November 2009: Cahil Muraghu in NYC

The advent of Flickr, blogs, and the internet in general opened the floodgates for collaboration and inspiration within the street art community. For the first time, people in New York City could connect and share images in Tokyo, Doha, or Capetown. However awesome this synthetic technology may be, it's easy to forget that sometimes, the best material is completely organic. Thanks to Cahil's friendship with Erik Burke, the two pass ideas and opportunities back and forth. Today, we check in with Cahil for a taste of projects in progress. He writes:
"My first 'street art' attempt was probably around 2004-5. But I had been writing graffiti since 7th grade."
"In the 'street' I mainly collaborate with other artists. In the studio, I divide my time between my own work and collaborations."
"I grew up writing graffiti and ended up going to school for architecture. My painting style developed along with my graffiti and design ideas."

"I was recently working on a two man show with Erik Burke. So that means more murals in the Bay Area and New York, and an exhibition."

Thanks, Cahil! For more photos, take a look at his Flickr.

January 2010: C. Finley in NYC

Nobody likes taking out the trash. The bag is usually overfilled and ends up spilling by the time you make it to the can. If someone left a half-full can of tuna in there, all the better. Hauling that nasty, drippy bag into a festering cesspool of refuse isn't a good time. But what if instead of a cold steel box you placed that junk in a pinstriped vessel? How 'bout a paisley bin? C. Finley understands the importance of aesthetics and is out to beautiful New York City one dumpster at a time. She writes:

“I started doing street about two years ago.”
“I always try to get as many people involved with my street art as possible. It usually takes a village. Chris donates wallpaper from Composition Workshop in Brooklyn. James, Annabelle and Shaina help me with the press release. Kate, Rachael and Matthew help me with the actual wallpapering of the dumpster. Waste management has to approve the project...and on and on. I have great friends who help me in the dead of winter in NYC.”
“I started off painting and went to the Pratt Institute. It was amazing to work in NYC with some talented peers and great professors. Then I worked as a set painter for a few years. I learned how to coordinate projects and make large scale work quickly. Completing my MFA in California helped me with my voice, to refine what my stakes are in the world. For the last year or so I have been living in Rome, which feels like a dream. I love to paint wherever I can! Rome has been amazing.”
“Once, Italian officers stopped me and I lost all of my Italian language skills in that moment. I kind of had to charade myself out of that one.”
“For the next few weeks, I will be wallpapering dumpsters in NYC and hopefully will earn some grant money to do ten cities in 2010. I continue to paint and draw nearly every day.”

Thanks, Finley! For more dumpsters and other projects, check her website.

November 2009: Peru Ana Ana Peru in NYC

You can't walk three feet in New York without seeing a Peru Ana Ana Peru piece. Their stickers cover the better part of Manhattan and Brooklyn. However, they're not just a black and white slap. In addition to their stick-ups, they dabble in a variety of colorful 2 and 3-D creations. Today, they check in with a little background and what's happening now. They write:

"We first started pretty much haphazardly about three years ago."
"We work primarily with seventeen various peoples that frequent our living quarters. There is Maude, who is responsible for stockpiling and for finding loose change in pocketbooks, nooks and crannies, floorboard slits, 'neath hockey sticks, and 'round this or that. Davis, who folds neatly things. Conrad and the twins, Harris and Flodormorph, or 'Floddy' as the kinckies call him, who collectively tend to the sheep, when we do have sheep, and to the hogs when there are hogs. Then there is Carlos-Monton, Carlos-Cristobal, and Carlos-Schopenhauer, who mainly spit the grapes and teach coilo to the women. Spelly who uses her long and golden locks to strain things when things need straining, and who drives old volvina around. Parzinni the mechanic and the apple eater. Bigsley and Bellington who grow the green and who taste it too. Melferly who cuts and pastes and grinds and bastes. Simeon of the North and Simeon of the East, who guard the royal tomb of SIr Stanley Bannum. Neder Gratesmith who minds the gap. And Feredey, who flames the goose, among other things."
"How'd we develop our style? Purely trial and error."
"Sadly, our outings are pretty uneventful minus the occasional run in with this or that, sometimes serious, most times not."
"Recently, we participated in group show at Brooklynite Gallery featuring over 100 artists who all made their own versions of shoeshine boxes as per the requirements of the gallery. It should be a really fun and original show. All the info is here. Those who can should definitely come out."

Thanks, guys! For more cryptic info and pictures, check their Flickr.

