Events

The Grandscale Mural Project Continues to Bring Beauty and Intrigue to East Harlem, Part I: Gia, Olga Correa, Scratch, Cekis, Caryn Cast, Cram Concepts, Anna Lustberg & BC1 with Al Ruiz

November 7, 2023

The Grandscale Mural Project is once again transforming the streets of East Harlem into an oasis of beauty and intrigue. While visiting this past Sunday, I came upon dozens of completed walls, along with dozens of works in progress representing a wide range of styles and themes. Featured above is the lovely Colombia-born, East Harlem-based artist Gia Gutierrez — standing to the right of her newly-completed mural. Several more images captured this past Sunday follow:

South Bronx-raised, Puerto Rican artist Olga Correa

East Harlem-based, Stockholm-born artist Scratch

New York-based, Chilean artist Cekis

NYC-based Caryn Cast diligently at work on her portrait of the legendary singer, songwriter & guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe

NYC-born and based artist Cram Concepts

NYC-based, New Jersey-bred illustrator Anna Lustberg

BC1 and Al Ruiz collaborative mural featuring the late, legendary Tito Puente

Note: Keep posted to Street Art NYC Threads for more images from this year’s Grandscale Mural Project curated by Uptown Grand Central.

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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Lady K Fever on the NYC Graffiti Women’s Festival at Bronxlandia with: Lovenotes, Nasa One, Chare, Flô, Kstar, Alice Mizrachi, Mrs, Claw Money, Lexi Bella, Mikki Mu and More

October 26, 2023

Celebrating 50 years of women spraypainting NYC, the NYC Graffiti Women’s Festival brought flavor and flair to Hunts Point’s performance and event venue, Bronxlandia, and its surroundings earlier this month. While visiting the site, I had the opportunity to speak to Bronx-based artist, curator and arts educator Lady K Fever who – along with Bronxlandia owner Majora Carter – spearheaded the event.

Can you tell us a bit of the backstory? How did this event come to be?

I had painted a mural earlier this year at Bronxlandia, and when its owner, Majora Carter — who’s very supportive of the arts — offered the space to me to curate, I came up with the idea of inviting women to paint this spot and its neighboring gates in honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.

And what was the festival’s particular mission?

We wanted to reflect and enhance the flavor of the neighborhood, while honoring hip-hop. We also wanted to provide a space for women artists to come together with the community and celebrate one another. This festival was somewhat of a fusion and an extension of two of my previous projects: The Bronx Graffiti Art Gallery and Her Story

What were some of the challenges you faced in seeing the event through?

The cost of insurance — especially when it involves graffiti and hip-hop — was a major business concern. Other challenges included: finding several additional nearby spaces; painting on shutters and gates, as those were our primary surfaces, and securing funding to pay for essential supplies. We are extremely grateful t0 Peter and JP at Burton NYC and to Low Brow Paint & Supply for coming through.

How did the event go? What was the day like?

It was wonderful. There was so much positive energy. Dozens of folks of all ages came through and hung out. We had great female deejays and spontaneous breakdancing. There was a wonderful group of volunteers and delicious food. And Bronx-native Mrs. had the opportunity to make her mark on the roof!

And what’s ahead for you?

Along with Andre Trenier, I will be featured in a show next year at Bronx Art Space. I will also be visiting a range of universities as a guest artist. And I’m working on a curriculum and varied educational programs related to graffiti. I don’t want the history of women in graffiti to be lost.

Note: If you reside in the Tri-state area, you can win a Burton snowboard, a selection of street art books and more from Low Brow, when you enter the 2023 Art Raffle to support the arts and education. You can either submit artwork on a custom art template with a $20 entry fee or purchase a raffle ticket for $30. Email NYCgraffitiwomenfestival@gmail.com for more information on how to enter. Deadline is Nov 7th 2023.

Images:

Photo credits: 1-6 & 8 Lois Stavsky; 7 courtesy Lady K Fever; interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

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At the 2023 BedStuy Walls Mural Festival with: Mz. Icar, Vince Ballentine, Jeff Henriquez, Caesar Perez, Phetus88, Question Marks, Alana Tsui, Matt Siren, Funqest, Andre Trenier & More

October 5, 2023

Founded and curated by Miki Mu and Frankie Velez, the BedStuy Walls Mural Festival has once again transformed Lexington Avenue between Stuyvesant and Lewis Streets into a delectable visual feast, while actively engaging the local community and beyond.

