Robots Will Kill presents The Street Spot

Friday Openings Round-Up

2010-03-18T15:42:00.004-04:00

The Lister opening tomorrow night is not the only game in town. Mighty Tanaka in DUMBO presents a 3d art show titled Year of the Head Chakra (featuring the work of Lionel Guzman, Ed Shawn Herrera and Reginald Pean).

And Robots Will Kill's own Veng has a piece in the Encounters Graffiti Expo at AE Studios in Long Island City:

Spring is in the air!

Workin’ it at Brooklynite

2010-03-17T08:23:00.002-04:00

When I stopped by Brooklynite on Sunday for a visit with Berlin-based duo Various & Gould, I could tell a lot of work had already gone into the Make It Fit show, which opens this Saturday. The two of them were furiously at work crafting bold and colorful new collages using printed material brought from Germany and objects sourced in Brooklyn. From what I’ve seen, I would say they’ve definitely stepped up their game since last showing at Brooklynite with Dain in Fall 2008.

Brooklyn-resident Specter - who last year garnered respect and admiration from peers, fans and strangers alike with his hand-painted, wheatpasted portraits of New York’s largely invisible working class - has also upped the ante. Taking his portraiture as a point of departure, he has built an impressive series of sculptural installations that are a natural progression from his recent street work.

Make It Fit
Brooklynite Gallery
334 Malcolm X Boulevard
Brooklyn, NY 11233 (A/C to Utica Avenue)
March 20-April 17, 2010
Opening reception: Saturday March 20th, 2010, 7-10pm

Travelling Man Anthony Lister

2010-03-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

A week before opening his solo show at Lyons Wier and five months after painting his last large-scale mural in Brooklyn, Lister graced the streets of Williamsburg with a new mural.

How to Catch a Time Traveller
Opening: Friday, March 19, 6-9pm
Lyons Wier Gallery
175 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10011

Stokenphobia Preview

2010-03-11T02:01:00.009-05:00

As previously mentioned, Luna Park and I are pleased to be taking part in the show "Stokenphobia" opening this Friday at Pandemic Gallery in Brooklyn. When I stopped by to drop my piece off, I was blown away by the quality of the work that is being featured in this show. Not only are the drawings by Gore B as stellar as one would expect, but many of my favorite artists have turned out some of the best work that I have seen from them in a while. Even better are the prices - whether you are a collector or just an admirer who would like to own a piece from your favorite artist (but had never been able to afford it), shows like this are an excellent opportunity to pick up a smaller work without breaking the bank. I already have dibs on the Deuce Seven boat, but there is plenty more available to choose from...or just come out and enjoy what is bound to be yet another memorable night at the always fun Pandemic Gallery!

Gore B.

Deuce Seven

Skewville

Shai Dahan, 2esae, Chris RWK, Veng RWK

Abe Lincoln Jr, Tony Bones, Darkcloud, Royce Bannon

Celso, Infinity, Deuce Seven, Dick Chicken

UR New York

Opens Friday, March 12th, 7-11pm
Pandemic Gallery
37 Broadway (btw. Kent & Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Gore B.

Support Over Under & Other's European Adventure

2010-03-10T11:16:00.002-05:00

Recent ex-New Yorker and all-around renaissance man Over Under (aka Erik Burke) needs your help to get his next venture rolling!

I first came across Erik's work via his Small Worlds project in the summer of 2008:

I had the pleasure of meeting him shortly thereafter, when he helped Broken Crow complete a large mural in Bushwick:

What never ceases to amaze me are the sheer number of projects Erik juggles at once. While completing his MFA in Design and Technology at Parsons last year, he found time to collaborate with New York based and visiting artists as well as install a faux memorial plaque on the legendary Writers Bench and code a tribute to the golden days of NYC subway graffiti.

For an exhibition at MOHS in Copenhagen this spring, Erik and Canadian artist Other plan on cycling across Europe, gathering material and inspiration for the show along the way. To that end, they are trying to raise $2,000 to cover "travel expenses related to sustenance, survival, and the creation of work". You can read about their plans and donate here. I've already put my money where my mouth is and I encourage you to do the same. Not only are you supporting a good cause, but you're also helping two genuinely talented artists make their marks.

