Sunday, October 30, 2011
Things stencils
It's been raining like crazy the last couple weeks, so I made 6 new stencils. Here are the first two that I painted this weekend.
Events, Oct. 30 - Nov. 5
This past Thursday was the opening party for the Post-Graffiti show on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Gladstone Hotel. The show runs until Sunday, November 20th. It is open daily from 12-5 and admittance is free.
"Post-Graffiti examines the evolution of street artists to iconic image-makers. Special guest curator, Simon Cole, director of Show and Tell Gallery in collaboration with Britt Welter-Nolan present survey of local and international fine artists whose artwork has evolved from working in the streets, riffing off of advertisements, playing with political iconography and challenging cultural and artistic norms. This exhibition examines a collection of artworks that engage a populist language of iconography that play with our collective memory and reflect on ideas of globalization, war, consumerism and a desire for hope in the Global Village. Featuring works by Shepard Fairey, Anthony Lister, Banksy, Retna, Dolk, Dan Bergeron, and more!"
The show is part of the McLuhan 100 Conference and the DEW Line Festival.
"Post-Graffiti examines the evolution of street artists to iconic image-makers. Special guest curator, Simon Cole, director of Show and Tell Gallery in collaboration with Britt Welter-Nolan present survey of local and international fine artists whose artwork has evolved from working in the streets, riffing off of advertisements, playing with political iconography and challenging cultural and artistic norms. This exhibition examines a collection of artworks that engage a populist language of iconography that play with our collective memory and reflect on ideas of globalization, war, consumerism and a desire for hope in the Global Village. Featuring works by Shepard Fairey, Anthony Lister, Banksy, Retna, Dolk, Dan Bergeron, and more!"
The show is part of the McLuhan 100 Conference and the DEW Line Festival.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
About A'shop's BNB Tribute
Art Crimes featured this exquisite tribute to BNB by Montreal writers. Here's the story about the mural for Bad News Brown, on A'shop.ca.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Protect IP / SOPA Act breaks the internet. USA take action immediately!
Please circulate this info, watch the video, stop the stupid law, and do it quickly:
Video: http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/
Corporations pressing the US government to pass bad laws like this is why we have no hip-hop lyrics site on the web anymore. Think of a net without YouTube and Tumblr ... or anything new that might be used for remixing anything. What if Art Crimes got knocked off the net because someone painted a cartoon character owned by Disney? Right. That kind of stupid. Act now to oppose this before the stupid greedy Congress lets another corporation buy its votes.
More info:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/disastrous-ip-legislation-back-%E2%80%93-and-it%E2%80%99s-worse-ever
http://www.cdt.org/blogs/david-sohn/2710house-copyright-bill-casts-dangerously-broad-net
http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/house-version-rogue-websites-bill-adds-dmca-b
Video: http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/
Corporations pressing the US government to pass bad laws like this is why we have no hip-hop lyrics site on the web anymore. Think of a net without YouTube and Tumblr ... or anything new that might be used for remixing anything. What if Art Crimes got knocked off the net because someone painted a cartoon character owned by Disney? Right. That kind of stupid. Act now to oppose this before the stupid greedy Congress lets another corporation buy its votes.
More info:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/disastrous-ip-legislation-back-%E2%80%93-and-it%E2%80%99s-worse-ever
http://www.cdt.org/blogs/david-sohn/2710house-copyright-bill-casts-dangerously-broad-net
http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/house-version-rogue-websites-bill-adds-dmca-b
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
NJ, Pine Brook: Oct. 29, 2011: Garden Sk8 2.0
GARDEN SK8 2.0
Garden Sk8 Indoor Skatepark Open its Doors for the First Time after Hurricane Irene
More than 20 International Graffiti Artists Turn the Skatepark in the World's Largest Indoor Installation
On October 29, 2011, Garden Sk8 indoor skateboarding park, located at 321 Changebridge Road in Pine Brook, NJ, will open its doors for the first time after being destroyed by hurricane Irene 3 months ago. From 6 PM to midnight, more than 20 graffiti artists from around the world will showcase their art on the walls of the park, making it the word's largest indoor graffiti installation.
