June 2010: Don Xid in Bogotá

Quick post today: gotta give exams and secretly watch New Zealand play Slovakia. Today, Don Xid checks in from Colombia to share thoughts on this past year. He writes:

"I started doing street art one year ago. I never really thought that it would work in the street, but I soon realized that it was a great place to share what I make. These environments are only found in the street. I paint in different neighborhoods of Bogotá, but I hope to bring my work to other parts of the world."
"Lately, I'e been painting with friends but sometimes I paint alone. For me, it doesn't matter."
"I like drawing a lot, and I always try to take my time. I look at the techniques that I'm using and stop to think about what I've done on paper. I can say that I have a definite style, but I'm still working on it."
"I love painting on abandoned areas or ruined land. I like environments filled with silence. I also like the center of my city because there is a variety of people and cultures. There's a lot of traffic and many graffiti artists paint down there, so it's a colorful part of town."
"I have met many wonderful and talented people through street art. Every day, I learn more and I am infinitely happy being able to know these people. They're like icons of the street!"

Gracias, Don Xid! For more photos, pop by his Flickr.

Friday ProFile: Toasters

As humans, we often let fear limit our belief in what’s possible. The minute a person gets that knot in his stomach, it’s easy to think twice. However, fear can also serve as a great motivator. The guys of Toasters keenly understand this feeling and work it to their advantage. “We constantly feel unsafe but we are often battling ourselves,” they explain. “Nerves are positive; they keep you on your toes and talk you out of making that wrong decision. Complacency inevitably leads to trouble. We've been stopped numerous times by the authorities and always manage to sweet talk our way out of a corner.”

While other children viewed playgrounds as a play place, Toasters had more fun tagging up school buses. “In 1985, everyone at school had a tag,” they recall. “We were totally blown away by Style Wars and Subway Art. I remember leaving my mates house after watching Style Wars and thinking, ‘My life will never be the same again.'” Back in 1998, a beer and cider fueled party officially sparked the creation of the Toasters crew. The trio cut their teeth in Wolverhampton, and then roamed from Buenos Aires to Berlin plastering rooftops with toasters.
Toasters didn’t anticipate the fame that resulted from their ubiquitous stickers. They recall, “Back in 2003, we looked on in amazement as five daily national newspapers in Britain published articles about the Toaster image. They asked their readers if they knew who was responsible for it and what the image meant? We had extreme emotions of fear and pride. The project was as famous as it had ever been but we were gripped by a sense it was spiraling out of our control.” Since that moment, they’ve maintained the image but experimented with scale and position to take their simple toaster to another level.

In a sense, Toasters were almost ahead of the curve. “The phrase 'street art' makes me chuckle sometimes as that genre did not exist when we started getting the Toaster image up in 1999,” they insist. “We simply chose an image rather than a word as we realized it would be more conspicuous amongst adjacent tags on a wall. It would raise more questions than it would have answers which we found fascinating.”

Although the Toaster image is a constant, the crew never ceases to push the limits of what’s possible. “We want the Toaster to keep on gathering fame along with a versatility in how we produce it. It might appear on a wall, on a sticker, on a canvas or on a flag. It can go beyond 'street art' because as I mentioned earlier 'street art' did not exist when we conceived the project. The project is not just about 'street art'. We want to keep reinventing the image and show its durability within the oversaturated, logo heavy public spaces. There is also a need to portray the Toaster in its purest form and let it shout out that simplicity rules.”
From birdhouses to messing with city clean up crews’ buffing, the Toaster crew hit the streets relentlessly. Speaking about the future of street art, Toasters predict, “ Dirty fingers crossed, a lot of the undetermined and short term fame seekers will fall by the wayside as the highly motivated and talented will hopefully survive.”

Cheers, guys! For more toaster photos, head over to their website. Here's hoping the weather holds up over here and folks Stateside have a delightful three day weekend. See you Monday!

