exhibition

Following the murder of George Floyd, the spirit of resistance that once characterized Lower Manhattan once again permeated its streets, as the boarded-up stores became canvases for politically driven murals.  Several of these artworks no longer on the streets are on view in a splendid exhibition — curated by Sono Kuwayama, Bob Holman and Howl! Happening — at Howl! on 6 East 1st Street. Others remain on the streets. The image featured above, Black Trans Lives Matter,  was fashioned with acrylic and house paint on plywood by Maya EdelmanScooter LaForge, and Sono Kuwayama.

Several more images follow — from both the Howl! exhibition and its neighboring blocks.

Multidisciplinary artist Lissa Baur, “Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat,” Acrylic on plywood, on view at Howl! 

Mrs. Skittles, Grace H. Gutekanst and Robert Blodgett, “Little Boy Blue,” Acrylic on plywood, on view at Howl! 

Colombian/American artist Felix Morelo,GOOD LUCK SPOT,” Acrylic on plywood, on view at Howl! 

Michael Walling and DLA, as seen on East 4th Street

Irena Kenny & Sono Kuwayama, as seen on East 4th Street

The noted painter Izhar Patkin, as seen on Cooper Square

The exhibition continues at Howl! through Sunday, August 23, from 11 AM–6 PM,  Thursday–Sunday.

Photos of images by Lois Stavsky

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I first encountered JoDo’s now-iconic bee on a wall in Bushwick several years ago. And this past week, I had the opportunity to visit it in all its glory in JoDo’s first retrospective exhibition on view at The Yard on 85 Delancey Street. We, also, had a chance to speak:

When and where did your now-iconic bee first surface in the public sphere? 

In November, 2015 here in NYC.

What inspired you to hit the streets with it?

Once I moved to NYC, I started noticing all that was happening on the streets here. And so I decided to take my bee – that first appeared indoors in a group exhibition – outside.

Can you tell us something about your bee? What does it represent? 

It is a divine creature that represents the communication between the Gods and us humans. Each bee is distinct.

And what about its name — JoDo?

It’s a reference to my parents. Jo from my father’s name; and Do from my mom’s.

I’ve seen your bee on a wide range of surfaces. Have you any preferred ones?

I love stone and brick, but any kind of surface is fine.

Do you prefer to paint on the streets “with permission?” Or would you rather do it illegally?

I like both. Generally what I do is unsanctioned, but there are advantages to painting legally. For example, when I paint with Paint for Pink in Newark, I am given not only a wall, but paint and all the time I need!

What is your first graffiti memory?

The writing I noticed while growing up in Mexico City. I didn’t get involved with it because I assumed it was associated with gangs. But I loved trying to decipher its letters. 

What about cultural influences? What are your principal ones?

Definitely NYC graffiti, and I’ve been influenced by the time I spent working within Mayan communities in the jungles of Mexico.

What is your most memorable graffiti experience?

My time in St. Petersburg, Russia. I met up there with the graffiti writer AKA6. It was the first time I bombed with spray paint, rather than with mops.

And the riskiest thing you’ve done?

Also in Russia. Painting by myself inside the ruins of buildings. I didn’t know what could happen to me.

Are you generally satisfied with your finished piece?

Yes, I kiss and hug all of my pieces after I finish them and whenever I pass them by

Have you exhibited your work?

Yes. Among the spaces I’ve shown in are: the Living Gallery, 17 Frost and here at the Yard.

How does your family feel about what you are doing?

My family is very supportive. They both hugely appreciate art.

What percentage of your time is devoted to art?

When I’m not working at marketing or art curation, I’m doing art. And when I’m not doing it, I’m thinking about it.

What are some of your other interests?

Discovering other people’s talents. 

Have you any feelings — positive or negative — regarding the engagement of graffiti artists with the corporate world?

I love the idea of infiltrating the corporate world. That’s how we artists can have more influence and reach people who otherwise might not see our work. It’s like playing with the system to get our message out.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

They include: the late British painter JM William Turner; the late Japanese conceptual artist On Kawara; the late Italian-Argentine artist Lucio Fontana Rubens; the Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan; the late Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida, and the late American sculptor Robert Smitson.

Do you prefer painting alone or with others?  

