Caleb Neelon & Katie Yamasaki. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

For the fourth consecutive year Ad Hoc Art has brought dozens of artists to the Welling Court community in Astoria, Queens, transforming it into a first-rate open air museum. Here’s a small sampling of what could be seen this weekend:

Queen Andrea. Photo Lois Stavsky.

Veng at work on collaborative mural with Chris, RWK. Photo by Tara Murray.

Kimyon Huggins. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

Kosbe. Photo by Tara Murray.

JC. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

Mata Ruda & N’DA. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

Icy & Sot. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

El Kamino. Photo by Lois Stavsky.

If you are anywhere near NYC, a visit to Welling Court is a must!  The diversity of the works and the responses of the local residents to them are astounding. And if you’d like to help fund this project, check this out.

Photos by Lois Stavsky and Tara Murray

During the Art Basel Miami madness, OverUnder and ND’A painted this large wall in the neighborhood of Little Haiti, so this post is a bit late but we couldn’t let this collaboration slip by us. Everything about this mural is representative of something unique about OU and ND’A's experience. The mural features padlocks since this wall was actually a chance find on the side of a hardware store while the two were looking for another wall. The mural is filled with Haitian imagery that the local people of Haitian descent might appreciate, like hibiscus flowers, arrows found on Haitian flag, and the Liberty Cap on the main figure.

The main figure is a man that the two met on their first day, who had been living under a bridge and who spoke highly of the effect street art has had on the area.

Photos by OverUnder

Omen, Five and Labrona. Click to view large.

Labrona sent over some photos from his time in Miami last month, including some collaborations (with Omen and Five), work by his friends (Miss Me and Kin), and the latest En Masse wall. En Masse is a collaborative project based in Montreal where artists draw together in black and white, similar to the American project Paint It Now.

En Masse. Click to view large.

Labrona and others for En Masse

Labrona and others for En Masse

Miss Me

Miss Me and Kin

Photos courtesy of Labrona

NEKST. Photo by C-Monster.net

So much news this week, but first and foremost is the untimely death of NEKST, a globally respected writer.

• I love trains like this with messages instead of names.
• But I love how 0331c uses extinguishers even more.
• Here’s a porcelain sculpture by Horfe.
• VNA has released a sticker pack with stickers by D*Face, Invader, Kid Zoom, Nychos and others.
• Great wheatpaste by Cannon in Oakland.
• Kathy Grayson defends Jeffrey Deitch, and Shepard Fairey backs her up. I’ve got to agree. He’s been getting a lot of shit for what he’s been up to as the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, and I’m sure Kathy’s right that he’s not always the easiest guy to get along with, she’s also entirely right that he’s also put on good shows at MOCA and attendance has gone up because Deitch isn’t willing to be as elitist about as others in the art community would like him to be.
• ZEVS hit this massive iPad ad in NYC.
• Brooklyn Street Art has a great post about Overunder’s artist residency in Reno, specifically ND’A's time there.

Photo by C-Monster.net

OverUnder and LNY at work

Bushwick 5 Points has quickly become one of NYC’s most exciting and enticing open-air galleries. ND’A, OverUnder and LNY, three of my favorite street artists, have recently been gracing its walls. Here are some captured these past two days:

ND’A at work

OverUnder at work, close-up

OverUnder — complete — and LNY

Photos by Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

Opening this evening from 7 to 10 pm at Bushwick’s Low Brow Artique at 143 Central Ave is Just My Type, an exhibit featuring the work of four Brooklyn-based artists — Gilf!, Dirty Bandits, ND’A and QRST — who utilize typography in their artworks. Ranging from the playful to the poignant in a variety of styles and media, the pieces often amuse and always provoke. Coordinated by Low Brow Artique’s resident curator, Rhiannon Platt, the exhibit continues through October 7th.

Images clockwise: Gilf! close-up, photographed by Lois Stavsky; QRST photographed by Tara Murray; Dirty Bandits on postcard courtesy of Low Brow Artique and ND’A photographed by Lois Stavsky

Aryz in Næstved, Denmark. Click to view large.

Just a question: Anyone wish an air-conditioned home want to trade places with me until things cool down? Anyway, here’s some linkage to what’s been going on with art this week:

• Some innocent teenagers outside of Philadelphia were recently cited for drawing on the ground with chalk because the cops think it might discourage real graffiti writers. Why don’t towns hire smarter police?
• You can now get wall-graphics for your house with designs by Jim Houser.
• This collaboration between Jaz and Dotz is pretty spectacular.
• Futura’s got a massive solo show on in NYC now, in association with Valmorida.
• ECB just painted the tallest mural in Asia. Fantastic location and great painting.
• Dabs and Myla (plus friends) have a great looking show on now at Thinkspace.
• Endless Canvas’ Special Delivery show in a formally empty warehouse opens this weekend. The pics I’ve seen look great. Don’t miss this if you’re in the Bay Area.
• This project by Swoon to raise money for her work on Braddock, PA will be happening on Saturday in New York.
• Space27 is a new gallery opening in Montreal next week with work from a lot of street artists.
• Another show opening in NYC tomorrow night (there are so many) is this group show at Agnes B featuring Gaia, Faile, ND’A and others.

Photo by Henrik Haven

Over two days, artist ND’A was invited to paint a tall narrow space nestled between Nick Walker and Jay Shells at  Bushwick 5 Points. At the crossroads where St Nicholas, Troutman, and Scott meet, Joe Ficalora has created a street art oasis. While his family have owned the buildings for years, Joe has taken it upon himself to breathe new life into them. When speaking to Joe, you can tell the passion he has for the artists with whom he shares his walls. This passion has created a space where artists from other countries as well as the New York area can have a more permanent home than the temporal streets that surround his buildings.

Since his visit to Mexico in June with LNY, ND’A's style has shifted from text-based to the symbolic. Originally incorporating lyrics from various sources including music, the artist has moved towards a more universal meaning for his murals. Rather than having the text connote a specific reference, he is using symbols to create an appeal for the general public. For example, “drunk or sober never lose your composure,” as he used in his Bushwick Open Studios panel, will divide viewers as either those who understand the RZA line or those who are left feeling outside the reference. However, when removing the lyrics and leaving only the symbols behind a crown, a wolf, a bike lock, and a foam finger can take on a number of meanings for those who venture to Bushwick 5 Points.

Photos by Rhiannon Platt

ND’A

While Caroline was celebrating her birthday and I was setting myself up for a massive hangover, Harlequinade kindly showed our friend ND’A around Philadelphia. Here’s some of what they got up to…

ND’A at the Italian Market

ND’A and Harlequinade

ND’A

Photos by ND’A

LNY (with a bit of ND’A off to the left) at el Museo Del Juguete Antiguo Mexico. Photo courtesy of LNY.

LNY and ND’A visited Mexico earlier this month. Of course, they did some painting while they were there, including at el Museo Del Juguete Antiguo Mexico.

ND’A at el Museo Del Juguete Antiguo Mexico. Photo courtesy of ND’A.

LNY. Photo courtesy of LNY.

ND’A. Photo courtesy of ND’A

ND’A on a wall hooked up by Celso. Photo courtesy of ND’A.

Photos courtesy of LNY and ND’A