photography

Curated by Kate Storch, “Landmark” is both aesthetically stirring and culturally enriching. Featuring artworks in a range of media by Joe Conzo, Charlie Doves, Bluster One, Peter Paid, Jeff Henriquez and Danny Cortes, the exhibition continues through this Sunday, January 29 at One Art Space in Tribeca. While visiting yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Kate.

This exhibition is a wonderful homage to hip-hop and to its iconic locations. What spurred you to curate it?

I’d been wanting to curate an exhibition on this theme for awhile. And the beginning of 2023, the year that celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, seemed like the ideal time to make it happen.

How did you decide which artists to feature?

I chose artists whom I admire as professionals and as people. They are all different, yet all are related to the culture in their own distinct ways. Joe Conzo photographed hip-hop from its early days in the South Bronx. His contributions to the culture are invaluable. I’ve been a huge fan of Charlie Doves for years. He is a master of the craft. I love Bluster One‘s signature style. Music runs through it. Peter Paid brilliantly captures the aesthetics of graffiti in his signage. I had a wonderful experience working with Jeff Henriquez several years ago at the Summer Classics Block Party For National Hip Hop Day at First Street Park. And Danny Cortes‘s expertise, energy, patience and humility increasingly impress me.

What were some of the challenges that curating this exhibit presented?

There are always challenges when curating, but in this case, they were limited. Everything has gone remarkably smoothly. All of the artists are great people — and easy to work with!

The exhibition is so beautifully installed. Can you tell us something about that?

The installation is entirely my vision. I had given the placement of the art considerable thought, and I had the artistic freedom here at One Art Space to make it happen. I wanted it all to come to life! I wanted it to be an experience.

How can folks see the exhibit?

One Art Space is located at 23 Warren Street in Tribeca. The exhibit continues through Sunday from 1:00 PM – 6: 00 PM daily. Easily reached by just about every subway line, the gallery can be contacted at 646-559-0535.

Congratulations, Kate!

Featured images:

1 Peter Paid

2 Bluster One

3 Charlie Doves

4 Jeff Henriquez

5 Joe Conzo

6 Danny Cortes

7 Kate Storch, curator; typography by Peter Paid to the right of miniature art by Danny Cortes

Interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos 1-4, 6 & 7 Lois Stavsky; photo 5, courtesy One Art Space

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For several weeks beginning in late May, Will Power brought his massive love of hip-hop and splendid skills to the 150-foot tunnel along New York and Ravine Avenues in Jersey Heights. Working in collaboration with noted hip-hop documentarians Ernie Paniccioli, T. Eric Monroe and David Corio, Will painted a momentous mural paying homage to 45 hip-hop icons and to the photographers who so brilliantly documented them.

Captured above at the entry to the Hip-Hop Tunnel is the late legendary Tupac Shakur — based on a photo by T. Eric Monroe. Several close-ups from inside the tunnel follow:

Snoop Dogg, closer up; original photo, the late Chi Modu 

The late Big L; original photo: T. Eric Monroe

Slick Rick; original photo, Ernie Paniccioli

Lauryn Hill; original photo, Ernie Paniccioli

Big Daddy Kane; original photo, David Corio

Rakimoriginal photo, David Corio

Sponsored by the Jersey City Mural Arts Program, the hugely impressive mural — seen by thousands daily as they travel in and out of Jersey Heights — is a spectacular tribute to hip-hop culture.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

 

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In late fall, the fiercely independent and inventive multimedia artist Robert Janz died at the age of 88. Since moving to Tribeca several decades ago, he had transformed his neighboring streets into an unconventional open air gallery. Intent on enriching our awareness and appreciation of the ephemeral with his artworks and poems, he quietly raged against consumerism, greed, egotism and human defilement of the environment.

Earlier this year, photographer and artist Allan Molho graced Duane Street — just several steps from where Robert Janz had lived — with the installation pictured above in his honor. What follows is an interview with Allan, along with photos of Robert Janz‘s work that Allan Molho had captured.

