Banksy + 5: October 15th

Banksy in Tribeca. Photo from banksyny.com
Banksy in Tribeca. Photo from banksyny.com.

Update: As the New York Post notes (even though they reference the unverified and likely-fake Banksy twitter account), one interesting thing about this piece is the question of how long it will last before being vandalized.

For today’s Better Out Than In piece, Banksy has made a sort of 9/11 tribute or memorial. I suppose it’s interesting that Banksy is using a flower both as a memorial and to show an explosion, but I’m still not sure about this piece. Sidenote: Banksy has previously made at least two pieces referencing 9/11. And Gothamist reports that Banksy may have made two of this piece. There’s another similar stencil but sans-flower in Brooklyn Heights.

And for today’s + 5, there’s work by TrustoCorp (which is Banksy-themed, thanks to ANIMAL for the tip and the video), Kid Hazo (thanks to Streets Dept for the tip), Pablo Delgado, Poster Boy in collaboration with Bamn (referencing Rene Mederos) and one unknown artist edit: .frA*:

Kid Hazo. Photo by Kid Hazo.
Kid Hazo in Philadelphia. Photo by Kid Hazo.
Pablo Delgado. Photo by Boring Lovechild.
Pablo Delgado. Photo by Boring Lovechild.
Poster Boy and Bamn in Cuba. Photo by Poster Boy.
Poster Boy and Bamn in Cuba. Photo by Poster Boy.
Unknown artist in Berlin. Photo by duncan c.
.frA* in Berlin. Photo by duncan c.

Photos by Kid Hazo, Boring Lovechild, Poster Boy and duncan c and from banksyny.com

Weekend link-o-rama

Unknown artist in Berlin
Unknown artist in Berlin

Caroline and I are headed to Chicago today. We’ll have a few days to explore, so any suggestions are appreciated. Here’s your links:

  • El Toro, Dave The Chimp, Invader, Flying Fortress, Mr. Penfold and others sent in stickers and other small artworks to This must be for you, who put all the work together into little folders and lift them as free gifts around London. Giving out free gifts unexpectedly to random people with no expectation of anything in return, sounds like fun to me (although of course very similar to Papergirl). Check out the video here.
  • I love this intervention by Plastic Jesus. He went into Best Buy stores in LA and left them with some special new products.
  • TrustoCorp put up a sign in Bushwick last week.
  • Luzinterruptus put up this fantastic sculptural intervention in Madrid in response to accusations of corruption and money laundering in the Spanish government.
  • Anyone know who did this? It’s so cute.

Photo by pareto8020

Weekend link-o-rama

Trustocorp
Trustocorp

Today I’m finishing my exams and packing up my dorm. Sunday, it’s off to London. Can’t wait. Here’s what I’ve been distracting myself with this week:

Photo courtesy of Trustocorp

Weekend link-o-rama

"The American Cousins" by Cekis in Fleury-Les Aubrais, France
“The American Cousins” by Cekis in Fleury-Les Aubrais, France

So as finals exams and essays begin to creep up on me (70-ish pages to write in the next month), these link-o-rama posts are going to become essential until the school year is up, so you know, I encourage you to read them closely.

Photo courtesy of Ville de Fleury-les-Aubrais

TrustoCorp at LeBasse Projects

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TrustoCorp have a show opening this month at LeBasse Projects in Los Angeles. The Future is Blight opens April 13th from 6-9pm and runs through May 11th. The show will tackle issues of income inequality in LA. TrustoCorp say, “Underneath the glossy veneer of tabloid magazines and Hollywood movies, the former middle class is struggling, families are facing poverty and America is slowly becoming a third world country. In the absence of any real help or solid solutions, there is hypocrisy, greed and hopelessness. Through our work, we hope to call attention to this reality, crack a few smiles and hopefully make some people think along the way. After all, when the mistakes of the past are repeated, the future is blight.”

Photo courtesy of LeBasse Projects

TrustoCorp leaves LA with art, heads to Newcastle

TrustoCorp have a solo show opening at Lazarides’ Newcastle location this week, but before heading to the UK, they took over some bench-ads in Los Angeles. The International Bank of TrustoCorp opens on Thursday from 6-9pm and runs through November 10th. I’ve only ever seen TrustoCorp’s shows through photos or caught their work in group shows, but by all accounts their solo gallery events, particularly the opens, are can’t-miss, particularly thanks to their interactive installation works.

Check out more of TrustoCorp’s recent LA work after the jump…

Continue reading “TrustoCorp leaves LA with art, heads to Newcastle”

Going to the gallery

There are a bunch of shows open now or opening in the next month that I’d like to mention, but there are only so many hours in the day. So here’s a bit of a round-up:

  • Détournement: Signs of the Times is a group show that just opened at Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC. It was curated by the legendary Carlo McCormick and features artists who “subvert consensus visual language so as to turn the expressions of capitalist culture against themselves.” Some of those artists in Détournement are Aiko, David Wojnarowicz, Ripo, Posterboy, Ron English, Shepard Fairey + Jamie Reid, Steve Powers, TrustoCorp and Zevs.
  • Chris Stain and Joe Iurato are showing together for a two-man show at NYC’s Mighty Tanaka. The show opens on Friday. These are two great and underrated stencil artists. I highly recommend checking out this show, particularly given the superb quality of Stain’s recent indoor work.
  • Sweet Toof has a solo show opening this week at High Roller Society a pop-up space in Hackney Wick, London.
  • Contemporary Wing’s (Washington, DC) latest group show, opening on the 16th, is an exhibit of secondary market work, but there should some nice stuff, including work by Shepard Fairey, WK Interact, Gaia, Faile and Blek le Rat. I must admit that I’ve included a piece in this show, but I’m not going to say which one (so if you want to help me out, just buy the entire show…).
  • Finally, Dabs and Myla have curated a show at LA’s Thinkspace Gallery which will open September 1st. In addition to their own paintings and installations, the show features 32 of their friends, plus a solo show in Thinkspace’s project room by Surge MDR. Those shows open September 1st.

Photo by Susan NYC

Letters From America at Black Rat Projects

Ron English (and part of a TrustoCorp on the far right)

Letters From America opened last night at Black Rat Projects in London. The show, organized by Corey Helford Gallery, includes work by Ron English, TrustoCorp, Risk and Saber. I wasn’t sure how work from all of these artists would look when put together in one room, but it looks good. As usual, it looks like Ron and TrustoCorp brought some solid work, but the real treat is that the show is a rare opportunity for Londoners to see pieces by LA’s Risk and Saber. Risk and Saber’s work can certainly be a bit over the top, but so is graffiti. In particular, I am really enjoying Saber’s tribute to the UK’s National Health Service.

NoLionsInEngland was kind enough to pop by the show and take some pictures for us. See more of them after the jump… Continue reading “Letters From America at Black Rat Projects”