Nike/Livestrong Stages hits NYC

Yesterday was the opening of the New York City leg of the Nike/Livestrong Stages exhibition which also had a stop in France. While some of the work was the same, there were some new artists in this show like Os Gêmeos. Arrested Motion was there and took plenty of photos.

Os G
Os Gêmeos
Jose
José Parlá

The lineup for stages is full of some of the best artists in the world. José and Rosson Crow are two of my favorite artists who aren’t “street artists.”

Rosson
Rosson Crow
Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey

Photos from Arrested Motion. AM also has a bunch more photos from the show including artwork from Kaws, Futura and JR.

Nomad at Circleculture

Nomad

Last night was the opening of Nomad’s first solo exhibition over at The Circleculture Gallery in Berlin:

The Circleculture Gallery is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition featuring the artist Nomad. As an original street artist, he developed his expressional variants conceptually and technically through interactive projects in interior and exterior spaces: combining writing and street art with poetry and classical painting. In this context, we become acquainted with Nomad’s “street art” in the gallery as part of a holistic work of art. The works shown move between humour, satire and human drama. At the centre is the clown or fool, who mirrors the ambiguity of human existence.

In his works Nomad connects his sensitive artistic side with the ornamental style of his street art and the graphic with the sketchy. There are clearly influences from classical painting, in particular from the Renaissance period. As a result, Nomad’s painting does not aim to be complete – it is a inventory of the here and now that adapts social reality and processes it multidimensionally. It retains the ease and aesthetic of his freely improvised work on the street.

The works exhibited by Nomad move to and between humorous ease and deep emotionality. Tragedy, love and emotion come up against humour, laissez-faire and improvisation. As a result, he uses on the one hand marker aesthetics in the form of lines, which express the human need for order. On the other hand, he lends his artworks an artistic component with coloured and sketchy elements, which symbolise the chaos of existence. The message is one of self-irony and a positive worldview, which are meant to encourage the observer to think.

Nomad is invited regularly to street art festivals, exhibitions and performances. He counts among the most enduring street artists in Berlin and the world. In the last six years he has painted 2000 to 2500 rubbish objects, which were quickly snapped up off the street by passionate collectors. In the summer of 2009 Nomad worked with American actor Ashton Kutcher to paint the roof of Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The large-scale art campaign received international attention.

“Everything I do is based on spontaneity. My art arises locally and on the spot. On the street I have learnt to adapt, to merge existing reality into my art.” – Nomad

Nomad

Nomad

Conor Harrington – Headless Heroes

IMG_5322 Photo © 800 Wide WK Copy

Thursday night was the opening for Conor Harrington’s Headless Heroes show at Lazarides Gallery on Rathbone Place. The gallery was pretty busy, and as a few people pointed out to me, a number of attendees were people who rarely make it to other openings and are really just die-hard Conor fans.

IMG_5301 Photo © 800 Wide WK Copy

As usual, Conor’s paintings combine graffiti, fine art, realism and abstraction.

IMG_5386 Photo © 800 Wide WK Copy

IMG_5958 Photo © 800 Wide WK Copy

Some of the best pieces weren’t canvases but the sketches and studies. In fact, I think it would be great to see an entire show of Conor’s studies.

A study
A study
A study
A study

IMG_5912 Photo © 800 Wide WK Copy

Photos by Ian Cox. More photos on his flickr

Other Side live painting

Other Side

Looks like this should be a nice event to get down to in London. Live painting is always fun to watch.

Here’s all the details:

Silhouettes with spray-cans glinting in the darkness have long journeyed through the East End to the austere walls of the rail arches in Mile End, an underground showcase of underground art.

Now, in broad daylight, the elegant new Mile End Arts Pavilion opens its doors to some of the most notorious graffiti artists in East London.

This unique venue offers the opportunity for you, the viewer to observe from behind glass or get down and dirty with the artists painting LIVE! (Protective masks are available on the door)

Each week will feature a new wave of artists, sourced locally with a smattering of special guest painters.

Show is open each Wednesday to Sunday from 12-6 pm

Wednesday 4th November – Sunday 29th November.

Artists: Stik, Elate, Milo, Spat, Teddy Baden, Run, Fuel, Snoe, Smaki, Grems, Stenzilla, Suns, and Roots

I definitely want to go and see Elate, Milo and Run painting.

