Well this looks like it’s gonna be a special one… The Bestiary is the latest show from Phlegm. Lately I’ve been trying to avoid just recycling content from Arrested Motion and elsewhere, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In this case, I just had to give this show some love. Rather than a commercial show, The Bestiary is an installation that seems more in-line with what Phlegm might do if given the right abandoned building and enough time. The concept for the show sounds like something Roa might do if he painted imaginary creatures: A sort of painted curiosity cabinet containing both real and fantastical beasts. The Bestiary is an invitation towards understanding Phlegm’s universe, where his creations will all be organized for inspection as if in a science lab. If The Bestiary comes together and works as a cohesive show, it could be a magical event.
The Bestiary opens on February 1st and will run through March 4th at Howard Griffin Gallery in London.
Remi/Rough and John “Crash” Matos have collaborated on a series of paintings for an upcoming show a NYC’s Dorian Grey Gallery. The show, Flow, is a link between the very figurative and pop art styles of the earliest generations of graffiti artists and the very contemporary abstract graffiti movement. Crash, of course, represents that classic style. He was one of the artists bringing in pop art to the typographic roots of graffiti back when artists still painted the New York City subways. And Remi/Rough is one of the artists currently helping to continue graffiti’s transition from straight letters to wild style to complete abstraction. Both artists have pushed graffiti further, but in perhaps opposite (though complimentary) directions. I can think of few more interesting artistic pairings in graffiti, and I can’t wait to see more of Flow.
Flow opens January 16th and runs through February 23rd.
MOMO‘s latest show, Butt Joints, opened earlier this month at May in New Orleans. I really love what MOMO has done with this show. It’s almost like there are two shows trying to coexist simultaneously in the same space: An installation and a series of paintings and drawings. Okay, I realize that sounds terrible, but from the photos I’ve seen, I think it actually works. The different components of Butt Joints complement each other since it’s clear how the paintings and the drawings are connected to the installation. Still, as you can see in the above photo, the sculptural pieces of the installation are placed seemingly without concern for the drawings or paintings, forcing visitors to make decisions as they walk through the space. This doesn’t seem like the kind of show you can just view with your brain turned off.
One skill that the best street artists really hone by working outdoors is an understanding of how to utilize spaces in interesting ways. They learn to highlight nooks and crannies that the rest of us might ignore and reactivate long-forgotten spaces. Butt Joints looks to be a prime example of how that knowledge can be taken into a gallery setting.
But hey, these are just some thoughts I had from looking at photos of Butt Joints, and it really seems like the sort of show that should be experienced in person. Still, for those of us who won’t be in New Orleans anytime soon, here are a couple more photos, and you can find even more on Graffuturism.
Earlier this fall, a 50-foot-high mural — depicting a stick figure posed with a triumphant salute — surfaced on the corner of Avenue A and 9th Street, directly across from Tompkins Square Park. The work of UK-based international street artist Stik, it is a fitting tribute to the neighborhood and the free-spirited folks who have inhabited it for so long. Stik is now back in town for his first NYC solo exhibit at the Dorian Grey Gallery with canvas work, drawings, sculptural works, and a range of printed materials, including his print release ‘Liberty’ and the political journal ‘The Bottled Wasp Pocket Diary 2014’ which features STIK’s art.
The cover of “The Bottled Wasp Pocket Diary, 2014”On East 9th Street and Avenue A
The exhibit opens tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, at 5pm at 437 East 9th Street @ Ave A. with live painting by the artist. It continues through December 31.
Graffuturism is one of the best blogs out there for innovative work by graffiti writers. The site is run by Poesia, who has just curated a group show at San Fransisco’s White Walls Gallery based around some of the artists he blogs about. L’Avenir opens this Saturday the 14th and runs through January 4th. I’ve been a fan of Graffuturism for years now and Poesia and I have gotten into some great discussions on Twitter, but we’ve never really had a chance to chat, so I emailed him a few questions about the blog and the show in the run-up to L’Avenir.
Augustine Kofie
RJ: In one sentence, what makes someone a graffuturist?
Poesia: Most likely an artist with a graffiti background who has evolved and progressed beyond his initial roots.
