graffiti-news-network

Marc Jacobs Appears to Be in a Fight With Graffiti Artist Kidult

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:07:51 +0100

Earlier this week, graffiti artist Kidulttagged Marc Jacobs's Soho boutiquewith the word ART in hot-pink letters, tweeting a photo of his work on Tuesday. Presumably grumpy Marc employees scrubbed down the storefront that morning, enduringcamera-phone photo shoots by gawking pedestrians, and then business continued as usual. But later this week, the label announced that they would sell hot pink "Art by Art Jacobs" T-shirts emblazoned with photos of the graffiti'd store. "Available now for $689. Signed by the artist, $680," said a tweet from Marc Jacobs Intl., which included a photo of the item. (We called the store to double-check, and that is indeed the price. And yes, they're in stock!)

However, Kidult himself doesn't seem to be amused by the shirt. He tweeted back, "@MarcJacobsIntl ... ??? LET'S PLAY, but we don't play the same rules!" He later retweeted this from @lexisnotdead: "SHAME on you, YOU COPY @therealkidult to make money with it, capitalist thieve [sic] RT @MarcJacobsIntl." So, Kidult vs. Marc Jacobs? Those odds seem unfair.

HOTTEA YARN-BOMBS THE LOWER EAST SIDE

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:01:59 +0100

Olek isn’t the only graffiti artist yarn-bombing the Lower East Side these days. Meet HOTTEA.

Delancey & Eldridge

Within the last few days, three different chain-link fences around the neighborhood received some 3D letter-work that spells HOTTEA in different variations. There’s one on the perimeter fence at the vacant 157 Ludlow Street lot; another outside the lot at the northeast corner of Eldridge and Delancey; plus one for the dearly departed Billy’s Antiques on East Houston.

Ludlow & Stanton

HOTTEA is actually the nom de plume of Minneapolis-based Eric Rieger, a former graffiti artist who began yarning after a the law caught up with him. One night of epic painting above the freeway reportedly led to a chase by the cops, being tasered four times, and spending three days in jail. Locked up for this brief period sparked the change in public art.

Billy's Antiques on Houston

The fencework as he calls it began with him weaving the word HOTTEA into chain link fences. It became his street name. HOTTEA said he chose the word because it had personal meaning for him and his life partner. In fact, HOTTEA said family runs through all his work.

And here’s a fan video of HOTTEA on the streets of Minneapolis…

Graffiti artist departs, leaving one last message

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:58:13 +0100

Burns Court, where the controversial artist MTO has painted a rather safe “Mister Hood” on Denise Kowal's building at 530 S. Orange Ave.

By ERICA NEWPORT

SARASOTA - As a final gesture to Sarasota, graffiti artist MTO left his mark with an innocuous mural hours before heading home to Berlin, this time in true street-art style on a building at Burns Court.

“He had to be more careful and quicker with this piece,” said Denise Kowal, owner of the building holding the mural, dubbed “Mister Hood.”

Kowal is founder of the popular Chalk Festival and first brought MTO here as part of that festival.

MTO, who is French but lives in Berlin, first made news here in November when he painted a mural that became known as “Fast Life” on the side of a building in Newtown. The mural depicted twisted fingers with the words “Fast Life” strung across the knuckles.

Prompted by pressure from community and city leaders, who objected to the mural due to what they considered its gang-related implications, the building's owner later painted over it.

Last week MTO came back to Sarasota and painted a second mural on a building on 11th Street. It quickly aroused heated debate over an expletive in the mural's message and neighbors complained about its thug overtones facing the primarily black neighborhood of Newtown.

MTO apparently later painted over the expletive in a red “oooops!” to tone down the language. His most recent mural, now known as “Mister Hood,” was started and finished early Sunday morning.

The mural depicts an archer shooting out a red heart. “This is probably his most street art piece because this is probably closer to what he's use to doing,” Kowal said.

Newtown resident and Booker reading coach Dr. Gloria Armstrong, took a drive over this week to see “Mister Hood,” but had trouble finding it.

“I said to myself, ‘this is not like the one down there in Newtown,'” Armstrong said, referring to a mural MTO did on 11th Street that sparked controversy. “This is nothing. This is not much at all, and more or less an archer that you wouldn't even notice.”

Armstrong also noted with the size of the murals MTO painted in Newtown neighborhood and how much smaller the “Mister Hood” mural is in Burns Court neighborhood.

T.J. Hutchinson, co-owner of Roots Couture Salon located next to Kowal's building, met MTO and says people need to be more open minded to artwork in Sarasota.

