We first noticed Dal’s distinct — almost-spiritual — aesthetic a number of months back when we came upon a stunning mural that he had done in collaboration with Faith47 in Chelsea.  We were thrilled to discover that he is one of the artists participating in Hybrid Thinking curated by Wooster Collective at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery.  Here’s a glimpse of his amazing work fashioned from his intricate play with lines that we captured on the street and on canvas at Jonathan LeVine.

Dal to the left of Faith47

Dal on canvas @ Jonathan LeVine

If you are anywhere in the NYC vicinity, Hybrid Thinking is certainly worth checking out, as it also presents work by several other first-rate emerging street artists from around the globe including: Herakut, Roa, Sit, Vinz and Hyuro.  The exhibit continues through February 11^th at 529 W. 20^th  Street.

The Nuart festival in Stavanger, Norway has just posted this video of Herakut’s installation from last year’s festival.

Herakut Nuart 2011 from NUART on Vimeo.

Photos courtesy of Nuart

French street artist Ludo‘s first solo show in Rome opens this week at Wunderkammern. The show opens on January 21st at 6:30pm and runs through February 18th. Ludo says this show will feature sculptures, installations and work on paper. Here’s a little bit of what to expect…

Photos by Ludo

A number of months ago a series of Banksy-like images with the face of actor Tom Hanks began surfacing in NYC. I didn’t think much of them, and thought they might be a somewhat clever way to promote Tom Hanks. I couldn’t imagine anyone even trying to spoof Banksy – one of the greatest satirists of our time! Anyway, the images are back again and this time coinciding with a gallery exhibit featuring a range of them. When I stopped by this afternoon, the space was quite busy. It looks like we – the street art aficionados or, at least, those of us who frequent galleries – are the target of this satire, and its creator may be quite clever.  After I left, I overheard one passerby explain to another that there was a Banksy show at the gallery. Hanksy – not Banksy!

Here are two Hanksy images that recently surfaced on the streets of the Lower East Side:

And here are three on exhibit in the Krause Gallery @ 149 Orchard Street:

Photos by Lois Stavsky

I’ve seen and loved Gabriel Specter’s lyrical artwork on the streets of Brooklyn. But it’s a delightful surprise to see it indoors on the walls of my local community center. Specter’s portraits – inspired by members of the JCC community on Manhattan’s Upper West Side – are now on view until March 1 at the Laurie M. Tisch Gallery of the JCC  @ 334 Amsterdam Avenue & 76^th Street. Wooster Collective’s Marc and Sara Schiller will join Specter for a talk and a reception this Wednesday evening, January 18, at 7:30. Here are a few of the images that grace the JCC:

Photos by Lois Stavsky & Dani Mozeson

It’s 2012, but trailblazing abstract graffiti artist Futura 2000 is still going strong. His latest solo show, Futura 2012 – Expansions, has just opened at Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont in Paris and runs through the end of February. Looks like a big hit. Arrested Motion has plenty of photos from the star-studded opening (and photos of the art too!).

Here’s a video of Futura at work in the gallery:

Futura 2000 – Galerie de Noirmont – Paris – Live Painting from Guillotine on Vimeo.

And there’s more from the show after the jump…

Photos by Arrested Motion

For (I think) the first time, Marc and Sara Schiller of The Wooster Collective have curated a show at a commercial gallery. For about a decade, the Schillers have been behind the most popular and well-respected street art blog on the web, they’ve been behind such events as 11 Spring Street and they are reputed to have one of the best collections of art by street artists in America, so I’m excited to see what they’ve put together for this show. Hybrid Thinking includes some Wooster Collective regulars and some surprises: Dal, Herakut, Hyuro, Roa, SIT, Vinz.

Artwork by SIT

Hybrid Theory opens this Saturday (7-9pm) at Jonathan LeVine Gallery and runs through February 11th.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan LeVine Gallery

When I stopped by Klughaus Gallery last week, Jesse Edwards was already at work installing his exhibit, “Dialogue of the Streets.”  Featuring an eclectic range of artwork from traditional landscapes to graffiti-inspired ceramics, the exhibit opens this Friday, January 13,  from 6-10pm at 47 Monroe Street on Manhattan’s LES/Chinatown. Here are a few favorites I captured (the first depicting the artist with the prolific graffiti writer, Adek):

Photos by Lois Stavsky

Robyn Hasty aka Imminent Disaster is finally ready to reveal part of her long-awaited photography project: Homeland. According to Hasty, “Homeland is a Wet Plate Collodion photo essay documenting the collapse of the American economy by focusing on the people who are re-envisioning and rebuilding life within it.” Some of the photographs from Homeland will be on display starting this week at Kesting/Ray in SoHo in Hasty’s solo show On the River: Stories from the heart of glorious abandon, where you cannot see what lies beyond the next bend. Wet plate photography is a photographic process from the 1800′s that produces one-of-a-kind photographs in a matter of a few minutes. In addition to the photographs, On the River will include an installation with screenprints, cut paper work and more.

For more about the Homeland series, you can check out this NPR article.

On the River opens at Kesting/Ray on Thursday from 7-9pm and runs through February 5th.

Photo by Robyn Hasty

Not only is Royce Bannon one of New York City’s most passionate street artists, but he is also a first-rate curator. His current venture, Rather Unique, is a testament to both his curatorial skills and to the diverse range of artwork crafted by artists whose primary canvas is the streets.  And the Lower East Side’s Woodward Gallery, located at 133 Eldridge Street, is the perfect venue for the exhibit. Here are a few images:

Ka

Nose Go

Royce Bannon

Kosbe

Rather Unique continues through February 19th. You can view additional images by DarkCloud, Matt Siren, Kenji Nakayama, Celso, Cope2 and Cassius Fowler on Woodward Gallery’s website.

Photos by Sara Mozeson, Tara Murray & Lois Stavsky