As I was reading Thursday's New York Times Styles section on my way down to the LES today, I noticed mention of an Obey Clothing Pop-Up Store on Orchard Street. Curious to check it out, Tara and I walked over there from Hamilton Fish. Outside was a long line! (And so we just looked through the window). I can't quite reconcile Obey's often radical, always socially-aware, messages with consumerism. But that's the paradox of much of this blurring of the lines between street art and merchandising.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Graffiti Meets Street Art on Houston and the Bowery
'had to check this out after seeing it on Cope's Facebook page, so I dropped by earlier on my way to Hamilton Fish. I love the way graffiti and street art meet here -- and whatever street cred Shepard Fairey may lack (though he shouldn't lack any), Cope more than makes up for it!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Donald Baechler @ Cheim & Read
And so -- once again -- the best of Chelsea has a distinct graffiti/street art influence/sensibility.
Back to MBW
After seeing Banksy's brilliant "Exit through the Gift Shop," I returned to MBW's solo exhibit in the Meatpacking District. What I didn't expect to see was a whole new show! When I expressed surprise, one of the interns who works there told me, "It changes every day." There were even new posters and postcards for the taking. I really don't know what to make of it all. Again, it was all tons of fun and MBW is obviously not only a marketing genius, but an insane maniac. 'still loving it all!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Chelsea Mess
This mess of layers and tags over a Judith Supine piece reminds me of how much I miss seeing his work on the streets of NYC. When I first started documenting street art about three years ago, he was one of the artists -- along with Swoon and Sti(c)kman -- whose artwork impressed me the most.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Douglas Kolk @ Fredericks & Freiser
This past Friday afternoon -- as on so many -- we did our street art/gallery walk. This one in Chelsea. So much of what is happening in the Chelsea galleries is sterile and bland. There are always exceptions, though. The current exhibit of Douglas Kolk's work @ Fredericks & Freiser is one of them. Mostly collages that combine disparate images in a frenetic way, Kolk's work bristles with a kind of apocolyptic energy. I wasn't surprised to read in the press release that for a period of time he had ceased creating art "as a result of excessive drug consumption."
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Stickers Spotted Week of 4/19
I suppose it's that time of year! The stickers I spotted this past week in NYC seem more interesting and varied than they'd been in a while. I'm also starting to notice some first-rate tags on stickers!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Date Farmers @ Jonathan LeVine
I discovered the Date Farmers' gritty, visually arresting work at Upper Playground in Portland, Oregon about two years ago. Since, thanks to Jonathan LeVine, I've gotten to see their artwork here in NYC. The latest exhibit, "Smother Your Mother," is endlessly intriguing. Their collages seem more adventurous than ever and there is an increasingly sarcastic tone pervading much of their work. The exhibit continues through May 8th at 529 West 20th Street in Chelsea.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Shepard Fairey in NYC
When I returned to the Bowery and Houston today -- close to 4pm -- the Shepard Fairey mural was almost finished. It seems to have progressed more quickly than anyone had anticipated.
The Clayton Brothers in "Blob!..."
As I was on the Upper East Side yesterday, I stopped off at the Society of Illustrators on East 63rd Street, as there's often something interesting going on. The current show, a retrospective of images from BLAB!, a periodic anthology of visual art, founded by Chicago-based graphic designer and art director Monte Beauchamp in 1986, features works by some of my favorite artists including the Clayton Brothers. Much of the work on exhibit is a synthesis of comic and pop art.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Shepard Fairey in NYC
I went down to Houston and the Bowery to check out Shepard Fairey in action, just one day after seeing him in "Exit Through the Gift Shop." Anyway, I was surprised by how many folks passing by in this "hip" neighborhood asked me who he was. The name "Shepard Fairey" didn't seem to mean anything to them -- not even when I identified it with the iconic Obama image. The younger folks got excited when I told them he was the "Obey guy" -- whose fashions they sport. That meant something to them. Gee -- and I thought his name was recognizable to everyone. My reality seems somewhat warped!
Meres Truck Graffiti
I don't get to see many trucks with graffiti in my neighborhood. It was great fun to see this one by Meres on Amsterdam Avenue in the 70's.
Monday, April 19, 2010
From SP, Brazil to the Upper West Side
I love the way stickers travel. Just after finding out that Cone -- one of my flickr contacts -- is based in SP, Brazil, I discovered his sticker pasted about a block or two away from my home in NYC.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
What Happened to the Wall @ Central?
When Kenji first brought me to the Wall @ Central -- about two years ago -- it was exquisitely curated. It graced some of Boston and NYC's finest stencils, paste-ups and images. When I saw it this past week, it was a mess (though I do like this throw-up!) Something happened. Too bad!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Skullphone in Boston
As I hadn't been seeing much of him in NYC these days, it was fun to run into Skullphone while crossing the street in Boston!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Shepard Fairey @ Northeastern U.
I thought I had seen every Shepard Fairey mural in Boston. But earlier this week I discovered an impressive one at Northeastern University. Not one of the images is new, but the overall effect is enchanting.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
"Make It Fit" @ Brooklynite
'glad I finally made it back to Brooklynite. It's definitely one of the coolest spaces around. The current exhibit, "Make It Fit," introduced me to the outrageous work of SPECTER and VARIOUS & GOULD. The exhibit itself is brilliant -- conceptually and aesthetically.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A Cool Encounter In the Bronx
'was up in the vicinity of Lehman College where I didn't see much graffiti or anything much of interest on the streets. But it was cool to encounter this! It brought some much needed color to the rather colorless area.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Primo on Delancey Street
With so much of the street art happening in Brooklyn these days, rather than in the city, I don't often come across pieces as huge and impressive as this one -- especially on the Lower East Side. Thanks, Primo!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Cool Tool in Philly
Tool has got to be one of Philly's most prolific sticker artists. Variations of his delightfully zany characters seem to pop up everywhere.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Fabric Sti(c)kman in Philly
I did not see as many Sti(c)kmen in Philly as I did the last time I explored the city -- about a year and a half ago. But this one, spotted outside the Crane Arts Building (that was featuring the exhibit "Fabricating Ideas"), is brilliant.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Abandoned and Tagged in North Philly
'explored North Philly on Thursday afternoon. Against this backdrop, an older man was hawking papers for the homeless. I bought one to discover that next to the South Bronx, this Philly neighborhood has the highest rates of poverty, hunger and homelessness in the U.S. (Yet, like in the Bronx, I saw many pockets of urban renewal.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