The sumptuous image featured above was painted collaboratively by members of Mz. Icar, a collective of primarily Black female interdisciplinary artists “creatively taking up space.” Several more images captured this past Sunday follow:

Brooklyn-based Vince Ballentine paints the Nigerian-American singer and composer Mary Akpa

Brooklyn-based Jeff Henriquez captured at work

Chicago-based Caesar Perez

Long Island-based master of monsters Phetus88

Brooklyn-based Question Marks at work with Alana Tsui above Matt Siren’s iconic character

Manhattan-based Funqest

Bronx-born and bred Andre Trenier at work

As it “takes a village” to launch such a remarkable event, among the many who helped make it possible are: NYC Thrive Collective, The Philos Project, Philos Latino, Jesse Rojo, Good Times Deli, Pastor Robert Waterman and Atiba Edwards.

Keep posted to the Street Art NYC Instagram and Threads for more images from this year’s edition of the BedStuy Walls Mural Festival. And you can help sustain this model of community engagement by contributing to the fundraiser, organized by Miki Mu.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 & 8, Lois Stavsky; 3 & 6 Ana Candelaria

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At Boone Avenue Walls in the Bronx, Part I: Saoka, Imse, Miki Mu, Kron, Bits PMA, BG 183 and Sebar7 with Mucho

September 4, 2023

Founded and curated by the veteran Bronx writer WEN COD, Boone Avenue Walls now brings an alluring array of vibrant graffiti and mural art by local, national and international artists to two locations in the Bronx. This first of a two-part post focuses on the walls that have surfaced along Boone Avenue during its recent Beautification and Artists Festival.

Featured above is Philly-based, Spanish artist Saoka at work. Several more images of both artworks in progress and completed murals follow:

Philly-based, Spanish artist Imse captured at work

BedStuy Walls founder and curator Miki Mu

Veteran uptown writer Kron

Sao Paulo-based muralist and tattoo artist Bits PMA

The legendary Tats Cru member BG 183

Bronx-based Sebar7 in collaboration with Oslo, Norway-based artist Mucho

Photos by Sara C Mozeson and Lois Stavsky

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At the Legendary Graffiti Hall of Fame: Skeme, Miki Mu, Vens, Delta 2, Cope 2, Jaek El Diablo, Will Power, Phen, NAC 143, Scratch & More

August 23, 2023

Under the curatorial direction of Sharif Profit, this past weekend’s Graffiti Hall of Fame — located on 106th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem — teemed with tantalizing talent. Among the featured pubic artworks in this event’s 43rd annual edition were walls and cubes fashioned in a wide range of styles by legendary writers and noted urban artists from NYC and beyond. The scintillating piece pictured above was painted by graff master Skeme, also known as 3 Yard King. Several more images of artworks captured this past Sunday afternoon follow:

BedStuy Walls founder and curator Miki Mu at work

Veteran writer and aerosol artist Renard Kelley aka Vens adding the final touches to his mural

Delta 2’s masterful mural complemented by an adorable passerby who instantly poses!

The wildly prolific Cope 2

French artist Louis Vicius aka Jaek El Diablo

Will Power‘s tribute to the late writer and DJ Dez aka Kay Slay— with Al Diaz‘s iconic tag finding its way to the bottom!

Barcelona-based artist and tattooist Phen

Bronx-native NAC 143 at work

Stockholm-born, East Harlem-based Scratch

Note: Keep posted to the Street Art NYC Instagram and Threads for more images of artworks that surfaced in this year’s Graffiti Hall of Fame .

Photographs by Lois Stavsky and Dani Reyes Mozeson

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The Landmark Fest Lands and Makes Its Mark in East Harlem

August 2, 2023

Celebrating NYC’s iconic Hip Hop landmarks – with live painting, artworks, DJ’s, performers and more — the Landmark Festival make its mark this past weekend in East Harlem. A sequel to the hugely popular Landmark exhibit that debuted in January, it was spearheaded and curated by Kate Storch.

