Paul Insect – “Out of Chaos”

“Butterfly Face Hoodie”

As a great follow-up to their Ron English show, the next show at Opera Gallery’s New York location is a solo show with Paul Insect. Out of Chaos is Paul’s first solo show in New York City, despite seriously great and equally successful solo shows in London and LA in the past. The show opens November 29th from 6-9pm. I’m going to miss it, but I have a good excuse: I don’t live in the state. If you do live in New York, you’d best be there.

I’m a fan of a lot of Paul’s work on the street and in the gallery (as are people like Damien Hirst and Patrick Miller and Patrick McNeil Faile), so I’m excited that New York will finally be properly introduced to him (although he has had work in group shows at Opera Gallery in the past). Arrested Motion has photos from a studio visit with Paul Insect with more previews of what to expect at Out of Chaos. There are definitely a few pieces in the post on AM that could be mistaken for Banksy pieces or look heavily influenced by Banksy, but it’s worth noting that Paul Insect has some close ties to the Banksy camp and Opera says that Paul has been involved in “graphically developing [Banksy’s] work.” So, can you really blame a guy for making work that resembles the work of another person whose work he has helped to develop? While the Banksy-esque stuff isn’t usually my favorite of what he does, I’m also not going to call Paul Insect just another Banksy rip off artist either, because that’s not what Paul at all.

Photo courtesy of Opera Gallery

The Yok and Sheryo paint their way around the world

Sheryo and The Yok in Wollongong, Australia

Sheryo and The Yok have spent the last few months traveling, and as a result they’ve painted in a lot of different cities over the last few months. Here are some of my favorite recent-ish walls from them in the USA, Vietnam, and Australia.

Sheryo and The Yok in Sydney, Australia
The Yok and Sheryo in Perth, Australia

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Weekend link-o-rama

Hyuro

Happy reminder that we’re less than a month from Christmas…

Photo by Hyuro

New in The Vandalog Shop: Lush goes postal

I know it’s not Cyber Monday yet, but today we’ve got a special Black Friday announcement: Vandalog has teamed up with Lush on The Vandalog Shop‘s first poster release.

Lush’s poster was inspired by the United States Postal Services’ Label 228 Priority Mail postal label that so many sticker artists swipe from post offices around the USA by the hundreds, and Lush has blown up that label nearly to nearly 30x its standard size. In addition to the posters, each buyer will receive a special bonus item of original work by Lush, from an actual tagged postal label 228 to a tagged poster. The posters are available now for $15 plus shipping and handling through The Vandalog Shop. Pick one up by clicking here.

Even toys like me can enjoy Lush’s poster

When I first saw Lush’s work, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. In fact, I’m still not sure. Lush is either the great jester of graffiti or the absurd conclusion of graffiti culture. He is either the most important or least important graffiti artist working today. Is he offensive for the sake of being offensive, or for the sake of art? It’s impossible to say. All that I’m sure of is that he won’t appreciate me calling what he does “art.” I approached Lush about working with us because The Vandalog Shop is a serious project, but it’s never safe to take yourself too seriously. I just want something on my wall to make me smile, and Lush has delivered on that front with this poster.

We have a handful of these to pop into the tubes as a special bonus when you order a poster. Every purchase will include a bonus item of either a tagged poster or a handmade sticker by Lush.
Some of the handmade stickers set to go out with posters

Stik curates Jordan’s first large street art festival

Abu Sami’s Family in Jabal Al Qala’a overlooking downtown Amman

The Jordanian Jabal Al Qala’a community, situated on Amman’s highest hill, had a rare treat earlier this month. Through the efforts and support of the British Council, noted London-based street artist Stik brought his talent and passion to this historic district, where – Stik notes — “stray cats rummage through rubbish tips and children play in the streets.” In partnership with An Urban Reflection Residency Project and Creative Jordan: Platform for Visionary Ideas Festival, Stik, along with 10 local Jordanian artists, worked with local children to transform the visual landscape of this special space. Here are a few more images:

I love the way Stik and a growing number of street artists facilitate community art projects, using street art as a social tool. Since the festival was launched, the area has seen crowds of tourists, a fashion shoot and a hip-hop music video crew. For more images from this project, known as Outer Space in Al Qala’a, check here.

Photos courtesy of Stik and Alaa Qattam of the British Council

Reka in Europe

Bovisa, Milan

Just got an email from Reka with some photos of the end of his European tour. Lots of painting. My favourite pieces are the ones in Bovisa Milan and Urban Spree Berlin.

Bovisa, Milan
Abandoned factory. Bovisa, Milan
Amsterdam
Wedding, Berlin
Abandoned factory. Friedrichshain, Berlin
Urban Spree, Berlin
Urban Spree, Berlin

All photos courtesy of Reka

Dr. Lakra in Copenhagen

To be honest, I’d never really taken much interest in or a good look at Dr. Lakra’s work, but when Henrik Haven sent me photos of Dr. Lakra’s recent show at Nils Stærk in Copenhagen, I’ve finally taken the chance to look at the work and I’m blown away. It’s no wonder he is in MoMA’s collection. The show runs through December 15th, but for those of us who cannot make it to Copenhagen, here are photos of a portion of the show:

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