canvas
Jag Warp, acrylics and spray paint on canvas
Deer Curve, acrylics and spray paint on canvas
The exhibit continues through February at ArtNow NY, 548 West 28th Street in Chelsea.
Photos of paintings by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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The walls in the vicinity of McGuinness Boulevard and Clay Street in Greenpoint continue to showcase a diverse range of vibrant graffiti. Here are a few captured this past week:
Wolf 1 AOK
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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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This is the 15th in an occasional series of posts featuring images of girls — and women — who grace our public spaces:
David Cooper in Bushwick
Cern in Greenpoint, close-up
Mag Magrela on the Lower East Side
Caratoes in Bushwick
Andre Trenier in the Bronx
Dasic Fernandez at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens
Photos: 1 and 5 by City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; 2-4 and 6 by Lois Stavsky
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Elaborating on the creation and aftermath of Kara Walker‘s epic installation at the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this past summer, Afterword, a solo exhibition of the artist’s recent work, remains on view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. through this Saturday, January 17. Here are a few more images:
Stages of Sugar Production: Cutting, Grinding, Refining
Wide view of gallery
Checking it out
The Legend among the Cane Cutters
And here are two close-ups from Kara Walker’s installation at the Domino Sugar Refinery — as captured in its final days.
Sikkema Jenkins is located at 530 West 22nd Street in Chelsea.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson
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