November 2009: "Go Get Your Shinebox" at Brooklynite

Yesterday, I checked my inbox and was greeted with a note from PaperMonster. Always one to give Illicit a shoutout, he hopes everyone in the NYC area will come check out his latest group show. He writes:

"On November 21^st Brooklynite Gallery will open 'Go Get Your Shinebox'. This group show will feature over 100 works from artists all looking to answer the question of how to survive in these economic times by creating their own interpretation of a 'Survival Box.'"
(For those of you that are wondering what the hell a shinebox is, think 1930s Depression-era America. Lots of kids out shining shoes and you had to put your feet up on something, hence shinebox: a portable toolbox and footrest in one. Needless to say, these are some pretty flashy shineboxes.)
"Brooklynite Gallery has commissioned some of their favorite established and emerging artist to take on this challenge and the responses are breathtaking."
"Artists such as Dain, Miss Bugs, PaperMonster, Anthony Lister, Ben Eine, Jace, Thundercut, Skewville, Ben Frost, Jon Burgerman, Specter, Skewville, Know Hope, Kosbe, Gaia, Ben Frost, Hush, and many more have all created a one of a kind box, each taking the concept of the show one step further."
"You can view the entire lists of artists participating and more information by visiting Brooklynite Gallery's site."

Thanks, PaperMonster! For my NYC folks, hit this up! The show runs through December 19, so get your shine on while you have the chance. Tonight, I'm off to see El Ten Eleven in New Haven. If you're there, say hi! I look like...well, like myself. Trust me, you'll know me.

November 2009: "The Thousands" at Village Underground

I've been impressed with RJ and Vandalog for quite some time now. Homeboy went over to London, started his blog, and in no time at all promoted it into a household name for street art. On top of that, he just started college this year. With a Blackberry full of connex like Black Rat Press and Pure Evil's Gallery, you know he means business. Tonight, RJ presents "The Thousands" at London's Village Underground. Here's the PR:

"The exhibition opens November 18th at Village Underground in London, and the lineup is really top notch. Because the artwork is (for the most part) on loan from collectors, I can include artists like Banksy, Os Gêmeos, José Parlá, Swoon, Aiko, Nick Walker, Kaws and many others that wouldn't normally show together."
"The full line-up as well as all the details about opening times are on Vandalog along with an e-flyer. I know some of you don't live in the UK, but maybe you'll be here on holiday or something. It would be great to see you at 'The Thousands'."
"And the book, The Thousands: Painting Outside, Breaking In is available now on Drago's website."
"If you know of anybody else who might be interested in 'The Thousands', please send them an e-mail. The more people there, the better. "
No doubt, RJ! While I'm furious I won't be able to make it (definitely makes me want to relocate to the UK for a while), I know I'll let my cross-the-pond folks know. If you're there, GO and tell me how it is!

October 2009: 0331© in Moscow

In the United States, 0331 is a special unit within the Marines in charge of crew-served machine guns. In Russia, 0331© has to do with bombing, but not the explosive variety. Instead, this artist is all about graffiti and street art. Mixing old school standards with clever locations and style, he decorates walls (and trees) all across Europe. Today, he shares some photos and adventurous stories. He writes:

"I started with posters and stickers in 2001 and since that time I developed myself in different areas.
In most cases, I paint alone. It helps me to express my feelings, but I also I like painting productions with people whose art I really appreciate!"
"In my opinion, 'style' is only a cage in which a painter puts himself with his own hands. I try not to stop at what has been accomplished and I am constantly searching for some new ways of expressing visual compositions (ideas, types)."
"I adore when a place inspires me, but as such places are very hard to find in urban life, I've chosen forest and trees. I think that every painting and every picture must match the place where it is painted. It must create a composition, a harmony - that's what street art is for me."
"This summer my friend from Saint Petersburg and I had to spend a night in the police station in Paris. Getting arrested for tagging is pretty crazy. We tried to run from them, but they took us for a drive in their car, tried on handcuffs, and even beat my friend at the police for us to confess. Finally, at 7 o'clock in the morning, we left Paris for Vitally. Because of (or thanks to) the corruption, it is much easier in Russia; one can pay and do what ever he wants."
"I do not like to speak about the future or about plans, things which do not exist at present moment. But maybe this winter I'll introduce two new street art projects. Rock on! See you!"

Thanks a million, 0331©! For more info, visit his Flickr or website.

In The Headlines

Is it really over? After such a relaxing weekend, I'm not that motivated to go back to work. Any two day period that involves Anthony Bourdain, onion soup, coat racks made of skis and lazing is a good time. Hopefully Kara, Dan Deacon and I will both be healthy in January when we meet again. While I brew some coffee, check out this week's baby crop o' headlines.

