Mataruda is a Baltimore-based artist who has been getting up a lot lately with some wheatpasted block prints. Here are some of my favorite pieces by him.
Photos by Mataruda
Skio
Weekend link-o-rama
Happy almost new year to everyone. It’s been quite a year, but I’m on vacation, so there’s no end-of-year round up from Vandalog. Instead, just the usually weekly round up (which includes some end-of-year round ups of course). Also, thank you to everyone who read the 7000+ words this week about Artists 4 Israel. I know politics is not the usual topic of this blog, but I think those posts are among the most important items on Vandalog all year, as are the founder of Artist 4 Israel’s comments on each post. Anyway, here’s what’s up recently:
- Looks like the Season Ticket fair in London was a hit. Sweet Toof even painted people’s nails. One fan sent over these results of Sweet Toof’s efforts.
- Futura has been working on some new pieces for a show in Paris.
- The lead photo this week is from this series of photos that Luna Park took in Grottaglie, where FAME Festival is held.
- The Atlantic has some insight into how Vhils goes about making a mural.
- HowAboutNo! has collected his favorite photos of the year into this post.
- How can you not like Tryone’s “Drive By Shooting” piece? Definitely similar to work by Brad Downey and Akay, but cool nonetheless.
- The LA Weekly has a list of their top 10 street art stories of the year. It’s not bad. Obviously LA-centric, but who can blame them?
Photo by Luna Park
A close look at Artists 4 Israel – part two
Please note: Corrections made to the article are in bold or stuck out.
This is the second post in a two-part series on Artists 4 Israel and their event, the Defend The Future Tour. The first post was an effort to give an account of my personal experiences with Artists 4 Israel and was published yesterday. This post deals more directly with criticisms of Artists 4 Israel and their response to some of those criticisms, as well as other Haverford students’ reactions to the DTF Tour. I encourage you to read part one first, because, while this article is also clearly very opinionated, the first post sheds more light on my personal experiences with the group and may help to explain some of my personal biases that came up when writing this post. As is always the case on Vandalog, this post is mine and may or may not represent the views of any other Vandalog writers. – RJ Rushmore
As explained in detail in part one of this series, the Defend The Future Tour (a thinly veiled front for Artists 4 Israel so that they can appear apolitical) visited Haverford College on November 17th with the innocuously advertised aim of putting on a graffiti workshop for students. In reality, they used the creation of a mural as an excuse to pass out pro-Israel and anti-Arab propaganda masked as apolitical facts. Continue reading “A close look at Artists 4 Israel – part two”
Interview with Stinkfish
Stinkfish is an artist from Bogota, Colombia and personally, one of my favorites. He does a little of everything from rollers to posters, stickers to straight up tagging, but he’s renowned for his vibrant portraiture. I was lucky enough to get to ask him a few question.
How long have you been with your crew, APC?
I created the Animal Power Culture (APC) with my friend Aeon (aka Lorenzo Masnah / Third World Pirat / El Peor –www.masnah.tk) at some point, I do not remember exactly, between 2006 and 2007. We came up with the idea of make up a crew without rules or defined styles, which could grow and grow as a large family of animals of different races and backgrounds. There were only the two of us for a while; later, friends from different cities and countries join. Today we are about 30 animals in Colombia, Mexico, United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Guatemala, Spain, Holland and Argentina.
What did you like to do as a kid?
My childhood was spent between the typical TV addiction of the 80’s and 90’s, playing soccer outside my house and going for bike rides around the neighborhood. But one thing I remember with special affection are the cameras that my dad bought and sold frequently, I could spend hours “playing” with them, discovering how they work: framing, focusing.
What were your first few experiences with vandalism like?
Destruction of street furniture, but those are fuzzy memories of confusing days.
Was there anything specific that inspired your involvement in street art? Is there anything now that inspires you to keep doing it?