ChrisRWK Print Release

2010-03-09T11:45:00.003-05:00

Our good friend Chris from Robots Will Kill has a print available - for a very reasonable $45 - starting today via Abztract. Get your 18x24" print now before the edition of 50 is sold out.

Stoked for Stokenphobia

2010-03-09T10:13:00.004-05:00

Becki and I excited to have pieces in this show! Come check it out this Friday night.

Stokenphobia
Drawings by: Gore B
Handpainted signs by: Abe Lincoln Jr., Armer, Avoid, Becki Fuller, Bloke, Buildmore, Cahbasm, Celso, Chris RWK, Chris Campisi, Dana Woulfe, Darkcloud, Deuce7, Dickchicken, Droid, Enamel Kingdom, Egg Yolk, Faro, Gaia, Infinity, Keely, LA2, Luna Park, Matt Bixby, Matt Siren, Moody, Morgan Thomas, Nate Hall, Paper Monster, Plasma Slugs, Royce Bannon, Sadue, Shai Dahan, Stikman, Skewville, Ski, Swampy, Tony Bones, Veng RWK, Wrona, 2esae, and more TBA.

Opens Friday, March 12th, 7-11pm
Pandemic Gallery
37 Broadway (btw. Kent & Wythe)
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Have Your Cake: Friday, March 5th

2010-03-03T09:22:00.003-05:00

This weekend, NYC street artist and painter extraordinaire Cake will be a featured artist in the show "Convergence" at The Marketplace Gallery in Albany. Cake will have a 15 foot installation inside as well as an outdoor pasting spot. The show opens on Friday at 5:30pm and will run until 10:30 on Sunday night. That's three days only, so make sure to gas up your car, buy your Amtrak ticket, or hop on a bus to come out and support our girl (as well as a recently reopened and much beloved gallery!).

For more information on this artist, check out Luna Park's studio visit from this past November or Cake's Flickr page.

Call for Art

2010-03-03T06:30:00.001-05:00

The above comes by way of my buddy Billi Kid, who is judging entries in the Heavyweight Artist contest together with 14Bolt and Zoltron. Submit your designs by the end of March for a shot at having them printed on apparel and stickers as well as participating in a NYC show. Details at http://www.flickr.com/groups/heavyweightartist.

You are also invited to submit artwork for the 5th annual Papergirl project in Berlin. Like all good things, the idea is simple: rolls of artwork are distributed to random passersby by roving teams of bicyclists. You've got until May, but don't snooze on this. Details at http://www.papergirl-berlin.de/.

WK Takes Manhattan

2010-03-02T07:33:00.002-05:00

WK Interact has put up some new work on Manhattan's Lower East Side. He's part of an upcoming group show curated by Elisa and Seth Carmichael of the LA-based Carmichael Gallery:

Re-Creation II: Will Barras, Simon Birch, Boxi, Ethos, Mark Jenkins, Labrona, Aakash Nihalani, Nina Pandolfo, WK Interact
Opening Reception: Friday, March 5, 2010, 7-10pm
March 5 – July 31, 2010
Ogilvy & Mather
636 11th Avenue
New York, NY 10036

Coming to a Shredder Near You

2010-03-01T13:06:00.009-05:00

Rat race got you down? Tired of being repeatedly spurned by the NYC art elite? Trying to piece together the shreds of your credibility? Look no further, ART SHRED is for you!

ART SHRED is an on-site shredding service that will help artists and other participants liberate themselves of important works of art, meaningful love letters and one-of-a-kind photographs – and other significant material created, printed, or written on paper. After being sliced and diced, all works will be scattered on the gallery floor.

ART SHRED will be held on March 3rd, 2010 between 2pm-4pm:
Winkleman Gallery
621 W. 27th Street (between 11th & 12th Avenues)

ART SHRED will showcase the shredded works of: Stikman, Cake, Depoe, El Celso, C-Monster, Jennifer Dalton, William Powhida, Paul Kostabi, Jennifer Dziura, Darkcloud, infinity, Martha Cooper, ski, James & Karla Murray, 2esae, Keely, avone, Leonardo Furtado, Man Bartlett, Morgan Thomas, Buildmore Shrines, Abe Lincoln Jr., LA II, Pufferella, Skewville, Royce Bannon, Destroy & Rebuild, James Willis, Rednose, Luna Park, Robots Will Kill, The Endless Love Crew, Veng, Elisha Cook Jr., Felix Morelo, Reid Harris Cooper, Dean Radinovsky, UnderWaterPirates, Elaine Benavides, Alexander Petti, BSA, Dianne Bowen, Lisa Ingram, Johan Kritzinger, Ryan Frank, Billi Kid, Hilary Lorenz and many more to be announced! Walk-ins welcome.