Featured above is Japanese native artist Shiro One at work. Several more images — focusing largely on the artworks — captured when I visited on Sunday afternoon follow:

Queens-based Jerms and Topaz

Brooklyn-based “Miniature Artist” Danny Cortes recreates “Disco Fever,” a dance club that operated from 1976-1986 in the South Bronx and featured legendary hip-hop artists such as Lovebug Starski, Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow & Run-DMC

Manhattan-based Doves and Bluster, Title mural and backdrop for MC’s

Bronx-based artist and activist KayLove with black book in hand — in which she has made her mark

The legendary hip-hop rapper, producer and DJ Large Professor to the left of Landmark curator Kate Storch

Photos 1-3, 5 & 6: Lois Stavsky; 4 courtesy Landmark Festival

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“PHASE 2: Myth Conception…” Continues Through June 30 at ACA Galleries in Chelsea

May 9, 2023

Currently on view at ACA Galleries in Chelsea, “PHASE 2: Myth Conception…” traces the development of the late visionary stylemaster’s distinct aesthetic from 1972 through 2019. Among the artist’s wide-ranging works included in this hugely comprehensive survey are: PHASE 2‘s hip-hop flyers, IGTimes graphics, varied works on paper, embossed aluminum plates and tantalizing sculptures — in addition to his works on canvas and plywood.

A first generation writer and hip-hop pioneer, PHASE 2 evolved into an astonishingly innovative contemporary artist, blurring the lines between style writing, urban art and fine art. Intricate and immensely intriguing, the works that he created in the last decade of his life exude a distinctly esoteric beauty.

“Don 101,” the image pictured above, was rendered back in 2008 with with ink marker on IGTimes, vol.4. What follows are several of PHASE 2‘s later works on canvas and plywood — all elegantly displayed at ACA Galleries.

“Interplanetary Deity 2,” ca. 2016, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas

“Untitled,” Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on plywood

“Implosion 2.” 2015, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas

“Chromatic Implosion,” ca. 2016, Paint marker and spray paint on canvas

“Untitled 3,” 2010, Mixed media on plywood

“Another Time and Space,” ca 2013, Paint marker, spray paint and acrylic on canvas

T.O.N.Y Oy/Not/Vehme/Yeldi, 2016, spray paint and acrylic on canvas

T.O.N.Y Oy/Not/Vehme/Yeldi, 2016, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, detail

Curated by ACA Galleries curator Mikaela Sardo Lamarche and IGTimes founder David Schmidlapp, “PHASE 2: Myth Conception…” can be viewed Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00am – 6:00pm at ACA Galleries, 529 West 20th Street,

Note:

Thursday May 11th @ 7pm
“Funky Nous Deco” and Beyond
Special presentation of PHASE 2 graphic works from his seminal hip hop fliers, IGTimes and album covers to his digital installations and backdrops with Pete Nice, Co-Curator, Universal Hip Hop Museum and David Schmidlapp, founder of the IGTimes and special guests.

Photos of artworks by with City-As-School intern Antonio Gomez and Lois Stavsky

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ChrisRWK Solo Exhibition, “Promise Made. Promise Kept,” Opens Saturday, February 11, at Harman Projects

February 9, 2023

With its fusion of graffiti, comic and fine art aesthetics, ChrisRWK‘s artworks — both on and off the streets — have long captivated us. His beloved robot character has made its way onto just about every surface — from stickers to canvasses to huge vehicles to massive walls. Opening this Saturday evening at Harman Projects is his solo exhibition, “Promise Made. Promise Kept,” showcasing a range of new artworks, including a 3D rendition of his iconic robot.

Featured above is ChrisRWK‘s mixed media painting “Tale Be Told,” one of his 12 x 12 inch artworks on exhibit. Several more images of artworks from “Promise Made. Promise Kept” follow:

True to the Blue, 12 x 12 in.

Lost Amongst Ghosts and Shadows, 12 x 12 in.

Beat the Odds, 6 x 6 in.

At the Top of My Lungs, 12 x 12 in.

