March 10, 2010
Shit We're Diggin': The Art of Rai Escale
You can see more of Rai Escale's art here.
Posted by marc at 7:03 AM in Art | Recommend this! |
| March 2, 2010
Ai Wei Wei: An Introduction
Posted by marc at 8:03 AM in Art | Recommend this! (3) |
Fresh Stuff From Lister in Brooklyn
More from Lister here. Lister's new exhibition will open on March 19th at the Lyons Wier Gallery in New York.
Posted by marc at 7:03 AM in Art | Recommend this! (18) |
March 1, 2010
Shit We're Diggin: Rebecca Ward at Kate Spade
It's not often that brands and artists can collaborate successfully. Rebecca Ward and Kate Spade have hit the mark a second time with Rebecca's installation at the Kate Spade Spring St. store. We love tape artists such as Mark Jenkins and Mark Khaisman and Rebecca's day-glow colors truly bring the store to life. A young artist hailing from Texas, Rebecca truly captures the energy of NYC and utilizes the loft space of the SoHo store. What's her dream building? Epcot. Check out her work and the re-mixed purses at Kate Spade, Mercer St. SoHo.
(Photos and Video by Cameron Schiller)
Posted by marc at 8:54 PM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
February 15, 2010
John Baldessari On The Origins of Copy and Paste Culture
Posted by marc at 3:14 PM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |
February 4, 2010
Jitish Kallat: Perspectives On Modern Indian Art from The Economist
Posted by marc at 8:04 AM in Art | Recommend this! (10) |
January 27, 2010
Will Barras X RUN, Improvising With An Overhead Projector
Will Barras x RUN improvised overhead painting from Original Cultures on Vimeo.
Posted by marc at 6:52 AM in Art | Recommend this! (3) |
January 16, 2010
Shit We're Diggin: The Art of Nick Gentry
Nick Gentry is an artist from London who paints on floppy disks and other obsolete media formats. You can see more of his work here.
Posted by marc at 8:26 AM in Art | Recommend this! (72) |
Shit We're Diggin: Joey Syta's Lite-Brite Lady and the Unicorn
From Joey Syta:
"Taking two years to complete, I created My Only Desire, a rendition of The Lady and the Unicorn, a famous 15th century French tapestry using only Lite-Brite materials that I acquired from eBay auctions. The work is about 5 feet tall by 6 feet wide and is made from 36 overlapping pegboards comprised of approximately 55,000 pegs.
The final viewing is this Sunday the 17th at Brooklynite Gallery, 334 Malcolm X Blvd., from 6 to 8pm."
Posted by marc at 8:08 AM in Art | Recommend this! (32) |
January 4, 2010
Shit We're Diggin': Brian Hunter's Mattresses
More from Brian here.
Posted by marc at 10:40 AM in Art | Recommend this! (27) |
November 29, 2009
Seen On The Streets Of Tel Aviv
Laundry Installation By Dag Designlab
Posted by marc at 6:56 PM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |
November 13, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Jace in Kuala Lumpur
More from Jace here.
Posted by marc at 8:04 AM in Art | Recommend this! (17) |
November 3, 2009
'Cut Out and Fade Out' From Miss Bugs
More from Miss Bugs here.
Posted by marc at 7:58 AM in Art | Recommend this! (48) |
November 1, 2009
Herakut Painting Live in Berlin
Posted by marc at 5:32 PM in Art | Recommend this! (44) |
October 30, 2009
Jon Burgerman Goes BIG in Beijing For Economies of Scale
(be sure to click to enlarge)
You can learn more about Jon's new solo show in China by clicking here.
Posted by marc at 7:42 AM in Art | Recommend this! (5) |
October 28, 2009
Zak Smith Interviews Alexandros Vasmoulakis For The Rumpus
If you're a regular reader of the Wooster site then you know we're big fans of both Alexandros Vasmoulakis and Zak Smith. Check out Zak's interview with Alexandros for The Rumpus here.
Posted by marc at 8:07 AM in Art | Recommend this! (26) |
October 13, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Handmade Paper Typography of Yulia Brodskay
More from Yulia here.
Posted by marc at 7:16 AM in Art | Recommend this! (31) |
October 10, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Collages Of Thaniel Lee
You can see more of Thaniel Lee's work here.
Posted by marc at 5:37 AM in Art | Recommend this! (14) |
Logan Hicks at Nuart '09 (Parts 5, 6, 7)
Posted by marc at 5:26 AM in Art | Recommend this! (5) |
October 7, 2009
Wooster on GOOD. The Week: Martin Sobey
We're pleased and excited to let you know that this week we are launching a new weekly interview series developed exclusively for our friends at GOOD Magazine.
This week's installment is an interview with artist Martin Sobey. You can check it out on GOOD's website here.
Posted by marc at 6:52 AM in Art | Recommend this! (5) |
Wooster on GOOD. The Week: Martin Sobey
We're pleased and excited to let you know that this week we are launching a new weekly interview series developed exclusively for our friends at GOOD Magazine.
This week's installment is an interview with artist Martin Sobey. You can check it out on GOOD's website here.
Posted by marc at 6:52 AM in Art | Recommend this! (3) |
October 6, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': David Choe's "ChoeBots"
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
From about the ChoeBot's here.
(click to enlarge)
Posted by marc at 6:30 AM in Art | Recommend this! (15) |
October 5, 2009
Herakut will be painting live in Berlin this week
Herakut & Style and the Family Tunes from stylemag on Vimeo.
Posted by marc at 7:11 AM in Art | Recommend this! (5) |
October 3, 2009
The Art of case
If you're in Los Angeles be sure to check out case's latest work at the Carmichael Gallery.
The L.A. case
Opening Reception: Thursday October 8 2009 / 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Please RSVP to rsvp@carmichaelgallery.com
Exhibition Dates: October 8 – October 29
Address: Carmichael Gallery / 1257 N. La Brea Ave / West Hollywood CA 90038
Posted by marc at 9:03 AM in Art | Recommend this! (17) |
Shit We're Diggin': The Art of Tory Wright
"I explore the intersection of fashion and consumerism, using collage as a drawing tool. I collect, reclaim, and reuse Duratrans (the ever present light box advertisements) and fragrance campaign posters seen within department stores as a source material.
Employing a reductive language, I flirt with the viewer’s gaze by altering the material’s surface. By cutting away imagery pulled from luxury item advertising I reveal a new conversation with broad references to the female form. Gucci links, William Morris, art nouveau, tears and textiles intertwine as they overtake the seduction of these advertisements within a consumer culture. Ultimately commenting upon the American lust for material gratification."... Tory Wright
Posted by marc at 5:17 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
September 30, 2009
Lovestain - New Work From Miss Van
If you're in London, be sure to check out 'Lovestain', a new solo exhibition of work by Miss Van at the Stolenspace Gallery. The show opens tomorrow, Thursday, and from images we've seen, looks absolutely amazing.
StolenSpace Gallery
& Dray Walk Gallery
(2 space show)
Old Truman Brewery
London
E1 6QL
Nearest Tube: Aldgate East
Posted by marc at 7:36 AM in Art | Recommend this! (11) |
September 29, 2009
Alexone's new blog
Nice to see that our friend alexone has launched a new blog.
Posted by marc at 7:45 AM in Art | Recommend this! (8) |
September 24, 2009
CAI GUO-QIANG - An Introduction
Posted by marc at 8:04 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
September 23, 2009
Arrested Motion Interviews Antony Micallef
Arrested Motion has a terrific interview with one of our favorite artists, Antony Micallef .
Here's an excerpt:
AM: The faces of your subjects are often smudged, even disfigured. Are you attempting to hide part of the subject?Ant: It’s funny because when I draw, most of the things that get destroyed are the heads. I’ll keep drawing and drawing and these things just blossom. This might sound a bit weird, but the way I visualize the piece in my head is that you see this face coming towards you from under the surface of water. I’ll probably get about 5 come up before I get the one I want. I might try and tweak them, but end up destroying them and then you have to carry on working until something else comes up.
It’s quite good to have a camera phone to take pictures of the work, but then the pictures you take aren’t hi-res. Some of the heads I’ll think are ok, I won’t need to take a picture. Then, I tweak it a little but then it’s just gone completely and changed into something else.
I don’t think it’s about trying to hide beauty, but I’m trying to find something else rather than just looking at a head. I always use my own head as the structure, but I never see them as me. I suppose a few of them when they come out might look like me and they are more like self portraits.
AM: So are you conceiving the bone structure and the skull and building the paint up from there?
Ant: Yeah, it’s like starting with a scaffolding and then I want to flesh it out. The heads have their own identities that come out during the process. They just arrive.
Read the whole interview here.
