Visitors to Houston Street and the Bowery in Manhattan will be rewarded with a wonderful mural. The piece, painted by brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo reflects their Brazilian roots. Street illustration is combined with characteristically Brazilian vibrant colors. The two brothers work under the name Os Gêmeos which in Portuguese translates to “the twins.’ Measuring about 15 feet by 50 feet, the mural will be up through next April.
LA street artist ABCNT recently introduced Neda, a poster in memory of Neda Agha-Soltan, the 26 year old Iranian woman who was shot and killed June 20, 2009 amidst an Iranian antigovernment protests. The ABCNT image has quickly been adopted by Iranian resistance groups who had already used images of Ms. Agha-Soltan as a symbol of their cause.
For over a century, Barcelona has inspired artists to create their best works. Here, Gaudi designed his outrageous, fantastical architectural buildings and Picasso painted some of his most memorable masterpieces. The streets still buzz with artistic life and that’s partially in thanks to Anna Taratiel.
In her work, the Barcelona native juxtaposes rigid geometric shapes with soft organic lines, then adds intense colors that cause your eye to bounce all around the image. The result are cartoonish images, a touch reminiscent of Lichtenstein, which convey deep emotion and movement through the simple shapes and balance of color, whether they’re thrown up as street art or displayed in a traditional gallery. I’ve personally found myself most moved by her (possibly illegal?) hulking outdoor works that must startle the passerby upon first glance. Commissioned or not, it seems she has designed them so they improve, not detract, from the original space.
Saturday April 25th, 7 – 9pm Mid-City Arts
5113 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
For those that did not happen to grow up in Los Angeles, Chaka is infamous for being one of the city’s most prolific and most recognized graffiti artists. He left his mark literally all over the city-scape in the early 90s.
Now he returns with a show featuring a retrospective of styles and other new works. It will also be an opportunity for collectors to purchase a piece of the legend!
Entitled the Knight, this new RETNA and The Mac collaboration embodies Los Angeles culture with delicate precision. RETNA’s signature typography flanks the portrait with pensive Spanish prose to the left and an excerpt from Marvin Gay’s “What’s Goin’ On” to the right, and finally tipping the brim of the hat with the inscription “Only Love Can Conquer Hate.”
The Mac is no stranger to intricate shading techniques and stoic portraiture. Much of his most recent work plays with topographical and moire patterns in fine detail. Here he’s utilized a circulating moire technique giving this striking figure an almost relaxed intensity.
The mural is located off Jefferson Blvd. in Baldwin Hills, CA, just east of La Brea.
As you’re well aware, there are all different types of street art. From gorgeous murals thrown up in the middle of the night to brilliantly-design posters wheatpasted onto the side of power generators the styles run a wide gamut. And Michael Anderson’s collaged statements fit somewhere in there. For his colorful, wild works, this New York-born artist collects street posters from all over the world and then cuts them up to create his own pieces. When reinvisioned in new ways, the once mundane images become striking, much in the way Jasper Johns changed our impression of the American flag.
This month, Anderson’s street art-inspired works will be on view at the Marlborough Gallery in New York and the exhibition will feature collaged works reflecting his thoughts on a number of pop culture moments, including his take on The Dark Knight and the Beijing Olympics.
On February 24, 2009 a set of 20 limited edition Bansky prints were put up for auction at Bonhams’ Urban Art Sale in London. The prints, originally produced in 2006, feature a Warhol-esque Kate Moss. Expected to retrieve up to £150,000 ($222,000 USD), the work failed to sell. This was a shock, as one of the very same prints sold at Bonham’s for £96,000 just a year ago. It is difficult to say if this is a reflection of the state of the UK economy or of Banksy’s appeal.
It is rumored that Banksy, in an effort to prove his work could transcend the Banksy brand name, staged the June 2008 “Life is Beautiful” show in Los Angeles under the guise Mr. Brainwash. Jam packed with prints and installations, many of which referenced Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe pieces, the show drew an estimated 5,000+ eager fans on opening night. Each anxious to get a glimpse of the masses of work steeped in controversy and marred by rumors. Some suggested that Thierry Guetta, a.k.a Mr. Brainwash, was a hired proxy in the Banksy prank.
What is obvious is that the MBW and Banksy sets are drawn from the same cloth. The recent Banksy re-release is a sobering reminder that controversy may not be enough to drive value and demand for his work.
Spanish street artist and illustrator David de la Mano has been hard at work in 2009, with two murals down already. Located on landfill and abandoned land, these two pieces seem to depict the less fortunate figures that might have inhabited this land once. At least one of the murals was unfortunately destroyed as the wall was demolished. This has not affected David’s attitude toward the piece as he says “let us celebrate the ephemeral.” We agree.
The career of French street artist Eltono has evolved in new and exciting ways since his start in 1989. His most recent work aimed to rescue street art and place pieces on view at the Rojo Art Space in Milan. The project began with 48 unique posters and evolved into 16 pieces posted in the neighborhood surrounding the gallery. By leaving the corners of the posters unglued, Eltono invited the public and nature to contribute to the finished pieces. Over a five day period, he patrolled the postered route and collected a piece once he felt it was sufficiently composed. Of the original 16 pieces, 8 were rescued and returned to the gallery for view, 2 were stolen, 2 were destroyed and two remain in their initially posted locations. Publico remains on view at the Rojo Art Space until February 28th.
Entitled the Knight, this new 
As you’re well aware, there are all different types of street art. From gorgeous murals thrown up in the middle of the night to brilliantly-design posters wheatpasted onto the side of power generators the styles run a wide gamut. And 
On February 24, 2009 a set of 20 limited edition Bansky prints were put up for auction at Bonhams’ Urban Art Sale in London. The prints, originally produced in 2006, feature a Warhol-esque Kate Moss. Expected to retrieve up to £150,000 ($222,000 USD), the work failed to sell. This was a shock, as one of the very same prints sold at Bonham’s for £96,000 just a year ago. It is difficult to say if this is a reflection of the state of the UK economy or of Banksy’s appeal.