MTO did not waste much time painting the mural, Hutchinson said.

“I interpret it as a nice piece of street art,” he said. “I think he's sending a message to Sarasota to not hate art just because you might not like its theme."

'The Apprentice': Teams fight to charm graffiti artist Pure Evil

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:42:50 +0100

By Kate Goodacre

Both teams on The Apprentice will be seen trying to win over graffiti artist Pure Evil in this week's urban gallery task.

Phoenix project manager Tom Gearing was seen in a previously-released clip from tonight's episode showing off his street art knowledge, although Nick Hewer is seen to have reservations about how successful his pitch with teammate Laura Hogg really was.

However, Sterling - led by project manager Gabrielle Omar - are also seen visiting Pure Evil's gallery in Shoreditch with a bid to represent him.

Karren Brady is impressed by their attitude, saying: "Gabrielle's arty side comes to the fore in tasks like this. She's very engaging; she talks to the artists on their own level."

Omar is seen telling her team to "show enthusiasm" towards every artist that they meet, adding: "Listen to what they say and show your dedication, because at the end of the day they will be picking us to represent them."

Pure Evil ultimately selects Sterling to represent him to the disappointment of Gearing, who says: "It's a no-win situation for us as we've lost Pure Evil... I'm not very happy, to be honest with you, not happy at all.

"At the end of the day, having expertise and having knowledge and rapport with people obviously counts for nothing, which doesn't make any sense to me. I actually think he's mental for going with them."

The Apprentice airs tonight (Wednesday, May 9) at 9pm on BBC One.

Watch a preview of Tom Gearing and Laura Hogg pitching to Pure Evil in tonight's episode of The Apprentice:

Marc Jacobs Store Vandalized by Graffiti Artist, Whose Graffiti Was Then Appropriated by Marc Jacobs

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:26:17 +0100

By Foster Kamer

Last night, the Marc Jacobs store in SoHo at Mercer below Houston was hit with a blast of graffiti by a graffiti artist apparently notorious for hitting fashion labels. This morning, after it was cleaned up, Marc Jacobs’ PR machine appropriated it for their own branding. Smart.

The perpetrator was a French graf artist named Kidult, who apparently has a long lineage of blasting fashion labels with his stuff: 12 Oz. Prophet explains that Kidult has previously hit stores of Christian Louboutin, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton, among others (including, extensively, Supreme’s new Kate Moss-centered ad campaign). His style? Taking a fire extinguisher, filling it with paint, and blasting a storefront.

So, this morning, when Marc Jacobs employees showed up, they started cleaning up the work.

Kidult dropped by to snap a picture of them doing it, and posted it with the message “I did some ART?“

This, of course, was after Marc Jacobs International had already taken the time to Tweet it out as “Art by Art Jacobs” with the above photo.

And then, to rub it in, took an “artsy” Instagram photo, noting it as “Art Jacobs @ Marc Jacobs Collection.”

Kidult, exactly ten minutes later, and not wanting to be shown up, took his own photo of the exact same part of the wall, without Instagramming it.

One can’t rule out the scenario that Marc Jacobs collaborated with Kidult to “vandalize” his store. That said, one also can’t rule out the idea that Marc Jacobs and the people who run his operation are far too canny to not capitalize on an opportunity to capitalize on some so-called vandalism, by appropriating it for their own marketing purposes, something some of the other brands Kidult has attacked might not be savvy enough to do.

Lesson learned, graffiti artists! Pick your targets wisely, if anything, for those who will override any ostensibly subversive efforts on your part by alchemizing them into part of their brilliant and profitable marketing machine.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

Aesop Rock's 'Zero Dark Thirty' Graffiti Timelapse (VIDEO)

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:07:15 +0100

Aesop Rock's video for "Zero Dark Thirty"is a whirlwind of a ten-hour graffiti session crunched into a three-and-a-half minute timelapse.

Directed by Aesop Rock sits against a wall, rapping in real-time, as artist moves rapidly behind him. The shots show the painting at different stages of completion, often circling back to the start to highlight the layers Coro used to build the piece.

Directed by Isaac Ravishankara, "Zero Dark Thirty" melds two visuals together -- a sped-up time-lapse of artist Justin "Coro" Kaufman painting a wall for 10 hours, and a real-time video of Aesop Rock sitting up against the wall that is being painted on. The video mashup creates a surreal time warp experience as Coro moves rapidly around the room while Aesop Rock chills. The shots from the time lapse move in and out of steps of completion; often retracing its steps to show the layers Coro used to build the piece.

