NoseGo, one of Philadelphia’s best-loved and most-talented muralists, will be doing some live painting in Philadelphia this ThursdayFRIDAY on at The Shaft, an open air gallery space on Broad Street.
The exhibit is part of a curatorial practice program being taught to UArts MFA students by Maiza Hixson and Lauren Ruth.
If you search aroundthe internet, you may notice that Artists 4 Israel (a controversialorganization) had been advertising this exhibit and saying that they are involved in it. This is no longer the case. Based on the group’s Facebook page, it appears that they are interpreting this situation as being “banned in Philly” and “censorship,” but I’m pretty sure that a gallery/curators deciding to part ways with an organization is not the same as censorship of that organization (although, ironically, I did have to Photoshop the Artists 4 Israel logo out of the above flyer). Personally, I would not work with a Tea Party-affiliated organization on an exhibit, but I’m not trying to censor tea partiers. Anyway…
Let’s all have a good time seeing NoseGo paint some cool stuff on ThursdayFRIDAY!
One of the coolest spots in Manhattan’s Lower East Side/Chinatown neighborhood is the Klughaus Gallery, as it features some of the best graffiti and street art to be found anywhere. I haven’t been getting down there often enough, but when in the neighborhood earlier today, I dropped by. And it couldn’t have been a more perfect time, as the gallery was getting ready for Thursday evening’s Australia’s “Kingbrown Magazine” / Launch and Opening Exhibition. Curated by Fountain’s John Leo and Melissa McCaig-Welles in collaboration with Kingbrown and Morning Breath, the exhibit features a range of wondrous works. Here are some favorites:
More about the wonderful Kingbrown Magazine — that I’ve only recently discovered — in a future post.
Let’s see what has been happening off of Vandalog this week.
I recently wrote a list of Complex.com giving my thoughts on the 50 greatest street artists right now. Let me know what you think. So far, the main criticism (besides the usual “screw you” flame war stuff) seems to be that I did not include enough women.
The London Vandal broke a story about British former graffiti writers being arrested and being released on bail until November under some absurdly restrictive conditions. For example, they can’t enter a train station or use trains in London until November unless they can prove that they are going to court, to visit a lawyer or to make a journey relating to business or education. The New Statesman corrected some of The London Vandal’s claims and so the story is perhaps not as wild as initially reported, but it’s still a pretty messed up situation where bail conditions are being used solely for the purpose of maybe making The Olympics run more smoothly. Hyperallergic has more.
King Brown Magazine’s latest issue is launching in NYC on July 26th with a show including Mike Giant, Reka, Greg LaMarche, Anthony Lister, Sheryo, The Yok and others.
One of Australia’s ultimate graffiti legends, Stormie Mills, has a solo show running now at Greenhill Galleries in Claremont, Western Australia. We’re a bit late to the game on this one, Dark Lights is only on through the 26th, but hopefully those nearby can still check it out. Luckily, Stormie sent over a few photos from the show…
“Four Borough” is an exhibition of works by Cassius Fouler. The show opened last Thursday, July 12th at Weldon Arts in Bushwick and runs until August 11th.
The acrylic work by this mop-marker-wielding artiste de la nuit are like the purged thoughts of a true New York City vandal. The ‘grit and glory’ aspect of graffiti culture and urban life are captured through Fouler’s humor, by playing on the symbolism of the relevant places and objects to these lifestyles.
The small town of La Louvière, in Belgium is host to a brilliant Urban Art exhibition being held at “Centre de la Gravure et de’limage imprimée” (The Center for Engraving and the Printed Image). Showing through September 2, 2012, “Vues sur Murs” (Wallscapes: Prints in Street Art) features an impressive list of international artists, many making new work specifically for this exhibit and also hitting the town with huge pieces.
Invader, C215, Jef Aérosol, EVOL, Ludo, Denis Meyers, Obêtre, Muga, Doctor-H, Sten & Lex, Swoon and OBEY (Shepard Fairey) are all featured in this show which spans three floors of the gallery. The show’s curator, Marie Van Bosterhaut, had the seed of the idea in 2009 after seeing an OBEY print at the home of a collector. She contacted Fairey’s people for what was initially planned to be an OBEY retrospective…
“But then it appeared it might be more interesting to invite more artists using printing techniques in street art,” said Bosterhaut of the project’s evolution. “It was really great to have all these artists working inside the museum, and also outside. There was like a great energy.”
