Vandalog – A Street Art Blog

May 21, 2009

Location. Location. Location

As the best street artists, and estate agents, will tell you, location is everything. These pieces that have popped up recently in New York City are just amazing examples of this.

First up, Judith Supine. Now, part of the reason this looks so good is probably due to Becki’s photography, but Supine definitely knows how to pick interest places for his work.

And of course, this piece by Dan Witz deserves a mention. It looks like a real person, or at least a sculpture like Mark Jenkins might do, but apparently it is just a 2d painting, like the rest of Witz’ work. Amazing. It’s definitely also seeing larger.

Photos by Becki Fuller

May 21, 2009

Know Hope @ Carmichael Gallery

Know Hope is one of my favorite under-appreciated street artists. His images tug at the heartstrings. They are delicate in a way that not much street art is. I’ve interviewed him before for Vandalog, so if you haven’t read that interview, have a look.

Know Hope’s solo show at the Carmichael Gallery opens in two weeks, on June 4th. It’s an installation show called “The times won’t save you (this rain smells of memory)”. I’m disappointed that I can’t be in LA for this show.

Press release:

30,000 paper raindrops. 40,000 feet of fishing twine. 2,500 fishing weights. Hundreds of sheets of cardboard fashioned into miniature works of art and a crowd of life-size cut-out characters. Incorporating all of the above ingredients and more for his debut Los Angeles solo show at Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art on June 4th, 2009, Israeli artist Know Hope invites you to literally step inside one of his artworks for a visual experience unlike any you have ever encountered and one you will never forget.

“This exhibition holds nothing but a reflection of where we are now, and offers us nothing but the suggestion of adaptation and (re)adjustment to the current tides. This is a binding burden, and we’re all in this together.”
– Know Hope

Know Hope will be in attendance at the opening reception of “the times won’t save you (this rain smells of memory)” on Thursday, June 4th, 2009 from 7.00pm – 10.00pm. The exhibition will be open for viewing through Thursday, July 2nd 2009 from 1.00pm -7.00pm. Please contact art@carmichaelgallery.com to preview available work.

May 21, 2009

Avoid, Bloke and Faro @ Factory Fresh

Factory Fresh has an interesting show starting soon. It features Avoid, Bloke, and Faro; three guys who are really changing the face of New York graffiti. I completely agree with this press release in that the more graphic form of graffiti these artists represent is the next wave, and is poised to become even more important in the coming years.

Factory Fresh and Mighty Tanaka present:

2012

Featuring

AVOID, BLOKE and FARO

Friday, June 5th 7-10pm
Opens during Bushwick Open Studio Weekend. If you haven’t checked out our new neighborhood this is the weekend to do it. It will also be Factory Fresh’s First Year Anniversary.

This June AVOID, BLOKE and FARO converge at Factory Fresh, bringing with them an assorted collection of unique styles that exemplify the next generation of NYC street art and graffiti. The three artists known on the streets for ridiculously massive tags, culturally inspired graffiti and paper airplanes and airships have caught many peoples eye in both Manhattan and Brooklyn. On June 5th they will present their artwork as a group in a gallery for the first time.

The show is based on the year 2012, which represents a notion of change and transition within the world, marking the end of the Mayan calendar. Many view this year with apprehension, prophesying apocalypse, climate meltdown or a spiritual awakening. Currently, through the economic crisis and constant warfare, an artistic shift has taken place on the streets of New York City. Artists AVOID, BLOKE and FARO signify a changing of the guard in graffiti and street art. Meshing these two individual cultures into one, these three artists represent the overall change of how individuals view street art and graffiti, bringing it together as one.

AVOID, BLOKE and FARO have been constant contributors to the painted interpretation of the urban environment for many years now. Each artist has developed a text-based style as well as iconic imagery that have become ubiquitous details within our daily lives. Through blending their ideals and styles, they have created a symbolized view of the streets that transcends one world and ushers in another.

As we approach this time of great change, the 2012 show places the viewer in the middle of the transformation, setting about on an adventure through a shifting paradigm of the world. It seeks to enlighten and project the change that is constantly around us with the progression of both society and art.

Show runs till June 21st

May 20, 2009May 20, 2009

More images from Herakut’s “No Placebos”

Earlier today, I posted about Herakut‘s surprise show, “No Placebos,” that opens tomorrow in New York at RedFlagg. Well here’s the poster and a couple of exclusive teaser images I can share:

Here’s a reminder of the vital info for this show:

“No Placebos”

Opening: 21st May 2009, 6 – 8 pm.

May 21st – June 3rd 2009

Red Flagg

638 West 28th Street

New York, New York 10001

And if you haven’t already, check out their new book. Herakut: The Perfect Merge can be purchased on Amazon.

Photos from Frankie/Campbarbossa

May 20, 2009

The Keith Haring Museum

Not that anybody needs another reason to visit Japan, but here’s perhaps the best street art related reason: They have a Keith Haring museum!

The Nakamura Keith Haring Collection is the only collection of Keith Haring’s work currently being displayed for the public in this sort of space and on this scale, and it looks spectacular.

Keith Haring Museum

Via wejetset

May 20, 2009

Herakut Suprise Show

SlamXHype has the scoop on Herakut’s surprise show in New York City. It opens tomorrow at RegFlagg.

From SlamXHype:

“NO PLACEBOS”

Opening: 21st May 2009, 6 – 8 pm.