Hip hop music and performances from Venemous & DJ Priority, Nobel Productions, Manny D, Black Collar Biz and Animal Crackas.
There will be a silent auction featuring graffiti art on canvas and skateboards, sign product from top professional skateboarders and other products. All money raised will go back into rebuilding the skatepark. The park was flooded with more than 3 feet of water during hurricane Irene destroying many of the ramps and the entire retail section.
Graffiti artists who participated in this installation include Demer, Snow, Then, Joe Iurato, Logan Hicks, Kasso, Rain, Hef fx ad, The Fresh Collective, Elan & MMK, Genoe, Mercro, Ree 2, Part 1, Col, Sen 2, Mike Die, Robots Will Kill, Swith, 2 Tek, Pase, Mek, Faro, Doctor Crab and many more.
Garden Sk8
321 Changebridge Road
Pine Brook, NJ 07058
212.287.7626
Saturday, October, 29, 2010 - 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Suggested Donation: $5
Germany, Berlin: Sept. 23 - Nov. 12, 2011: MODE 2
[Mode 2, old-school King of Characters! Get ready, and expect it to sell out. His work tends toward the sexually explicit these days, so keep that in mind before you go. (I won't show you the flyer!) No one loves the female form like Mode 2 does. If you're brave and old enough, here's a set on Flickr from Mode 2's 2009 show - Susan]
Offerings
Mode 2
Lucas Carrieri Gallery is pleased to announce the first ever solo exhibition in a Berlin gallery of British artist Mode 2, who is a central figure in the history of graffiti.
With "OFFERINGS", Mode 2 focuses on the female body in an explicit, yet at the same time ambiguous fashion.
The opening reception takes place on September 23, 2011, 7pm.
For interview requests and for further information about the show please contact Thea Maillard at info@lucascarrieri.com
Lucas Carrieri Gallery
Potsdamer Strasse 103, 1st floor
10785 Berlin
+49 30 26391619
Wednesday - Saturday, 2-7 pm or by appointment.
www.lucascarrieri.com
Offerings
Mode 2
Lucas Carrieri Gallery is pleased to announce the first ever solo exhibition in a Berlin gallery of British artist Mode 2, who is a central figure in the history of graffiti.
With "OFFERINGS", Mode 2 focuses on the female body in an explicit, yet at the same time ambiguous fashion.
The opening reception takes place on September 23, 2011, 7pm.
For interview requests and for further information about the show please contact Thea Maillard at info@lucascarrieri.com
Lucas Carrieri Gallery
Potsdamer Strasse 103, 1st floor
10785 Berlin
+49 30 26391619
Wednesday - Saturday, 2-7 pm or by appointment.
www.lucascarrieri.com
Graffiti in the news
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| Photo by David Cooper / Toronto Star |
I saw some of these portraits up near Eglinton and Oakwood:
Toronto Star: Changing the world, one giant portrait at a time
"When French photographer and street artist JR heard he had won the $100,000 TED prize and a wish to change the world, he was totally floored.
He hadn't applied for the award. He hadn't even heard of it until he was notified that he'd won. Someone else had nominated him."
"Prior to the award, JR had earned an international reputation amongst both street artists and art critics. In his short career, the 28-year-old had made an impression with his portraits of the suburban "thugs" of Paris, Israelis and Palestinians in eight Palestinian and Israeli cities; and women in the slums of Africa and the favelas of Brazil."
Respect. And in other news:
CityNews: Coun. Vaughan says graffiti worse since Ford's crackdown
"Six months after Rob Ford donned a grey sweatshirt, a pair of safety goggles and aimed a power washer at a spray-painted wall, one city councillor claims unwanted graffiti has gotten worse in his ward."