When did you first encounter Robert Janz‘s distinct aesthetic in a public space?

Back in 2011, I discovered images of mountains and birds over ads on a construction site.

What initially attracted you to Janz‘s work?

I was attracted to its subversive nature. I liked that Janz wasn’t selling a product. There was nothing commercial about his work. It was pure communication. In addition to ripping up ads to repurpose them as flowers or birds, he also left poems on  walls.

You were obviously inspired by him.

Yes, he certainly inspired me He had a serene belief in his work and in his creativity. And as an artist, I know how important this is. I’m also inspired by his resolve to continue getting his message out in public spaces until his late 80’s.

What spurred you to photograph Janz‘s work throughout the past decade?

I wanted to share it with other folks. Janz was a great artist, and his ideas are important. He was unique in many ways.

And what inspired you to install this memorial to him on Duane Street?

Because of the ephemeral nature of Janz‘s public art in this neighborhood, I want to keep his memory alive. It is important that he be remembered.

Have you crafted any other public installations that pay tribute to others?

Yes. Among those whom I’ve honored in public spaces are: Michael Stewart, Timothy Caughman and Covid 19 doctors.

Note: Be sure to check out Allan Molho‘s website — www.memorialsnewyork.com, — for an ongoing documentation of  NYC memorials, tributes and commemorations.

Photos: 1 Lois Stavsky; 2-6 Allan Molho

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On December 2, the long-awaited inauguration of Canal Gallery — Barcelona’s new contemporary urban art gallery — was celebrated with the opening of the group exhibition Ceremony. Under the curatorial direction of its founder, Barcelona-based artist Balu, and art critic Teresa Arroyo de la Cruz, Ceremony showcases over 50 established and emerging artists working in a wide range of media. Among these are several New York City-based pioneers. The image above features — from left to right — the talents of NYC legends Coco144 and Al Diaz aka SAMO, alongside the pioneering Spanish urban artist Germán Bel aka Fasim. Several more images from the groundbreaking exhibition follow:

Its handsome entryway located  in the city’s Gothic Quarter at Carrer del Palau, 4; Barcelona-based Kram on left

Spanish artists Birdie, Kamil, Javier Mariscal and Art Is Trash (from left to right)

Spanish artists Canal Gallery founder BaluCarlos Magone and Ira Torres

Paris-based Popay (L) and Berlin-based Rallitox

Front view: Coco144, Al Diaz aka SAMO, Germán Bel aka Fasim, Laia, Ramón Maiden, Flint, Tayone, Gerard Fernández, Vanesa Muñóz and Grito

Germán Bel aka Fasim interviewed by BTV

Flyer for exhibition that continues through Thursday, December 30

Special thanks to Germán Bel aka Fasim for providing the contents and photographs for this post. First featured photo is by Teo Vázquez

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Curious about the face behind the poetic, bright yellow stickers that have increasingly become part of NYC’s visual landscape, I was delighted to meet and speak to the beguiling My Life in Yellow.

We street art aficionados know you as My Life In Yellow. When was My Life in Yellow  born?

It was born ten years ago as the name of my blog when I first moved to New York.

Why Yellow?

I was always drawn to the color yellow. It was my grandmother’s favorite color. And when I was in college, my room was blue, while the room next to mine was yellow. The girl who dormed there was always happy, had yellow accessories and always wore the color yellow. The yellow room was so much more inviting and cheerful than mine that I soon began to surround myself with the color yellow.

When did you start slapping your stickers up on the street and why?

Several years ago, I met Thomas OKOK Gunnarsson aka TagsAndThrows. He introduced me to the street art/graffiti world. We walked around the city together as he photographed graffiti. One year later his friend, AllYouSeeIsCrimeInTheCity, a street art photographer based in Sweden, came on a visit to New York City. She gave me my first sticker and encouraged me to write on it. I was going through a difficult break-up at the time, so I wrote “Tell Him How You Feel” on a postal sticker. She slapped it for me in Soho.

