Graffiti

Meres One on Reclaimed: His Solo Exhibit at Low Brow Artique

April 27, 2015

Reclaimed, Meres One‘s solo exhibit at Bushwick’s Low Brow Artique, brilliantly celebrates Meres‘s wonderful talents and his love of graffiti. I spoke to Meres soon after visiting the exhibit:

Can you tell us something about the title of the exhibit, Reclaimed? What does it mean?

After many months of coping with the loss of 5Pointz, Reclaimed is my way of revisiting and reclaiming my early days as a graffiti artist.

When did you first come up with the concept with the exhibit? And can you tell us something about the process of preparing for it?

I came up with the general idea in January, and when I showed some of the pieces I was working on to Bishop, he offered me a solo show at Low Brow Artique. In preparation, I revisited hundreds of photos of walls that I had painted at 5Pointz. My next step was to reinterpret them — selecting fragments from them and honoring my appreciation of hand-style.

What about the centerpiece? It is so impressive! Its texture is just beautiful. It looks as though it was painted on reclaimed wood.

Yes, I painted it on a piece of wood that was reclaimed from the Coney Island boardwalk. I love that it has taken on a new life in this exhibit.

How has the response been to the exhibit?

It’s been great! The opening was wonderful, and only two pieces remain. The others were sold shortly after the exhibit opened. I am currently preparing for a Part II, where I will take my work on this same concept to another — more abstract — level while working on a range of different surfaces.

Note: Reclaimed remains on view at Low Brow Artique through Saturday May 9. Now open seven days a week, Low Brow Artique is situated at 143 Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Interview and photos by Lois Stavsky

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Celebrating the Launch of the Boone Room Website Tonight at Exit Room

April 20, 2015

Some of NYC’s most vibrant and striking murals–on Boone Avenue between 172^nd and 173^rd Streets in the Bronx–were demolished last year to be replaced by residential buildings. But thanks to the efforts of SLO Architecture, various artists, neighboring Fannie Lou Hamer High School, Maria Krajewski, City-As-School students and several others, the spirit of Boone Avenue lives. Featuring dozens of images, interviews and more, the Boone Room website, constructed by City-As-School students, can now be viewed online. To celebrate its launch, the public is invited to join the City-As-School family, several of the artists and a host of performers and musicians tonight at Exit Room.

Artists interviewed for the Boone Room website include: Cope2, Eric Orr, Marthalecia and Valerie Larko who has preserved the walls in her amazing photorealistic paintings.

Lady K Fever

Kashink — who was visiting NYC from Paris — to the left of Lady K Fever

Tonight at 270 Meserole Street in Bushwick

Post by City-As-School intern Zachariah Messaoud with Lois Stavsky; photos 3 and 4 courtesy Maria Krajewski

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PESU: From Fuji, Shizuoka to Manhattan’s East Village

April 15, 2015

In this third in our series of interviews with artists born abroad who have made NYC home, we feature Pesu. Inspired by hip-hop, Pesu began his art career back in Japan in 1996 as a graffiti writer. Here in NYC he is best-known for his live painting in various venues and the many Art Battle competitions he has won. His works on canvas in a multiplicity of styles — from stencil art to abstract art — increasingly attract collectors, as well.

When did you first visit NY? And what brought you here?

In 2001 I left Japan for Sacramento, California on a student visa. But life there was too slow for me. So in 2004, I decided to check out New York City.

What was your impression of it at the time?

I was thoroughly overwhelmed. I remember walking on 5^th Avenue and crying – tears of joy! This city has everything: so much energy, art, graffiti, mix of people and amazing architecture. And there is always something happening here.

What is the image of NYC in your native country?

Back in Japan we think of NYC as the number one city in the world. It is the place of opportunity.

Do you think this is accurate? Why or why not?

Yes! I agree! Everything is possible here in NYC.

When did you decide to move here? And why?

I decided to move here the following year – in 2005. Why? Because I loved it!

How did your family feel about your move?

They were great. Everyone was very supportive. And they were always worried about me when I was doing graffiti back in Japan.

What were some of the challenges you faced when you first moved here?

I had to find a way to earn money. And I had to worry about having a visa. I also wasn’t used to living in such a competitive city.

