In The Headlines

This will be my last post from CT for a while. I'm in the process of packing up and heading to New York City for the summer (hopefully permanently, if I can find employment). If you or anyone you know is aware of job openings down there, please please please let me know! At the moment, my move is temporary but I would love nothing more than to stay. Anyway, in the midst of all this moving chaos, I still managed to pull the headlines together. While I wrap up this work week, you should check them out.

Eveyone’s abuzz about the new Banksy exhibit opening in Bristol.

With so much popularity, some question Banksy’s street credibility.

NC State student Joseph Carnevale, a.k.a. U Live and You Burn, was charged with larceny after he remodeled some construction barrels.

Paris’s Musée des Graffiti may be less frequented than the city's other cultural centers, but it’s definitely worth a look.

Street art’s gaining popularity in the most unexpected locations. Take a peek at what’s going on in Uganda.

Shepard Fairey finally speaks out about his Boston arrest earlier this year.

Out in California, street artist Este gives motorists a new type of hood ornament.

The New York Times discusses graffiti’s growing popularity around the globe.

In Edmonton, Canada, city officials try to sort out the difference between graffiti and vandalism.

If you’re in Paris on June 15^th, stop by le Grand Palais for Mimi the Clown’s latest exhibit opening.

Due to the Tube strike in London, Remi Rough’s aforementioned show at Urban Angel was postponed until Thursday, June 18^th.

Friday ProFile: PaperMonster

The term “monster” usually conjures up images of snaggle-toothed creatures that lurk in the dark under children’s’ beds. Unfortunately, this stereotype often overshadows other friendly monsters. Pastafarians pay homage to their deity, the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The preschool set adores Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster and his affinity for a certain baked good. Just because they’re monsters doesn’t mean they’re bad.

Street artist PaperMonster also falls into the friendly monster category. He’s not here to hurt you; he just loves paper products.“My studio looks as if some animal walked in and shredded everything in sight,” he jokes. “My entire floor is packed with magazines, newspapers, money, and any piece of textured paper I can get my hands. On top of all of that, I have huge stencils lying flat ready to be sprayed in every corner of the room.”
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, PaperMonster came to the States when he was 7 and grew up in Northern New Jersey. As a kid, he recalls tagging at an early age. “I remember drawing my name in block graffiti letters and then drawing a city above my letters,” he says. Since those early days, his style has evolved considerably. “If you look at my early paintings,” he adds, “they have very minimal collage work and now I really use collage work now to take the paintings to a new level.” PaperMonster started by stenciling his own cartoon characters, then moved on to animals and portraits.
“When I first started to stencil,” he explains, “I wanted immediate fame and recognition for what I was doing. I was so scared that no one would ever see my work on even know who I am. Everything takes times and now I see that things can’t happen overnight. They require a lot of dedication and overcoming rejection.” Citing David Choe and Flying Fortress as his influences, he’s plastered his stencils across the eastern seaboard for the past four years.
While he doesn’t like to play favorites, he does admit that downtown NYC and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, are some of the best places to bomb. “Both of those areas have a great amount of people that pass by your work on the streets,” he explains. “I remember one day I slapped about 100+ stickers and by the time I got home someone from Boston had run into one of my sticker and had written an email to me about it.”
PaperMonster hopes that people take the time to fully appreciate his pieces. “I want them to stop and really get the entire experience with the pieces, especially in a gallery,” he says. “You can really look at my pieces for minutes to hours and just let your mind wonder over the textures, colors, and collage inside each painting.” In the future, he hopes to stay up both on the street and in the gallery. Currently, he’s working on new pieces for group shows and occasionally collaborates with other artists.

Although the terrain is dangerous, PaperMonster feels that the future of street art looks bright. “I think the art scene is going to continue to have a heavy focus on urban and street inspired art. The most significant part of urban art is that it is made by people who don’t have opportunities or the best supplies but still manage to take risks. These aspects are what will continue to make the art scene so exciting and fresh with ideas. Since we don’t have formal training and we will experiment with anything. In general, I think that we are inspiring the artists of the future right now. These new artists will really bring something incredible to the art scene and push the art to a new level. It will be more impressive than anything we see today.”

All photos courtesy of PaperMonster. For more info, check out his MySpace page.

Thanks, PM! Best of luck on the street and in the lab (he also holds a Master's degree in biomedical science). Top notch!

April 2009: Berlin

In my travels, I've visited my fair share of cities. As I spend time in each one, I try to get a feel for the city's personality. New York frenetically mixes the world's cultures into five unique boroughs. Paris is classic, full of history and style. After three days in Berlin, I feel like it is the coolest city I've ever visited. Perhaps Klaus Wowereit put it best as he spoke to a group of British businessmen. According to him, "Berlin is poor...but very sexy."

