Street & Urban Art « Arrested Motion

Category Archives: Street & Urban Art

Streets: El Mac – “Spark of Divinity” (Sedona)

Posted by sleepboy, August 4, 2016

Recently in Sedona, Arizona, El Mac finished painting a mural that was commissioned by a local Whole Foods store. Near and dear to his heart, the piece featured a portrait of his mother-in-law and her granddaughter juxtaposed against a background inspired by the famous Beethoven Frieze by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. His work was inspired by a “Beethoven symphony from 1824, which was inspired a poem, Ode To Joy, by Friedrich Schiller from 1785 which begins with the line – “Joy, beautiful spark of divinity…” – giving this mural its title. […]

Streets: JR (Rio de Janeiro) – Part I

Posted by sleepboy, August 2, 2016

French artist JR (interviewed) recently completed a new installation in Rio de Janeiro utilizing an intriguing new technique lending the work a more three-dimensional feel. The clever new piece is based on a photo of Mohamed YOUNES IDRISS of Sudan (who didn’t qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics) performing a high jump over the top of building with the assistance of some scaffolding. Discuss JR here.

Streets: World Roundup (July 11 – July 31)

Posted by sleepboy, August 1, 2016

We end July this year with another Streets World Roundup, covering some of the public art from around the globe that you may have missed. Leading things off is a 600 meter mural Evoca1 painted in Abu Dhabi just in time for Eid al-Fitr. Other notable walls come from Case (Belgium), Natalia Rak (Spain), Jonathan Bergeron (Montreal), Dabs Myla (Iceland), Odeith (UK), Faith47 (USA), Aryz (Belgium), Shok-1 (UK), Hyuro (Spain), Nychos (USA), Leon Keer (UK), Vhils (Senegal), Outings Project (France), Monsieur Qui (France), and Aakash Nihalani. […]

Overtime: July 25 – July 31

Posted by Khoi, July 31, 2016

More stories from the week that ended July 31 (click on bolded words for more information): Piston Head II show, including a car by Richard Prince (above), comes to Venus Over Los Angeles. RIP: S.H. Raza, who passed away at the age of 94. RIP: Anne Chu, who passed away at the age of 57 due to cancer. RIP: Wendy Snyder MacNeil, who passed away at the age of 72. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hawaii faces financial troubles and leadership scandal. How political instability is […]

Upcoming: “The New Vanguard” @ Lancaster Museum of Art and History

Posted by sleepboy, July 29, 2016

On August 13th, the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) will be opening to the public Made In America, their exhibition exploring “common themes of American innovation and culture through each artist’s individual interpretation of what it is to be an American existing in contemporary society.” As part of this event, the museum has collaborated with Thinkspace Gallery to present a few segments including a showing in the Vault Gallery by Scott Listfield (seen above), as well as murals and installations inside by Alex Yanes, Bumblebeelovesyou, Meggs, […]

Streets: Sebas Velasco (Rijeka, Croatia)

Posted by SAL, July 27, 2016

Sebas Velasco recently painted a new mural in the old town of Croatian harbor city of Rijeka. Blending his expressive painterly style with the aged building and its unusual architecture, he created a narrative dedicated to the workers of the city. Invited in by the local Museum of Contemporary Art, the Spanish artist contributed to their ongoing program of creating public works in order to revitalize quiet and forgotten parts of the city. As a busy harbor and railroad intersection, Rijeka has always long been an industrial […]

Releases: Elian Chali – “Hábitat” Book

Posted by SAL, July 27, 2016

Argentinian artist Elian Chali recently released his book entitled Hábitat. The softcover publication was released in edition of 1000 and it includes 208 pages with photographs, three essays and a foreword written by Martha Cooper (interviewed). In a conceptual sense, the book is a look over a city from the point of view of a regular person. Stepping away from the focus on art, the publication gives the reader a chance to experience the public artwork as they would in real life – by chance and/or […]

Streets: Invader (Toulouse)

Posted by sleepboy, July 27, 2016

Last week, Invader started his first wave of public art in the city of Toulouse with some of his iconic tile-based works. Choosing an appropriate color for his video game-based characters, the French artist glued up ten different pieces in the “Pink City,” known for the pinkish terracotta bricks used in its architecture. Toulouse is the 66th city to be “invaded” by the street artist – you can see more in the photos below… Discuss Invader here.

POW! WOW! Long Beach ’16 / Openings: “Vitality & Verve: In the Third Dimension” @ LBMA

Posted by sleepboy, July 26, 2016

A couple weekends ago, in association with POW! WOW! Long Beach, a massive group show opened at the Long Beach Museum of Art. Vitality & Verve: In the Third Dimension was presented by the museum in collaboration with Thinkspace & POW! WOW!, a followup on last year’s debut showing (covered) with another amazing series of installations and murals from a new roster. Not only did fans in the beach city get to see murals from some of their favorite artists (covered), but also a high quality selection of work in a museum […]

Upcoming: Zevs – “The Big Oil Splash” @ Lazarides Rathbone

Posted by sleepboy, July 26, 2016

On July 28th, Lazarides Rathbone will be presenting new works from Zevs in a solo show entitled The Big Oil Splash. Included from the French artist, otherwise known as Aguirre Schwarz, will be a series of paintings, monochromes and sculpture featuring his iconic drips and thematically referencing oil spills. He further states – “Ecology is at the heart of this new work. But it was paint, not politics. The work of man on earth extends here in a work of painting on canvas.” Discuss Zevs here.