Posted by marc at 7:30 AM in Art | Recommend this! (16) |
September 22, 2009
Jonathan Yeo - An Introduction (NSF)
Posted by marc at 8:24 PM in Art | Recommend this! (16) |
September 21, 2009
Shit We're Diggin: David Choe's Sketches On The Train
(be sure to click to enlarge)
(be sure to click to enlarge)
Photos nicked from David's blog here.
Posted by marc at 8:57 AM in Art | Recommend this! (51) |
September 19, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Faith47 - Arch Angel
More from Faith47 here.
Posted by marc at 6:51 AM in Art | Recommend this! (11) |
September 12, 2009
The Antagonist Art Movement - An Introduction
The Antagonist Art Movement - For Dummies from Anthony Ferraro on Vimeo.
Learn more here.
Posted by marc at 6:38 AM in Art | Recommend this! (8) |
Seen On the Shores of Los Angeles
Artist: Karen Fiorito
Posted by marc at 6:35 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
HELLOVON's SEMBLANCE
SEMBLANCE / HELLOVON AT CERASOLI GALLERY / LA from HelloVon on Vimeo.
HelloVon "Semblance" opens September 19 at the Cerasoli Gallery in Los Angeles.
Cerasoli Gallery
8530-B Washington Blvd, Culver City CA 90232
Posted by marc at 5:58 AM in Art | Recommend this! (1) |
September 3, 2009
Rare Footage Of Pablo Picasso Painting Live
Posted by marc at 7:32 PM in Art | Recommend this! (50) |
Fresh Stuff From Patrick Winfield
You can see more of Patrick's work here.
Posted by marc at 9:09 AM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
The London Police Hit Los Angeles For A Solo Show At The Carmichael Gallery
As the days count down to the London Police's upcoming solo exhibition opening on September 10th at the Carmichael Gallery in Los Angeles, Elisa Carmichael has posted a terrific interview with Chaz and Bob on the 45ers Posterous blog. If you don't know the history of TLP, definitely check it out. We also encourage you to check out the new TLP website as it's a terrific showcase of the new work.
The London Police
Brothers in Arms
Opening Reception: Thursday September 10 2009 / 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Please RSVP to rsvp@carmichaelgallery.com
Exhibition Dates: September 10 – October 1
Posted by marc at 8:16 AM in Art | Recommend this! (21) |
Shit We're Diggin': The Art of ARMOgedon 2057
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
ARMOgedon 2057 is a Los Angeles based artist who's work brings together a combination of typographic elements, sculpture, and graffiti lettering. We love it.
Posted by marc at 7:26 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
August 27, 2009
Seen On The Streets Of Rome
Artist: Pedro Matos
Posted by marc at 8:12 AM in Art | Recommend this! (21) |
August 26, 2009
Stuart Semple's Happy Clouds - An Introduction
Posted by marc at 8:11 AM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |
A Wonderful Piece by Sam3 in Valencia
Sam3 will be showing new work at Anno Domini in San Jose, Ca on September 4th. The exhibit will be on view through October 17, 2009
Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design
366 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113
www.galleryAD.com 408.271.5155
gallery hours:
Tuesday thru Friday, Noon - 7pm
Saturday, Noon - 5pm
First Fridays 8pm 'til late.
Posted by marc at 7:40 AM in Art | Recommend this! (22) |
August 24, 2009
Judith Supine's "Above the City in a Summer Night Dream" On Top Of The Williamsburg Bridge
Photos by S. Duncan
Posted by marc at 7:07 AM in Art | Recommend this! (58) |
August 19, 2009
Fresh Stuff From JAXPAC (jacksonvile public art coalition)
Posted by marc at 7:49 AM in Art | Recommend this! (66) |
Fresh Stuff From Specter: "Discarded"
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
What we love about Specter's work is that all of his pieces are hand painted and site specific. The work above, done in Brooklyn, is from a new project about consumption and waste called "Discarded"
You can see more of the project here.
Posted by marc at 7:38 AM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
August 14, 2009
Seen On The Streets Of Denmark
Posted by marc at 12:47 PM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |
August 13, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Elbow-Toe: "The Turn Around in the Return"
More from Elbow-Toe here.
Posted by marc at 7:26 AM in Art | Recommend this! (43) |
August 11, 2009
Shit We're Diggin" Fly On The Wall's Circular Painting
More from Fly On The Wall here.
(Hat tip to Faith47)
Posted by marc at 6:30 AM in Art | Recommend this! (13) |
August 7, 2009
Seen On The Streets Of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Artist: Roma
Posted by marc at 10:23 AM in Art | Recommend this! (22) |
Tape and Mirrors from Aakash Nihalani
More here.
Posted by marc at 10:11 AM in Art | Recommend this! (41) |
August 3, 2009
"I know there is love" from Chris Stain and Armsrock
Photo: Jaime Rojo
This Friday night, August 7th, Chris Stain and Armsrock will open their new show, "I know there is love" at the Ad Hoc Gallery in Brooklyn. It will undoubtedly by terrific...
Ad Hoc Art Gallery
49 Bogart Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Posted by marc at 8:04 AM in Art | Recommend this! (27) |
July 29, 2009
Seen On The Steets Of Genoa
From Nicola:
"Faber and the old town (Fabrizio De Andrè 1940-1999) was a day of music, dance and art in a neighborhood of the historical center of Genoa, the old Jewish ghetto, a place where nowaday immigrants, prostitutes, victims of slave trade, transsexuals, pushers and drug consumers live and work. The bet was to involve the most citizens, tourists, people of every race and colour, as possible to pull down, at least for a day, all the prejudices and for starting a process of tolerance and cohabitation. I was involved by a friend to be part of the event (organized by Comunità di San Benedetto al Porto, Comune di Genova, Fondazione De Andrè e Radio Popolare) and I realized a series of mixed technique panels for a street art installation.
Photographer:Astrid Fornetti.
Posted by marc at 8:07 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
July 28, 2009
Zak Smith Interviews Anthony Lister
The latest artist to be interviewed by Zak Smith on The Rumpus is Anthony Lister. Here's an excerpt:
Zak Smith: Can you grab one or two of your paintings and describe the situation that inspired it?
Anthony Lister: This piece, titled HOLY MOLY (mixed media on canvas, painted 2008), is based on a story about Britney Spears’ sister having a baby. I initially painted a picture of a pretty young woman with a baby spitting lottery balls out of its vagina as if to suggest that children are a metaphor for the Holy Grail. It is a painting about fertility, miss-guided youth and predators within social networks and in the media.
You can read the full interview here.
Posted by marc at 7:30 AM in Art | Recommend this! (15) |
July 27, 2009
ARTOPIA
Posted by marc at 8:17 AM in Art | Recommend this! (28) |
July 21, 2009
Jeff Soto - An Introduction
Test
Posted by marc at 8:15 AM in Art | Recommend this! (36) |
July 16, 2009
JMR at Mighty Tanaka
More from JMR here.
Posted by marc at 7:12 AM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
Fresh Stuff From WK Interact
Posted by marc at 7:01 AM in Art | Recommend this! (36) |
July 15, 2009
Remembering Dash Snow
Sara and I were extremely saddened to hear yesterday that Dash Snow, an artist who for us truly personified the "downtown" art scene here in New York, died Monday night of a heroin overdose.
It seemed like every week, especially in the summer, we'd see Dash riding his bike through the streets in our neighborhood. If you live in New York than you know his influence was deeply felt: on the streets through his graffiti, in local galleries through his artwork, and at parties and events through his physical presence. There was no question that Dash Snow lived on the edge. You felt it in everything he did.
Our sincere condolences go out to Dash's family, his friends, and his loved ones.
Most sadly, Secret Snow, Dash's daughter, will turn two years old next month.
Damn.
Posted by marc at 6:37 AM in Art | Recommend this! (72) |
Charming Baker at Redchurch Street Gallery
Unfortunately we weren't able to attend Charming Baker's recent opening at the Redchurch Street Gallery in Shoreditch. The solo show features ten new paintings, five new prints and "limited edition cakes".
Posted by marc at 6:22 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
July 9, 2009
A Rare Q&A with WK Interact
WK Interact Q&A from George Koroneos on Vimeo.
Posted by marc at 2:16 PM in Art | Recommend this! (9) |
July 3, 2009
AJ Fosik - An Introduction
AJ Fosik Artist Profile from Kwality Media on Vimeo.
Posted by marc at 3:14 AM in Art | Recommend this! (42) |
June 30, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Eine's "The A to Z of Change"
It's always exciting when you see an artist push his or her work into new places.
We've been fans of Eine's lettering for quite a while. And for us, his new series, created for next weeks opening at the Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, takes his work to a whole new "place". The trademark typography is still in place, but in "The A – Z of Change" Eine's incorporated into the work images from archival photographs that champion the actions of those who stand up against the status quo and create cultural and political movements that make change possible.
