ArrestedMotion logo
Tag Archives: Street & Urban Art

Showing: Push – “Divided Attention” @ Known Gallery

Currently on view at LA’s landmark contemporary graffiti-inspired institution Known Gallery is the monumental first solo show by Push.  Dubbed “the thinking man’s graffiti artist” by LA Weekly, the self-taught Push has been hugely influenced by fellow AWR/MSK crew member, mentor, and close friend SABER (interviewed). Push’s abstract and colorful paintings look deceptively simple, yet are nuanced and sophisticated in their execution, color palette, and look.  You can tell that a lot of thought, effort, and consideration went into each and every vibrant and energetic […]

Openings: Neck Face – “Into Darkness” @ OHWOW (LA)

With wall to wall people and a line wrapped around the block, Neck Face proved for the second straight Halloween just why his nightmarish art and the pagan holiday are such a fitting marriage. OHWOW truly pulled out all the stops for the street artist’s Southern California homecoming exhibition, Into Darkness (previewed), where rowdy costume clad attendees enjoyed plenty of tricks and plenty of treats, including the obligatory haunted house to commemorate the evening as well as a full halfpipe and skate demonstration and plenty […]

Openings: JR – “The Wrinkles of the City” in Shanghai

2010 TED Prize winner JR, who beautified the city of Shanghai with his inspirational project “The Wrinkles of the City” (covered), also recently opened his gallery show in China hosted by Magda Danysz Gallery. Located in the historical part of the city, The Bund, the space was perfect setting for the street activist’s new photos taken in China with some pasted onto what looked like found materials. More photos after the jump…

Studio Visits: Faile – “Bedtime Stories” @ Perry Rubenstein Gallery Part 2

In part one of our studio visit to Faile’s Williamsburg workshop, we showed you the digs where the magic happens and also took a close look at the uniquely crafted building blocks that form their new works. In part two, we dive deeper into the imagery for their Perry Rubenstein Gallery show “Bedtime Stories” opening this Thursday. The studio seemed like a children’s playland as everywhere we looked there were stacks of beautiful square and rectangular blocks dissected from completed paintings/silkscreens. The Patrick’s affectionately called the […]

Set-up: Swoon – “Small Acts of Resistance” group show @ Black Rat Projects

Hot on the heels of the recent opening of her Fata Morgana solo show at Galerie L.J. in Paris, Swoon (interviewed) made a trip to London last week. AM had the pleasure of spending some time with the artist over a couple of days while she prepared a site-specific installation at Black Rat Projects for Small Acts of Resistance, a group show that will also feature works by Peter Kennard, Dotmasters, Matt Small (interviewed), Know Hope, and Armsrock (interviewed). The exhibition’s title references the recently-published book […]

Preview: Thinkspace Five Year Anniversary Show

Coming this Saturday night, our friends at the Thinkspace Gallery will be holding their Five Year Anniversary Show. As you might expect, with their storied history and drawing from their large roster of artists, the group show is shaping up to be pretty epic. It looks like all the artists are putting some of their best work together – see the Natalia Fabia’s (interviewed) piece above – so make sure you attend the opening on November 6th! We have more preview images for you after […]

Overtime: October 24 – 30

Hope you had a safe Halloween weekend and that your costumes were as cool as this Lichtenstein. Warhol Foundation kills antitrust lawsuit over authentication due to money, power, and legal expertise that they are able to command. All Cy Twombly sell at new Gagosian in Paris and a rare interview with Larry Gagosian. Qatar, having already bought Harrods and loads of real estate in central London, now might want to buy Christie’s. Why aren’t prominent Los Angeles-based art collectors bequeathing their pieces to museums? Charles […]

Streets / Teaser: ROA with Pop-Up Show (Los Angeles)

Last weekend, we visited with ROA as he worked on his first street piece in Los Angeles (7th and Mateo). It was produced in assocation with The LA Freewalls Project (other artists in the neighborhood for The LA Freewalls Project include Saber, Shepard Fairey, Herakut, and Ron English).  As usual, there is always more to his pieces that meets the eye – check out the tail action. The Belgium-based artist is in town for his pop-up show next week at the New Puppy Gallery (presented […]

Streets: SABER and Shepard Fairey Flags Collaboration

On LA’s famous Melrose Ave, near Fairfax Ave lies a collaboration by two of the city’s most pioneering street and graffiti artists. On a wall that previously held a Shepard Fairey mural now features two flags side-by-side, one an American flag as interpreted by Fairey and the other, an American flag as seen through the eyes of SABER. Street pieces do not get better than this. These two local heroes have provided the streets of Los Angeles and the rest of the world with innovative, […]

“WALLWORKS” @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

In a project reminiscent of the old parking structure at the LACMA (now demolished), the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has commissioned several artists to christen each level of their parking garage with their signature imagery. The new hotel, which you may recognize from their recent commercial with “Just the Right Amount of Wrong”, now has permanent murals, entitled widely as “WALLWORKS”, from Kenny Scharf, Retna, Shepard Fairey, and Shinique Smith. We have not even told you about the inside of the hotel as it sounds […]