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Shepard, Banksy and Shepard

As I write this, the first images are starting to appear on Twitter from Shepard Fairey’s May Day show at Deitch. That’s not what this post is about though. More on May Day tomorrow. This is more about two random bits of news that Shepard is involved with.

Animal NY is reporting that Shepard Fairey’s mural at Bowery and Houston might actually be illegal. That would definitely be unexpected, since this is the same wall that Deitch has used three times in the last few years (but this is the first time that they have built a structure onto the wall). I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this was another prank though. This mural has been taking some abuse.

And if you read the latest issue of Time Magazine, you may notice that Shepard has written one of the profiles in their annual Time100 list of 100 influential people. Which profile has Shepard written? Banksy’s. That’s right. Banksy is one of Time’s 100 most influential people this year. You can read what Shepard has to say on Time’s website.

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News from Swoon

Some fantastic news from the world of Swoon this week.

Today is the release date of Swoon’s first monograph. The book is almost 200 pages long and features photos of Swoon’s work as well as essays by people like Jeffrey Deitch. The book will be published by Abrams and is available on their website for $35.

And the second bit of news from Swoon is her latest undertaking: The Konbit Shelter Project. Swoon has been studying architecture, and in an effort to aid the relief efforts in Haiti, she plans to work with a team of people (including artistic collaborator Ben Wolf) to build superadobe structures in Haiti this summer. These structures are amazing because they are relatively easy and cheap to build but also very strong. To raise awareness for Konbit Shelter, Swoon and her team will be building a prototype of the structures in New York City this weekend. The structure will be unveiled on May 2nd at East River Park in Brooklyn. For more information on the project read this post on Hyperallergic and check out The Konbit Shelter Project’s website.

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Time lapse video of Roa in London

I was fortunate enough to watch Roa paint The Foundry in London a few weeks ago. He had just finished this piece and had some paint left over. There was a spot around the corner where he could paint, so, naturally, he couldn’t leave without making a quick bird (this is a Babelgum video, so those reading via RSS readers may not see this video unless you visit the website):

Roa’s headed to New York City soon for his show at Factory Fresh, so be on the look out for some outdoor work there.

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Astoria Scum River Bridge

This is such an amazing project showing the power of art and activism. I could have sworn that I posted about it months ago, but now I can’t find that post. So I guess I didn’t. But if I did, sorry to be repetitive.

Posterchild and Jason Eppink built Astoria Scum River Bridge to draw attention to a 20-year-old leak in a drainage pipe in New York City. Check out the video to see what happened as a result of their project:

Astoria Scum River Bridge from Jason Eppink on Vimeo.

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Alberto de Pedro and Fragil in San Javier Spain

My man Alberto de Pedro doing some amazing work! One of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He posted me up when I was in Madrid and helped me paint an installation all night inside a really incredible squat. Afterward, we walked back through the city to my hostel, I went to the Prado and then hopped on a plane back to America. Be sure to lookout for some street art festivals he is putting on this summer. And check his flickr here.

photos via Unurth

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Video: Escif’s Around The Wall show at POW

Escif’s solo show Around The Wall opened at Pictures on Walls in London a few weeks ago. I haven’t really mentioned it since the opening because I’ve been waiting until I could post this video. I guess the video pretty much sums up my thoughts on the show, so I won’t write too much, but I really enjoyed it and if you’re in London, it’s definitely worth checking out.

So here’s my video walk-through of the show (some people reading this post through RSS readers may have to go to vandalog.com to view this video):

Around The Wall runs until May 30th.

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Lots of interest at Phillips de Pury

Phillips de Pury’s May 13th and May 14th Contemporary Art auctions have a number of interesting paintings up for grabs, but here’s a few of the pieces that are more relevant to Vandalog.

  • Lot 116. Rubber by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Estimated at $1,500,000-2,500,000.

  • Lot 145. Untitled by Banksy. Estimated $150,00-250,000.
    I’d love to hear what somebody who can see this in person things of this lot. Seems like an expensive estimate, but it’s a big painting (188 x 180 cm). And it’s from 2003, which for me is one of Banksy’s best years. Can Banksy have a best year? That sounds really weird doesn’t it? But it’s something I seem to have noticed.
  • Lot 433. Pyramid (yellow on blue) by Keith Haring. Estimated $30,000-40,000.

  • Lot 434. Pyramid (blue on yellow) by Keith Haring. Estimated $30,000-40,000.
    I love this piece. Not so much the yellow on blue pyramid with a similar design (lot 433). But this one, I love.

  • Lot 436. Untitled by Barry McGee. Estimated $8,000-12,000.
    Not really for me, but perfect for the true McGee fans out there.
  • Lot 437. Charlie Chaplin Pink by Mr. Brainwash. Estimated $50,000-70,000.
    Imagine a Nick Walker mood board, but made by Mr. Brainwash (no offense intended Nick). Ugliness overload. And not only that. It looks so boring. Doesn’t challenge or interest me in the least. But I hate almost everything that MBW signs, so I’m obviously not the best person to comment on this painting.

Some of the most interesting work in these auction for me actually isn’t the work by street artists. There’s a lot great art by artists like Chris Johanson, so it’s worth flipping through the full catalog if you’re curious.