You now have a great space in the East Village. Where did you live when you first moved here? And why did you choose that particular neighborhood?

When I first moved here, I lived in Bed-Stuy. I found the apartment through a broker. I chose Bed-Stuy because I love Biggie so much.

Have you encountered any prejudice here?

Yes. I’ve encountered some. Folks here are not all that accustomed to seeing Asians in the hip-hop scene.

How has your artwork evolved or changed since you came here?

I tend to use brighter, more vivid colors. My art is more alive here in NYC! And it’s become more professional.

How receptive have New Yorkers been to your artwork? To you?

They seem somewhat surprised by what I do, as they are not used to seeing Asians in this scene!

What would you like to accomplish here?

As an artist, I want to make people happy. And on a more personal level, I would like to bring my parents to America.

What do you miss most about your native country?

My parents and the food I ate back in Japan.

Interview by Lois Stavsky with City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; photos 1-4, 6 (collab with Shiro) & 7 by Lois Stavsky; 5 by Zachariah Messaoud; images 2 & 4 are from Pesu’s blackbooks from the late 90’s.

Note: Several of Pesu’s works will be on exhibit in Brooklyn is the Future opening Friday at the Vazquez at 93 Forrest Street in Bushwick.

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NYC’s Stylish Trucks & Vans – from the Whimsical to the Wild, Part XII: Cern, CashRFC, Keely, Cone, YNN, NME, Frank Ape and more

April 13, 2015

This is the twelfth in a series of occasional posts featuring the diverse range of trucks and vans that strike our streets.

Keely, Deeker…

YNN

Photo Credits: 1 Tara Murray; 2, 3, 6 & 7 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 4 Lois Stavsky; 5 Houda Lazrak

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Keith Haring: Heaven and Hell at Skarstedt in Chelsea through April 18

April 8, 2015

Unlike so many of Keith Haring‘s playfully iconic works that exude a child-like innocence, the huge works on exhibit in Heaven and Hell largely suggest an eerie darkness and unfettered eroticism. Here’s a sampling:

Wide view of two untitled works, 1984

Untitled, 1985

Untitled, 1984

Heaven and Hell remains on exhibit at Skarstedt at 550 West 21 Street through next Saturday.

Photos of images: 1, 4 and 5 City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; 2 and 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson. Note: First photo is a close-up from the huge mural below it (R).

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Silent Music on NYC Streets: Zeso, Andre Trenier, Kingbee, Pose2, Chemis, Meres, Slone, See TF, Shiro, Manny Vega, Sonni and more

April 6, 2015

In an eclectic range of visual styles and themes, music makes it way to NYC walls. Here is a small sampling:

Zeso, close-up from huge mural in Bushwick

Andre Trenier, lead artist, in the Bronx

Kingbee, Pose2 and Chemis in East Harlem

Meres, Slone, See TF, Shiro, IZK and more in Bushwick

Close-up

Manny Vega in East Harlem

Sonni in Bushwick

Mike Brown on the Lower East Side

Unidentified artist in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Photo credits: 1, 2, 5 – 9 Lois Stavsky; 3 Dani Reyes Mozeson; 4 Tara Murray

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Street Art Prankster Hanksy Brings The Best of the Worst to NYC: Frank Ape, Lexi Bella, Cosbe, Miss Zukie, CB23, Magda Love, Meres, Russell King, Col, UR New York, Mr. Toll, El Sol 25 and much more

March 30, 2015

The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak, a graduate student in Museum Studies at New York University.

This past weekend, Hanksy’s much-anticipated show, The Best of the Worst, drew hundreds of street art fans to the former Chase Bank at 104 Delancey Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Along with some of NYC’s most notable graffiti writers and street artists, Hanksy transformed the space into a NYC playground-like arena — with a skate ramp, a Chinese massage parlor and more wonderfully-engaging site-specific installations. Dozens of intriguing, overlapping pieces, paste-ups and stickers paid homage to street art, while, also, poking fun at the scene.

Miss Zukie

CB23

Magda Love and Hanksy and more

Meres and more

Russell King, Col and UR New York

Hanksy

Included, too, was a rather formally installed art exhibit in the wittily-titled Gag-Osian Gallery featuring some of NYC’s most popular street artists.

