The non-profit RxArt, committed to beautifying bleak hospital walls with the work of contemporary artists, has us digging for the Crayloa Big Boxes of our youth. The organization’s latest aesthetically pleasing dose of love will be released tonight at its annual RxArt PARTY, in the form of the coloring book Between the Lines, which compiles crayon-ready reproductions of famous contemporary works and features pages by notable street artists. Take a look at a few images from the book, including a Shepard Fairey peace-sign hand and some fun pictorial games sketched out by Mr. Brainwash, after the jump, then head to Paper to see more.
One of street art’s greatest mysteries — you know, besides Banksy’s identity — is whether Exit Through the Gift Shop was a “real” documentary or a prank. Now, unless Banksy and his cohorts are ridiculously committed to performance art (which we suppose is still a remote possibility), it seems we have our answer. The Guardianreports that photographer Glen Friedman just won a lawsuit against Thierry Guetta, a.k.a. Mr. Brainwash, the French-born filmmaker-turned-street artist profiled in the film for using his image of Run-DMC in a piece. If Mr. Brainwash were merely a character created by Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and friends, it’s hard to imagine Guetta as a legitimate target for the suit.
Although Guetta is obviously a joke in the street-art community, his legal troubles may have a serious impact on it: Judge Dean Pregerson’s ruling states that “[t]o permit one artist the right to use without consequence the original creative and copyrighted work of another artist simply because that artist wished to create an alternative work would eviscerate any protection by the copyright act.” Considering street artists’ fondness for messing with everything from iconic photos to corporate logos, this precedent is worrisome indeed.
Over the last few years, the selling of street art in precious environments like galleries, auctions and art fairs has yielded tens of thousands of dollars. With street art now big business it wasn’t entirely surprising when we heard about a Banksy stencil being encased in a large piece of Plexiglas to protect it from the elements and presumably other artists. The move came from the building’s owner who discovered the value of his vandalized wall and may eventually cash in on it.
Is a new Mr. Brainwash piece that recently cropped up in Los Angeles the street art version of a For Your Consideration ad for Banksy’s Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop? Definitely. And we’re hoping that he wins too, just because we’re curious about who will go up and accept the award. As the elusive street artist stated last week, “I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.” [via LAist]
Directed by the notorious Banksy himself, Exit Through the Gift Shop takes viewers on a wild ride through the illicit world of street art.
An exhilarating look behind the scenes of the movement, Exit follows the transformation of French shopkeeper Thierry Guetta — who’s obsessed with documenting street art, but unable to make a good film — into Mr. Brainwash, a megalomaniacal artist set on conquering the graffiti-art scene. Narrated by Rhys Ifans, the film also features music by Roni Size and Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, soundtracking fantastic footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and other street-art heroes.
1. Roger Ebert didn’t like Kick-Ass for moral reasons. Here’s why you should still see it. [via AICN]
2. Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight books rank among the most frequently requested to be banned from US libraries. [via Guardian]
3. Is Banksy‘s Mr. Brainwash an art-world Borat who was “created to dupe the art world and mock the burgeoning art-factory system”? [via Vulture]
4. The lineup for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival has been announced; among the recognizable films showing out of competition are Oliver Stone‘s Wall Street 2 and Woody Allen‘s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. [via THR]
5. Salon and McSweeney‘s have a new content partnership; the first piece is Elif Batuman’s “Missed Encounters With the Movies,” an excerpt from the Believer‘s Film Issue. [via Salon]
Banksy filmed him, Berlusconi has collected his work, and Shepard Fairey called him “awesome, infuriating, almost impossible to define.” Mr. Brainwash — aka Thierry Guetta — is the exuberant, French, chain-smoking, paint-splattered chatterbox whose street-meets-Pop art is, like any good hyperbole, larger than life. We visited with MBW in the 15,000 square-foot Meatpacking District warehouse where his first New York solo show will open this weekend; check out the highlights (including a photo set) after the jump.
Free speech and social equality champion Ron English’s Abraham Obama is arguably one of the most recognizable images of the 2008 presidential campaign — second only to his friend Shepard Fairey’s iconic HOPE posters. But did Fairey take his work on a ten-city tour while shooting a documentary about the experience? Nope. English did, though, and the resulting film is like a weird mix of Jackass and a who’s-who of street art’s elite. After the jump, English speaks with Flavorpill about why Boston hates street art, how little money artists really make, and what he’s planning to do with a bunch of paint and 20 cows. Read More »
Because we can’t all escape from our desks to enjoy 72-degree weather and international contemporary art, Flavorpill’s resident guru Paul Laster will be bringing you daily bold-face name littered updates and photos from Art Basel Miami all week. If you missed yesterday’s first installment, read it now.