"Spray painting has been taken to new heights—literally—since the crackdown call was issued, Vaughan said. Vandals are painting their tags higher up on buildings to avoid removal, making it harder and more expensive for property owners and businesses to clean off their exteriors."
" 'It's provoked almost a daredevil attitude amongst the graffiti guys, the taggers in particular,' Vaughan said."
Super Grover unmasked
If you haven't guessed the location of the first Super Grover stencil, this should help:
"The fuzzy blue Muppet flies faster than a speeding bullet and leaves a trail of spray paint everywhere he goes. Grover is flying alongside the Tommy's Gifts and Variety wall at Dundas and Sorauren Streets."
- Toronto Grand Prix Tourist: A Toronto Blog
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| Photo by James Hamilton |
"The fuzzy blue Muppet flies faster than a speeding bullet and leaves a trail of spray paint everywhere he goes. Grover is flying alongside the Tommy's Gifts and Variety wall at Dundas and Sorauren Streets."
- Toronto Grand Prix Tourist: A Toronto Blog
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Occupy: What exactly are people upset about?
These articles are strongly recommended for anyone asking themselves and others what this Occupy Wall Street protest is all about. If you only read one, read the first one.
Occupy Wall Street is not difficult to understand
OWS Beef: Wall Street isn't winning, it's cheating
Noam Chomsky: http://digboston.com/think/2011/10/occupy-excerpts-noam-chomsky/
Photos: A stunning photo diary of the world's 99% rising up
Realtime photos: http://occupyrealtime.com/
Beyond Occupy Wall Street: 11 American Uprisings You've Never Heard of That Changed the World
Occupy Wall Street is not difficult to understand
OWS Beef: Wall Street isn't winning, it's cheating
Noam Chomsky: http://digboston.com/think/2011/10/occupy-excerpts-noam-chomsky/
Photos: A stunning photo diary of the world's 99% rising up
Realtime photos: http://occupyrealtime.com/
Beyond Occupy Wall Street: 11 American Uprisings You've Never Heard of That Changed the World
More things at Tower Auto
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| The first and only things tag (so far). Photo by Vic Gedris |
As a follow-up to yesterday's post on the Tower Automotive building, I got a tip from Vic Gedris that he also visited the Tower recently, and had some more photos to share.
The first set of photos is expanded from the 2009 junctiontriangle.ca gallery I mentioned before.
The second set of photos was taken just a few days ago.
Some more of my favourites:
Thanks Vic!
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| Artist unknown. Photo by Vic Gedris | Artist unknown. Photo by Vic Gedris |
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| Artist unknown. Photo by Vic Gedris |
Graffiti in the news
As a follow-up to Sunday's mural launch, here are some media reports on Joel Richardson's work:
Toronto Star: Artist completes mural erased by city during anti-graffiti campaign
CBC News: Artist revives city-funded mural wiped in graffiti cleanup
Toronto Life: "After Joel Richardson’s mural was scrubbed from an underpass by Rob Ford’s graffiti Gestapo, the artist has now spray-painted a full replacement, with some alterations."
" 'I’m thrilled that they gave the space back to me,” Richardson told CBC News—although we hear he tried to preserve the other graffiti on-site, including an unflattering caricature of the mayor."
Torontoist: This Art is Occupied
Washington Post: Occupy’s most controversial art: Burning money, saints in suits
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| Photo by Vince Talotta / Toronto Star |
Toronto Star: Artist completes mural erased by city during anti-graffiti campaign
CBC News: Artist revives city-funded mural wiped in graffiti cleanup
Toronto Life: "After Joel Richardson’s mural was scrubbed from an underpass by Rob Ford’s graffiti Gestapo, the artist has now spray-painted a full replacement, with some alterations."
