Exit Room

Boone-Room-Bronx-graffiti-Cope2

Some of NYC’s most vibrant and striking murals–on Boone Avenue between 172nd and 173rd 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.

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Lady K Fever

"Lady K Fever"

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

Kashink-Lady-K-Fever-Street-Art-graffiti-Bronx-NYC

 Tonight at 270 Meserole Street in Bushwick

Boone-Room-Launch-Party

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

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Representing a range of artistic expressions from the comical to the spiritual,  Exit Room’s current exhibit COROGRAFIA features works by members of Puerto Rico’s celebrated EL CORO graffiti crew. Here’s a sampling of what can be seen through today:

Son

Son

 Esco

Esco

Spear

Spear

Acty2

acty2

Nepo

Nepo

Located at 270 Meserole Street, right off the Montrose Ave. stop on the L train, the gallery space is open today, Sunday, from 5-8pm. Tentative plans for a closing party for August 2 are underway. Keep posted to Exit Room’s Facebook page for further details.

Photos of artwork by Lois Stavsky

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Universal-Weapon-Exit-Room-NY

Barcelona-based Txemy creates innovative, colorful images composed with lively lines and strokes.  Muro is best-known for his fanciful characters — in a variety of uncanny situations — that make their way onto city walls. The current exhibit — “Universal Weapons” at Exit Room NY — features a range of intriguing work from both Spanish artists, including some beguiling collaborations. Here’s a sampling:

 Txemy and Muro, Untitled, Mixed media on paper

Muro-and-Txemy-at-Exit-Room-NY

Txemy, Tiro al Aire, Spray paint on paper

Txemy

Muro, Alphabet “H,” Mixed media on paper

Muro

Txemy and Muro, Untitled, Mixed media on paper

"Txemy and Muro"

 Txemy, Weapons, Spraypaint on paper

Txemy

Final photo by Rachel Fawn Alban; all others by Lois Stavsky; image on Exit Room door by Icy & Sot. 

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The following guest post is by Yoav Litvin, a writer, photographer and author of the recently released Outdoor Gallery – New York City book on contemporary NYC graffiti/street art.

Newmerica

Ñewmerica is a collective of artists, which includes LNY, Icy and Sot, Mata Ruda, NDA and Sonni. Each well-known to street art enthusiasts in New York City and worldwide, they joined forces in “The Birth of a Nation,” currently on display at Exit Room in Bushwick. After a fantastic opening chocked full of performances, raffles and other fun surprises, I returned to Exit Room to re-examine the art.  The first piece one encounters is an installation piece constructed by the group —  “La Inmortal Deli,” a bodega stocked with hand-embellished bottles and cigarette boxes. Outside the bodega are pieces by each of the artists in the main hall of Exit Room.

Newmerica

It is very refreshing, Ñewmerica, to see a group of talented artists — each in their own right — form a collective. What are you trying to achieve with Ñewmerica?

Ñewmerica is a friendship and a platform for independence. When artists start out, they are free to create a body of work as they see fit, but then as the gallery system takes over, the work gets dissected and profiled to fit curatorial restraints or group show themes that tell their own stories. This can take away from an artist’s ability to present and represent his or her work. Ñewmerica is a collective push to take that complete artistic expression back by making the work we want to see exactly the way we want to see it. Ñewmerica is freedom.

Newmerica

Is there a collective experience for foreign artists trying to make it in NYC? Can you tell us something about the name, Ñewmerica?

None of us are native to NYC – our shared playground. NYC is the perfect stage for anybody to talk about anything resembling national identity, immigrant identity, or issues of gentrification and generational perspectives. Our individual work speaks about these issues already, and it gets amplified when we work together. At the same time this is just our reality. Even if we don’t make identity an issue we see it coming up in every day life. Analyzing identity is a way of discussing the reality of New York.

Bodega-foreclosure-at-Exir-Room

What’s wrong with America and what are you trying to change?

We are not necessarily trying to change anything, but just better ourselves through collaboration, sharing, and friendship. That’s the only way we can create a better commons and consequently better communities, neighborhoods, cities and nations. Know thyself before you wreck thyself and thy town.