UPDATED: Watch the shredding action live via the Hashtagclass site.

[Image source.]

This Friday, If it Itches, Scratch It

2010-02-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Come out this Friday night to support SKI and 2ESAE of Destroy & Rebuild.

Friday, February 26th, 2010
7pm - 12am
434 6th Avenue, 2nd Floor (btw. 9th & 10th St)
New York, NY 10011

Question and Answers

2010-02-22T21:36:00.004-05:00

Last week, a writer whose work I greatly admire emailed to ask what motivates me to go out shooting graffiti. Since that's a question I've been getting a lot lately, I thought I'd share my response:

Why do I document graf?

Short answer: for the love of it. I'm as addicted to going out, finding spots, working my camera and honing my craft as you are to painting.

Long answer: because I'm constantly amazed by the beautiful things people create with aerosol paint, because graffiti inspires me, because it takes me to parts of the city I would otherwise never see, because I love the tranquility of off-the-beaten-track spots and the rush of knowing I'm not supposed to be there, because I'm never bored, because it's my way of tuning out all the day-to-day bullshit of my job, because I meet all kinds of interesting people from all walks of life, because I feel it's a race against time to document walls before everything gets knocked down and replaced with soulless condos, because it makes me feel I'm part of something larger, because I want to contribute to the history of this period of graffiti, because it's the last thing I think of before I go to sleep, and because I can't think of a better way to spend my free time than to wander around some random, rundown part of Brooklyn and come across pieces of art in unexpected places.

What can I say? I'm hooked.

All Aboard the Love Train

2010-02-15T13:11:00.004-05:00

Having grown up outside of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love will always hold a special place in my heart. Although I've lived in New York for many years now, I make a point of going back to Philly as often as possible. When I heard that the organizers of the Love Letter for You mural project were running a special "Love Train" on Valentine's Day, I jumped at the chance to join in on the love fest.

Waiting for the "Love Train" to depart from Center City, the excitement on the platform was palpable and infectious. To the sounds of the O'Jay's "Love Train" blasting from a boombox, the enthusiastic "Love Train" staffers got everyone on board a specially decorated Market-Frankford El bound for West Philadelphia. Once the train emerged above ground at 44th Street, Steve Powers took to the PA for a tongue-in-cheek guided tour of the mural project. As if the cheers and claps of appreciation weren't enough, the smiles on passengers' faces spoke volumes about how this project has been received in Philadelphia.

Having lived in West Philly in the mid 90s, I know all too well how much this neighborhood is in need of revitalization. Empty lots, burnt out row houses and boarded up businesses are a fact of life in West Philly. When I walked along Market Street under the El last November to see the love letters in person for the first time, everyone who saw me photographing them spoke warmly and proudly of the murals. After yesterday's train ride, I know without a doubt that this project has already touched many people and understand why it has so wholeheartedly been embraced by the community.

I could go on and on about the importance and impact of public arts programs, but I'll spare you that and simply encourage you all to hop the train to West Philly and show the neighborhood some love.

Big Love

2010-02-14T14:31:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine’s Day from The Street Spot. If you are reading this, we love you XOXO

Late Night Encounters

2010-02-13T22:52:00.006-05:00

Pufferella's week long show, "I Know You Are But What Am I", opened at Factory Fresh this past Friday. If you didn't get a chance to check out the show then, stop by the gallery this Friday the 19th, when seven Bushwick art spaces will keep their doors open until 10pm as part of BACK THE BEAT: Bushwick Art Spaces Stay Open Late. BACK THE BEAT is the third installment of a series of ‘beat nites’ in the Bushwick neighborhood featuring new art in unique art spaces. This installment is sponsored by Culture Pundits and celebrates all that is good and great about the Bushwick art scene which continues to thrive far from the hype and hustle. Featured spaces include: Factory Fresh, English Kills, Famous Accountants, Sugar, Centotto, Norte Maar, and Storefront.