If you are in LA, be sure to check out the new show. It looks terrific Here's the info:
Show Details:
Eine's "The A – Z of Change"
Opening Reception: Thursday July 9 2009 / 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Exhibition Dates: July 9 – July 30 2009
Address: Carmichael Gallery / 1257 N. La Brea Ave / West Hollywood / CA / 90038
Posted by marc at 8:08 AM in Art | Recommend this! (18) |
WK Book Signing And Print Release
If you're in New York City tomorrow night (Wednesday, July 1st) be sure to stop by the Jonathan LeVive Gallery where WK will be signing his new book from 6-8pm. You can find more information here.
In addition, to celebrate the new show, WK has released three new prints (shown above) that can be purchased exclusively from the gallery. We love 'em.
Posted by marc at 7:52 AM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
June 28, 2009
Vhils' "Scratching The Surface" Set To Open In London on July 3rd
(click to enlarge photos above)
VHILS' first solo exhibition in London, Scratching The Surface, is set to open on the 3rd of July to 1st August at the Lazarides Gallery on Rathbone Place.
The show features a series of new works that are inspired by his home town of Lisbon. Vhils' portriats are made using acid and bleach, as they eat into surfaces to expose layers of posters beneath.
Posted by marc at 8:33 PM in Art | Recommend this! (60) |
A Preview of Dan Witz' Summer Project - "Dark Doings
(click photos above to expand)
Earlier today Dan Witz sent us a preview of his summer project which he's calling "Dark Doings." He tells us - "I don't think I've ever been as excited as I am about this work I'm doing now... I'm calling it, "Dark Doings", inspired by my recent time in Amsterdam's red light district."
You can see more from the series here.
Posted by marc at 8:04 PM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
June 25, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Conor Harrington
Conor Harrington recently kicked off the summer in the Italian countryside of Grottaglie for the Fame Festival.The tower above can be found amongst the vineyards. You can see more on Conor's blog here.
Posted by marc at 7:42 AM in Art | Recommend this! (50) |
June 23, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Rosemarie Fiore's Firework Drawings
Rosemarie Fiore's firework drawings are created by containing and controlling firework explosions. She explains:
"I bomb blank sheets of paper with different fireworks including color smoke bombs, jumping jacks, monster balls, fountains, magic whips, spinning carnations, ground blooms, rings of fire, and lasers. As I work, I create imagery by controlling the chaotic nature of the explosions in upside-down containers. When the paper becomes saturated in color, dark and burned, I take it back to my studio and collage blank paper circles onto the image to establish new planes and open up the composition. I then continue to bomb the pieces. These actions are repeated a number of times. The final works contain many layers of collaged explosions and are thick and heavy."
We love 'em. You can see more photos and work here.
Posted by marc at 8:28 AM in Art | Recommend this! (82) |
June 19, 2009
WK's Motion Portraits
WK Interact's new solo exhibition, Motion Portrait, opens Saturday June 27th at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. (The same night at Invader's show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery)
WK's new portrait series, entitled 12 Angry Men (referencing the classic film), portrays the faces of twelve men. It's the first time WK has focused exclusively on faces rather than on the entire body in motion. What's cool about the new work is that it's made solely with with a sponge and large brush with nothing painted over during the process.
Awesome.
Posted by marc at 7:35 AM in Art | Recommend this! (46) |
June 10, 2009
Ché Francisco Ortiz's Day At The Boardwalk
A couple of weeks ago on our Facebook fan page, we asked the following question, just to see how people would respond:
"If I gave you $50 today, with the condition that you had to spend it on "art", what would you do with it?"
The question was very popular. We immediately received a ton of wonderful answers. 85 in all.
Later that night, talking with Sara, we thought it would be fun to actually fund a few of the responses that were posted. It wasn't something that we had thought about when we asked the question. We were just curious what people would say.
One response that we liked a lot came from Ché Francisco Ortiz. He wrote:
"Buy a ton of sidewalk chalk and give it out to every kid i saw at the park or boardwalk."
So that night we sent Che $50 to buy his chalk via Paypal.
This past weekend Che bought the chalk and headed to the boardwalk.
Yesterday we received a link to Che's Flickr site which includes tons of photos of kids and their parents drawing and having an amazing time.
We were absolutely thrilled.
Posted by marc at 8:23 AM in Art | Recommend this! (50) |
June 7, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Jorge Rodriguez Gerada in Valencia
"I made a new Identity Series of a local guy named Santo, as well as a new direction using walls that have weatherproofing foam. I draw the outlines by eye and sand down the positive spaces to create the silhouettes. They are life size and placed within the outlines of the rooms that used to be there."... Jorge Rodriguez Gerada
Posted by marc at 8:10 PM in Art | Recommend this! (44) |
June 5, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Asbestos: "Retreat of Reason"
Later tonight at the Carmichael gallery in Los Angeles, Dublin based artist Asbestos will be showing new work.
The piece above is called "Retreat of Reason"
Asbestos tells us:
"It's a portrait of my father painted onto 5 separate pieces that are built from nearly 40 smaller triangles of wood that I found in skips in Dublin, Belfast, London and and on the beaches of Kerry. It builds on a new direction in my work, using triangles as the core element. I think the triangle is the coolest shape, the shape that's got the most personality. These new triangulated works are influenced by early cubism, deconstructionist architecture and Delauneys theory of triangulation and have the subject of the piece consumed by these angular shapes."
Posted by marc at 8:03 AM in Art | Recommend this! (27) |
June 3, 2009
Shit We're Diggin: Jasper van Es' Tribute to Antoinette Reinders in Tilburg, the Netherlands
From Jasper van Es.
"I made this last night. It's an image of a girl made with textile and wood and put up on the bottom of the bridge. When the bridge is closed you won't see a thing. But when the bridge opens the girl will rise like a giant getting out of the water.
Next to the bridge there is a tree where you will find some old articles about the identity of the girl.
Her name was Antoinette Reinders, the 18 year daughter of the bridge-keeper. Its a true story about the mysterious murder on the girl back in 1938.
The girl got murdered next to the bridge and the police never solved it. They still don't know what the weapon was, the motive or the person who did it.
You can see the work in Tilburg, the Netherlands at the Bridge on the Petrus Loosjesstraat (the neighborhood is called kanaalzone)
Until the police or some vandal on a boat comes to destroy it.
Posted by marc at 8:39 AM in Art | Recommend this! (55) |
May 31, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Termine Growth
"I'm working on the topic of Freemasonry - playing with the graphics from the early 1900's"... Termine Growth.
Posted by marc at 8:19 PM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
May 25, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Davide Zucco (aka Rekal)
From from Rekal here.
Posted by marc at 7:48 AM in Art | Recommend this! (9) |
Zevs' Electric Rainbows (2007)
Zevs has updated his website with photos of past and recent project. We love the Electric Rainbows that he exchanged for advertisements back 2007:
Posted by marc at 7:19 AM in Art | Recommend this! (25) |
May 17, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Ginou Choueiri's Potato Portraits
Ginou Choueiri is Lebanese artist living in Beirut. She says about her potato portraits:
"I chose the potato to portray human faces because of the many striking parallels. Not only is their skin porous like ours, but their skin texture and color is very similar, and like us, they come in different sizes, shapes and forms. Potatoes grow, live, and then decay, mirroring the ephemeral existence and fragility of our own human nature."
Posted by marc at 5:58 PM in Art | Recommend this! (148) |
Shit We're Diggin: The Bruce High Qualilty Foundation
One of our favorite artists collectives is Bruce High Quality Foundation. If you're not familiar with their "Public Sculpture Tackles" here's their artists statement:
"Public sculpture is not merely a designed fight against the elements of nature, it is also a fight against people, against rambunctious children, graffiti writers, pigeon poop, and the homeless. It is the very character of public sculpture to be, first and foremost, on defense. The cube tilted on its corner is but the most obvious example of a defensive design approach to art’s engagement with the public.
The series of photographs, Public Sculpture Tackle, documents another approach to public art – the design of failure. Artists dressed in makeshift athletic uniforms and padding leap and lunge against a number of different public sculptures in Manhattan. In a contest between individualistic energy and engineered public adornment, we all know who will win.
Ad Reinhardt, understanding the full paradox of the eternal aspirations of art, titled one of his nearly black paintings, Timeless Painting, 1960. It is this continuing contest between timelessness and timeliness that forms the context for the Public Sculpture Tackle series. The photographs hold fast the humor and pathos of a moment when art does what it does – whatever we ought not bother trying, or as Bruce might have it – the impossible."