November 2009: Martin Sobey in NYC

When you think of street art, what comes to mind: spray paint? Wheatpaste? Stickers? What about origami? NoHo-based artist Martin Sobey expands the definition of street art with his awe-inspiring collages. Whether he's covering a wall, a pole, or the side of a bridge, his intricate collages capture the eye and the imagination. He writes:

"I started doing street art about 2 1/2 years ago, but I've been interested in graffiti and public art for years. I work by myself- it just happens that way because of the nature of my stuff- but I have no problems working with friends and assistants on large scale projects. I'm also open to collaborations and I love interactive stuff."
"My style developed, like most people's, over time. Before I started making the art I'm doing now, I was on a path towards commercial photography. As that career path started to feel insurmountable (considering the film to digital change-over that most photographers have gone through), I started making abstract photographs with my first point-and-shoot 5.3 MP digital camera, a gift. I really clung to the notion that I could make this non-objective art for free- no film or processing fees, etc. As my aesthetic grew stronger, so did my ideas about art and photography. Eventually I started working using multiple photographs and then to the outdoors. I also take the works down after they have deteriorated for a while. Photographing the works is just another aspect of the art."
"I make everything in my studio in NoHo, in Manhattan, NY - which is like my second home. From there it goes into the public realm, usually in my neighborhood. I like to be present in the area- an actual artist who is not necessarily anonymous. I enjoy the dialogue with strangers that starts when I'm installing or photographing the art. The kind of work I do can be done anywhere, though. I love working in nature too and I've done a few installations in Northern California, Connecticut and Utah."
"I recently took part in an event called 'Public Ad Campaign' in New York- an illegal takeover of more than 100 street level billboards by over 100 artists, that are currently being used for advertising posters, but also illegally- supposedly- because the owners haven't got the permits from the city. Anyway, when all was said and done, I got busted by 2 cop cars 6 blocks away from the site! Hell yes, it was worth it!"
"I've always got something cooking, but my direction is more towards larger scale works, and implementing more of the ideas I haven't had a chance to get to yet!"

Thanks, Martin! If you've got any Connecticut installations planned, let a sister know! For more information, visit his blog.

October 2009: Damon Ginandes in NYC

Damon Ginandes paints faces that linger in your mind long after the painting is gone. With their sullen eyes and gaunt cheeks, they haunt the streets they decorate. Today, Ginandes gives us a peek into the past and a hint about what lies ahead. He writes:

"I became interested in graffiti as a teenager in the early/mid '90's, and learned how to paint with a spray can doing pieces and characters now and then. But graffiti started to seem more and more stagnant and repetitive to me, so my interest waned. It wasn't until about five years ago, when there seemed to be a burst of new 'street art', that I really started paying attention again. At that time, I was primarily focused on my studio work. In 2007, however, I took on a commission to paint a 60 foot long mural on Degraw Street in Brooklyn – that project really rekindled my interest in large scale street work."
"I've been painting characters similar to the ones in my current work for quite a while, since my early teens. Of course my style has changed and developed since then, but that seemed to be a very formative period for me artistically. I had an art teacher at that time, a Holocaust survivor, who would incessantly paint glaring faces staring outwards and I must have absorbed part of her vernacular. Also, at that age I discovered such artists as Alberto Giacometti and Egon Schiele, and their influence is still apparent in my work. I am attracted to the distorted human figure -- faces and bodies elongated and interwoven with abstraction. Lately, my style has become a bit more angular, almost 'cubist'."
"I generally work by myself, though I'd love to collaborate more often. I don't have a favorite place to paint, but I prefer hard surfaces."
"A few years back, I was painting an abandoned factory alongside railroad tracks in Massachusetts in the dead of winter. There was probably a foot snow covering the ground so it was impossible to know what exactly was underneath your feet. At some point, I stepped back to take a look at my piece, and as my boot pressed down through the snow, I felt a shooting pain in my foot. I pulled it up and found a huge rusty spike sticking out of a piece of wood that had gone through my boot and right into the bottom of my foot. I was able to pull the spike out, but I could feel my boot fill up with blood. Luckily, I was painting with two friends who were able to get me to a hospital quickly. Tetnis shots ensued."
"I generally retreat to my studio when the weather gets colder, so I'll be generating a new body of studio work in the coming months. Check out my website and join my mailing list for updates on upcoming exhibitions and projects!"

Thanks, Damon! Stay warm indoors and we'll look forward to a new outdoor project in the spring.

Friday ProFile: Ellis G.

When I was a kid, I love coloring on my driveway with chalk. My sketches were never very good, but I enjoyed leaving my mark for other people to see. These early chalk drawings led to other creative endeavors. Ellis G., on the other hand, took the reverse approach. Hailing from Manhattan's East Village, this native New Yorker started out bombing and ended up chalking. Don't be fooled; while the medium seems simple, his pieces are anything but.

