Sometimes I randomly come across really great artists on flickr, and few things are more fun than that. Most recently, I’ve been exploring Mikolaj Rejs‘ flickr page. Here are some of my favorites from Mikolaj.
Photos by Mikolaj Rejs
LNY, Gaia and ND’A up in Philly
Three of the finest up-and-coming street artists around just came through Philadelphia. Streets Dept. has some great shots of two spots by Gaia, so I’m going to focus on ND’A and LNY‘s work.
There are detailed shots of LNY’s wheatpastes and some spraypainted works by LNY after the jump… Continue reading “LNY, Gaia and ND’A up in Philly”
Wild Style Wednesday!
Phil Lumbang at Unit44
Phil Lumbang is the first American to have a show at Newcastle’s Unit 44 gallery. Lumbang is known for his cartoon characters like his trademark bear, his work with The Hundreds and for being an assistant to Shepard Fairey. Even people (and I sometimes include myself in this category) who usually get sick and tired of the artists who build their brands based on repetitive logos might enjoy Lumbang. Unlike Shepard Fairey or D*face for example, Lumbang’s characters may be repetitive but they are also fun and a bit heartwarming. Who could say “no” to a mural that just tries to make people smile? I’m excited to see how he is received in the UK. New Arrival opens on February 3rd at Unit 44.
PS, the guys at Very Nearly Almost have a little teaser of the show.
From the Streets of Bogota, Colombia: A Cast of Characters, Part I
When I first discovered the walls in Bogota, Colombia in 2007, I instantly fell in love with their distinct beauty, restless energy and cast of characters. Here are a few images that were captured last week and shared with me.
Special thanks to Luz Coy for taking and sharing these photos. Artists to be identified.
Street art for the internet
Street art is moving online. If you’re a regular reader, you’ve probably noticed that street artists are making art on the street for the purpose of photographing it and sharing the images online (and maybe you remember these posts). I think it is too early to say for sure whether this transition is a good thing, a bad thing or just change, but it has gotten so pervasive that street art that comments on street art now often focuses on pointing out this transition from in-the-flesh street art to art that was intended to be shared digitally. Here are a few recent examples…
1. Reblog This by mobstr (shown above). This piece was painted in Shoreditch, a spot where it would have been seen by countless street art photographers, but it only lasted 7 hours before getting buffed. No matter. Mobstr got a great photo of it and put that photo online. Now it’s all ready to be reblogged on tumblr.
2. What ever happened to street art on the street? by Lush. Both a comment on the proliferation of street art online and the commercialization of the movement. This image is available as a print at Backwoods Gallery. Lush has also made animated gifs of his work, something else that can only be viewed digitally but is created on the street.
3. Fine by Elfo. The text is in Italian and references this work by Giuseppe Chiari. It translates to “Street art is finished, stop all together.” Rather than painting this in a busy city center, Elfo put it on an abandoned building in what looks like the countryside. The audience for the work is (primarily) the audience that will see this photo online and Elfo is well aware of that. Does this mean the death of street art though? Of course not. Chiari continued making art after his declaration, and Elfo has already made more street art. It’s just that Elfo’s public is primarily a digital one, either seeking his work out or coming across it randomly on a site like tumblr, but either way viewing it for free.
For more about this shift towards a digital street and a digital public, here are two posts I wrote a while ago.
Photos by mobstr, Lush and Elfo
New stuff from Stinkfish
This new piece, located in Bogota, was based on this portrait by photographer Brett Walker. The stenciling style is a bit darker than what Stink usually does, but it’s an interesting marriage between Stinkfish’s distinctive brightness and Brett Walker‘s characteristic high-contrast darkness.
Photos by Stinkfish and Brett Walker
Skewville’s Playground Tactics
As expected, Skewville‘s latest show looks like it kicks ass. Playground Tactics is on now through February 4th at White Walls Gallery in San Fransisco and the Skewville twins have once again put together a perfect combination of smaller drawings, paintings, sculptures and large installation work. It’s playful, but what better way to do art about a playground? Curbs and Stoops have pics of the installation, and here are some of the paintings, drawings and smaller sculptures…
Also, Factory Fresh in Bushwick is hosting a retrospective of Skewville’s work next month. Skewville’s 80th Birthday: A Retro Retrospective opens on February 3rd and runs through March 11th.
Continue reading “Skewville’s Playground Tactics”
Cash4 Rules w/Rollers, Stickers, Characters & more
We seem to be seeing Cash4 everywhere these days. Although we largely identify him with his tags, rollers and throw-ups, we’ve been recently noticing — and loving — his characters. Here are a few recent Cash4 sightings:
photos by Lois Stavsky & Tara Murray
Hush Installation
Hush created the pieces for his new installation in a mere two weeks. The work, which will be shown until March, is in San Francisco at 941 Geary (White Walls‘ sister gallery). This definitely looks worth checking out in person.
Photos courtesy of Hush