Posted by marc at 11:56 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
Scratching the Surface by Vhils
A few weeks ago, Vhils showed us a rough cut of a short film he was making about new work he was doing in Portugal. We were blown away, not just by the piece but also from how exquisitely is was filmed.
This morning Vhils put the final film up on Youtube. We love the film and the text that goes with it:
Scratching the Surface
“Sous les pavés, la plage!” (Beneath the paving stones - the beach!) - Anonymous graffiti, Paris 1968.
Paris, May 1968. When the enragés started digging up the stones from the Boulevard St. Michel to use them as weapons against the forces of the old order, they came upon the sand that covered the surface underneath them. The earth. Beneath the concrete, the earth. Beneath the urban environment, nature. Beneath the artificial, life.
Behind all these brick and concrete walls, these dull, grey surfaces that condition our existence, behind all of these cities, there is life. There are individuals, there is nature. “Scratching the surface” is an act of creation taken from lifeless forms. It is the subversion of lifeless forms. The act of engraving the idea of life on a wall, of creating the image of an individual, an iconographic piece of representational symbolism that will endure. As if rendering him eternal by bringing him to life where life was not supposed to be. By carving it out of that which is still-born by its very nature, by its design.
So until the symbolical demise of all walls that separate, that impose, that condition, of a social system that overbuilds in order to control and perpetuate its grasp on the divisions that stem from this eternal partitioning and keep individuals in place, it will be easier and easier to forget who we are, where we come from and what nature is really all about. How easy it is to lose track of what our nature really is while caught amid this saturated, un-organic environment. "
Vhils is currently working on work for an upcoming solo show at Steve Lazarides' new gallery on Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia. Vhils' work is stunning in video and photos on the web, but nothing beats seeing the work first hand.
Posted by marc at 10:41 AM in Art | Recommend this! (36) |
May 15, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Jan Vormann in Berlin
We've highlighted the work of Jan Vormann a few times on the Wooster site. His new work can be found in Berlin, mostly inside holes that have remained since World War II.
Jan tells us - "At some very touristic hot-spot, (kupfergraben corner with Dorotheenstraße) a whole lot of people of all ages spontaneously started "helping" us. Kids, Parents Grandparents. Some of which took the project "to another dimension" with a variation of approaches towards the possibilities of constructing with those little bricks."
You can find the entire documentation online here.
Posted by marc at 8:23 AM in Art | Recommend this! (22) |
Over 100 Artists Come Together To Help Sarah
One of the best things about doing the Wooster site is that we get to meet some incredible people.
Our friend Harlan at No New Enemies is hosting a charity event for an extremely good cause - to raise the money for a second ear surgery for a young girl named Sarah. Sarah was born almost deaf and recently got a cochlear implant in her right ear, which helps her hear sounds she never realized existed. The second implant in her left ear has been scheduled for 2009, but since medical insurance will only cover one operation, she'll have to pay the full 25.000 euro bill all by herself.
To help her out, the wonderful artist Ephameron has brought together work from over 100 artist in a fantastic book all the proceeds going to Sarah's operation.
You can learn more about the auction here and the full scope of the project here.
Posted by marc at 7:55 AM in Art | Recommend this! (14) |
May 14, 2009
More Judith Supine Goodness
In the middle of doing his piece for the 11 Spring show (a massive wall collaboration with Davide Zucco), Judith Supine walked in one day with a huge smile on his face. He declared to anyone who would listen - "I've just quit my job!"
The happiness on his was infectious as it was one of those moments in an artist's life where you say - "Fuck it. Why not? If it's not now, it's never."
The cool thing to watch is that Judith's work just keeps getting better and better. We we absolutely love the two pieces above and wanted to share them. If you've never seen the piece he did with Davide Zucco (aka Rekal) for our 11 Spring show, here it is:
Posted by marc at 6:41 AM in Art | Recommend this! (11) |
May 5, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Papergirl Project
"In our over-juried, overexposed, over-hyped land of art and design it's refreshing to see an art event that not only has no jury, but also gives away the pieces in an "unprejudiced" way to anyone near the bike path. Born out of a reaction to recent changes regarding Berlin's vandalism laws, Papergirl rallies artists and cyclists to distribute rolls of paper art (posters, prints, etc.) to unsuspecting Berliners."... Sezio.
We absolutely love Berlin's Papergirl project founded by the original Papergirl, Aisha Ronniger. It's these types of actions that make cities "livable". Our hope is that Papergirls and Paperboys will be in cities all over the world this Summer. You can read a terrific overview here on Sezio. And be sure to check out the Papergirl website here.
Papergirl #3 from Papergirl on Vimeo.
Posted by marc at 8:28 AM in Art | Recommend this! (60) |
URBAN POTTERIES From Bo130, Microbo, Jeremy Fish and Others
We love it when artists take on new challenges. Recently a group of amazing artists, includng our friends bo130, Microbo, and Jeremy Fish, teamed up with Superego Editions to produce a series of wonderful ceramic sculptures to coincide with the 48° Fuori Salone di Milano. The ceramics were produced and made by the old ceramic masters of Nove.
We love them. Click here for more information.
Posted by marc at 8:09 AM in Art | Recommend this! (38) |
May 4, 2009
Using Art To Make A Car "Disappear"
Sara Watson, a design student studying drawing at the University of Central Lancashire, spent three weeks taking a battered old Skoda and making it "disappear" by painting it so that it blends in with the surrounding area.
The BBC reports that the car is now being used as advertising for the local recycling firm that donated the vehicle.
Posted by marc at 7:33 AM in Art | Recommend this! (187) |
April 28, 2009
'And Then The Wind Changed' - Fresh Stuff Frm Anthony Lister
"some new paintings of my kids pulling faces"...Lister.
Posted by marc at 7:59 AM in Art | Recommend this! (28) |
April 21, 2009
Gary Taxali Talks About Hindi Love Song his Current Exhibition at Jonathan LeVine Gallery
Friends We Love :: 120 Seconds w/ Gary Taxali - Artist from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
"Off the Wall" Featuring Gary Taxali from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.
You can learn more about the show here.
Posted by marc at 7:54 AM in Art | Recommend this! (9) |
April 17, 2009
One Not To Miss: Lee Quiñones: Truth & Consequences
Tomorrow night, Saturday the 18th, Lee Quiñones will open "Truth & Consequences" in Genova, Italy at Il Trifoglio Nero. It's important on many levels, also since it's his first solo show in Italy since 1980.
Sacha Jenkins writes in the catalogue for the exhibition - "Lee has always used his art to address the heavier thoughts and fears of humankind — his subway works, for instance, could ponder anything from nuclear holocausts to the middle ground the Earth might provide between say heaven and hell. The body and blood of Truth & Consequences is a proud extension of this sentiment"
Here's the info:
Il Trifoglio Nero
Palazzo Ducale
Piazza Matteotti 80r
16123 Genova
Italy
T. +39 010 859 2255
www.iltrifoglionero.com
18 April – 23 May 2009
Opening Reception 18 April 18.00
DJ set by Rich Medina
Catalogue available featuring texts by Sacha Jenkins, Dave Greenberg and Fred Brathwaite
Il Trifoglio Nero
Palazzo Ducale
Piazza Matteotti 80r
16123 Genova
Italy
T. +39 010 859 2255
www.iltrifoglionero.com
Posted by marc at 8:33 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
April 15, 2009
the jerm IX tattoo project
From jerm IX in Vancouver:
"thought i'd share my latest project with you. i have donated my body to street artists. i recently put out a call to street artists around the world via flickr and stencilrevolution.com that i was accepting design submissions to be inked to my body, creating a body suit of street art, with the aim of celebrating street artists and their work in a somewhat more permanent form than the ephemeral nature of the streets allow.
i have designs coming from artists i have admired for so long and i am so inspired by the giving nature that seems to be embodied at every stop on the street artist spectrum. From the legends such as Microbo, Miss Van & BISERama to the unsung heroes like starheadboy and cameraman, everyone has been gracious, giving the fact that this is not a 'sponsored' project, for lack of a better word...and funds. anyway, i'm getting inked at a pace of at least one sitting a month and would love it if you spread the word and give all of the amazing people and artists on the site a glimpse into the project, so they may become involved if so inclined.
You can see the set as it evolves here.
thanks, love the site.
keep smiling.
jerm IX
Posted by marc at 8:56 AM in Art | Recommend this! (37) |
April 9, 2009
Sally's Beautiful Blue Wall
Yesterday morning, Sara and I went on the The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC Radio to talk about the role of that street art is playing in the current economic climate. You can listen to it here:
All in all we thought it went pretty well. The debate about street art being nothing more than vandalism quite honestly bores us to death. We were glad that the host, Brian Lehrer, didn't waste the whole show on this subject. (Most radio stations would have done so for sure)
This post on the WNYC message boards is indicative of the lack of understanding out there:
"Your guests (meaning Sara and I) are a complete sham. They should be arrested rather than featured on the air. Come on, do we really want that shit all over the place again? Tell them and their clientele to go get a real job and do the work to become real artists rather than this easy bs these idiots are praising as "free expression". "Humanistic".. Please. Go back to academia. You obviously never left it. There are plenty of ways to get a message across without defacing public property."