Berlin lacks the public finances of wealthy cities like Frankfurt or Munich. However, living in Berlin is relatively cheap compared to other European capitals. Apartments are spacious and tenants get more space for their Euro. The streets and sidewalks seem wider in Berlin than in any other city; even in the city center, I felt like there was so much open space. Maybe it's an illusion, but this perception of open space made the city feel liberating, not constricting. While many tourists visit Berlin to see remnants of East Germany and the Berlin Wall, sidestepping the tour is a worthwhile decision. 
Once you get away from the tourist attractions, you'll discover whole new worlds within worlds. Berlin doesn't have a specific city center. Instead, each neighborhood features its own bars, cafés, and shops. These neighborhoods developed their own unique personalities and cultures. My friend Whitney told me about a Turkish market that happens only on Fridays. Gözleme and bürek lay in steaming piles on street arts while women haggled over spices and vegetables. I felt like I'd taken the train from Berlin to Istanbul. (Because of its enormous immigrant population, Berlin happens to be the second largest Turkish city in the world).
Of course, what I loved most about Berlin was its wild street art culture. Although graffiti is punishable by law, it doesn't seem to deter artists in the slightest. Some cities have a predominately spray can culture while others lean more towards wheatpaste. Berlin bucks this trend and mixes it all together. Apartment buildings, shops, and bridges are all fair game. If I lived there, I'd invite the local artists over to paint my door any day!
The way I felt in Berlin is akin to an art history student stepping into the Louvre for the first time. Everywhere I turned, I saw pieces that previously I'd only glimpsed in books. Everyone was there: Blu, Os Gemeos, M-City, Victor Ash (see above). I was impressed by the scope of their projects and the nature of their pieces. There's no way I saw it all, so I must return to Berlin someday. 
I'll finish with this photo because the resulting shot was so unexpected. To the right of the green monster is a small shop. We were about to walk in for drinks when I saw this child sitting in front of the mural. Instead of waiting, I snapped a photo right then. The timing was perfect; as we walked in the shop, the kid ran off to his parents. This incident sums up the transient nature of street art: catch it before it's too late!

May 2008: Philadelphia

Last May, I visited Jess, one of my best friends, in Philadelphia before her graduation. When I told people I was going to Philly, I was greeted with many a puzzled looked. “Why?” they asked. “Don’t set foot in West Philly,” they warned. “You don’t even like cheesesteaks!” they gasped. With so many pieces of advice, I didn’t know what to expect. 

My impressions of Philly were mixed. I like seeing a city on foot, so walking is my favorite mode of transportation. I didn’t heed warnings to stay away from West Philly and, lo and behold, I did not die. I was impressed by the city’s mixture of cultures; each street held a mélange of restaurants, shops, and businesses. 
But after midnight, I did feel a bit of tension on the bus ride home. Maybe it was because I was “forewarned”, but I was upset with myself for feeling this way. I wanted to like Philly, but parts of it left a funny taste in my mouth. (Maybe it was just the Cheeze Whiz). In any case, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about the City of Brotherly Love. 
From an artistic standpoint, Philly was a great time. Jess was sweet enough to find a book on mural culture in her library. I jotted down a few notes, but stumbling upon a giant piece was much more exciting. Stickers, wheatpastes, and throw-ups peeked out from behind dumpsters and chain-link fences. 
One of my favorite finds falls outside the parameters of traditional ‘street art.’ A local artist covered his entire house in a mosaic of found glass, tile, and other materials. (I need to dig up more pictures; the one on my desktop doesn’t do it justice.) Apparently, you can go inside for a fee, but I preferred to examine the structure from outside the gates. The sheer dedication and creativity required for such a project is remarkable. 
I think this house embodies my impressions of Philly. In the strangest of places, you’re bound to make the most interesting discoveries. 

May 2009: Montauk, Long Island

Normally, I don't post on graffiti pieces. It's not that I don't like it; that's the exact opposite of the truth.  The fact of the matter is that I simply don't receive that many graffiti submissions. Where I live, the only tags I come in contact with are shitty throw-ups by kids writing "H-Town 4 life." If there's no story, I'm not interested.

