Kobra

Teeming with color and charm, the huge wall at City-As-School on Hudson Street between Clarkson and West Houston in the West Village has been the talk of the town. I had the opportunity to visit it while it was still in progress and speak to CAS educator Maria Krajewski, who’s been devotedly involved with this project since it first began.

When did this impressive project begin?

Magda Love actually started her mural in May, 2016. But due to permitting issues, the painting had to be stopped four days after it had begun. We were told that we needed formal approval not only from the Department of Education, but, also, from the Department of Environmental Protection.  About 25 people in the DOE and DEP had to approve the process. We had to work out insurance, liability, releases… That took about a year. We were so grateful to get the permit!

What is happening here is described as a project of the Mad Academy that you had co-founded. Just what is the Mad Academy?

It is a pre-professional training initiative that was developed as a collaboration among students, teachers and mentors. Its goal is to provide CAS students direct training in design, arts and music under the guidance of NYC’s top creative industry professionals.

I know that Magda Love has been involved with City-as-School now for several years. I remember the first mural that she had painted here. But how did you engage the Brazilian muralist Eduardo Kobra? His popular appeal is enormous!

Eduardo Kobra’s team actually approached us, as it was a great opportunity for him to paint on such a huge wall adjacent to a school building and to engage with students.

Working on a project this enormous must have posed many challenges. What were some of the main ones?

The enormous bureaucracy that confronted us in obtaining the necessary permissions to seeing it through was our greatest challenge. And funding, of course was another huge challenge. Once we got the permit, we didn’t have any money! When Lisi Gehrend joined the team to fundraise as part of her Master’s Degree in Art, Law and Business at Christie’s Education, the largest mural in NYC was finally underway

You’ve had quite a team. And how has the response been — from students and the community?

It’s been amazing. The community loves it, as do the students. They are, in fact, painting their own murals now on our building.

Congratulations! It is amazing! And it’s so wonderful how it all came together.

Images:

1 & 2 Magda Love

3 Al Diaz

4 Eduardo Kobra & team

5 City-As-School  students Charlie Federico & Kaira Wong

Photos by 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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The streets of Bristol — the home of the annual Upfest, Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival — brim with energy and intrigue. Pictured above is a huge segment from a collaborative mural by UK-based My Dog Sighs and Snub23. What follows are several more I captured on my recent visit to Bristol, UK.

Bristol-based Jody Artist

Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra

UK-based The Nomad Clan, close-up

Bristol native Guy Denning in collaboration with Oklahoma native Yatika Fields

Bristol-based 3Dom22

Buenos Aires-based Caro Pepe in collaboration with German artist Age Age

Photos by 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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Presenting a diverse range of mural art by over 30 local, national and global artists, Canvas 2016 has brought soul and spirit to Downtown West Palm Beach, transforming it into an intriguing outdoor museum. Pictured above is by Tristan Eaton. Here are several more images I captured this past Sunday:

Brazilian artist Sipros with the Dutch duo Pipsqueak, close-up

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Brazilian muralist Kobra does Albert Einstein, close-up

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Parisian artist Astro

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The German duo, Herakut, close-up — with a message

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German artist Case Maclaim

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Spanish muralists PichiAvo

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Photos by Lois Stavsky 

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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Recently in the news for setting the Guiness Book of World Records for the “latest spray paint mural by a team” with his Rio Olympic-inspired Ethnicities, self-taught Brzailian artist Eduardo Kobra has brought his extraordinary talents to Jersey City. Kobra’s rendition of pop icon David Bowie is the most recent addition to Jersey City’s more than 86 other public art works as part of the city’s Mural Arts Program launched in 2013 by Mayor Steven Fulop. This past Friday, a dedication ceremony was held at Jersey City’s Cast Iron Lofts where I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to the artist.

When did you first paint in an outdoor venue?

Ten years ago.

What inspired you to do so?

Everything I had seen and read about what was happening in New York City.

Can you tell us something about the first huge mural that you painted?

It was in Lyon, France. It was a tribute piece to immigrants in a building that was about to be dismantled.

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Approximately how many huge murals have you painted since?

Over 30 in more than 20 countries.

The figures you’ve painted range from pop icons like John Lennon and Bob Dylan to historical figures inlcuding Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. What inspired you to paint David Bowie here in Jersey City?

Bowie’s creativity and vision had always inspired me. I’d actually painted this portrait six years ago on a canvas, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to paint it here in Jersey City on such a tall building. It is my way of keeping his memory alive among people who embrace him.

What was the greatest challenge that you’ve faced these past two weeks since you began painting here?

The height of the building is intimidating! And the mural, itself, is 180 feet tall.

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How have folks responded to the mural?

They love it. The response has been overwhelming.

Congratulations! It is wonderful!

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos by Sara Ching Mozeson

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

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Launched by the Wabash Arts Corridor and Columbia College Chicago, WAC Big Walls Festval continues to transform Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood into a vibrant outdoor museum. Pictured above is Brazilian artist Kobra‘s tribute to legendary blues musician, Muddy Waters. Here are several more murals — gracing the walls of the Loop — that we captured while visiting Chicago this past week:

Argentine arist Marina Zumi, close-up

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German artist Hera of Herakut

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Dutch artist Collin van der Sluijs

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Chicago’s Don’t Fret on college debt!

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Chicago’s Likes1

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Chicago’s Amuse 126

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Photo credits: 1-3 Lois Stavsky, 4-7 Tara Murray

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"Kobra street art"

Noted São Paulo muralist Eduardo Kobra has been the talk of the town here as he has been transforming Chelsea’s visual landscape.  Characterized by an impressive range of depth and realism, Kobra’s brightly hued murals pay homage to NYC’s history.

As viewed from the High Line, this piece was inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photo, V-J Day in Times Square:

"Kobra mural"

More after the jump!

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