And then this morning, we received a wonderful email that, for us, illuminates exactly why the subject of vandalism is so limiting:
From Sally (the artist who did the work on the photos above):
"hello. I heard the show on WNYC. I am glad to hear of your collective. I share much of what you talked about. I have been working on a street art since july of 08. It was sheltered by some trees and cars so that I never got caught. Once the police stopped and yelled "Stop drawing on the wall" I kept a look out and would hide. I am using acrylic ink and a small brush. A friend called it 'slow graffiti' A few months ago someone called the police and 2 squad cars and a black sedan came!! They gave me a warning, said if I was caught again they would arrest me. I did'n't know that graffiti is a felony. so I stopped working on it.
later I called the owner of the construction sight and he finally agreed to give me a letter of permission. It is near my studio, I can see it from my window. It is a wall surrounding a construction sight that is not being constructed. On Bergen between 4th and 3rd Ave. on the corner of Third Ave. in Brooklyn. I started it because they painted the wall blue, and it was a huge expanse and was calling to me. I have a lot of work finished and instead of waiting for someone to allow me to show my work I could take the initiative and show it myself. It is also in a place where lots of people who might never go to a gallery would see it. It is a funny area because it borders park slope and Boerum and the housing project. There is a half way house on Bergen. I love working on it outside, I believe I am adding to the neighborhood, it makes me part of the neighborhood, and people are always stopping to talk to me. I have had many interesting and appreciative comments. I have met a lot of people, it is different from the experience of working alone. Art gives back to people, it feeds the soul,in that way I feel I add to the neighborhood. I know that it wont last but I like the fact that it is about the experience of making it, the conversations I have had, and that all is fleeting any way."
Posted by marc at 11:22 AM in Art | Recommend this! (26) |
Dan Witz Hits Amsterdam
If you're in Amsterdam this week, be sure to head over tomorrow night, April 9th, to the Sid Lee Collective where, in collaboration with RELOAD Magazine, Dan Witz will present the first solo exhibition in the Netherlands.
Dan, who's flown in from New York, will be showing new works and photos from the ‘New Ugly Buildings’ series. Here's the info:
Gerard Doustraat 74
Amsterdam 1072 VV
The Nethelands
Posted by marc at 7:51 AM in Art | Recommend this! (10) |
April 7, 2009
While working on a piece of art, how do you know when it's "done"?
If you follow us on Facebook, then you already know that it's become almost like a sister site to what we post every day here on the Wooster blog. On Facebook we've been asking a series of questions about art, being an artist, inspiration, etc. The responses that are being posted each day are wonderful.
Because they made us smile, we thought we'd share with you a sampling of the responses that have been posted today to our question:
While working on a piece of art, how do you know when it's "done"?
Here's some of the answers:
Luke: When someone buys it!
John: When your sick of nit-picking at it
Puppet Industries: When the cops catch ya.;)
Nick: You never do, that's why it's a piece of art.
James: When your mum calls you down for dinner. (Note from Wooster: Our favorite!)
Jasper: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away" - Antoine de Saint Exupery
Frank: When the check clears.
Anita: When you feel satisfaction!
James: Paintings are never finished, only abandoned. - Picasso
Sarah: When you're afraid you'll destroy it if you do anything else to it
Nathan: When you feel like there's more work to be done, but nothing you do to it makes it better than it already is.
Josh: When it starts to piss me off
Will: When efforts at improving it just screw it up.
Logan: When I ruin it.
Pierre: When i stop looking at it as an actor but as a spectator, no more acting obsession, when i can forget it....
Misha: When its 6 am and i've got to be at work at 8
Dan: When somebody loves it
Angel: When you are scared about putting something else in it..
Victoria: 10 years later
Posted by marc at 7:03 PM in Art | Recommend this! (20) |
April 6, 2009
Fresh Stuff From David Choe
Posted by marc at 7:49 AM in Art | Recommend this! (66) |
April 4, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The At of Matt W. Moore
The other day Sara and I had the pleasure of spending some time with artist/designer Matt W. Moore, who had come down to New York from Maine for the PSFK Conference. We were blown away by not only Matt's work but by how cool of a guy he is. If you are not familiar with his work, click here.
Posted by marc at 6:02 PM in Art | Recommend this! (19) |
March 31, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Poppy van Oorde-Grainger's Pavement Watercolour Paintings
You can see more of Poppy's painting here.
Posted by marc at 7:51 AM in Art | Recommend this! (37) |
March 29, 2009
David Choe Hits China
Excited to hear that David Choe's currently painting in China. This latest piece is one of our favorites.
(Click to see the full effect of the brush strokes)
To see more of David's travels in China, click here.
Posted by marc at 11:47 AM in Art | Recommend this! (41) |
March 27, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Part2ism
You can see more of Part2ism's work here.
Posted by marc at 10:24 PM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
One Not To Miss: Michael Anderson's COLLAGE GEOMANCY
Last night Sara and I had the pleasure of attending the opening of our friend Michael Anderson's new solo show, COLLAGE GEOMANCY, at Marlborough Chelsea Gallery in New York.
The show is absolutely magnificent. If you do one thing this weekend (even if it's raining) go over to the gallery on 545 West 25th Street and check it out.
A few months back Michael asked us to write the essay for the catalog. We were absolutely thrilled and honored. So rather than tell you about the show, we thought we'd share with you our what we wrote for the catalog:
THE ART OF UPCYCING
It is said that each day, from the moment we New Yorkers awake until the time we fall asleep, we will encounter 3,000 advertisements. It is in this context, at a time where mass media advertising is persistent in almost every moment of our waking lives, that the art of Michael Anderson can best be understood.
Michael Anderson is part of a new generation of contemporary artists who have grown up not only with mass media, but also with the philosophy that pop culture is there for the taking and the true power of a work is not found in its original form, but rather discovered only when remixed and rearranged into something completely new and fresh.
The pop culture imagery in the advertisements that we encounter each and every day has one sole purpose; to sell us something. But in these advertisements, Michael finds and discovers tiny elements of energy and life that can be transformed into abstract shapes and colors. During the process of breaking things down and then rebuilding them up again into something new, he strips the original advertisements of their power of persuasion and replaces them with something much more complex and insightful. What he ads is an emotional dimension – a soul to the work - that was completely lacking in the original.
With his art, Michael engages in the act of "upcycling" - transforming and reducing a degenerative form of art - advertising - into something of far greater value. The finished work takes on the quality of a Hindu or Buddhist mandala, where through the repetition of fragments of imagery, it becomes almost hypnotic, luring the viewer into a trance- like contemplative state that stays far longer than expected.
One finds in Michael's work a deep appreciation for graffiti art. He creates abstraction by deconstructing, distorting, and then combining letters to create a feeling of motion and energy that is greater than the letters themselves. In graffiti, letters often become so abstracted that they lose all legibility. Similarly in Michael’s work, text taken from advertisements (which at its core needs to be easy to read and understand) is completely abstracted making the words almost undecipherable. The result is something completely unique and incredibly absorbing.
The work included in this exhibition demonstrates not only the hand of a talented artist, but also that of an obsessive collector. Each piece is an assemblage of street advertisements meticulously hand-collected by the artist over the course of many years. Layered deep in each work is a visual topography of the vibrant ethnic neighborhoods of New York City that collectively drive its pulse and frenetic energy. Fragments of images from posters acquired in the dead of night on the streets of Little Jamaica in Brooklyn become mixed and interwoven with those found years later across town in Spanish Harlem. As a collector, Michael wanders the streets incessantly, waiting until the time is right to harvest posters, all-the-while understanding and knowing which posters are layered on top of which. Once taken down, he can then methodically pull each apart to capture imagery covered up many months before.
"Remixing" is the true art form of Michael's generation and he is one of its visual masters. Michael "samples" images the same way a hip-hop artist samples music. For Michael, scraps of torn paper become notes that can be played and repeated. Like a sculptor, he layers and repeats fragments of images into a visual staccato that he brings together on the canvas to create an elaborate and wonderful tapestry. By rearranging pop culture iconography into something that is new and unique, Michael becomes both critic and participant.
All this is to say that it is too easy to pigeonhole Michael Anderson simply as a "collage artist". For us, this is doing him a great disservice. Michael's work has none of the nostalgic trappings of collage, allowing it to remain completely contemporary and – in the end – timeless.
Marc and Sara Schiller
Wooster Collective
Posted by marc at 9:57 PM in Art | Recommend this! (10) |
March 26, 2009
Matt Small at Black Rat Press Gallery
We're lovin' Matt Small's recent work which is now showing at Black Rat Press Gallery in London.
Photos nicked from Romanywg's Flickr page
Posted by marc at 6:06 PM in Art | Recommend this! (40) |
Fresh Stuff From Elbow-Toe
Elbow-Toe is taking his collage work to a whole 'nother level...
Posted by marc at 8:41 AM in Art | Recommend this! (57) |
First Look: David Ellis' 8 Million Stories
David Ellis: 8 Million Stories, 2009 from matthew mascotte on Vimeo.
The amazing thing about this new piece is that David and his team recently discovered how to precisely control the player-piano solenoid systems that automate the recycled garbage in their work, giving them real-time performable control of the sequences.
Posted by marc at 8:15 AM in Art | Recommend this! (19) |
March 23, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Art of Charming Baker
Charming Baker at the Carmichael Gallery Of Contemporary Art:
You can see more of Charming Baker's work here.
Posted by marc at 7:45 AM in Art | Recommend this! (14) |
Catchin' Up With Swoon
"Last year, with a team of about 75 friends, crew, and collaborators, I built a flotilla of rafts out of salvaged bits of New York City. Our precarious floating home traveled 140 miles south along the Hudson River. What left as the refuse of the city's mega construction returned as six vessels trying to encompass a whole world (the seventh died along the way).
This year, with some of those same vessels, and some new, we begin the second leg of our journey. Our destination? It's the city whose outrageous countenance, rising straight up out of the ocean like that was a fine sort of thing for a city to do, was our original inspiration. Yes ma'am, we're headed across the Adriatic Sea toward our first love, Venice.
This year we are a crew of 35, all artists, musicians, crackerjack mechanics, and folks who specialize in big, impossible, ridiculous dreams. We will put on a performance and cobble together a cabinet of wonders. We will, in our form, be working on themes of recycling and reuse, considering the footprint of a human community on the planet, and on issues of climate change. We have not found a solution to floods and sinking cities or where to go next, but we know that it's important to us to create art and community at the same time as we seek a different relationship to our world.
We are starting in the Karst region of Slovenia (a former forest barren to this day after its large trees were cut for pilings in Venice), and skirting the northern coast of the Adriatic. For fun and a little mischief, we will be crashing the Venice Biennale.
Since we are doing all of this in an otherwise collapsed economy we need lots of help. It's a big project that we are trying to fund with the help of many small contributions from people who would like to be involved and help us get these crafts afloat -- even if you just think we're cheeky and want to see if we'll sink. This raffle is just one of the many ways we're trying to get back on the water."... Swoon
To find out about the SWOON raffle, contact info@swimmingcities.org or click here.
Posted by marc at 7:15 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
March 17, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Ethos (In Progress) - New York Show Opens Wednesday Night
One of our favorite artists, Ethos, has arrived in New York from Brazil for his first North American solo exhibition. Here's the info:
Where: Christopher Henry Gallery
When: 03/19 - 04/12
Opening: 03/19 from 06:00 PM to 09:00 PM
Address: 127 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York, 10013
Cross Streets: Broome Street and Grand Street
We'll be there for sure.
Posted by marc at 8:24 PM in Art | Recommend this! (39) |
March 13, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Word To Mother
Word To Mother's new show 'Lost For Words' opens this Thursday the 19th of March at StolensSpace's Dray Walk Gallery
Dray Walk
The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
http://www.stolenspace.com/
Posted by marc at 8:07 AM in Art | Recommend this! (34) |
March 11, 2009
Speto's Portrait Of Samantha, Our Daughter
If you've met Samantha, then you know taht this portrait could not be more perfect.
Posted by marc at 8:07 AM in Art | Recommend this! (22) |
King Shit Interviews The Dark
King Shit has a terrific interview with one of our favorite artists, The Dark. You can read it here.
Posted by marc at 7:46 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
March 6, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Portraits Of Eric Van Uytven from Belgium.
Posted by marc at 8:54 AM in Art | Recommend this! (54) |
March 5, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Nathan Skiles' Rubber Coocoo Clocks
We spent a few hours at SCOPE yesterday. Over the next few days we will be posting some of the things that caught our eye, starting with Nathan Skiles' wonderful rubber coocoo clocks.
Posted by marc at 7:33 AM in Art | Recommend this! (14) |
February 23, 2009
JACE sets sail in Madagascar
Posted by marc at 8:01 AM in Art | Recommend this! (67) |
February 16, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Relleno De Mono's Old Photographs
You can see the whole series here.
Posted by marc at 9:00 AM in Art | Recommend this! (43) |
Fresh Stuff From Charlie Isoe
Charlie Isoe's first solo show in Europe opened last Thursday at Circleculture Gallery in Berlin. The show runs until April 4th, so if you're in the area, be sure to check it out.
Posted by marc at 8:40 AM in Art | Recommend this! (42) |
February 11, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Leon "Tes One" Bedore
The wonderfully talented Leon "Tes One" Bedore will be showing new work at Artchitecture Gallery in Cleavland beginning March 6th. Here's the info:
Opening reception 7-10 pm Friday, March 6, 2009
Artchitecture Gallery
1667 East 40th Street, Unit 1A
Cleveland, Ohio 44103 [map]
Hours: Mon. – Fri. by appointment only, Sat. – Sun. 12pm – 4 pm
Admission: Free
Information: Call (216) 533-5575 or email info@artchitecturegallery.com
Posted by marc at 8:44 AM in Art | Recommend this! (58) |
The London Police Kick Off 2009 With A Bang
When we learned that Bob and Chaz, the two founding members of The London Police back in 1998, were joining forces once again, we were absolutely thrilled.
For the past week Bob and Chaz have been in Brooklyn, working on a massive canvas for a local collector (shown above).
If this is any indication of what's to come from TLP in 2009, its going to be a very good year for them. Look out for shows in London and Amsterdam shows in April and May respectively.
Posted by marc at 8:01 AM in Art | Recommend this! (35) |
February 10, 2009
Was Shepard Fairey Arrested To Embarrass The Mayor Of Boston? - A First Hand Account
Photo by Holly Combs, PEEL Magazine
For those who know Shepard Fairey, the news of his arrest in Boston, on the eve of his opening at the ICA, came as a big surprise. We were surprised because for well over a week while Shepard was preparing the exhibition, the biggest show of his life, he was the talk of the town. Shepard was everywhere, from the front page of the arts section of the Boston Globe to a highly publicized media event with the Mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino.
Remembering that Boston was the same city where the Police had manipulated a promotional stunt for the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" into a full scale terror alert, we asked ourselves -
If the police wanted to arrest Shepard Fairey so badly, why did they wait so long after the warrant was issued to arrest him? In addition, why would they arrest him on the night of the biggest opening of his life at one of country's most prestigious art institutions?
Last night we spoke with Dave Combs, the publisher of PEEL Magazine, and were amazed to hear that the cops are actually pulled Shep out of a cab to arrest him and that they did it as Shepard was entering the museum parking lot.
This morning Dave sent us a long note about what went down. We wanted share it with you...
Photo by Holly Combs, PEEL Magazine
From Dave:
The real story about Shepard Fairey's arrest in Boston Friday night is the resulting riot that didn't happen – a riot that the Boston Police Department may have carefully planned to provoke and hoped would happen that evening, but didn't.
On January 2nd, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino proposed a one-year wage freeze for city workers, including the Boston Police Department. The Boston Police Superior Officers Federation agreed to a contract on January 23, but not until after the city dismissed its residency case against West Roxbury Police Sergeant Michael Hanson. In the mix of the deal was an alleged list of more than 25 superior police officers who are living outside the city in violation of their contracts' residency requirements. Through the use of strong-arm tactics, the Mayor got his wage freeze and at least 25 of Boston's Finest got to keep their jobs. The following day, two warrants were issued for Shepard Fairey's arrest.
On Wednesday, February 4th, Mayor Menino met with Shepard and was photographed shaking his hand following the unveiling of Fairey's 'Peace Goddess' banner on the North wall of City Hall at a public event to promote his show, Supply and Demand, at the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston. Thursday night Shepard sat for a Q-and-A talk at the ICA which was publicized by the museum after which he signed autographs for more than an hour. Shepard was not arrested until two full weeks after the warrants had been issued and after numerous public appearances in Boston.
The obvious question is: Why did the police take so long after the warrant was issued to apprehend their man? Was it a matter of pure incompetence? As admiring fans of his work, were the police giving him opportunity to make appearances and put more art out on the streets of Boston? I don't think so.
