Street Artists

On the final weekend of June, the now-legendary Welling Court Mural Project launched its 14th Annual Street Art Festival in Astoria, Queens under the curatorial direction of Alison C. Wallis. Photographer Ana Candelaria was there to capture the action and share it with us. Featured above is the famed graffiti pioneer and graphic designer Stash at work on a wall painted collaboratively as a tribute to the late innovative graffiti writer Col Wallnuts. Several more images — all courtesy of Ana Candelaria — follow:

The prolific veteran writer Wane at work

Graffiti artist and designer Epic Uno at work 

Bronx-based painter and art educator Depoh at work

Brooklyn-based artist and BEDSTUY WALLS founder & co-curator Miki Mu at work with mural by East Harlem-based Scratch to her left

Artist and educator Katie Reidy at work celebrating the “rise of the woman”

The hugely inventive Sweden-based artist Delicious Brains bringing his talents to NYC

More walls will be beautifying Welling Court and its nearby blocks in early fall. Sign up here to stay informed regarding upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.

Photos by Ana Candelaria

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Continuing through February 23, 2025 at the Saar Historical Museum in Saarbrücken, Germany, is “ILLEGAL. Street Art Graffiti 1960 – 1995,”  the first museum exhibition anywhere to focus solely on illegal graffiti.  I recently had the opportunity to pose a few questions to its curator, Dr. Ulrich Blanché, a Heidelberg University art historian who specializes in global graffiti and street art.

When did you first become interested in illegal markings? And what ignited your interest at the time?

Growing up in a house in the middle of nowhere in Bavaria with no neighbors within a kilometer, I was an easy victim for anything urban – ruin porn, street art, graffiti. While studying in Australia, my friend Shanu told me about stencils and Banksy. I was hooked.

What are some of the principal factors that motivated you to curate this exhibit?

My spirit of contradiction. Many street art and graffiti surveys act as if illegal art on the street is something that comes exclusively from NYC and Paris. As if the rest of the world was a blank canvas before we were enlightened/colonized by US street art and style writing graffiti. Unfortunately, many US/UK researchers/curators seem to read only English sources. And it seemed appealing to me to counter the old accusation that illegal street art and graffiti cannot be shown in a museum. Hence: an exhibition with only illegal works. I did not show the usual thing – new, legal works that barely survive on the old illegal street credibility of their creators.

Can you tell us something about the process of curating it? What were some of your main challenges? 

People seem to love “originals,” — whatever that is actually. One challenge was that there were often hardly any preserved illegally created originals, or you would have to spend a fortune to transport them. Another main challenge was that I was on my own in the curation process and in approaching artists/collectors. I missed student assistants I had worked with before.

How did you decide which artworks/artists to feature in the exhibition?

I tried to identify the earliest ones and the game changers. If the show would travel, I would include some more, for instance Flint Gennari (NYC), Valie Export (Vienna), SZ group (Moscow) and Tsang Tsou-Choi (Hong Kong). I tried to rewrite street art history in some cases – Brazilian stencil graffiti artist Alex Vallauri was earlier and had more impact worldwide in the early 1980’s than Blek le Rat. Art punk stencils by Crass influenced Banksy and Robert del Naja before they had even heard about Blek. There was a worldwide illegal street sticker campaign before OBEY, done by Cavellini from the 1970s onwards, etc. Among my other discoveries were 10 unknown SAMO© graffiti from 1979 in NYC and the first guy from Germany interested in Keith Haring. So new things about old hats and newly found old things that challenge street art or graffiti history —  at least in details. Graffiti is not just style writing from NYC; we also show L.A. Cholo graffiti, Philly graffiti or Pichação from Brazil – not all are common in overview shows. I tried to show large works so they can appeal in a physical way, and I tried to show developments on walls, not just work in mint condition, photographed the second the artist drops the can.

What is the central focus of the exhibition?

The concept is “hits and rarities.” To give an overview from the 50’s until the 90’s. I tried to identify the earliest examples, the ones who had a huge impact and some who should have had more impact. We start with Guy Debord, Ted Joans and of course Brassaï and end with Banksy’s first documented work on the street. We’re putting a spotlight on the Paris-Cologne-Zurich triangle because a lot was happening there and because the museum is in the middle of these cities, and another spotlight on the connections between street art, graffiti and music.

What would you like your viewers to walk away with?

I’d like the viewers to walk away with the thought that street art and graffiti did not start with Banksy. And that street art and graffiti stem not only from protest art or gang graffiti; it is far more complex. An audience interested in contemporary art would be amazed how many familiar names worked illegally, too: Christo/Jeanne Claude, Walter Dahn, George Condo, Valie Export, Daniel Buren, etc. Conceptual art, performance art, pop art, Fluxus, Mail Art are deeply interconnected with what we call street art today. And that early street art graffiti was more female than you’d expect.

