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Art

Graffiti Street Scenes Vividly Recreated in Beeswax and Thread

By Marina Galperina on

Laura Ortiz Vega is somewhat of a remix artist. She scouts locations around her native Mexico City and documents the freshest, most vibrant graffiti she can find. Then she recreates the images through a painstaking ancient artisan technique of the Huichol people by tightly weaving and stringing colorful wool threads, gluing the coils with a natural beeswax called cera de campeche for authenticity. Part (traditionally) feminine craft, part (traditionally) masculine street culture, part new, part old, and all very much in the vein of her culture, Vega re-invents the form with her clever, devoted and fun work. Up close, the mastery is really apparent. Take a gander at some of our favorite pieces below.  … Read More

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Art

Mobstr’s Sarcastic and Ironic Street Art About Street Art

By Heba Hasan on

Minimalist, black-stenciled graffiti art is nothing groundbreaking — just peruse Etsy and you’ll find a host of inspired decals for your laptop. But England’s Mobstr adds a new spin to the subgenre through sarcastic and cheeky sayings that slyly hint at the cliched nature of street art ca. 2012. Spotted on My Modern Met, the Newcastle artist’s work sets out to show the differences and similarities between street art and advertisements. As Mobstr explains in an interview with the Public Ad Campaign, “I want something quirky and different. Something which makes you smile, which makes you question, which makes you think…. even if it is ‘why the fuck is that there?’” Mission accomplished. Click through to see some of our favorite Mobstr pieces. … Read More

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Pop Culture

10 Great Songs About Famous Visual Artists

By Marina Galperina on

Even reigning glam aliens have idols. Even top hip hop impresarios obsess over that one particular painting. There is no shortage of guitar strumming, rapping, and singing about art at large, but we’re keen on odes and tributes to specific heroes of art history. From David Bowie’s serenade to “Andy Warhol” to the Modern Lovers’ investigations into “Pablo Picasso” and why he “never got called an asshole,” here are a few notable tracks inspired by famous visual artists. Did we miss your favorite? Drop us a comment. … Read More

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Photography

Documenting the Environmental Crisis of the 1970s

By Alison Nastasi on

From 1971 to 1977, the Environmental Protection Agency asked freelance photographers to shoot images related to environmental issues that were overwhelming the turbulent ’70s. The Documerica project is a fascinating look at how various communities across America coped with the crises that plagued their small towns and big cities. While there are a fair share of disturbing moments in the striking photo series, there’s also a lot of beauty amongst the chaos. Click through to see a smoggy New York skyline that looks like sweet, perfumed death, one of the earliest electric cars, and indulge your love of dirty subway scenes. … Read More

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Art

Derelict Realism: Paintings of Graffitied Vans and Vehicles

By Alison Nastasi on

Depicting derelict cars and graffiti-covered vans that your mama warned you to stay away from, Kevin Cyr’s hyper-detailed paintings of grimy vehicles are broken-down gems. His series ranges from random vans he documented in Brooklyn (of the Vandura, Chevy, and Econoline Chateau variety), to various delivery flatbeds, and creepy ice cream trucks. The oil (and sometimes silkscreen) works on panel are almost reminiscent of Matchbox toy cars that have been destroyed with a Sharpie — but their photorealistic details make these paintings far from a mere caricature. The inclusion of vehicles with brand logos (we’ve always loved the Utz girl) bring up questions about commercialism. Check out our gallery of Cyr’s paintings past the break. … Read More

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News

Skywriting as Graffiti: SABER Protests Mural Moratorium

By Tanja M. Laden on

Urban artist SABER has discovered a new place to put his graffiti: the sky. In an effort to protest a mural moratorium imposed by the Los Angeles City Council, the SoCal street-scrawler tagged the skies above his city with cryptic messages like “Upperplayground,” “Art Work Rebels,” “Art Is Not A Crime,” “End Mural Moratorium,” and in a nod to fellow graffiti-maker, Shepard Fairey, “Obey.” SABER’s skywriting project comes on the heels of MoCA’s Art in the Streets exhibit, and addresses LA’s contradictory practices of sanctioning huge billboards for ads while prohibiting large-and-small-scale murals. According to LATaco.com, the campaign is an effort to get more people to sign a petition ending the mural moratorium. As SABER claims, “Los Angeles was once the ‘Mural Capital of the World’ and [the] city should claim that title again!” See more skywriting after the jump. … Read More

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Partner Buzz

Start Exploring with the Flavorpill Street-Art Guide

By Doug Levy on

Graffiti may have been around for decades, but thanks to artists like Banksy and Swoon, street art has achieved new cultural significance — which means that, for many of us, some of the most stunning works of modern art are just around the corner. Of course, the city is a big place, so unless you spend your days wandering the back-roads and alleys, it’s easy to miss some of your local street-art masterpieces. That’s why we’ve teamed with Havaianas to create an extremely handy guide to a selection of the amazing artwork in NYC, LA, and Miami that doesn’t need a museum to shine — inspired by the brand’s new limited-edition Graffiti sandals. Check out a gallery of images from the guide here, then click through for the whole thing, including printable maps. … Read More

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Photography

Photo Gallery: Chernobyl Graffiti

By Marina Galperina on

Twenty-five years since the Chernobyl disaster, people are slowly returning to the restricted “Zone.” Yes, it’s still radioactive, but people come to maintain it, document it, and exploit it for thought provoking projects. One such visitor is photographer Alex Cheban, who focused on the abandoned town of Pripyat and its haunting graffiti.

There are patterns to the ghost town graffiti “scene.” Unsettling silhouettes of children reach for light switches in rotting buildings and play on the tallest roof in Pripyat. There are flowers blooming on the walls of the most hollowed out urban ruins. There’s even a glimmer of dark humor in the graffiti tribute to the indestructible roach, now ruling over the town’s unfinished parks and empty streets, crawling over rusted barrels and smashed billboards. See more post-Chernobyl graffiti in our gallery. … Read More

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Art

Required Reading: Top 10 Books About Graffiti

By Tanja M. Laden on

Opening this weekend, the first major American museum survey of graffiti and street art, Art in the Streets chronicles the evolution of the urban art movement from the 1970s through today. MoCA’s groundbreaking exhibit features works by dozens of working artists, including Shepard Fairey and Swoon, but for anyone who can’t make it to the show, we’ve compiled a list of must-have books on the topic. From the 1987 book Spraycan Art to The History of American Graffiti, our required reading list gives you everything you’ll need to stay informed about the past, present, and future of graffiti art across the globe. … Read More

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Art

Our 10 Favorite Female Graffiti Writers

By Yasha Wallin on

Yesterday we reported on Theodora Richards’ brush with the law, an incident in which she was apprehended for writing graffiti. Historically the medium has been male dominated, so in appreciation of Richards’ efforts, we compiled a list of her predecessors — our ten favorite female graffiti artists from around the world. Though it’s doubtful tagging “TNA” (which she was arrested for) will ever earn her a spot on this list, it’s nice to know she’s trying, even if those attempts end with a court date. Check out our ten favorite female graffiti writers after the jump. … Read More

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