I’m very independent, but I also like painting with others. Among those I’ve gotten up with are: Easy, Sev TDT, the ACK Crew, Blitz, Rambo, Pork, Glazer, Token, ZB-Bunny, Myster, TCOB, Slae, AKA6, Lansky, Sohr, Freaky, Uncle Robert, Hank, Trice, Regalos Margot, ET, Avocado, CaseEx-Vandals, Delay, DB, Umii, Pariah, Dwel, Hiss, El Sol, Chupa and the O’s, Image, Jel, Nic 707, the TDT Crew, KRR, Masters of Massacre, Extremely Humble  and Optimo.

Have you any thoughts on the graffiti/street art divide? 

Graffiti and street art are both art, but they’re totally different categories of expression. Most street artists just bring their fine art sensibilities outdoors. Most writers are driven to make their mark and be part of graffiti history.

Have you a formal art education?

No. I studied art curation. My father taught me how to draw. He took me to museums just about every week. And then when I lived in Europe, I visited museums all the time.

How has your iconic bee evolved through the years?

It used to be very stiff. Now it flows. It’s definitely improved!

Where else besides NYC and St. Petersburg has it surfaced?

It’s made its way to Moscow, Asilah, Malaga, Cadiz, Ek Balam, Mexico City, Playa del Carmen and Miami.

What’s ahead?

I want to create more art – some with the bee and some without it. I want to work on a larger scale, and I want to continue to make my parents proud of me.

How can folks see JoDo Was Here — your current show on the 2nd and 3rd floors of The Yard on the Lower East Side?

Viewing hours are Monday – Friday 10-5 and weekends by appointment. They can direct message me via my Instagram or drop a note to Lee Wells of the International Fine Arts Consortium (IFAC) at Lee@ifac-arts.com. The exhibit  continues through March 22.

Great! And congratulations on this exhibit! 

Interview conducted and edited for clarity and brevity by Lois Stavsky

Photo credits: 1 Ana Candelaria; 2, 5 & 8 Courtesy of the artist, and 3, 4, 6, 7 & 9 Lois Stavsky

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Earlier this month, the French Collective DA MENTAL VAPORZ — consisting of Bom.k, Brusk, Kan, Blo, Jaw, Lek and Sowat — brought their talents to Tel Aviv. At once darkly discomfiting and stunningly mesmerizing, their exhibition, Alone in the Dark, continues through March at the historic Beit Ha’ir Museum on 27 Bialik Street. What follows are a few more images I captured on a recent afternoon visit to the exhibition that made its way onto Beit Ha’ir’s walls, floors and celings:

From the outside looking in:

One of the many details of the installation

A bit of gore, detail

And some buoyant shapes and colors

One of many collaged images

Beit Ha’ir Museum exterior

One of several postcard images

Photos of images: Lois Stavsky

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Self-described as a “NYC-based visually impaired Street-Pop artist with a vintage flair,” the lovely OG Millie primarily fashions infectious portraits of iconic international figures. Ranging from the Buddha to Biggie, they are customarily painted with brilliant hues onto vintage decorative mirrors, exuding a distinctly enchanting aura.

A wonderfully diverse sampling of the artist’s portraits were exhibited this past Wednesday at a reception held at Long Island City’s magical Paper Factory Hotel, celebrating the Queens launch of LG USA Mobile‘s impressive, new five-camera LGV40 ThinQ. Pictured above is OG Millie‘s rendition of the Buddha. Several more images follow:

The famed Brooklyn-based rapper Biggie Smalls

The legendary American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix

The German-born brilliant physicist Albert Einstein

And all eyes upon her  — or the phone capturing her! –as she intently begins to paint live

Note: You can see the final piece painted live by OG Millie here.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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If you haven’t yet had your portrait drawn with one line in under one minute by the wonderfully passionate, nomadic Brooklyn-based 0H10 M1ke, tomorrow is your chance. From 6 – 10pm, Mike promises to do that and lots more at 198 Allen Street. Last week, we met up and caught up a bit.

When we last spoke in 2014, you said that your goal was to create 100,000 one-line matchbox portraits? Mine was 11,206! How close are you to your goal?

My most recent was #13,021! I’ve done quite a few at 17 Frost, at 198 Allen, on the trains, on the streets — anywhere I can!

How do you approach folks? And how do they respond?

I simply say, “Give me a New York moment; I’ll draw your portrait in one line on a matchbox in one minute.” They generally respond with skepticism. But once they see the portrait I’ve created, they like it.

