For the fourth consecutive year Ad Hoc Art has brought dozens of artists to the Welling Court community in Astoria, Queens, transforming it into a first-rate open air museum. Here’s a small sampling of what could be seen this weekend:
If you are anywhere near NYC, a visit to Welling Court is a must! The diversity of the works and the responses of the local residents to them are astounding. And if you’d like to help fund this project, check this out.
Photos by Lois Stavsky and Tara Murray
During the Art Basel Miami madness, OverUnder and ND’A painted this large wall in the neighborhood of Little Haiti, so this post is a bit late but we couldn’t let this collaboration slip by us. Everything about this mural is representative of something unique about OU and ND’A’s experience. The mural features padlocks since this wall was actually a chance find on the side of a hardware store while the two were looking for another wall. The mural is filled with Haitian imagery that the local people of Haitian descent might appreciate, like hibiscus flowers, arrows found on Haitian flag, and the Liberty Cap on the main figure.
The main figure is a man that the two met on their first day, who had been living under a bridge and who spoke highly of the effect street art has had on the area.
Photos by OverUnder
Labrona sent over some photos from his time in Miami last month, including some collaborations (with Omen and Five), work by his friends (Miss Me and Kin), and the latest En Masse wall. En Masse is a collaborative project based in Montreal where artists draw together in black and white, similar to the American project Paint It Now.
Photos courtesy of Labrona
So much news this week, but first and foremost is the untimely death of NEKST, a globally respected writer.
Photo by C-Monster.net
Bushwick 5 Points has quickly become one of NYC’s most exciting and enticing open-air galleries. ND’A, OverUnder and LNY, three of my favorite street artists, have recently been gracing its walls. Here are some captured these past two days:
Photos by Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky
Opening this evening from 7 to 10 pm at Bushwick’s Low Brow Artique at 143 Central Ave is Just My Type, an exhibit featuring the work of four Brooklyn-based artists — Gilf!, Dirty Bandits, ND’A and QRST — who utilize typography in their artworks. Ranging from the playful to the poignant in a variety of styles and media, the pieces often amuse and always provoke. Coordinated by Low Brow Artique’s resident curator, Rhiannon Platt, the exhibit continues through October 7th.
Images clockwise: Gilf! close-up, photographed by Lois Stavsky; QRST photographed by Tara Murray; Dirty Bandits on postcard courtesy of Low Brow Artique and ND’A photographed by Lois Stavsky
Just a question: Anyone wish an air-conditioned home want to trade places with me until things cool down? Anyway, here’s some linkage to what’s been going on with art this week:
Photo by Henrik Haven
Over two days, artist ND’A was invited to paint a tall narrow space nestled between Nick Walker and Jay Shells at Bushwick 5 Points. At the crossroads where St Nicholas, Troutman, and Scott meet, Joe Ficalora has created a street art oasis. While his family have owned the buildings for years, Joe has taken it upon himself to breathe new life into them. When speaking to Joe, you can tell the passion he has for the artists with whom he shares his walls. This passion has created a space where artists from other countries as well as the New York area can have a more permanent home than the temporal streets that surround his buildings.
Since his visit to Mexico in June with LNY, ND’A’s style has shifted from text-based to the symbolic. Originally incorporating lyrics from various sources including music, the artist has moved towards a more universal meaning for his murals. Rather than having the text connote a specific reference, he is using symbols to create an appeal for the general public. For example, “drunk or sober never lose your composure,” as he used in his Bushwick Open Studios panel, will divide viewers as either those who understand the RZA line or those who are left feeling outside the reference. However, when removing the lyrics and leaving only the symbols behind a crown, a wolf, a bike lock, and a foam finger can take on a number of meanings for those who venture to Bushwick 5 Points.
Photos by Rhiannon Platt
While Caroline was celebrating her birthday and I was setting myself up for a massive hangover, Harlequinade kindly showed our friend ND’A around Philadelphia. Here’s some of what they got up to…
Photos by ND’A
LNY and ND’A visited Mexico earlier this month. Of course, they did some painting while they were there, including at el Museo Del Juguete Antiguo Mexico.
Photos courtesy of LNY and ND’A