"NDA and Icy & Sot"

The bodega – why did you choose a bodega as the collaborative point for the collective, and not some other nexus? Why did you choose to make art on alcohol bottles and cigarettes boxes?

The bodega is a contested battleground. Much like the subway, it unifies a city because all social strata melt into it. Commerce and necessity make the bodega a contemporary secular place of worship where we all get our alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and purchase dreams on lottery tickets. It is this quintessential NYC icon — that has played an important role forming our culture — that is slowly getting lost. The bodega icon has been the focus of a lot of scrutiny, a specific example for this is the Street Market installation by Barry McGee, Todd James and Stephen Powers at Deitch Projects back in 2000 — something we all looked at and talked about at the beginning of this production and in a way are paraphrasing as part of this longer dialogue in time.

"Mata Ruda and Icy and Sot"

Is there significance to the name, “La Inmortal Deli?”

“La Inmortal Deli” is our nod to this history and our wish for this type of questioning to continue while simultaneously dealing with contemporary issues. Contrary to its name, “La Inmortal Deli” has an expiration date; it has been foreclosed and will soon be replaced by a Bank of America. So where will our culture go? What will replace the bodega in this new city we are building? What can we do about it?

Newmerica

Please tell us some of Ñewmerica‘s plans for the future.

Ñewmerica has lots of fun and secret events planned for the future months – check back with us to find out @nwmrca and on our Facebook page.

"Sonni and LNY"

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 “The Ñewmerican Dream is our biggest success to date,” commented Exit Room founder Dariel MTZ and co-founder Daniela Croci aka Zoe. “This group of artists represents the perfect balance between a grittier street art style and fine art, highlighting diversity in style, ethnic influences and a critical, yet progressive, new vision for American society.”

“The Birth of a Nation” continues through April 19 at 270 Meserole Street.  Gallery hours are Wednesday – Sunday: 5 – 8pm

All photos by Yoav Litvin; photos 1-4. Bodega installation; 5. NDA and Icy & Sot; 6. Mata Ruda and Icy & Sot; 7. Ñewmerica — all members, and 8. LNY and Sonni

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"Exit Room"

A wonderfully diverse group of artists have been busy these past 10 days fashioning the walls of Exit Room in preparation for tonight’s opening of Track 1, the first in a series of short exhibitions. Here’s a sampling of what’s been going down:

Esteban del Valle

"Esteban del Valle"

Viajero

Viajero

Nicole Salgar

"Nicole Salgar"

Marka 27

"Marka -27"

 Ramiro Davaro

"Ramiro Davaro"

Rimx

Rimx

And here’s a close-up of a collaborative work in progress that we captured last Thursday:

Sonni, Marka 27 and Carlos Pinto

"Sonni, Marka 27 and Carlos Pinto"

Other featured artists include: Chuck Berret, Ricardo CabretChris RWKAdam Dare, Jeff Enriquez, Art by KenNepoJohn Paul O’Grodnick and Gio Romo. There will also be a live musical performance by Mike Larry Draw X 86 SUPREME. Tonight’s opening takes place at 270 Meserole Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn from 6 – 11pm.

All photos of artists at work courtesy of Dariel Mtz and Zoe; photo of Sonni, Marka 27 and Carlos Pinto collaborative work in progress by Lois Stavsky

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Dariel Mtz and Zoe Beatwoman

The brainchild of Dariel Mtz and Daniela Croci aka Zoe, Exit Room is more than just another art gallery. Located at 270 Meserole Street, minutes away from the Montrose Ave. stop on the L train and next door to the Well, it serves as an incubator and showcase for film productions, spoken word performances, musical presentations, as well as for visual art. The current exhibit, Outsight In, features works by RimxDanielle Mastrion, Nepo, Ricardo Cabret and Cern — all providing “insights through outside perspectives.”  Here’s a sampling:

Danielle Mastrion

"Danielle Mastrion"

Nepo

Nepo

Ricardo Cabret

"Ricardo Cabret"

Cern, close-up

"Cern"

Rimx, close-up

"Rimx"

Exit Room is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5pm to 8pm; keep posted to Exit Room’s Facebook page for news of upcoming events, including a video program on Thursday, January 16.

Photo of Dariel and Daniela by Stefano Ortega; Rimx, courtesy of Dariel; all others by Lois Stavsky

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