For Giving, Bronze Sculpture

A reception for “Promise Made. Promise Kept” will be held this Saturday evening, February 11, at Harman Projects from 6-8pm. Located at 210 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side, the gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10am – 6pm. “Promise Made. Promise Kept” remains on view until Saturday, March 4th

And be sure to check here to read Gallery Director Raul Barquet‘s illuminating interview with ChrisRWK, published this past week in Juxtapoz.

All photos courtesy Harman Projects

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Legendary NYC Graffiti Artist James Top Book Signing and Solo Exhibition at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center

February 3, 2023

Tomorrow evening, Saturday, February 4, Sister’s Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center and James Top Productions will host a book signing of James Top‘s autobiography, My Life, along with an opening reception to “Life Is Sweet on Sugar Hill,” a solo exhibition of his artwork. If you don’t already own a copy of James Top‘s memoir, this is the ideal setting to pick up a personally autographed one.

James Top, My Life not only celebrates the life of one particularly passionate graffiti artist, curator, educator and activist, but it illuminates elements of the hip-hop culture that NYC birthed.

Growing up in the projects in East New York, a neighborhood plagued by poverty and violence, it was all too easy to succumb to the fiercely brutal life of the streets. But James Top was determined from early on to somehow escape the “war zone” that was his everyday reality and “make it to the top.”

One of the last of his friends to pick up a marker, James — then JEE 2, the writer — went, within a relatively short span of time, from tagging the walls of his building to hitting trains non-stop. In 1974, along with several other writers, he founded TOP, The Odd Partners, a graffiti crew “with a mission to take over every train line and give Central Brooklyn an all-city graffiti presence.” And that TOP, The Odd Partners did, as its members — principally IN 1, MICKEY729, HURST and JEE 2 — perfected the art of the throw-up as they gained recognition as Kings.

As life evolved, so did the TOP Crew. Members died or were imprisoned; DONDI and NOC 167 were among those inducted; and whole train cars began to roll by. JEE 2 was soon JAMESTOP, and he began actively tagging the streets. “As JAMESTOP, I was a combination of a Central Brooklyn gangster and a Harlem Shaft,” he writes in My Life.

While James Top had found himself enmeshed in a range of personal struggles in the late 80’s, he effectively triumphed over them by the late 90’s after leaving Brooklyn for Harlem. Several hugely impressive accomplishments followed: he curated his first exhibition ever — a DONDI Memorial Show; he launched Graffiti NYC, a TV show centering on NYC’s graffiti art culture; he converted a wall of an abandoned school property into “The People’s Wall” — an open-air gallery, and he began to lecture on graffiti in various venues, including City College, CUNY.

In 2008, James Top had his first one-man show, “AFROLOGY,” showcasing adult versions of his signature AFRO character. And in the late 2010’s, he became actively involved in the Graffiti Hall of Fame, both as a co-director and artist.

You can meet the legendary James Top, view his artwork, and purchase an autographed copy of his memoir tomorrow evening, February 4, from 5-9pm, at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center, 1942 Amsterdam Avenue @ 156 Street.

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“Eyes of the Street” Showcases the Talents of Brazilian Afrofuturist Muralist Enivo at the Consulate General of Brazil in New York

January 31, 2023

Born in 1986 in São Paulo, the hugely beloved Brazilian artist Enivo began getting up on his native city’s streets at age 12. His artwork has, since, surfaced on walls, in festivals and in galleries worldwide. It has been presented, too, in such prestigious institutions as Museu de Arte Sacra de São Paulo and National Museum of Brasilia.

As an art educator, Enivo has inspired and trained hundreds of young people from “underprivileged neighborhoods.” And, together with a group of other artists, he founded the A7MA Gallery in Vila Madalena, where he has curated over 70 exhibitions, providing artists with opportunities to showcase and sell their art.

During his recent NYC residency, Enivo created a body of new work, Eyes of the Street. “In the art studio, I combine my street and academic knowledge, mixing graffiti materials with oil paint,” he explains.

Featured above is the artist posed next to his recent oil painting, Jacaré — fashioned with oil, spray paint and pastel on canvas. What follows are several more images captured at the reception following Enivo‘s talk with “Eyes of the Street” curator Simon Watson.

Self Portrait (Arrive in NYC), Oil, spray and pastel on canvas,