What inspired you to keep making stickers and getting them up?

I started getting really positive feedback. And it was a kind of therapy for me as I was going through difficult times.  People started to reach out and say things like, “Now I know I’m not alone” and “Me too, omg — I feel this way.” I started to realize how similar we all are in our dark thoughts, what we don’t say out loud. That was the moment I felt, “This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Have you any particularly memorable street art experiences?

I spontaneously slapped a sticker on a bridge in Berlin. The sticker read. “Tell Him How You Feel.” A girl nearby noticed it and commented, “A lot of people jump off that bridge.” I hadn’t thought of that! Another time I slapped a sticker on the Manhattan Bridge that said, “It’ll Be Ok.”  I did not realize until afterwards that I had slapped it on a suicide/help call box!

Who are some of your favorite sticker artists?

MQ and Token. I appreciate how consistent they are. I see their stickers everywhere!

 

Are you generally satisfied with your work?

Yes, I slap and I walk. And then when I revisit it, I feel like I’m visiting my child.

How has your street art evolved in the course of these these past five years?

Its intent and tone have stayed the same, but I also wheatpaste now. And I’ve painted directly onto walls–by myself and in collaboration with other artists.

What is your favorite piece that you’ve created?

That’s a tough one! “Once my lover, now my poem.” I find myself writing it a lot.

How long do you usually spend on each sticker?

It comes in spurts. I often write a whole bunch at one time. Sometimes it’s just spontaneous.

What percentage of your time is devoted to art?

Don’t tell my boss, but I think about it all the time.

Have you exhibited your work?

Yes! I’ve exhibited in several local spaces. When I first met Sac Six a few years back. he encouraged me get up on canvas.  I still make little canvases — that look like my stickers — that I show and sell in exhibitions. I’ve also created works that don’t resemble my stickers at all. I was recently featured in the Phoenix Rising exhibit at the Gala on 129 Allen Street, where one of my pieces sold.

Where else have your stickers traveled, besides the streets here in NYC?

London, Paris, Trinidad, Sweden, Berlin, LA, Miami. All placers I’ve been to. I prefer to slap stickers myself. There’s something special about it. It’s nice when people offer to slap my stickers up in other places, but I don’t give them out.

You’ve also painted in sanctioned public projects. Do you prefer working legally or illegally?

There’s something magical about pasting stickers up. I like its randomness, but I also enjoy working legally.

How has your family responded to your work on the streets?

They’re entertained by it. My father exhibits his photography. My grandfather was an artist.

Did you ever study art in a formal setting?

No, I’m self taught. I have a BA in business and a degree in Fashion Design from Parsons.

What are some of your other interests?

Spoken word poetry. I’ve performed in various venues. And I recently curated an event to help raise money for the JED Foundation.

Where are you headed? Any recent projects?

I recently collaborated with street art photographer Ana Candelaria. Ana’s photos always make me so happy. I love how she captures my stickers out in the wild: weather-faded, slapped-over and scratched-off. I love her documentation of their deterioration. Her photos really speak to me and I’m looking forward to many more collaborations with Ana. I‘ve also just released a chapbook of my poetry, Despite it all.  Where am I headed? I’d like to travel the world, get on stages with my poetry, paint more murals and conduct workshops on the power of words.

That all sounds great! What do you see as the artist’s role in society?

To help people feel something.

Note: You can purchase My Life In Yellow‘s recently-released poetry book together with Ana Candelaria‘s photograph of her iconic sticker as a PHOTO PRINT & CHAPBOOK BUNDLE PRE-SALE here.

Interview conducted and edited for brevity by Lois Stavsky with Ana Candelaria

Photo credits: 1 (featuring Ana’s photograph) – 3, 6, (featuring My Life In Yellow‘ s collaboration with Androi 0i for Underhill Walls 7 & 9 Lois Stavsky; 4, 5, 8, 10 & 11 Ana Candelaria 

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The following post is by Street Art NYC contributor Ana Candelaria

Omar Victorious and I grew up together on the Lower East Side, but 20 years had passed since we’d been in touch. And then street art reunited us – first with the Street Art  Photography Show that Omar had curated back in August at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream in the East Village and then with his hugely successful roving Shooters Street Art Scavenger Hunt. Curious about the direction his life had taken, I asked him several questions:

Before launching Shooters Street Art, what had you been up to? 

