Admittedly, I’m not the most knowledgeable about graffiti, but occasionally I see a writer whose work I am very impressed by. One guy whose flickr I’ve been loving recently is Lush. Check out these pieces.
Photos by MercifulFate
Bristol council buffs legal wall
This is not cool. A nice piece in Bristol by some guys called Cheo and 3Dom got buffed by the council. Happens all the time right? Well this particular piece had been painted with permission, and the council knew that.
At leasts the artists got back at the council in their own special way. Check out these photos of before the buff, after the buffing, and after the artists found out about it (click on the images for a larger size)
(that sign reads “Council Vandalism: Mural removed illegally by the Bristol City Council”)
Hopefully, the council will learn from this and be more careful in the future, but I doubt it.
Via Bristol Graffiti
New work from M-City
M-City‘s work at Cans Festival last year was a highlight of the free stencil area, and with this new work in Moscow M-City continues to shine.
More after the jump… Continue reading “New work from M-City”
Department of Urban Censorship
Fivefour‘s latest project has been all over Shoreditch recently. These “Department of Urban Censorship” paste-ups are pretty cool. I’d love to know what pub owners and whatnot think when they see these on their buildings.
More photos at Fivefour’s flickr
Swoon Sets Sail
Looks like the Swimming Cities of Serenissima has finally left Slovenia and started on the way to Venice. Swoon’s latest boat project is her 3rd, and the first outside of the United States. The homemade boats will carry a team of artists to Venice just in time for the Biennale (and if the timing works out, I’ll be there to see them arrive).
More at Juxtapoz
Carmichael Gallery’s Alëxone Show
Looks like I’m a few days late on this one, but better late than never.
French street artist Alëxone is this month’s showcase artist at the Carmichael Gallery.
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present a showcase of new
work by Paris-based artist Alëxone. An opening reception will be held on
Thursday, May 7th, 2009 from 7.00pm – 10.00pm, at which a new series of
acrylic, ink and mixed media works on paper will be on display. The
exhibition will be open for viewing through Thursday, May 28th 2009 from
1.00pm -7.00pm.
About Alëxone:Born in 1976, Alëxone lives and works in Paris. With a background in
graffiti, he rose to fame in the early 90s with striking letter-based tags
of the moniker Oedipus on the streets of Paris. He became Alëxone in 2000,
when his artwork took a figurative turn. Since then, his distinctive work
has won him a reputation far beyond France with exhibitions all over Europe,
including Paris, Hamburg, Milan, Berlin, London, Amsterdam and Brussels.Alëxone’s universe is filled with eccentric, playful characters. Masked
penguins, contorted horses, and hairy men with long noses engage and
entertain in wild, colorful scenes, while wordplay and metaphor create a
dynamic dialogue between the work and the viewer.Alëxone regularly collaborates with other street artists, including members
of the GM and 9e Concept groups. Their exhibition at the Pompidou Centre
last January was the first time street artists have been featured in a
significant French museum.
I’m not too familiar with his work, but he was in Le Tag and I’ve found a couple cool pieces on flickr (after the jump): Continue reading “Carmichael Gallery’s Alëxone Show”
Daily Mail Desperation
The Daily Mail seems to be grasping at straws with this latest attempt to discover Banksy’s identity. In an article from yesterday’s edition, The Daily Mail tried to once again prove they were correct last year when they announced Banksy’s identity is “Robin Gunningham” by saying that a recent stencil may be a self-portrait by Banksy.
As the photographer, unusualimage, notes in the title of his photo though, this stencil was almost certainly not done by Banksy. This rat motif has been abandoned by Banksy for a while not, and this exact stencil has been used before (with different images on the rat’s sign) by the Not Banksy group. So who know, maybe the Daily Mail got it right when they identified Banksy, but this definitely isn’t the “self-portrait” they claim it could be.
New Work From Zezão
When it comes to abstract street art, Zezão is at the top of my list. His work on both in the gallery and on the street never fails to impress me.
For those who aren’t familiar with Zezão, I’ll give a VERY brief biography. He is from Brazil, and became known for painting mostly in the sewer system where very few people might ever see his work. For more, check out his recent interview with Juxtapoz.
Zezão has put up a few nice pieces on his flickr recently, so I thought I’d share a few them:
Nobody Ever Like You Blago
Remember this jerk? Blago? He’s Illinois latest disgraced governor who tried to sell Obama’s senate seat and cut funding for a children’s hospital when its head guy didn’t donate to Blago’s reelection campaign? Sorry if I sound bitter, but I’m originally from Chicago, so he’s kind of besmirched my home state.
Well, there have been some stencils popping up in Chicago lately featuring the ex-governor running away.
Photos from craynol
Seen Around London
I was walking around Shoreditch the other day to kill some time, and I came across a few new bits on the street that caught my eye.
I went by the RareKind Gallery last night for their opening, and was very presently surprised with the quality of work. Their Chrome and Black crew have been doing great work throughout London lately, but this sticker confused me. I mean, it’s a sticker that says believe in the spray can. They couldn’t at least stencil that?
This mural was always very nice, but I guess Sickboy thought the spot needed an update. Can’t say I mind though, this new piece is pretty nice as well.
No idea who this is by, but the concept is awesome. It’s wheatpasted photos of a piece by Klone that was recently up in the area. I’d like to see more of this, but I’m scared to see them show up for sale next month in the Brick Lane Gallery or somewhere.