Over at Vandalog, RJ's putting together a fabulous London showcase. The show kicks off this Thursday; check back Wednesday for all the details.

In Croatia, Lunar and his YCP crew created a series for the 150th anniversary of Playboy. Check his site for more shots.

"The Thousands" runs from November 18-22 in RJ at Vandalog. For more info, check out his awesome blog.

The Montana Street Art Extravaganza showcased the best graffiti in Napa Valley.

K74 covers LA’s Lookout Mountain Ave. with Moses, Charlie Chaplin, and ballerina wheatpastes.

In Detroit, an outdoor clinic built by two students highlights the lack of health care options in the Motor City.

Know Hope's show "Go Get Your Shinebox" opens on November 18 at the Brooklynite Gallery.

Someone's a dickhole. Last week, someone stabbed Chor Boogie and stole his paint as he created a mural for San Francisco's Market Street. Show some love as he finishes the piece; he's not letting the incident stop him.

Apparently, there's a secret spot in Los Angeles teeming with street art. Observe.

Since it's summer in the southern hemisphere, Auckland's street artists are out in full force.

Friday ProFile: BR1

Traveling around can break up a slump, but sometimes the best place to work is right under your nose. BR1 (BRuno) roams around, but he admits, "I love the Italian lifestyle and food too much to go live in a foreign city. I love Rome, full of history and monuments, but it's also where you can see the stereotype of Italian people. Turin gives me what I'm looking for from a big city: art and cultural ferments but also underground culture." When he's not studying law, he decorates the city known for FIAT and Nutella.

At first, BR1 began messing around with spray cans, but the medium proved to be too expensive. Since he loved drawing human figures, he gravitated towards stickers and posters. Over time, He developed his trademark Muslim women. He recalls, "First I made printed posters in black and white, then hand-colored posters. At first my pieces were small, but now they get bigger and bigger."
Whether they're shooting photos, talking on a cell phone, or carrying children, these Muslim ladies command respect. "Without women, there isn't life!" BR1 insists. "People start to look at me as a feminist that makes people aware of the Muslim woman's condition, but it's way too misleading. Muslim women are people just as others, with a culture and customs that are often the same, if you account for globalization. I don't want to debate religion and politics through my art; I focus on the woman, the person. I'm an impressionist painter that makes a portrait of a woman with an interesting story."
Police don't always take kindly to the ladies. When the cops show up, he unsticks his posters to avoid conflict. Fortunately, the city of Turin appreciates and respects BR1's work. He remembers, "Some months ago, someone drew on the woman in my poster. Two months later, I saw that someone came and fixed the poster with acrylic paint. They restored my work! This is my ultimate goal."
Rolling out solo makes the creative process easier, but BR1 is all about teamwork, too. "When I have time, I love organizing street art events," he says. "I organized the Turin Poster Festival with more than 100 posters from all over the world. I also put together Vinilificiocreativo with my friend Omino71 from Rome. This show contained vinyl painted by urban artists. The second stage of the show in Rome became the biggest and most popular vinyl show in Italy."
In the future, BR1 hopes to work more color into his pieces. His free magazine on street art is coming along and he hopes to set up a big street art festival in Turin by April 2010. For BR1, it's all about pushing boundaries. "We have the power to change the meaning of public space," he says. "With street art, a wall can become a frame."

Grazi, BR1! For more fabulous photos, visit his Flickr. For folks in the CT area this weekend, stop by ArtSpace in New Haven for the Elm City Pop Fest. (Thanks to the awesome guys over at CT Indie for putting this event together!) Have a great weekend and I'll see you guys on Monday.

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.

October 2009: Specter in Toronto

I love artists who keep the viewers guessing. There's nothing quite like a change of style to shake things up. From his clever re-interpretations of street signs and storefronts to his blinged-out buildings and statues, Specter keeps Toronto on its toes. Today, he takes a quick break from his latest project to shoot us some photos and text. He writes:

"I started doing street art about 15 years ago, thought it was called graffiti back then."
"I almost always work alone because it can be hard to coordinate with other artists, but sometimes I make the effort to work with some fantastic artists."
"15 years of sucking has helped develop my style, but my work has been influenced by many different people. From architects to set painters, they've all helped me develop my current style."
"I've seen tons of crazy shit while putting out work and been through a lot of shit, I don't even remember half of it but a few events stick out. The most memorable would probably be when I jumped off a 30 foot wall to get away from the cops. Just so you know, it wasn't worth it!"
Thanks, Specter! He's currently working on a new series titled "Manage Work Flow", so he'll be busy well into the new year. For more photos, check out his website.