In addition to your ongoing matchbox project, what other projects have engaged you as of late?

I’ve been preparing for my upcoming solo show and performance If Basquiat and Keith Haring had a baby…reimagining the works of Basquiat and Haring in one-line drawings. I’ve, also, been working on creating sculptures inspired by Warhol; instead of using Brillo boxes, I use Nike boxes. And I’ve been staging wrestling as dance, which will be projected –along with large portraits — onto a huge screen outside 198 Allen.

What inspires you to keep creating?

I’m compulsive. I have to. And people, the street art community in particular, have been welcoming and supportive.

Are there any particular artists out there who continue to influenc your aesthetic?

Obviously Haring and Basquiat. But other main influences include UFO and Neckface.

Anything else new — in terms of your art-making?

I’ve been getting my original drawings into hand-made books. I recently constructed a 3o-pocket rotating magazine rack, and I’ve filled it with all hand-made original artbooks and magazines. I also create on a larger variety of surfaces.

What’s ahead?

Murals, prints and reproducibles.

Good luck with it all!

Note: You can keep up with 0H10 M1ke here — now that he’s posting on Instagram!

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; all images courtesy of the artist

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Brimming with exuberant energy and stylishly striking images, HIGH & TIGHT, LA2‘s solo exhibition, is a cause for celebration.  Proclaimed by Keith Haring — with whom he had collaborated in the 80’s — as the “Graffiti King of the Lower East Side,” LA2 is tighter than ever. Pictured above is LA2 standing next to the exhibit’s curator and gallerist, Jonathan Satin. Several more images captured while I visited the space at 198 Allen Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side follow:

Installation of several canvases, sneakers, skateboard deck and more 

 

Several more artworks and memorabilia reminiscent of LA2’s collaborations with Keith Haring

Canvases, repurposed traffic sign, skateboard deck, guitar and collaboration with London-based Stik

 

You can join LA2 tonight — from 8-11pm — at 198 Allen Street. He promises “live painting and dancing” in celebration of Independence Day. And through Sunday’s 5pm closing, the space is open every day from 12-8pm

Photos: Lois Stavsky

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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Learn and Skate — an organization dedicated to promoting skateboard culture and education in disadvantaged areas, while encouraging youngsters to pursue their dreams was conceived in France in 2012 by Toulouse-based Jean Claude Geraud, with the assistance of Richard Schenten. After building a skate park in the Ugandan countryside in 2016 with funds raised from auctioning skateboard decks, Learn and Skate is now raising funds to help support the production of the first skate park in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Ride for Mongolia, a charity exhibition dedicated to raising the money to make this happen, will take place from May 28 to June 2 at Manhattan’s MADE Hotel, 44 West 29th Street, with an official opening on May 31 from 6pm to 1am. Dozens of acclaimed artists from a range of countries throughout the globe have fashioned skate decks that will be available in auction. The three decks featured above are the work of the Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier. Several more skateboard decks featured in Ride for Mongolia follow:

The legendary NYC-based Futura, close-up, Gears, Black and white markers on skateboard, 2018

Toulouse, France-based Woizo, Figure – 037 Shakti, Acrylic and oil on skateboard, 2018

Bronx-based legendary graffiti artist, T-Kid, T-Kid, Spray paint and marker on skateboard, 2018

French artist Little Madi, Cactus Love, Acrylic on skateboard, 2018

You can check out all of the details for the NYC exhibit — beginning with its soft opening — here. And you can bid online here from May 29 to June 12.

All images courtesy Jean Claude Geraud

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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Scratch Ecstasy, an exhibition of  work in a range of media by visual artist and legendary filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, continues through June 24 at P.P.O.W in Chelsea. A chronicler of the rise of hip-hop and street art culture, Ahearn has documented the movement since the 80’s through photography, film and slide shows.  The following is adapted from an interview conducted by travel and street photographer Karin du Maire with Charlie at the gallery:

Can you tell us something about the title of your current show, Scratch Ecstasy? To what does it refer? 

Yes! The word “scratch” actually has a double meaning. It refers to scratching on a surface, but it also refers to a technique pioneered by Grand Wizzard Theodore of a needle going back and forth on a record — which creates a very jazzy, electronic effect.

Ectasy-Garage-flyer

And what about the word “Ecstasy” in the title? What is its reference?

