Launched and coordinated by the West Harlem Art Fund, Fusion NY presented a series of panels, tours, performances and pop-up exhibits earlier this week – Armory Week 2016 – in various venues throughout Harlem. Of special interest to us graffiti and street art aficionados were the panel discussion, Basquiat Still Fly @ 55, moderated by Jeffrey Deitch and the pop-up exhibit, Street Art Gone Fusion Crazy, curated by Lady K Fever and Savona Bailey. What follows are a few more images by artists — who also use the streets as their canvas — that we captured on our visit to Street Art Gone Fusion Crazy this past Wednesday.
Apostrophe began as a gallery and performance space in Bushwick in 2012, and it has since evolved into a series of pop-up exhibits and events. As a collective, it is designed to offer exposure to artists while sparking a creative energy that can be experienced by everyone. Our last exhibit, Subway Show, took place at the Kosciusko Street stop on the J train. The subway passengers, along with anyone else who came by, were treated to art, music, a comedic performance and refreshments!
Our concept came before the name. The name was inspired by the title of Frank Zappa’s eighteenth album Apostrophe’. It suggests an inclusive fusion of energies.
What is Apostrophe’s current mission?
The mission of our current project Base 12 is to highlight the art of twelve talented artists in a dozen diverse, unconventional settings, while making their art accessible to folks who might not otherwise see it. When art is shown exclusively in gallery settings, its audience can be limited.
What kinds of alternative settings are you referring to?
Of the nine upcoming pop-up shows here in NYC, three will take place on subway platforms, three in museums and three in parks. They will all engage passersby in non-traditional ways. Details will be announced the day of the event via Instagram and Facebook.
That sounds great! How did you select the artists?
Some had participated in exhibits in our former Bushwick space; others we met through friends. And some we discovered through our open call for submissions. We’ve all gotten to know one another, and we all work well together. Once a month we come together, and we critique each other’s artworks. We love not only the works of the artists we are showing, but their energy, as well!
Do you both have a formal art education?
We both went to art school, but neither of us finished. We grew up, though, in a family of artists and have always engaged in art-related projects here and abroad.
What’s ahead?
In addition to what will be happening here in NYC, we are planning three exhibits and events abroad: at Alan Istanbulin Turkey; at corretger5 in Barcelona, and at a gallery space — to be announced — in London.
It’s all very exciting! Lots of luck! We will definitely keep posted to your Instagram.
SOLD Magazine is a free magazine by artists for artists and art lovers. Among its features are: artists interviewing each other, studio visits, artist and photographer profiles, a travel section and much more.
What motivated you thee to launch it?
A sense that artists need a new platform for exposure. Our mission is to provide that platform.
When did you guys first begin working on SOLD Magazine? And how did you fund it?
We began working on it at the beginning of October, and we funded it via a Kickstarter campaign.
It’s great that your campaign was so successful! What has been your greatest challenge in seeing this through?
Rounding up the artists whom we wanted to participate in our venture.
Was it an open call? How did you decide which artists to include?
No! It was artists we’ve known and worked with in the past. Some of them suggested others.
In collaboration with the Mana Urban Arts Project, the Bushwick Collective transformed Wynwood’s former RC Cola Factory into a Mecca of first-rate street art and graffiti. During Miami Art Week, celebrated artists from across the globe painted alongside local Miami and NYC-based artists. Here are a few more images from among the dozens of murals I saw last week while visiting Wynwood:
Produced by Sade TCM for Nasty, Neo FC, the Blaze of Hackensack has refashioned the always-brilliant graffiti walls in Hackensack, New Jersey’s famed open-air gallery. Here’s a sampling of what surfaced last month:
Curated by Lady K Fever and hosted by Aldo Perez, Ihe Art of Peace, an exhibit of mural and graffiti art celebrating peace, opens tonight at the Al Iman Community Center. I had the opportunity to speak to Lady K Fever while visiting the space at 2006 Westchester Avenue earlier this week.
Can you tell us something about the concept behind this exhibit?