How has the response been to the exhibit to date?

We were on German national TV and radio with the exhibition, as well as on several local and regional media. The response was very positive. Saarbrücken, however, is not Hamburg or Berlin. I think the bilingual catalog and the 3D scan of the show will reach quite a few people internationally, as well. For myself, it is great when people like Daim, Chaz Bojorguez and John Fekner say it is a great show!

Images:

1. Bando and Doc in Paris, 1984; photo, Claude Abron

2. CanTwo in Wiesbaden, 1988; photo, CanTwo

3. Alex Vallauri in Lower Manhattan, ca. 1982-1983; photo, Claudia Vallauri 

4. Vampirella in Amsterdan, 1985; photo, Vaselka M aka Vampirella

5. Book cover featuring Vampirella, photo, Vaselka M aka Vampirella

Interview with Dr. Ulrich Blanché by Lois Stavsky

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Currently on view at Woodward Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is “The Eyes Have It,” a delightful exhibition showcasing several contemporary artists’ interpretations of eyes, as distinct elements of larger images. Among these artists are many well-known to us street art and graffiti aficionados. The untitled image above was fashioned with enamel on canvas in 2019 by the legendary Bronx-based artist John Matos aka Crash. Several more diverse renderings of eyes follow:

Brooklyn-based Moody Mutz, “Berries and Grapes,” 2015, Acrylic on canvas

Hudson Valley-based Cosbe, “My Madonna Dot Com,” 2020, Mixed media on canvas

Lower East Side-based Chico, “Gene Simmons, Kiss Eyes,” ca. 2012, spray paint on plywood

Philly-based stikman, “133 Eldridge Street stikman,” 2010, Painted wooden cutout adhered to wooden board

The late, legendary Canadian artist Richard Hambleton, “Shadow Head Portrait,” 1997, Acrylic on paperboard and found frame

Daytime view

Nighttime view

This exhibition continues at Woodward Gallery, located at 132A Eldridge Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, through July. You can view the works in the gallery’s street-level windows 24/7 or by appointment by contacting Art@WoodwardGallery.net.

Photo credits: 1-5 and 8 courtesy Woodward Gallery, 6 & 7 Lois Stavsky

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On the weekend of June 15, First Street Green Art Park was home to dozens of legendary artists, first-rate photographers, and graffiti aficionados as they came together to pay tribute to Fun Gallery co-founder Patti Astor, who had passed away in April. The first art gallery in Manhattan’s East Village to feature the works of such noted artists as Futura 2000, Lady Pink, Lee Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fun Gallery ran out of a small storefront  but had enormous impact.

The mural featured above was painted by 5POINTZ founder and the wonderfully versatile artist Meres One. Several more images captured last week in this event curated by Kate Storch, Jimmy NYC and Crime79 follow:

Lower East Side native and former Keith Haring collaborator Angel Ortiz aka LA2

Veteran writer Dezo, TC5 with Kate Storch on left

The prolific Japanese writer, muralist and designer Shiro One

Uptown-based designer, painter and muralist Al Ruiz

The legendary graffiti pioneer Stash

 Veteran East Harlem-native writer and painter Delta2

NYC-based photographer Matthew A Eller, Segment from larger wall of photos featuring Patti Astor in a range of settings

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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The 13th Annual  Bushwick Collective Block Party brought a wonderfully diverse array of local, national and global artists to Brooklyn’s iconic outdoor gallery. The huge, beguiling dog featured above was painted by Denver-based Patrick Kane McGergor against a deftly-executed cityscape crafted by multidisciplinary artist Chris Haven.

In this Part II of At the Bushwick Collective are several more images of artworks that have surfaced this month at the Bushwick Collective, curated by its founder, Joe Ficalora.

Miami-based Nate Dee, “Brooklyn Trogon”

Austin, Texas-based Taiwanese-American artist Candy Kuo at work on mural in collaboration with Wade Indeed

Completed mural by Austin, Texas-based artists Candy Kuo and Wade Indeed

French artist Enzo Yurrebaso, segment of captivating mural

Los Angeles-based Robert Vargas, segment of huge powerful mural at the intersection of Wycoff and Troutman

Connecticut-based Corey Pane, Portrait of wife, Kailah King, and baby daughter

Photos of artworks: Lois Stavsky

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Last weekend — as the Bushwick Collective presented its 13th Annual Bushwick Collective Block Party — a wonderful array of local, national and international artists shared their talents and visions with us. The captivating image featured above was painted by the masterly Chilean native artist Claudio Picasso aka CP Won. Several more images that we captured follow:

