May 2010: Henk Hofstra in Drachten

Sometimes, objects are more fun when they're hundreds of times their normal size. What's better than an ice cream sundae? UConn's One Ton sundae at Winterfest. What trumps a squid? Obviously, a giant squid. Dutch artist Henk Hofstra knows the merits of super-sizing. Today, he fills us in on his gigantic projects and hints at his latest endeavors. He writes:

"In 2007, The Blue Road was my first big environmental art project. In Drachten, I painted a one kilometer long road bright blue to prepare the citizens of my town for the canal they will dig there."
"I work in Drachten, a town in the north of The Netherlands. Two of the outdoor projects were in my hometown (The Blue Road and Invasion of the Ants). Art-Eggcident was in Leeuwarden (even farther up north; it's the capital of the Friesland province). Creditcrisis was in Rotterdam. My next project, Above Water, will be in Lelystad.Beside the big projects, I make paintings about the countryside or cities, the sea etc.. You can see them also on my site.""Myself, however sometimes I need to hire people for making (litterally) the project. But I don't brainstorm with other people, I just create my own ideas. I don't have a favorite place to paint; it doesn’t matter. I make my paintings in my atelier. I can do my big art projects everywhere. I like to do a big environmental project abroad once."
"When I was spraying the red ants on the road in the middle of the night, a drunken guy came toward me. He could hardly stand when he saw the big red ant. I wonder when he went home if he told his wife or girlfriend, 'I saw a giant red ant, 3 meter long, 2 wide on the road.' What would his wife say? 'Sure Peter, you're drunk again. Were there pink elephants again too?’"
"I just finished Invasion of the Ants a couple of days ago. I'm now working on my newest project, Above Water. It's a huge man's head with a creation on top; together, they measure 7 meters in length. It will be in Lelystad, a city in the middle of The Netherlands. It will be opened in the middle of June. I can't tell you every detail yet, because we want it to be a surpise. I can tell you already that it will be a reflection on today's world."

Thanks, Henk! For more fantastic sculptures, stop by his website.

January 2010: Rub Kandy in Rome

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with ancient Egypt. I built pyramids in my backyard, dressed up as Cleopatra for Halloween, and pored over books on hieroglyphics. Perhaps it's this last point of interest that makes me like Rub Kandy's works. His unusual paintings and sculptures punctuate the city with enigmatic messages. Fortunately, he wrote in to decode them. He writes:

"When I started, the word 'street art' wasn't used. In the the 90's in Italy, we used to talk about 'lettering' or about 'aerosol art'. When you were making a line with a spray-can, you had to take care that color didn't drip. Even the word
'graffiti' was 'out'. Like everybody, I used to do 'pieces' with letters and puppets. I moved away from pure writing because I preferred to watch the art world. Now that I'm doing some art expos and I'm seeing a lot of good street artists doing art expos, I envy the young bombers who ravage the city, who break open metro manholes, who recharge the markers with acid. I'd really like to have that rage now."
"I can rely on an hell-bent-krew who inexplicably still trust and help me. I think that, when you deeply wish for a thing, there is a glow which lights up your face; your energy spreads and the others follow you. I don't work much with others street artists, but there isn't a certain reason. Maybe I personally don't know many street artists."
"I always try to move widthwise. I mean when I learn a new technique, I mix it with the old technics. I move continuously, trying not to do what I already did. I wanna be a beginner forever; I hate the professionals.I wanna learn and change. When someone tell me I'm doing great works, I start to do others. When you arrive, you die. A lot of great artist try to be recognizable. They look at the fashion world as a model of diffusion, so they fill the world with faces, stars,hearts, skulls, arrows, each one like the others. They wanna be recognizable: they do branding, great branding. I don't want this, I don't want to do branding. I just try to do good works, just the works attesting for themselves. As my friend Ester always tells me, 'The good mum wants hers sons to grow up healthy and strong, the good artist wants his works to grow up healthy and strong'. So I try to make healthy and strong pieces,'cause I'll turn from them. I hope my works will outlive fashion."
"I don't have a favorite place. I do this: if I walk and I see a good location, I try to accurately plan everything. I'm not able to work with other people watching me if I don't have a plan. When I did RATZINGER, for example, I worked for a week in my lab, but the installation took five minutes. If I want to try new techniques and styles, I go work in abandoned buildigngs to play freely."
"I'm working on a series of anamorphosis work. I'm mixing two of my passions, photograpy and painting. I'm sending you a pic for your great blog!"

You are too kind, Rub! For photos of this new series, stop by his blog.

October 2009: Florentign Hofman All Over The Place

Dutch artist Florentign Hofman's work doesn't look like anything I've posted on before. His portfolio includes a neon penguin (named Michael Moore?), a huge rubber duck, and a wooden muskrat. Hmmm. What the hell is going on here? Hofman sent us some words and photos to give us a clue. He writes:

"The work of Hofman is known for intriguing and interactive installations in public spaces. Obviously, he oscillates with great joy between performance (public) art and the domain of the sculpture (only to mention a few of his used media) and has a strong wish to amaze and make life a little more fun."

