Semor and KKade at 5Pointz

German graffiti master Semor – who had painted at 5Pointz last year — returned to NYC earlier this month with three amazingly talented Swiss artists: Onur, Wes21 and Kkade. A standout is the mural — fusing elements of surrealism, photorealism and graffiti — that the four fashioned together.

Wes 21 and Onur at work

Posing with Meres (second to left), 5Pointz founder and curator

The completed mural

 Photos by Lois Stavsky

Astrotwitch

Astrotwitch – whose playful, colorful paste-ups and stickers have graced Washington DC’s visual landscape for a while now – has been busy at work curating an exhibit. “With Love and Care,” opening this Saturday evening, May 4 from 7-11pm at the Fridge, brings together seven international artists who have shared their one-of-a-kind hand painted posters in public spaces. On exhibit will be select posters and original paintings by these artists — mounted by Astrotwitch on painted and tagged frames fashioned from found wood. In addition to Astrotwitch and Decoy from DC, featured artists include: the Berlin-based Argentinian artist, Alanzacion; Portland, Oregon’s N.O. Bonzo and Circleface;  MAR! from LA and Galo from Sao Paulo. As you can see from this sampling, their work is quite diverse; what binds them together is their commitment to sharing unsanctioned original artwork on the streets of their cities.

N.O. Bonzo

Alaniz

Galo

The exhibit continues through May 26 at 516 1/2 8th Street, SE in Washington DC.

Photos courtesy Astrotwitch

I checked out Saber’s show at Opera last Friday — the day after it opened — and it’s been on my mind since. There is a vigorous beauty here that reflects the artist’s talents, techniques and distinct sensibility. It also represents the fusion of graffiti — or calligraffiti — and fine art as its best. I love what has become his signature take on the American flag.

The exhibit continues until May 11 at 115 Spring Street in SoHo.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Noted artist C215 recently graced a tall building in Paris’s largely working class 13th arrondissement with a huge mural that he describes as a “lovely, simple cat.” A collaborative venture between Le Parcours Street Art du 13e and Itinerrance Gallery, it represents the local government’s attempt to beautify this semi-industrial neighborhood.

Photos by Théo David. Special thanks to Demian Smith of Underground Paris for keeping me informed!

RAE, close-up; photo by Lois Stavsky

I can never get enough of RAE‘s zany characters that surface regularly on a range of public surfaces in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. TriBeCa gallery Masters & Pelavin is hosting two wondrously fashioned ones in the group exhibit, Legend Tripping, opening this evening from 6-8pm at 13 Jay Street.

RAE close-up; photo by Sara Mozeson

Photos by Lois Stavsky and Sara Mozeson

Swoon, Thalassa, screenprint on mylar with coffee stain and hand painting

Since 2006, Joshua Liner’s Chelsea gallery has consistently featured an amazing range of works by first-rate artists. His new venue – a huge, bright ground-floor space at 540 West 28th Street – is ideal, as the artworks beckon you in from the street. These are a few of my favorite pieces – by artists who also work in public spaces – from his current exhibit, Direct Address: An Inaugural Group Exhibition, that closes this Saturday. It is worth a visit.

Greg Lamarche aka SP1, Free for All, acrylic and graphite on found wood

Oliver Vernon, Renegade Trajectories, acrylic on canvas

David Ellis, All That Glitters, kinetic sound and light installation

Photos by Dani Mozeson

Celebrating the release of Christian P. Acker’s Flip the Script, an elegant analysis of the best graffiti hand styles across the U.S., Reed Space on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is hosting a one-night art show tonight showcasing an amazing array of works by those artists featured in the book. Here’s a brief preview:

Faust

Slick

Cosbe

Gouch

Mere

Photos by Lois Stavsky

In celebration of International Women’s History Month, over 20 women took part in creating a 10-story building mural entitled “PachaMama” in the center of Lima, Peru. Toofly, now based most of the year in her native Ecuador, shared the following pics with me.

A few of the artists including Toofly, bottom right

Women at work

Toofly at work

Toofly at work

Photos by Susana Del Castillo

A huge fan of Cosbe – aka Cosby, Kosbe and just about any variation of his name — since I first discovered his stickers and paste-ups on NYC streets, I stopped by Chinatown’s Suck Store at 88 East Broadway yesterday evening to check out his latest venture, “The Cosby Show.” Bits and pieces of his life — with everything from random sketches to a photo of his late friend and master hand-stylist SURE — make up a huge installation, intriguing and raw. The highlight of the exhibit that opens this evening, Friday, is the 6pm release of a super limited edition of a SUCKLORD x COSBE collectible toy. In addition to Cosbe’s works, a range of Sucklord collectibles are on sale, along with the latest issue of Carnage.

Close-up of huge installation featuring Crasty sticker on baseball card

Cosbe on canvas — close-up

Collectible Suckadelic trading card

A page from Carnage — one of many on view

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Artists at work in Bushwick

While in New York City for the Fountain Art Fair, members of the Montreal-based En Masse Collective were joined by other artists — including seven based in NYC — on a huge wall in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Seeing some of my favorite artists’ images in En Masses’s signature black and white aesthetic is quite a treat!

Never, Bishop, Gospel, Jason Botkin, See One, Fumero, Masato Okano, Tang Wei, Dustin Spagnola & Patch Whiskey

Gospel, Mas Paz, Carson DeYoung, SinXero, Bishop, Rubin, Youth Waste & Patch Whisky

 Photos by Tara Murray