" 'I’m thrilled that they gave the space back to me,” Richardson told CBC News—although we hear he tried to preserve the other graffiti on-site, including an unflattering caricature of the mayor."
 |
| At the No Comment show in New York. Photo by Joel Richardson |
Torontoist: This Art is Occupied
Washington Post: Occupy’s most controversial art: Burning money, saints in suits
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tower Automotive
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| Photo by Jonathan Castellino |
The old Tower Automotive building, located at 158 Sterling Road, is one of Toronto's forgotten landmarks, and a magnet for urban explorers. The site has been derelict since 2006, so it's full of graffiti, some of which is quite amazing. It is now being redeveloped by Castlepoint Realty Partners, so all that is about to change.
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| City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Image 1628 |
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| City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Image 7203 |
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| Photo by Jonathan Castellino | Google Maps |
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| Photo by Vic Gedris |
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| Photo by Vic Gedris |
So it's good news that Martin Reis, a local photojournalist and prolific documenter of street art, just posted a new set of photos from his recent "authorized visit to this heritage building in transition." The set includes one of my doodles, but I'll leave it up to you to guess which one it is (a hint: it's not in either of these photos).
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| Photo by Martin Reis | Photo by Martin Reis |
A personal fave from the Tower:
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| Artist unknown. Photo by Caroline Ross |
Here are a few other recent photos of the Tower Auto building from Vic Gedris.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Events, Oct. 23 - 29
Two street art things are happening in Toronto this week:
Sunday, Oct 23rd (that's today), 5-6pm - Besuited artist Joel Richardson officially launches his new mural at Lansdowne and Dupont. "Wear a suit and bring a camera and help me celebrate the finishing of my mural." I don't even own a suit.
Thursday, Oct 27th, 7pm start - Sean Martindale is giving the tenth anniversary lecture in the Hart House Hancock Lecture Series, titled "Playful Interventions: Engaging Our Urban Environments". The talk is at Hart House, and tickets are free, but you must reserve a ticket to attend. See the Hart House website for more. Sure to be a fun night.
If I missed anything, please let me know.
Sunday, Oct 23rd (that's today), 5-6pm - Besuited artist Joel Richardson officially launches his new mural at Lansdowne and Dupont. "Wear a suit and bring a camera and help me celebrate the finishing of my mural." I don't even own a suit.
Thursday, Oct 27th, 7pm start - Sean Martindale is giving the tenth anniversary lecture in the Hart House Hancock Lecture Series, titled "Playful Interventions: Engaging Our Urban Environments". The talk is at Hart House, and tickets are free, but you must reserve a ticket to attend. See the Hart House website for more. Sure to be a fun night.
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| Sean Martindale's Ai Weiwei sculpture at Queen's Park. Photo from Whippersnapper Gallery |
If I missed anything, please let me know.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Ford resurfaces
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
From June, 2011...
Toronto Star:
"Artist Joel Richardson says the city has painted over a popular Dupont St. mural that it paid him $2,000 to create, an apparent misfire in Mayor Rob Ford's war on graffiti.
A city spokeswoman says the railway underpass wall was returned to drab grey because Richardson's artwork was unauthorized, uncommissioned, political and may have 'referred to (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper.' "
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| Photo from Toronto Life |
I wanted to help Ford own up to his mistake, so:
Unfortunately my mural didn't last long either.
A few months later, Joel Richardson repainted the wall with a new mural. But, lo and behold...
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| Photo by Martin Reis | Photo by Martin Reis |
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| Photo by Martin Reis |
A big thanks to Joel Richardson and his assistant for restoring the stencil, and to Martin Reis for all your great photos.
Some conditions apply
Kind of a follow-up to the copyright stencil:
Vic Gedris:
"It's a constant back'n'forth game around here, as graffiti shows up on the walls, then gets sloppily painted over by the City.
I believe the "Some Conditions Apply" phrasing here is a commentary about the various states of legality / illegality, and sometimes uncertain approval processes for legalizing artwork."
