I don’t have much to add to that video other than to say this: Both times I’ve worked on with Swoon, it’s been life-changing. You’ve only got a few hours left. Swoon has proven that she walks the walk, and she has some serious plans for Braddock, PA. If all goes well, this will take her art practice to new heights. If you can contribute to her Kickstarter campaign, please do so.
And yes, Swoon has met her initial goals, but there’s still a real need for more funds to get this project to be the best it can be.
Conceptual street artist Escif is in the midst of an already very successful crowdfunding campaign to produce his first book, titled ELSEWHERE. Escif is one of the more interesting and groundbreaking street artists to have emerged in recent years, and it’s great to see his book already seeing so much success. You can support the project and pick up a copy on Indiegogo.
The remains of Pisco (Peru) after the devastating earthquake of 2007. Photo courtesy of AFUERA.
Last year, Marco Sueño launched the inspiring and hopeful public art project AFUERA. This initiative arose from the need to uplift the souls of communities utilizing art as a means to connect and recuperate spaces that, because of a wide array of reasons, are found abandoned and unattended. In 2012, AFUERA was launched in Cerro de Pasco, a community that is radically affected by industrial scale mining.
This year, AFUERA directed its attention towards Pisco, a city once known for its beautiful colonial architecture and coastal culture, is now facing the biggest urban decay it has ever experienced due to an earthquake that occurred in 2007. Not only have many architectural patrimonies disappeared, but also the city’s identity is at risk, affecting people and their sense of belonging and importance in a national scale. Many projects have been proposed and approved by the central government, but the results of said projects are yet to be seen.
This is where artists, community organizers and the public connect to re-engage with a city whose identity is rapidly disintegrating. I invite you all to visualize the scale of help and need that exists in Pisco and become part of the change that this city so desperately needs. Here is AFUERA’s Indiegogo campaign, I encourage you all to donate and share it to help make this project a reality.
Nychos is in Detroit at the moment and he’s making the most of the trip. First, there’s his solo show opening this Friday evening at Inner State Gallery. I’d Like To Meat You! opens on Friday, runs through July 18th, and sounds like it will feature lots of his trademark dissection works on paper, canvas and wood. And today 1xRun released their latest print by Nychos. Longtime Nychos fans will recognize the rabbit in the print as a dissected version of the Rabbit Eye Movement throw-up. The print is almost sold out though. There’s just 7 left out of 100 as I write this. If that print isn’t to your liking or it sells out too quickly, Nychos is currently in the midst of an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to get some money to make a documentary film and there are some great prizes (including prints) for that. Finally, Nychos and Persue just finished the above mural in Detroit.
On a related note, I really want to get out to Detroit sometime soon… So much interesting stuff going on out there.
One of the most pivotal aspects of street art is the democratization of public space. Whether people choose to engage or not, graffiti and street art are a way of reminding the everyday pedestrian that they have the power to manipulate their environment (sometimes at a price). Many residents of Balitmore have had to accept dilapidated neighborhoods as their everyday quality of life. The structures around them are literally falling apart due to neglect from city government property owners and has resulted in a massive property-vacancy problem. If Broken Window Theory has anything to do with it, that “If the city doesn’t care, why should I?” mentality has fostered one of the highest crime rates for any city in the country.
What does street art have to do with Baltimore’s structural issues and decline in living standards? Over a dozen street artists have taken on the task of bringing attention to these issues in a grassroots effort, through installing large pieces on some of the city’s dilapidated, vacant houses. Nether, Gaia, LNY, Noh J Coely, Mata Ruda, Nanook, Harlequinade and others have joined their forces as a non-profit organization called Wall Hunters have teamed up with Baltimore Slumlord Watch to put up large-scale murals on these eye-sore structures with QR codes alongside which informs viewers of who owns the vacant property. Simultaneously, they are creating a documentary with Nether and Carol Ott at the forefront, showing this massive issue corroding Baltimore and their relatively small effort to combat it. They’ve received a bit of funding to make their project possible but not enough, so they’ve created this Indiegogo campaign to bring it to fruition.