Ravishankara made a name for himself as a precocious filmmaker at Harvard, and the video highlights his skills as a director. He placed six cameras strategically throughout the room, each set up on four-second shutter releases with a three-second exposure time, according to an interview with The Atlantic. This intricate staging allowed for multiple angles of the graffiti process to be shot, making the merging with the footage of Aesop Rock seamless.

"I've always wanted to work with Aesop, and one thing that I think sets him apart from every other rapper ever is just the crazy cadence and intricacy of his lyrics," Ravishankara told The Atlantic. "Nobody else is even close. So it was really important to me to create an environment that would showcase that as the subject, but something as cryptic, paranoid, and surreal as the subject matter of his songs."

Ravishankara's previous credits include Phantogram's "When I'm Small" and Kesha's "My First Kiss." Coro is a California-based artist and art-director of Massive Black studio.

WATCH Aesop Rock's video for 'Zero Dark Thirty' below:

Queens graffiti mecca faces demolition

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:01:02 +0100

Back in late January, Inhabitat.com reported that 5 Pointz, the graffiti mecca in Long Island City, may be facing demolition by as soon as next year. Until now, owner Jerry Wolkoff had allowed the massive studio building to be used as a canvas by some of the best and most iconic artists of the genre.

The top of the building is rimmed by the names of legendary graffiti artists who have since passed away. But now,Wolkoff believes that rather than preserving the iconic artistic site, what the city really needs is some more luxury high-rise condos.

It’s not a done deal though, as Long Island City Councilman Jimmy Van Bremer urged activists to petition the city to make the building a historical monument. That’s nice, but the fact that the building is even on the chopping board is sickening, and it fuels the manic focus of profits at the expense of art and culture.

The argument over 5 Pointz’ demolition is nothing less than an argument about whether or not we want to preserve one of our most important contemporary art forms and historically enshrine this expressive phenomenon of ours for future generations to appreciate.

Graffiti is our current day’s folk-art expression. Certainly, its illegal nature ensures that it will always be controversial and that it will always exist on the fringe of an ordered, law-abiding society. I can’t even say that I support graffiti in all of its forms, a viewpoint that vehement defenders of the art might spit upon. But what is not debatable, I think, is that it is one of the most pervasive, unique, and iconic forms of spontaneous public artistic expressions of our generation.

Modern clothing, music, film, dance, and other visual arts have all been indelibly marked by graffiti’s influence. Knocking down a building with as beautiful a creative expression and as important a historical context as 5 Pointz’ is tantamount to ripping apart a Picasso painting to make room for a plasma-screen TV.

It’s not like there is no precedent for recognizing graffiti as a historically important artistic representation of our time. For example, all across the U.S., great care is taken to preserve Native American hieroglyphics. The same is the case for preservation of ancient cultures around the world.

In some of these cases, archeologists acknowledge that they have no way knowing if the art was “important” or not (as if that’s up to us to decide) - whether it represents a billboard or the fanciful scratching of one member of that society. The same artistic links exist between ancient “graffiti” and other visual arts that do today - Native American hieroglyphic imagery factors heavily into their folk art, as does graffiti in New York City artistic expressions.

The point is that we have always been interested in preserving a record of our own history - both in its grandest forms and its more plebeian forms. We are presented now with the opportunity to acknowledge and preserve our own artistic record of graffiti.

It isn’t just a matter of preserving New York’s artistic footprint, although this factors heavily into it. From the beautiful (and controversial) painted subway cars of the 1980s and 1990s to the rooftops lining the Brooklyn Bridge to today’s large, land owner-authorized murals, graffiti is a permanent part of New York City’s art scene.

But 5 Pointz’ importance extends beyond these city streets. 5 Pointz is crucially important to documenting graffiti culture. It also at least loosely represents graffiti artists and cultures worldwide, including international super-starsBasquiat and Banksy.

5 Pointz should not just be crucially important to us; this monumental artwork should be a focus of international concern. No one would knock down the Coliseum to build high-rises, it’s too valuable a monument for human art and ingenuity. So no one should knock down 5 Pointz either. It would be a grave disservice to the graffiti culture enshrined in this city.