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| Photo by Vic Gedris |
Vic Gedris:
"It's a constant back'n'forth game around here, as graffiti shows up on the walls, then gets sloppily painted over by the City.
I believe the "Some Conditions Apply" phrasing here is a commentary about the various states of legality / illegality, and sometimes uncertain approval processes for legalizing artwork."
 |  | |
| Photo by Martin Reis | Photo by Martin Reis |
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Priceless
On April 7th, 2011, Rob Ford staged a photo op in an alleyway behind St. Clair West to announce the next phase in his war on graffiti.
Globe and Mail:
"Wielding a high-powered pressure washer and a gleeful smile, Mayor Rob Ford got his hands seriously dirty and seriously wet in launching the city's graffiti eradication initiative in an alley behind St. Clair Avenue West last Thursday. But the final results of the mayor's efforts suggest his city-wide spray-paint purge leaves something to be desired.
A spokeswoman for the mayor's office said the wall will eventually be covered with a mural."
CityNews:
" 'It just depreciates the value of everyone's property, it turns it into a ghetto, and that's not the kind of city I want to represent ... We're gonna go brick by brick right across the city, and we're gonna get it cleaned up and that's the bottom line,' said Ford."
So, when the mural was done I paid a visit:
And then this random wall made the news again:
Torontoist: Scene: Rob Ford returns to graffiti wall... as graffiti
"Unfortunately, it seems Ford doesn't grasp the psychology of graffiti especially well; immediately upon his return from the neighbourhood, everyone was taking bets on how soon some Ford-themed graffiti would appear on this wall. Answer: we can't say exactly, but it was no more than a matter of weeks."
Toronto Sun: Graffiti artist targets Ford
"A cheeky graffiti artist recently painted a picture of a devious looking Ford on the wall, just off Earlscourt Ave. and St. Clair Ave W. ... Someone has defaced the mural with an illustration of the mayor's face in a frame.
Palacio, the chairman of the licensing and standards committee, shrugged it off as 'part of the (graffiti) culture.' ... 'They could have done something worse,' he said. 'I can live with it.' "
CityNews: Street artists take aim at Ford [video]
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| Photo by Tara Walton / Toronto Star |
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| Photos by Nick Kozak / Torontoist | ||
Globe and Mail:
"Wielding a high-powered pressure washer and a gleeful smile, Mayor Rob Ford got his hands seriously dirty and seriously wet in launching the city's graffiti eradication initiative in an alley behind St. Clair Avenue West last Thursday. But the final results of the mayor's efforts suggest his city-wide spray-paint purge leaves something to be desired.
A spokeswoman for the mayor's office said the wall will eventually be covered with a mural."
CityNews:
" 'It just depreciates the value of everyone's property, it turns it into a ghetto, and that's not the kind of city I want to represent ... We're gonna go brick by brick right across the city, and we're gonna get it cleaned up and that's the bottom line,' said Ford."
So, when the mural was done I paid a visit:
 |
| Photo by Martin Reis |
 |  | |
| Photo by Mike Peake / Toronto Sun |
And then this random wall made the news again:
Torontoist: Scene: Rob Ford returns to graffiti wall... as graffiti
"Unfortunately, it seems Ford doesn't grasp the psychology of graffiti especially well; immediately upon his return from the neighbourhood, everyone was taking bets on how soon some Ford-themed graffiti would appear on this wall. Answer: we can't say exactly, but it was no more than a matter of weeks."
Toronto Sun: Graffiti artist targets Ford
"A cheeky graffiti artist recently painted a picture of a devious looking Ford on the wall, just off Earlscourt Ave. and St. Clair Ave W. ... Someone has defaced the mural with an illustration of the mayor's face in a frame.
Palacio, the chairman of the licensing and standards committee, shrugged it off as 'part of the (graffiti) culture.' ... 'They could have done something worse,' he said. 'I can live with it.' "
CityNews: Street artists take aim at Ford [video]
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