Never

The Savage Habbit Mural Project continues to bring an amazing array of murals to nearby Hudson County. Just minutes from NYC, a treasure trove of public artworks can be found. Here’s a sampling:

Angelina Christina, Ease One & Never in Jersey City

angelina-christina-ease-one-never -street-art-savage habbit-NJ

Mike Makatron in Jersey City

Mike-Makatron-street-art-savage-habbit

Smithe, Seher & Kraken in Union City

Smithe-Seher-Kraken-savage-habbit-street-art-Union-City

Smithe-Seher-Kraken-street--art-savage-habbit-NJ

Mata Ruda and Nanook in Jersey City

nanook-mata-ruda savage-habbit-street-art-NJ

To continue showcasing international, national and local artists and enriching the visual landscape of Hudson County with outstanding murals, Savage Habbit recently launched a Kickstarter with wonderfully enticing rewards. Check it out here.

All photos courtesy of Savage Habbit

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This is the sixth in an occasional series featuring images of males who surface on NYC open spaces:

Icy and Sot at the Bushwick Collective

"Icy and Sot"

Jason Coatney in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"Jason Coatney"

Never in Bushwick

Never

El Sol 25 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"El Sol25"

Abstrk in Bushwick, Brooklyn — in this past weekend from Florida on the 004 East Coast tour

abstrk

Elbow-Toe in Red Hook, Brooklyn

"Elbow-Toe"

Sien on Bronx Rooftop

Sien

Bradley Theodore in downtown Manhattan

"Bradley Theodore"

Photos of Icy & Sot and Abstrk by Tara Murray; Jason Coatney, El Sol 25, Elbow-Toe and Bradley Theodore by Dani Reyes Mozeson; Sien by Lois Stavsky

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

"Icy and Sot"

As street art continues to gain legitimacy as a contemporary art movement throughout the world, New York City remains its cradle of birth and continues to attract artists from around the globe.  Gingko Press’s recently published Outdoor Gallery — New York City by author and photographer Yoav Litvin bears witness to the unmediated and diverse creative expression of New York City’s street art.  Thought provoking, comprehensive and aesthetically pleasing,  Outdoor Gallery presents hundreds of street art photographs, accompanied by interviews, featuring more than forty artists.

"Outdoor Gallery"

For two years Yoav immersed himself in the world of street artists, learning their visual language, engaging in their community and observing their habitus. Outdoor Gallery justly frames street art as a platform for disrupting society’s notion of the use of public space.  As the author states, street art is “a creative and non-violent form of rebellion.”

Toofly

The author provides us with a rare opportunity to view the artists’ actual process.  Yoav photographs artist Adam Dare’s steps as he installs his signature bunny paste-up on scaffolding in the dark of the night.  Jilly Ballistic, known for subway site-specific images, also agrees to guide us through a 9-step process of pasting an image of a city officer in the Astor Place metro station.

"Jilly Ballistic"

Although most of the photographs are taken soon after the images have surfaced, Yoav eloquently emphasizes the ephemeral nature of the art form in his opening commentary and throughout the interviews he conducted.  He also reminds us that street art is continuously at the mercy of many factors, such as neighborhood gentrification, weather conditions, vandalism and police intervention.   Photography serves as an ally in keeping the art works alive after they have faded or disappeared.

Hellbent

The book’s narrative also acknowledges and insists on the diversity of mediums, surfaces and messages embedded in the art pieces.  The interviews inform us of the range of intention behind the pieces.  For some artists, such as gilf!, Enzo & Nio, and Icy & Sot, political commentary is the rationale behind their work.  Alice Mizrachi, on the other hand, uses her large-scale murals to encourage community engagement. Finally, street art serves as a creative outlet and as a form of self-expression. Shiro describes her signature character as her “alternative self, reflecting [her] experiences and emotions as [she] goes through life.”