It is an exploration of the notion of peace from the perspective of artists representing a range of ideologies, nationalities, religious backgrounds and ethnicities. The title is a take on The Art of War by Sun Tzu written in the 6th century B.C.
What inspired it?
It was inspired by Peace December, an organization started five years ago dedicating the month of December to celebrating peace. As Sheikh Musa Drammeh of Peace December contends, trillions of dollars are spent on defense and none are allocated to promoting peace.
As curator, how did you decide which artists to engage in this exhibit?
When Aldo Perez approached me to curate it, I sought artists from a range of backgrounds and communities. Many, in fact, had already been engaged in community-based projects promoting co-existence.
What were some of the particular challenges you faced in curating this exhibit?
My main concern was that the imagry would not offend the community. I also had to keep the artists’ egos in check, reminding them that The Art of Peace’s principal mission is to promote peace. And I was working with a limited budget.
The exhibit opens this evening from 6-10pm. How might folks — who can’t make it this evening — see it?
Yes, there will be a reception tonight with DJ Prince Tafari, the artists and special guests — including Assemblyman Jose Rivera. There will also be select artworks for sale. Folks who won’t be able to attend can email artists4peacebx@gmail.com and arrange a time to visit The Art of Peace.
For the past several days, over two dozen artists — from writers to muralists — have been busily transforming a huge block along Boone Avenue at 174th Street. Here are a few more images that we captured these past two days from Writers Block organized by Wen Cod:
Monument Art, an international mural festival — similar in scale and scope to Los Muros Hablan NYC that took place in 2013 in East Harlem and the South Bronx — was launched earlier this month. Curated by Celso Gonzalez and presented by the La Marqueta Retoña initiative, in collaboration with the City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, it features a stunning array of soulful, site-specific murals.
South African artist Faith 47, 103 St & Madison Ave
Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican photographerLuis R Vidal, 111 St & 1 Ave
Belgian artist Roa at work, 1o8 St & Lexington Ave
The first image — a portrait of Puerto Rican novelist Nicholasa Mohr on 111 St and Lexington Ave — was painted by LA based El Mac in collaboration with Puerto Rican artists Celso Gonzalez and Roberto Biaggi, Cero.
Opening next month on Wednesday, November 18th is round two of the Con Artist Collective‘s hugely successful ‘slap’ sticker show. While visiting its space at 119 Ludlow Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side earlier this week, I had the chance to speak to Con Artist Collective’s Brian Shevlin.
What prompted you to launch a second round of Slap?
We had gotten such an enthusiastic response to our first sticker art show two years ago. And folks kept on asking us, “When are you doing another Slap show?”
You, yourself, are quite a sticker aficionado. What is the appeal of sticker art to you?
With just a sharpie and a shipping label, anyone can become a street artist. And a handmade sticker is such an intimate object of art! I also love the way the sticker art culture brings together such a wide range of creative people from graffiti writers to fine artists, all of different backgrounds.
What would you say is the mission of Slap 2?
We are looking to involve a lot of the artists who didn’t participate in our first Slap show. And this exhibit is our way of celebrating and showing respect to the sticker culture.
How might this next sticker exhibit differ from your first one?
It will differ in scope and scale. We’ve put together an incredible team, with help from Robert Aloia of Outlaw Arts, Hugh Burckhardt and Paul Arbs from Urban Hooker. We are hoping to bring over 500 artists on board. And we will have sticker packs available for purchase.
How can folks submit stickers to Slap 2?
They are to fill out this form, and then drop off or mail their handmade stickers to: Con Artist Collective, 119 Ludlow Street, New York, New York. They can find additional information on our website.
What is the deadline for submissions?
They have until November 13th.
What’s ahead?
We will travel the world! Our first Slap exhibit has already traveled to Sri Lanka and is heading to Singapore and Bangkok. It will continue to travel with new submissions added. And we will, once again, publish a zine.
What a great opportunity for artists! This sounds wonderful!
Note: The exhibit will open on November 17th with an opening party and end on November 28th with a closing party.
Images of works submitted for Slap 2: 1. Edec1 2. Klops 3. Kenji Hirata 4. Whut
