Michael Jackson, RIP

The news is reporting he died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, but it's still a bit early to be sure how and why he died so young.

Tragic in life, tragic in death, King of Pop, RIP.

Banksy at Bristol Museum

Don't miss the "pictures" slide show link.

IZ THE WIZ obituary

Thanks to Pink Smith for sending this in.

Invader and WK Interact this summer at Jonathan Levine Gallery, NY

Invader is back in the States, so if you're in NYC, keep looking up.

TOP 10
by extermitent

JLG shows some interesting art ... the upcoming Houser and Dalek shows for example.

Jonathan LeVine Gallery | 529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor | New York, NY 10011 | Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm | 212-243-3822

IZ THE WIZ candlelight memorial tonight in NYC

The flyer for the event reproduces a magazine article from 1998 in which IZ explains his illness and warns against the dangers of spray paint.

Thanks IZ.

Wear those respirators, kids.

Haven Arts Gallery, 7-10 pm ... bring a candle.

50 Bruckner Blvd, Bldg A
Bronx NY 10454
+1 718.585.5753

Susan

IZ photos by Steam

Steam156 has published some of his extensive photo collection, this time of IZ THE WIZ shots, in memory of the King.

Thanks, Steam!

RIP - IZ THE WIZ

IZ THE WIZ left this Earth June 17, 2009.

He will be missed forever, yet hIs legend lives on.

His work is still on view at Tuff City Tattoo in the Bronx, but it's no longer for sale.

Memorial activities will be private, for close friends and family.

Sincere condolences to those he leaves behind.

Chaka, from graffiti to gallery -

by - Mike Boehm, LA Times

Chaka's current show in LA, what he's been struggling with since his series of high-profile arrests.

Tats Cru x Obama x Won ABC

Video roundup

Paris Graffiti Artists (JonOne) -- CBS Sunday Morning 4/5/09 (via Denz)


Faith47-The Cape Of Good Hope with music by Inge Beckmann, from Rowan on Vimeo.


Kaws


Graffiti Boss OBS Crew Hamburg Germany

Verbo

Verbo's been doing some interesting high-tech projects.

How and Nosm

How and Nosm have a new website!

giant gay repellent umbrella

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

giantgayrepellentumbrella.com

This is a satire on a real advertisement running on US TV that tries to convince people that somehow something bad will happen to the quality of their marriages if other people marry -- which doesn't make any sense.

Because being gay is innate, rather than a "lifestyle choice," it makes no sense to fight against it. No change is possible except whether to pretend or not and whether to be prejudiced or not. Pretending and prejudice are not good lifestyle choices, no matter who is doing it. If people want to get married that's their problem, their business, who cares.

As a species, we really need to get over this and deal with reality.

Diar's blog

Diar's got a new wheelchair. That's some great news.

Mr Cartoon

LA Times did a great article on Mr Cartoon.

Apex Interview

VIMBY - Apex

Pose 2 and Chor Boogie

KAWS, the brand, the history, and his show in LA

An exhibition of KAWS' paintings and sculptures is set to open at Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City tonight [Feb 21 - Apr 4]. "I Can't Feel My Face," a group show the artist curated, opens at the Royal/T gallery, also in Culver City, on Sunday. Later this year, KAWS' art will be included in a group show called "Plastic Culture" at London's Harris Museum and Art Gallery. And KAWS is scheduled to show new works in a solo show at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Connecticut in December 2010.

Congratulations, KAWS!

Miami Graffiti Artist Falls From Highway Sign, Dies

The 28-year-old man fell from a catwalk on a road sign hanging over the Palmetto Expressway at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Troopers said a pickup truck hit and killed the man on the roadway. The driver of the pickup truck did stop.
FHP troopers found a can of spray paint near the man's body.

The picture in the article is not the sign in question, which was on the 826, according to TV news reports.

RIP Merk TK KC aka Enrique Olivera.

Our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Rime and Persue in China

SHOK-1 art retrospective online

SHOKthen is a major retrospective of the art made by British graffiti / outsider artist SHOK-1 between 1984 and 2004.  He produced a huge amount of work during this period and much of it is being published now for the first time, online.

