Surge, Gaia, Stormie, Remi/Rough and in The Underbelly Project

UPDATE – LOCATION CHANGE: The Underbelly Show has moved to 78 NW 25th Street in Wynwood, Miami to accommodate the large scale of the artwork in this show.

The Underbelly Project is back. Last year, I posted a lot about the project where 103 artists from around the world secretly painted an abandoned/half-completed New York City subway station. After that initial burst of press here and around the web, The Underbelly Project organizers stayed silent. With only occasional vague tweets from a mysterious twitter account and the appearance on Amazon of an upcoming book about the project. Yesterday though, The Underbelly Project announced that they will be participating in this year’s Basel Miami Week madness with a pop-up gallery in South Beach Wynwood.

The organizers of The Underbelly Project and The Underbelly Show, Workhorse and PAC, have this to say about the show:

Workhorse: The New York Underbelly was an important chapter for us, but the story hadn’t been comprehensively told. The Underbelly Miami show gives us a chance to present the broad scope of documentation – Videos, photos, time-lapses and first hand accounts. The project is about more than just artwork. This show gives us a chance to show the people and the environment behind the artwork.

PAC: While the experience each artist had in their expedition underground can never be captured, it is my hope that this show will highlight some of the trials and tribulations associated with urban art taking place in the remote corners of our cities. Too often the practice of making art in unconventional venues remains shrouded in mystery and I hope this exhibition will shine a faint light on those artists who risk their safety to find alternative ways to create and be a part of the cities they live in.

35 of the 103 artists from The Underbelly Project will be exhibiting art in The Underbelly Show, plus video and still footage of the artists at work in the tunnel. Here’s the full line-up: Faile, Dabs & Myla, TrustoCorp, Aiko, Rone, Revok, Ron English, Jeff Soto, Mark Jenkins, Anthony Lister, Logan Hicks, Lucy McLauchlan, M-City, Kid Zoom, Haze, Saber, Meggs, Jim & Tina Darling, The London Police, Sheone, Skewville, Jeff Stark, Jordan Seiler, Jason Eppink and I AM, Dan Witz, Specter, Ripo, MoMo, Remi/Rough, Stormie Mills, Swoon, Know Hope, Skullphone, L’Atlas, Roa, Surge, Gaia, Michael De Feo, Joe Iurato, Love Me, Adam 5100, and Chris Stain.

For this show, the space will be transformed into an environment imitating the tunnel where The Underbelly Project took place, right down to playing sounds recorded in the station while The Underbelly Project was happening.

If you absolutely cannot wait until February to get We Own The Night, the book documenting The Underbelly Project, a limited number will be available at The Underbelly Show in a box set with 9 photographic prints and the book all contained in a handcrafted oak box. Additionally, you will be able to your book signed by the artists participating in The Underbelly Show.

The Underbelly Show will take place at 2200 Collins Avenue, South Beach, Miami 78 NW 25th Street, Wynwood, Miami. There will be a private opening on November 30th, and the space will be open to the general public December 2nd-5th, with a general opening on the 2nd from 8-10pm.

Photo by RJ Rushmore

Quel Beast and Reka. Photo by Quel Beast

Keith Schweitzer and Joyce Manalo organized getting these shipping containers painted for MaNY and Fourth Arts Block. Forth Arts Block got permission for the site, the like-up was solidified over a weekend and painting began almost immediately. It’s amazing how easily things come together sometimes. They brought in Infinity, Royce Bannon, El Celso and Quel Beast from New York, plus Reka from Australia while he was in New York for a bit. Since Skullphone already had a poster on the container, Infinity kept it and blended it into his own piece a bit (with Skullphone’s okay). Here’s a video of the process (Quel Beast’s piece was later changed after this video was filmed):

REKA x Quel Beast x Infinity – NYC from MaNY Project on Vimeo.

