Today’s “Best of 2003” come from a fantastic
group which includes Shepard Fairey, Gail from Beinghunted.com (one of our
favorite websites), Maya Hayuk, Tristan Manco, Dom from Stickernation (another
one of our favorite sites), Logan Hicks, and Chimp. Enjoy:
/>

Favorite Event of 2003:

href="http://www.obeygiant.com">Shepard Fairey: “The Backjumps show
in Berlin had an amazing group of people and that city has a lot of great street
art. It was even more bombed than N.Y.”

Gail (from href="http://www.BeingHunted.com">BeingHunted.com): Tokion’s
“Creativity Now” conference, Malevich: Suprematism exhibit at the Guggenheim,
Nike Laser launch party @ Chelsea Art Museum

href="http://www.mayahayuk.com/">Maya Hayuk: The blackout in NYC this past
summer. it was total, fun-loving vigilantism.

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/fire1.jpg">

/>Tristan Manco: The
Underground Happening @ Leoncavallo (Milano)  A weekend of Underground Art,
Comic art, Street art & Fire Sculptures by New York/Italian Street Artist href="http://www.paolobuggiani.com/">Paolo Buggiani

/>Dom (from href="http://www.stickernation.com">Stickernation) My journey to New York
and hooking up with the Wooster Collective,
Rep1, The Flower Guy and href="http://www.wearechangeagent.com/swoon/">Swoon. The whole week was
incredible as it was my first time in the city. So much to see and do. Also the
Art of Rebellion book launch was another highlight.

href="http://www.workhorsevisuals.com">Logan Hicks: href="http://www.streetwisetwo.com">Streetwise two in Berlin, what’s your
20? art show in San Diego, and Scribble and Scripture show at Roberts +Tilton
gallery

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/MartyMcLoud-boardslide.jpg" align=
"left">Chimp: Art Of Rebellion book launch in Munich, Germany
(and getting to paint with Flying Fortress, Mr Krooks and D*Face). All the
Finders Keepers Street Galleries. My 30th Birthday Party (thanks to Ichi Bunny
for the dopest Japanese food, and Toby for the legal highs - “this shit is
legal!?!?”) And painting gay rainbows for a show with Bwana Spoons, Shaun Wolfe,
and Arbito, at Compound Gallery in
Portland, Oregon (it’s on now!!). filled my life with smiles!!!


/>

Favorite Artist of 2003:

Shepard: Banksy
has the right blend of humor,  politics, style, and bombing coverage. He is
gifted.

Gail: Matthew Barney

Maya: The
barnstormers ripped it up this year.

Logan: href="http://www.freddic.com">Freddi C.

Tristan: Hard
and ridiculous to choose from all the amazing artists I’ve been in contact with
but always fond of - Eko, Gomez, Alexone, Jace and the ONG crew

/>Dom: Derrick Hodgson aka MDRL.
I’ve been a big fan of Derricks for a while.

Chimp: Ichi
Bunny (and her comic “Bunny Jump”) and PMH

Favorite New Artist of 2003 (an artist who you did not know of last year):

Shepard:
Patrick and Aiko from Faile. I had seen
only a little sampling of their work before 2003. They crushed Berlin and have
lots of good spots in NY

Gail: Kenzo Minami

/>Maya: Swoon
/>

/>
Tristan: Steff Carricondo (new to me)  In fact all the artists
from the 9th Concept in Paris

/>Favourite stencil artist of 2003 is probably Tom Civil and all at Canada Lane,
Melbourne - see - href="http://www.stencilrevolution.com/">http://www.stencilrevolution.com/

r />

Dom: It has to be Swoon. It’s been a long time that a piece
of work has stopped me dead in my tracks. When I first clocked a Swoon piece in
NYC - I was stunned! She also took me to a great noodle bar off Canal Street so
top marks!

Logan: href="http://www.thelondonpolice.com">London Police. Not new to the art
world, but new to me. Saw their stuff in Berlin this year and loved it.
/>
Chimp: Flying
Fortress, Ron English and href="http://www.adamneate.co.uk/">Adam Neate

Favorite Piece of Art of 2003:

Shepard: I think the huge maybe 15 foot tile piece
Space Invader did on Melrose is the coolest street art piece.

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/ryanglass.jpg">

/>Gail: Ryan McGinness’s mirror installation at Deitch

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/im_alive_02.jpg">

/>Maya: ‘i’m alive’ by Shawn Wolfe from the Rainbow Powers Cubed show
at Compound Gallery in Portland, Oregon. i’d love to see this symbol replace a
crucifix

Tristan: I want to tell the world but am keeping it
exclusive to “Street Logos” - hold tight

Dom: The title of
the piece is called ‘Bling Bling medallion’ by Frank Tjepkema. From a distance
the piece of jewellery resembles a ornate golden cross. On close inspection it
is made up of hundreds of brand logos. It is the most branded object in the
world. Fantastic! Seen in the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

/>Logan: Too many to name.