Friday ProFile: Encore

Creativity isn’t always about making something new; viewing old material from a new perspective can lead to interesting results. Back in 2006, German street artist Encore transformed a Sonic Youth album cover into a stencil. The result led to him further down the rabbit hole. Today, he’s got street art down to a science. “I think there are two phases in the process of my works,” he says. “First, I stay at home, searching for new motifs, printing and cutting stencils, painting stickers, poster etc. Then, I go out on the streets painting, sticking, pasting.”

Some people might not enjoy the planning stages of a project, but Encore makes it fun. “The first phase certainly takes the most time and I am often working alone. But I am very thankful to a few persons who always help me with answering my questions like ‘Which color would you take? Which frame, which size, which photo?’ They spend the evenings with me cutting, painting, talking, watching TV, drinking and smoking! Without them, cutting would often be so boring.”

After the planning comes adventure. While he lives and works in Freiburg, he loves traveling around and sticking everywhere. “Most of my work is actually put up here,” he admits, “but I think 95% of it are simple stickers. I try to achieve a huge quantity, because I think this is one important aspect of techniques like stencils, stickers and posters: copy and copy and copy your motifs until the multiple color layers destroy your stencils. I try to combine my everyday life with street art! Going to work, shopping, or partying? Always take some tiny stickers with you! I hate the moments when I see a nice spot and haven't any stickers with me.”
Encore doesn’t just stick to stencils and stickers. Recently, he played around with abstract paintings and collages. “I like to try out many different techniques of making stencils, but that results always in quite different looking pictures,” he explains. “Last month, I made some really extensive stencils which should look like a kind of photorealism style with strong black / white contrasts. But the cutting is so exhausting and it takes quite a long time without seeing any results, so I feel the need to do something else besides stencils.”

This willingness to experiment means Encore’s ready to branch out in the future. “Next I would really like to try out screen prints,” he says. “Some people planned to do a workshop to practice but nothing happened. I have to phone them again. I have always been inspired by Warhol’s screen prints. He is something like an idol for me. My first stencils were often copies of his screen prints, so I think it would be a nice thing after doing stencils all the time in the last 4 years to go back to the roots, now with the right technique.”

Thanks, Encore! More photos are right over here at his Flickr. That's all for now; I'm ready for some 85 degree weather and plenty of outdoor activities this weekend. Mix that with some sleep and you've got the perfect weekend right there. See you Monday!

Friday ProFile: Digital Love

Imagining the vastness of the internet is like trying to wrap your mind around the universe: once you try to picture infinity, you start to get a headache. Each day, the amount of information sailing through ethernet cables increases, making it even easier to get caught up in the virtual abyss. Palm and Yes know how to harness the power of the internet while interacting with the real world. With their powers combined, they are Digital Lovers. The pair live, work, and study art in Athens, but they send their pixilated hearts to Glasgow, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, and everywhere in between.

While Palm and Yes joined forces as Digital Love in 2009, the pair have been painting for about five years. Initially, graffiti books and street pieces at home inspired them to make their own. "We ended up doing posters since we find it the most accurate way of putting up your work," they explain. "It's nice and quick, and people don't seem to have any problem with posters or stickers compared to spray painting."
Both Palm and Yes used to dabble in old school graffiti, but they recognize a difference between that scene and modern work. "Contemporary street art definitely evolved out of this old school culture mixed with other artistic ideas and thoughts," they insist. "What we do is in the exact same vein as 'old school' graffiti. Instead of tagging, we put up a symbol and we get to use more means to make this symbol as known as possible." Through international communication, Digital Love's stickers travel to obscure locations. "I think the craziest shit with Digital Love wasn't done by us," they laugh. "We recieved a picture of a PLANE with a sticker on it last night... can't take it outta our heads!"

Don't read too much into the symbol; Palm and Yes just want pedestrians to have a good time. "We're just saying, 'we are here!'" they say. "Everyone can understand it however he or she likes. We just hope it gives people a smile at least."
While Digital Love enjoys its pasty icons, they don't expect to stay stuck on stickers forever. In their opinion, just the process of creating street art creates change. "We'd say that living in the world of street art is an adventure by itself," they explain. "We get to travel a lot and meet many different kinds of people. Meeting crazy-ass artists is always an adventure! Our dream is to be able to communicate with people through our work on the streets. Digital Love is just the beginning."