I’d started a brand called End of The Weak, which has become the longest running open mic in New York City and has had huge global impact with chapters in Belgium, Africa, China, London and Paris. We just celebrated our 19th anniversary! Eventually, though, I had to shift my focus to my education, so that I could do more for my family. I attended  a vocational technical school and obtained my certification in Network Engineering, Administration and Hardware Support. I’m also a certified Project Manager Professional.

How has your Project Manager skill set impacted your current work related to street art? 

It carries over in terms of organizational skills. I have a goal. What must I do to execute that goal? A lot of people have ideas but don’t know how to go about executing them. I’ve gained many skills — including website design, photography and video production — that enable me to accomplish my goals. I can negotiate contracts, and I understand the role finance plays in business.

How did street art come to play such a huge role in your life?

I’m from the Lower East Side, East Village, Alphabet City. I’m downtown. I woke up to tags, graffiti, murals and spots that are bombed to shit. It was the landscape of my childhood. Around ten years ago, I started taking pictures with my Blackberry, and I started a blog. I, also, came up with two hashtags: #crackimagecrew and  #cracknificent. Over a four-year period, those hashtags have gained 1400 posts on Instagram from 10-12 photographers from all around the world. That’s how I came up with the idea for the Shooters Street Art Photography Show. I reached out to everyone who was using those hashtags and asked them if they’d be interested in participating in a street art photography show. I really wanted to meet them in person and expose their talents. I wanted to recreate the vibe of my childhood. We weren’t on the Internet back in the day. We were connecting with humans. These days I’m trying to build community —  an ecosystem of people who support one another and value creativity My good friend, Mikey, has a venue downtown called Mikey Likes It, and it all fell into place.

And how did the idea of the Shooter’s Scavenger Hunt come about?

I was talking to a few artists — including SacSix and Sara Lynne Leo — at the Shooters Photography Show. I was thinking, “How can we take this further?  Let’s get out on the street and do a scavenger hunt.” And everybody was like YES!  From there everything just started clicking. And, all of a sudden, we go from 10 to 30 people. Here we are seven hunts later: SacSix, Sara Lynne Leo, Dee Dee, Raddington Falls, Praxis and Jilly Ballistic. The response has been overwhelming. People are out there having a great time — street art hunting and winning original artwork. And all they have to do is pay $5.00 and put in some hard laps on the streets. The artists are creating original one-of-a-kind pieces as prizes. That’s exciting! The kids come out; the dogs come out and everyone has fun.

What’s ahead?

The road map is already written. The idea behind Shooters is to showcase the eye behind the lens. It’s about the photographer who is capturing and delivering the content. There are so many different avenues to take and so many different genres to explore. You have photographers who shoot everything from nature to extreme sports. Just think about the potential of showcasing all of those shooters and giving them a platform? You have to respect the Shooter! Respect the Shooter! It’s not just limited to street art; it’s about photography; it’s about the eye.

Anything specifically related to street art that we can look forward to?

We are planning a Shooters app. We also plan to digitize the hunt and take it to another level. We’d like to take the hunt to new cities and get more artists involved. We’re just getting started, so if you’re a street art enthusiast who’s hungry and ready to shoot, Holla!

Interview conducted by Ana Candelaria and edited for brevity and clarity by Ana and Lois Stavsky

Photo 1 courtesy of Ana; 2 photo of Omar Victorious by Katie Godowski; photos 3-5 by Ana Candelariathe final photo features Hady Mendezwinner of artwork by SacSix and Shooters Street Art  founder Omar Victorious

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Located on 120th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, Eugene McCabe Field is now home to two tantalizing public art installations.  Featured above is a close-up from local fiber artist Naomi RAG‘s 12 x 24 foot mural fashioned from yarn.

