faith47 – Vandalog – A Street Art Blog

June 5, 2016June 5, 2016

Faith47 mixes paints, lights, and rights in Manchester

Faith47

Gotta love 722 – 481 BC, Faith47‘s new piece in Manchester. The mural is part of the Cities of Hope project, which is inviting street artists to address a variety of social justice issues on Manchester’s walls, and to connect with local organizations while they are in town painting. Faith47’s mural celebrates LGBT rights. I’m optimistic that the Cities of Hope project can bring some political edge into the street art festival circuit, but it’s probably too early to say much about how that will go. The other reason this mural caught my eye is the lighting.

night

Faith47 worked with Thingking to design custom lighting for the mural. I’ve got mixed feelings about lighting murals, but I think Faith47 has done a great job with this one. The lights don’t just make the mural visible at night, they add to the composition.

And of course, here’s the full mural during the day:

Photos by Zane Meyer and courtesy of Faith47

December 11, 2015December 23, 2015

A closer look at the Amazon Street Art Project

asap

This week, Amazon launched the Amazon Street Art Project, which features new limited edition artwork from stikman, Faith47, AIKO, Gaia, Logan Hicks, Ganzeer, and Ron English. Each piece in the project is only an edition of 50, so be sure to have a look before they’re all sold out. Since I curated the series, I thought it would be good spend some time looking at what makes each piece in the collection special.

stikman’s print based on a series from 2008 that he’s revamped to turn into his very first screenprint. What I love about Overture is the illusion of 3 layers that stikman created out of the two black and green layers, simply by printing black layer (both the musical score and the stikman figure’s shadow) on top of the green layer.

Faith47

Faith47 really came up with something irresistible by printing silver ink on black paper for her etching, The Psychic Power of Animals. There’s also a must-see video of the etching being produced.

With AIKO’s Bunny, we started with a straightforward concept: A print of Aiko’s classic Bunny icon. Then, AIKO decided to go overboard in the best way possible, adding layers and layers of hand-painted customization to every print.

Gaia’s screenprint makes great use of half-tones, something I’ve often seen go poorly with other artists. Usually, you see artists using half-tones to skimp on adding what should be another layer of color to their print, but Gaia uses them masterfully for Amani, adding essential detail and depth to his work.

Logan Hicks’ Wasted Lives is the main reason I keep having to avoid calling this a print series. Wasted Lives is not a print. It’s a completely hand-painted edition. Using his pioneering stencil techniques, Hicks created an edition of 50 original works on paper.

You really have to get in close to appreciate the full beauty of Ganzeer’s After the Starstuff. Yes, the image itself, of the Earth from space and then close-ups on a pile of man-made trash, is powerful, but Ganzeer took this to another level by making this a letterpress print and using handmade hemp paper.

And finally, Ron English’s Monarch Elephant, because if I was going to be working with one of the world’s largest retailers to bring art to a huge new audience, I also needed someone to slip in a cheeky celebration of “the art of evolution.”

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015

Amazon.com’s Street Art Project, curated by Vandalog

asap

In December, an eclectic set of seven prints and editioned works from some of the world’s most interesting street artists will go for sale on… Amazon.com. Starting December 7th and available for one week only, Amazon.com will be offering new works by Ron English, stikman, Faith47, Gaia, AIKO, Logan Hicks, and Ganzeer. There are three screenprints, one etching, one letterpress, one done entirely with spraypaint and stencils, and one hand-finished giclée. Each artist’s piece is an edition of 50, and the prices range from $200-550. If a lot of the artists in the line up look familiar to regular readers of Vandalog, that’s because I curated the collection.

"After the Starstuff" (detail) by Ganzeer — “After the Starstuff” (detail) by Ganzeer

This is the first time that Amazon has worked with a curator to arrange a series of new works specifically for them. When I was brought into the mix, the idea was pretty open-ended: A series of prints by seven street artists to be released in December. With that in mind, I wanted to capture a small slice of the variety that exists within street art, to show how street art resists being defined by a single style or medium. That’s how we wound up with a collection that ranges from Ganzeer’s subtly dark letterpress print to AIKO’s bold pop art utilizing screenprinting and spaypaint.

"Bunny" (detail) by AIKO — “Bunny” (detail) by AIKO

I think, and I hope you’ll agree, that we’ve put together a suite of seven extraordinary pieces by a broad sampling of some of street art’s finest. You can preview the entire Amazon Street Art Project on Amazon.com. The works will be available online starting December 7th.