Thanks, guys! Keep up with their blog for new updates. That's all for now! Hopefully, weekend weather will hold out and I'll be able to roam Providence, grope a big puppet, and find a tacky yet creative gift for my almost 20 year-old sister. Gasp.

January 2010: Left Hand Rotation in Madrid

I'm not a fan of personal practical jokes, but I love it when someone modifies cityscapes in a clever way. Madrid-based group Left Hand Rotation shares my admiration for witty urban interventions. Armed with a plethora of mediums and materials, they shake up Spanish city life on a regular basis. They write:

“We’ve been doing street art for about 12 years but we’ve worked under the name Left Hand Rotation for four. We started in the world of stencils, but over time we have evolved into something less aesthetic and more subtle: facilities and street actions, elements of everyday life taken out of context, changing the meaning and making it something provocative or critical.”
"We have a core of two to three people, but the group grows according to the project's needs."
"Urban actions, which we call ‘art misdemeanors, are only one of many things we do. We also work in video, sound, performance and installations. While we don’t always use the street as support, we love using the streets because you can interact with many elements and other people. Plus the visibility it brings is great. We do not consider our style to be well-defined as we like to question everything that we have previously developed.”
“In any case, our actions often have a large dose of wry, black humor, so we always have fun doing it. One of our latest projects involved some 36 people in the mountains. We tried to simulate the arrival of globalization in a rural setting with McDonald's or cow pastures stores and fashion in poultry houses and stables. We have also tested
theories about drift and ambulation which, fleeing the urban flows, lead us to the peripheries cities. In those places, seemingly nothing happens but it can lead to actions, as we learned in ‘Madrid, Closed For Vacation.’”

"Right now we are working on a project called ‘Moss Media. It’s based on the legend of a people: Bejar and his legend of the Moss Men. We try to elevate the status of this element of folklore by brining these characters into the city. We are also developing a new urban action based on the copyright symbol.”

Gracias, guys! For more clever culture-jamming, visit their Flickr.

January 2010: Tona Goes Global

One of my favorite attributes of street artists is their drive to explore and get up in new places. Uncharted territory brims with new places to paint, stick, and paste. German artist Tona exemplifies this initiative. While he considers Hamburg his home base, you can find his work in many countries across several different continents. He writes:

“It all started with graffiti in 1999. In 2002, I began doing stencils; I’m still doing them.
”You can see most of my work in Hamburg, but I’ve worked in other cities like Berlin, London, Vienna, Athens, Paris, Valencia, Tel Aviv. Thanks to all my folks putting stuff up, I have stickers up around the world.”
”I do all my work by myself, but I love putting up posters with some other people. Doing collaborations other artists is also fun. There are some very nice t-shirt collaborations with my friend Kotton in Berlin. I like trading with people around the world.”
”I tried a lot of techniques to do stencils and every one is different, so I combine various styles. I love doing multi-layers, but there’s nothing as nice as a good single layer stencil!”

”One time, I was in Vienna driving around with a bike putting some stickers up. Suddenly, a police car stopped next to me and the police man shouted: ‘Stop! This is illegal!’ I answered, ‘Oh! Sorry, Didn’t know about that!’ When he heard my German accent, he said: ‘You shitty German! Just go to your fucking country and put up your stickers there!’"

”I love it when spots are high or little bit hidden for tiles or installations. Posters are most fun when they fit into the urban area.”

Wow, Tona! I'm glad you escaped the clutches of that angry policeman. For more photos from around the world, take a peek at his Flickr.