Light art by Michael Bosanko

I wish they would stop calling this a kind of (or a replacement for) graffiti, but it is kind of interesting. I suppose we'll have machines that do this soon to create 3D light sculptures, but right now, the images are being created inside cameras.

Alex Pardee on Harley-Davidson

Check out Alex's fabulous characters on gas tank and drawing.

16th century alphabet drawings

Diar is getting better, blogging too!

After a horrendous car accident in 2008 that left him paralyzed, Diar's recovery continues. He's selling t-shirts and paintings to help pay the bills. The site has more info.

He could sure use some moral support and good wishes, so please check out his blog and leave a comment if you have time.

The Seventh Day Project - Persue

More time-lapse goodness from the Known Gallery, with Persue a special guest appearance by BunnyKitty.

Frank Frazetta, Rough Work

Boingboing has some page shots of Frazetta's sketchbook book, which is still availalble in bookstores and quite reasonably priced.

Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Spectrum Fantastic Art; 1st Hardcover Ed edition (September 28, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599290138
ISBN-13: 978-1599290133
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches

Amazon has it at US$13.57 for example.

LWO light drawing

LWO calls this "graff video" but again, I think we need a new term. Anyone? Love the industrial hardcore music on this one by Tosaka and Brian, at the "Night of terror" party, at La Générale de Manufacture à Sèvres (France).
You can see more at LWO's site, which is devoted to this art form.

Manifest Hope Art Contest for President Obama's Inauguration

Hurry.

Persue's new blog

Persué brings us news of his recent trip to the Wall Lords jam in China, and more.

pronunciation key: per-sway, not per-soo. 

Vimby graffiti videos

Vimby has a bunch of free online videos, interviews with writers and stuff.

More news from Brazil

The update about Carolina and this tidbit of goodness are from Lost Art:

Mural SP II by Os Gemeos, Nina, Nunca, Finok, and Zefix
(scroll sideways)

RISK on URB

Jason Atomic sketches Rammellzee

(Music is from the CD "The Bi-conicals Of Rammellzee")

Ash's new mural in Berlin

More Christmas artwork

by SlacSatu, from Singapore


by Leon Rainbow, from New Jersey USA

Merry Christmas paintings

I thought I'd share some of the Christmas pieces from my inbox this week.


Azerox, in China


Doodle Dubz, in the UK


Kafy, in Mexico

WTF is a Legend Anyways?

Estria says:

The word 'legend' has become blasé in today's world of Hip Hop. It seems if you painted for a couple-few years, you're a legend. If you were in graffiti for a minute, back in the day, and now you start getting back into the culture, you can consider yourself a king and an OG, a dope authority on the game, if only because you knew so-and-so, or you were there when so-and-so painted such-and-such piece. In fact I think you can now claim the crown without ever having earned the crown.

Read the rest at Estria's blog ...

Zedz

zedz.org (new stuff!)

Above releases a print for charity

TOPR - The Marathon of Shame CD+DVD

Topr's new project kicks ass. The Marathon of Shame has not only a full CD of music, but also a DVD with interviews, performances, graffiti slideshow, and time-lapse painting, and it's all covered in Alex Pardee artwork. Here are some videos from the 'tube to get you going.

The link above goes to the accesshiphop store where you can buy it.







Topr's MySpace

Kane One's custom "Obama Force 1" sneakers

Kane One's custom "Obama Force 1" sneakers will be dropping at select retailers in Chicago on January 21st, 2009, on the day that Barack Obama gets inaugurated into the White House. You can learn more and secure your advance order online at the link above.

Light Art

People are calling it "light graffiti" (or "urban light art," LOL), but it needs a new name. An interesting collection of artists and works. Here are more examples.

Graffiti and Street Art Auction

Investment quality old-school graffiti art (Crash, Daze, Futura, Rammellzee, Haring, etc.) and a few interesting street artists' pieces too (Mr A, L'Atlas, Blek le Rat, etc.). Martha Cooper has some photos in it as well.