The delightfully versatile Carson DeYoung aka Deps One

The ever-clever gifted nomadic artist and designer Never Satisfied

The ingenious Peruvian native artist Sef

Sef captured in action

The legendary South Bronx-based Puerto Rican artist Sandro Figueroa aka Sen2

The indefatigable Bushwick Collective founder and curator Joe Ficalora to the left of Queens-based artist madvaillan

Photo credits: 1-4 and 6 Lois Stavsky; 5 & 7  Ana Candelaria

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On Thursday May 15, Woodward Gallery held an elegant reception at the Down Town Association, 60 Pine Street, for 12 in 24. Presenting an intriguing array of artworks by 12 artists — all working in distinct styles — 12 in 24  continues through July, 2024.

The image shown above features Cosby, along with his first-born son, standing in front of his 2022 work Soft Spot. Fashioned with acrylic and mixed media on acrylic panel, it is representative of Cosbe’s raw, instinctive, signature aesthetic.

In addition to Cosbe— who is well-known to many of us street art aficionados — several other artists who have made their way onto public space are celebrated in this exhibition. What follows is a sampling:

The wonderfully talented BK Foxx, “Featherweight,” 2016, Freehand spray acrylic on linen

The late, legendary Richard Hambleton, “Sunset in Studio Valley,” 1985, Acrylic on canvas

NYC-based painter and muralist Jose Aurelio Baez, “Winter Bouquet,” 2023, Acrylic and wallpaper on canvas

The wonderfully versatile Moody, “From the Ground Up,” 2021, Enamel and high gloss acrylic on wood

Wide view of the elegant gallery space 

And the delightful “12 in 24” opening night

You can visit the exhibition through July by appointment (Art@WoodwardGallery.net) or view it on online at Artsy here.

Photo credits:

1-4 Lois Stavsky; 5-7 Courtesy Woodward Gallery 

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The following post is by guest contributor Kristy Calabro 

On May 15, I attended the opening reception for the wonderfully inventine NICK WALKER | A PORTRAIT OF A VANDAL. Continuing through the summer at 685 Third Avenue, the exhibition features a delightful series of works on canvas and on paper — largely referencing Nick Walker‘s iconic vandal.

Faceless, concealed subjects, all enveloped in an air of mystery, abound. Among these are tantalizing variations of  the bowler-hatted “Vandal” — reputedly his alter-ego.

A particular highlight of the exhibition is Nick Walker‘s beloved “Vandal Child,” sporting a ski mask and clutching a spray can in each hand, inspired by a photo of the artist’s daughter.

A pioneering stencil artist, Nick Walker has been enriching urban landscapes from London to New York City, from Honk Kong to Paris and beyond for decades. Produced by DK Johnston with support from BGO, NICK WALKER | A PORTRAIT OF A VANDAL presents a rare opportunity to view the legendary artist’s remarkable talents in another setting.

Post and photos submitted by street art enthusiast, arts writer and photographer Kristy Calabro and edited by Lois Stavsky

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On October 7, 2023, 27-year-old Haifa-based art student and graffiti writer Inbar “Pink” Haiman aka The Pink Raven went down to the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel to serve as a volunteer. While there, she was kidnapped — along with dozens more partygoers — by Hamas terrorists riding motorcycles and armed with knives. On December 16, her family was informed that she was dead and that her body was still in Gaza. Approximately two weeks later, a huge group of artists celebrated her all-too-brief life in a painting session in Tel Aviv.

The image featured above is a portrait of Inbar painted by the hugely talented Dudi Shoval. Several more images that we captured while visiting the site last month follow:

Stylemaster Logikal 

Street artist and painter Tru Amta

Graffiti writer and muralist Hami Art

The distinctly gifted Solomon Souza

Multidisciplinary artist Aviva Charles aka Ladybug Art

Artist, arts educator and tour guide extraordinaire Dina Segev

Unidentified artist

Photo credits: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 Lois Stavsky; 2 & 6 Sara Ching Mozeson

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While there are only a limited number of legal murals in Bratislava, the streets of the Slovakian city teem with unsanctioned tags, graffiti bombs and motley urban interventions. What follows is a small sampling of what we captured on our recent visit to this captivating city:

Cork, Ireland native Fin DAC

One of several stenciled messages

French artist Cart’1, segment of larger mural

Local artists Daor & Dano

One of many several elegantly crafted tags

Poland-born, UK-based TANKPETROL

One of many distinctly stylish graffiti bombs

Photos: Sara Ching Mozeson and Lois Stavsky

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