Here’s what went on while I’ve been spending time with family, which I hope is what lots of you have been doing this week as well:
- WK Interact has been getting up in Paris. Arrested Motion has all the photos you need.
- Remed has painted a huge wall in Kiev.
- Bomit is running a poll for Sticker Artist of The Year. You can vote online. The final results will be posted on the 31st.
- Artinfo has an interview with JR.
- 12oz has an interview with Cost and Andrew H. Shirley about the Cost newspaper box which was stolen, put on Ebay and eventually recovered.
- Hyperallergic and Don’t Panic have interview with Voina, the group of activists artists in Russia that Banksy supported with his most recent print release.
- Toasters have a film coming out next year. I’m not sure I need to see 90 minutes of Toasters, but the trailer looks cool.
- This essay on the origins of street art is an interest read.
- Like cities around the world, Atlanta is increasing efforts to buff graffiti. At first, their proposal sounds like the city is at least trying to avoid removing “good” street art and “good” graffiti, but a. that’s hypocritical and b. Atlanta residents only have until January 17th to come up with a list of pieces that they don’t want the city to remove. That’s not nearly enough time, and any “good” graffiti painted after January 17th, is also at risk of being buffed. The city seems to be trying to please both sides here, and that’s just not going to work. If you live in Atlanta, help figure out which walls you want saved before it is too late.
- There are a few updates on the MOCA/Blu debacle: iGreen responded to the events by putting up some posters, Hyperallergic has a number of updates (including Henry Chalfant’s thoughts on the situation, which I agree with), Marc and Sara Schiller have written an insightful post on Wooster Collective about the difficulties of museums working with street art and some of their thoughts on these events at MOCA and Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films writes on The Huffington Post that MOCA’s removal of the mural disrespects actually veterans.
Photo by WK Interact