December 15th.

Shoe

Shoe's new Calligraffiti expo at Rush Hour Records in Amsterdam

The artist known as Shoe, aka Niels Meulman (1967, Amsterdam) is the inventor of Calligraffti - calligraphy and graffiti merged into one art form. Shoe began tagging when he was 13 years old and now he's a locally and internationally renowned artist, designer, art director and owner of Unruly, a brand of designer silk scarves.

AN EXHIBITION OF TITLES - BY NIELS SHOE MEULMAN
RUSH HOUR - SPUISTRAAT 98 AMSTERDAM
19 DECEMBER - 18 JANUARY 2009
OPENING THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER - 18:00

[Shoe is one of the most respected style masters in the world. Don't miss this chance to see his work in person!

Speaking of Shoe's silk scarves ... Santa, please.]

Making art *and* money

There are a lot of resources mentioned (and linked) in the article along with some inspiring success stories. Here's a taste:

Mr. Niles and Ms. Hellmuth have learned on their own what Elliot McGucken teaches in his course, Artist Entrepreneurs, which he developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a grant from the Kauffman Foundation. Mr. McGucken?s course, now taught at Pepperdine University, rests on the principle that those who create art should have the skills to own it, profit from it and protect it.

?It?s about how to make your passion your profession, your avocation your vocation, and to make this long-term sustainable,? he said.

Tristan Hummel, 22, a senior at the Art Institute of Chicago, said he wanted to help create a world where artists could do art as their primary practice and still make a living. Three years ago, after reading that Chicago?s El trains were available for rent, he got the idea to bring artists together to create an art show on wheels. This fall, his idea came to fruition with ?Art on Track,? an eight-train car on the orange line that traveled Chicago?s loop while displaying the work of more than 200 emerging artists.

[Photos ...]

Art schools, too, are starting to step in. At the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., students can now major or minor in a program called ?The Business of Art and Design.? Larry Thompson, the school?s dean, said he was inspired to create the program when he read about Dan Pink?s book, ?A Whole New Mind,? which popularized the notion that artists, especially those who can marry left and right brain skills, the analytical and the creative, will be in high demand in the coming years.

?I am committed to destroying the myth of the starving artist,? Mr. Thompson said.

There are more art-related and creative jobs now than ever before, because of computers and the Web. Also, running your own arts or crafts business is much easier now, for the same reasons. It takes only some skill and samples to get started in many cases, so educating yourself is the place to start.

Mambo's Urban Furniture

Madrid, Spain - Check out Mambo's many other interesting street interventions under "urban furniture" on his site.

Berok and Chacon - underwater scene

Berok and Chacon, from Spain, painted this lovely 11 x 7 meter mural recently, which includes an amazing octopus. Lucky guys had a lift too.

Albus Cavus in DC

Jam at an intersection in Columbia Heights in Washington DC on Sunday, November 9, 2008.

Participating artists: Tim CON (DC), Decoy (DC), Billy Mode (MD), VJ (DC), Owel (DC), Gaia (MD), Leon Rainbow (NJ), Will Kasso (NJ), Demer (NJ), Peter Krsko (DC) - on flickr.

10,000 hours = expertise

Malcolm Gladwell explains the relationship among effort, talent, and success. What looks like genius can be explained to some extent by practice. Early successes mean early parental support.

The NYT spoof - Yes Men and others claim responsibility

We've seen The Yes Men in action before, and they are some of the coolest pranksters ever.

Bombing Beirut

Stone, graffiti pioneer from Germany, recently went to Beirut Lebanon to work with writers there. Previously you'll recall Stone organized two big events in Cuba with Os Gemeos, Won, Neon (Germany) and Cemnoz -- altogether more than 25 writers from Germany, Brazil, and Cuba.

Rezine69 Light Graf Exhibition

Refa One: Obama train

A Brand New Illustration by Oakland Artist "Refa One" Depicting Obama. This is the Latest Subway Car illustration from the popular Series "Train of Thought".

Title: "The Winds of Change" (ObAmA)
Medium: Permanent Ink, Pigment Pens and Marker Illustration
Size: 8 X17 inches (framed)
Price: $350.

