Posts

Posted on

Introducing: Benjamin Murphy

I will be the first to admit, that I am terrible with my e-mail. I actually open e-mails and if I don’t see an image right away or worse – SPELLING MISTAKES, than your correspondence goes right into trash. This morning, however, an e-mail from an artist caught my eye that I thought would be worth posting about. Benjamin Murphy is a British artist who uses electrical tape to create ephemeral works on the streets. The idea isn’t novel in the slightest, but his bio made me chuckle so I had to open the image attachments and was pleasantly surprised to see some tantalizing images of women and one in an oven. Anyone who sends the following to a blog is alright in my book:

Benjamin Murphy a manchild from Yorkshire who likes to frequent the ladies section of Primark. He likes to draw on other peoples property with electrical tape, creating something he likes to call ‘art’. This method of creating something people can point and gawp at, is more ecologically sound than putting a cow in formaldehyde and chopping it in half.

While I heard the name from his work for Anti-Slavery International in which he created a 16 story piece on Great Eastern Street to promote the event, I never had the chance to really look into his work. Here are a few images that I thought I would share with everyone. And I look forward to seeing more when he opens his first solo show at Hoxton Gallery on November 1.

Images courtesy of Benjamin Murphy

Posted on

New murals from Gaia

Gaia next to How and Nosm in Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Gaia. Click to view large.

Gaia has recently finished two really interesting murals in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

In Philadelphia, Goldman Properties and the Mural Arts Program brought him to town to paint a portrait of Edmund Bacon, a city planner who Wikipedia tells me is considered by some to be “The Father of Modern Philadelphia.” That mural is at 13th and Sansom, right near murals by Kenny Scharf and How&Nosm.

“Arabbers” in Baltimore. Photo by M Holden Warren. Click to view large.

In Baltimore, Gaia painted a wall about Baltimore’s Arabbers, which Gaia explains:

The Arabbers are a dying Baltimore tradition of horse-drawn fruit vendors that have long been a staple of this remarkable city. I was attracted to this particular stable in the Sandtown neighborhood preparing for a documentary. These men and women define hustle, trotting along both desolate and vibrant landscapes selling their goods and making ends meet. This mural depicts four generations
starting with the great grandfather Manboy in the middle and to Fruit’s son on the top right. The arabber portraits are mixed with the logos on the containers in which their produce comes: a global economy meets a fading, tough tradition.

Photos courtesy of Gaia and by M Holden Warren

Posted on

Causey Contemporary Presents “Purple”

Priscila De Carvalho, Heavy Load (detail)

Produced by YOUNITY, an international collective of urban female artists, and curated by Alice Mizrachi and Diana McClure, Purple opens tomorrow from 6-9pm at Causey Contemporary Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Featuring an eclectic range of artworks by female artists from across the globe, the exhibit will remain on view through November 19, 2012. Here’ are two more images from the exhibit:

Lady Pink, Imperial Eaglet
Diana McClure, Crown Chakra Shakti #2 (triptych)

Images courtesy Causey Contemporary

Posted on

Meggs: “Truth in Myth II” at Backwoods Gallery in Collingwood

Melbourne’s Meggs (Everfresh) is back home and has a solo show opening this Friday at Backwoods Gallery.

From the press release:

After a successful residency and solo exhibition with Whitewalls Gallery in San Francisco, Meggs returns to his hometown of Melbourne for ‘Truth in Myth II’ at Backwoods Gallery in Collingwood.

Fusing elements of contemporary superheroes to ancient mythological beings, ‘Truth in Myth II’ is a collection of new artworks that expressively reference classic renaissance composition and contemporary pop culture. A continuation of Meggs’ search for balance and the understanding of physical and ideological duality in self.

“We live in the stories we tell ourselves. In a secular, scientific rational culture lacking in any convincing spiritual leadership, superhero stories speak loudly and boldly to our greatest fears, deepest longings and highest aspirations… the best superhero stories deal directly with mythic elements of the human condition… they help us confront and resolve even the deepest existential crisis. We should listen to what they have to tell us.” – Grant Morrison, ‘Supergods’, Spiegal & Grau, New York USA, 2011.

Photos courtesy of Backwoods Gallery

Posted on

In San Juan, PR — “Los Muros Hablan” Part III: Jaz, Eyel, Pun18 and Hello Again

Jaz — from Argentina — at work

During our brief visit to Puerto Rico, we had the chance to view Jaz — one of our favorite artists — at work and discover the enchanting aesthetics of Mexican artist Eyel and local artists Pun18 and Tony Rodriguez, Josue Oquendo, Aslan Uno, and Esteban Ruiz of the Puerto Rican arts collective, Hello Again. Here are some more images:

Eyel — from Mexico — at work
Pun18 in progress
Pun18, close-up from completed mural
Hello Again, close-up in progress

Photo credits: Jaz and Hello Again by Lois Stavsky; Eyel by Dani Mozeson; Pun18 in progress by Lenny Collado and close-up courtesy of the artist

Posted on

Shepard Fairey in London

The city is pretty much in a tizzy with the arrival of Shepard Fairey in the flesh. Getting ready for his new solo Sound & Vision at StolenSpace to open Friday (if you haven’t heard about this yet you are living under a gigantic rock), the American artist has been hanging around East London with his team painting up a storm and freezing their California asses off in the British Autumn.

Once the fanboys began to leave, I had the chance to stop by and take some pictures of his latest mural on progress (a version of which will be in the show) and two other finished works. I also stopped by the OBEY pop-up shop as it is being created on Brick Lane for the big night. If you aren’t going to pony up the cash for a Shepard Fairey original, than make sure to stop across the street to the shop to pick some more affordable Shepard Fairey goods including books and OBEY clothing, as well as the majority of the OBEY x Keith Haring collaboration line which I am still head over heels for.

Images by Stephanie Keller

Posted on

Wild Style Wednesday!

Photo by SoulRoach.

Wild Style throwback!

Os Gemeos, Rime and Retna in LA. Photo by Soul Roach.
Flying Fortress, Veng, Nychos, RWK in Brooklyn. Photo by Luna Park.
Astro in Montreal. Photo by Photofil.
Wons in Italy. Photo by Herbilizer.
Zosh and Snsa in Paris. Photo by Startape Photographe.
Creeps in Brighton. Photo by datachump.
Johste in Montreal. Photo by Photofil.
Typer, Dela, Yeya, Crudo and Dast in Bogota. Photo by _DAST_.
DJ Mehdi by Scien and Klor in Montreal. Photo by Photofil.

Photos by  _DAST_, datachump, Luna Park, Photofil, SoulRoach and Startape Photographe

Posted on

Saner heads to New Image

Mexico City’s Saner has a solo show coming up this month in LA at New Image Art Gallery. Catharsis, curated by Medvin Sobio, opens October 27th from 6-9pm. Saner is one of Mexico’s most interesting contemporary muralists, but he has also brought his work indoors in a much more creative and beautiful way than the average street artist/muralist. There will be a performance aspect to the opening, so it’s definitely one to try to check out on opening night rather than waiting until the crowds have dispersed. For some idea of why Saner’s openings are special, he had a show at Medvin’s gallery in the summer of 2011 where all the work was given away for free and Saner acted as though he was being held hostage in the gallery.

Catharsis runs through November 24th.

MEXICO CITY’S SANER – CATHARSIS – ART EXHIBIT TRAILER – OPENING SATURDAY OCTOBER 27, 2012 – NEW IMAGE ART from THE CINEMA on Vimeo.

Photo courtesy of New Image Art Gallery