Google doodle pays tribute to famed pop artist from Kutztown

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:59:09 +0100

Google’s daily doodle pays tribute Friday to Berks County native, famed New York City subway graffiti artist Keith Haring who was born in Reading on May 4, 1958 He grew up in Kutztown and moved to New York City in 1978. He died of complications from AIDS at age 31 on Feb. 16, 1990.(www.google.com / May 3, 2012)

By Tracy Jordan,

Google's daily doodle pays tribute Friday to Berks County native, famed New York City subway street artist Keith Haring.

Friday would have been Haring's 54^t^h birthday. Born in Reading and raised in Kutztown, Haring's work became popularized through thousands of graffiti-style chalk drawings drawn on walls and sidewalks in New York City, particularly in the subway tunnels, during the 1980s. His works incorporated existing signage to show case his curvy picture vocabulary and messages.

One example, popularized in a 1990s episode of Sesame Street, featured an "exit" sign.

Haring also used his art to address social issues, including awareness of AIDS and drug abuse. He died at age 31 from complications of AIDS in 1990.

The first-large scale exhibition of his work is being featured at the Brooklyn Museum through July 8 in the 5^t^h Floor Schapiro Wing. The exhibition opened March 16 and features his work from 1978-82 with 155 works on paper, experimental videos and more than 150 archival objects, including sketchbooks, journals, exhibition fliers, posters, subway drawings and documentary photographs.

In 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop store in the Soho shopping district in downtown Manhattan. The store was an extension of his work, printed on affordable souvenir-type items from coffee cups to T-shirts. The store closed in 2005 but today operates online at pop-shop.com.

To celebrate his birthday, the store is offering a 10 percent discount on items over $25 Friday with coupon code HAPPYBIRTHDAY.

Zes on His Journey From Graffiti to the Gallery

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:52:05 +0100

By Alexandra Torres

The virtually undying sights and sounds of the subway system include the usual panhandlers, preachers trying to gain converts, and performers anxious to either make a quick buck or get their big break.

However, 14th Street-Union Square and 42nd Street Times Square subway stops have an intriguing accessory unseen at all others: stencil graffiti illustrations on the canvas of New York City subway maps, sold by artist Edwin “EQ”Class. His labor of love, since 2005, often manages to reel in customers and cause even the most engrossed New Yorkers to glance over in curiosity.

At varying times, one can see this Bronx resident standing near what he endearingly calls his “art chart.” He spray paints New York related imagery namely, the logos of different New York sports teams, the Empire State building and the widely-circulated ‘I Love New York’ emblem - with plastic and cardboard stencils. He strikes up conversations with inquisitive onlookers and raises his paint-soiled hands to wave at familiar faces and MTA workers who sometimes give him maps for free.

Class’ past is heavily rooted in the arts, having been involved in galleries as an adult and from the age of about five or six he has possessed an imaginative mind heavily influenced by an unreal realm. Comic strip art, science fiction, fantasy, horror films and movie set design got his creative juices flowing more so than graffiti.

Although he moved back and forth from Queens and Brooklyn during his childhood, art was an unchanging aspect of his life.

“I was consistently drawing almost every hour of the day. If my mother or somebody allowed me, I would’ve lost myself as a kid,” Class said. “I would copy and redesign a cover I liked from a Marvel comic [book] or some magazine or another that dealt with illustration and art.”

His involvement in an East Village gallery came to an end after 9/11, and today’s work was formed after a brief period of making custom-designed t-shirts and hats from 2001 to 2005.

“I needed to make a dollar; I’m not really employable so basically I needed to produce my own art and sell something; create a niche,” EQ said. Class is not looking to make it big. He just wants to sell his art, and earn enough to live comfortably. With an unrestrained schedule, he breezes into subway stops at varying days and times.

His routine is as fluid as his artistic modus operandi. From the way his synthetic fingerless gloves allow his hands to glide freely across the map as he draws with his markers and pens, to the organic process by which he reinvents items while saving money. “The last S is for spectacular - no let me stop - or for savings!” he said as he joked about his last name.

Almost all components of his art and studio have been repurposed, from the maps themselves, to the Fedexenvelopes-turned-bags he uses to package his product and his handicraft stencils. Even his gallery is made from an abandoned PetCo cart, as well as ill-gotten plastic and cardboard signs.

EQ has all the essential items: an Army Fatigue Molly Vest that house his markers to the tools in his cart, safety goggles, a screwdriver, a box cutter and wire and a foldable green metal chair tucked away for when some resting time is in order.

His studio is covered with a myriad of stickers, which he charges passersby $1 to slap on. “Occupy Everything,” “Dolphins Rape People,” “KONY 2012,” “F*CK OFF PATRIARCHY,” some of the stickers which have been another outlet for profit.