It’s a reference to a real place in a real time — the Ecstasy Garage, where I was listening to not only Grand Wizzard Theodore scratch his music, but also to Chief Rocker Busy Bee on the microphone or Grand Master Cass, along with many other artists who were performing there. I spent a lot of time at  the Ecstasy Garage doing a slide show and watching different hip-hop performances, largely to an audience of high school kids. It was a very out-of-the-way place.

charlie-ahearn-map

What was your mission back then? 

It is similar to the mission of this show — to create a record of what was going on so that people today can pinpoint certain people and places that should get recognition and be remembered.

What about your own paintings that are on exhibit here? Can you tell us something about the process?

It started with me doing the painting on canvas with the forms that would be in it. The colors I chose reflect the bright fluorescent colors that were prominent in inexpensive flyers that the kids would hand out to get others to show up.

charlie-ahearn-survival

And what about the slide show that is going on? 

It is the slide show that I gave at the Ecstasy Garage with Grand Wizzard Theodore as the DJ. As presented here with the music, it is a reflection of what was going on back there at the time. I gave it at the Ecstasy Garage as a kind of way of working on Wild Style — the slides in a particular order to tell a story, and it all ended up in the movie, one way or another.

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Thank you for preserving and sharing so much history with us.

Note:  P.P.O.W will be screening Charlie’s 1979 kung fu film, The Deadly Art of Survival, tomorrow, Friday evening, at 7pm. The gallery is located at 535 West 22nd St, 3rd Floor, in Chelsea.

Images

1  Charlie Ahearn at P.P.O.W — as interviewed by Karin Du Maire — with Data Rock, silkscreen on canvas

2  Scratch Ecstasy, silkscreen on canvas

3  The World of Hip Hop, silkscreen on canvas

4  Nathan, silkscreen on canvas

5  Howard the Duck, Lee Quinones, LES mural

Photo credits: 1 & 2 Karin Du Maire; 3, 4 & 5 (still from slide show) Lois Stavsky; interview conducted by Karin Du Maire and edited by Lois Stavsky

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Opening this evening at 212 ARTS is DRIP, a solo exhibit by the iconic NYC-based artist Paul Richard. An outstanding representational painter, Paul Richard is best known to us street art aficionados for his drip paintings that surface on NYC sidewalks. While visiting the exhibit yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to 212 ARTS gallerist, Marc Leader.

This is such an elegantly handsome show! What spurred you to feature an exhibit of Paul Richard‘s works?

Paul has been an iconic figure in NYC culture for over 20 years. Although low-key, he is also subtly prolific. And this is his first NYC exhibit in five years.

paul-richard-art-on-door

How did you decide which artworks to include in the exhibit?

About one year ago, Paul and I began discussing the concept of an exhibit featuring his work at 212 ARTS. Then Paul ran with it. He created a few dozen new works, and together we decided which ones to feature.

paul-richard-urban-tank

How many are included in DRIP?

There are two dozen works of varying sizes.

paul-richard-commuter

It is always a thrill to glance down to the pavement and come upon one of Paul Richard‘s iconic faces!

Yes! Even before he first moved to New York in 1997, Paul Richard recognized that people constantly scan the ground in front of them — making it the perfect place to find an audience.

Paul-Richard-pavement-art

It’s great to see your gallery continue to bring a diverse range of first-rate artists — who remain active on our streets — to its East Village home. To what do you attribute its success?

It’s the passion we bring to our projects.

Paul-richard-opening-212-arts

Photos of artworks and interview by Lois Stavsky

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As part of this year’s edition of the Montreal Mural Festival, Station 16 Gallery will host PLANAR DIRECTION, a solo exhibition by the wonderfully talented Argentine-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone. Opening this Thursday evening, June 8, PLANAR DIRECTION will showcase a series of Pantone‘s striking works, characterized by distinct geometric shapes that fuse black and white designs with bold florescent colors. Pictured above is the mural that Pantone painted for last year’s Mural Festival. What follows is a brief preview of his new works for PLANAR DIRECTION:

Planar Direction 3

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Planar Direction 6

Planar-Direction-6-Felipe-Pantone

Planar Direction 4

Planar-Direction-4-Felipe-Pantone

Station 16 Gallery

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Station 16 Gallery is located at 3523 Boul St-Laurent in Montreal.

All images courtesy Station 16 Gallery

Note: Hailed in a range of media from Wide Walls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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