As a kid in the late 1970s, Ellis marveled at graffiti culture springing up around him. "I was certainly inspired by what I saw out there in the streets," he recalls. Bombing with IRAK crew members like Earsnot and the late Dash Snow, he spent his youth getting up around the city. Since 1979, he's left his mark in New York, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Miami, Amsterdam, Negril, and Bangkok. No matter where he roams, he alway returns to his roots. "I have a special affinity towards New York," he says, "I'm from here."
After a good fifteen years in the graffiti game, Ellis decided to mix things up. Taking a stick of chalk to the street led him in a new direction. After choosing an object (perhaps a bicycle or fire hydrant), he works quickly to chalk a vibrant outline around its shadow. Each shadow remains frozen in time long after the sun's position changes or the object gets moved.
In addition to his chalk pieces, Ellis also keeps it spicy with his trademark fire-tagging. "I did it once at a friend's place on a piece of plywood back in 1999," he remembers. "I didn't revisit it until late 2008. I was working in a gallery and I was bored, so I decided to cop a tag on the bathroom wall and set it ablaze." Since those early endeavors, he's experimented and improved his technique.
Don't think for one second that chalking is easy; before I spoke with Ellis, he'd been picked up by the cops. (Will they start going after children next? Clearly my early hopscotch days were a violation.) "There's always the risk of being arrested," he insists. "I have spent many a night in central bookings. Not fun."

In spite of the challenges, Ellis continues to hustle. His chalk pieces are all over the Lower East Side. This summer, "Ocular Echoism: The Autonomy of Ellis G." drew steady crowds at Collective Hardware. "As an artist, I want to create more," he says. "I would like to develop into large-scale installations. I am currently working on various projects. As a person, I want to be the best father I can be." Although his work can seem a bit fantastic, Ellis's message is a big reality check. "I'm motivated by the need to create and engage," he insists. "People need to take a second out of their schedules to become aware of their surroundings and the life around them."

Thanks, Ellis! I caught up with him at Willoughby Windows this summer and agree that he's a really cool guy. He brought his son, chatted with friends, and talked about new projects. When I camped out in front of the Os Gêmeos mural, he stopped by to chalk out his respects to Dash Snow. Ellis is definitely someone you can grab a beer with after his awesome gallery opening. For more info, check out his website (it will direct you to his MySpace etc.) Hope everyone has a great Halloween and I'll see you Monday!

September 2009: Momo in NYC

When I was little, I used to spend hours playing with Colorforms. Those little floppy shapes could turn into anything: houses, boats, people. I'd stick them all over the windows, on the walls of the bathtub, and even on the fridge. Maybe Momo had a set, too, because his posters take this concept to the next level. This guy has been all over and isn't afraid to get crazy with it. He writes:

"I've had a crazy couple weeks, tons of friends in town. I flew spontaneously to California, and I'm completely broke as usual, which is a relief in someways because it's so familiar. Here's my deal."
"MOMO is known for tagging his name the width of Manhattan, creating oversized collages, faking a New Yorker magazine cover, and building a totem pole in the East River, a computer script which makes his art for him, and a mural project with Melissa Brown that destroys their art for them."
"He's done Tide-powered sculpture with Eltono, and prints, paintings, and videos that rely on chance for fun and substance. In 2009, Rojo published his first monograph, 3am-6am, and Y-3 created MOMO shoes."
"MOMO grew up in San Francisco and traveled extensively, before settling in New York."
"He joined a graffiti crew in 1999 while living in Spain, found his use of color while employed in the Caribbean, and fell for outside art while living outside; in a cave for a year, in a truck for a year, in a tent for a year. He now lives in a former bodega in Brooklyn."

Wild, man! Whenever I need a 40 and a sandwich, I'll stop by your bodega-house! For more photos, details, and videos, stop by his website.

September 2009: Team Macho at Giant Robot

Over the summer, I made at least five trips to Giant Robot. I was on a mission to meet KRSNA at his workplace. Unfortunately, our schedules never coincided, but I did get to see a lot of great art. In addition to their shows, they carry books, tees, and other assorted goodies. This month, they're featuring drawings by Toronto-based collective Team Macho. Here are the goods:

"Giant Robot is proud to host 'Long Time Listener, First Time Caller', an art show featuring new work by Team Macho. A reception for Team Macho will be held from 6:30 to 10:00 on Saturday, September 19."
"Team Macho is a collaborative illustration and fine art effort composed of Lauchie Reid, Chris Buchan, Nicholas Aoki, Jacob Whibley, and Stephen Appleby-Barr."
"The Toronto-based group uses all media (excepting digital), and its work crosses a multitude of boundaries in terms of conception and application. Pieces are rarely pre-planned, and only take form through the artists seeing each other at work."
"The end results are always surprising, witty, and pleasing in unexpected ways. Lately, Team Macho has been working toward a more finished look, with effort being put toward older modes of painting such as oils and airbrushing."
"'Long Time Listener, First Time Caller' will feature new work with the focus, as always, being to explore the collaborative process, as well as a number of classic prints."

Thanks, guys! All photos are property of Team Macho and you can find heaps more at their website. Jump on the Giant Robot mailing list and stay connected through their blog. If you go to the show, tell KRSNA that I'm sorry we never connected over the summer, but I'm doing everything I can to get back to NYC for good.