June 2010: Breathe and Stop

If you showed up today, you probably expected a Friday ProFile. I'm sorry to disappoint. Over the past year and a half, I've consistently banged out posts five days a week. However, I think I've reached a point where I need to take a pause. A lot's about to change on my end, and I'm trying to process it all at once. Until then, Illicit Exhibitions will be on a brief hiatus.

This post isn't so much of a "goodbye" as it is a "see you later." My obsession with street art certainly hasn't abated; I just need a break from posting. I'm so honored to have such a loyal fan base and it's been a pleasure getting to know so many artists. Thank you for the stickers, tee shirts, and other fun gifts. I can't believe how quickly this tiny project snowballed into its current form. To close, I'll leave you will a concise list of the artists I posted on in 2010. Don't worry, kids, I shall return. Until then, keep it real and don't stop hunting.

JANUARY

Erik Burke

Olivier

Alsacherie

Villas

Jerm IX

Last Plak

Jana + JS

C. Finley

Mr. DiMaggio

Gabri le Cabri

FEBRUARY

Imminent Disaster

Grito

Left Hand Rotation

Mean Marek

Buff Diss

Max Blackmore

Teoz

Shida

Tomo

Just Do It, Miss Kaplan!

MARCH

Aris

Digital Love

Kef

Geso

Cahil Muraghu

Xpome

Rub Kandy

Pum Pum

( E )

APRIL

Encore

Meki

Cedric Bernadotte

Lapiztola

1010

Oré

MAY

Toasters

PaperMonster

Muro

Henk Hofstra

Woozy

Marmota

Beastman

Useless Idea

Hyuro

JUNE

Superpastel

Don Xid

Olivia

El Mato

Thiago Hattnher

Seacreative

Baltimore Love Project

Phlegm

In The Headlines

Where were the tornadoes that were supposed to roll through this weekend? The raging thunderstorms? I'm okay with the lack of stormage, but I'm still waiting for a front to come through.

Uno put up some new stencils recently.

Here's a collection of street art in Toronto.

Diamondback Online reviews Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art.

Tonic analyzes some of street art's heavy hitters and their impact on the art world.

Upfest rocked Bristol this past weekend. You can still see the results of the festival through July 17.

If you weren't in Atlanta to catch Artlantis this past Saturday, you can still meet up with the guys from Beep Beep Gallery all summer long.

Ken Foster a.k.a. SKOR tags the hell out of Vancouver.

Martha Cooper is the bomb. Period.

Remi and Jaybo invite you to ProjectRoom London on June 10th.

In The Headlines

Wow, what a weekend. Between road racing, ice cream consumption, film screenings, and reading small children stories, it was definitely a good time. Fortunately, I've got another day of straight chilling ahead of me! If you're outside of the US, don't worry; you get way more days off than we do, so you'll have the last laugh in the end. As I get ready for more outdoor grilling, you can read the headlines.

1010's show at Berlin's ATM Gallery opens June 4 at 7 pm.

Anyone can get a stencil nowadays (even the Unabomber).

JR and Vhils teamed up to bring giant faces to downtown Los Angeles.

Apparently, street art rejuvenates public spaces?

Melbourne understands the importance of street art; the city's streets are currently under protective review by the heritage board.

Aram Bartholl takes CAPTCHA phrases off the computer and onto the street with his "Are You Human?" project.

Gaia knows what's up in Baltimore and in his new book, Beyond the Street.

According to ekosystem, Doel, Belgium, is the street art capital of Europe.

Michelle Rogers pasted portraits of terrified stock brokers on Broad Street in NYC.

Jesse Hazelip's buffalo-airplanes are brightening up Buffalo's streets.

Specter's currently working on a project in Siberia; you can follow his progress here.

Towers of Hope popped up on many California beaches.

In The Headlines

Great weekend for graduations and proms. Congrats, class of 2010! Thank goodness for good weather, delicious food, and long bike rides. I'm looking forward to a repeat next weekend for Memorial Day. Now, onto the headlines!

Lunar's got some new Eastern bloc shit going on.

When people find a Banksy, there's no limit to the crazy shit they'll do to get it. Sometimes, taggers get to it before others do.

Miami's graffiti tours of its Wynwood neighborhood attract tourists and locals alike.

There's a lot of street art going on in Vancouver.

Ad Hoc Gallery opened its Welling Court mural in Queens this past week.

Dirty Hands is out and I really want to go!

Apparently Kevin Spacey is a street art fan.