Never

This book provides remarkable insight into the motivations and the creative process of dozens of street artists whose works have surfaced in NYC. More than shedding light on the extraordinary talent of these artists, Outdoor Gallery inspires readers to discover for themselves the treasure trove of outdoor art New York City has to offer.

Outdoor Gallery — New York City can be ordered online at Amazon and is available from retailers worldwide including Low Brow Artique and Zakka in Brooklyn and Strand Books, the MoMA and Guggenheim Museum shops in Manhattan.

Images © Yoav Litvin 1. Icy & Sot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 2. Toofly in Bushwick, Brooklyn and in Astoria, Queens; 3. Jilly Ballistic process in underground metro; 4. Hellbent in Astoria, Queens & 5. Never Satisfied in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

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This is the second in a series of posts featuring the range of creatures that share our streets with us:

Reka at the Bushwick Collective

"Reka"

Roa in Williamsburg 

"Roa"

Never in Bushwick

Never-street-art-NYC

Phlegm at the Bushwick Collective

"Phlegm"

Robert Plater in the East Village

"Robert Plater"

Joel Bergner and Wise2 in Bushwick

"Joel Bergner and Wise2"

Kingbee in the East Village

"KingBee"

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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This is the first in a series of posts featuring the range of creatures that share our streets with us:

Roa in the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Roa

Never at the Bushwick Collective

Never

DalEast in Dumbo

DALeast

Craig Anthony Miller aka CAM in Dumbo

CAM-street-art-in-NYC

Mr. Prvrt at the Bushwick Collective

Mr. Prvrt

Jordan Betten in Chelsea

Jordan Betten

Willow in Gowanus

Willow

KingBee in the East Village

KingBee

Photos by Dani Reyes Mozeson, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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While not conducting his post-doctoral research on Brain and Behavior at The Rockefeller University, Jerusalem native Yoav Litvin can be found on our city streets pursuing his passion for street art. We recently met up for a chat.

Dain

What spurred your interest in public art?

As a result of an injury, there wasn’t much I could do other than walk around.  So that’s what I did. And once I began to notice street art, I couldn’t stop taking photos of it. I also appreciate the risks artists take when putting up pieces; it’s a rush I can relate to. And I admire the artists’ generosity in taking these risks to share their vision with the public.

Alice Mizrachi and Cope2

What is it about street art that continues to so engage you?

I love its beauty and humor. I appreciate its aesthetic and the way it challenges convention. It is a beautiful, non-violent way to raise issues in the public sphere.  And as a political person, I am drawn to the confrontational nature of much of it.

Never Satisfied

What do you see as the role of the photographer in today’s street art movement?

Because of the transient nature of public art, I see it as essential. The image is important, but so is its context and appropriate accreditation to the artist.  And documentation of NYC’s street art trends is especially essential as this city is the world’s cultural Mecca.

gilf!

Tell us a bit about your current project.

I’ve been working for over a year now on a book that profiles 46 of the most prolific urban artists working in NYC.  It will feature images and interviews, along with some exciting supplements.

Jilly Ballistic

Have you any favorite artists whose works you’ve seen here in NYC?

There are too many to list. I love them all for different reasons.

Enzo and Nio

How do you keep up with the current scene?

In addition to documenting what I see and speaking to artists, I follow popular street art blogs such as StreetArtNYC, Brooklyn Street Art and Vandalog.  I also check Instagram daily for new images that surface not only on NYC streets, but across the globe. And I try to attend gallery openings as often as possible.

NDA and Elle Deadsex

We certainly look forward to reading your book.  Tell us more about its current progress. How close it is to publication?

I’ve finally completed the stage of collecting texts and images, and am currently working together with a first-rate designer. I am now seeking a publisher.

Yoav can be contacted at yoavlitvin@gmail.com

Featured photos are in the following sequence:

1) Dain. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

2) Alice Mizrachi and Cope2. Boone Avenue, The Bronx.

3) Never Satisfied. Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

4) gilf! Grattan Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.

5) Jilly Ballistic. Astor Place 6 Train station, Manhattan.