Stik
Stik
Run
Run

The Thousands

ThousandsFlyerNov18

Here’s a little update on The Thousands, the art exhibition that I’m curating and organizing in London next month. Just a few weeks to go before it opens, and I’m working my ass off. There is really an amazing line up of artists. Subject to slight changes here and there, here’s the full line up:

Adam Neate
Aiko
Anthony Lister
Armsrock
Banksy
Barry McGee
Bast
Blek le Rat
Burning Candy
Chris Stain
David Ellis
Elbow-toe
Faile
Futura 2000
Gaia
Herakut
Jenny Holzer
José Parlá
Judith Supine
Kaws
Know Hope
Nick Walker
Os Gêmeos
Roa
Sam3
Shepard Fairey
Skewville
Swoon
WK Interact

Nick Walker
Nick Walker
Skewville
Skewville

So the artwork is amazing, but The Thousands is also the book launch for my book, The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In. Hope to see everybody there on the 18th.

Blue Print for Space at Basil Miami

blue-print-for-space

Primary Flight is the art organization which has put on an amazing show of street art at Basil Miami for the past few years. This year, in addition to their outdoor murals, Primary Flight have organized an indoor show as well. Blue Print for Space has an impressive and diverse line-up ranging from Augor and Revok to Know Hope and Stormie Mills. Very excited to see how this goes.

Conor Harrington at Lazarides

Conor

I don’t know how I’ve neglected to mention this before now. Tomorrow night is the opening of Conor Harrington’s solo show, Headless Heroes, at Lazarides Rathbone. I’ve seen some images from the show and there are a few pieces that have caught my eye, but I’m curious what I’ll think after seeing everything in person.

Headless Heroes runs from October 30th until November 26th. Expect some photos posted after the opening.

Os Gêmeos at Museu da FAAP

There are street artists who are really just unskilled designers with nothing better to do at night, there are street artists who are good within this small genre of art, there are great street artists who make some interesting pieces indoors, and then there is Os Gêmeos. These Brazilian twins are without a doubt two of the most talented artists in Brazil (or anywhere I can think of for that matter) today. A few days ago they had a show called Vertigem open at the Museu da FAAP in São Paulo, Brazil. This might be the best art I’ve seen all year; it’s definitely up their with Swoon in Venice and Banksy versus The Bristol Museum. Here are some images:

Os Gêmeos

Os Gêmeos

Os Gêmeos

Check out more images here

Photos by Lost.art.br

Green Day and The Art of Rock

logan
Logan Hicks

Thursday night was the opening of Green Day’s The Art of Rock at StolenSpace Gallery. It would have been easy for Green Day to put together a street art show full of random artists that street art fans would hate but Green Day fans would like because it has the Green Day name on it. Instead, The Art of Rock was curated by Logan Hicks and he got some really talented artists involved.

My personal favorite was this piece by Chris Stain, one of his best I think:

chris
Photo by Paulo20210

And I think you really have to see Logan Hick’s laser etched pieces in person, but this shot should give you some idea. The background is laser etched.

logan_d

Each piece in the show (other than Logan’s portraits) is based on the lyrics from a song off of Green Day’s latest album.

c215
C215
Sixten
Sixten
Ron English and The London Police
Broken Crow, Ron English and The London Police

If you ever liked Green Day, you need to check out this show. The lineup is solid, the art is great and the connection to music is different.

Photos by S.Butterfly

Dan Witz and Dark Doings at Carmichael Gallery

I would absolutely love to see something by Dan Witz in person one day. If you’re in New York, that’s been possible since the 1970’s, but now Dan Witz has a solo show coming up at the Carmichael Gallery in LA.

Dan Witz

The press release:

Carmichael Gallery is proud to present Dark Doings, a solo exhibition of new works by Dan Witz. This is the Brooklyn based artist’s first US west coast solo exhibition.

In Dark Doings, Witz will showcase a selection of pieces from his expansive summer street project of the same name. Created both for the street and gallery, the subtle, haunting images of human and animal faces trapped behind dirty glass windows are inspired by a recent visit earlier in the year to the red light district of Amsterdam.

In speaking about the philosophy behind this body of work, Dan explains, “I’m trying to exploit our collective tendency towards sleepwalking by inserting outrageous things right out there in plain view that are also practically invisible. My goal is to make obvious in your face art that ninety-nine percent of the people who walk by won’t notice. Eventually when they stumble upon one or find out about it I’m hoping they’ll start wondering what else they’ve been missing.”

Artwork at the show will comprise of mixed media on digital prints on plastic, presented either framed or mounted to wood doors, the latter serving as both canvas and contextual framework through which the work can be viewed. A selection of photographs depicting the Dark Doings series in situ will also be exhibited at the show. They will be displayed alongside the piece with which they correspond.

About Dan Witz:

Dan Witz is one of the most prolific artists working on the streets of New York City today. With a career that dates back to the 1970s, he continues through each project to refine his technique and style, yet never loses sight of his original aesthetic and ideological goals. Acknowledged as one of the most important voices in the history of the movement by critics and peers alike, he both defines and challenges what it means to be a street artist.

Dan Witz