"The fact that Florentijn Hofman is not an average gallery-exhibited artist should be obvious. The world is a huge playground and he can choose just about any spot or material in which to display his installations."

"Asked by the borough of Delfshaven in Rotterdam to work on the site of a derelict block awaiting demolition Hofman painted the entire exterior of the property with a 2 micron layer of blue paint that transformed it into the most photographed section of the city. The application of the paint was intended to slow further deterioration. Such urban dereliction is usually a material reminder of the alienating power of urban planners and developers to disperse communities and erase local history. By amplifying the memory and meaning of the space for those people living in and passing through the neighbourhood, the surreal energy of Hofman’s work temporarily reclaims that alienation while the building awaits deconstruction via wrecking ball."

"The Loire River in France was the starting point of a project that ultimately became a giant rubber duck. Measuring 26 m in height, it may look like the favourite toy of Sesame Street’s Ernie, but it’s too big to fit into anyone’s bath (and it's impossible to ignore). According to Florentijn Hofman, the Canard de Bain crosses all bounderies and does not discriminate or have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties; it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them."

Thanks, Florentign! For more info, check out his official website.

September 2009: SpY in Madrid

For SpY, street art is all about how you look at things. Why stop at tags when you can warp the ordinary into something extraordinary? A football pitch with curved edges becomes a novel half-pipe for skateboarders. Who says graffiti should only be enjoyed by the sighted? Clever braille messages stuck all over the city leave unexpected messages for the blind. Even the little man on the traffic lights deserves a break sometimes; in SpY's world, it looks like the guy is hailing a cab. No matter the medium, SpY can find a way to transform everyday spaces into something unique. Urbanist and art professor Javier Abarca writes:

“Subtlety is not something that we're used to finding in the current street art scene. On some occasions, it comes off as intrusive as outdoor publicity, that inescapable machine whose existence is usually wielded as an argument to justify the presence of independent art in the street. But this isn’t the case with SpY. The participation of this man from Madrid doesn’t jump out at you. Rather, it waits until you run into it. It isn’t a monologue but a dialogue, between the artist and the environment, between the passer-by and the piece.”

"SpY began to act in the street while he was still an adolescent in Madrid during the mid-eighties. By the beginning of the early nineties, he had established himself as the leading figure of the still young state graffiti scene, offering works with an impeccable style and a solidity that even today are still not very common. Although this chapter closed a while back, SpY has not forgotten his roots. He is conscious that graffiti is a priceless, vital and artistic school and above all, an intensive and prolonged training in the exercise of observation and creative development of the urban environment."

"Around the mid-nineties SpY felt that he was outgrowing traditional graffiti as a means of expression. He soon began to play with the infinite possibilities that the surroundings offered his senses, recently freed from this narrow methodology. A maturation process began that has born his best fruit throughout the current decade."

"His work involves taking over urban elements through transformation or replica, commentary on urban reality and the interference in their communicative codes. The bulk of his production comes from observing the city and an appreciation of its components, not as inert elements but as a palette of materials overflowing with possibilities. The will of the game, the careful attention to the context of each piece and a constructive, not invasive, attitude characterize, without a doubt, his performance."

"Like the best examples of public art, the participation of SpY forms a whole with its context. It is in the fusion of these two elements, as well as in the chance encounter between the spectator and work, where the core of his proposal is found. For this reason, this man from Madrid does not produce work for exhibition in galleries and limits himself to exposing graphic documentation, which takes the form of very cared-for, large-sized photographs."

"SpY’s pieces want to be a parenthesis in the automated inertia of the urbanite. They are pinches of intention that are hidden in a corner for those who want to let themselves be surprised. Filled with equal parts of irony and positive humor, they appear to make the passer-by smile, incite reflexion, and to favor an enlightened conscience."

Gracias, SpY y Javier! For more photos and info, check out SpY's website.

June 2009: Mina in Belgrade, Serbia

When it comes to street art press in Europe, the western countries dominate the airtime. Germany, England, France, and the Netherlands all have burgeoning street art scenes bursting with artists. However, more Eastern European artists are joining the party every day. With such a wellspring of creativity, the former Soviet bloc is definitely worth looking into. If they're all as sweet as Serbian artist Mina, I welcome the opportunity. While she's a bit shy in the story department, her graphics are big and bold. She writes:

"Hi, my name is Mina. :)"
"I went to high school for design. Now I study graphic design in Belgrade, Serbia, at the Faculty of Art and Design."
"I love art, illustration, drawing, characters, and toy design."
"I really enjoy creating art and making a world from my own imagination wherever I go. Thank you!"
You're welcome, Mina! You're the best. Thanks for being such a good sport. For more on Mina, check out her MySpace.