And here’s photos of all the finished work:

Skullphone and Infinity. Photo by Mike Pearce

Reka. Photo by Mike Pearce

Skullphone. Photo by Mike Pearce

Infinity. Photo by Mike Pearce

Quel Beast. Photo by Mike Pearce

Royce Bannon and Celso. Photo by Mike Pearce

Photos by Quel Beast and Mike Pearce

Lenny Collado, who has been documenting graffiti — and more recently street art – with me this past year, made it over to Mallick Williams this evening for the opening of Scripture, featuring new works by Skullphone and Curtis Kulig. Especially impressive is Skullphone’s use of digital media and its haunting effect:

And Curtis Kulig’s iconic “love me” seems to work in any media on any surface anywhere — both inside and outside the gallery:

Close-up of huge piece

On 11th Ave. near Mallick Williams & Co

Since visiting its wonderful HUELESS exhibit back in the spring, Mallick Williams & Co. has become one of my favorite Chelsea galleries. I’m looking forward to its upcoming exhibit SCRIPTURE featuring new works by Skullphone and Curtis Kulig, two artists who continue to maintain a strong presence in the streets of NYC.  It opens next Thursday, October 6, from 6-9 @ 150 11th Avenue.

"Prada" from Skullphone's new series of crosses

Curtis Kulig's iconic "Love Me" on canvas

Images courtesy of Mallick Williams & Co

New York is (slowly) recovering from what one could call its monochromatic season. So as much as I’m ready for all the black and white and grey to be over with, I still ended up catching Mallick Williams‘ grayscale show Hueless a couple days ago before it closes on April 13th. Turns out, in some cases, lack of color isn’t so bad.

Opening just over a month ago, Hueless is a “monochromatic exhibition” with some paradoxical diversity. It’s got black and white and grey, but also silver, cream, brown-black and pretty much every non-pigmented hue in between. With work from Shephard Fairey, Faust, Katsu, Skullphone, and others, the work under color-constraints was (thankfully) more unified than most group shows, and showed off medium/form (there was sculpture, a neon sign, screenprint, paper cut and painting) and content in color’s absence.

There was a requisite Andre the Giant (not for sale, just for show), but the other two pieces from Fairey were among my favorites.

Fairey's "Glass Houses" and "Rise Above Control."

Katsu's "Self Portrait."

Also enjoyed Skullphone’s “Here’s Your Nightmare.” It’s enamel on aluminum, but in person looked sort of like a micro, non-electronic version of his billboards.

Skullphone's piece, photo via Arrested Motion.

"I Want to Go Home" by Distort.

"Tree" paper cut by Nathan Pickett.

Hueless runs through  April 13th, and the gallery opens the color-themed group show Spectrum on April 21st, with pieces from Word to Mother, Erik Otto, and others.

Skullphone photo by Arrested Motion, other photos by Frances Corry.

El Celso isn’t the only artist who is experimenting with Peru’s unique Chica style of posters, a style pioneered by the Urcuhuaranga family in Lima, Peru. In Miami, Primary Projects have a group show opening this Saturday in homage to Chica posters. For Para Mi Gente, more than 50 artists have contributed designs to a Chica-style collaboration. Shepard Fairey, El Celso, Tristan Eaton, Skullphone, Posterboy, El Tono and others have sent designs to the Primary Projects crew who will combine all these designs by hand painting them throughout the gallery. The artists have little control over how their designs will look on the walls, where they will appear, or next to what. This sounds like a pretty unique and risky show. It should look cool, and it will definitely mess with the standard notions of what gallery art should be and look like.

Here’s the flyer with all the critical info you may need:

A taste of Hueless

The latest show at the relatively new gallery Mallick Williams & Co is Hueless, a group show of 21 artists, but all the artwork is in black, white and shades of gray. The show opens this Friday, March 4th. I chanced across the last show at Mallick Williams & Co when I was last in NYC and really enjoyed it. With Hueless, the line up looks strong once again, with highlights including Shepard Fairey, Skullphone, Faust and Katsu (yes, the writers Faust and Katsu!). Here’s the flyer:

Photocollage courtesy of Mallick Williams & Co

I have to say that I really appreciate galleries that continue to do shows during the Holiday season. While most just shut down because “everyone else does” I find it admirable when a curator puts together a show, and a decent group show at that.