Berlin's streets, buildings, and walls are covered in graffiti goodness.

In The Headlines

Shazam. If every weekend were like the last one, I don't think I'd be able to get through the five day work week. With minimal sleep and maximum adventuring, I can't believe how packed this weekend was. I learned how hard it is to find a Twinkie in NYC (?!?), how to appropriately dress for summer weather (thanks, Mawena), and contributed to a whole line of tee shirts (people, get ready). Definitely going to be late to work today, but well worth it. Now, headlines!

Agents of Change are gearing up for a summer filled with festivals.

The new book Drainspotting chronicles street art on Japanese drain covers.

Here's a look at Venezuela's controversial street art scene.

Did Banksy end up in Boston, Toronto, Chicago, and Detroit? Toronto artist Posterchild shares his thoughts on Banksy's work.

Mark your calendars, kids: Upfest is coming to Bristol for the first weekend of June.

If you find yourself in St. Louis, here are ten street pieces you need to see up close.

In San Francisco, street art has moved way beyond the confines of the Mission.

Atlanta's Living Walls conference doesn't kick off until August, but it's already getting press.

Brooklyn Street Art caught up with ROA and compiled some video footage.

In The Headlines

Thanks, track girls, for making this weekend completely awesome! I coach some of the toughest ladies out there, and they proved it in their races this weekend. So impressed! In addition to working forever, I also baked my mom a cake and thanked her for putting up with my sister and me. Now it's headline time!

Lastplak's shop opens in Rotterdam on June 6th.

Mark your calendars: Drone has a show opening in Lisboa two days earlier on June 4th.

Appparently, the president of East Timor likes street art.

Wow: a full list of all the places you can catch Banksy in San Francisco.

Swoon spoke to Gothamist about her recent collaboration with Urban Arts Projects; Londonist interviewed A.CE that same week.
Alsacherie decorated the Université de Technologie UTBM - SEVENANS with a collection of phrases in English.

Michael De Feo has a new show at NYC's Woodward Gallery. The exhibit runs through July 24.

Chor Boogie and Ashley Zelinskie traded ideas and came up with the glass spray paint can.

This year, Omino71 and friends will honor the 20th anniversary of Keith Haring's death with "Stick On Haring." If you want to participate, send your stickers by June 25. Shoot them an e-mail for more details.

In The Headlines

This unexpected heat is messing with my head. I'm not feeling my best this morning, so I'll skip the weekend update and go right to the headlines.

Jef Aerosol's new show, "Girls, Girls, Girls," opens May 7 at London's Signal Gallery.

Ox recently took over a series of billboards in NYC. See if you can pick them out.

Time Out: New York interviews Shepard Fairey about the past year and his plans for the future.

Mommy, where does street art come from?

YZ's new series, "Back to the Roots," is taking her all over the globe, including Guadeloupe.

Melbourne street cleaners painted over one of Banksy's murals; public outcry ensued. Should his pieces be protected because they're "valuable?" Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Skewville talk about their cardboard sneakers in Bushwick and beyond.

San Francisco digs Banksy's new pieces in Haight-Ashbury, the Mission, and Chinatown.

Here's a discussion of the politics of street art.

In The Headlines

Words can't rightly capture the level of pure fun experienced last week. From street barbecues and brunch in a nightclub to graffiti parties and miles of winding walks, I am completely exhausted and so grateful for my time in San Francisco. Don't worry, I documented it extensively so you'll get to see pieces of my adventures. Today, I managed to overcome the time change and compile headlines. Enjoy!

Tomo's been busy with some projects lately.

San Francisco's White Walls Gallery presents "Faces in the Mirror" featuring Blek le Rat and Above. The show opens May 1 from 7-11 pm. Jealous.

Apparently, Banksy and I had the same idea: we visited San Francisco at the same time. Also, he's still feuding/collaborating with Robbo in London.

David Choe is back in Los Angeles for a new show. Banksy also hit LA while he was in Cali.

Shepard Fairey painted over the NYC mural space on Houston and Bowery, but taggers have already scribbled on it.

Mr. DiMaggio pasted this latest piece and shared it with us.

This is why I love Long Island City.

In Ireland, ADW covers Dublin with new interpretations of national political figures.

Hanoi's street artists compete against and collaborate with each other.

Street artists like Zevs and The London Police traveled to Hong Kong and decorated some indoor walls.

Venezuelan street artists critique their government through their public pieces.

Later this year, apartment buildings in Rome will become canvases for street artists.