Mr. Toll at the Gag-Osian

El Sol 25 at the Gag-Osian

All photos by Houda Lazrak; pictured in the first photo are Frank Ape, Lexi Bella and Cosbe

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Faces in NYC Public Spaces, Part IX: James Bullough, Alan Aine, Vexta, Zimad, Anser, Sam Kirk and Rafael de los Santos

March 28, 2015

This is the ninth in a series of occasional posts featuring the range of faces that surface on NYC open spaces:

James Bullough at the Bushwick Collective

Alan Aine in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Vexta in the East Village

Zimad at the Bushwick Collective

Anser in Bushwick

Sam Kirk in Williamsburg

Rafael de los Santos aka Poteleche in Williamsburg

Photo credits: 1 & 3. Tara Murray; 2, 4, 6 & 7 Lois Stavsky; 5. Dani Reyes Mozeson

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Back to Greenpoint on a Snowy First Day of Spring with Phetus, Matthew Denton Burrows, Cern, Faring Purth, Shiro, Yes One, Tone. Miro & more

March 22, 2015

The first day of spring 2015 brought wintry snow to NYC. Here are a few images I captured while in Greenpoint for the day:

Phetus

Matthew Denton Burrows

Cern

Tone

Faring Purth

Shiro, Yes One and Tone MST

To be identified

Miro RIS (& Shiro, top right)

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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Spring Group Show at Chelsea 27: El Pez, Kokian, Sliks, Sen2, Esther Barend, Kurar, Joyce DiBona and more

March 18, 2015

Home to three distinct galleries — Artemisia Gallery, Azart Gallery and MZ Urban Art — Chelsea 27 is currently presenting Spring Group Show featuring works by an eclectic range of emerging and established international artists. While visiting the gallery yesterday, we had the opportunity to speak to Marina Hadley, owner of MZ Urban Art.

Can you tell us something about Chelsea 27? This current exhibit features artworks presented by three distinct galleries, yet the pieces seem to seamlessly work together.

We are three friends. I had previously worked with Latifa Metheny, the owner of Azart Gallery, at 547 West 27th Street, and I met Christine Jeanquier, who runs Artemisia Gallery, through a mutual friend. We respect each other’s visions and choices.

You seem to all share a somewhat similar vision.

Yes, we are interested in showcasing emerging and contemporary artists — who are working in a range of media and styles — from across the globe. We are interested, too, in discovering new talents. Latifa Metheny particularly focuses on the culture of street art and Christine Jeanquier on French artists.

Why did you choose this particular location?

It is on the ground level of an ideal space in the heart of the Chelsea art district. It was a step I was ready to take, as it is the perfect location for attracting serious collectors.

Yes, it does seem perfect! What advice would you offer an emerging artist who would like to see his work featured in a Chelsea gallery?

Before approaching a gallery, get to know its owner and the work that it features. That is how you will know if the gallery is likely to be receptive to your work. Be sure to have a professional-looking website with each image labeled with its size and medium. When visiting a gallery, bring business cards and a cover letter that look professional. Check out — as often as possible — what other artists are doing. Work hard and be persistent! And be sure to have a body of work and a recognizable style before approaching a gallery owner.

That certainly sounds like great advice! Is there anything in particular that you, yourself, look for in an artist?

Yes, I look for someone who has a statement to make and is willing to take risks to make it. I develop a personal relationship with each artist whose works I exhibit.

So much is happening in the contemporary art scene. How do you keep up with it all?

I follow social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. I regularly read the New York Times, the London Times and the LA Times. I read essential blogs and I talk to people.

We’re looking forward to upcoming exhibits and events, and we are delighted that Chelsea 27 is showcasing so many artists who are active on our streets.

Note: The exhibit continues through Saturday, March 21.

Artworks

1. El Pez

2. Kokian

3. Sliks

4. Sen2

5. Esther Barend, close-up

6. Kurar

7. Joyce DiBona

Interview by Lois Stavsky with City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud

Photo credits: 1, 2, 5 & 6 City-as-School intern Zachariah Messaoud; 3 & 7 Lois Stavsky and 4 Dani Reyes Mozeson

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