Friday ProFile: Gabri le Cabri

Many people discover street art on their own. Through books, videos, or their own observations, they mess with the techniques and pick up skills along the way. Parisian artist Gabri le Cabri had the good fortune to learn stenciling techniques at school. “I started doing stencils thanks to my art teacher in high school, when I was 15 or 16,” she explains. “In the late ‘80s, stencils were one of the only forms of expression besides hand-style tags and graffiti pieces one could see in the streets. I lived in the east of Paris where many stencil artists were active. I also felt more attracted to stencil because it was commonly used in punk imagery, which was the music I used to listen at. So when our teacher taught us how to cut out our own stencils, I chose a picture of The Clash for my first try. She later introduced me to another schoolmate who already bombed in the streets, under the name of TNT, and he asked me to go with him, which I did very soon afterwards.”

Born and bred in the city of Paris, Gabri knows her way around the City of Lights. While she drew on walls as a small child, she never outgrew the habit. “I always wondered why my hands could not realistically draw the perfect representation I imagined in my head,” she insists.
Back in the ‘80s, Gabri was active all the time, covering the streets of Paris with her work. Then she took a ten-year break before diving back into photography, collages, and stencils. “I think my style has evolved in its content because I am now a more complex person than I was when I was a teenager,” she reflects. “I explore more themes than I used to. According to the media, I can express things that would not fit in other contexts, either because of the size of the media, or of the technique. The technique used by other stencil artists also encouraged me to do more challenging stencils.”
Since last year, Gabri has worked with other members of S/75 (Paris sous les sticks). The group dynamic transformed the way she approaches projects. “I think it is a rich experience,” she confesses, “since it is based on a sense of friendship between the members and we can all benefit from the others' experiences, influences and help. For the moment, I am happy to be part of a crew whose members also act independently.”
Whether she’s working with stickers or stencils, Gabri represents her views. “I prefer to promote ‘equality between genders’ or even better, ‘equality between all human beings’ than just ‘girl power.’” Gabri believes that it’s important for women to participate in street art. “Like in all the other domains,” she argues, “I think women bring a different point of view, but I like to imagine it as a complementary point of view, not as an opposition or a struggle. I'm not very attracted to what I would call ‘girlie’ street art. To me, it is a reflection of the separation between genders and even sometimes a tendency to show girls as sexual objects that are supposed to be pretty and attractive or as people who can only create ‘cute’ things.”
In 2010, expect to see more themes of peace, respect, curiosity, and multicultural acceptance in Gabri’s work. “I would love to have more time to spend on my ‘non-commercial’ activities to develop my technical skills and to be able to produce more,” she wishes. “But right now I have no real plans except a few projects for new stickers and stencils in mind.” No matter the style, Gabri says, street expression is all about “interaction with the city, questioning anonymous citizens, and putting a little sunshine in everyday life.”

Merci, Gabri! For more photos, visit her Flickr. That's all for now. If you're in CT, definitely head down to New London for the Hygienic "Salon des Independants" opening. Hopefully, I'll make it down there next week. Until then, there's nothing but work and meets in my future! Rest up this weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

Happy Birthday, Illicit!

One year ago today, I decided to start this blog. To be honest, I wasn't in a good place at the time. I needed to channel my frustration into something positive. A year later, I can't believe this project's momentum. We've got readers across the globe who check in daily for new photos and stories.

For today's post, I'm keeping the words to a minimum. I want to feature photos from my friend Ben. He exemplifies the reason I continue to blog: his excitement and enthusiasm about street art is infectious. He's always looking for new ways to tweak his style. To all those readers like Ben, thank you! To say thanks, here is a birthday gift for you: if you send me your address in an e-mail before midnight EST, I'll send you a surprise 'Thank You' gift. It may be small, but I completely appreciate your support! Now, on to the eye candy.

Thank you all for a wonderful year. If you have any suggestions for year two, leave me a note in the comments!

Friday ProFile: LukeDaDuke

During the day, Luke Da Duke teaches school kids ages 12-18. However, this Dutch art teacher spends his nights filling the streets with stickers. When he was the same age as some of his students, he discovered graffiti. “I had two cousins who got up,” he says. “I tried it twice but got busted both times. I wanted to get myself out there and Netherlands sticker scene in the mid to late ‘90s was booming. There were guys like Influenza, Erosie, and ZIME getting up everywhere. I wanted to have a go, too.”