Signed Prints:
8 X 17 inches $50
5 X 11 inches $25

contact: [email protected]

A.K.A. Graffiti - Oakland California - August 2008

At FIVEten Studio with Peeta (check out his new canvases) and TDK crew and performers of many kinds.

Photos by Peeta, Kemrexx, and Susan Farrell. Regrettably these are not all the items in the show, but here are some of the more photographable highlights.


Dream.TDK RIP

Peeta

Peeta

detail

Vogue

Vogue

Low Rider, parked


Peeta

Low Rider with Vogue paint, character

Vogue

Merx

Merx

Merx

Merx

Peeta

Vogue

Bando on Flickr

Bando has long been considered one of the most influential style masters since Dondi. He wrote in NYC, Paris, and London in the 1980s with CTK and the Chrome Angels.

Thanks to Rough for the heads up.

Chor Boogie on his color theory and his work

VIMBY - Chor Boogie

Obama graffiti

PinkSmith, NYC


Cre, L.A.

I can probably show a few more between now and election day, so if you've got them, send them to [email protected] soon.

Video Roundup

Crayone movies

Teaser painterz vol2
by flocuscityzen

Missing Hungarian Writer

Maybe you heard about Miki going missing this spring, but it turns out he's still out there somewhere (Europe) and maybe in trouble.

COMET, PJAY, DUSTER, CAP, SEEN - canvases and sketches

For sale online, in France. worldwide delivery.

info: [email protected]

Where to get those cool Obama artist stickers

El Mac, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, David Choe, and more! These stickers are big, vinyl, nice collectibles and the proceeds go to making more stickers. Limited to 5000 by each artist.

Banksy's Pet Store in New York

Banksy's "Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill" will be open until October 31st (Halloween) daily from 10am until midnight. And you can see the stuff through the window too, so just go.

While New Yorkers have been consumed by the stock market meltdown, a tiny little pet store quietly opened four days ago at 89 7th Avenue between West 4th and Bleeker Street in the West Village of New York City.

It's an installation with no live animals (finally). And it's stencil and graffiti free. It would be hard to believe it's Banksy's if Wooster Collective hadn't said so. Follow the link to see their video of some of it.

Wooster: From Banksy:

?New Yorkers don?t care about art, they care about pets. So I?m exhibiting them instead. I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing. I took all the money I made exploiting an animal in my last show and used it to fund a new show about the exploitation of animals. If it's art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art."

DJ Z Trip - Free music download: The Obama Mix

"DJ Z Trip, recently named in the top five DJs in the United States by DJ Times, has created a free downloadable mix for all to share called "Obama Mix". Perfected over months, the Obama Mix is one masterful 54-minute mp3 track. "

"Presented along with the now iconic Shepard Fairey Obama HOPE print, Z Trip's Obama Mix showcases exactly how Obama is changing the way youth culture views and engages in politics."

"In a note to his fans, Z Trip urges people to get informed and to vote, 'Please share the message. Educate those who may not know what is really going on. There is still time. I encourage you to make it a priority to speak to your friends, family and co-workers. Speak to anyone who will listen. This election is WAY too important for anyone to not get involved. Together we will vote to change our current course and reclaim a leadership of which we can be proud' "

Oakland graffiti - on KPFA radio

Meeting of Styles in Oakland last month was covered by KPFA community radio, who interviewed members of the TDK crew on graffiti art and its role in society and politics. You can listen to it in MP3.

Dream.TDK RIP. The legacy lives on.

Dondi prints for sale for charity

Purchase link (see link above for the image of the print)

"Happy Birthday Dad" by Dondi White (published by the Baurmann Gallery/Dondi White Estate)

In honor and commemoration of Dondi White, a special charity silkscreen edition of 129 will be released for $129 + shipping on October 2nd, 2008. Dondi White passed away on October 2nd, 1998. "Gods Love We Deliver" helped him tremendously in the final years.

