April 26, 2003
Cheba - The Vitals:Age: 19Hometown:
Cheba - The Vitals:
Age: 19
Hometown: Bristol, UK
Where do you now live: Bristol
How long have you been creating street art?: just over a year
What did you do last night?: it was raining so i stayed in an made some more art an surfed the net.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: sweet an sour chicken balls with fried rice
Who is your favorite fictional character?: NINJAI!
What do you currently have in your pockets?: phone, wallet, stickers, walkman, bit of fluff
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: skate more, and make more art.
Who do you love?: my friends/family, moe, jamie, ben, tom, niso, adapt, sums the list goes on, i'll just say everyone :)
Cheba - The A's To Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
Cheba: i first of started making stencils but then i realised there is only one man for that (banksy) then i started getting into illustrator and making my characters, making stickers and i wanted them bigger and bigger. . .
Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
Cheba: sums, some real fresh designs you can notice a mile off. sickboy, just love that style. jace, i like how he adds his characters to match its surroundings.
Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
Cheba: Bristol to paste really but to see probally london, its the only two places i really go.
Wooster: What inspires you now?
Cheba: people mainly, just watching them inspires me, each one of them with a diffrent expression going to their seprate little lifes.
Posted by marc at 8:36 AM in | Recommend this! |
| Fresh Stuff From... BAST --------
Fresh Stuff From... BAST
Posted by marc at 8:23 AM in | Recommend this! |
Fresh Stuff From...Cadmus --------
Fresh Stuff From...Cadmus
Posted by marc at 1:39 AM in | Recommend this! |
If you've been reading the
If you've been reading the Wooster site on a regular basis, then you know we're big fans of the Italian scene -- 108, bo130, Robot, Inc, microbo, and all the others. xyz stuff, are a group of Italian writers and web designer who've put together a terrific site profiling the best in Italian writing and design. Be sure to check it out.Posted by marc at 12:27 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 25, 2003
BombPOP, a month long celebration
BombPOP, a month long celebration of graffiti, street art and music in Detroit, kicks off next weekend with an opening reception at CPOP Gallery on Saturday May 3rd. Looks like it an amazing show with the following artists represented: BASK, CONSTANCE BRADY, CISTER, CLAW, CYCLE, DENZ, MEWZ, MAC, SHEPARD FAIRY, GEAR, LOGAN HICKS, JOKER, MEARONE, PHER, POSH, SABER, SANO, SCOPE, SCRIBE, SHOK1, SILOETTE, STAIN & SCOUT, OLIVIER STAK, TESONE, TOM THEWES, TOTEM2, KELLY TOWLES, and MORE.
Posted by marc at 2:07 AM in | Recommend this! |
Prayer - The VitalsAge: 28
Prayer - The Vitals
Age: 28 years
Hometown: Le Creusot / France
Where do you now live?: Montpellier / France
How long have you been creating street art?: 6 years ago with painting graffiti, and since 2 years with posters and stickers
What did you do last night?: I working for my future PRAYER project
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: Every food with spice from Jamaic or Reunion, for example "chicken carries (colombo chicken)"
Who is your favorite fictional character?: Mister Bonhom
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Stikers / telephon / cigarettes / keys / lighter
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: I have not more time like that :)
Who do you love?: my wife and my daughter
Prayer - The A's to Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
Prayer: When i walk in the street and i look at the other's creations
Wooster: Why Jesus and way the word "Prayer"?
Prayer: Jesus is the one of the man's pictures and i decided to
decline this picture in actually way. I find where are two years ago in a book
a gravure from JESUS and i see with is position, wich can i decline this icon
in infinity. The start of my work is only graphical, but now i discovered a sens
(it's not a proselitism) i'm not beleve in muslim, catholic or juve, but there
is a truth in every pictures. The name PRAYER means "beleve in street art".Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
Prayer: Obey, Akayism, I like this artists for their works and technics and specialy for ther "propaganda"
Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
Prayer: Barcelone (and its spanish vision), and Neitherland with Utrecht where there is a lot of street art representations.
Wooster: What inspires you now?
Prayer: The virgins walls ;-)
Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Prayer: I'm working on a glue packagin of PRAYER for posters and i create with my friend *$upa_kitcH* panting & poster.
Posted by marc at 1:46 AM in | Recommend this! |
Fresh Stuff From... OPT --------
Fresh Stuff From... OPT
Posted by marc at 12:59 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 24, 2003
Street art hits on all
Street art hits on all cylinders when the art is fully integrated into the environment. Such is the case with pnk one's unplugg the system propaganda" We loved it.