While some of the artists knew each other, others met for the first time. “This created some small surprises,” said Bosterhaut. Evidence of this is seen in one of the exhibition’s highlights located on the top floor. There, Berlin-based EVOL has transformed several structural columns, which protrude at various levels into the exhibition space. They now appear as EVOL’s signature-style buildings and “artists like Denis (Meyers) & Ludo made some tiny stencils or billboards, creating a kind of interaction between the artists,” Bosterhaut said.
Another highlight of the show is Brussels-based artist Denis Meyers. Mostly known for the large faces he paints, he also prints unique stickers and uses hand-made woodcuts and rubber stamps to produce a wide variety of work which all screams out with his signature style. Many of his sketchbooks are also on display as well as other elements which offer a peek into the artist’s process.
Long-time French favorite Jef Aérosol‘s large iconic work greets you at the entrance of the exhibit but some of his smaller, printed images are framed on the sides and offer a more intimate experience with the artist. Jef also hit the town, painting a three-story-tall face of rocker Jimi Hendrix.
In addition to his brilliant mini-billboard, the Paris-based paste-up master Ludo and his unmistakable green paint occupy a notable section of the top floor, including a full-scale bus shelter (crappy tags included.) For the real experience though, pick up the map supplied at the front desk and follow it to the various “treasures” left by artists around the city. Ludo has posted three large pieces out on the town.
A favorite of mine is “C215” (Christian Guémy.) The Parisian stencil artist painted a large mural for the show. There are also many photographs of his stencil works, and several other painted “objects,” including three mailboxes, a shoeshine box, and a metal sign among other things.
The pioneering Italian artistic duo of Sten & Lex display some of their strong, black & white portrait posters, but the real treat from them requires a 10 minute walk to a parking lot down the road a bit. There, a dramatic and elaborate composition of black & white zig-zagging lines reveal a face that fills the wall and towers over the cars and shopping carts.
Of course the anchor of the exhibition is an extensive collection of OBEY works by American artist Shepard Fairey. In addition to a short documentary video, the display spans his career from his quirky beginnings making “Andre the Giant has a posse” stickers, to the slick, celebrity and political-themed posters pumped out by the Obey Giant Worldwide Propaganda factory today. There are dozens of his limited-edition prints with their graphically-pleasing imagery, and even a trio of OBEY skateboard decks. A definite treat for any Fairey fan.
The show concentrates on the printing aspects of urban art but there’s a ton of other multi-media work to see there as well. Too much art to mention in this article, including great stuff by Invader, Obêtre, Muga, Doctor-H & Swoon.
IF YOU GO: Smack-dab in-between Paris & Cologne, La Louviere is about a two and-a-half hour drive from each, and just 45 minutes south of Brussels. Definitely worth the trip. But remember, it’s only showing through September 2, 2012 – so get going!
Photos by Lance Aram Rothstein (many of these photographs were shot with Film Cameras. Long Live Film!)
Brooklyn’s Pandemic Gallery has got a killer group show/art party lined up for later this month withBelieve The Hype!. The artists (including The Yok, Sheryo, Swampy, Darkclouds, COST KRT and UFO) and will be painting the gallery walls and selling smaller gear like zines and t-shirts. From 2-10pm on July 28th, Pandemic will be all about having some fun while surround yourself with some good art.
Stencil master, urban adventurer and photographer Logan Hicks is going to be showing at Lazarides‘ Greek Street space The Outsiders London later this month for a solo show. Structural Integrity includes new body of stencil work from Logan as well as a rare opportunity to see his photographs in a gallery setting. Logan has been working his ass off making this new work, so it should be quite something. The show runs from July 20th through August 25th.
In addition to being one of my favorite stencil artists and maybe the hardest working guy I know, Logan is one of my favorite people. I’m excited that Logan will be showing at The Outsiders, but I’m equally disappointed that I won’t be able to see the show in person. If you want to see stencil art pushed to this limits, do not miss this opportunity. Go see Structural Integrity.
With an interest in superheros and comic book narratives, Meggs delves into the world of fantasy tales to create his latest show, Truth in Myth, opening this Saturday at White Walls in San Francisco.
The show is comprised of a collection of paintings, collages, and sculptures, in which Meggs searches “for balance in the understanding of physical and ideological duality of self” referencing “classic renaissance composition and contemporary pop culture.”
If these teaser shots of Meggs on the street and in the studio are anything to go by then Truth in Myth looks like a show that is well worth a visit!