6) Enzo and Nio. Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

7) ND’A and Elle Deadsex. Jefferson Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn.

All photos by Yoav Litvin.

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This is the seventh in a series of ongoing posts featuring the diverse range of trucks and vans that strike NYC streets.

Xabu from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Xabu

French photographer JR and the crew from Sao Paulo, Brazil

JR

Groser 

Groser

Veteran graff writer Priz on truck parked on Boston Road in the Bronx

Priz

Emo in Chinatown

Emo

Hefner, Smart Crew

Hefner

Never in Bushwick

Never

Photos by Lenny Collado, Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray & Lois Stavsky

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This past weekend — on one of winter’s chilliest days — we hit Bushwick, where we caught some new images and revisited others.

New from Brooklyn-based Elbow Toe with Veng‘s signature birds

Elbow Toe and Veng

Belgian artist Roa

Roa

4BurnersDasic and Rubin with Madrid-based Okuda

Dasic, Rubin and Okuda

Berst tribute to NEKST, RIP

Berst

Brooklyn-based Never

Never

Brooklyn-based Bast

Bast

Bast, close-up

Bast close-up

Photos by Lenny Collado

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This is the third in an occasional series of artwork on NYC shutters by both local artists and those visiting from abroad:

Phlegm — in from Sheffield, UK — in the East Village

Phlegm

Brooklyn-based Never in Astoria, Queens

Never street art

NYC-based Faust’s tribute to Sure RIP in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Faust graffiti

Meres at 5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens

Meres

Germany’s Most and Flying Fortress at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens

Most and Flying Fortress

NYC’s Ozbe at Welling Court in Astoria, Queens

Ozbe

Veteran artist Kenny Scharf on the Lower East Side

Kenny Scharf

Grad of Smart Crew in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Smart Crew

The legendary Tracy168 at West Farms in the Bronx

Tracy168

Photos by Lenny Collado, Dani Mozeson, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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The once-abandoned trailer on East First Street off First Avenue in Manhattan has been transformed once again.  With assistance from the young members of Cre8tive YouTH*ink, a creative arts youth development organization, it currently showcases a vibrant mix of styles from over 20 artists who had participated in the Centre-Fuge Public Art Project‘s first five cycles. The following images were captured these past four days:

Iranian artists Icy and Sot at work

Icy and Sot

Beau, Icy and Sot and Samuel Ashford

Icy and Sot, close-up

Icy and Sot

 Brooklyn-based artist Samuel Ashford, close-up

Samuel Ashford street art

 Jerry Otero aka Mista Oh,  founder of cre8tive YouTH*ink, Moise Joseph of cre8tive YouTH*ink and Cram Concepts

"Centre -Fuge Public Art Project"

See One and Yuri Valez at work

"See One and Yuri Valez"

Baltimore-based Billy Mode, Jose Aurelio-Baez, See-One, Yuri Valez & photographers Kenny Rodriguez & Osvaldo Jimenez

"Centre-fuge Public Art Project"

Billy Mode and Jose Aurelio-Baez, close-up 

"Billy Mode and Jose Aurelio-Baez"

The Muffin Man, Zera at work, DMZL and Dr. Whom

"Centre-Fuge Public Art Project"

Optimo Primo

Never

Never street art

Danielle Mastrion, Michael DeNicola, Lexi Bella and Fumero

"Centre-Fuge Public Art Project"

Centre-Fuge Public Art Project founders and First Street residents Pebbles Russell and Jonathan Neville have announced that Cycle 7 submissions are due by 12/31.  They may be sent to centrefuge@gmail.com.  We are looking forward to another year of energetic public art on East 1st Street, dedicated to the memory of former East Village resident Mike Hamm.

Top image: NOIDone, Veng RWK, Cram Concepts, Chris RWK, Mastro, Never, Samuel Ashford, Icy and Sot, BEAU and Adam Kidder; photos by Lenny Collado, Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky

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