Lush has been busy this year, but I only have a handful of images to share on Vandalog. As long as you don’t mind some NSFW content, I highly recommend checking his flickr for a more full and explicit sampling of Lush’s recent work, but here are a couple SFW examples…
Photos by Lush
A note from RJ: The following is a guest post by Washington DC’s iwillnot.
Last week I went up to Baltimore to check in with Gaia and see how the walls were coming along for Open Walls Baltimore. While there, I wanted to meet up with a Baltimore artist that I have been following for quite some time now: Nether.
It just so happened I met with him at a time when he was receiving a lot of local press and notoriety for his depiction of an ominous hooded figure in tribute to Trayvon Martin. Placed in desolate and sometimes eerily empty spots, the 7 foot tall by 10 feet wide image is haunting.
Extremely well versed in the local graffiti and street art scene, Nether describes his own work as “an urban art campaign that hopes to impact and beautify BMORE’s bleakness through vibrant street art with the hopes of evoking public discussion.” His images bring to mind the decomposition of society, urban decay, and toxicity of modern life.
His large scale wheat paste images can be found between all of the major walls of OWB. Frankly, it is very difficult NOT to encounter one of his pieces while in the arts district. Their size and excellent placement make them impossible to miss.
I encourage all who are visiting OWB to walk from wall to wall. Along the way, there are some great pieces from local artists. When I asked Gaia, “Okay, who are the local guys? Who is putting stuff up?” He told me “Nobody man, it’s just me Nether and Mata Ruda basically.”
While that is not necessarily the case, especially during Open Walls Baltimore (there are several Overunders throughout the neighborhood). They are definitely making a huge impact on an otherwise bleak urban landscape.
Whats next for Nether? He says, “The Trayvon piece is the first of a larger series that will deal with the stories of ordinary black youth in a progressive manner…The aim of this series is to highlight and iconisize these character’s stories… I think promoting these stories could really inspire others, especially at risk youth.”
Photos by iwillnot
Cuellimangui is a street artist mostly active around Spain. While his style could be compared to Horfe and Mark Dean Veca, I think Cuellimangui has taken Veca’s influence and made a visual vocabulary all his own.
Photos by Cuellimangui
Mausolee is the latest street art/urban exploring combo project to emerge. Like The Underbelly Project or The Ghostvillage Project, Mausolee is the takeover of an abandoned space by graffiti art. Mausolee was put together in an abandoned supermarket outside of Paris by Sowat (of the DMV crew) and Lek, who found the last in the summer of 2011 and have since taken 40 artists to paint there.
This week, Sowat and Lek will be unveiling (through documentation) the space this week in Paris from April 12th-14th.
More photos and more info at Arrested Motion.
Photo by S.Butterfly
Later this month, Roa will have a 2-location solo show with London’s Stolenspace Gallery. The name of the show, Hypnagogia, comes from the state between being awake and falling asleep. In addition to Stolenspace’s usual location, a second part of the show will be at The Stone Masons (17 Osborne Street, London E1 6TD). Hypnagogia runs from April 20th through May 6th. It will also function as the UK launch event for Roa’s first book.
Photo by Rhisiart Hincks
The priority mail label, Label 228, has become the canvas of choice for thousands of artists and sticker heads. When I was down in Washington DC last month, I met up with Camden Noir, an artist with a passion for postal sticker art. A few years back, Camden put out a call for artwork fashioned on priority mail labels. The result was the book LABEL 228: A Street Art Project, one of my all-time favorite collections of sticker art. Camden is at it, once again, seeking original artwork on priority mail labels for a second volume of his book. Submissions can be sent to: Label 228 Project, 56 Miller Street, Cortland, NY 13045.
Images courtesy of Camden Noir; photo by Lois Stavsky with IWN iwillnot
That was a long week. But at least it was a fun one too. For one thing, Jill Cohen was in town for a show at my university. Definitely have a look at her drawings. That’s some crazy skill. Here’s the art news I’ve been reading:
Photo by Kriebel
Anthony Lister had an extremely well received show earlier this year at New Image Art in LA. Here’s a little look at how it came together along with an interview with Lister. I always love to hear what Lister has to say, because he seems like a smart guy who knows a bit more about art in general, his own work and just about anything else than your average artist.
Photo by Birdman
There’s something about this poster by Brian Barrios that I absolutely love, but I can’t quite figure out out. The placement isn’t some impossible spot, but rather somewhere where the piece would look at home. The drawing skill is not noticeably better or worse than Barrios’ previous work, but the subject is captured perfectly. The style isn’t something that hasn’t been done before, but it still looks fresh to me. I dunno exactly why, but I love this poster. I just wish I wouldn’t have to go all the way to the Philippines to see it in the flesh.
Photo by Brian Barrios