In The Headlines

Wild weekend. I saw Slingshot Hip Hop and Crazy Heart, consumed delicious coffee, and drank sweet tea on the porch with friends. Now there's only six days standing between me and San Francisco. If you have any ideas about where I should go, what I should see, or if you want to meet up, shoot me a note in the comments section. Now, onto the headlines!

Alsacherie collaborated with some students on this collage.

New York street artists want Mayor Bloomberg to stop hating on their work.

Street art visits South Carolina's Columbia Museum of Art.

Artists in British Columbia think their street work has a positive impact on the community.

The murals in Philly make this multicultural city even more vibrant.

If you're in Tel Aviv on April 23, go over to Modelet 13 and enjoy beats, artwork, and good company.

Peat Wollaeger shares his love of St. Louis through stencils.

In The Headlines

We're two for two for awesome weekends. This time, I went to Providence to visit Conor. I saw his puppets, wandered the East side, ate amazing mac and cheese, and generally enjoyed spending time with my boys. Now, on to the headlines!

Luz fills walls with glowing green gardens, contrasting the lack of green in urban spaces.

Ever wanted to be a street artist in Hong Kong? Here's how.

The Inspiration Art Festival is calling for entries. Hit up the website for forms and information; the deadline closes July 31.

This Saturday, Villas painted with a whole crew of friends at ArtBrut in Barcelona.
"Friends With Benefits" opens on April 2 at Rarebreed in Philadelphia. The show features stickers from El Toro, Ticky, Bobwillreign, Josh?, and UWP.

Snaki befuddles reports in Chicago and at the New York Times.

Black Rat Projects never fails to impress me. Combining works from the best artists of the past four decades, "Now's The Time" opens April 22 at the London gallery.

Street Art New York's silent auction takes place on April 24. The proceeds benefit Free Arts NYC.

If you missed Sundance, you can still catch Exit Through the Gift Shop in a city near you.

I've officially never seen anything quite like Ben Wilson. This guy paints pictures on discarded wads of gum.

SpY's show, "Urbano," opened on March 26 at Bilbao's SC Gallery. The show runs through May 28.

Researchers at Notre Dame believe street art provokes positive discussions about public space.

Philadelphia knitters enjoy covering their city with yarn.

In The Headlines

I'm trying to think of ways this weekend could've been more perfect. Eating and cooking with visitors? Check. Venturing out for long runs? Check. Glorious warm weather, Maple-Festing, roaming cities, downing coffee in large quantities, watching high school students put on a theatrical basketball game, drinking beer in a converted post office, and reading books on my front lawn? Definitely a good time. After a ball-busting finish to the week, I'm grateful for a glorious break. Now that I'm rested, on to the (tiny batch of) headlines!

In Lyons, All Over Gallery hosts Polish artists FRM, OTECKI and ZBIOK for their show, "Boring." It runs through April 13.

My friend's dad sent me a link to Mapping Main Street, a project that I actually want to look into more. Thanks, Dave!

Kill Pixie's show, "Observatory", opens at Brisbane's Edwina Corlette Gallery today. The show runs through April 10.

Specter's show, "Make It Fit", runs through April 17 at the Brooklynite Gallery.

In Oakland, Yung Grasshopper documents the city's street art.

In Manila, Filipino college students use street art to beautify their city.

Take a guess: is this street art or an ad?

In The Headlines

Well, kids, I finally took the plunge this weekend and got a tattoo. It says 'eagla ar bith', which means 'no fear' in Irish. While I was ready to run from the chair initially, I can honestly say it wasn't as bad as the anticipation made it out to be. Good stuff! Other than that, the weekend was full of concerts (Real Estate= a good time), food, and catching up with my NYC ladies. Deeee-lite! Okay, enough blabbering about me. On to the news!

Street artists in Austin teamed up for Balcones Burner Bash.

Danish street artist Clean travels to Thailand this month for the Tiger Translate festival.

Vancouver loves its paste-up scene. Speaking of Vancouver, JermIX created a new project and wants your artwork for his subway ad reapropriation project.
Skount’s exhibition kicked off in Berlin this week.

Suso33’s show recently opened at N2 Gallery in Barcelona.

Check out Bomit’s latest sticker contests here.

Jef Aerosol brings he fruits of his labor in China to Galerie Lipao-Huang in Paris.
Alsacherie wants guys around the world to listen to their wives.

Auckland debates graffiti vs. gallery art.

Blast checks in with Sten and Lex about their latest projects.

Ron Hartley and his “urban fossil” photos document cityscapes.