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Tag Archives: Street & Urban Art

Streets: Smug (Stavanger, Norway)

A few days after Nuart Festival officially closed their 2017 indoor show (covered), they wrapped up another successful mural project. Teaming up with Smug, Attende AS and students from Kannik Middle School, they produced their inaugural mural for the new Social Inclusion Through Street Art project. Attende AS employs approximately 330 people with disabilities who would otherwise exist without a meaningful work life. Providing them a steady employment in the large and varied industrial production system, the concept both helps these less fortunate individuals and contributes […]

Streets: Skullphone x Positive-Propaganda (Munich)

Recently in Munich, Positive-Propaganda collaborated with another artist in their ongoing street art project (covered) of “establishing contemporary and socio-political art in urban spaces.” Invited in by the non-profit, Skullphone created several pieces using his usual style targeting Coca Cola’s deceptive “greenwashing” ads that positions their high sugar content soft drinks as supposedly healthy in their “Light” products. Utilizing his signature pointillism technique, the American artist painted a triptych that included the brand’s distinctive bottle, the lips of the consumer, as well his signature image that is also […]

Streets: DALeast (Seattle)

Earlier this month, DALeast (interviewed) traveled to Seattle to work along with 25 other artists on the Sodo Track mural project. The two-mile stretch spanning Fifth Avenue South from Royal Brougham Way to Spokane Street will eventually feature the work of 50 artists when finished with murals related by a common theme – motion. This ties in nicely with the work of the Chinese-born artist as his aesthetic features kinetic spray-painted coils of wire that almost always depict an animal, bird, or force of nature in action. […]

Rewind: June 9 – Oct 24

It’s been a while since we last shared some art-related videos with you in our Rewind feature so here are some that you may have missed in the last several months. Leading things off are a couple videos documenting the launch of Liu Bolin’s ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week. The fashion collection inspired by the 12 photographs he created in the United States featuring his unique style of painting camouflaging himself into the scenery, something referenced by the body painting the models had […]

Overtime: Oct 16 – Oct 22

More stories from the week that ended Oct. 22 (click on bolded words for more information): Yayoi Kusama will debut two new Infinity Rooms at David Zwirner next month. Yayoi Kusama Museum sells out tickets for the year. The 30-second rule for her installations at The Broad. RIP: Lawrence Argent who died at the age of 60. Beatrix Ruf resigns as director of the Stedelijk Museum after potential conflict of interest. Norman Rockwell’s family meets with Mass. AG in attempt to halt sale of Berkshire Museum’s […]

Interviews: Igor Ponosov

It would give a certain pleasure to Walter Benjamin if he could know that 81 years from the first publication of his The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, it would be quoted by a Russian artist in a perfectly poetic manner just right on the waters of the Norwegian port city of Stavanger. The artist, Igor Ponosov, through his Too far, Too close artwork, not only reminded us about the “aura” and “unique appearance of a distance,” but also interacted with […]

Streets: JR Installation @ US-Mexico Border Fence (Part 2)

Coinciding with the last day of his scaffolded installation at the US-Mexico border fence (covered), JR (interviewed) organized a gigantic picnic to commemorate the occasion. Setting up a massive table featuring the “eyes of a dreamer,” a motif the French artist is famous for, the feast spanned both sides of the fence near Tecante, Mexico and Tecate in California. People from both sides showed up, including Kikito (whose photo was the one used for the installation) and his family, to share food and to support the artist’s continued […]

Previews: Bezt (Etam Cru) – “Beautiful Mistakes” @ Spoke Art NYC / Thinkspace gallery

Polish artist Bezt, better known as part of the Etam Cru together with Sainer, is about to open his inaugural solo exhibition in New York City at Spoke Art, curated by Los Angeles-based gallery, Thinkspace. Opening on October 21st, Beautiful Mistakes will include a series of new paintings and drawings, mostly focused on portraying mundane characters and scenes with a subtle, surreal twist to them. The work of Etam Cru has always had a notable melancholic tone to it, and Bezt is pushing this idea further with his […]

Releases: KAWS – “BFF” Vinyl Figures

Following up the unveiling of his BFF statue in Bangkok last year (covered), as well as plush versions in blue and black, KAWS will be releasing vinyl versions of the figure tomorrow (October 18th). The blue version can be purchased starting at 10 AM EST online at MoMA and at its two NYC shops while the black iteration will be available on KAWSONE.com starting at 12 PM EST. These are mostly likely open editions. Images via Hypebeast. Discuss KAWS here.

Recap: Stik @ Fat Free Gallery

During this summer, British artist STIK hit up New York City and exhibited a fresh new show with Fat Free Gallery located in the Lower East Side. The painter from Hackney, East London utilized his super flat and deceptively deconstructed style to convey a variety of complex emotions reflecting aspects of society around us. He also released a copy of his self titled book (available here) documenting unofficial street murals spanning over a decade and across three continents. Discuss Stik here.