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

December 15, 2014

In Shoreditch, Part II: Faith47, Satterugly, Rone, Hottea, Bicicleta, Jimmy C, Ben Slow, Roa, Martin Ron & Skeleton Cardboard

South African artist Faith47 and to the right Mexican artist Satterugly — South African artist Faith47 and to her right Mexican artist Satterugly

This is the second post featuring some of the walls that I recently saw in Shoreditch, the East London neighborhood that is increasingly attracting artists from throughout the globe.

Another view of Faith47 and Satterugly with Australian artist Rone to the left and Hottea's first-rate graffiti — Another view of Faith47 and Satterugly with Australian artist Rone to the left and Hottea’s first-rate graffiti

Belgian artist Roa with Argentine artist Martin Ron to his left

Irish artist Skeleton Cardboard with a message

Photos 1-4 by Dani Reyes Mozeson; 5-7 by Lois Stavsky

December 11, 2013December 9, 2013

Ladies Run Basel with Women on the Walls

This year Wywood Walls turned five and to mark the special occasion curator Jeffrey Deitch called on on the finest ladies in the field for Women on the Walls. International artists Aiko, Miss Van, Fafi, Maya Hayuk, Lady Pink, Faith47, Lakwena, Kashink, Sheryo, Olek, Toofly, Claw Money, Jessie & Katey, Myla, and Shamsia Hassani all created murals or showed in the adjacent exhibition space. The participating artists have come from cities such as Cape Town, Paris, New York, and London. Part gallery part mural exhibition, the project acts as a history guide to the great presence of women muralists.

Women on the Walls is a dream come true and also a proverbial screw you to people who say that the reason women artists are often overshadowed in the media is due to a dearth in street art. That, to be blunt, is bullshit. Older artists and the younger generation they inspired came together in the Wynwood district of Miami this Art Basel to prove their stronghold in the public art community. The scope of media alone proves their mastery of the craft as spray paint, yarn, text, stencils, and free handed characters all co-mingle to form a variety that has something to please most tastes.

Not only is the perfect storm of artists curated in this year’s Wynwood Walls enough to be in awe of, additionally Martha Cooper has shared some breathtaking progress photos. As artfully as the walls are decorated, each image thoughtfully reveals the personas behind the iconography. Each picture displays the strength of these women, whether unveiling the sheer amount of effort behind a production to those who stand boldly in front of completed pieces. Cooper shows that these women are heroes, or warriors as Toofly depicts, taking on whatever challenges lay in their wake and simply killing it.

All photos by Martha Cooper

September 26, 2013October 1, 2013

Best of Woodstock, as photographed by Jared Aufrichtig

A note from the editor: Today we have a guest post from Jared Aufrichtig, an artist who has been taking some really interesting photos of street art Woodstock, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. His book about South African youth culture launches this week at Kalashnikovv Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa. I love Jared’s willingness to make these photographs his own, rather than just documenting the art straight-up. There’s a place for that traditional documentation, but these photos are great examples of how people can use the gifts that street artists give to the public and make their own art out of them. Jared’s photos here feature work by DALeast, Cern, Faith47, Gaia, Jace, Jaz, Know Hope, Louis Masai Michel, Freddy Sam, Paul Senyol, Mak1one, Pastel Heart, Jared Aufrichtig, Kasi, ?All and Makatron. – RJ Rushmore

These images were taken over the past 6 months while I got to know the Woodstock Community and explored the explosion of new work by local and international artists. During my many visits I was welcomed by the kind majority-Muslim community, they commissioned me to do work for them and I shared many fond experiences (except for when my original custom made RETNA Art iPhone grew legs while painting a mural). I was able to freely document their lives and unique area; I even shot portraits of a small child that ended up being used for a piece I had done by my friend from Durban Pastel.

Over the past few years the level of work and roster of international artist has risen dramatically. Woodstock will soon become Cape Towns ONLY area filled with creative public expression. I believe in and support the beautification of urban areas like this and others around the world.