RJ: I guess I always thought about Graffuturism as having to do with graffiti writers going in an abstract direction, but with this show you’ve included a lot of artists known for figurative works and made it clear in your artist statement that the movement isn’t purely about an abstract aesthetic. Can you go into a bit more detail on the similarities you see between say Sainer and Clemens Behr?
Poesia: Many people get this part of Graffuturism confused, but I feel it is because graffiti artists tend to move in a more abstract direction due to graffiti’s initial abstract nature. When compared to street art that already is more representational, Graffiti was and is an abstract form of art already. But we have to remember that graffiti has always used representational images cartoon characters etc since the early days of graffiiti, most the artists that were more inclined to paint representational or figurative work would get character or background duty on walls. Many of these talented artists never learned proper letters because they were always busy painting the backgrounds for the letter artists. One of the positive byproducts of Street Art was that now all these talented representational painters who had painted graffiti characters forever now saw that they could take center stage and create their own work without letters. This was an important evolution of graffiti and thus an artist like Sainer is just as an evolved graffiti artist as Clemens Behr who moved into a more abstract avenue of work. Both have this history that has evolved and thrived in a new age where painting whatever you like is possible without adhering to the traditional rules of graffiti. To me they are the same even if aesthetically polar opposites. The reason why Graffuturism is seen as an abstract movement is more due to the fact that there were more letterbased artists than figurative artists that have gone onto progress thus the surplus of abstract artists versus figurative ones.
One of the interviews I most enjoyed while researching my upcoming book Viral Art was with AVOID pi, a graffiti writer and artist in so many ways. For the book, I spoke with him about zines (of which he is a prolific producer) and really got schooled, I know him best though for his graffiti. AVOID pi recently sent over these photos of his recent outdoor work in Asheville, NC. These pieces aren’t about pushing spraycan technology as far as it can go with 50 different caps and intricate techniques for flawless style, they aren’t about just bombing purely for the sake of destruction and they don’t always fall clearly into either street art or graffiti. For those reasons and many more, I’m a fan.
And under his gallery identity Adam Void, AVOID pi has a show opening in Asheville, NC on Friday. The Crossroads will be held at the PUSH Skateshop and Gallery from December 6th through January 3rd, with an opening on the 6th from 7-10pm. The show will include work by Adam Void ranging from assemblage sculpture to drawing and painting to collage to printmaking, plus some curating. Like Barry McGee’s retrospective earlier this year in Boston, The Crossroads will include a sort of “show within a show” component of work by other artists curated by Adam Void. I’m definitely bummed to be missing The Crossroads, so if you make it out, let me know how it is.
This post is super late but definitely worth sharing with you all. I have been flat out working on the 2nd and final installment of ALL YOUR WALLS (last Wednesday through Friday – which was a HUGE success, I’ll be doing a full post on that soon). October’s post is short and sweet with some amazing content. Take some time to watch the videos and check out some of the awesome pics below.
This interview from Upstart Magazine with Australian stencil artist Damien Mitchell is a great way to start (Damien now lives in Brooklyn NYC). Damien gives a good insight into Melbourne’s scene and some great shots of some of the city’s best spots for street art and graff. Being a dog lover I’m a huge fan of the story behind the dog stencil.
This great short doco reappeared on vimeo after a long time in hiding. Melbourne Ink was filmed back in 2008 by Julien Sena and Romain Levrault while visiting from France. The video features the work of and interviews with some of Melbourne’s best artists; right in the midst of the massive explosion of street art in our city. Big ups to Fletch for the link!
Seeing this music video was a great surprise. Australian band Spiderbait recently released the music video for the track ‘It’s Beautiful’ (from their self titled album). A great video showing off some of Melbourne’s best lane ways and featuring the work of many Melbourne street artists and some music by a rad band.
Miso’s latest show ‘Bright Night Sky’ at Backwoods Gallery was amazing to say the least! Each piece created with a series of intricate pin pricks that come together to form beautiful pieces. Sold out before it opened, nice! These great shots show off some of her work and the awesome installation (in particular the fish eye shot).