May 21st – June 3rd 2009

Red Flagg

638 West 28th Street

New York, New York 10001

Here is the press release:

RedFlagg is pleased to present the New York debut exhibition of Herakut, the highly-acclaimed German collective comprised of Hera and Akut. The exhibition, entitled No Placebos, will open with a reception on Thursday, May 21st from 6-8pm and continue through July 3rd, 2009. This show will feature several paintings on a variety of media, all combining the two artist’s starkly different techniques. Hera’s emotional figures and silhouettes are extemporaneously created using spray cans, brushes, her hands, etc., while Akut’s hyper-realistic paintings of animals, flesh and facial features are rendered using only a spray can. This exhibition follows successful solo shows at Campbarbossa, London, The Leonard Street Gallery, London, and the Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles. Copies of the recently published Herakut monograph The Perfect Merge will be available at RedFlagg.

May 19, 2009

Rowdy Solo Show

Rowdy has a solo show coming up at Sartorial Contemporary Art on June 4th. I’m curious, but aprehensive. I’ve enjoyed his canvases and his street work, which are completely different, but I’m not sure what I’ve seen could fill a solo show.

Here’s the press release:

In his first major London solo show the King of Crocs showcases his diverse talent at Sartorial Contemporary Art. Expect to see Rowdy’s unique take on urban living and landscape in the form of his legendary boulders, abstract cityscapes and of course the ubiquitous crocs.

Bricks and mortar may mean money and mortgages to some but Rowdy prefers his building blocks in their raw state. ‘The local quarry provides the bedrock for our roads and cities’ says the artist. ‘I hit the rocks before they reach their destiny of becoming our new urban spaces’. Simultaneously caveman-esque and contemporary, the cartoon monoliths have been described as ‘Ren & Stimpy meets Goldsworthy’. Their arrival in the urban landscape provides jarring juxtaposition.

His Cityscape paintings show Skyscrapers constructed out of the tiniest marks a spray can can make, reminiscent of T.S Lowry’s ‘matchstick men’, combined with 1980’s graffiti fades. Some are hectic, others more meditative. Highly sought after, this accomplished series offers nuances and subtleties both in style and substance, often somewhat lacking in today’s saturated street art market.

Continuing the narrative of City versus The Ancient; Rowdy’s trademark crocodiles are often huge in scale and are indicative of the playful nature of the imagery in his work, and long may we continue to see these King-sized crocs attacking our walls and lurking in the concrete swamps. The last few years have seen him collaborate with cohorts Cyclops & Sweet Toof resulting in one of the most widespread bombing campaigns seen in the UK’s capital in the last decade.

‘Don’t be taken in by his welcome grin, he’s imagining how well you’d fit within his skin…’

May 19, 2009July 4, 2010

Nick Walker book launch @ BRP

“A Sequence of Events” is Nick Walker’s new book, due to be released this spring, and in conjunction with the book, Walker has a solo show at Black Rat Press.

The show, also called “A Sequence of Events” opens May 28th, and there will be 2 screenprints released on that night.

They’ll kill me for saying this, but start lining up outside of BRP soon, and bring tents. Camping out overnight may be the only way to guarantee your chance at one of Walker’s highly-in-demand screenprints.

May 19, 2009

New Lazarides Rathbone Place Gallery

It’s finally open. The new space for The Lazarides Gallery at Rathbone Place in London opened last Thursday for their latest group show called “Grow Up.” I went to, and tweeted, the opening, but I’ve waited to do a proper post on the show because it took until today for me to get back when it wasn’t so crowded.

As usual, Lazarides puts on a good show. Even though they seem to have lost their #1 star, Lazarides reminds us that it wasn’t just The Banksy Show over in SoHo. Vhils, JR, Faile, and many others are doing great work there too.

Two giant pieces by Vhils are impressive and I definitely enjoyed them, but almost too big to fully appreciate. You get close enough admire the craftsmanship, and you lose the image, you get far enough away, and the image is clear but simplistic. Hopefully his upcoming solo show (July I think?) will have a range of sizes.

As always, the work from JR was absolutely gorgeous. I can’t say enough good things about the best photographer street artist. There was even one piece from his recent trip to Africa where he pasted his work into trains.

This piece is probably old, but it’s a nice Faile and a bit different:

Of course, there was plenty more interesting work from artists like Invader and David Choe (among others), but one worth mentioning in particular is Charlie Isoe. Isoe is the newest artist as Lazarides. All I know is that he’s from Australia and paints very well. This portrait of Marilyn was my favorite. Yes, his work is a bit like a combination of Anthony Lister and Antony Micallef, but umm… okay let’s just ignore that bit for now.

While I enjoyed “Grow Up,” I’m just glad to see Lazarides finally in a space fitting of the gallery’s importance, and I look forward to the solo shows they have lined up for later in the year.

Photos by WallKandy/Ian Cox

May 19, 2009

Playing catch up with a few links

Here’s a few things that I could/should have done full posts about, but I’d just like to quickly cover before they become too old and get lost in my inbox.

Until May 30th you can get a special “early bird” rate on tickets to OFFSET2009, a 3 day conference taking place in Dublin this November. A number of street/urban/low-brow artists will be there including D*Face, Asbestos, and Brad Downey.
Faile put up another prayer wheel in New York. Unfortunately, @newyourpulse has just tweeted that the piece is gone. A picture below (and more here):
Jeff Soto has been in London. I’ve never been a fan of his work (admitted, I have only seen jpegs), which is why I didn’t cover his current show at StolenSpace Gallery, but he’s also done a couple street pieces which I like much more than his gallery work, so below is one of those. Also, here’s a recent interview with Soto for Civil Clothing.
Public Ad Campaign‘s recent New York Billboard Takeover was even larger than I could have imagined. They’ve just released a Google map detailing all the work that was done. Great job guys. Looks like you took over the city (if only for a day or two).
And lastly, the Brooklynite Gallery‘s latest show has brought a bit of London to New York, with Sweet Toof and Cept getting up in across the pond.

Jeff Soto photo by Sabeth718, other photos by SMKjr