He claims his weekly supplies costing no more than $50 have done him well. “New York’s a sports town, a drinking town, a nightlife town, a get around town,” he said. “They like the map to begin with so when you connect it with something else or tie it in with one of their favorite sports teams, you pretty much got yourself a definite sale.”

Wearing a New York Mets snapback hat and an unfastened tie bearing (appropriate) imagery of the ubiquitous subway train route, he acknowledged that New York sells to the world. “It goes with the whole decor. You have to look the part,” he said.

Class believes that these aspects have successfully maintained his entrepreneurial endeavors and have allowed him to make humble earnings. He’s been able to make $600 to $700 on his good weeks.

“It takes me minutes to produce my art, and it’s a niche so it tends to sell well,” he said. “So for me I make my money quicker than some artists [who take] a week to get more for their work in order to pay their bills or to survive.” Class knows that he’s able to fashion his work expediently and without being ticketed by the police.

“If anything it would be gratuities that I’m accepting, so that’s legal,” he said. “I’m not vending; I’m just producing my art live, so it’s performance - performance and gratuities [...] That covers all the bases that I need to cover in order not to be harassed or told to move on.”

In fact the police officers sometimes get a kick out of viewing his work and Class enjoys the attention he commands while procreating, the maps of course. However, his creations do invoke maternal feelings.

“They’re all beautiful to me. It’s like you’re the mother and you’re birthing these works of art so, they’re all going to be little babies. Bendito,” Class said. “You have to let them go though. You can’t do that with real babies; you’ll get in trouble if you do!”

Zes on His Journey From Graffiti to the Gallery

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:45:52 +0100

By Shelley Leopold

Shannon Cottrell

Zes

Zes, aka Zeser, aka Zes AWR/MSK, is a Los Angeles graffiti artist with a feral stare that you might only notice in serial killers or creative geniuses . He has been one of L.A.'s most prolific taggers for many years. If you look up every now and again, you may have noticed his burners in back alleys or on the ledges of buildings in Echo Park, but until very recently, you wouldn't see his work in a gallery. And, if he had had his way, you weren't going to.

It took many years of battling the obsessive-compulsive need to fit his name onto inaccessible surfaces (tops of buildings, viaducts, retaining walls) and the inner demons that go along with that mindset for Zes the graffiti artist to become Zes the gallery artist. Recently, he has been proving to contemporary art audiences that he's got chops to hang out inside, and to our surprise, he's looking forward to doing more. "There were other things going on in my life, besides me focusing in on my art and my talent," explains Zes. "Now I've put aside all those other things that were going on and I feel like good things are coming."

courtesy of Thinkspace Gallery

Zes' Black and White (2012) at Thinkspace

Currently in Morgan Spurlock's "New Blood" show at Thinkspace, Zes is showing work alongside that of another of the distinguished AWR/MSK graffiti crew, artist/activist Saber. Saber chose Zes as his "protégé" for the show in keeping with its mentor-protégé theme. "Zes has one of the most unique and aggressive styles out there," says Saber. "He has been one of my favorite painters for many years now. On the street Zes has pushed boundaries and limits that will never be matched. His abstract canvas work is beautiful."

Zes, who still prefers not to reveal his face or his real name, made his art gallery debut in February at Known Gallery on Fairfax, the gleaming white cube of a space that showcases up-and-coming talent, usually alongside already established artists. Zes' "Excavated Revelations" shared the bill with Retna, a current art-world superstar who debuted some new lithographs -- pensive work that is much smaller in scale and detail than his usual murals. Zes credits Retna as an early influence, which may explain their similarly textured styles. "I think when it comes to influence, we grew up as part of the same crew, LTS," says Zes of L.A.'s Toughest Sport writers, another crew he's affiliated with. "If you go back in history, if you follow LTS style, you'll see a lot of that."

Working with ink rollers of various size, acrylics and even buff paint ("Palomino Beige," the color most popular with graffiti cleanup teams), the new Zes work consists of beautifully spontaneous textures and color, controlled only by the uniform panels he chooses to use. All his wood panels are the same tall, narrow, 24" x 60" dimensions, which provide structure. "Even before I started doing the first painting, I just had a picture in my head for many years and I just went by it," explains Zes about his all-vertical format. "Actually, you could hang these paintings either horizontally or vertically and they work. That's how I was making them.

Shelley Leopold

"Untitled" at Known Gallery

graffiti-news-network

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HOTTEA YARN-BOMBS THE LOWER EAST SIDE

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