Stickering opened a slew of doors for Luke Da Duke.“I see new places, meet new people, and get inspired, all because of a little piece of sticky paper or vinyl,” he says. Over the past 10 years, he’s covered walls across London, Paris, Stockholm, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bern, and more. “The dog is still the same as ten years ago,” he explains. “I place the dog in different graphic surroundings. In the first couple of years, he was alone.”

“Putting up stickers for the first time was something that gave me a kick,” he laughs. “It was something of mine, anonymously, out there for everyone to see. I still have that feeling when I’m in a new town or city and putting up stickers or posters.” While he insists he’s never been afraid while stickering, his habit has landed him in trouble. “A couple of times, I got busted for doing graffiti and stickering,” he remembers. “The first two times, I got away fairly easily and without any problems. On the third time, I got a fine for 30 euros…that was it.”
Flying solo is fun, but Luke Da Duke loves working with a crew. He’s a member of Grafik Warfare and VST Crew. “The good part about crews is that you hook up with the best people around,” he says. “It’s hard being international, though, because we’re so far apart. It isn’t like we meet on a regular basis.”
Don’t ask Luke Da Duke what he’s working on; he lives without a plan. “I will see where my work will go,” he adds. “I’m not doing it for the money or to get world fame or anything. I just want to have fun making the stuff that I enjoy making.” There’s no ulterior message to these slaps, either; it’s all about having a good time. “I'm not a moralist,” he insists, “I just hope I brighten people’s days just a little.” While he doesn’t know what’s in his own future, he believes a few dedicated souls will keep street art alive. “It will probably only get bigger and bigger size-wise: bigger stencils, bigger paste-ups,” he predicts. “At the end, most of the people out there right now will be out. Only a couple of hard heads will keep it alive.”
Thanks, Luke! For more photos, check his Flickr. I'm looking forward to a weekend at home since the past two weeks have been absolutely bonkers. Here's to not working and sitting on my couch!

October 2009: Peru Ana Ana Peru in Brooklyn

No matter what you think of the artwork, one thing's for sure: Peru Ana Ana Peru gets up. From big pieces to small stickers slapped on any surface, you can't walk a block in NYC without seeing the name. This week, the art moves indoors as the Brooklynite Gallery presents the artist's solo show. Here are the goods:

"Brooklynite Gallery presents: '...And Then We Jumped into the Abyss of Numbers: Memories in Absurdity From the Bowels of Peru Ana Ana Peru'. The show runs from October 17-November 14. The opening night reception takes place on Saturday, October 17 from 7-10 pm. The evening features special musical guest Bomb Squad (of Public Enemy)."

"Brooklynite is located at 334 Malcolm X Blvd Brooklyn, NY 11233. Directions: A train to Utica, exit at head of train, walk to Malcolm X Blvd, take left, go two blocks, gallery is on Malcolm X between Decatur and Bainbridge.)"

"We will present multi-media paintings/drawings, sculpture and installations, as well as a host of video art pieces all telling strange narratives that will be loaded with an array of bleeps and blips, and non-sequiturs the likes of piñatas, shaving cream, goats, wolfwomen, baby heads, ballpoint pens, Rubik's cubes, birthday parties, insects, whiskey, wine, boxing gloves, and bows and arrows, just to name a few."
"As a much added bonus, the soundtrack to the opening night event will be performed by Bomb Squad [Hank Shocklee; Future Frequency], which is the force behind Public Enemy and some of the most significant albums of all time. They'll perform a preview of the new upcoming album of futuristic dub and live electronics."
"For those outside NY, the opening will be streamed live at the Brooklynite Gallery website (just click on LIVE TV). Hope to see you there."

Thanks, guys! If you can't make it to the opening, be sure to check it out online. For more photos, visit Peru Ana Ana Peru's Flickr.