A larger segment of the mural

The mural, La Flor De Mi Madre, in its entirety

Harlem-based Capucine Bourcart, Eat Me!, a photographic mosaic of approximately 1,500 printed metal square pictures of local healthy food — asking to be eaten!

Photos captured at dusk in the heat 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.

en-play-badge 2

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On view through July 12 at South Bronx gallery WALLWORKS NEW YORK is Memorias en Arte. Curated by South Bronx photographer Gloria Zapata, it features photos captured by Gloria while visiting her homeland, Honduras, along with renderings of them by a range of NYC artists.

Images of memories  from her childhood capture the essence of her native country, while the accompanying artworks further explore the notion of “home.” After visiting the brilliantly conceived and handsomely curated exhibition yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to Gloria.

I love your passion for photography, along with your devotion to documentation. Can you tell us something about its beginnings?

I first studied photography while I was a student at Washington Irving High School. That was back in the nineties. While studying Multimedia Video Arts at the Borough of Manhattan Community College a bit later, I started writing scripts and producing films. I  wanted to be next Stephen Speilberg! After graduating from BMCC, I wrote and directed an award-winning short film “A Mirror of Me,” but I soon discovered that pursuing that passion would require funds and an investment of time that I didn’t have. Then for my 27th birthday, my mother bought me a professional camera. That was a turning point! Currently, while pursuing my passion, I am studying Art and Photography at Lehman College.

Do you remember what you first documented once you had that camera that your mother had bought you?

Early on it was nature and architecture. I especially liked photographing landscapes.

And what about street art and graffiti? When did you first start photographing the walls in your neighborhood?

I’d always loved murals. For years I’d seen works on the street by Tats Cru and Crash, but I had no idea who these artists were. Then one day — about five years ago — I met Crash when he was painting on the streets, and he invited me to WALLWORKS NEW YORK. Nothing’s been quite the same since!

And how did you meet all the street artists and graffiti writers — among the other artists —  whom you included in your show? I assume you met many here at WALLWORKS NEW YORK?

Yes! And I met several while I was volunteering as a teaching assistant with ICP (The International Center of Photography) at the Point.

I love the conversation between your photos and the artists’ interpretations of them. How did you decide which artists to include in Memorias en Arte? Its concept is brilliant.

I included artists whose works speak to me and who responded enthusiastically to my concepts of “home” and “memories.” A few of the artists I approached had too many other commitments at the time to participate in Memorias en Arte, but I hope to collaborate with them in the future — perhaps in an expanded version of the project.

What were some of the challenges you faced in seeing such an ambitious project through?

Following through with the artists to make sure that their pieces would be completed in time and sufficiently believing in my vision to see it though. But working with WALLWORKS NEW YORK has made any challenges so much easier to overcome.

How have folks reacted to this show?

The response has been great. And people tell me all the time how much they love the exhibition’s concept.

I first saw your work several months ago on exhibit at the Point’s Riverside Campus for Arts and the Environment. Where else have you exhibited? What were some some of the key shows?

I participated last summer in Through A Feminine Lens, a group show — curated by Juanita Lanzo and Kimberly Vaquedano-Rose — that featured photography and mixed media works exploring motherhood, immigrant perspectives, equity and race at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College. Earlier, I showed in a group exposition, Exposure, here at WALLWORKS NEW YORK.  And in 2017, I participated in The Next Generation of Bronx Photographers at the Andrew Freedman Home.

Have you any particular favorite subjects as of late?

Yes, I’ve been focusing on portraits – especially of dancers — and sunsets.

Wow! You certainly have a wide range of interests! Have you any favorite photographers? Photographers who have inspired you?

Yes! Among them are: Martha Cooper, Joe Conzo and Ricky Flores. I love their commitment to community. I love Martha’s photography —  from the images she started shooting in the 80’s through those she currently captures  — and I love her story, along with the stories her photos tell. I was so happy to have an opportunity to work with her. In terms of photographers who capture dancers, my favorite is Andrea Mohin, a staff photographer for the New York Times, whom I’ve also had the chance to meet and work with.