Posted by marc at 1:45 AM in | Recommend this! |
Fresh Stuff From Bristol, U.K
Fresh Stuff From Bristol, U.K (Thanks Ashley!)
Posted by marc at 12:11 AM in | Recommend this! |
From what we've seen so
From what we've seen so far, INDEX-A (from Die-Gestalten) looks to be a amazing book. The book, which won't hit stores here until Spring, showcases 60 collage pieces by New York based artist Charles Wilkin. Wilkin uses discarded paper, found objects, and type to create some amazing images. Wilkin will be doing a signing on Saturday, May 3rd at 1pm at the Riviera Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. An exhibit of the work opens at the Riviera tonight and runs through May 18th.
Posted by marc at 12:05 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 23, 2003
Mark Your Calendars: The Wooster
Mark Your Calendars: The Wooster Collective will be hitting the streets of Lower Manhattan on Sunday, May 11th to give a free two hour art walk through the Lower East Side and then into Soho. It's all part of Psy- Geo-Conflux 2003. The art walk begins at ABC No Rio (156 Rivington Street) at 1pm on Sunday the 11th and wraps up two hours later in Soho. Drop us an email if you're planning on coming out for it, as we're buying the first round of beers at Finelli's on Prince Street after the walk. It should be a great day and a lot of fun. We've put together a route that's got some amazing art on it. If you've never seen firsthand works by BAST, Faile, Flower Guy, Swoon, Rep1, and the other icons of New York street art, then hop in a car, taxi, subway, train, and get your ass out here.Posted by marc at 7:25 PM in | Recommend this! |
Photo Of The Day: "It's
Photo Of The
Day: "It's O.K."
Artist Unknown
Location: Lower Manhattan, New
York
Posted by marc at 1:54 AM in | Recommend this! |
Influenza / The VitalsAge: 64
Influenza / The Vitals
Age: 64 (pfww, how time flies..only one year to go for my retirement. Hardly can't wait anymore)
Hometown: born in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Where do you now live?: operating headquarters in Paris and Rotterdam
How long have you been creating street art?: My first shit in public when I was 5 years old. In a way since then I never stopped.
What did you do last night?: Is it last night already?: Feels like two weeks ago!
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: Dead beasts and plants are my favorites. Plastics on third place.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: Suppose it would be Influenzahaha, although he is not really funny. "And Anansi the spider", he spoke.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: The second haha.
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: Continue playing the streets in all kinds of forms.
Who do you love?: The famous Simon Ticker, the surinam inventor of the glue that keeps pirate-messages on our city's walls and of course my girlfriend. Or else she beats me again.. "and Anansi the spider", he spoke again.
Influenza- The A's to Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
Influenza: In the early and mid 80's I painted the streets in the capital of Suriname where I was born. Decided to build in a pause after a while, that soon became a pause for years. Only after my artschool in the Netherlands I picked up the glove again and got instantly hooked. But this time I decided to do it not as before, just putting my name in calligraphic styles, but try to play more with the viewer, some interaction and little hiding spots etc. Stickers where perfect for my experiments. Also I re-disovered the classical white latex-bucket again, using it to put some look-a-like political paintings on the walls again. It took a while, but when I discovered the effect my playings had on others I was definitely addicted for life!
Wooster: Why Influenza?
Influenza: It sounded like the right mixture between a
healthproblem (the sharing caracter of a viral disease attracted me very much),
and influence in general. I think without interaction there is no sence in
trying to make art anyway. In a way I like to put the influenza-operations in
the streets as a child disease. You have to get it at younger age to get
resistant to similar shit later...as they say. Then again in the end, using a
name like Cholera sounded a bit to overdone to me too I must admit.But seriously, it more or less grew slowly to become my name. At first it was only the title for the legal and less legal actions I did in public space. Only later other people thought it was the name of the guy doing it. In artspaces I show stuff too, but there it is more clear cause it is a title of a work with my normal name under it (..cops don't go to artspaces anyway).
Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
Influenza: I don't have a list in my pocket but there are a lot of art-classics I really like and see as inspiration. Works from artists doing things already in the 50's and 60's. I found out that the first sticker ever was even put before the second world war by Kurt Schwieters! Or some of the works Gabriel Orozco did. As simple as effective the way he plays with public space, just makes a snapshot and that's it. But I must say I don't really have favourite artists, just a lot of good works that where being realised already. Admiration I have for all artists that try to be free and independent, keeping their work and mentality as pure as they can from commercial stuff. I really can't stand the flirting and later selling out some do with the advertising and fashion industry. The stuff we do in the streets was always free and un-polluted non- commercial. I really love to see that some (and sadly enough always too little) manage to keep clean from the money-bizz with their stuff. Its okay when folks try to make a buck, don't get me wrong, but when I see a guy like Shepard Fairy totally exploiting his 'anti-commercial statement' as he does...it makes me sad to see that cynisism. He used to be a giant and now just becomes a guy running a crappy design-company that feeds the consumer scate-hype of this moment, in an ambition to become a sort of mickey mouse of street art... forget it. In short: I admire people that fight cynisism with optimism.
Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
Influenza: I love to travel loaded with material. I don't really care where to, as long as there are people living there, in buildings with some stickable surface. Berlin will do, or Paris, Eindhoven or London, but any smaller city or even a town is perfect too. Keeping it local is the most important thing in what we do anyway I think. It has to be honest one on one-handwork to make the difference with parasital pseudo-cool institutions (Sony, Nike, Diesel etc.) that needs to steal our energy and creativity to make their profits and walk away in legality. But to come back on your question, of course Rotterdam is still one of my top favourites.
Wooster: What inspires you now?
Influenza: Wars in general and this fucked up monsters in the white house more specific. It's amazing what people can do with power-institutions and lack of respect for others, that comes automatically with that.
Wooster: What are you currently working on? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Influenza: 'The Art of Urban Warfare' is a project I am working on right now. It's a open collective project that is being build to decorate our cities together with others, connected around the globe. Soldier-shapes are sprayed in the walls in 3 colours only - green, blue or brown. Every participant chooses one of these colours and gets buzzy in his streets, claiming his/her turf. I already had some amazing battles with others. Because of the colour- limitations and the fact that its done just with stencils, there is hardly any individual handwriting but only the shape of the game itself. Its played anonymously but when you discover other soldiers in your town, done by somebody else you don't know, it's an amazing thrill. Every can join in and it's great to see and hear more people do all around.
Posted by marc at 12:19 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 22, 2003
Another amazing shot -- This
Another amazing shot -- This one of work by Flying Fortress. (We've now completely forgotten from where, and from whom, we nicked this photo.)
Posted by marc at 1:50 AM in | Recommend this! |
Two graffiti related films are
Two graffiti related films are included in the second annual Tribeca Film Festival which kicks off May 3rd in downtown New York.
Adam Bhala Lough's BOMB THE SYSTEM gets it's World Premiere Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30pm at the UA 10 and then rescreens on Friday May 9 at 4:00pm. From the Festival guide: "Bhala Lough, 23, immerses us in the frenetic and often dangerous world of New York graffiti artists in his impressive feature debut. Blest and his crew are the best street artists in town, which makes them a prime target for Bobby Cox and the infamous NYPD Vandal Squad. After a fatal accident threatens to break up the crew and convinces Blest he needs to leave town for good, a violent clash is inevitable. Who will come out on top?"
A new cut of Tony Silver's STYLE WARS (which originally came out in 1982) screens on Saturday May 10 at 10:30pm at the UA 5 and then again on Sunday the May 11 at 11:30 in the morning at The Screening Room. Here's how it's being described in the festival guide: "The story of the epic battles between New York's original subway graffiti artists and the mayor, police, MTA, and each other during the original emergence of hip-hop and b-boys from the streets of the Bronx and Harlem. This seminal documentary won awards at film festivals around the world upon its original release. Now, on its 20th anniversary, see it with new sound, never-before-seen outtakes, and updated interviews."
Posted by marc at 12:13 AM in | Recommend this! |
No.2 - The VitalsAge:27Hometown:
No.2 - The Vitals
Age:27
Hometown: suburbs of paris
Where do you now live?: in the same place but i hope to live near the atlantic ocean
How long have you been creating street art?: 3 years
What did you do last night?: drinking and chilling with my friends
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: french food or italian food
Who is your favorite fictional character?: the Hanna barbera characters
What do you currently have in your pockets?: keys, stickers and my cell phone
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: Create,draw my own character and skate more
Who do you love?: my girlfriend, my family and my friends ( Special thanks to JO)
No.2 - The A's to Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
No.2: i have always been fascinated by the street and interactions
with it. Skateboarding was my first occasion to interact with the urban figure.