Martha Cooper Happy Holidays

Opening December 11 at Subliminal Projects is Wreck the Walls, a group exhibition of over 30 artists combining rebellious urban artists, street pioneers and young emerging fine artists.

The show includes the likes of some heavy hitters like McGinnes and Cooper and some of my favorite new names like Greg LeMarche and Kelly Berg. The full list includes: Alan Shaffer, Alejandro Gehry, Andy Moses, Bertil Petersson, Billy Al Bengston, Blek Le Rat, Craig Stecyk, Curtis Kulig, David Ellis, David Yow, Ed Moses, Ellwood T. Risk, Erik Foss, Eric Schwartz, Eric White, Evan Hecox, Greg Lamarche, Jason Alper, John Van Hamersveld, Laddie John Dill, Larry Bell, Martha Cooper, Monica Canilao, Retna, Robbie Conal, Ryan McGinness, Ryan Travis Christian, Skullphone, Swoon, Tim Biskup, Vanessa Prager, Kelly Berg.

Photo by Martha Cooper via Subliminal Projects

This seems like a cool line up for a group show. Especially looking forward to Skullphone, Neck Face and Taki 183 since I have never seen their work in the UK and I’m a big fan of Neck Face in particular.

Here’s the press release:

Lava Collective presents: Cityscape

Previews November 5^th, 6pm – 9:30pm. Then open daily, 11am – 7pm.

The LAVA Collective has put together a group show of predominantly North American origin, focusing on street art and urban culture. Big names like Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Dalek and Skullphone vie for attention with an exciting selection of emerging artists.

The stars of the show are Brooklyn duo Peru Ana Ana Peru, who have been invited over especially to install a site-specific montage of their work. This couple have made a name for themselves in NYC with their vibrant and distinctive street pieces but they also produce video, sculpture, and fine art. They have got a big solo show coming up at the Brooklynite Gallery NYC before heading over here to oversee their first appearance in a London show.

Cityscape will also showcase the photography of Ricky Powell. The man they call the ‘Fourth Beastie Boy’ was on hand to witness the birth of hip hop culture in NYC. For this show he has submitted a selection of his classic portraits, including Run DMC, KRS One, Easy E, Eric B and Rakim. These extraordinary photos depict iconic musicians in intimate surroundings; Easy E is tuning a radio, Jam master Jay is all smiles at the airport. This is a rare opportunity to see Powell’s work in London.

For the full artist line up, go to www.lavacollective.com

Street artists love skulls almost as much as Dick Cheney enjoys shooting people in the face (God, that’s a really dated pop culture reference, isn’t it). Here are five pieces by artists who use some form of a skull as their logo:

1. Kaws

Maybe an ad disruption would be a ‘better’ piece by Kaws, I love the way somebody spray painted around this sticker. Very few stickers get that much respect.

Photo by Jake Dobkin

2. Cyclops

You can’t mention London street art or graffiti right now without a nod to Burning Candy, and Cyclop’s skulls are in many of their best collaborative pieces.

Photo by bixentro

3. Booker

Booker/Reader/Readmorebooks/Boans… This writer gets up under too many names to keep track of, but one of his many trademarks are these skulls:

Photo by funkandjazz

4. Katsu

No discussion of skulls on the street would be complete without Katsu.

Photo by dreamsjung

5. Skullphone

Don’t really know what Skullphone is trying to say with this image, but he’s said it all over the world.

Photo by Laughing Squid

So that’s five street artists and graffiti writers who use skulls as logos. Now the reason I started thinking about this post. This is a new piece by Elbowtoe that I’m really liking: