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It didn’t take long after moving to Soho in Lower Manhattan, that we
became completely obsessed (like so many others) with the street art of BAST.
For us, BAST, Faile, and Swoon have year after year, consistantly created the
most interesting work in New York City.

Here’s what Shepard Fairey
has said of BAST:

“I can’t remember exactly when I first
started seeing Bast’s work on the street but I know it was a good while back…
maybe six or seven years. Being a fan of Motorhead and Spinal Tap, at first I
just thought it was funny that Bast used an umlaut in his name, which I
instinctively read as Bast even though the umlaut suggested Baste would be the
proper pronunciation. The pronunciation dilemma alone now had me thinking about
Bast’s work, and as I discovered more Bast posters and stencils juxtaposing his
name with loaded imagery of dictators, guns, and corporate logos, etc… I found
myself frustrated trying to interpret it, but amused by the idea of the
aggravation it might cause an uptight person. In the end I just accepted the
work as a pop culture regurgitation that added beautiful texture to the street
and stimulated a free association in the viewer that may not have anything to do
with Bast’s inspiration or intention. Bast’s images look somewhat random, which
in turn makes the work feel very punk and a bit nihilistic, but the design sense
is very pleasing and I’m sure considered. I would call the overall feel
‘organized chaos’ in the same realm as Rauschenberg but using the street as the
canvas. The textures that Bast uses in his work as well as those on the surfaces
he integrates his pieces into give an instant sense of nostalgia and decay. Bast
places his work on buildings and in alleys where the art actually adds life and
improves the surfaces. Walking the streets of Manhattan or Brooklyn I’ve often
thought I’ve found some obscure uncharted street art territory only to discover
that Bast has beaten me to it. Bast’s work inhabits NY in a way that only a true
local who loves the city can execute.”

And here’s what Banksy has
said of him:

“Bast is an artist who represents for Brooklyn. He
does this by writing ‘BAST-BROOKLYN’ on other people’s property (and in one case
when visiting London the side of a moving red double decker bus). He does this
by speaking with a deep Williamsburg drawl that makes Al Pacino sound like a
girl, but mainly he does it by making art that actually feels like Brooklyn. The
borough is said to contain every culture and race that exists on planet earth
but that doesn’t necessarily make it interesting - so does the United Nations
building but who wants to look at that? The key to Bast’s appeal is not being
very responsible. The work isn’t so much a ‘melting pot’ of culture as a food
blender, set on max and left until the motor burns out. His art is fast and
loose and cheap, which is strangely why it endures, it’s punchy and it has
value. As the great disgraced film producer Robert Evans once said “Its
irreverence that makes things sizzle, its irreverence that gives you the chance
of truly touching magic…”

But while Faile and Swoon have become
more public over the years, BAST has continued to remain an enigma. Except for
Faile, we’ve never met anyone who has actually met BAST. For a long time we
didn’t even think BAST really existed. And for us, this only made the art and
the artist more intriguing.

But this coming Saturaday, BAST will
finally take center stage with “MAS VINO”, his first solo show in New York. The
show will also celebrate the release of the new BAST book, “REVOLUCION DE
PAPEL”.

Here’s the info:

Bast’s First New York Solo
Show
Titled: “MAS VINO”

Plus the release of his new book
“REVOLUCION DE PAPEL”
February 12 - March 10,  2005

***
/>Opening Reception:
Saturday February 12, 6 -9pmA DJ Kienyo
Beer
Sponsored by Yuengling
Transplant
Gallery
525 West 29th St.  2nd fl. New York NY 10001

We’ll
see everyone on Saturday night, as we wouldn’t miss it for the world.