Author: RJ Rushmore

RJ Rushmore has been involved in contemporary art as a writer, curator, photographer, arts administrator, and fan since 2008. With a focus on street art, graffiti, and public art, RJ facilitates and promotes catalytic and ambitious art outdoors, in galleries, and online. He founded the street art blog Vandalog and has worked at The L.I.S.A. Project NYC, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Creative Time. Currently, RJ is Co-Curator of Art in Ad Places.
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Thank you to this month’s sponsors

We would like to take a brief moment to thank this month’s sponsors. These are the organizations and companies that keep us publishing, so be sure to check them out!

  • 20×200, a great place to browse and buy contemporary art prints at reasonable prices.
  • Artspace. Collect art from the world’s best contemporary artists at accessible prices.
  • Pulse Art Fair. New dates Pulse NY, MAY 3-6, 2012 at The Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th Street, New York.
  • Tyler School of Art. 2012 MFA Thesis exhibitions on view through May 12.
  • Pernod Art & Absinthe Guide. A handy mobile App that lists Galleries, Events and Bars in BK.
  • Storefront Bushwick. Bushwick Gallery currently featuring artist Kirk Stoller.
  • Artspan. A contemporary art destination and service providing totally customizable artist websites.
  • Norte Maar. Community building non-profit organization with an emphasis on collaborative projects.
  • Art Systems. Professional art gallery, antiques and collections management software.
  • Tyler Summer Painting & Sculpture Intensive. 7-week immersion program for artists interested in developing their work in a challenging and supportive environment.
  • SVA MPS Graduate Fashion Photography Program. An intensive one-year degree program offering practicing photographers the opportunity to advance their bodies of work.
  • Art New England Summer Workshops. Immerse yourself in your art without the interruptions and responsibilities of daily life.
  • Bernard Klevickas. New York-based sculptor.
  • Adam Lindeman. Follow what the NY Observer columnist is seeing and reading at his site.

If you are interested in advertising on Vandalog, please get in touch with Nectar Ads, the Art Ad Network.

Photo by caseylivescute

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Let’s not forget about Doodles

Made for Living Walls Albany. Photo by Doodles

Artists whose work I follow somehow slips through the cracks and, even though I’m a fan, their doesn’t wind up on Vandalog for whatever reason. When I realize these slips ups, I try to correct them. One mistake that I noticed this week is that it’s been far too long since I posted about Doodles. So here are a few random shots of his work.

Doodles with Luke Ramsey. Photo by Doodles
Something simple in Atlanta. Photo by RJ Rushmore

Photos by Doodles and RJ Rushmore

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Stand Our Ground – new print by Tes One

The murder of Trayvon Martin by (still not arrested) George Zimmerman has been making national headlines recently, and rightly so. In an effort to help raise money for the group Justice for Trayvon Martin, Tes One is releasing the above print in a few hours at 1xRun. All proceeds from the Stand Our Ground print will go to Justice for Trayvon Martin. The print goes on sale here today at noon EST.

Here’s what Tes One has to say about the print:

Laws should be designed to protect the innocent, the unarmed, the child walking back home from the corner store. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law (and similar laws in 31 states) does the opposite by giving license to any aggressor with a gun, and allowing them to claim self-defense as their reasoning to shoot and kill another person.

I created “Stand Our Ground” for people – regardless of race or gender, to stand in solidarity against the injustice this law allows. Adding awareness to the Trayvon Martin tragedy, and aiding his family in their pursuit of justice. All proceeds from the release of “Stand Our Ground” will be donated to the Justice for Trayvon Charity and their advocacy efforts.

Stand Our Ground is 18×24 inches, 3 colors, an edition of 100, and for sale at $50 each.

Image courtesy of Tes One

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Ben Slow back on Hanbury street

Click image to view large

Ben Slow has returned to Hanbury street to paint the same spot he painted back in 2010. This time, Ben has painted portraits representing the white nationalists of The English Defence League and Islamic extremists. Here’s what Ben has to say about the work:

With my latest street piece, I returned to the wall on Hanbury street which I first painted around this
time back in 2010. That piece was one of the first ‘proper’ street pieces I ever painted. It was of a
Bengali mother and child. The image was chosen to relate to the local Bengali community who
thankfully embraced the piece. I felt that with this next piece, I wanted to challenge people (and
myself) a little more.

This time I wanted to deal with something at the complete opposite end of the spectrum but still
very much related to the local community. I had a very clear idea of what this piece was meant to
represent when I started it, and to be honest, I thought it would be very obvious from the outset.
However, I was shocked (and also delighted) with the variety of responses and reactions I received.

My idea behind the painting was to show two characters as different sides of the same evil. On the
left you have a portrait of a member of the EDL (The English Defence League) and on the other,
that of an Islamic extremist. I have been very interested by such characters for a while. As a
portrait painter they were interesting in terms of the expressions and shapes, but as a human being,
I always struggle with the stories behind such portraits and that they are captured out of such hatred
and contempt for another human being.

My point is simply that these two people represent the same thing – that of intolerance, racism and
hatred. A very unfortunate but very real side of society that has become far too apparent of late.
They see those who do not conform to their views as the enemy, and they preach hatred. They
project themselves as different from the other but to the majority of people they represent the exact
same thing.

I thought I would have trouble getting this painting done. I think it would be fair to say that I
under-estimated the tolerance of people. Except for a couple of snide comments, I received nothing
but positive responses. The majority of people completely understood what I was trying to say and
backed what I was doing. Most people, whatever ethnicity or nationality they may be have no time
for the types of people I was painting and I can not tell you how happy it made me to hear this. The
beautiful thing is that that these extreme individuals are a minority and long may it stay that way!

As with the majority of my street work now, it is important for me to say something with what I am
painting. Be that representing someone I admire or appreciate, or in this case highlighting a
particular point. As much as I am a painter, I am also a massive fan of street art, but I feel that not
enough artists are using their privileged platform to full effect. I am all for stuff that looks great and
is aesthetically pleasing, but for me it is also important to say something once in a while, get people
thinking rather than simply admiring the beauty of something.

Photo by Shafiur Rahman

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So much love for Espir

Somehow I’ve only just come across Espir QFK, an awesomely fun and exciting artist out of California doing work which is a sort of back-to-the-basics street art/graffiti combo along the lines of guys like Swampy, Neckface, ORFN, You Go Girl and Ludvig. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about graff, but I know what I like: Espir. Here’s an interview with him. Check out a bunch more of Espir’s work after the jump… Continue reading “So much love for Espir”

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[Spoiler alert] Film Review: How to Sell a Banksy

What an authenticated Banksy looks like, but not what it costs

Okay, so you’ve seen Exit Through the Gift Shop, right? You probably laughed at those IDIOTS paying boatloads for Mr. Brainwash pieces, the ridiculousness of MBW’s operation, and the complete sheep that art-lovers can be. Because YOU ARE SMART. You don’t like MBW. And you’d never fall for something like that. Exit was safe, and that made it entertaining.

But the real world is not safe, and as it turns out, you probably aren’t safe either. How to Sell a Banksy is the unofficial Banksy movie. The film tells the relatively honest (as far as I can tell) story of Christopher Thompson’s efforts to try to sell one of Banksy’s street pieces that he ripped down off a wall in London back in 2007. The piece at the center of the film are some very poorly salvaged scraps of paper that were once a poster of Banksy’s smiling cop in Shoreditch. Thompson starts out with a pretty limited knowledge of both Banksy and the art world, but since he hope to sell his scraps of paper for tens of thousands of pounds, he sets out to learn. Continue reading “[Spoiler alert] Film Review: How to Sell a Banksy”