Miso. Photo by Dreaded Cat Studios.Miso. Photo by David Russell.Miso – Photo by David Russell
My friend Lou Chamberlin launched her new book “Street Art Melbourne” in Hosier lane. Lou has been collecting shots of Melbourne’s amazing street art in our streets and lanes for the last 6 years or so, and the result is this great new book, showcasing some of Melbourne’s best artists alongside interstate and international visitors. Lou also invited a bunch of artists down and provided some paint to help colour the lane. I was asked to write the forward for the book which I was happy to do. Check out some of the work painted on the day here. You can preview the book and grab a copy here.
Street Art Melbourne Launch. Photo by David Russell.
Kirpypainted his iconic Metcard stencil at Revolver. A common sight around Melbourne a few years ago, before it was replaced by the latest ticketing system. If you don’t get why it’s ripped then you probably won’t appreciate the stencil as much 😉 I love the crispness of the stencil against the texture of the wall, it sort of looks like it’s floating.
Kirpy’s Metcard at Revolver
Reka painted this awesome mural in San Francisco – a mad piece. He also did a great interview on the local news.
Reka – San Francisco. Photo by Reka.Reka – San Francisco. Photo by Reka.
He also painted in Portland this Autumn themed wall, titled “The Fall”. I’m really loving the direction James is taking with his work, to me it seems like he is incorporating more traditional shapes and objects meshed with his awesome style that we know and love!
Reka – The Fall – Portland. Photo by Reka.Reka – The Fall – Portland. Photo by Reka.
This recap of Project 5 in Sydney, featuring Rone and Adnate from Melbourne. A great little project with Rone, Adnate, Numskull and Jodee Knowles. All proceeds from the works went towards supporting a great charity (ICE). A good close up of the live work and interviews with the artists.
David Russell’s “Through the Lens” for October brings the goods from around town, as usual. Here’s some of my faves.
RESUME. Photo By David Russell.Facter. Photo By David Russell.Slicer. Photo By David Russell.
And to finish up a couple of rippers from Dean Sunshine’s Top Ten.
Taylor White. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Two One and Senekt. Photo by Dean Sunshine.Adnate. Photo by Dean Sunshine.
Photos courtesy of Dean Sunshine, David Russell, Dreaded Cat Studios and Reka.
RAE’s “Word of Mouth” is perhaps the most entertaining exhibit I’ve yet to experience. And it is an experience! In his recreation of an East Village bodega, RAE places his wonderfully zany characters – crafted from and on just about every imaginable surface – amidst surveillance cameras, lottery tickets, plastic EBT cards, loaves of bread, sundry cans of beans, lose cigarettes and just about anything you’d expect to find in a bodega. Here are a few images:
RAE’s Food Center as seen when openOne of RAE’s many sculpturesAnother sculptureMore characters with Tibetan prayer flags flowing from aboveClose-up
“Word of Mouth” continues through November 16 on the corner of Avenue C and East 12th Street. It is open Thursday through Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m.
Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky; image of bodega as seen when open courtesy of RAE
After seeing photos of his show at Pandemic Gallery last spring and then seeing his solo show at Stupid Easy Gallery in person last summer, I began to realize that stikman was just as interesting of an artist when showing indoors as on the street. But what to do with that knowledge? Just keep in mind that I wanted to see more stikman shows I suppose. And then the Mural Arts Program, a 30-year-old public art program in Philadelphia responsible for about 3000 murals in that time, asked me to curate a show for the gallery space at their offices. Given a short timeline for putting a show together, there was no way I was going to be able to conceptualize and assemble a group show, but then I realized that Mural Arts is the perfect venue for stikman’s work. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t say I curated this show so much as facilitated it. stikman knows his art better than I do, and I was just excited to see what he would do if I didn’t add any constraints beyond those created by the space itself and the short time between the invitation to do a show and the opening night. The result is …in the house… stikman’s second solo show in Philadelphia and third solo show anywhere.
Photo by Kendall Whitehouse
…in the house… is a great introduction to stikman’s world, but it also takes Mural Arts and the space into account. The Mural Arts offices are located in the former home of painter and art professor Thomas Eakins, and at least two of the works in …in the house… reflect that the show is in Eakins House. A series of photographs found on Instagram and flickr showing people interacting with stikman’s work as they document it (generally by including their feet in the photos like this) hang in the hallway, a reminder that both Mural Arts and stikman value community engagement with their art. For me, that was what I most hoped to show with …in the house…, that stikman and Mural Arts have many of the same goals despite their different methods. Mural Arts puts up huge murals throughout Philadelphia, and stikman installs his usually tiny figures anywhere they will fit.