How can folks see your current exhibit, Memorias en Arte?

It will be on view through next Friday, July 12, at WALLWORKS NEW YORK, 39 Bruckner Blvd. in the South Bronx. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday 11am – 5pm and weekends by appointment.

Featured images:

1 Zimad and Gloria Zapata

2 Photo of Gloria Zapata

3  Gloria Zapata and Lady jDay

4 NicerGloria Zapata and BG183

5 YesOne and Gloria Zapata

Eric Orr and Gloria Zapata

7 Installation close-up, Gloria Zapata

Photos by Lois Stavsky; interview conducted and edited by Lois Stavsky

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A huge sticker fan, I first discovered iwillnot‘s stickers almost a decade ago while combing the streets of DC in search of striking street art. Soon afterwards, I met him and was struck by not only his outstanding aesthetic sensibility, but his huge passion for stickers and its wonderfully democratic collective culture.

In his recently released and hugely popular book, Smashed: The Art of the Sticker Combo, iwillnot shares not only his story, but provides us with tremendous insights into the entire sticker culture.

Intent on trading his stickers with other sticker artists, iwillnot had early on established a network of artists to exchange sticker packs. He was soon installing sticker combos in cities throughout the East Coast. And in 2011, he began to envision “smashing an art gallery in a major city with thousands and thousands of stickers.” Smashed: The Art of the Sticker Combo documents the realization of this dream.

With the support of street art enthusiast and Fridge Gallery founder and curator Alex Goldstein, iwillnot curated a 12.5 feet tall by 20 feet wide 10,000 sticker installation in 2013. By 2016, the entire gallery was smashed with hundreds of thousands of stickers, representing over 500 artists from 15 countries. The 2016 DC Street Sticker Expo reached over three million people.

With dozens of photographs documenting it all, Smashed: The Art of the Sticker Combo is certain to appeal to all of us sticker art fans and street art aficionados. The book can be purchased through Amazon or directly from the author here. And if you would like to participate in this year’s DC Street Sticker Expo, you still can!

All images courtesy iwillnotthe third image features — Foes, Mr Say, Skam, Sore Infest (top) RX Skulls, Obit, Who, and Ride (bottom); book reviewed by Lois Stavsky

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I first came upon JR‘s ingenious aesthetic ten years ago when I discovered a series of his portraits of Israelis and Palestinians pasted face to face along the Separation Wall in Abu Dis, Jerusalem. Celebrating the similarities between Israelis and Palestinians, the Face 2 Face Project heightened the absurdity of this seemingly endless conflict among cousins — and has stayed with me since. Within this past decade, JR has continued to bring his wondrous talents and socially-conscious vision to dozens of sites across the globe, often giving a voice to those whose voices are silenced.

This past week, Galerie Perrotin NYC  launched Horizontal featuring an eclectic selection of JR‘s works. His first NYC solo show, Horizontal presents — in addition to the artist’s archival prints — a range of mixed-media installations.

Featured above is Migrants, Mayra, Picnic Across the Border, Quadrichromie, Tecate, Mexico – U.S.A. 2018. What follows are several more images from Horizontal captured by street and travel photographer Karin du Maire aka Street Art Nomad.

Mixed media installation featuring JR‘s signature eye

Women Are Heroes, Le Havre, France, 2014

Giants, Kikito, Front View, Work in Progress, Tecate, Mexico – U.S.A2018

On Galerie Perrotin NYC exterior

And outside the gallery with street artist TomBob

The exhibit continues through August 17 at Perrotin New York, 130 Orchard Street.  Running concurrently at Perrotin is ALOALO, Mahafaly Sculptures of the Efiaimbelos.

Note: In observance of Independence Day, the gallery will be closed through July 4th. It will open at 10am on Thursday.

Photos by  Karin du Maire

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