My wife Holly and I were riding in the cab with Shepard and his wife Amanda from the Renaissance Hotel to the museum when the police made their move, and the answer to my question became clear only after replaying the event in my mind several times and re-examining the circumstances over and over again with Holly. It is my belief that the Boston Police Department had carefully planned to serve their warrants in front of an audience of approximately 800 excited Shepard Fairey fans, some of whom had reportedly paid as much as $500 on Craigslist for a ticket to the event. In my opinion, the BPD had at the very least set out to make a public spectacle of the arrest, and at worst were intent on provoking the agitated crowd to riot. They clearly had it out for Mayor Menino, and had engineered the perfect scenario with which to simultaneously tie Menino to a "criminal graffiti vandal" and conveniently show up to be the heroes of their own story.
Two unlikely factors worked together to foil their plan, as Shepard was arrested quietly and with no fanfare just outside the entrance to the museum parking lot with only four known witnesses apart from Shepard and the Boston Police officers themselves.
The first unlikely occurrence was that my wife Holly and I were riding in the cab in the first place. Completely unplanned, Shepard spontaneously offered to share the cab with us since we were leaving the hotel to go to the show at precisely the same time. Holly hopped into the front seat, Amanda remained on the drivers-side, and Shepard made room for me to his right. I squeezed in and shut the rear passenger-side door. One of us quickly told the cab driver we were going to the ICA and the cab driver quickly backed out of the hotel pick-up area and headed up Seaport Boulevard toward the Museum.
The second unlikely factor was that the driver missed the turn for the entrance of the ICA. We had to show him where to turn into the museum. As we approached the entrance Holly, looking back, noticed that there was an unmarked tan SUV tailgating our cab. She pointed it out to Amanda, who said something like, "Why is that guy riding our ass?" At the same time Shepard said to the driver, "It's right here! The museum." and pointed to the parking lot entrance. The driver slowed down to attempt to make the turn but still missed the entrance by just a fraction of a second and we passed it by a short distance. The driver tried to back up or turn around but the unmarked SUV directly behind us was blocking our path. Police officers quickly surrounded the cab, and one of them pounded loudly on the driver's window. "Boston Police, stop the car! Turn off the car!" The officer exchanged words with the cab driver, and one of the officers flashed a badge and asked us each to identify ourselves. When Shepard calmly said, "I'm Shepard," one officer commanded, "Everybody out of the car, now!" We quickly decided to OBEY.
Two officers surrounded Shepard on the far side of the cab in the street and an additional officer herded the remaining three of us over to the curb on the other side of the cab where we stood facing Shepard with our backs towards the museum. The officer asked if any of us were family and Amanda told them that she is his wife. The three of us stood stunned overhearing the officer explain to Shepard that they had warrants for his arrest. Shepard calmly explained that he had already taken care of the warrants, and one of the officers said, "These are new warrants." More verbal exchange ensued, and at some point Shepard raised his hands in front of himself and from what I could see from the curb, the officer cuffed or zip-tied his wrists. Holly asked, "What's happening?" Amanda replied she didn't know. About then one of the officers told us that Shepard was going to jail, and he would be there until Monday morning. They pulled his two black bags out of the cab and asked who they belonged to. "It's his records and laptop for DJ'ing, but my stuff is in there too," Amanda replied. The officer put down the bags and said he didn't want their stuff.
Amanda proceeded to inform one of the officers that Shepard is diabetic and that his insulin pump was low and would need to be refilled very soon. She went over to the other side of the cab where the officers were standing with Shepard and I couldn't hear what she said to them. She told the cab driver to keep the meter running and wait. About this time the officers were leading Shepard away from the cab and towards their vehicle. As they were taking him away Amanda reminded him that he has rights and he needs to talk to their lawyer. When she returned to the curb on our side of the cab an officer told Amanda the phone number and district where they were going to take Shepard so she could bring his insulin. We had no pen or paper so Holly took down the number into her iPhone, and emailed it to Amanda. Amanda at first asked me to stay there and watch to make sure they didn't do anything to Shepard, but in the time it took for Holly to get the information from the officer and email it to Amanda they had already gotten Shepard into a marked police vehicle and we couldn't see him any longer. I remember at one point during all the activity turning around and looking behind us at the museum to see if anyone in the parking lot or in front of the museum could see what was happening out here. Apparently they couldn't as it was fairly dark and we were pretty far away from the museum. No one was watching us save for the Giant icon above the museum.
What we didn't realize at the time is the events were clearly the Boston Police Department's "Plan B". Had the two unlikely events I described not happened just as they did, their "Plan A" would have gone something like the following…
Plan A: We successfully make the turn into the ICA. The unmarked SUV follows our cab and drives right up to the front entrance of the glass-façade ICA with 800 of Shepard's fans inside and outside hyped on adrenaline excitedly watching, waiting for him to arrive. The SUV swoops in and the undercover cops emerge to seize Shepard right in front of all those fans. Now, I was in that crowd later that night, and I can be sure that at least a handful of those guys I met inside wouldn't have just stood there without doing something. It might have been that they ran out and shouted obscenities at the cops who were arresting Shepard, or they might have simply lost their minds and just mobbed the cops depending on the number of people who ran out, all while the cameras were rolling. Either way, something ugly certainly would have jumped off, and whatever happened it would have played right into the hands of the Boston Police Department and helped them hand the Mayor his ass on a platter. Remember, Mayor Menino was photographed just two days earlier congratulating Shepard and welcoming him to Boston.
Later that night we took another cab back to the Museum and we went around the line of people still waiting to get in as our names were on the guest list, and that's when we realized how many people would have been watching Shepard get arrested if we hadn't missed that turn. We went inside, and saw the expectant faces of all those in attendance and we were heavily burdened with the knowledge that Shepard wasn't going to be coming that night. We went upstairs to try to find some friends, and tell them what was happening in order to get some outside perspective while were surrounded by 20 years of Shepard's artwork. Everyone agreed that there was little we could do right now, and that Amanda and the others were taking care of business. Later on we went downstairs to hear Z-Trip as he was keeping up the vibe and carrying the weight of the crowd's expectations and their emotions about Shepard's arrest. I didn't hear the announcement or the crowd's response when they said he'd been arrested, but with his incredible energy and marvelous skills Z-Trip managed to turn a terrible situation into a rally and unite the crowd to party in celebration of the struggle against the powers that be. If you can just imagine the energy in a room packed with 800 fans led by Z-Trip in a one-finger salute to the Boston Police Department to the tune of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name of" followed by Bob Marley singing "Get Up Stand Up" to bring it back down you can see how he helped us work out our frustrations with the music, and be able to then chill out and not start that riot after all.
It's my opinion based on what I experienced, Shepard Fairey became a pawn in an ugly political game in which the Boston Police Department was willing to risk the safety of the citizens it has sworn to protect in order to punish the Mayor for his shady deal. With cops and city government officials like that, who needs criminals? Apparently they do.
What do you think? Share your thoughts via Twitter to @MarcSchil
Posted by marc at 10:44 AM in Art | Recommend this! (312) |
February 9, 2009
LightScraper
"The LightScraper is a custom built aluminium structure, fabricated with a layer or semi translucent mesh. The structure can be easily erected in various compositions in an outdoor or indoor setting.
A single computer and two projectors are use to bring the sculptures visuals to life. The LightScraper also acts as a giant musical instrument, people’s location influence the melodies emitting form the sculpture.
Visitors position are tracked via an Infrared camera mounted at the peak of the structure, and transposed into musical notes, the result is ever-changing melodies
and visual delight"
More info here.
Posted by marc at 7:55 AM in Art | Recommend this! (32) |
February 4, 2009
One To See: Alexandros Vasmoulakis Solo Show in Athens
This evening, February 4th, one of our favorite artists Alexandros Vasmoulakis will have his first solo show in Athens. Here's the info:
a.antonopoulou.art 20 aristofanous st. 4th floor psyrri 10554 athens
To see more work from the show, click here.
Posted by marc at 9:16 AM in Art | Recommend this! (60) |
White Canvas Profiles Gary Baseman
Posted by marc at 8:31 AM in Art | Recommend this! (22) |
Gutter Art - An Explanation
From the artist, Sam F. Chuunk,:
"I had always loved the religious fanatic that stood in Kenmore Square (Boston) with his "Heaven or Hell" placard proudly hanging over his shoulders. I am not religious at all, but I am fascinated by the vast interpretations and grandiose rhetoric that religion uses. I combine religious phrases with pop culture and news icons, creating satirical tributes that are creepy and ridiculous. I walk around looking down at the rubbish and the strange remains of our daily life finding compositions to fit my work into. I leave my art in the gutter to create a strange curiosity, a "realness", for people passing it by. I enjoy the detachment, my art becomes trash with no value or significance, it just lays in the gutter with the rest of life. I also like to hang them on community bulletin boards and obnoxiously taped to poles, among the "Cat Found!" and "Band Needs Drummer" flyers, my work becomes "normal" and lost."