ENGLISH KILLS
114 Forrest Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237
PH: 718.366.7323 EML: info@englishkillsartgallery.com
http://www.englishkillsartgallery.com

CENTOTTO
250 Moore Street, #108, Brooklyn, NY 11206
PH: 908.338.3590 EML: postuccio@gmail.com
http://centotto.com

FACTORY FRESH
1053 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237
PH: 917-682-6753 EML: info@factoryfresh.net
http://www.factoryfresh.net

FAMOUS ACCOUNTANTS
1673 Gates Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
EML: kvnrgn@gmail.com
http://famousaccountants.wordpress.com/

STOREFRONT
16 Wilson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237
PH: 646-361-8512 EML: jandrewnyc@yahoo.com
http://www.storefrontbk.com

SUGAR
449 Troutman Street, #3-5, bell 21, Brooklyn NY 11237
PH: 718-417-1180
http://sugarbushwick.com

For more information on BACK THE BEAT, please contact Jason Andrew on 646-361-8512 or visit www.nortemaar.org

Free NYC screening of Wholetrain

2010-02-11T11:30:00.002-05:00

Since the heyday of painted trains, there have been a number of excellent documentary films that highlighted the burgeoning graffiti movement. The legendary Style Wars and Wild Style come to mind, as well as the more recent Infamy and Bomb It. To date Hollywood has shied away from producing fictionalized accounts of graffiti culture, although that probably isn't a bad thing, given that graffiti vandalism is often exaggerated and sensationalized. Fortunately for us, first time director Florian Gaag, an active member of Munich’s graffiti scene for many years, has delivered an impressive cinematic debut that accurately represents the writer lifestyle. Filmed on location in Munich and Warsaw, Wholetrain includes striking footage of rolling stock featuring the work of writers Won, Cemnoz, Pure, Ciel and Neon. And if that weren't enough, Gaag collaborated with Hip Hop great KRS One on the film's soundtrack.

Next Tuesday, New York will be treated to a free screening of Wholetrain, followed by a discussion between director Florian Gaag and writer Pure. No stranger to painted trains, Pure started writing in the late 70s and has since gotten down with infamous writers such as Reas, Ven, Jonone as well as fellow TFP member Sento.

Wholetrain
Film Screening + Conversation
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010, 7:00pm
Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building
5 East 3rd Street (at Bowery)
New York, NY 10003
Tel.: +1 (212) 439-8700
Closest Subway: 6 at Bleecker Street
Admission is free, no reservations required.

But don't take my word for it, here's what others had to say about the film:

Ket: "I loved the movie. I thought that Wholetrain represented the scene the best - ever. It really captured what writers go through and their struggles; they were humanized, they weren't caricatures. I appreciate that. I remember that it made me feel that I was there with those guys, living with those guys. It took me back to a time when I was living the way those kids were living. I thought it was very authentic in that sense."

Henry Chalfant: "Wholetrain shows the human dimensions of Graffiti-Writing. The social conflicts of the protagonists are fascinating and allow you to take a look at the writers' real lives. Real characters, real problems. Wholetrain is a very good film that not only reflects writing culture but also leaves room to authentically portray the writers' social reality."

See you Tuesday.

Let's Hope They Avoid (Cardiac) Arrest

2010-02-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Hert and Atak have been catching my eye lately.

Swoon in Philagrafika 2010

2010-02-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn's sweetheart of street art, Swoon, has made her way to the streets of North Philadelphia to participate in Philagrafika 2010, a citywide festival celebrating the role of print in contemporary artistic practice. Involving more than 300 artists at more than 80 venues throughout the city, Philagrafika includes etchings and woodcuts, vinyl graphics, comic books, videos and complicated, conceptually driven projects intended to raise social consciousness.

Swoon's colorful woodcuts on brown paper can be found scattered amongst businesses with names such as "Don's Doo Shop", burnt out buildings, art parks, and a long-abandoned gas station. They are, as Swoon says, “a moment of recognition, a wink from another human presence which is there and not there.”