Photo by Kendall Whitehouse
I’m really pleased with how …in the house… turned out. It’s probably been my most satisfying indoor project since The Thousands in 2009. There’s some absolutely fantastic work in …in the house…, and it seems it’s been really well-received by everyone at Mural Arts. It’s a diverse show, with sculptures, photographs, prints and paintings of all sizes and mediums. stikman does a lot with his little character. That said, one of my favorite works is a sort of hanging cairn made of bricks that stikman installed on a gate outside of the building. Many people don’t realize that stikman is also a prolific cairn builder.
Photo by RJ Rushmore
With something around 100 works in …in the house…, it’s difficult to show it all here, but I’ll share a sampling. For the rest, you’ll just have to stop by the Mural Arts Program offices at 1727-29 Mt. Vernon Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130. …in the house… will be up through November 13th. If you stop by, be sure to grab a free stikman sticker, and if you love the work as much as I do, this is a great time to pick up a piece. stikman has offered to donate all the proceeds from sales at …in the house… to Mural Arts.
Note from the editor: I know we here at Vandalog tend to neglect all the great things going on on the streets of Chicago, but hopefully this guest post by Terry Cartlon starts to make up for that. Terry visited Paint, Paste, Sticker, a show of work by street artists active in Chicago at the Chicago Cultural Center. – RJ Rushmore
With all the Banksyness happening across New York’s five boroughs this month, it’s difficult to focus on any other art happenings in any other part of the world. Unfortunately here in Chicago, we’re used to doing our thing in The Big Onion only to finish second to The Big Apple. Fortunately, when you’ve got Chicago’s heaviest of hitters gathered at the cultural center for a lesson in Chicago street art, it helps soften the blow from the international spectacle occurring in that first city.
Don’t Fret
The architectural gem that is The Chicago Cultural Center houses something for The Second City to be proud of: Paint, Paste, Sticker encompasses quite the retrospective of Chicago street art history in one impressive room. Past, present, and future are all represented…and represented well.
Matthew Hoffman
Coming up the stairs or exiting the elevator on the fourth floor, attendees get greeted by Matthew Hoffman‘s worldwide wonder You Are Beautiful stone slab and Zore‘s Sheltered Bombing, a painted CTA bus shelter worth the time it takes to get downtown alone. Once inside, pieces from Slang, Don’t Fret, Nice One, Stefskills, C3PO, Kane One, and Radah flank the walls with collections from Galerie F and their Logan Square Mural Project ricocheting ideas and possibility in the city. Paint, Paste, Sticker takes us far north for the Rogers Park Participatory Budgeting project, down south for the South Shore Art Festival, and to the 25th Ward for Alderman Danny Solis’, Pawn Works‘, and Chicago Urban Art Society‘s Art in Public Places initiative. All three of these excellent projects have taken Chicago street art to the next level over the past year while showcasing international and local legends on the exterior walls in an attempt to put Chicago in the rightful spotlight.
Zore
Hebru Brantley shows off his prolific significance, Tselone and Jeff Zimmerman input their importance to the movement, and Ruben Aguirre’s masterful stylistics are on display in full harmony with Secret Sticker Club’s underrated sticker presence that is prevalent throughout Chicago.
Hebru Brantley
The artistic talent in Chicago is undoubtedly the most underappreciated in the country, and this event has the potential to create the necessary influx/outflux relationship for artists to get the recognition they deserve. Seeing a large scale collection of accomplishments on display like this really puts it in perspective, and the excitement that this exhibition should ignite is what it’s all about. Chicagoans are some of the most precisely knowledgeable and honestly humble artists in the game with some of the highest standards for street art and graffiti you’ll ever see. Lucky for show-goers, those standards are put into action for everything on display.
Goons
Paint, Paste, Sticker does a thorough job of representing the who’s who and what’s what of the Chicago street art scene—a scene made up of interdisciplinary, intergenerational artists who transcend time, space, race, and class. If you miss this exhibit, you should kick your own ass…