Posted by marc at 8:27 AM in Art | Recommend this! (14) |
February 2, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Antonio Laguna Cabezuelo
Posted by marc at 7:39 AM in Art | Recommend this! (44) |
Fresh Stuff From Davide Zucco (aka Rekal)
Posted by marc at 7:27 AM in Art | Recommend this! (12) |
February 1, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': The Art Of Xenz
If you are in London, be sure to check out XENZ's new show, "Unforscenery' which is up at the Forster Gallery until February 28th. .
You can see more of XENZ's work here.
Photo above nicked from Romanywg's Flickr stream.
Posted by marc at 10:43 PM in Art | Recommend this! (21) |
January 28, 2009
"Take A Seat" in Almagro, Spain
Posted by marc at 8:24 AM in Art | Recommend this! (42) |
January 21, 2009
Wooster Does Etsy
Click here to read our picks.
Posted by marc at 11:16 PM in Art | Recommend this! (25) |
January 19, 2009
Walrus TV Profiles Ben Tour
Posted by marc at 2:59 PM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |
Scott McCloud at TED (2005)
(via)
Posted by marc at 9:00 AM in Art | Recommend this! (41) |
January 14, 2009
Fresh Stuff From Jotapê Pax in Porto Alegre
Posted by marc at 7:43 AM in Art | Recommend this! (79) |
January 2, 2009
Shit We're Diggin': Stephanie Toppin's "Coloreruptions"
You can see more of the series here.
(Hat tip to Booooooom)
Posted by marc at 8:43 AM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
December 18, 2008
The Brooklyn Museum Kicks Off 1stFans With Some Help From Swoon
One of our favorite museums in New York is the Brooklyn Museum. Over the last few years it's hosted some of the best exhibitions the city has to offer - MURAKAMI, Ron Mueck, Graffiti Basics, Walton Ford, Basquiat, and many others. The Museum was also an early supporter of Swoon.
This month the Museum is launching an innovative new membership program called 1stfans where for $20 you can join a virtual networking group that give you access to exclusive events at Target First Saturday.
To kick off the program, on January 3rd, Swoon's studio will be printing one of a kind pieces for those who join 1stfans and show up in person at the Museum on January 3rd. You can learn more about it by watching the videos below and checking out the 1stfans website here.
Posted by marc at 6:51 AM in Art | Recommend this! (17) |
December 11, 2008
Shit We're Diggin': The Art of Herakut
We've been fans of Herakut - Jasmin (Hera) and Falk (Akut) - for quite some time. If you're not familiar with their work, the video above by Romanywg gives a terrific introduction to their style.
You should also check out the photos from Dirty Laundry, their recent show in London here.
Posted by marc at 7:30 AM in Art | Recommend this! (21) |
December 5, 2008
Seen On The Steets Of Rio de Janeiro Brasil
More here.
Posted by marc at 7:28 AM in Art | Recommend this! (19) |
November 28, 2008
The Big Picture
Helen Marshall's mosaic, in Birmingham England, is made of 112, 896 photos of people's faces.
Photos nicked from here.
Posted by marc at 7:56 AM in Art | Recommend this! (58) |
November 16, 2008
ElbowToe's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
"My current body of work is an allegory about memory's power to hold us back or move us forward. The central character in this parable is a 6 x 10 foot linocut of an Everyman, who has lost it all and wanders the plains with all his belongings strapped to his back. He navigates a world in crisis by learning from his past. The remainder of the characters that he encounters are individuals lost in regret. I have developed these paintings and prints during the American housing and credit crisis of the past year. In contemplating where we are and where we might be, I have found myself looking back at history, remembering the Great Depression, and considering what effects it had on the American psyche. The uncertainty that existed then is present now, and I am addressing the kind of escapism through nostalgia that can occur in the midst of calamity. Every character that the Everyman sees is gripped by this need to escape their present circumstance. They are people lost in a memory at the very point when they should be paying attention to what lies ahead. Many different artists have inspired the flavor of this world including the photography of Walker Evans, the films of the Cohen brothers, the music of Tom Waits and the theatre of Robert Wilson. For more info on the title http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96654742.. ElbowToe
Posted by marc at 5:50 PM in Art | Recommend this! (34) |
November 14, 2008
Shit We're Diggin: Ji Lee's Dead Bull (as seen in Portfolio Magazine)
Posted by marc at 9:36 AM in Art | Recommend this! (92) |
November 4, 2008
Shit We're Diggin: The Art of Ian Francis
You can learn more about Ian Francis here on FecalFace.com as well as on his website.
Posted by marc at 6:52 AM in Art | Recommend this! (56) |
November 3, 2008
Alan Aldridge's Designs For "BOZO'S HOT PIT BAR-B-QUE"
If we were to poll all of the artists who we've featured on the Wooster site over the years and asked them which illustrators, graphic designers, and artists they've been most influenced by in their work, the name Alan Aldridge will likely be near the top of the list.
It was Alan Aldridge who designed the iconic album cover for Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, as well as lyric books for the Beatles and album covers for the Rolling Stones and the Who. Aldridge is also the artist who created the iconic identities for both the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues brands. Aldridge's work personifies the psychedelic graphic style of the '60's and '70's.
We were absolutely thrilled when over the weekend our friend Isaac Tigrett sent us a ton of never before seen images created by Alan for "BOZO'S HOT PIT BAR-B-QUE" a "recession proof" restaurant concept that Isaac and Alan have been quietly developing over the last few years and are now in the process of finding a buyer. (Isaac's offering a $500,000 finders fee, so if you're interested, click here)
More than just a collection of images, the Bozo's project is a rare opportunity to see how a designer like Alan, working alongside Tigrett, can create an entire universe around a single iconic word - Bozo.
To see the entire Bozo's collection, and to learn more about the project, turn up the speakers on your computer and click here.
(Also, if you're in London between now and the end of January, be sure to head over to the Design Museum where Alan is having his first major UK retrospective)
Posted by marc at 7:21 AM in Art | Recommend this! (10) |
October 31, 2008
Seen On The Streets of Wroclaw, Poland
From Truth:
"I found this strange hut about 5 years ago, Its almost in the centre of my hometown Wroclaw, Poland. I thought that police or city guards will destroy it right away, because It just one step from a busy road and graveyard, but they never did. It was built by homeless people and I don't want to know how cold it is inside in winter, especially that on the news they were saying that winter this year in Poland is going to be really cold ...
Posted by marc at 7:43 AM in Art | Recommend this! (44) |
An artist you should know: Alexone
Paris based artists, Alexone, has launched his new website. If you don't know his work, you should. Here's the link.
Posted by marc at 7:28 AM in Art | Recommend this! (21) |
October 8, 2008
Shit We're Diggin: Pilpeled's "Bodega" in Tel Aviv
More here.
Posted by marc at 7:36 AM in Art | Recommend this! (47) |
October 2, 2008
Shit We're Diggin: Brian Butler's Ice Cream People
See the full gallery here and be sure to check out the Ice Cream People weblog
From Brian:
The intent of this project to get the Ice Cream Person recognized among the greatest of supernatural beings, (right up there with Bigfoot, Lochness, and UFOs).
Right now I'm collecting artist renditions as evidence. I'm mailing postcards with a cone template printed on it, for fellow advocates to complete and return. The postcards will be archived online at IceCreamPeople.org, and I'm planning the real-life exhibition now.
If you'd like to get involved, e-mail icecreamfriend@gmail.com with your mailing address.
Thanks!
Brian Butler
Ice Cream Person Research Coordinator
Posted by marc at 8:15 AM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
September 28, 2008
Wooster Collective Street Art Application For Facebook
Knowing how much people love to collect and share photos of their favorite street art images, we've set up a little application on Facebook where people can collect and share images that can be found on the Wooster Collective website. We'll be adding new images to it every day.
Check it out here, and send us your feedback. If people like it, we may develop something with bells and whistles.
Posted by marc at 1:02 PM in Art | Recommend this! (23) |
September 22, 2008
Shit We're Diggin: The Animated Gifs of Sally Mckay
More here.
Posted by marc at 11:04 AM in Art | Recommend this! (18) |
September 18, 2008
Kris Neely's "Guardians"
Since 2000, after the death of several of his family members, Kris Neely has been painting "Guardians" in an around the town of Spartanburg, S.C.
The project, a wonderful blend of folk art and street art, is faithfully documented here.
Posted by marc at 7:23 AM in Art | Recommend this! (33) |