I liked being on the street and spent hours walking around aimlessly. I also made images that were stored on the hard drive of my computer without anyone to see them. But I wanted to show them to as many people as cheaper as I could. Then it all started. Now days I’m in this for the same reasons and because I believe in the sincerity of graffiti, street art or whatever you want to call it. I believe in doing what I like out of conviction, without permission. Doing what I wish to do with what I have at hand in the place I want and when I want to, without thinking about health insurance, a salary or a pat on the back.
The style you have is very recognizable. Have you always painted in this way?
I have used different media and techniques during these years of work in the street: stencils, stickers, posters, brushes, rollers, fire extinguishers, extenders, chalk, etc.. For a long time I worked with stencils until I decided to leave it almost entirely. Then I began to paint with spray, brushes and rollers, and make quick tags and characters. Later I return to stencil with new ideas, looking for other stories, closer ones. I think that is a part of what I do today but I dont think I have one only style. I like to create images in different ways, with the tools I have available in the place where I am. I do not like being tied to one way of doing things.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not painting?
Walking is one of the things I like to do. Walking aimlessly with loud music and accidentally find coincidences of sound and movement, between the lyrics of songs and what happens every day.
What’s the best part after you finish a piece?
The best part is that moment when I finish packing everything and start to walk away from the wall with complete certainty that I painted the wall I want as I wanted, at the right time and without any permission.
Some of the faces in your portraits are people you don’t know. Has this ever led to anything interesting?
Most are people I dont know. I have my camera always at hand and all the time I take pictures of unaware people. I also found pictures abandoned on the floor and others I have bought in street markets. The interesting thing for me is to give new life to these portraits, make a new larger scale picture on a wall, make them travel.
What countries have you put up work in?
Colombia / Mexico / Guatemala / El Salvador / England / Spain / Holland
What has been the greatest experience you’ve had doing street art?
To know the thoughts and feelings of some people.
What has been the worst experience?
To know the thoughts and feelings of some people.
Do you have any goals for 2012?
Paint and travel as much as possible / publish a new fanzine.
Photos by Stinkfish
A close look at Artists 4 Israel – part one
Update: Part 2 of this series is now online.
This is the first post in a two-part series on Artists 4 Israel and a series of events they put together, the Defend The Future Tour. This first post is an attempt at giving an account of my personal experiences with Artists 4 Israel and the DTF Tour. There are two primary reasons for this post: A. To give a firsthand account of what it is like to be subject to attempts of manipulation by Artists 4 Israel and B. To acknowledge some of the personal experiences and biases that I am bringing to the table when I write about Artists 4 Israel. This is done in an effort to be honest with Vandalog’s readers. Part 2 of this series, dealing with Artists 4 Israel in a wider context than myself and giving the organization’s take on the DTF Tour, will be published tomorrow. As is always the case on Vandalog, this post is mine and may or may not represent the views of any other Vandalog writers. – RJ Rushmore
On November 17th, the Defend The Future Tour came to Haverford College, spray cans in hand, in what now seems to me to have been an attempt to manipulate students into having a greater hate and fear of the Arab world and a greater love for Israel. This would have been fine, except for the manipulation. I go to Haverford College, so I experienced the DTF Tour myself. Continue reading “A close look at Artists 4 Israel – part one”
Macay’s Surreal Collages Surface in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
We recently came upon some unusual paste-ups in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. A surreal mix of natural elements and characters, they are eerily enchanting. It turns out they are the work of Chilean artist Macay, who has been getting her work out on the streets of London for a while now. Here’s a sampling:
Photos by Tara Murray
New Sten and Lex Work in Rome
Ludo hits some Paris advertisements
As part of Ludo‘s X-Ray series, he hit a few Parisian bus-stop advertisements. The Hennessy ad is particularly timely as Kim Jong-il was apparently quite a fan of the cognac brand.
Photos by Ludo
WSDM Crew
WSDM Crew (or Wisdom Crew) from Santiago, Chile is comprised of seven members. Brako, Tombo, Benzo, Pohyo, Nadao , Fury and Gumy.
“All our graffiti are made with a mix of the worst paint in the world and some mtn cans that we can get sometimes” says Gumy.
The crew is also in the midst of putting together book about South American graffiti.
Photos by WSDM Crew