Seattle gets lovely mural

NKO and Scratchmaster Joe have incorporated ghost signage into their crystalline, 100x65 ft mural on Monique Lofts between Pike and Pine streets on 11th Avenue, and the result is strikingly wonderful.

The mural is a collection of crystalline geometries; a site-specific, improvisational painting reacting to the architecture and vibrancy of the location it occupies. The mural seeks to represent the history of its surface through the preservation of raw concrete and ghost signage, while acknowledging contemporary urbanism through palette, form and materials.

INSA - shoes

Spike heels for the ladies by the UK writer INSA. Hot stuff.

Party in Rio - Rio Cruzeiro, a Favela Painting Project

Haas & Hahn proudly announce the inauguration of Rio Cruzeiro, a Favela Painting Project, on 17-19 October 2008

Rio Cruzeiro, an artwork by Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn. A +2000 m2 painting of a japanese style river based on a design by master tattooist Rob Admiraal. Painted together with kids from the community of Vila Cruzeiro, the most infamous favela of Rio de Janeiro.

The weekend of the 17th - 19th of October will feature an opening party, photo exhibit and video installations in the center of Rio de Janeiro. On the 18th the painting will be unveiled, followed by a huge blockparty. There will be photo opportunities for the press, guided tours through the community and the whole day will be planned in cooperation with the IBISS Community Center.

Join the Celebration! A once in a lifetime experience to visit this favela and the Favela Painting Project! Book your flights to Rio now!

Those of us who can't fly in for the party can drop them a note on their blog to congratulate these brave and hardworking artists.

DFW RIP

David Foster Wallace, college professor and author of the mindblowing book, Infinite Jest and many others, has apparently killed himself this weekend. Every newsthing is already covering the story of his life, but I have to say a few words because his work and his passing mean a lot to me, and to all of his readers.

His honesty was something I really appreciated ... and every word in that phrase is an extreme understatement. His candid point of view was a blue-white cutting torch with an escape plan. People compare him to Pynchon often, but in my heart he was closer to Vonnegut and Brautigan.

His work is so much fun to read because he invested all of himself in it, he expressed himself in an original way, and he was as hilarious as he was brilliant and insightful. For those lucky people who have not read him yet, please take the time to sample any page in Infinite Jest. I think you'll be very glad that it's a big book.

There's a little taste of him at the link above, a university commencement speech he made. I hope it inspires you too. I sure wish he had stayed a lot longer and said a lot more.

"Bummer" burner at Burning Man - Peter K and Pose 2

Women rock Berlin

Toofly has covered the recent female invitational graffiti jam in Berlin.

Bozo Texino and Bill Daniel - collector alert

Vanessa Renwick has a really nice triple-photo piece of Bill Daniel and Bozo Texino in her latest show at Needles and Pens in San Francisco. It's unique. "3 spectra polaroids - edition of 1 - $600," and you can see it at the link above listed as "Grandpa and Bill" about halfway down the page or directly, here. Some other nice stuff is in the show. I love the nuclear plant demolition photo.

Bill Daniel made the fabulous documentary film called "Who is Bozo Texino". We still have a few copies left in our store if you haven't got one yet.

Contact Vanessa at [email protected] about the artwork.

Ron English: Take America back, Obama

Writers in Republic of Georgia protest Russian invasion

The scene in Georgia is very young still, and these Tbilisi writers are only 50 miles or so away from the Russian occupied area.

Rough videos

Rough at Tate Modern - UK history


Stormie and Rough brighten up Perth Australia

The Mac has a blog

And new prints!

Street Art and Aesthetics: The Renaissance of Cute

Nick Mount has just published a great article in Walrus, a Canadian magazine. It discusses the relationship between fine art, lowbrow, graffiti, street art, merchandise and collectibles, among other things. Nick does a good job explaining what's going on by taking the long view.

Slick, Extended Conversation

in URB: Culture, by Michael Vazquez

Estria interview

There's a great interview with Estria (San Francisco) in Nichi Bei Times.

See his paintings at estria.net and screenprinting at SamuraiGraphix.

the restless debt of third world beauty

Faith47 from South Africa

She's in Berlin this August with the show of the same name.