I'm not proposing that these are the best pieces ever created, but the story behind my discovering them is awesome. One weekend, Adam and I went out to Montauk to visit his grandparents. During the day, we grabbed bikes and peddled down to the shore. On one of the many sandy trails, we came across some World War II bunkers.
In addition to the base at Camp Hero, these bunkers were once used to guard against naval attacks. Today, they're boarded up and obsolete. However, it's not what's on the outside that counts. Taking a peek indoors revealed a whole new perspective.
To find the graffiti buried inside, I had to perform a special opps mission. (See photo for an indication of the tiny crawlspace). I couldn't see inside the pitch black bunker. Fortunately, my trusty camera flash illuminated the darkness. Amidst the broken bottles and spent spray cans, the tagged walls decorated an otherwise barren landscape.
Over at Camp Hero, we made a friend while exploring the bunkers. As Adam made his way through the brush, I heard something huge come out of the bushes. Apparently, a hawk was resting in the thicket and wasn't pleased about our arrival. It recruited a few more friends and circled the area, but fortunately its posse didn't attack us.
I think I liked these tags because they were so unexpected. In the hills of a Long Island town, there are still streetwise graff heads searching for the perfect bombing location. Anyone out there with Montauk experience? Let me know what's up!

In The Headlines

Last week was pretty wild and crazy. I had to miss work to put stuff in order, but I'm finally moving to NYC. Woo hoo! Drop me a line after June 19th if you're in the area and want to hang out. Even though the week was crazy, I still made time to compile some news for you. Take a look:

This past weekend, Carlos Cruz-Diez took over a Houston sidewalk. 

PitchEngine reviews the aptly-titled Street Art. 

This is a whole new kind of hood ornament. A group of New York graffiti writers used Porsche hoods as canvases for their work. The five unique pieces will be auctioned off; the proceeds benefit NYC charity CITYarts. 

Chicago artist Revise receives mixed criticism of his graffiti writing classes. 

AsiaOne tips its hat to Melbourne’s street art scene and encourages tourists to explore it on foot. 

In Sutton, England, street artist Nathan Bainbridge guided local kids through the mural-making process to create a piece for the town center. 

The Urban Angel Gallery has heaps of new pieces on sale at its website. 

Russell Maurice’s “Given Up The Ghost” opens this week at London’s Stolen Space gallery. 

Remi Rough also has his solo exhibition opening in London this week. 

Michael De Feo’s keeping busy; this month, he’s involved in two shows. Catch his prints in New York in “From a Factory Floor.” Or, if you’re in France, take a look at his pieces in “400 mL,” a show dedicated to spray can culture. 

Paella will be all around Paris this month. Need details? Check the web. 

Inkfetish is gearing up for Art Clash, an art battle happening in Zurich this summer.

Friday ProFile: Stinkfish

For the past six years, Stinkfish has brought his unique blend of paint and paper to the streets. During this time, he worked under various names: Stinkfreak, Stinkfriend, Knits, Quetzal, Qkul, and finally, Stinkfish. Like his name, his style constantly evolved. “I like to constantly experiment and search for new options. When I started, I did a lot of stencils. Now I work with spray paint, water, brushes, needs, stickers, posters, objects, and stencils. I like to mix techniques and I think it impacts the images that I create.” 

Born in Mexico City, Stinkfish moved to Bogotá, Colombia, four years ago. Since the move, the city has quickly become his favorite painting location. “My friends, family, and streets that I like to walk and paint are all here,” he says. The energy of these streets inspires him to create. “That’s where I feel calm and whole,” he explains. “My work is subsequently a product of everything I see, hear, and read. Everything is mixed in my head and then vomited out onto the wall.” 
Although he can’t remember the first time he painted or drew, he does recall having a lot of independence as a child. “My parents gave me a lot of freedom in every sense,” he explains. “I could paint, run, scream, whatever. I think that sense of freedom stays with me and helps when I’m painting in the street. It helps me understand the street as a place to propose, build, and intervene.” 
Bombing is exhilarating, but it isn’t always easy. “Once, my crew and I were set to paint a mural at the university,” he recalls. “We stayed behind in the residences to celebrate the feast. The day before we left, one resident committed suicide. The next day, the atmosphere was very tense. We had problems with the wall paint and wanted to leave. A member of our crew suggested that we try painting the mural again. Gradually, the painting changed the atmosphere and opinions of us. Later on, people invited us back.”  
Fortunately, Stinkfish doesn’t have to combat the police regularly. “Bogotá is very quiet,” he says. “I paint on everything and the police are fine if you just talk to them. Until recently, there weren’t serious fines for graffiti.”
In the future, Stinkfish will continue to wander city streets, meeting new people and painting along the way. The Museum of Bogotá hosts an exhibit of his work through September. “It is a project on memory and heritage through graffiti and urban art,” he adds. Also, he’s got a book about stencils in the works. Stinkfish may be eager to share his personal goals, but he doesn’t have any predictions about street art’s future. “You can’t hypothesize about it,” he insists. “You have to do it and search the streets to find out.” 

All photos courtesy of Stinkfish. For more info, check out his Flickr.

Gracias, Stinkfish! Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy your weekend and I'll be back on Monday with more news, photos, and stories.