Continue reading “Best of Woodstock, as photographed by Jared Aufrichtig”

July 31, 2013August 1, 2013

Wall\Therapy, the finished products

v5aro-rkGASBY_ozoMHBnWj6R34OUCAg0A5i-R8bz8U — Smith

This year’s Wall\Therapy festival is winding down in Rochester, NY, so let’s have a look at the finished work (although a few were already covered by Daniel’s posts). There are a few really killer pieces, including this piece by Ever that I haven’t seen professional photos of yet, and some legal work along abandoned train tracks which is really interesting, but I’m not sure about this spot that looks like a little hall-of-fame setup. Those are valuable to have, but I personally wouldn’t put one in a mural festival these days. Still, plenty of good work all around, and I love that there are way more old-school writers at Wall\Therapy than just about any other mural festival I’ve ever seen besides perhaps a Meeting of Styles event. Conor Harrington knocked it out of the park, and Jessie and Katey did a simple but really effective piece.

Continue reading “Wall\Therapy, the finished products”

July 24, 2013July 25, 2013

Wall Therapy firsthand – Part 2

This is part 2 in Daniel “Halopigg” Weintraub‘s series of posts from Rochester’s Wall\Therapy mural festival. You can read part 1 here.

I was told yesterday by local superhero @MagnusApollo that the government of Rochester truly believes that its community really loves driving everywhere. While the locals might protest to this idea and insist they would prefer a more congruent and efficient system of transportation, I just ignore everyone and walk. I began yesterday by not heeding my own advice, and taking a “quick jaunt” over to Faith47’s amazing new mural in downtown Rochester.

Faith47 for Wall\Therapy 2012 — Faith47 for Wall\Therapy 2011

Faith47 is a person whom I look up to both artistically and personally. I consider her and her husband DALeast to be close friends and anytime I can get some quality time with their respective brains I dive right in. Faith’s wall came together almost in the blink of an eye, and it is stunning. The wall itself and the bridge above are some of the most beautifully aged textures I have ever seen, and somehow Faith made them even more amazing. Her mural, “sic semper erat, et sic semper erit” or “Thus has it always been, and thus shall it ever be” is a beautiful mural left for the people of Rochester, and based on the number of dramatic 90 degree head turns I saw yesterday I think they like it already.

DALeast for Wall\Therapy 2012 — DALeast for Wall\Therapy 2011

My next move was to go see Faith’s other half DALeast get started on his mural (final shots coming soon). I took the advice of a local who said, “sure you can walk there, it’s pretty close!” It was not pretty close, but hey I can always stand to lose a little off the hammy thighs. When I arrived at Dal’s wall he was just about to start his outline, which was an amazing thing for me to watch. In all the times I have got to hang with Dal I never have gotten to see him paint. I was interested in the process that eventually leads to his amazing 3-D design. Much like a lot of painters, Dal starts with basic lines to get his spacing and placement right. Simplistic, well thought out, and an almost ninja like efficiency define the start of Dal’s murals. Again my presence was not helping the progress of Mr. East’s wall so after getting some much needed life advice and votes of confidence from the man I decided to press on.

The rest of my day consisted of me being passed around the Wall\Therapy crew like the proverbial doobie. Making friends is one of my specialties and I have met some really great souls already in my two days here. The staffing for this great festival has been super on point, extremely welcoming, and more organized then I could have imagined! Highlights from the afternoon and evening include checking out the progress of Gaia’ mural (pictures coming soon), seeing Adam Francy’s wall, meeting Mr. Prvrt and seeing his two animal murals, getting some stickers tagged for my 228 collections, and of course the soon to be infamous #LiftFlood #LiftProblems surrounding Chris Stain’s mural. Just a piece of advice, if you think you flooded your lift’s engine, make sure you actually have the gas turned on, it really helps starting the engine.

Photos by Daniel “Halopigg” Weintraub

May 20, 2013May 21, 2013

Faith47 in London

Faith47 just painted two pieces in London: london. you beast which you can see from Leonard Street in Shoreditch, and a sacrifice on the altar of science at The Old Truman Brewery. Props to Global Street Art for arranging the wall on Leonard Street.

Photos courtesy of Faith47

February 28, 2013February 25, 2013

Very Nearly Almost issue 21

I can’t wait to get my copy of Very Nearly Almost issue #21. This time around, VNA have spoken with Miss Van, Faith47, Dal, Rone and others, but I’m most looking forward to their interview with NoseGo, which was conducted by Vandalog’s Caroline Caldwell. You can pick up a copy of VNA here.