It opens August 8 7pm at ATM gallery

Mare139: Day 5

Showing you how the chrome 3D is done.

On Femicide: Swoon and Tennessee Jane

Carnivalesque Dreams of Os Gemeos

Video interview with the twins at their NYC show going on right now at Deitch Projects
via KR

New York: June 28 - August 9, 2008
Os Gemeos: Too Far Too Close
212 343 7300

Open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 12PM to 6PM
Deitch Projects - 18 Wooster St, New York NY

Graffiti on stuff

This is quite an extensive look at the juncture of modern fashion, art objects, and graffiti.

Pretty funny at times. Stuff you'll want too, I bet.

Good article from IIHIH.

Mare139 in the UK

Mare139 is in Brighton England doing some metal sculpture and stuff. You can see what he's up to on his blog. Don't miss the West profile at the bottom too.

Tom14 and Martha Cooper Interviews

Barcelona-based street artist Tom14

Photographer Martha Cooper who has documented the old school NY graffiti scene for many years. (Lots of great photos!!)

on SubmarineChannel

From Russia

Ykor


Razvod

Interview with EAST

Joker on Flickr

Joker Transcend breaks out a portfolio on Flickr!

DJ Qbert on YouTube - Thud Rumble

Qbert, king of turntablism, is up for best DJ of 2008. You can find the place to vote and a whole lot more from Thud Rumble's YouTube page.

TATS Cru does windows

Congratulations to TATS for their high-profile job at Lord & Taylor.

Chicago: Arrest Made in Murder of Artist SOLVE

www.solvesolvesolve.com

CHICAGO (WBBM/STNG) - Kirk Tobolski, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing of Brendan Scanlon, a well-known local graffiti artist in the Logan Square neighborhood early Saturday. Tobolski, of the 2600 block of West Iowa Street, was charged with one count of first-degree murder Sunday, according to police News Affairs.

Scanlon was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest at 3032 W. Palmer Blvd. about 2:40 a.m., police News Affair Officer Laura Kubiak said.

Scanlon was leaving a party when he got into a "verbal altercation" and was subsequently stabbed, police said.

Scanlon, of 2846 W. Palmer Blvd., died of a stab wound to the chest, an autopsy determined Saturday. His death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner.

Scanlon graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2007, and worked as a freelance artist and graphic designer, according to his Web site.

Scanlon is reportedly SOLVE, a local graffiti artist. Many people discussed his death on a Chicago Street Art online discussion forum Saturday.

"The Chicago street art and graffiti community has suffered another devastating blow to our family," one of the forum members posted Saturday. A memorial of Scanlon's work is reportedly in the works.

Scanlon wanted "to be a respected member of the international design community," and thought "art is one of the things that makes life worth it," according to his Myspace profile, where friends posted mournful comments Saturday.

SOLVE VIDEO
SOLVE LOGO
Kirk Tobolski

The word on the street is that the guy who stabbed him was known for carrying a knife and cutting himself ... clearly a nutcase!! Solve's work was always a treat to see - he always hit up smart spots and created a lot of thought provoking work. He will be missed.

[Info thanks to Risk]

Graffiti in Shanghai

RIVAL, LA graf legend: Write In Peace

At URB, by Risk.

RIP Rival.WCA


Rival and Grem

ESPO paints in Ireland

The New York Times just published an article about ESPO, who received a Fulbright scholarship to paint in Northern Ireland.
See the article for the slide show too.

Congratulations, Steve!

Laser-etched decks

Refill magazine, which focuses on our kind of artists, has curated some laser-etched skate decks. The one by Aaron Horkey (Abuse) is spectacular.

via BoingBoing

Hieroglyphic Collages - Steven Travis

May 27 - June 21, 2008

Amos Eno Gallery
530 W 25th St. 6th floor
NY NY 10001
212 226-5342

Steven is not a writer but he works with lettering and calligraphy in interesting ways.

Erik DeBat "Risk" - Chicago - Time-lapse mural

Barcodes in Artwork (and graffiti)

Quite interesting.