Later people around me would promote stickers everywhere while keeping the
oppositions between anonymous and personnal. they maintain this paradoxal effect
by marking their space without following any rules, being self critical and free
in choices of their creations. Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
No.2: Shepard Fairey for those posters and the fact thy are everywhere, their colours (red, white and black) that catch the eye. Dave Kinsey for his characters so particular and his way of incorporating them in urban decor and many others.
Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
No.2: New york city, Paris, Amsterdam and the towns in the north of Europe
Wooster: What inspires you now?
No.2: Being a citizen of the world, the international situation inspires, unfortunately a not so bright futur (but i'm not the only one). Being an actor of urban life, the fact that i can express myself even more than before. I believe both obviously linked. Using images and colour that seizes the attention (old publicities inspire me a lot :like the head i am currently using ot the muscle car). They are currently representative of my state of mind. The three colours i use are red, white and black, because they have the purpose to catch the eye. The propagandists have already analized this effect and use it before me.
Posted by marc at 12:00 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 21, 2003
Nice gallery of street art
Nice gallery of street art and graf at Razhia
Posted by marc at 1:55 AM in | Recommend this! |
MetRe - The Vitals:Age:
MetRe - The Vitals:
Age: 21
Hometown: florence
Where do you now live?: near florence
How long have you been creating street art?: about 3 years ago
What did you do last night? mmmmm i worked on website of my crew nothing of special
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: sushi and all japanise food
Who is your favorite fictional character?: i love the the charachters of sixties you know what i mean?!
What do you currently have in your pockets?: marijuana and a marker
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: more stickers and more trips
Who do you love?: i love all the people, really. All
MetRe - The A's to Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
MetRe: about 8 years old with graffiti and about 3 years old with my frists stickers now i'm makin only street art. No more graffiti. just sometimes with my old friends
Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
MetRe: i love hoernchen and all weareshit 'cause they are really artist! they makes photos stickers stencils webdesign they makes all!!!! i admire also Tayo Kapa Chirac and PRC for the same reason
Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
MetRe: mmmm good question! I think New york and Amsterdam but also london and now italy too
Wooster: What inspires you now?
MetRe: the girls glamours magazines and all the pop artists
Posted by marc at 12:12 AM in | Recommend this! |
April 20, 2003
Regular Product - The VitalsAge:
Regular Product - The Vitals
Age: Old enough to have seen the first star wars in the cinema.
Hometown: Regular Product was born in London, but I guess my hometown is Melbourne.
Where do you now live?: Sydney
How long have you been creating street art?: Properly for the last 3 years and on a rough part time basis for 15 or so years before that.
What did you do last night?: Went and saw K&D. Drank beer. Put up a few stickers.
What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?: Stir fry.
Who is your favorite fictional character?: Batfink.
What do you currently have in your pockets?: Keys, money, stickers.
If you were given "more time," what would you do with it?: Make sure to spend none of it in my day job.
Who do you love?: Friends and family.
Regular Product - The A's to Our Q's:
Wooster: How did you get started in creating art for the street?
Regular Product: The first thing I did apart from scrawling my name on things was some stickers for a project at art college in the early ninties. I pasted them up around the uni and on the street outside and then took my lecturers around to see them. They failed me.
Wooster: What other street artists do you most admire and why?
Regular Product: My current favourite is a guy called Arthur Stace who was
active in Sydney in the in the early 1900s and wrote the word 'Eternity' on
pavements with chalk. He was a bit of a religious nut, but the word itself is
pretty cool for what is essentially a temporary tag, and he did it about half a
million times, which is right up there with the most prolific modern
campaigns.Wooster: What's your favorite city, neighborhood, or block, to post and/or to see street art?
Regular Product: Bethnal Green, Brick Lane and Shoreditch - where Regular Product was born.
Wooster: What inspires you now?
Regular Product: Loads of stuff, mostly things I see just walking the streets and especially those picture/word cards for kids that you can find in shops in most chinatowns around the world.
Posted by marc at 1:18 AM in | Recommend this! |
We dig this photo by
We dig this photo by Trevor Powers.
Posted by marc at 12:43 AM in | Recommend this! |
Catchin' Up With... El Euro"In
Catchin' Up With... El Euro
"In Vercelli from April 28th to May 12th in piazza del municipio 5, there will be the exhibition, HARD TO EXPLAIN, featuring the "post graffiti experience". The opening will be at h. 18. Artists include: 108, ciop, el euro, iacco, lady bug, tetsuo urawaza"
Posted by marc at 12:20 AM in | Recommend this! |