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/IchiElementDeck.jpg">

/>Chimp: Ichi Bunny’s contribution to the Element skateboards show
/>

Favorite New Product of 2003:

Gail: HBO & SHOWTIME on
demand

Maya: Howard Dean

Tristan:
Worldsigns Magazine

Dom: My new iMac - Faster, Harder,
Stronger.

Logan: Outlook:Grim comic by Lesley Reppeteaux
/>
al>

Chimp: Hessen Metal
Mobot Team boards

Favorite Toy of 2003:

Shepard:
I’m excited about my Quee toy that is out in a week. I love those ugly
dolls… our Pug George barks at them.

Gail: Kaws
Chompers

Maya: my vibrator

Dom: Mario
Kart Double Dash!!

Tristan: New apple imac

/>Logan: Fling the Monkey from Rickey/Evil Monito crew

/>Chimp: Still my skateboard…

Favorite CD of 2003:

/>Shepard: Interpol is carrying over from 2002. The Darkness is
ROCKIN’.

Gail: 7 Hurtz, Electroleum (Output Recordings)
/>
Maya: TV on the Radio “Young Liars” EP on Touch and Go.
/>
Dom: J-Rocc - Syndromes Remix

Chimp: “The
Shits” 6 track demo (download the tracks from href="http://www.243support.com">www.243support.com) and that old funk and
reggea mix tape DJ Mullett Head made me (found it again! good shit!)

/>Tristan: Tommy Guerrero

Logan: Moving Units. My
favorite rediscovered CD in 2003 - Gang Starr, Daily Operation

Favorite Website of 2003

Gail: Amazon.com!!

Maya:
I hate to say it, but Friendster…and Adbusters, always.

/>Tristan: Ekosystem.org
/>
Dom: Statistically I went here the most this year… href="http://cube.ign.com">http://cube.ign.com

Logan: href="http://www.stencilrevolution.com">stencilrevolution.com, href="http://www.freshnessmag.com">freshnessmag.com, href="http://www.evilmonito.com">evilmonito.com

Chimp:
Google - I can’t be fucked with sitting in front of the mac all day, and Google
helps me find what I need

What do you most want for Christmas?

/>Shepard: A beat counter to help me match up my records quicker.
/>
Gail: fun gift certificates

Maya: a
shopping spree at Amoeba Records in SF.

Tristan: peas on
earth

Dom: A rest!

Logan: the luxury of
resting without the stress of finances

Chimp: My grandma to
come out of hospital

What is your New Year’s wish?

/>Shepard: World peace… which will come faster if Bush gets voted
out.

Gail: health, happiness, and to build a successful
business

Maya: That Bush is ousted from office and replaced
by Nader. more realistically, that Howard Dean becomes President….or ANYONE
but Mr. Bush.

Tristan: To travel more and paint more
/>
Dom: To have a great 2004. I see next year as quite an
important one for tak! design… bring it on!

Logan: To
travel more. Would love to have a show anywhere in Australia, anywhere in
Europe, Singapore or Tokyo. Cant afford a proper vacation, so I try to justify
it by traveling and working at the same time.

src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/ByeByeHammers.jpg" align=
"left">Chimp: That “Skull Crew” would return to London and paint over
some more of the shitty graf kack-handed fashion wankers keep putting up - they
seem to have made people raise their game and make more of an effort. kids, if
you’re gonna paint in the streets, please make some effort - ugly graf makes the
rest of the world hate us, when all we want to do is spread some love. That bill
poster dudes wouldn’t cover my paintings. That everyone who reads this comes to
ISPO in Munich at the beginning of February 2004 and parties with me, Flying
Fortress, Gomes, and the Hessenmob crew… let’s fucking party yo!!! That my
status as “Official Fake German” gets upgraded to “German Love God”... or can
Kabe be the only one…?
src="http://www.woostercollective.com/images/angryhammer.jpg">

How will you be spending the Holiday’s this year? / What will you be doing for New Years Eve?

Shepard: Seeing the folks and the in-laws and bombing in
S.C. and D.C. New Year’s Eve we are having a few friends over and hopefully I’ll
be spinning records trying out my beat counter. Life without the beat counter
would be fine too…I have everything I need.

Gail: Holidays
with my family in NH. New Year’s Eve roaming NYC

Maya: At
Lake Sleepytown, which is the name for the weeklong sleeping-eating-drinking-
more sleeping event that goes on in my house in SF. we pull all of the
mattresses into the living room and proceed to have the best slumber party in
the history of slumber parties. New Years in NYC, most likely drinking too much
and hopping parties.

Tristan: Checking out New York, Boston
and Montreal - sledding in the snow

Dom: I’m going back to
my folks for Xmas for a week. It’s been a while since I’ve been back home so I’m
looking forward to it: Seeing my family,  eating nice food, watching films on
TV, drinking. New Year will be spent in Amsterdam partying hard.

/>Logan: I will visiting the Wooster Collective on my 2 week east
coast trip!!! Spending New years Eve in my home town, Baltimore!