(Big thanks to my brother Daniel for once again indulging my photographic interests, even in the aftermath of a huge snow storm...and for helping to dig out the cars of anyone parked near one of the Swoon pieces.)

detail shot

All Weather Robots

2010-02-08T21:49:00.004-05:00

Veng and Chris of Robots Will Kill, doing what they like to do best. Who cares if temperatures in Brooklyn are hovering around freezing when there are walls to be painted?!

Pufferella at Factory Fresh

2010-02-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

Pufferella on the streets of Brooklyn

For a limited engagement of one week only, Brooklyn's most smokin' gallerista will transform the front room of Factory Fresh into a magical land sure to please both the naughty and the nice! With all new fabric creations on display, Pufferella's latest show comes complete with rides and amusement provided by her friends Skewville & Plastik Mag.

"i know u are but what am i" opens Friday, February 12th, from 7-10pm. But if you just can't wait til then to get your Pufferella fix, check out her website and follow her on Twitter. Or just in case you need a little reminder of how damn adorable she is, check out Rebekah Potter's recent interview with the sexy sculptress here.

Pufferella book for the Booked! auction, 2007

Pufferella has been making Fabric creations since 2002 and has been involved with the
Skewville missions even longer. Her work deals mainly with sexual relations and the
afterthoughts. She is the woman behind the creation of Orchard Street Art Gallery in NYC
and Factory Fresh Art Gallery in Brooklyn. Her work has been shown in both solo and group
exhibitions throughout NYC, California, Dublin and London.

The Gentrification of Brooklyn show

2010-02-03T07:37:00.005-05:00

MoCADA's Gentrification of Brooklyn show, featuring works by street artist Specter (pictured above), photographer Nate Kensinger and many others, opens with a public reception Thursday, February 4th, from 6 to 9pm. There will be a public art performance, a DJ set, as well as a presentation by curator Dexter Wimberly. Check the museum website for a full list of public programs planned for the duration of the show.

The Gentrification of Brooklyn: The Pink Elephant Speaks
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts
February 4, 2010 - May 16, 2010
80 Hanson Place (at S. Portland)
Brooklyn, New York 11217

Featured Artists:
Josh Bricker (Installation), Oasa DuVerney (Illustration / Mixed-media), Zachary Fabri (Video), Irondale Ensemble (Theater Performance), Nathan Kensinger (Photography), Jess Levey (Photography / Outdoor Projections), Christina Massey (Painting), Musa (Sculpture), Tim Okamura (Painting), Kip Omalade (Painting), John Perry (Painting), Michael Premo / Rachel Falcone (Photography / Multimedia), Adele Pham (Video), Marie Roberts (Painting), Gabriel Reese (Painting), Ali Santana (Music Video), Monique Schubert (Mixed-media), Alexandria Smith (Painting) and Sarah Nelson Wright (Installation)

Shaken, Not Stirred

2010-02-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

Well, another exciting week has come and gone here in Brooklyn. Jef Aerosol's flight has touched down safely in France and we are left with nothing but our memories...oh yeah, and a whole lot of video & photo documentation. Carlito Brigante has been busy at work in the editing room this week, and he has just re-emerged with these new gems:

"The Door II." by Jef Aerosol from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

"The Door" by Jef Aerosol from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

"Power to the People" by Jef Aerosol from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

Vernissage: All Shook Up from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

Get Bombed

2010-01-31T22:59:00.003-05:00

Our friends over at Bomit just put together a list of their top ten favorite street art blogs, and The Street Spot was honored to have made the list. Stop by their blog to see who else made the cut - most of my favorites are on there!

Artists & Artlovers Do Their Part to Support Haiti

2010-01-27T17:43:00.007-05:00

As a follow-up to last week's post on Brooklynite Gallery's efforts to raise funds for the Chances 4 Children orphanage in Haiti: the bidding is still open on 3 special prints!

Oil Can 2 Haiti
Beejoir
Current Bid: $750

High Hopes
Eelus
Current Bid: $400

Untitled 1065
Guy Denning
Current Bid: $700

Contact info@brooklynitegallery.org to place your bid by Monday, February 1st.

In the meantime, a number of other artists have stepped up with charity prints of their own.

Haitian Girl
David Choe
$300

Coke Moss
K-Guy
Current bid: £520

Haiti Charity Print
Josh Keyes
$30

Last but not least, wear your support for Haiti proudly:

I Heart Haiti
Billi Kid
$25